The Principle of a Philosopher by Eternal Fool “Asley”

Chapter 10.1, The Philosopher’s Test

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In the Far East Wasteland…

A single beam of light pierced through the swirling dust storms.

Anyone who had ever used the arcane arts would recognize it as the glow of a Teleportation Spell Circle — the invention of Asley, the self-proclaimed Philosopher.

A man appeared, stepping out of the light — his body rugged, covered in countless scars that spoke of battles fought and survived.

“Damn, man! He REALLY lives like this? I didn’t believe it at first!”

The voice came from a second man, who had arrived just after the first. He seemed lighter in demeanor, yet his face also bore the marks of past conflicts.

“Well, Bruce, it looks like those stories about the human-hating hermit aren’t entirely wrong,” said the first man, Blazer.

“Well, I think I just became a sand hater myself, Blazer,” Bruce replied, squinting against the blowing grit.

The teleportation circle behind them flared one last time before a woman emerged. Her outfit left much of her skin exposed, and her body was honed to a razor’s edge. She grimaced at the sight of the desolate landscape.

“Good God, I just got here, but I already need a bath!” she exclaimed.

“You and Bruce really are siblings, Betty,” Blazer remarked with a smirk.

The Silver trio was complete — Blazer the Silver Lion, Bruce the Silver Wolf, and Betty the Silver Tiger.

Betty sighed deeply.

“I’d love to deny it, but let me guess: Bruce complained about the sand, didn’t he?”

Bruce stared, aghast. “How did you know that? Are you stalking me?”

“If I were to stalk you, brother, I’d rather spend my time watching ants.”

Betty’s retort was sharp, but Bruce fell silent, his usually playful expression growing serious. Blazer, too, adopted a more focused demeanor.

A presence loomed ahead of them, felt before it was seen. The ground trembled under the weight of approaching footsteps, and through the haze of dust, a massive shadow emerged.

“I already heard from Lina, but seeing HIM in person really is something else,” Blazer said.

“It’s like he’s a monster,” Bruce muttered.

“What a freak,” Betty added.

Each of them reacted in their own way, eyes fixed on the enormous figure moving towards them.

–Something shifted.

That was all they perceived.

Then, a great wind blew, the dust settled, and before them stood a colossal, muscle-bound man.

Thanks to the magecraft Asley had installed, the team — Blazer, Bruce, and Betty — had reached power levels exceeding 130.

Yet, they couldn’t follow the man’s movements. At that moment, they grasped the vast difference in their abilities.

“Apologies for interrupting. You must be Master Tūs, the High-Order Muscle. I am Blazer, leader of Team Silver.”

“I’m Bruce.”

“And I’m Betty.”

“Oh, so you’re the ones Asley mentioned… The ones crazy enough to infiltrate Regalia Castle,” Tūs said with a grin, his eyes sweeping over each of them. “I see, I see, I see… Asley seems to trust you, and I can understand why. You’re well-trained for modern warriors, with plenty of experience.”

“But even so, we are no match for you,” Blazer admitted.

“Hah! You’re surprisingly polite for a friend of Asley’s.”

At this, Bruce and Betty pointed at each other in unison.

“”Except for this one here.””

“Betty, you little–“

“Dammit, brother, you–“

They grabbed each other by the collar, glaring fiercely.

Tūs watched their bickering with a quiet interest, much like the way the trio had observed him moments earlier.

“Hmm,” Tūs snorted, seemingly satisfied by some unspoken conclusion.

“”…?””

The air around them crackled with Tūs’s overwhelming arcane energy. The sheer force of it pushed Blazer, Bruce, and Betty into combat stances.

“Well, now that we’ve sized each other up, let’s get started. Come at me with the intent to kill.”

Though the trio had already drawn their blades, Tūs’s presence made their skins prickle with unease. Yet, their gazes remained locked on their formidable opponent, undaunted.

“HAAAHHH!” Blazer roared.

Bruce echoed his battle cry. “SHAAAAAA!”

“This might actually be fun!” Betty added, hurling a dagger from the holster at her thigh.

This opening was a move executed flawlessly countless times by Team Silver. Betty would create an opening, Blazer would charge in, and Bruce would strike with precision.

“FUU”

In an instant, Tūs crouched and let out a deep breath, disrupting their coordination.

The powerful exhalation slowed Betty’s dagger mid-flight. When it struck Tūs, it felt no more impactful than a mosquito bite.

“No way! He’s a total monster!”

Tūs, catching her words, chuckled.

“You’re just as rude as the other guy.”

Even with that joking remark, however, Betty’s astonishment didn’t wane.

“ORA!”

Bruce swung his massive sword with all his might.

“Hmph!”

Blazer, predicting Tūs’s reaction, followed up with his own strike.

But Tūs didn’t move. Instead, he lowered his stance further, his rock-like body expanding.

Hmph!

“You gotta be kidding…” Betty’s dry voice narrated the scene.

Bruce’s and Blazer’s attacks stopped dead on Tūs’s skin, their hands numbing from the impact.

“Gah…! Damn, that hurts!” Bruce winced.

“Argh!” Even the usually stoic Blazer couldn’t hold back a groan.

The three of them reassessed Tūs.

“His skin’s tougher than a Diaminotaurous,” Betty remarked.

She remembered the Diaminotaurous from her Rank S trial with Gaston — a monster with a body of iron and a warrior’s worst nightmare. Betty had defeated it with countless dagger strikes, but Tūs hadn’t budged an inch.

“C’mon, we’re just getting started,” Tūs taunted.

It wasn’t encouragement; it was as if he was addressing infants. Yet the gap in their abilities was undeniable.

The trio couldn’t respond, but their bodies moved on instinct. Experience had taught them the folly of hesitation in battle.

“Ora!”

“Hmph!”

“Get ready, you bastards!”

Bruce, Blazer, and Betty invoked her physical enhancement skills.

The fight had only begun, and Tūs still hadn’t moved.

“First…”

“We need to make him…”

“Move…!”

The trio unleashed a flurry of attacks, each one sharper, faster, and more powerful thanks to their enhanced abilities.

“Whoa-ho-ho! Hey, hey! Too slow!”

Tūs parried each blow with his energy-infused arms. Unlike their previous attacks, which he could block with just his skin, these required more effort. Normal attacks could be deflected with weak arcane energy, while harder hits needed more to nullify.

The trio had realized the need to use their full strength. They now knew that this battle was on a whole nother level.

“”SMASH-SLASH!””

Bruce and Blazer combined their skills. Normally, this technique would cut through an enemy with the edge of their swords, but against a hard target, it delivered a powerful shock.

“Not bad,” Tūs muttered.

Just before their swords hit, he caught their wrists, stopping the attacks before they could gain momentum.

The key to a sword’s swing was the arm. If one’s arms were stopped before they gained momentum, any special skill was bound to fail.

Bruce and Blazer didn’t register surprise. They knew better by now.

“No time to be shocked, dammit! Smash-Slash!”

“Again! Smash-Slash!”

Bruce aimed at Tūs’ right arm, and Blazer aimed at the left, and they both unleashed the same special skill.

As Tūs moved to react, Betty seized the opportunity to leap in front of him.

“Seventh Lunge!”

She unleashed her signature skill, a rapid series of powerful thrusts.

“Oh-ho…” Tūs muttered, finally showing a hint of admiration as he dodged.

Though their attacks missed, the trio managed to force Tūs to move, and that alone lifted their spirits.

“HELL YEAH!”

“Keep going, Brother!”

“Stay focused!”

Bruce, understanding the need to press their advantage, chased after the retreating Tūs.

Betty threw another dagger to keep Tūs on his toes, while Blazer shattered a stone with his sword, sending fragments flying toward Tūs.

Their experience in countless battles shone through as they fought this formidable opponent.

“Your attacks aren’t bad… But they’re still rough.”

Tūs brushed aside Betty’s dagger and Blazer’s stone fragments as if parting a curtain.

“Don’t forget me!”

“I haven’t.”

“…? Whoa–!!”

With lightning speed, Tūs closed the distance and rammed into Bruce, sending him flying.

Blazer and Betty grabbed Bruce’s arms to slow his momentum.

“Nice look, idiot brother!”

“Classic nosebleed.”

“Owowow… Damn it! That bomber head did it on purpose!”

“It’s all part of the fight.”

“Exactly. If he’s hitting his marks, we’ve got a long way to go.”

With their encouragement, Bruce quickly staunched his nosebleed.

“Well, would you look at that — you can control your adrenaline at will. Asley relies too much on healing magic to pull that off. Hehehe…”

Bruce wiped his nose and grinned.

“Dude… don’t laugh. You’re gonna make me laugh too.”

“Gah! That’s disgusting!”

Bruce’s face was completely red from his nose down, making him look quite ridiculous. Tūs, despite finding it amusing, didn’t laugh — but Betty did, unable to help herself.

“Hahaha! Yeah, you look like a fool!”

“Both of you, focus,” Blazer warned quietly.

The siblings understood his meaning immediately.

“So far, he’s only been on the defensive…”

“…Which means now he’ll start attacking.”

Bruce and Betty glared at Tūs. Blazer seemed quite ready to go, too.

Tūs returned their stares, snorting in anticipation. Then, with his next breath, he launched himself at them.

“Raaah!” he bellowed, his massive frame shaking the ground as he charged. 

His advance seemed unstoppable, crushing everything in his path to dust. The trio leaped aside to evade him.

When Tūs stopped, the impact sent huge rocks flying.

His giant fists shattered them instantly, turning them into a hail of deadly shrapnel — much larger and more numerous than Blazer’s stone fragments earlier — that chased the trio through the air.

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