Chapter 228 (2): Young Man, Do You Want to Become the Nature Knight?

Before Wayne and Veronica entered the well, Andrew had given them a flashlight. Wayne jumped in first before telling Veronica it was safe to follow with a whistle.

The two of them walked along the tunnel one after the other, encountering magical traps set up with the four elements and illusion-inducing and parasitic spores, all of which they easily overcame.

It took them ten minutes to reach the end of the tunnel, where a stone wall blocked their way. Wayne saw a line of text on the wall:

up is down, and all is one.

“This is a common line in alchemy. This stage is supposed to test our knowledge. There should be a mechanism nearby.” Wayne shared his analysis and stepped to the side to give Veronica room. “You solve it.”

Veronica nodded, slamming the stone wall with her fist. It cracked and broke in half.

Wayne blinked, patting her head in appreciation. “Smart. You know what you’re good at.”

“I’m not stupid,” Veronica protested quietly. “Given enough time, I can solve the problem. But this is faster...”

“And that’s fine. I’m not being sarcastic. I’m actually praising you for utilizing your strengths to take initiative. You’ve grown, Veronica.” Wayne covered his eyes and turned to the wall, putting a supporting hand on it as his shoulders shook. He was beyond happy to see the child grow up.

Veronica punched him with a dark look on her face. Kicking the stone door behind the shattered wall to pieces, she walked into a circular underground tomb.

It was spacious with elemental torches that would never go out, illuminating the complicated and esoteric diagrams of magic circles on the wall. That gave Wayne pause. He had to acknowledge the production team’s effort. Such a complicated set had to have taken three all-nighters to finish.

In the center of the tomb was an open stone coffin. Inside lay a set of knight armor with its arms crossed before the chest, the hands holding a crimson gem.

It was the last Philosopher’s Stone.

Wayne smelled alcohol in the air, and he could hear heartbeats coming from inside the armor. An actor was wearing it.

He reached out for the Philosopher’s Stone. Suddenly, the armor came alive, leaping out of the coffin and lunging toward the wall. A magic circle was activated, creating a portal through which the armor disappeared.

“Son of a beach, adding new scenes at the last stage?!” Wayne cursed. Since it was a one-time portal, and the dimming light suggested that it would soon disappear, he hurriedly grabbed Veronica and leaped toward the wall.

They found themselves in a desolate cemetery, covered in overgrown grass and scattered bones.

“Fast like a mouse...” Wayne followed the smell of alcohol through tombstones until he stopped at the heart of the cemetery. He looked down at the ground. “Come on out, tombraider. If you show yourself now, you’ll get to keep your dignity. Or I’ll have to take it from you.”

Without giving the person time to react, Wayne sent green mana underground to conjure quickly growing tree roots and grass roots, forming numerous vines to grapple the armored knight.

As he raised a hand, the ground bulged and splattered soil everywhere. The armored knight emerged from underground, wrapped in vines.

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Before the knight could be captured, the armor glowed with green light. The vines wrapping around them drooped and retracted into the ground. Having regained freedom, the knight leaped into the air and landed gracefully on a tombstone.

Weighing the Philosopher’s Stone in his hand, the armored man said, “Candidates, the test has been going so smoothly that I suspect foul play from you. That’s why I increased the difficulty a little. You don’t mind, do you?”

“What test? What are you talking about? I don’t understand,” Wayne shouted back, leaving afterimages behind. His fist split the air and shot straight at the man’s face.

So fast!

Garvin, the secret auditor hiding inside the armor, detonated mana under his feet to launch himself into the air like he was teleporting. His incredible control over mana allowed him to move gracefully like he was flying, unlike Wayne, who splurged on his mana and always went big because he could afford to with his large reserve.

“Young man, if you want to take from me—” Garvin shut his mouth, crossing his arms before his chest.

As soon as Wayne’s punch failed to land, Veronica immediately stepped on Wayne’s shoulder to launch herself off.

A combo!

Fine white scales covered her forearm. Her fist shot through the air like a drop of water falling into a calm lake, triggering violent currents and parting the air. The impact rippled out.

They made a duo of brutes!

This time, Garvin took the attack with his arms crossed rather than dodging it, planning to test the Dragonblood’s power.

It was shameful of him to make a personal move as the Vice Captain of the Order of Nature, bullying the inferior, but Wayne had forced his hands. The team of ten auditors had thoroughly tarnished the reputation of the church’s headquarters with their failure, achieving nothing over the past three days. How was it any different from raising their hands in surrender? They should be embarrassed!

Boom!

Veronica’s punch landed, shattering his gauntlets. The slim metal shards shot out, glancing off her face and sputtering sparks.

What incredible power!

As expected of a Dragonblood. She was only a Silver-ranked mage, yet her life essence had already reached such an incredible height. What would happen once she reached Gold or Legendary rank?

Garvin was thrown off his feet. He marveled at his findings while he flew in the air. He had read Veronica’s dossier. It was a shame that she had dragon blood but wasn’t blessed by the goddess like her mother. Otherwise, she would certainly win the selection.

It wasn’t a big problem, though. The favored ones weren’t born favored. If Veronica became the Holy Maiden, she would naturally become the goddess’s apostle. That, combined with her dragon blood, would make her an all-rounder who excelled at both magic and physical strength. Garvin gave her a ten out of ten, looking forward to her future performance.

Meanwhile, Veronica had detonated mana consecutively to step on air, catching up with Garvin. Her punch split the air and hit him with such power that he couldn’t maintain his balance.

Without using faith magic, Garvin couldn’t fight a Dragonblood head-on, but unfazed, he simply offset Veronica’s attacks with agility and skills. He kept retreating rather than fighting to defeat her; he was only here to evaluate the two candidates.

Wayne watched them from afar, confused by the actor’s prowess. The production team didn’t have a big enough budget to hire someone this good, so obviously, this had to be one of the secret auditors.

Finally!

Unhurried, Wayne followed as Garvin and Veronica sparred. He picked up the Philosopher’s Stone from the ground, officially completing the mission. They had collected all three stones in four days, ending the mission eleven days early.

So, where’s Flora? Where’s the honeytrap?

I’m gonna go back to Londan if you don’t knock on my door in stockings soon.

Bam!

The air exploded thunderously, expanding and triggering a wild storm. Hurled away violently, Garvin skidded across the ground like a skipping stone, breaking the trees he slammed into on the way.

Veronica was trapped in a marsh, her two feet grappled by resilient vines. No matter how she fought them, she couldn’t break out of their hold. The strange vines could not only draw her mana, but also disturb her mana circulation and interrupt her thoughts, preventing her from using elemental magic at will.

“Wayne!” Veronica called out, urging him to stop watching and help her already.

Wayne strolled up to her and pressed his fingers together to cut the vines with wind blades. Putting a hand on her shoulder, he said, “You’ve done your part. It’s my turn now.”

He put the Philosopher’s Stone in her hand and took off his black suit jacket, unbuttoning his sleeves and collar. As he walked, he grew taller, and in three steps, he had turned into a perfect elf standing two meters tall.

=͟͟͞͞=͟͟͞͞(ŐдŐ|||)

Veronica sucked in a breath. What a stunning elf. She wanted to—bah, she meant what a strange transformation. Since when could the scumbag transform into an elf? It shouldn’t be possible!

Just like Filomina, Veronica began to question everything with apprehension. She suspected that Wayne’s bloodline had regressed.

The ancient god form of the original bloodline wasn’t hideous, but completely inhuman. It had taken Veronica a long time to accept Wayne’s form. She could live with that.

But suddenly, Wayne regressed and became an elf.

It wasn’t all bad, but what good would the pretty face do? His complacency frustrated Veronica. She would rather lead a life with a tentacle monster than accept Wayne as an elf.

“What incredible talent. This child has mastered the divine art.”

Garvin marveled at the elf’s perfect form, giving Wayne a full mark. While complimenting Wayne’s talent, though, he also felt regret for him. The church would never select an Anointed One. While it wasn’t against the rules, it simply wasn’t the norm.

An Anointed One was too progressive for the headquarters. The followers were even less likely to accept it.

He opened his helmet to reveal his real face, partly obscured by sideburns and a full beard. Bleary-eyed, he took a flask out of his back pocket and took a gulp from it, muttering to himself, “It’s better that he doesn’t become the Anointed One. He can join the Order of Nature. Recruits these days are all brawn and no brains.”

“Mr. Auditor, this is my round. Are you going to just watch without making a move?” Wayne frowned at the unkempt man drinking with his back against the three.

What a drab. Can we continue already? It’s frustrating to have my posturing interrupted.

“No need. I’ve given you my scores. Both of you are excellent with top-tier power and talent, no cheating involved. You’re qualified as candidates.”

Garvin waved a hand at him and gulped down the liquor in his flask, the liquid dripping down his beard. He seemed oblivious to it as he fixed his gaze on Wayne. “Young man, do you want to become the Nature Knight?”

“Huh?!” x2