Evelyn watched intently. Fire, water, wind, earth, lighting, ice, and metal were just some of the magic thrown around. However, Evelyn could only say one thing.
"Flashy"
"Hm? Did you say something?" The Isabel leaned over. Evelyn shook her head.
'It feels more like I'm watching a talent show rather than battles.' Their relaxed expressions were different from what she expected.
'I see, we are just inherently different. While I fight for my life, you all have a wealthy life to fall back on.'
Finally, it was Evelyn's turn to go up. 'I wonder what my element is.' Though she activated her Core, no element manifested. From what she read, Evelyn knew her situation was unusal.
A rack of weapons laid next to the stages. They were all wooden, but still sturdy. Evelyn pondered for a long time, but grabbed a standard sword.
TAP TAP TAP
Her opponent impatiently waited. "How dare you make me wait." However, Evelyn didn't respond.
"Now you don't answer?" His face turned red with anger.
'Why would I answer crappy dialogue', she shrugged her shoulders.
"Begin!" Professor Kest yelled.
The boy flew forward with a long mace in hand. Suddenly, the weapon lit on fire. A beautiful, wild flame danced around. He brought his weapon down with a strong shout. The destructive power of the fire element was notoriously feared.
CRACK
Dust settled and revealed an empty crater in the arena floor. The boy looked confused at first, but it was too late.
WHOOSH
Evelyn appeared behind the boy. She raised her sword up, twisting her entire body, and slammed the blunt end into the student's neck. Of course, because the boy was awakened, it only knocked him out rather than fatal injuring him.
PLOP
They boy's body collapsed onto the floor.
The audience was silent. Commoners were humiliated early in order to establish a hierarchy. Evelyn was especially popular because of her run in with the noble Lucas at the entrance ceremony.
The audience waited, while grinning, ready to watch Evelyn suffer a humiliating defeat, yet it was the complete opposite. Evelyn quickly walked away once the instructor declared her the winner.
"Evelyn! That was just amazing," Isabel exclaimed as soon as Evelyn sat down.
"Thank you, but it was not anything special." Evelyn thought the attention was ridiculous considering it was such a poor battle.
Suddenly, she smiled to herself. 'My physical abilities are just superhuman!' Everything about her Core became a new interest. With no element, she was stuck with just her physical prowess.
Rather than showing off flashy magic, Evelyn focused on compensating with her body.
'I guess it will good to test my limits'
***
The stages automatically repaired themselves after each match. Not long after, it was Evelyn's second match. Again, she was up against a young noble boy. However, his demeanor was much less irritating.
Neither of them spoke a word. They simply prepared body and mind.
"Begin!" The instructure shouted.
Evelyn's muscles contracted in her calves. With supernatural speed, she blitz toward her opponent. A similar technique to the first round.
"Phew," the boy took a long exhale before he swung his giant long sword. Instinctively, Evelyn evaded the attack. She twisted her torso, flying to the side. Although the strike seemed ordinary, the strength was unproportional.
"Legacies," Evelyn whispered.
While skills were common and accessible to everyone, legacies, a type of skill, were only passed down within high-ranking families. They were typically even restricted to only main hiers. As a result of generations of training, leagacies are extremely powerful.
The boy's breathing seemed ragged. It was probably too much for him to handle with low mastery.
'Again with the showing off?,' Evelyn rolled her eyes internally.
"Let me crush your useless pride," she grinned.
***
BOOM
BAM
PAK
For several minutes, Evelyn and the boy exchanged blows. The boy dominated her with his swordmanship leagcy skill. However, the boy's attacks began to slow and grew weaker.
'It's obvious you shouldn't use an exhausting power for long'
"HUFF HUFF HUFF," the boy fell to one knee with a hand over his chest. He glared up at Evelyn.
"You slippery bastard. How could you dodge all my attacks!"
BOOM
Evelyn slammed her foot onto of his head, burying it into the stage. She quickly brought her sword to his neck.
"Match over. Evelyn wins." The instructor escorted the boy out immediately. Evelyn quickly disappeared to her seat because of the gazes in the audience. Luckily, Isabel was still in the middle of battle.
One girl caught Evelyn's attention.
'Ah, it's that person from before'
It was the girl with pink-ish hair. With her improved hearing, Evelyn learned her name was Freida. Apparently, she wielded double elements for both wind and fire, which was extremely rare, even among nobles.
Compared to the flashy magic from the other students, Evelyn felt genuine desperation and will within all her moves.
'This is a top school after all. I guess it shouldn't be suprising the commoner is exceptional.'