Chapter 152
Nille woke to the quiet hum of the Rune Forge's temporary personnel room, now partially converted into a containment and recovery ward.
The space no longer felt like a simple resting area. It had been reorganized into a makeshift medical facility, with rune-assisted equipment lined neatly along the walls. Soft-glowing monitoring crystals floated in controlled intervals above each occupied bed, projecting faint diagnostic readings—spiritual stability, pulse synchronization, mana flow, and injury recovery rates.
Near the head of each recovery bed were standard healing apparatuses used across the Rune Forge network: resonance stabilizers that gently pulsed restorative energy into the body, nutrient infusion tubes delivering diluted recovery solutions, and binding sigils etched into metallic frames that helped align fractured bones and stabilize internal damage without forcing unnatural regeneration. A few advanced arcane monitors periodically released thin rings of light that scanned the body like a soft wave, updating real-time condition reports in silent intervals.
The sharp chaos of the battlefield no longer existed here.
Everything was controlled.
Measured.
Monitored.
The sharp chaos of the battlefield was gone, replaced by controlled stillness, soft magical lighting embedded in the walls, distant clinking of metalwork from staff still processing materials, and the steady pulse of protective formations keeping the underground facility stable.
For a few seconds, he didn't move.
His body felt heavy, like it was anchored into the bed itself. His spiritual channels still carried the faint echo of backlash from the Tier Six Fire Burst. Every breath reminded him that he had pushed far beyond normal limits.
Then his eyes shifted.
Lin Yue was there.
She wasn't in a medical recovery pod or a healer's chamber.
She was simply seated on a separate bed placed nearby, a book resting in her hands. Her posture was relaxed, but not careless. One leg was slightly elevated, supported by a brace. Bandages wrapped parts of her torso and arm where the troll strike had landed earlier.
She looked… present.
Not broken.
Not gone.
Just resting.
That alone made something in Nille's chest loosen.
A quiet relief.
Lin Yue must have sensed his movement, because her eyes lifted almost immediately from the book.
"You're awake," she said softly.
Before she could fully rise, her body hesitated. A small wince passed through her expression as her injuries reminded her that she was not yet fully healed.
Nille noticed instantly.
"You shouldn't move too much," he said.
Lin Yue gave a faint smile, then carefully sat back down, adjusting her posture to avoid straining her ribs.
"I'm fine," she replied.
A pause.
Then she added, more honestly, "Just not fully."
Nille exhaled slowly.
Only then did he fully register the environment again. Safe. Controlled. No immediate threat. The others were somewhere nearby, likely being treated or resting.
Lin Yue closed the book slightly, keeping one hand on it as if she had been using it more to stay awake than to read.
She noticed his gaze lingering.
"You were out for a long time," she said.
"Seven hours," Nille murmured.
"About that."
Another quiet pause settled between them.
It wasn't uncomfortable.
Just tired.
Lin Yue shifted slightly, then spoke in a softer tone, almost reflective.
"I didn't use healing spells."
Nille looked at her more directly.
"I noticed."
She nodded.
"I've been thinking about it."
Her fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the book.
"When I was younger, I thought healing magic was just… recovery. Fix what's broken, move on."
She glanced down at her injuries.
"But after training with you on the academy training halls… I started seeing it differently."
Nille didn't interrupt.
Lin Yue continued.
"You once said something during training. That every wound the body survives becomes part of how it understands danger next time."
Nille remembered.
It wasn't meant as philosophy at the time. Just observation from repeated combat experience.
Lin Yue took a slow breath.
"So I stopped using healing spells for everything."
She tapped lightly against her bandaged side.
"If I always erase the damage completely, my body doesn't learn how it was broken in the first place. I recover faster… but I also reset the lesson."
Her gaze lifted back to him.
"I don't want to just survive fights. I want to adapt to them."
A faint, almost tired smile appeared.
"That's something I learned from you."
Nille didn't respond immediately.
Because he understood exactly what she meant.
Healing magic, especially high-tier restoration, often repaired the body to its prior state—erasing micro-adaptations formed under stress. Pain memory, structural resistance, even spiritual conditioning could be softened or removed if overused.
In contrast, natural recovery forced the body to remember.
To rebuild with understanding.
To evolve instead of reset.
It was inefficient.
Slower.
More painful.
But in prolonged survival scenarios, it created resilience.
Lin Yue leaned back slightly, careful of her ribs.
"I still use it when it's necessary," she added. "When something is too serious to risk."
Then she looked at him again.
"But not everything should be erased."
A brief silence followed.
Then Nille spoke quietly.
"You're thinking like a fighter now."
Lin Yue gave a small shrug.
"I've been fighting alongside you long enough."
That sentence lingered a little longer than the others.
Nille slowly pushed himself upright, testing his body. His muscles protested, but he remained steady.
Lin Yue watched him closely.
"Don't overdo it," she said immediately.
"I'm fine," he replied automatically.
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
"That's what you always say right before you collapse again."
For the first time since waking up, Nille's expression softened just a little.
Not quite a smile.
But close.
Outside the room, the Rune Forge continued its work, silent, vast, and unchanged.
Inside, for the first time since the expedition began, there was no immediate battle, no collapsing terrain, no monsters pressing in from all sides.
Just two people recovering in the aftermath of survival.
And the understanding that whatever came next, hey would not be facing it the same way they did before.
The expedition had been placed on temporary hold.
The Rune Forge, for all its efficiency and layered defenses, had made one thing clear: what they encountered in the Draconian Mountain Range was beyond their current preparation threshold.
Head Merchant Rume Ironbark had already begun drafting contingency measures with his senior staff. Reinforcements, supply recalibration, artifact countermeasures, and revised entry timing—all of it remained pending.
But as Rume himself had stated before leaving the chamber:
"Everything depends on your next move."
That sentence lingered heavily in the background of the recovery room.
Nille sat on the edge of his bed, still feeling the dull aftershock of spiritual exhaustion in his body. Lin Yue lay opposite him, propped up carefully with bandages and braces, her gaze fixed on the ceiling as if trying to reconstruct the battle from memory.
After a long silence, she finally spoke.
"I never expected higher-level malignants to be this dangerous… and this constant."
Her voice wasn't fearful.
Just honest.
Tired in a way that came from experience rather than panic.
Nille exhaled slowly.
"It's not just danger," he replied.
"It's persistence."
He glanced down at his hands.
"We didn't even spend a full night in that region without something trying to kill us."
A pause.
Then he continued, more thoughtfully.
"That's the part we underestimated."
Lin Yue turned her head slightly toward him.
Nille's expression wasn't frustrated.
It wasn't shaken.
It was reflective.
As if he was reorganizing everything they had experienced into something coherent.
"We went in thinking it was about strength," he said quietly. "But it isn't."
His gaze lifted.
"It's adaptation."
A brief silence followed.
Then Nille continued, voice lower but more certain.
"We're still reacting like individuals with power. Like having higher tier spells or stronger weapons is enough."
He shook his head slightly.
"But the mountain doesn't care about that. Neither do the malignants."
Lin Yue listened without interrupting.
Nille looked toward the ceiling as well, mirroring her posture.
"We're not lacking strength," he said.
"We're lacking experience in surviving something that doesn't follow predictable rules."
His tone sharpened slightly—not in anger, but in clarity.
"Even Professor Caelum, Rume, Nhulla and merchant leader Rume Ironbark
… they're already powerful on their own right . Maybe even beyond most ."
" but that place it beyond what anybody had expected,"
He paused.
"But power and adaptability aren't the same thing."
Lin Yue gave a small, thoughtful hum.
Nille continued.
"They've lived long enough to become stable. Predictable in their own way. Even their instincts are shaped by familiar types of conflict."
He turned slightly toward her.
"But what we're facing isn't familiar."
A faint seriousness entered his voice.
"It changes faster than we do."
"its un real, and we know Encantos or supernatural being like them , really cant change that much " as Lin Yue blinked slowly, absorbing that.
Nille leaned forward slightly.
"So we need to change faster than it does."
A short silence followed.
Then Lin Yue gave a small, quiet laugh.
"You're saying we're behind."
Nille didn't deny it.
"We are."
But then he added:
"Not hopelessly."
Lin Yue looked at him more directly now.
Nille's expression softened slightly.
"We just need more exposure. More controlled encounters. More learning under pressure."
He exhaled.
"Real fighting experience, not just winning or losing. Understanding how things behave when everything goes wrong."
Lin Yue nodded slowly.
"That sounds like you're planning to go back out there again."
Nille didn't answer immediately.
Then—
"Yes," he said.
"But not at the same place, i am carefully considering joining the high elven tournament , to gain more experience,"
" we need to fight stronger opponent without the treat of dying"
Before Lin Yue could respond, the door to the room opened.
Professor Caelum Verdanis Eruien stepped inside.
He looked… almost fully recovered.
His broken arm had been reset and stabilized, his leg injury properly bandaged, and the signs of exhaustion were noticeably reduced. In his hand was a medical tablet filled with recovery charts, mana stabilization readings, and expedition injury reports.
Behind him walked the treating doctor assigned by Rune Forge—a calm, methodical professional carrying a small case of non-magical healing tools and bandages.
Lin Yue immediately straightened slightly.
"You're already walking?" she asked.
Professor Caelum gave a faint, knowing look.
"I didn't say I fully recovered," he replied. "I said I'm functional."
His eyes moved between Nille and Lin Yue.
Then softened slightly.
"I heard your discussion."
Nille didn't look away.
"I assume you disagree."
Caelum tilted his head.
"Not entirely."
He stepped further into the room, tapping the tablet once.
"You're correct about one thing."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"Power alone is insufficient in prolonged malignant environments."
A pause.
"But your conclusion is incomplete."
Nille listened carefully.
Professor Caelum continued.
"Experience is not just exposure to danger."
He gestured slightly with the tablet.
"It is structured understanding of how danger behaves under repeated conditions."
He looked directly at Nille.
"You don't just need to survive more fights."
His voice lowered slightly.
"You need to learn how those fights think."
A brief silence followed.
The doctor behind him quietly began preparing Lin Yue's next round of non-magical treatment, as she had insisted earlier, no healing spells, only physical recovery methods.
Professor Caelum glanced at them briefly.
Then back at Nille.
"And for what it's worth," he added, "your assessment of us is not incorrect."
That surprised Lin Yue slightly.
Even Nille raised his eyes.
Caelum's expression remained calm.
"We are strong."
A pause.
"But we are also… structured."
He tapped the tablet again.
"Most of us adapt within systems we already understand. What you're dealing with forces adaptation outside of that comfort."
He looked toward both of them.
"That is why your perspective matters more than you think."
Lin Yue blinked slowly.
Nille remained quiet.
But something in his expression shifted slightly.
Not confidence.
Not certainty.
But alignment.
As if the scattered thoughts from the expedition were finally forming into a direction.
Professor Caelum closed the tablet.
"For now," he said, "the expedition remains on hold."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"But your next decision will determine whether it resumes as a continuation…"
A pause.
"…or as a correction."
Silence settled in the room.
when Nille decided" i think its time we join the tournament "
Lin Yue shifted slightly on her bed, careful not to strain her ribs as the doctor quietly adjusted the bandages around her side. The man worked without interruption, checking circulation in her arm, pressing lightly near her bruised shoulder, then marking something on a small rune-inscribed medical slate. No words were exchanged, only the soft scratch of notes and the occasional faint glow of diagnostic magic that confirmed injury depth without actually healing it.
She exhaled slowly before speaking.
"…What about the mid-term interconnected exam?"
The question hung in the room for a moment.
Professor Caelum, still standing near the foot of the bed, glanced up from his tablet.
"It's still on goin, you and a few other student were somewhat taking your time. but its withing acceptable reasons" he said.
Lin Yue frowned slightly. "After everything that happened?"
Caelum gave a faint nod.
"The deans didn't design it to stop because of difficulty," he replied. "They designed it to continue regardless of circumstance."
Nille, who had been quietly observing, shifted his gaze toward them.
Caelum continued, tapping the tablet once as if recalling an institutional record rather than a personal opinion.
"Three months of testing. Structured lessons mixed with real-field assessment. Practical validation across Sector One and adjacent regions."
He paused briefly.
"The only way to fail is to never take the test assignments… or to run out of time."
" you they died, but it will never happened now , unlike before"
Lin Yue blinked. "So the aademy made sure to place safety contingencies "
Caelum exhaled lightly, as if shifting the weight of the discussion into something more familiar.
"You're thinking about it as if it's something separate from your normal life here," he said.
He tapped the edge of his tablet once, turning slightly toward Lin Yue and Nille.
"But it isn't."
A brief pause.
"What the academy calls 'structured assessment' is no different from what students already do every day in the Twelve Sectors."
Lin Yue blinked. "Hunting missions?"
Caelum nodded.
"Exactly."
His gaze drifted briefly, as if mapping the reality of their world rather than the room they were standing in.
"Whether you're gathering materials, earning money, gaining experience, or chasing ranking points, it doesn't matter what name you attach to it."
He looked back at them.
"Danger is already part of the system you live in."
Nille stayed silent, listening.
Caelum continued.
"The Twelve Sectors exist precisely because Yamatai Island is not a fully automated and controlled environment in the traditional sense."
A faint, almost matter-of-fact tone entered his voice.
"Malignants, anomalies, territorial entities, awakened predators—none of these follow academic schedules."
Lin Yue frowned slightly. "So the academy didn't create danger for the exam…"
"No," Caelum said calmly. "The academy simply organizes how you interact with existing danger."
A short silence followed.
Even the doctor in the background paused his note-taking for a moment, as if acknowledging the clarity of the statement.
Caelum adjusted his stance.
Professor Caelum adjusted the medical tablet in his hand before looking toward Nille and Lin Yue.
"Let me ask you both something."
He gestured lightly toward them.
"Did either of you ever think about asking your instructors or professors for clarification after the deans announced the new mid-term system?"
Nille and Lin Yue exchanged glances.
Neither answered immediately.
That alone was enough.
Caelum gave a faint smile.
"You weren't the only ones caught off guard."
He leaned slightly against the wall.
"To be honest, most of the teaching staff were just as surprised as the students when the two deans announced the changes."
Lin Yue blinked.
"Really?"
"Of course," Caelum replied. "The scale of the exam is far larger than previous years."
He raised three fingers.
"The examination period lasts three months."
Then he lowered his hand.
"That is the exact length of an academic term."
A pause.
"The moment the term ends, students enter their vacation period."
Nille frowned slightly.
"So the exam is designed to run alongside normal studies?"
"Exactly."
Caelum nodded.
"It isn't a separate event. It is integrated into the school term itself."
He looked at them both.
"The deans aren't expecting students to abandon lessons and spend three months doing nothing but examinations. The tests are scattered throughout Sector One and neighboring regions specifically so students can approach them at their own pace."
Lin Yue slowly nodded.
"That explains why everyone seems to be doing different things."
"Correct."
Caelum tapped the tablet.
"Some students focus on combat-oriented tests. Others pursue research requests, material gathering, artifact identification, escort assignments, exploration objectives, or anomaly investigations."
He shrugged lightly.
"All of them count."
Nille thought about it for a moment.
"So there isn't a single correct path."
"There isn't."
Caelum's answer came immediately.
"The purpose isn't to see who follows one route."
His expression became more serious.
"The purpose is to see how students solve problems using the skills they possess."
That explanation seemed to make more sense to both of them.
Caelum continued.
"Think about your own expedition."
He gestured toward Nille.
"Opening gateways."
Then toward Lin Yue.
"Advanced spellcasting and support."
He continued.
"Professor-led exploration, resource acquisition, malignant analysis, survival planning, logistics management, equipment testing."
A brief pause.
"You've probably completed more practical objectives in a few weeks than some students will complete in several months."
Lin Yue looked surprised.
"Really?"
Caelum nodded.
"The difference is that you weren't viewing it as part of the examination process."
The realization visibly settled between them.
Then Caelum asked another question.
"When you entered Sector One for hunting, did either of you expect the environment to be safe?"
Nille immediately shook his head.
"No."
"Exactly."
Caelum folded his arms.
"Because it isn't."
His tone remained calm and matter-of-fact.
"You enter knowing there is risk. You gather information, prepare equipment, form plans, adapt when those plans fail, and hopefully return with more knowledge than when you left."
He looked toward the room's window, where the lights of Rune Forge could be seen in the distance.
"The academy simply applies the same principle."
Lin Yue slowly followed his reasoning.
"So the exam is basically structured field experience?"
"In many ways, yes."
Caelum nodded.
"Structured, documented, and evaluated."
He tapped the tablet again.
"Your performance is observed. Your decisions are recorded. Your growth is measured."
Nille leaned back slightly.
"So the exam isn't testing whether we're strong enough."
A faint smile appeared on Caelum's face.
"Now you're asking the correct question."
He pointed the tablet toward him.
"The academy already knows some students are stronger than others."
Then toward Lin Yue.
"Some are more talented."
Then toward the door.
"Some have more resources."
His expression grew more thoughtful.
"But strength, talent, and resources only tell part of the story."
"What are they actually measuring?" Lin Yue asked.
Caelum's answer came without hesitation.
"Judgment."
The room became quiet.
"Adaptability."
Another pause.
"Decision-making."
He continued.
"Can you recognize danger?"
"Can you adjust when circumstances change?"
"Can you survive long enough to learn from mistakes?"
"Can you accomplish objectives without creating bigger problems?"
Nille found himself nodding.
That sounded far more reasonable than a simple combat examination.
Caelum noticed.
"The deans understand something many students don't."
His voice softened slightly.
"The real world doesn't care about grades."
"It doesn't care about rankings."
"It doesn't care how impressive a spell looks."
He glanced toward the bandages covering Lin Yue's injuries and the lingering signs of exhaustion on Nille.
"The world only cares whether you can adapt."
A brief silence followed.
Then Lin Yue smiled faintly.
"So we've already been taking the exam without realizing it."
Caelum nodded.
"More or less."
Nille looked down for a moment before speaking.
"Then the expedition wasn't a distraction from the mid-term."
"Not at all," Caelum replied.
"In fact, it may be one of the most valuable learning experiences you've had this term."
The doctor finally finished reviewing both of their conditions and handed the medical slate to Caelum.
The professor glanced at it before speaking.
"Your injuries are healing properly. No permanent damage. Just exhaustion, strain, and a few lessons learned the hard way."
Lin Yue laughed softly.
"That sounds expensive."
Caelum smiled.
"The best lessons usually are."
Then he looked between the two students.
"And unlike previous generations, you get to learn those lessons and come back alive to use them."
A few minutes after the discussion ended, the door to the recovery room opened once again.
This time it was Head Merchant Rume Ironbark.
The dwarf entered with his usual energetic stride, looking considerably better than he had on the battlefield. The limp was gone, the cut on his forehead had been properly bandaged, and his expression carried the unmistakable satisfaction of a merchant who had just acquired something valuable.
Behind him was Erma, Nhulla Loresong's temporary assistant.
The young woman carefully pushed a wheeled cart loaded with food, recovery supplies, personal belongings, fresh clothing, and several sealed containers bearing Rune Forge markings.
The aroma alone immediately filled the room.
Fresh bread.
Roasted meat.
Vegetable stew.
Herbal tea.
Even Nille's stomach reacted.
Rume noticed immediately and laughed.
"Good! That means you're alive."
Erma quietly parked the cart beside the room and began arranging the food on a nearby table while the adults talked.
Rume crossed his arms.
"First things first."
The dwarf's expression became unusually sincere.
"Thank you, lad."
Nille blinked.
"For what?"
Rume pointed directly at him.
"For saving our arses."
Lin Yue couldn't help smiling.
Even Professor Caelum looked mildly amused.
Rume continued.
"If that artifact hadn't been destroyed, we'd still be fighting those blasted trolls right now."
He shook his head.
"Or worse."
Nille looked slightly uncomfortable with the praise.
"We all survived."
"Exactly."
Rume pointed again.
"And I'd like to keep it that way."
The dwarf pulled up a chair and sat down.
"Besides."
A wide grin appeared on his face.
"The rewards from that little disaster were worth looking at."
That immediately caught Nille's attention.
"Rewards?"
Rume nodded.
"The troll."
Nille frowned.
"What troll?"
The room went silent for a second.
Then realization hit him.
"The one that came through the gate?"
Rume laughed loudly.
"That one."
Nille looked genuinely surprised.
"I thought it died."
"Oh, it nearly did."
The dwarf's grin widened.
"It forced itself through your portal right before the gate closed."
He spread his hands apart.
"Half its body stayed on one side."
Then brought them together.
"The other half ended up in our sub-basement."
Lin Yue winced.
"That sounds painful."
"It probably was."
Rume chuckled.
"But trolls are stubborn."
He leaned forward.
"Especially evolved trolls."
Nille listened carefully.
The merchant continued.
"Our containment team secured it immediately."
"We've already extracted biological samples."
"Blood."
"Tissue."
"Regeneration material."
"Mana signatures."
"Spell residue."
He tapped the table.
"And most importantly—"
His eyes brightened.
"We've finally obtained direct observation data from a mature Level Four Hundred Fifty troll."
Even Professor Caelum nodded approvingly at that.
For researchers and craftsmen, such a specimen was extraordinarily valuable.
Nille leaned back slightly.
"So the capture was useful."
"Useful?"
Rume laughed.
"Lad, some researchers would fight a war for an opportunity like this."
Erma quietly placed a bowl of stew in front of Nille.
The smell alone nearly distracted him.
Rume suddenly pointed at him again.
"Which brings me to another question."
Nille immediately knew where this was going.
"What spell did you use?"
Lin Yue looked toward him as well.
Even Professor Caelum showed mild curiosity.
The final version of the attack had been significantly stronger than anything they had previously seen.
Nille thought for a moment before answering.
"It wasn't exactly a new spell."
Rume blinked.
"What?"
"It was Fire Burst."
The dwarf stared at him.
"...You're joking."
"No."
The room became silent.
Rume looked toward Caelum.
Then toward Lin Yue.
Then back at Nille.
"That was a Fire Burst?"
"Technically."
The dwarf looked offended by the word technically.
"What do you mean technically?"
Professor Caelum finally intervened.
"It was the lesson."
Rume looked toward him.
"The lesson?"
Caelum nodded.
"The one I showed them before the expedition resumed."
The professor folded his arms.
"Most awakened individuals increase spell power by increasing mana output."
He drew a small circle in the air.
"More energy."
Then another circle inside it.
"Bigger effect."
Then another.
"Eventually higher spell tiers."
Rume nodded.
That was standard magical development.
Caelum continued.
"What I taught them was different."
Nille picked up the explanation.
"Instead of increasing output."
He held up his hand.
"We focused on improving efficiency."
Lin Yue nodded.
"Compressing the spell structure."
Caelum continued.
"Think of it like this."
He pointed toward a piece of bread on the table.
"If you scatter flour across a room, it has little effect."
Then he clenched his fist.
"But compress that same material into something dense and directed, and the result changes."
Rume's eyes widened slightly.
"The shotgun analogy."
"Exactly."
Nille nodded.
Originally, Fire Burst released energy outward in a relatively simple pattern.
Professor Caelum had taught them to compress multiple layers of the spell together before release.
Not stacking raw power.
Stacking efficiency.
Each layer reinforced the next.
Reducing waste.
Increasing density.
Improving penetration.
Lin Yue added her own observation.
"The spell uses less spiritual energy than forcing a higher tier."
"But produces significantly more focused force."
Rume scratched his beard thoughtfully.
"So you didn't make the spell stronger."
Nille shook his head.
"No."
Then corrected himself.
"We made it more effective."
Professor Caelum nodded approvingly.
"A properly constructed Tier One spell can often outperform a poorly cast higher-tier spell."
The dwarf sat back.
"That actually makes sense."
Then he pointed at Nille.
"Except for one thing."
"What?"
"You somehow turned that lesson into an explosion large enough to rearrange a mountain valley."
The room became quiet again.
Nille looked away slightly.
Lin Yue immediately started laughing.
Even Caelum's expression threatened to become a smile.
Rume threw his hands into the air.
"See? That's exactly what concerns me."
The dwarf shook his head dramatically.
"I teach young craftsmen how to improve efficiency."
He pointed at Nille.
"You somehow interpret that as creating a small natural disaster."
For the first time since waking up, Nille actually laughed.
And judging from the smiles around the room, everyone was relieved to hear it.
Rume leaned back in his chair and looked at Nille.
"So what's the plan now, lad?"
Nille thought for a moment before answering.
"The expedition is on hold for now."
Rume nodded in agreement.
"The trolls changed my perspective," Nille continued. "We nearly died despite having good equipment, preparation, and a retreat plan. The problem wasn't strength. We simply lack experience fighting opponents stronger than ourselves."
Lin Yue listened quietly before asking,
"So... are we going to the High Elven Tournament?"
Nille looked at her and nodded.
"Yes."
That answer surprised everyone slightly.
"The mountain taught us our weaknesses," Nille explained. "The tournament will let us learn in a safer environment. We'll face different fighters, different spellcasters, and different combat styles without risking our lives every minute."
Professor Caelum gave an approving nod.
"A sensible decision."
Nille smiled faintly.
"We need more experience. The expedition isn't going anywhere."
Lin Yue smiled back.
"And we can learn a lot from those fights."
"Exactly," Nille replied. "Before we challenge the mountain again, we need to become better fighters."
Rume laughed.
"A tournament sounds a lot better than getting chased by thirteen trolls."