Chapter 410

Book 1 Chapter 410

The initial qualifying bout prior to the main tournament was underway, serving as part of the first-year students’ final examinations for their opening semester.

Although the competition was open to any spectator, the World Summit was still some time away. Consequently, no visitors from outside had made their appearance in Lumern just yet.

“Do you think the children will feel slightly less pressured because of that?”

Yura, the faculty member overseeing the Second Year Summoning Department, tilted her head to one side as she inquired.

In response, Ain, the professor guiding the Second Year Knight Department, gave a slow shake of his head.

“It will hardly alter things for the first-year cohort.”

“True enough.”

Yura nodded in agreement and cast her gaze across the surroundings. She was well aware that individuals always managed to loiter around during events of this nature.

“Get your popcorn here! Freshly grilled buttered squid! Toasted corn! Cold beverages! We have it all!”

Precisely as Yura anticipated, Karl made his grand entrance. Spotting him, Yura signaled with a raised hand.

“Over here, come this way!”

“Right away! I’m on my way!”

Karl hurried over, breathing heavily from the exertion. He glanced at Yura before turning his attention to Ain.

“What can I get for you?”

“I wasn’t the one who called you over,” Ain replied, maintaining his characteristically frosty demeanor while gesturing toward Yura with his chin.

“Let me have the buttered squid.”

“…That’s entirely sold out.”

“Didn’t you just announce that you had everything?” Yura narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but there was little she could do if the supply was exhausted. “Give me the popcorn, then.”

“…That is also sold out.”

“Are you intentionally playing games with me right now?” Yura’s expression darkened considerably.

Faced with her growing irritation, Karl assumed a terrified posture. “B-but… there truly is none left.”

As Karl stammered out his reply, Yura sharply snapped her fingers. In response, her summoned creatures began rummaging directly through Karl’s merchandise bags. A variety of mouth-watering snacks immediately tumbled out of his packs.

“Then what exactly do you call these? Are you making a mockery of me?”

As Yura’s expression turned increasingly fierce, Karl looked as though he was on the verge of tears.

“There is simply nothing available for sale to Professor Yura.”

“Who do you think you’re deceiving?!” Yura’s face contorted into a terrifying rage, resembling a wrathful yaksha.

“Aha, that is absolutely correct. There is nothing to be purchased by Professor Yura. Ah, what a magnificent display of synchronization. Excellently spoken, Karl.”

Thump— Thump—

Ren made his way down from the viewing platform. Clad in a dark sorcerer’s robe, he held a glass of wine that looked entirely out of place given the setting. He gently swirled the liquid, took a deliberate sip, and wore a look of pure contentment.

“What is the meaning of this absurd performance?” Yura demanded, her face twisting in disgust.

Ren casually cast the wine glass aside without a care.

Clink.

Leaving the sound of shattering glass behind him, Ren strode forward and gave a quick flick of his fingers. The provisions that Yura’s summoned creatures were holding vanished from their grasp, safely returning to Karl’s bag via Ren’s spellcraft.

“There is no reason to direct your fury at Karl, Professor Yura. The members of the merchant association, Karl included, have entered into a formal binding agreement with me.”

“What sort of ridiculous drivel is that?”

As Yura’s brow furrowed tightly, Karl pulled a sheet of parchment from his coat and held it out for her inspection. It was a written contract containing a specific stipulation that barred the merchant association from selling any goods to Yura for the duration of this competitive event.

“Why go to such absurd lengths?”

“Heh, it serves as a fitting penalty for Professor Yura, who has the audacity to claim that Leo Flove belongs within the domain of the Summoning Department.”

At this point, the behavior transcended mere immaturity, bordering on complete obsession. Yura let out a mirthless chuckle before extending her hand toward Karl.

“Hand that contract over to me.”

At her command, Karl yielded the document.

“This doesn’t exactly feature an inescapable penalty, does it?” Yura smirked, a corner of her mouth arching upward. “What occurs if I simply cover the breach of contract fee myself?”

“In that case, the restrictive terms are rendered entirely null and void, correct?”

“Excellent. Then let us draft a revised agreement. Ensure that you cannot sell a single item to this fellow instead.”

“Understood.”

“Karl Thomas! Are you actively turning your back on the Magic Department now?!” Ren roared in indignation.

Karl offered a defensive response. “My apologies, Professor. It is only natural for a merchant to pursue the path of profit.”

“What about trust and reliability?! Shouldn’t a proper merchant prioritize their professional standing?!”

“I highly doubt that dissolving such a preposterous agreement will negatively impact my professional credit.”

“Very well! In that case, we shall drastically escalate the financial penalty and draft an entirely new arrangement!”

Ain, who had been silently observing the petty squabbling of his two juniors, pushed himself up from his seat.

“Professor Ain, where are you heading?”

“To a different location. I refuse to occupy the same space as individuals of this caliber,” Ain remarked flatly, making his departure without looking back.

Thump— Thump—

Exiting the lengthy, dimly lit corridor, he stepped into the brilliant illumination as his field of vision suddenly expanded.

Positioned on the far end of the dueling grounds stood Rement. The tiered seating encircling the battlefield was entirely filled with spectators.

—The two competitors have officially taken the field! Let us welcome them with a resounding round of applause!

Runbar Tess, who inevitably found himself tasked with broadcasting duties whenever major school events occurred, spoke into the microphone to elevate the crowd’s energy.

In response to his words, the student body erupted into cheers.

Surrounded by the passionate shouting of his peers, Luke stepped onto the platform, his expression growing progressively tighter with anxiety.

Standing at the center was Mell, a faculty member of the first-year Magic Department, who was presiding over the bout as the official arbiter. Mell offered a gentle, reassuring smile to both competitors before delivering her instructions.

“I trust this will be a contest that leaves neither of you with any regrets. Every form of offensive measure is fully authorized, so test your limits to your heart’s content.”

Hearing this, Rement narrowed his gaze. “Every form of offense?”

“Indeed. Even lethal strikes capable of ending a life are authorized. Naturally, should an exchange become genuinely critical, I will step in to halt it.”

No matter how exceptionally talented the youths might be, there was no scenario where the staff would fail to intercept an assault launched by a first-year student, regardless of how lethal the intent. This was especially true for someone of Mell’s caliber.

Reassured by Mell’s clarification, Rement offered a smirk and a nod of agreement, while Luke gave a tense nod of his own, his body rigid.

“Now, please retreat to your designated starting points and prepare. The match shall commence the precise instant the signal rings out.”

With those words, Mell stepped back from the active combat zone.

Before retreating to his mark, Rement threw a comment toward his opponent.

“I’ll give you credit for not tucking your tail and fleeing. Though I suppose if you had run away, you wouldn’t have the courage to look the student council president in the eye again.”

“……”

Rement’s gaze turned sharper. “I never approved of it. A person of your mediocre status receiving specialized guidance from someone like Professor Ren. Did it stroke your ego to receive elite treatment as the personal apprentice of the student council president?”

Those mocking words caused Luke to think back to the sessions he had spent under Ren’s purview.

In reality, it was actually Ren’s assistant instructor, Anna, who had primary responsibility for guiding Luke through the intricacies of spellcraft. Ren was a sorcerer of incomparable genius; his curiosity was strictly limited to the unusual traits of Luke’s internal energy reserves. Beyond that specific anomaly, Luke was entirely average when it came to standard wizardry. Because Luke had not even mastered the fundamental principles of the craft, Ren considered him largely beneath his notice.

Aside from examining the unique makeup of Luke’s power, there had been only one other instance where Ren displayed any genuine engagement.

‘Assistant Professor Anna.’

‘Yes, Professor Ren?’

‘What are your thoughts on performing a live dissection of our student Luke?’

‘I must ask you to remain silent.’

Ren had brushed it off as a mere jest, but the cold glint in his eyes during that exchange had been entirely genuine.

Shifting uncomfortably at the memory, Luke muttered, “It wasn’t nearly as pleasant as you seem to think.”

“Hmph, an ignorant fool who fails to appreciate the immense privilege he was granted.” Rement let out a derisive snort and turned back to his starting mark.

Having reached his own designated spot, Luke drew in a deep, stabilizing breath.

‘How much of the preparation I’ve undergone will actually prove effective here?’

Memories of his grueling routine flashed through his mind. Once standard lectures concluded, his evenings were entirely dedicated to brutal physical conditioning. They were, without exaggeration, tormenting days.

Leo had focused Luke’s instruction entirely on conditioning his physical frame and mastering tactical combat maneuvers. There had been countless moments where Luke questioned his own actions due to the apparent lack of magical advancement. He was constantly brought face-to-face with what felt like his absolute thresholds.

Yet, whenever despair loomed, Leo would always remind him:

‘Encountering a barrier simply means you have arrived at your current threshold. Moving past it requires a continuous effort to shatter that boundary. Place your faith in the version of yourself, Luke Elda, that has broken through those barriers time and time again.’

A small smile formed on Luke’s lips as he squared his stance.

‘Let us see exactly what I am capable of achieving; this is my true test.’

“You’re smiling?” Rement’s features contorted with irritation.

Observing Luke’s demeanor from the sidelines, Mell quietly observed to herself, ‘Every so often, one encounters individuals of that rare breed. The type who find amusement when pushed to the absolute brink.’

With that final thought, Mell gave a sharp snap of her fingers.

Ting—! Whoosh—!

A metallic token was launched into the air, spinning rapidly through the space. The rotating coin traced an arc before plunging directly toward the center of the battlefield.

Ting—!

The exact millisecond the token struck the solid floor, Rement forcefully drove his open hand against the ground.

“Earth Wave.”

Through an incredibly rapid verbal formula, he finalized his invocation in a heartbeat.

Rumble—!

The stone surface of the arena began to undulate violently. The solid floor surged forward like rolling waves of water, though this was far from a softening of the earth. Anyone caught within those stone ripples would endure the devastating impact of solid rock crashing against them.

Luke immediately channeled his internal reserves. A radiant silver energy manifested at the tips of his fingers.

Whoosh—!

Luke propelled himself forward at immense speed, closing the distance toward Rement.

“Insolent fool. You truly believe you can bridge the gap so easily?” Rement sneered.

Luke’s focus remained locked onto the undulating motion of the stone floor. Instantly identifying the rhythm of the spell, he lightly planted his foot upon the crest of a rising stone wave and used the momentum to vault himself forward.

Rement’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

Leaping and twisting through the air, Luke carefully picked out stable footholds amidst the chaos, rapidly narrowing the gap between himself and Rement.

Yet, the moment he drew within striking distance, Luke caught sight of a smug grin spreading across Rement’s face.

Bang—!

“Ugh!”

A massive fist forged from solid earth erupted from beneath the surface, striking Luke squarely. Though Luke managed to quickly raise his silver energy to absorb the brunt of the impact, the sheer force sent him hurtling backward through the air.

“An impressive effort. But surely you didn’t assume I would leave myself completely vulnerable to a frontal approach?”

Violent ripples of magical energy pulsed outward from Rement’s form.

“I would prefer to prolong this entertainment as much as possible, but I fear the spectators might grow impatient.” Rement’s lips curled into a dark smile. “I shall conclude our business right here.”

Hum—!

As if responding directly to the surge of Rement’s internal power, the entirety of the surrounding platform began to tremble with violence.

Bang—!

Centered around Rement, a dense thicket of razor-sharp stone lances erupted from the floor at a terrifying velocity. It was a massive, area-denying assault intended to impale and shred anything in its path.

Crackle—!

Within the span of a heartbeat, the deadly stone spires completely dominated the arena floor. A dense cloud of pulverized rock and dust billowed into the air.

The only remaining avenue to evade the onslaught was to take to the air. However, taking flight offered no salvation either. Anticipating such a maneuver, Rement had already claimed total dominion over the airspace above the arena using a secondary layer of wind sorcery.

‘Had I attempted to leap away to safety, my flesh would have been torn to ribbons by invisible currents of air.’

“Just as I anticipated, entirely uninspiring.”

Rement let out a dismissive scoff and turned his back, preparing to step away from the combat zone when—

Whoosh—!

The sharp, distinct whistle of displaced air sliced through the atmosphere.

“What?”

Luke, having carved his way directly through the cluster of stone spikes, was already in mid-swing, targeting Rement with his blade.

Rement barely managed to drop to the ground, rolling frantically to avoid the trajectory of the steel.

Slash—!

A line of crimson sprayed from the side of Rement’s neck.

Thud—!

Luke executed a clean landing onto the stone floor. Had his blade bit only a fraction deeper, the contest would have concluded then and there with his outright triumph.

“You miserable wretch! What sort of underhanded deception did you deploy?!”

“I simply evaded your attack,” Luke countered calmly, flicking the droplets of Rement’s blood away from the tip of his weapon.

“Do not insult my intelligence! You claim to have cleanly evaded an assault of that scale?!” Prominent veins throbbed against Rement’s forehead, driven by absolute fury.

At that exact moment, a chorus of mocking jeers erupted from the sections reserved for the first-year spectators.

“Are you truly allowing a known incompetent to land a strike on you?”

“Rement, it seems you aren’t particularly impressive either, are you?”

Hearing the condescending laughter of his peers, Rement’s gaze turned completely feral.

“Excellent perception. To possess the foresight required to navigate through that mess.” Chelsea remarked quietly from her vantage point in the second-year seating area.

“He was only chosen as Leo’s apprentice in the first place because of that exceptional vision,” Celia replied, her arms crossed firmly over her chest. “Mind you, he only succeeded in landing that blow because his adversary grew careless. Now that the surprise factor has failed, his chances are effectively exhausted.”

At those words, Chelsea rested her chin against her palm. “Are you certain he won’t unveil his genuine capabilities from this point forward?”

“I will tear you apart! You pathetic piece of trash!”

Rumble—!

The entire foundation of the arena began to shake with terrifying intensity.

Crackle—!

The solid earth liquefied and rose up, pursuing Luke like a living, viscous entity.

Thump—!

“Urk!”

A massive expanse of earth, shaped precisely like a giant hand, slammed heavily into Luke. The force of the strike sent him skipping across the floor.

Bang—!

“Guh?!”

A secondary construct of solid rock hammered into Luke’s exposed back from behind. Subjected to a relentless, unyielding sequence of physical blows manifested from the floor itself, Luke finally collapsed face-first onto the stone.

Every fiber of his being radiated intense agony. Yet, the moment the barrage relented, Luke forced his battered frame back up onto his feet.

“As I suspected, relying on this alone isn’t going to suffice.”

“Ha! Did you genuinely harbor some delusion that you could emerge victorious?” Rement snarled with deep disdain, stomping his foot hard against the platform.

Bang—!

“Urk?!”

A column of stone erupted beneath Luke, launching him high up into the open air. The sheer velocity left his senses spinning.

Whoooooosh—!

As his upward momentum carried him to an immense height, Luke cast a deliberate glance down at the metallic bands encircling his wrists.

‘It seems maintaining this restricted state truly represents my absolute limit.’

He looked down toward the sprawling arena far below him.

‘The method required to dissolve the restriction is incredibly simple. I need only utter the command “Release” within my thoughts, and the bindings will shatter.’

Undoing the seal was a trivial matter. Yet, he had deliberately held back until now. Throughout the entirety of the introductory semester, he had willingly endured the mockery, the scorn, and the labels of being an utter failure—all for this precise moment.

‘Release.’

The absolute instant that thought materialized within his consciousness—

Ting—!

The heavy bracelets and anklets acting as his artificial restraints snapped open, flying away from his limbs into the open air.

In that very heartbeat—

‘My frame feels completely weightless.’

Luke stared down at his open hands, a look of profound astonishment crossing his features.

‘With this degree of freedom…’

Luke rapidly circulated his internal energy throughout his entire biological system.

Hum—!

An instantaneous, swirling aura of silver light erupted around the tips of his fingers. Utilizing an advanced Aura Step technique, Luke forcefully kicked off against the empty air itself, altering his trajectory.

“He’s going to suffer a catastrophic impact against the floor; this match is concluded.”

“Ah, and here I thought we were about to bear witness to an incredible underdog victory.”

“Hey now! You might as well just openly mock Rement if you’re going to say things like that.”

“Oh, did I cross a line?”

It was precisely during this exchange among the first-year spectators that a sudden shift occurred.

Flash—! Crash—!

A brilliant bolt of silver radiance streaked downward from the heavens, slamming violently into the center of the arena.

“Wh-what in the world was that?”

“Something just descended from above at incredible speed…”

The first-year cohorts found themselves utterly disoriented by the immense cloud of pulverized rock that billowed upward.

“What is the meaning of… what is this…”

Even Rement found himself entirely frozen in confusion by the sudden turn of events.

Flash—!

Accompanied by a secondary gleam of silver light, an object crossed the distance instantly.

Thump—!

“Ukk?!”

Receiving a devastating kick directly to his midsection, Rement was sent rolling across the stone floor in a thoroughly ungraceful fashion.

Thud—!

Luke executed a solid, balanced landing onto the ground, his entire physical form radiating a constant, vibrant silver luminescence. He locked his gaze onto his opponent.

“From this exact moment onward,” Luke declared, his voice carrying an undeniable weight as he stared down at the struggling Rement. “The real battle begins.”