"My name is Cora... I was in the B-Class..." The girl replied, correcting her round glasses. She had ginger hair, dark green eyes, black hair, and light freckles on her cute face.
Ethan nodded, "Do you have a lighter or something better?"
Cora turned, pulling a wooden flute out of a pocket in her jacket, with three red dots instead of holes for air to pass through and create a melody.
"I bought it at Dimensional Market, I can shoot out a fireball three times if I blow into this flute..." Cora said quietly without raising her head.
Ethan may not have noticed the glint in Cora's eyes as Alisa did, but one thing was crystal clear to him.
'Damn... Her self-esteem is so low that even if I went down to hell, I'd still have to look underneath to see it...' Ethan said to himself, then he decided to do something that even he wasn't ready for.
Tap.
His hand was on Cora's shoulder, gentle and soft. Cora slowly lifted her head and saw Ethan's slight smile.
"You've done well. Use that flute when I give the signal, okay?"
"Sure... I'll do my best..." Cora nodded, unable to believe what she was seeing and hearing.
Ethan headed over to Magnus and Alf, who were near the Light Knight corpse.
Cora stared at Ethan's retreating back for a long moment, clutching the flute to her.
'Well... I guess I just saw Ethan make a mistake, even though he did something good...' Alisa inwardly muttered with a complicated expression, 'It's weird, strange that I'm even thinking about it... Agh... It's impossible not to change after going through all this, isn't it?'
Step. Step. Step.
Ethan approached Magnus, who was pulling a white orb out of Light Knight's body at this time. This one was larger than the ones they took out from White Guards, and was comparable in size to Zariel's one.
"Hah, I can definitely use this one instead of Angel Core!" Magnus exclaimed, intently examining the sphere under the sunlight.
"So, now we have four tiny spheres and one small one, right?" Ethan asked.
Magnus nodded, opening his palm.
"Fine, in that case, give the four spheres to Alf. You'll only need one of these to reach my level." Ethan said calmly, pointing at Alf.
"Agh... What a pity, I wanted to absorb them all myself." Magnus shrugged with an ironic smile on his face before throwing spheres to Alf.
"What is it...? What am I supposed to do with them?" Alf was puzzled.
Magnus waved his hand, "Just swallow them. Only one at first, and then all three. After the first one, though, you'll figure it out for yourself."
Alf was unsure, he looked at Ethan, who nodded approvingly.
Alf shrugged and did as Magnus said. His eyes went wide, and his veins swelled, quickly turning black. For a moment Alf passed out, but he soon regained his senses.
"Now consume the rest." Ethan said calmly, he wanted to see their reaction.
Soon, Magnus's and Alf's veins returned to normal while their bodies absorbed the energy from the spheres. For Magnus, the process went a little faster, but it was a minor difference.
'Hmm... I wonder if the fact that Alf absorbed three tiny spheres of apparently lower quality has any effect?' Ethan pondered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
The process was longer this time, much longer, as it was only after ten minutes that they opened their eyes.
Magnus immediately stared at Ethan, ''You're right... It... it can't be explained in simple words...''
"Unbelievable..." Alf muttered with a dazed expression, "I've never felt so strange and good at the same time."
Magnus got up from the ground, shook off the dust, and held out his hand to Ethan, "How about we test which one of us is stronger now?"
Ethan just shrugged and turned around, walking away.
"Nice try, but I don't want to squirm in pain like you did."
Magnus, as if expecting that answer, immediately turned to Alf, but he was looking away, whistling and pretending to be thinking about something important.
'Freaks...' Magnus frowned, clearly displeased.
...
The Fifth Trial continued at its usual pace, and after two hours, the fourth and fifth waves were passed.
They were much easier even than all the previous ones, as there was not a single Champion among the monsters, although there were many common monsters.
'Not a single core, but a lot of points... Well, it's better than going through deadly danger every time.' Ethan pondered as he stared at the vegetable bag half filled with scarlet, spiky fruits.
Ethan had used all the points they had earned, but he still hadn't built walls or bought turrets.
However, now their entire territory was one big trap, a true minefield where every wrong step could be a big problem. It could be a trap, a spiked net, a massive chain, or a small explosive of medium power.
The most expensive thing Ethan bought was a set of twenty-five bombs with a unique element - water, fire, wind, stone, or lightning.
"They were expensive, but we have to be ready for anything, especially now." Ethan sighed, looking at the bombs, then everyone heard a familiar mechanical voice.
[The sixth wave will begin in thirty minutes!]
[Since this is the second special wave of advanced difficulty, there is a special opportunity for you!]
[You can team up with one of the towers to fight together against the monsters of the sixth wave! The number of monsters will be the same for two teams and one team!]
"Oh... In other words, we'll either team up or die due to lack of strength..." Ethan nodded slightly.
[In order for the alliance to be made, the princesses must touch their cards!]
"What are we going to do?" Magnus asked, approaching Ethan, "Even though this is a special wave we don't have much time."
"Well... We have two options, either Maris or Nitra. Freda's tower is on the south side, and we're on the north, so considering that the portals appear at the edge of the dome, it would be inconvenient for us to work together." Ethan replied, thinking.
Magnus smirked, "Hah, then the answer is obvious! Let's go to Maris! I'm sure together we'll have no trouble dealing with monsters."
Without waiting for Ethan's reply, Magnus headed towards the east side of the academy, but after a few steps, he stopped as he realized Ethan wasn't following him.
"Is something wrong?" Magnus tilted his head in confusion.
Ethan nodded as a sly smile appeared on his face, "Yeah, I have a better option. Why would we go to an arrogant ally when we can submit a familiar enemy?"