The legendary warrior novel Chapter 133

Each and every single warrior that was before the presence of the dark stone tensed at the sight of it. It didn't look particularly special nor gigantic, yet it stood like a tall mirror that caused an intimidation amongst everyone. Beneath the surface of the stone was a mystery that was yet to be discovered.

"Take a look at this! Is this the stone for the measurement of weapons? It's quite a sight to behold, is it not?" a warrior blurted out in excitement. "The Casting Guild is astounding! How did it manage to obtain such a stone?"

another warrior exclaimed, disbelief and shock evident on his face and as well as everyone else's. It was a groundbreaking moment for all the warriors present at the scene.

The weapon-measuring stone was unlike any other gem in the world -- the purest and rarest out of all stones hidden in the depths of the earth. It took an unbelievable amount of time for the stone to be the way it was, millions of years deep underground with airtight surroundings.

"It is known that this stone can measure the difference between two weapons with all due precision, and I'm talking about a one-to-ten thousand scale here. Its power is miraculous! I still find it hard to fathom that we're actually graced by the presence of this precious thing!" one of the warriors exclaimed, with a hint of curiosity in his voice.

'What? It can test out a difference to such degree? How is that possible?

I wonder how it's able to do that, ' Ricky thought to himself, fixated on the dark stone. A great amount of curiosity suddenly consumed his mind.

"I assume you three, being the casting geniuses that you are, already have an idea of how this dark stone works. I think it's the perfect time to put this stone to test."

Elder Alexander beamed proudly to Zack, Ivan, and Ricky.

"Please, allow me to be the first one to try the magical abilities of this gem!" Zack pleaded, taking a step ahead to show his eagerness. His eyes were glassy, and his stance expressed how immensely he wanted to do the test first.

"Excellent!"

The elder praised the young warrior for bearing such great courage and confidence.

Elder Alexander nodded in approval. In just a matter of seconds, his calm expression turned into a serious face, getting ready for what was about to happen. The old man raised his hand, and turned his palm towards Zack's head. Steams of invisible white energy coming from the stone quietly flowed into Zack's body. The next moment shocked the boy. Zack figured he had lost all abilities to manage his own powers when he tried to gather some spiritual energy himself. In order to avoid disruptions during the measurement, Elder Alexander had locked up Zack's magical abilities.

It didn't bother Zack at all, as he was genuinely curious about something else. Taking a deep breath, he began to execute his actions. He stood firmly, then crouched and stuck out the long spear that he had in his right hand. With a heavy sound, the weapon hit the surface of the magical stone.

Right then and there, the stone began to shake. A sharp, cracking sound was heard, and everyone held their breaths as they eagerly waited for the next moments to unfold. A bright line appeared on the surface of the dark stone, and gradually, more lines began to form.

"According to hearsay, mortal-level weapons could leave hundreds, even thousands of bright lines on the Weapon-measuring Stone! An average intermediate Mortal Level weapon could leave at least four or five hundred lines!" the warriors gossiped as they witnessed the test done on Zack's weapon.

"By showing how many lines on its surface is how the Weapon-measuring Stone works? That's amazing!"

Ricky whispered to himself after hearing the others' words, still in awe of the mystical powers of the gem.

At that exact moment, four hundred lines were already visible. The warriors just stood there, allowing more changes to occur before them. Eventually, the stone stopped quivering, and a total of five hundred and seventy lines could be seen. Everyone had their mouths on the floor, and grew even more curious as to how it was all going to turn out.

"What? Five hundred and seventy lines? That silver long spear is just remarkable! It definitely reaches the intermediate stage among the weapons at the Mortal Level! Zack is a real casting genius!"

exclaimed one guy among the crowd, who regarded himself as a knowledgeable man in terms of casting. Everyone knew this guy and he was credible enough to make judgments.

"Indeed! Now, who wants to go next?" Elder Alexander asked, as he made sure that all the lines on the surface disappeared. The stone had a self-healing ability. Every time a casting weapon would attack and leave marks, they didn't stay too long. Once new lines ceased to generate, the surface was cleared in a minute. He shifted his eyes towards the other two contenders. Clearly, he was very pleased with Zack's casting skill and hoped to know how Ricky and Ivan would play their shows. Just like what he did with Zack, Elder Alexander also locked up their powers.

"Please let me have a try!" Ivan stepped forward. He had cast a black halberd during the last round of the test. Against the bright sunlight, the glinting edge revealed its sharpness.

Ivan swung his weapon with ample force and went straight for the surface. Again, the dark stone began to move.

Five hundred and eighty-one lines emerged. As if it happened for the first time, everyone at the scene clapped and gossiped like they had just witnessed the world's most impossible occurrence.

All of the warriors were hyped up to a whole new level. Ivan felt a strong sense of pride with his casting skill. He looked at Ricky with disdain, obviously waiting for him to fail and be embarrassed instead of being praised. Ivan had so many mischievous ideas packed in his head.

"Compared to Zack's spear, Ivan's weapon created eleven lines more. This halbert is probably the closest to reaching the advanced Mortal Level at this point. How could he have possibly cast such a great weapon in only five hours?"

A wave-like shock travelled among the warriors from the front line up to the end. Everyone went into a frenzy.

Being the last one to take the test, Ricky drew all of the test watchers' attention.

Ricky was known for his unique Pounding Skill when it came to weaponry. A lot had witnessed his subtlety and sophistication when he was casting his own. The spotlight was his at that very moment.

He carried his saber as he walked closer towards the stone. The silence was deafening, causing tension to brew. Then, Ricky lifted his weapon using his strong, right hand, and then struck at the stone with all his might.

The stone began to tremble once again. Harsh lines began to show very, very quickly. As the clock ticked, more lines appeared, causing an uproar. The marks that Ricky's weapon was leaving on the stone's surface was almost limitless! To Ivan's dismay, Ricky's weapon was obviously going to surpass his.

Almost instantly, Ivan's face turned gloomy.

Despite his defeat, Ivan knew he had to accept that Ricky's weapon had left a total of six hundred lines on the surface. He didn't want to seem bitter in front of others who knew him. However, there was no way to erase that fact.

"Six hundred lines? Wow! Does that guy's weapon still belong to the intermediate Mortal Level? Not something beyond that? This is insane!"

Everyone in attendance went bananas with what just went down. Most of them were raving and applauding, in great awe of Ricky's weapon. The result of the test was as clear as day.

It was true, as to what they said. Not everyone was easily pleased. Some warriors didn't hesitate to express their suspicions. Ricky's Pounding Skill was the only reason he could have done this. Warriors had their own little theories about him and his weapon. In short, not all heads in the crowd were happy.

Ricky had made such an excellent weapon in just a small amount of time. The casting skill that he performed was subtle as always, yet the result was radical!

"Ricky, you bastard! How in the world did this happen? What is your secret?" Ivan cursed Ricky in his heart ever so strongly. He wanted to kill him, and the urge to do so was almost uncontrollable.

He got so envious to learn that Ricky was a better casting master than he was. However, he wouldn't allow anyone, especially not a loser like Ricky, to stain his reputation as a casting master.

I have definitely put myself at a great risk by exposing my casting skill. I hope it's all going to be worth it in the end, ' Ricky thought to himself. He was already feeling the sentiments of the other warriors for him -- greed, and even plans of getting him killed. He wondered what price he was going to pay for such an experience.

"Listen here, everyone! If I say so myself, the result is pretty undeniable. We all have witnessed it. Ricky, the luckiest man amongst everyone, has won the third round! Rules are rules, and the stone shall now be handed to its rightful keeper. Congratulations, boy!"

Elder Alexander addressed loudly.

In the presence of everyone, Elder Alexander picked up a brown stone with a hint of yellow undertones from his Storage Ring.

It resembled a dragon. Its edges were golden, as well as the lines around its surface. The ring had an interwoven texture like that of a dragon's scales.

The ring exuded such strong, earthly powers.

'So this is the so-called Magic Spirit stone? I can feel its powers! I have never felt this amazing in my life. Now, I think I can feel that my efforts are not wasted, ' Ricky thought, still oozing with excitement.

Without any hesitation, Ricky marched closer to Elder Alexander to formally receive his prize -- the Magic Spirit Stone.

Ricky pretended to stay calm during the whole event, but made sure to it that he was also cautious. He collected his thoughts in preparation for leaving the place, where he was sure that some of the other warriors already had plotted something to take the stone away from him.

Danger was everywhere.

The Magic Spirit stone was the biggest invitation to danger. Ricky believed that if he stayed calm, and did not show such pride, people would leave him alone because he exhibited humility. The more you succeeded, the more unsafe your life became.

'I better stay in Elder Alexander's place for a while until people forget about the thing that has happened today. I worry for my safety. When things clear out, everything shall go back to normal at once, '

Ricky pondered as he slowed his pace.

To Ricky's surprise, Ivan came up to his side. He was glad that he wasn't aggressive with his approach. Ivan sounded intimidating, yet his tone was rather friendly. "Ricky, I hope we can come to some kind of an agreement. I believe that I need the Magic Spirit stone more than anyone else here, so I want to buy it from you. Please, just name a price."

"Really? I am surprised that you have taken an interest in this stone. But I am sorry to say that I have to refuse, no matter how much it is that you'll pay me. Know that I need this stone just as much as you do,"

Ricky forced a smile and rejected Ivan's negotiation. 'How could I possibly agree to sell this stone to you after all the things I had to go through just so I can have it?' Ricky thought, mocking Ivan in his head. For him, Ivan was being moronic.

"You'd better think about it hard. If you really are as wise as they say, you should know that you are not strong enough to own such a powerful stone. That stone will be the death of you!" Ivan let out a smirk, as if challenging Ricky, and trying to get a reaction from him.

Ivan's words got to Ricky, and he instantly sank in deep thoughts. He was now getting confused about that things that had occurred. But then again, he knew he had to be the better man and not show weakness in the presence of a fiend. "And how is it any of your business, Ivan?" Ricky said harshly.

Ivan was obviously infuriated upon hearing Ricky's words. Still, he managed to speak in a controlled manner. "Fine then, Ricky. We'll see what happens," Ivan said before leaving.

"Another one to my long list of enemies, then. May God have mercy on me!" Ricky exclaimed in a whisper. He watched until Ivan was completely gone. He knew deep down that he would never let Ivan have a chance. He would rather kill himself than have Ivan killing him.

"Ricky, whenever you can, please pay a visit to the Heaven Wood Land. I live in the Heaven King Palace. I am looking forward to meeting you again. We could even practice our casting skills side by side,"

Zack pleasantly said. Unlike Ivan, he was kind, and even admired Ricky and wasn't at all boastful.

"You can count on me, Zack!"

Ricky responded with a genuine smile.

The ultimate test of the Magic Spirit Stone had finally come to an end.