Ascension: Strongest Fateless Mage

A day later, it was time to enter Vernisia's 2nd magic labyrinth in the morning as they got ready and wore their custom-made armors.

Vernisia's armor was a blue battle-frock with a tier-3 wool defense material worked on by both a Magic Smith and an Enchanter. She had silver shoulder plates over the blue wool defensive armor, and her leggings were visible as the front part of the frock was black, and it only covered her thighs. But the wool defensive armor was lengthened in the backside until her ankles.

Zevien's battle armor was dark brown with tough leather materials and silver shoulder plates. The front of his outfit looked stylish, with leather belts and a silver chest plate. There was also a wool coat placed behind his neck. The belts on his outfit and pants had dark golden locks that suited perfectly with his full armor. It looked like a ranger's leather armor.

"Haha, these armors are looking good on us as we imaged," Vernisia chuckled. "We'll keep this design for our future stronger battle outfits as well."

"Yep."

After they were ready, both of them sat on their bed. Vernisia closed her eyes and entered into meditation. Five seconds later, she disappeared. Zevien also accepted the call a second later and disappeared.

…

"Eh? So you are living underwater?" Zevien was startled as he appeared inside an inn but saw that water and fishes were swimming outside the window.

"Haha, yes. I was also surprised when I followed my quest chain and arrived in this underwater town," Vernisia chuckled with a smile and nodded. "This town is covered by some magical power. Come on, you will see once we leave the inn."

Zevien and Vernisia left the inn. There was no water in the inn since it was covered by a magical bubble; all the buildings in the town were covered by a bubble.

When Zevien and Vernisia exit the inn, they were automatically covered in a bubble and could swim while properly breathing.

"Interesting," Zevien said as he looked around before turning to Vernisia. "Can you hear me clearly?"

"Yep. I can," Vernisia nodded with a smile.

"Nice. So, where are we going now?"

"Follow me. I feel like the chain is nearby," Vernisia said as her wrist had a chain and the mystical string extended from it led outside this town.

Zevien was even more surprised after he left the underwater town. "An underwater forest with exotic trees and plans….wow."

"I told you this magic labyrinth is exquisite," Vernisia smiled. "These plants and trees are very colorful."

Zevien and Vernisia entered the forest that was unlike the usual green forest. The tree didn't have thick trunks but a slim body and colorful leaves. Marshweed stuck to the seabed, radiant flower plants, various types of grass, and many exotic plant-based organisms.

"Hmm, this forest-like area is big," Zevien said after they spent ten minutes swimming deeper.

"You see that large light blue scaly rock with multiple holes? This chain's thread ends there," Vernisia said as she hastened her pace and swam towards the large blue scaly rock.

After they arrived there, Zevien and Vernisia curiously looked at the big rock and touched it.

"Hmm, how can I activate the relic trial? The chain already ends here," Vernisia said confusedly before thinking of something. "I should try to infuse mana in that hole."

"Yeah. If nothing seems to work, always try using mana, haha."

*Dhrummm!!*

The ground trembled with stone after Vernisia poured a bit of her mana into that particular hole.

"Oh, is it a field trial like that crystal golem we did in your first trial?" Zevien wondered after he and Vernisia backed away from the stone that suddenly started cracking while expanding.

"Let's see…" Vernisia muttered. She was not sure.

A few seconds later, they were surprised as the stone turned into a big, stony hut with an open door.

Zevien and Vernisia walked towards it and entered through the pitch-black door before arriving at a shore of an island.

They heard loud sounds of tides and saw giant waves coming their way from the sea.

"T-this…"

Both of them were shocked to see the sizes of those tides as they were tall and wide enough to swallow the entire island.

"If we can't escape before that tide reaches here, we are dead," Zevien said with utmost seriousness. "There should be something on this island that can let us pass this relic trial."

"Find any unnatural thing. Let's go in different directions and search," Vernisia said as she quickly dashed while using mana around her and in her eyes to see things with abnormal magic power and mana.

Zevien also did the same, as he enhanced his eyes with mana, which might let them observe something unnatural on the beach.

*POOOOO….*

Both of them looked in the direction of the weird sound and saw a giant whale with crystal laces over its body.

Zevien and Vernisia looked at each other as they understood the assignment after seeing the whale.

"Lyn!" Vernisia summoned Lyn while Zevien unfurled his vampire wings as both of them flew towards the whale. They met up on the way and grabbed each other's hands.

"A strange whale appeared here. It should be a hint to clear this relic trial!"

"I found it the moment I saw the whale," Vernisia said. "The name of the relic chain I got was Tidal Seashell, and those crystal laces on the whale's body shape into a seashell."

"Perfect," Zevien said before he used the <Blood Hook> magic spell towards the whale when they were near. After pulling himself and Vernisia on the whale, Vernisia started infusing mana into the crystal lace.

"I will need ten seconds!" Vernisia said after she saw a small part of crystal lace shining and figured that she had to infuse all of her mana in all parts, which would require ten seconds.

"Ten seconds…" Zevien muttered as he saw that the giant tide was just six to seven seconds away from them.

He created a barrier around them before wrapping the <Blood Hook> around the whale's body and trying to lead it in the opposite direction of the tide.

"Fast!"