Chapter 680: Aura of Ten Thousand Demons
The renowned Tower of Ten Thousand Demons at Assar Academy stood like a spear piercing the heavens, towering over the academy's center.
Its surface was adorned with sealing runes crafted by Formation Masters and Mages.
These sealing runes were designed to prevent the demonic energy within the tower from leaking out.
Monsters of the Ten Thousand Demons race naturally carried the aura of Ten Thousand Demons.
If this aura were allowed to seep outside the tower, over time, it would severely affect the students' minds, gradually making them irritable and prone to anger.
In more severe cases, it would unleash their darkest emotions, transforming them into demons.
Such cases were not uncommon in the past.
Many Professionals encountering Ten Thousand Demons monsters for the first time on the battlefield were influenced by the aura, turning into bloodthirsty creatures that could no longer distinguish friend from foe.
This was one of the reasons Assar Academy was established.
Of course...
The Holy Continent was vast, with many kingdoms of various sizes scattered across its lands.
These kingdoms actively built academies.
The reason for constructing these academies was simple: to help Professionals acclimate to the aura of Ten Thousand Demons in advance, preventing them from succumbing to it when they eventually faced it on the battlefield.
Assar Academy, where Ling Zhan now stood, primarily served to prepare Professionals for combat against the Ten Thousand Demons.
Even tier-4 level-100 Professionals, upon arriving on the Holy Continent, were required to study at Assar Academy for some time.
At present.
Ling Zhan arrived outside the Tower of Ten Thousand Demons.
He found the area outside the tower packed with a sea of people.
Assar Academy consisted of six colleges.
Only two were dedicated to training Professionals: the Sacred Academy, for tier-4 level-100 Professionals, and Clan Academy, for those between levels 80 and 100.
At this moment, Professionals from both colleges had gathered at the Tower of Ten Thousand Demons.
It was worth noting...
Most Professionals gathered not to enter the tower but to watch.
Entering the Tower of Ten Thousand Demons required a significant expenditure of academic credits, which ordinary students could not afford. At the very least, they needed to form teams to share the entry fee.
Even so, few dared to challenge the tower.
The monsters inside were far too ferocious, and ordinary teams stood little chance.
Wow!!
As Ling Zhan arrived.
A commotion erupted among the crowd.
"Damn! Senior Zolt is incredible! That fatal strike nearly one-shot a level-110 demonic soldier!"
"Senior Florina's support abilities are amazing too! Shields protected the team the whole way!"
"Senior Exifa is a beast on the front lines! He took the hits from that fourth-stage berserk demonic soldier and didn't retreat a single step!"
Voices filled with admiration and praise rang out.
Hearing this, Ling Zhan looked up.
A massive screen was broadcasting a live feed of a team battling monsters inside the tower.
At that moment.
The team was facing a level-110 demonic soldier that had entered its fourth berserk phase.
The team consisted of five members.
They represented the classes Sacred Shield War God, Blazing Flame Archmage, Holy Spirit Sage, Sword God, and Mechanical Overlord.
The team's levels ranged from 110 to 115.
All were students of the Sacred Academy.
This was a well-balanced team.
They had a frontliner, ranged DPS, melee DPS, support, and a Mechanical Overlord for versatility, capable of drawing or focusing fire as needed.
The team displayed excellent coordination.
Even when facing a mid-tier demonic soldier in its fifth berserk phase, they handled it with ease.
Ling Zhan quickly noticed they were on the tenth floor.
The demonic soldiers on the first floor of the Tower of Ten Thousand Demons started at level 80.
With each floor, the monsters' levels increased.
Every time a demonic soldier was defeated, a new one was automatically placed inside for students to challenge.
Many monsters from the Battlefield of Ten Thousand Demons were captured alive for this purpose.
Captured monsters served as training targets for Professionals.
Wow!!
Moments later, another uproar erupted from the crowd.
This time, the commotion was not praise but panic.
The cause was on the screen, where the Sacred Shield War God had failed to use a taunt skill to maintain the berserk demonic soldier's aggro. The monster found an opening and teleported in front of the Blazing Flame Archmage.
A fifth-stage berserk demonic soldier appearing before a fragile mage, even a tier-4 level-100 Archmage, was a dire situation.
Of course...
This didn't mean tier-4 Archmages were weak.
The issue was that the Blazing Flame Archmage had just used their "Order's Bestowal" on an offensive skill.
Now, they could only rely on elementalization.
But elementalization had a major flaw.
It couldn't block true damage.
And the fifth-stage berserk demonic soldier's attacks contained 50% true damage.
Unsurprisingly...
Even after elementalizing, the Archmage's body was slashed open by the demonic soldier's claws, with blood spurting everywhere.
This was the cause of the crowd's panicked cries.
Fortunately, the team was experienced.
The priest quickly waved her staff, instantly healing the Archmage's wound.
The Mechanical Overlord commanded their robots to unleash a barrage of laser fire on the demonic soldier.
The Sacred Shield War God promptly regained aggro with a taunt skill.
Finally.
The team managed to kill the level-110 demonic soldier without further mishaps.
However, they were exhausted and chose to end their challenge.
From the 11th floor onward, all monsters were advanced demonic soldiers above level 121, far beyond this team's capability.
Entering those floors was tantamount to suicide.
Even so.
When the team emerged from the tower, they were met with a wave of admiration and praise. They had cleared the first ten floors without stopping.
It was clear that the monsters in the Tower of Ten Thousand Demons were on a completely different level than those in other forbidden zones.
As the crowd continued to praise the team.
They failed to notice a solitary figure quietly and calmly entering the feared Tower of Ten Thousand Demons alone.