Translator: SumTLMan
“Arguing over something meaningless?” Angel muttered, his mental tendrils unconsciously probing into the judging room. After a brief moment, Angel shook his head and stepped out onto the balcony.
The Water Ripple Witch, Farina, was right; they were indeed arguing over trivial matters——
One of the rewards for advancing in the Novastar Competition was access to the Endless Corridor. How many floors should be opened?
The number of floors to be opened for the top fifteen contestants in the Novastar Competition had already been determined, specified personally by Rosen. However, for the contestants ranked between the sixteenth and the hundredth places, Rosen had not provided explicit guidance. He had merely indicated a general range — between 100 and 200 floors.
The judges were suggesting that the floors should decrease in number according to the ranks, but the contention arose over the details. Should the decrease be segmented into blocks of ranks, or should it be applied individually? What should be the gap between the decreases? These were the points of dispute.
In Angel’s view, there was no need to quibble over such minutiae. But since he wasn’t a native of the Sky Mechanical City, his advice would likely fall on deaf ears; there was no point in stepping into the fray.
“Getting red in the face over a floor or two is just boring,” Farina, the Water Ripple Witch, leaned against the railing. As a water-element witch, she was particularly enjoying the torrential rain.
“Isn’t being pedantic also a form of responsibility?” Angel said.
“What they’re doing isn’t being pedantic. Since they decided to open the Endless Corridor as a way to make up for the past incident of the Purification Garden, they should just set an even-handed standard. This is actually just being petty,” Farina shook her head. “Nevermind them. I have some latest news that concerns you.”
Angel was taken aback: “Concerns me?”
“Yes,” Farina blinked, her beautiful water-like eyes twinkling brightly. “Care to take a guess?”
Angel was about to speak when the communicator in his arms suddenly lit up. Hesitating briefly, he opened the device. A radiant halo flickered, and a holographic figure slowly emerged from the communicator — a man with auburn hair.
“Angel, there’s something I need to discuss with you… Ah, Water Ripple Witch, you’re here too? Weren’t you supposed to be in seclusion?”
Upon seeing the holographic figure of the old man, Farina muttered under her breath, “Seems like I don’t need to say it myself,” before replying, “Midora, don’t forget I’m also a special guest judge.”
The old man was none other than Midora, known as the “Potion Master.”
“Special guest judge? Ah, I remember now. Today is the Novastar Competition finale, isn’t it?” Midora came to a realization. “No wonder I didn’t see Adelia and Tujo when I was returning from the Research Institute.”
“Enough about that,” Midora shifted his gaze toward Angel and said, “Angel, I’ve just received some news. Bogula has emerged from the Myriad Demon Abyss.”
“He’s now, let’s say… a half-step true knowledge wizard, at best.” As Midora spoke, a tinge of regret flashed across his face. Achieving the realm of true-knowledge wizard within the Myriad Demon Abyss didn’t carry much weight.
Angel’s brow furrowed. Bogula’s emergence was far from good news for him.
“However, you needn’t worry. He’s unlikely to bother you for the time being,” Midora assured Angel. However, he didn’t elaborate on why Bogula wouldn’t be a problem in the short term, leaving it intentionally vague before shutting down the communicator.
After ending the call, Angel was still somewhat puzzled and looked to Farina for an explanation.
“The news I wanted to share with you is the same,” Farina finally spoke. She had also heard some things about the animosity between Angel and Bogula. “What Midora said is correct; Bogula indeed won’t be able to trouble you for now.”
“Midora is, after all, Bogula’s mentor in the Mysterious branch. It’s not appropriate for him to speak openly about it. However, I can tell you that, as far as I know, Bogula suffered severe injuries in the Myriad Demon Abyss and his thought processes have been compromised. He’s been taken away by Rosen now.”
Compromised thought processes? Angel still didn’t quite understand.
“I haven’t witnessed the specific circumstances, but I heard from Melanctha that it seems his brain has been impacted, causing cognitive impairments,” Farina said, then sighed deeply, “It makes sense. The place he ventured into was the… Myriad Demon Abyss. That place would drive any average wizard mad.”
The Myriad Demon Abyss is formed by some Mysterious Object, which can indirectly stimulate inspiration and potential, allowing you to have insights and create unique spells that belong solely to you. Therefore, it can assist in advancing to true knowledge level.
However, the Myriad Demon Abyss is incredibly dangerous. Entering it solely for the purpose of advancing to true knowledge is not a wise decision.
“Currently, Rosen is controlling Bogula, so what Midora said is correct; you don’t need to worry about him for now. However, I’ve also heard that the spell Bogula created in the Myriad Demon Abyss is incredibly powerful. If Rosen ever decides to release him, you should still be cautious,” Farina added.
Angel nodded. Although Bogula chose to enter the Myriad Demon Abyss voluntarily, he took this step because he was pushed by Sanders. Whether Bogula would confront Sanders, Angel didn’t know. But given Bogula’s peculiar tendencies, it’s very likely he might confront Angel himself; there’s no doubt about that.
Therefore, one can’t let their guard down.
Next, Angel and Farina chatted about some other matters, such as the insights Farina had gained from her recent period of intense study and reflection.
During this period, torrential rain has been pouring incessantly, yet the fervor of the populace in Sky Mechanical City for the Novastar Competition remained undampened. As the momentum surged like rising tides, the time for the grand finals drew increasingly near.
“It’s time to go; the competition is about to start,” Farina remarked. With that, the two returned to the judges’ room.
The room was bustling with people; this was the most well-attended gathering of judges since the match between “The Spring Waltz VS The Deceiver.”
When they walked in, the room was still clamorous, but the sounds of argument had subsided, replaced more by murmurs of dissatisfaction. It seemed that the rewards for those ranked fifteenth and below had been finalized, but a portion of the people were not content.
Angel listened briefly and discovered that the final decision was to implement a tiered system of rewards.
The system was divided into four blocks, permitting the Novastar competitors to advance to varying floors of the Endless Corridor: 140 floors, 160 floors, 180 floors, and 200 floors respectively.
This was somewhat better than their previous plan of reducing the number of winners.
After some quick calculations, Angel deduced that under these new rewards, Nausica would be ranked 98th and could access up to the 140th floor in the Endless Corridor. Shalem, having lost his will to fight after Black Canon’s mysterious slumber, had slipped in rankings, finishing 63rd, but could still advance to the 160th floor in the corridor.
As for Hilary, who ranked in the top 10, she didn’t fall within the scope of these rewards. Presumably, her allowance could be even higher — perhaps up to floor 300.
However, considering Hilary’s slothful disposition, even if she were to enter the Endless Corridor, it’s doubtful she would climb beyond floor 100.
While Angel was lost in thought, the Boundless Arena outside had already moved into its final preparatory stages. As messages were broadcast across the competition grounds, the judges inside the room started to disperse one after another.
Only a few special guest judges remained stationary.
Just like during “The Spring Waltz VS The Deceiver” match, these special judges would enter the field individually, via the teleportation platform at the center of the judges’ room.
Though the practice was laden with a sense of ceremony, it was equally embarrassing for them.