"Is he crazy?"
Even Ryutaro, whose job was a boxer, dared not face the Rock Mountain Beast head-on, so how could a small mage like Hiyama have such courage!
But then, something even more astonishing happened!
Crack!
Hiyama's fist glowed with a white halo, and then a cracking sound suddenly rang out. Cracks appeared in the air, which was previously empty!
In an instant, the air directly hummed and exploded, like a shattered mirror, spreading tiny cracks in all directions!
Suddenly shattered!
"Bang!!!"
The Rock Mountain Beast, weighing over three tons, was sent flying by Hiyama's punch, and even more terrifying was that its body exploded, shattering into pieces of rock!
"What kind of magic is this!?"
Meld asked in surprise.
Everyone's faces showed a look of disbelief, even feeling as if it were an incredible dream.
Hiyama, as a mage, had instantly killed this massive monster with just one punch!
"As expected of Vibration Magic, which comes from the same lineage as the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. Although the power I can unleash now is far less than Whitebeard's, it's still enough to defy the heavens." Hiyama looked at his fist, ecstatic.
Vibration Magic: The caster can freely cause vibrations in any medium (the degree can be adjusted). It is a super-god-level magic that can make the atmosphere tremble, split the sea, and cause earthquakes and tsunamis!
"When did Hiyama become so strong?"
"What kind of magic is that?"
"What terrifying power!"
The students looked at Hiyama, who calmly retracted his fist, with incredulity, discussing animatedly.
"Hiyama-kun… thank you." Shirazaki Kaori's heart pounded for some reason.
In her eyes, Hiyama-kun, who had sacrificed himself to protect them, became incomparably tall and full of a sense of security.
"Could it be that he took such a risk to protect me?"
Thinking of last night's confession, Shirazaki Kaori couldn't help but think so.
"But I clearly like Nagumo-kun."
Shirazaki Kaori's thoughts were in a mess when she thought of this.
Unfortunately, Hiyama didn't hear her thanks, because he was already surrounded by several girls at this time.
"Hiyama-kun, you're so amazing!"
"Yes, yes, just like a hero!"
"What kind of magic is that? I've never seen it!"
Hiyama's punch just now had won the hearts of many girls.
"This guy is indeed a bad person!"
Looking at this scene, Shirazaki Kaori suddenly felt a surge of anger for some reason.
Hiyama, of course, didn't notice the girl's subtle thoughts. He was still savoring the feeling of releasing the power of vibration just now; this was also his first time using this Vibration Magic.
Although this punch, due to his proficiency and the insufficient strength of his body stats, could not fully unleash the power of Vibration Magic, it was probably only about one percent of Whitebeard's power.
But even so, this punch could easily instantly kill an elite monster on the twentieth floor.
On the other side, Nagumo Hajime's expression, upon seeing this scene, was also incredibly surprised, marveling in his heart that his only friend was so powerful.
But when he turned his head and saw Kaori's expression, a bitter feeling suddenly arose in his heart.
Meld was also incredibly surprised by Hiyama's performance. Why hadn't he discovered that this student had such strong magic during training?
However, he quickly refocused on commanding, shouting a reminder,
"Don't relax! There's still one Rock Mountain Beast left!"
"Roar!!!"
The remaining Rock Mountain Beast roared angrily, but this time it didn't paralyze everyone. Perhaps its unique magic needed a cooldown.
"Hmph, you bastard, I won't let you off!"
Amanogawa Kouki felt annoyed by Hiyama's performance just now, and at this moment, he Just right vented his frustration on this Rock Mountain Beast.
"Myriad Wings Soar, Reaching the Sky, Heavenly Soaring Flash!"
He raised his Holy Sword and, after a brief chant, swung it down in one breath!
In an instant, the intense light condensed on the sword through the chant transformed into a slash and was fired out.
It vertically split the Rock Mountain Beast in half, then completely destroyed the wall behind it before finally stopping.
Debris clattered down from the room's wall.
"It's okay now! I've defeated the monster that was threatening you, Kaori!"
Kouki let out a sigh of relief, then turned to look at Kaori and the others with a handsome smile.
Unfortunately, no sooner had he finished speaking, his coolness lasted less than half a second, when Meld shouted at him,
"Are you crazy? You can't use that move in such a confined space! What if there's a collapse!?"
Meld usually trained one-on-one with Amanogawa Kouki, so he naturally knew the power of his strongest skill.
Heavenly Soaring Flash was a skill attached to the Holy Sword. Although its destructive power was strong, its range was too wide and it was difficult to control. Generally speaking, it should be kept as a trump card.
Amanogawa Kouki was probably stimulated by Hiyama Daisuke and used it out of hotheadedness.
"Still too young and impetuous," Meld sighed in his heart.
Thinking, he turned his gaze to another young man.
"What if Hiyama was chosen as the Hero?"
However, Meld only thought about it, after all, this was God's choice, and he, a mere mortal, could do nothing.
On the other side, facing Meld's reprimand, Kouki could only awkwardly fall silent and apologize.
"Strange? What's that shiny thing…."
At this moment, someone noticed.
It was the wall that had been destroyed by Amanogawa Kouki's Heavenly Soaring Flash, revealing a mineral emitting a bluish-white light inside.
It looked like a crystal containing blue tourmaline.
Including Kaori, all the girls, upon seeing this beautiful sight, looked utterly captivated, as if in a dream.
"Oh~ that's Granz Ore. It's quite large too, truly rare."*
Chapter Ten: Trap!
Granz Ore is actually a type of raw gemstone. Although it has no special properties, its clear and brilliant luster is deeply loved by noblewomen and young ladies.
If processed into rings, earrings, pendants, etc., and given to others, the recipient would be very happy.
It is said to be among the top three most chosen gemstones for marriage proposals.
It is very valuable.
"So beautiful…."
After listening to Meld's simple explanation, Shirazaki Kaori's cheeks flushed, and her expression became even more entranced.
Then she glanced at Nagumo Hajime, but only for half a second, then, as if possessed, she looked at Hiyama.
This glance was only noticed by two people: Shizuku, who was beside her, and Nagumo Hajime.
"I can't lose anymore."
A flicker of determination flashed in Nagumo Hajime's eyes. He suddenly took action, swiftly climbing the collapsed wall towards the Granz Ore.
"Let me retrieve it."
This was originally a good opportunity for Nagumo Hajime to contribute to the team, but Meld was greatly alarmed at the sight.
"Hey! Don't act on your own! We haven't confirmed if it's safe yet!"
However, Nagumo Hajime, who was eager to gain the recognition of everyone, including Kaori, paid no heed and quickly reached the location of the ore.
"This time, I win."
Nagumo Hajime said happily, reaching out to take the Granz Ore.
But the unexpected still happened!
The moment he touched the Granz Ore, a magic circle expanded outwards, centered on the ore.
This was a trap set for those who were mesmerized by the Granz Ore's glow and inadvertently touched it!
The magic circle expanded across the entire room in the blink of an eye and became increasingly brighter. This scene was very familiar to the students, as it was like the day the entire class was summoned, reappearing once more!
"It's Transfer Magic!"
"Retreat! Everyone, retreat quickly! Get out of this room immediately!"
Hearing what Meld said, the students frantically moved towards the door… but it was already too late.
The room was filled with light, dyeing everyone's vision white. At the same time, a momentary sensation of floating swept over them.
Hiyama had just felt the air change, and then he was heavily thrown to the ground with a dull thud.
Hiyama looked around.
Almost all of his classmates had fallen on their backs like him, but Meld, the members of the Knight Order, and some of the vanguard students like Kouki had already gotten up and were strictly guarding their surroundings.
"What is this place?"
Everyone was very uneasy and afraid; only Hiyama could remain calm, because only he knew what was about to happen next.
At this moment, they were transferred to a huge stone bridge.
The bridge was about a hundred meters long, and the ceiling was probably twenty meters high.
Below the bridge was not a river, but a darkness like an abyss, where nothing could be seen.
Although the bridge was about ten meters wide, there were no handrails, not even curbs. If one were to slip, there would be nowhere to grab, and they would fall headfirst.
Hiyama and the others were located in the center of this large bridge.
At both ends of the bridge, passages leading deeper could be seen, as well as stairs connecting to the upper level.
"Run up those stairs! Quickly!"
Meld observed for a moment and immediately gave instructions, and the students also began to move frantically.
However, the dungeon's traps were not just this; they could not retreat as they wished.
Because amidst the red and black torrent of magic, magic circle suddenly appeared at both ends of the bridge.
Although the magic circle on the passage side was only about ten meters in size, and the magic circle on the stair side was only about one meter large, their numbers were extremely astonishing.
The horrifying red and black, seemingly blood-colored magic circle pulsed once, and then a large number of monsters appeared.
From the countless small magic circle on the stair side, sword-wielding Skeleton Soldiers emerged.
In their hollow eye sockets, the same red and black light as the magic circle glowed, looking around brightly like eyeballs.
Within a few short seconds, the number of Skeleton Soldiers had reached nearly a hundred, and they were still increasing.
However, compared to the hundreds of Skeleton Soldiers, the other side, the passage side, was even more troublesome.
Because from the ten-meter-class magic circle, a four-legged monster, distinctly different from the others, appeared.
Not only was it ten meters long, but it also wore something like a helmet on its head.
It looked like a Triceratops, with red and black light emanating from its eyes, grinding its sharp teeth and claws, and horns on its helmet that spewed flames.
As everyone stood still in a daze, Meld's murmur, like a groan, came through exceptionally clearly.
"Could it be… Behemoth…?"