Overpowered Wizard-Chapter B4 Ch49: The Test

Zarian felt a big wave of happiness he’d forgotten about while following his fellow Florida Man. It was surprising to feel while walking through the bottom of a frigid valley, flanked by icy towers, frozen hills, and time anomalies to the left and right.

As the hard frost crunched under step, he noticed signs of struggle – there was an unnatural crater about a mile wide to the left, a hill missing where one would’ve naturally formed up ahead. There were a few towers snapped in half like a titan had swiped through them. Seeing that only made him happier. His people were still a chaotic bunch even without him.

“You’re smiling.” Foodie took it upon herself to observe him.

“And you’re frowning.” He grinned up at her, baring his long incisors. She returned a gobbish scowl with her sharp teeth out.

He didn’t blame her for being in a bad mood. She was the axe woman. She had to be the bad guy. She didn’t want to be, but she was taking it upon herself to be that for them.

If Gilbert was curious about the dynamic, he didn’t act like it and kept moseying at the front with his back turned to some of the most dangerous creatures in the universe and beyond. He even whistled a merry tune that beat out the howling winds. He had powerful enough lungs for a mere master-ranked mortal.

“You got nothing to say?” Zarian asked the large man.

“Quit being a spook and just wait. I figured it’ll go over smoother if everybody hears all you got to say when we’re together. And you and I both know there are more interested parties who want to see you immediately and aren’t ripping it up to get over here first.”

Zarian lost his smile, and Foodie smiled meanly. Ah, yeah, he had a certain situation he needed to kill off by being his own axe man. Ruvaria had kept saying it was fine, but Zarian didn’t want to believe that. He didn’t want to mess up what he had that was special.

It’s been thirty years. It shouldn’t be hard.

They turned a corner, and Zarian stopped. He took a step back and noticed the change visually as well as magically. Then he stepped forward again and watched an entire tower, one bigger than the nearest towers and formations in the icy time world, appear to his surface perception.

If he’d looked deeper, he would’ve spotted it far sooner, so the surprise was a welcomed one. It was also registering as a dungeon to his senses even though it wasn’t natural.

“Hannah did this?” Zarian asked.

Foodie was looking up in wonder as well.

“Hm, oh, yeah, Hannah can make artificial dungeons now,” Gilbert said in the same way that someone had learned to make dog houses. “Or more like she knows how to turn her constructions into dungeons. She even said that with enough time she can take it further and–”

“Create artificial worlds,” Zarian and Foodie said at the same time.

It would be a different way to do it compared to how Zarian, Ruvaria, and Foodie could do it. Less sorcery and more runic engineering, but the end results would be similar. Or perhaps it wouldn’t be.

Hannah’s way of going about it might be more congruent with how the Infinita Star System functioned. The only problem was that Hannah most definitely lacked the power, magic, and time that the Darkruns and Ruvaria had. Yet, she could still achieve this.

“This isn’t a cabin?” Foodie said during the lull.

“The cabin’s inside. Come along now.”

The gate opened, and a familiar dimensional effect occurred. They entered the Floridian Ice Tower Dungeon, Level 140 and Mythical. A pair of giant ice golems covered in shiny runes stood by while armed with halberds, their rough-hewn heads turning with Gilbert and his guests.

The entrance hall was long, wide, and glacial. Gilbert took them to an immediate right, pressed his head on a runic panel beside a door, and waited before the icy gate slid up. Ice and time magic flowed out of the opening.

Zarian noticed the temporal changes, everything going faster inside compared to outside. That went against the icy theme, but maybe it was more of a flex on Hannah’s part to speed up time and maintain a winter wonderland motif.

No, she would use the winter magic in a more novel way, Zarian thought. Hannah’s too efficient to put up with form over function. And I can already imagine how she’ll do it.

They were going down a colorful and cold hallway that looked crystalline. It was like a solid rainbow tunnel, and through here, time and space distorted and shifted further.

They were going to end up somewhere far different in the tower than what their logical direction and the architecture would suggest. Foodie was taking it all in with a furrowed brow, and it took a lot for Zarian not to question her like they did back in their own Wonderland. She wasn’t a student or trainee right now.

Eventually, they reached another door and came out into a field of white winter powder with light snow drifts. Zarian noticed steam rising from nearby hot springs.

There were trees that still had their leaves. There was even a warm river flowing by while a three story cozy cabin that looked warm and inviting stood near the river. The ground was clear of snow, allowing grass to poke through, and on the edge of the property was a large snowman about Foodie’s height. The air was filled with sweet scents, and both Darkruns stopped to sniff, Foodie especially, her big ears waving.

“Gingerbread?” she asked.

Gilbert smirked and waved them on.

Both Darkruns hesitated for different reasons. Zarian sensed that Foodie was having a hard time holding character. And Zarian wasn’t sure how he’d react to being near everyone again. It had been so long since they’d all been around each other and conscious.

Then there was the Naomi situation.

“You shouldn’t let me in,” Foodie grumbled, doubling down on her purpose and persona. “I’ll wait out here.”

After taking a longer gander up at Foodie’s face, Gilbert slowly nodded. He gestured with a thumb for Zarian to follow along, and the most senior of them rankled a little at that. Then he reminded himself that Gilbert had always been this way. He could accept it as a continuing of their relationship, but he might as well test that.

“Things are different,” Zarian said.

“You can tell us on the inside, can’t you? Or is this a vampire thing? What, the Darkruns got spooky rules or something?” Gilbert asked humorously.

“It’s almost like that. I’m just not the same Zarian, okay?”

“I don’t think anybody’s the same here,” Gilbert said with more meaning. “We’ve all gone through our own wars. So, I ain’t looking down on you for what you had to do. Don’t look down on us either.”

Foodie’s aura became heavier, no doubt annoyed by the mortal’s frankness. Zarian, on the other hand, felt better. You could only know Gilbert was being true when the man dug his heels and faced you regardless of the power disparity. Rude or not, it garnered respect, and Zarian could see that distinction better now and understand why it mattered.

“Okay.” He brushed past Gilbert and led the way into the cabin. Gilbert muttered a curse and tailed Zarian, leaving Foodie to brood outside and be more aligned with her persona.

The place was made of high quality wood and solid enchantments. Still mythical, but at the highest grade of mythical. By the time Zarian was inside, with the front door left unlocked, he had a better read on Hannah’s tier. She could definitely pull off celestial even if she didn’t know about celestial.

The smell of ginger and other baked delights, chocolate especially, grew stronger. There was also more noise now that Zarian was past the enchantments for acoustics.

They were singing, Bianca and Naomi, their voices enhancing each other’s playful melodies. Zarian was reminded that there was more than just his feelings for Naomi. He missed them all. They were each irreplaceable in their own ways, and hearing them again, smelling them again, feeling their warmth, put him in a trance that he barely woke out of until he was in the kitchen.

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“I’m home,” he mumbled, almost like he was that young, reckless kid again.

“Papi! Welcome! I missed you!”

Bianca was still stunning and sunny, tanned and beautiful, with shining amber eyes and dirty blonde hair. She was also taller than when he’d last seen her, and she put on a bit more muscle, placing her at the lower end of muscle Amazon and the hyper end of athletic model-like beauty with no flaws. She was also wearing a big ugly sweater with a confused reindeer on the middle, legs left bare, while covered in powder, batter, and whatever other sweet delights they’d gotten their hands on. The hug she gave him was swift, strong, and filled with that sisterly passion that he always associated with Bianca even if she made a risque joke.

“Naomi told me you’re asexual,” Zarian blurted. “And that we’re a match made in platonic heaven. Also, I’m sorry I left you to fend against Para on your own. I could’ve helped you, but I held back to see what happened.”

“Hannah, my dear, I need more eggnog, but with more nog, if you catch my drift.” Gilbert sidled past as Bianca roared with laughter while hanging all over Zarian.

Zarian’s face heated up, realizing he’d made a fool of himself after telling Gilbert that he wasn’t the same. It didn’t help that Bianca was making a show of it as she bounced, jostled, and covered him with more hugs, his face pinned to her chest. He pushed her back in time to see Gilbert get his requested drink from the seemingly meek-looking woman in the corner.

She had on a thick coat and wool pants that matched her dark furry slippers. Her bronze eyes shone through the round spectacles that worked with her wavy brown hair to frame her face. If Bianca was the overt beauty and show stopper, Hannah was the hidden beauty, and that became even more apparent when she was focused and pouting. Did Zarian do something wrong?

“Bianca, it’ll be nice if you let someone else get a hug in?” Hannah huffed.

“We can share hugs!”

“You’re only saying that because you got the first one. Also, you’re going to piss off a certain someone who’s being far more patient than the rest of us.”

Gilbert chugged his eggnog from a large mug and looked at it with disappointment. “Hannah, I said we need more nog in the eggnog. What’s with this weak baby formula gunk?”

“Well, dear Gilbert, you were going about one of your holier-than-thou moments the last time we’ve seen Zarian. Perhaps you shouldn’t drink too much and – wait, I’m getting distracted. Bianca, off. Zarian, please come here. It’s been too long, and you’ve upset me like always. How much stronger have you become? Do we look like ants to you? You can be honest with me.”

Zarian almost wanted to laugh. That was still his Hannah. She wore her insecurities more honestly, as if she accepted them as part of her way of life. Bianca finally peeled away, and Zarian came over to hug the shorter woman into his chest. She’d changed little, only putting on a bit more athletic mass and healthy weight, but she was largely the same, at least physically. Mentally, Zarian imagined she’d grown immensely. Power-wise, he wasn’t sure. He wasn’t trying to dig too much just yet.

“Ah, yes, I’ve been starving for this for some reason. This confirms one of my points in the Book of the Darkrun,” Hannah said, slightly muffled.

Zarian tensed, his tail straightening. He slowly peeled back and looked into Hannah’s eyes. They were serious. He looked over at Bianca. The smile on her face had a touch of seriousness to it. Before he could jump on whatever this Book of Darkrun was, there was a corner of the kitchen that was occupied by a weight and unavoidable force that couldn’t be outright repelled.

Stepping back, he held Hannah loosely until she untethered herself. Then he faced her, Naomi, fully and saw she was in something more athletic that clashed with the seasonal theme. Sports bra and leggings, bare feet, bare abs, bare arms, a direct showboat that reveled in her physicality as a dark warrior beauty as tall as Zarian. The black woman also wore her hair in a big, curly, and chaotic style that was stylistically pleasing, with the back braided, hanging down to the small of her back. Her eyes crackled with pure aura and psionic energy, but none of it touched Zarian. She said nothing and just waited in the corner while wiping her hands with a cloth.

The tension was as thick as it could get.

“I’ve been with Ruvaria for thirty years,” he said slowly. “It was her, me, and Foodie playing family, y’know? We learned a lot and took the time to grow smarter and stronger in many ways. All in a pocket dimension with time speeding along fast, faster than here, for sure. It might seem like I’ve only been gone for half a year or longer, depending. But it’s been far longer for me.”

The others watched him carefully. Nobody bore into him as intensely as Naomi. Zarian thought back to those moments when he or Ruvaria had brought up the case of the dogged and militant woman.

“She’ll make for a great third,” Ruvaria had said. “Loyal. Stubborn. Earnest, even if difficult. It was her that pushed me, made me understand, to cherish what I have with you.”

“Are you just saying that to make me happy?” Zarian had asked.

“No, I’m saying I’d be a fool to crush the heart of a madly determined woman like that. It is logically better to bring her into the fold, especially if she’s willing to take a supportive position. That, and I like her strong personality. I can see myself getting to know her more intimately. It would be exciting with the two of you. But if I were to pick having you to myself or sharing, I would lean more toward having you to myself, of course. I’m only granting the other option to mold a problem into a happy solution rather than to let it fester and become a bigger problem.”

“Is that what you call foresight?”

“That’s what you call being old even among elves and knowing some spice is better than too much spice.”

With all of that in mind, Zarian carefully constructed his next words for his party, and for Naomi. “There’s a lot to explain. Time has given me the means to think and just breathe. Unfortunately, that’s not something you all can afford. You must’ve heard about Para by now. And you must be aware things are wrong in God Land. But what you aren’t fully aware of is that I’m dedicated to going straight to Level 500 with Foodie. And I’m planning to leave you behind. Unless you can pass a test.”

Gilbert clicked his tongue. “That’s why she’s out there and dragging the mood down.”

“The test is simple,” Zarian continued, sounding monotone to his own ears. “You must efficiently be able to survive Foodie for a certain amount of time known to only us Darkruns. She will even attempt to kill you in ways that most mortals won’t be able to survive. She will use half ignition at her discretion.”

She’s also allowed to go up to First Stage of Aura Ignition but no more than that.

By that point, if they could outlast a single punch, they’d pass the test. But the chances of that were low. They might not even survive Half-Ignited Foodie.

She might not be Para’s equal, but Foodie’s Aura Ignition had the benefit of her being ultra while playing with eternal magic, easily eclipsing Naomi’s Aura Ignition. As long as Foodie was serious, it would be hard for all four of them to faze her.

She could crush them without too much challenge if it went badly.

Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that.

The death of the festive mood lasted about ten seconds before Gilbert drained another mug of eggnog and let out a loud burp. Then he tossed the mug into a steely, modern-looking sink. Bianca stood on her tippy-toes and reached for the ceiling with her long arms before swaying around and flexing her elegant body. Hannah summoned a floating runic pad made of magic, her fingers flickering across it with blurring speed, and nodded to herself in satisfaction. And Naomi kept rubbing the cloth over her dried hands. Only when she stopped, did the others snap to attention.

Something about the dynamic was off to Zarian’s preconceived notions.

His eyes landed on Bianca. “You’re not the leader?”

“I was yesterday. Then Naomi won a duel against me! It was so sudden and unexpected. It was almost as if she had been waiting until now.”

Naomi tossed aside the cloth. With a silent tilt of her head, the others flowed out before she pulled up at the rear with Zarian still waiting in place. She stopped and looked him up and down with a snarl on her face.

“Survive? You got it twisted, Marine. We’re winning.”

Zarian waited as she stormed out with an aggressive sway to her hips. He needed time to calm his own heart and get his blood to cool down. The distance hadn’t helped. The time had only made the human-shaped drug known as Naomi sharper. He could now see where Ruvaria was coming from. Naomi was the type of mortal that was hard to deny and could be a problem if not handled carefully.

She hadn’t acted that way the last time we talked?

She felt heavier than before. She was denser with a power that was ready to blow.

Shaking his head, Zarian went outside, where everyone waited. Hannah led them across their cozy cabin area, through the wintery forest, and down another hall. They entered a staircase that spiraled upward, space and time curving like a helix, placing them somewhere else that shouldn’t be so simple to reach.

They entered a massive chamber of black and cold steel. Then the ceiling peeled open and revealed a clear barrier, almost like a lens, the view piercing through the cloud cover with enchantments. The suns shone clearly, and Bianca’s glow brightened.

“Are we keeping this contained? Or will this go global?” Hannah asked.

“It could go global depending on how difficult you want to be,” Foodie said darkly. “If you want to come with us, you’ll have to face world-ending powers. We can’t waste time keeping you safe.”

“Very well. I’ve already made the arrangements to have everything ready to go once the world ends. I’m going to send a warning to the denizens living here to evacuate the world. They’ll need at least an hour for the more populated areas. The System will transport them out within that time frame.”

“I’ll help the stragglers,” Zarian said. “Take the time to warm up.”

They remained in their more casual outfits as they milled about. Bianca and Naomi helped each other stretch, warm up, and do some light hand-to-hand sparring. Gilbert drank weak eggnog and waited. Hannah worked on her runic datapad. And Foodie meditated.

Zarian noticed how Naomi refused to look at him now. He wasn’t sure what her angle was unless she was really pissed off with him. He hadn’t seen her this angry with him before. Not in this cold shoulder way. Maybe she was cutting romantic ties. Zarian’s heart sank at the thought.

“Foodie,” Naomi called from her side of the arena. “It’s personal, okay? So, I gotta fight my hardest.”

“It’s personal for me, too. I don’t want you to come along and slow us down. I must crush you seriously.”

“Time’s up,” Zarian said. “Floridian Outsiders versus Foodie Darkrun. This is a contest to decide if the Ultra Gods proceed alone or if they’ll take the mortals with them. Are you ready?”

“This is going to be fun!” Bianca cheered. “I’m three-out-of-four against Darkruns! Maybe I can get up to four-out-of-five!”

“Try not to hurt me too much. I don’t care for the overt pain,” Hannah muttered.

“Surrender,” Foodie ordered.

Gilbert scoffed. “Woman, we’re Floridians, not French.”

“Fools,” hissed the Ultra Goddess.

“We’re ready,” Naomi grunted.

Zarian nodded. “Go.”