The Smiling Death

Chapter 457: Visiting Forest Alone

A fear-type darkness spell.

The moment Amon reread the spell description.

Even he felt slightly uncomfortable. He had read about this before. Yet it felt different.

It was first time he was learning some spell which was related to illusion.

The spell dragged targets into an illusionary world of endless darkness while attacking their minds directly through fear, whispers, hallucinations, and loss of awareness.

Unlike Devouring Sphere.

This spell focused purely on psychological attack.

Amon frowned slightly.

"...This one feels creepy no matter how many times i read it."

Seraphina nodded calmly.

"Mental interference spells are dangerous amd useful."

Amon carefully observed the magic circle structure.

This spell looked far more complicated. Dark rune symbols shaped like eyes surrounded the center circle, and the mana structure required delicate mental synchronization.

It looked annoying.

Still Amon slowly sat cross-legged on the ground.

Unlike explosive magic. This spell required concentration and mental control first.

Seraphina sat beside him quietly. "The spell reacts heavily to emotional instability," she explained calmly.

"If your concentration breaks, the illusion will collapse immediately."

Amon nodded seriously. Then asked. "You are light element user...how do you know this much?"

"Of course by reading it...they have told it in detail."She said as if it was not a big deal.

’Tch! guess that’s how genius people are.’

Then he slowly closed his eyes. Darkness mana began gathering around him calmly.

This time the mana moved differently compared to Devouring Sphere.

It was softer, colder and more sinister.

Thin black runes slowly began appearing around him in the air.

Eye-shaped symbols rotated slowly around the forming magic circle.

Everything seemed stable. But then suddenly, the illusion mana collapsed instantly.

The runes shattered apart into black smoke.

Amon frowned.

"...Again."

For the next hour. Amon continuously trained the spell.

Again and again and again.

Unlike Devouring Sphere, this spell did not rely on destructive power.

Instead it required emotional manipulation and mental interference. Which honestly made it harder for Amon.

Several times, unstable whispers suddenly echoed around him during failed attempts.

At one point a faint illusion briefly appeared before him.

Dark figures standing within endless darkness.

The sight disappeared immediately afterward.

Amon’s expression sharpened slightly.

"So this is how it works..."

The spell itself affected even the caster slightly during learning.

Honestly it was unsettling. But Amon did not stop.

By late afternoon.

He finally managed to form nearly half the complete structure successfully.

Dark eye-shaped runes floated around him while faint whispering sounds spread through the air.

Though incomplete, the spell had at least partially activated.

Seraphina observed him carefully before speaking.

"You improved quickly."

Amon exhaled slowly while wiping sweat from his forehead.

"This spell is much harder than Devouring Sphere."

"It attacks the mind itself."

Amon nodded.

"Yeah... I can feel it."

After training for several more minutes, the two finally decided to stop for the day.

The sun had already begun setting beyond the Academy walls while orange evening light covered the training grounds beautifully.

A cool breeze passed through the area.

Amon and Seraphina slowly walked side by side through the Academy pathways.

Both looked slightly tired from spending hours training.

Amon looked satisfied.

Seraphina glanced toward him quietly.

"You are getting stronger."

Then after a brief pause, she added honestly,

"And faster too."

Amon smiled proudly after hearing that. "Really?"

Seraphina nodded. "Your mana control improved a lot during this week."

Amon scratched his cheek lightly. "Well... that’s thanks to your help too."

Seraphina quietly looked away slightly. "...I only helped a little."

Amon laughed softly.

Then suddenly his expression shifted.

Excitement slowly appeared in his eyes again.

After training nonstop for a week.

He suddenly wanted to fight badly.

Not sparring. Not practice. A real fight.

He wanted to test his new strength properly.

Amon looked toward the distant forest visible far beyond the Academy walls.

Then a thought suddenly appeared in his mind.

"The forest near Elarith..."

Seraphina looked toward him curiously.

"What about it?"

A slow grin appeared on Amon’s face. "Oh nothing about it...I was just thinking about this city’s structure."

Seraphina glanced at him with confusion but then gave on thinking knowing how Amon’s had works differently.

’What if I go there tonight?’

Amon nodded excitedly.

’I want to fight something strong.’

His black eyes almost sparkled now.

’I want to test Devouring Sphere in actual combat.’

Amon crossed his arms while thinking carefully now.

The forest near Elarith City contained many dangerous monsters after all.

Perfect for combat training.

And unlike before. Now he was Master Rank.

A smile slowly spread across his face.

"...Yeah." He muttered in low tone.

His decision was made.

’I’ll go after dinner.’

Alone.

---

Night slowly descended over Arcadia Academy.

The cool evening breeze passed through the enormous campus while countless crystal lamps illuminated the Academy pathways with soft golden light.

Students could occasionally be seen walking through the roads in small groups while chatting casually after dinner, while others headed toward dormitories, libraries, or training areas to continue their own work.

Inside the Academy cafeteria, Amon had just finished eating dinner together with Selena and Seraphina.

The three of them sat near one of the large windows while empty plates rested across the table after another satisfying meal.

Amon leaned back lazily in his chair while stretching slightly.

"That was good."

Selena crossed her arms while looking at him. Today she wore a dark red sweater along with black pants, while her silver hair rested over one shoulder in a loose braid.

"You always say that after every meal."

"Because food is important for survival, Senior."

Selena rolled her eyes.

Meanwhile, Seraphina quietly sipped juice from her glass while watching the two of them calmly. Tonight she wore a simple black sweater along with white trousers, while her golden-blonde hair flowed loosely behind her shoulders instead of being tied up.

Even sitting casually inside the cafeteria, the two women attracted attention from nearby students.

Amon noticed several male students secretly glancing toward their table before quickly looking away.

He almost laughed.

’This bastards!!.’

Soon afterward, the three finally stood up from the table.

The cafeteria had already begun becoming emptier as more students returned toward dormitories for the night.

Amon stretched his arms slightly before smiling toward the two girls.

"Alright then, I will head back now."

Seraphina nodded softly.

"Good night, Amon."

Selena narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Don’t stay awake all night training again."

Amon coughed awkwardly.

"...I would never."

Selena looked completely unconvinced.

Still, she only sighed.

"Just don’t do anything stupid."

Amon smiled confidently.

"When have I ever done something stupid?"

Both Selena and Seraphina silently stared at him.

Amon’s smile slowly stiffened.

"...Okay don’t answer that."

Seraphina quietly smiled faintly while Selena shook her head helplessly.

Soon afterward, they separated near the cafeteria exit.

Selena and Seraphina headed toward the girls’ dormitory section while Amon walked in the opposite direction casually with both hands inside his pockets.

The moment he turned around the corner and disappeared from their sight.

The relaxed expression on his face immediately changed.

A grin slowly appeared instead.

Tonight he was finally going.

Since second-year students had far more freedom compared to first-years, the Academy no longer strictly restricted movement outside the city unless classes had officially begun.

And since the semester still hadn’t started yet Amon could leave freely.

Which was exactly why he hadn’t told Selena or Seraphina anything.

Especially Selena.

If she learned he was planning to enter the dangerous forest alone at night searching for strong monsters...

She would definitely scold him endlessly.

Amon honestly didn’t want to deal with that right now.

"Hehe..."

He quietly slipped both hands behind his head while walking through the Academy roads leisurely.