The second the instructor signaled the start, Draven shot forward like a bullet, his sand swirling around him like he was trying to bring the entire desert with him. I barely dodged the first strike, my heart hammering in my chest as I sidestepped.
Okay, this is gonna be tricky. I might be a magic swordsman, but I didn't exactly have mana to burn. My sword wasn't some bottomless pit of power—I had to play smart.
Draven unleashed a storm of attacks, sand whipping in every direction like some over-the-top sandstorm spell. Honestly, it looked more like he was flailing than fighting. Still, his wild attacks were fast, and I had to stay light on my feet.
"Why do you keep running like a scared little mouse? Can't you fight back? Haha!" Draven taunted, all cocky grin and zero subtlety.
I clenched my jaw. Nope, I wasn't falling for that. Anger wasn't going to win this fight. Patience, calculations, and maybe a little luck would. Every dodge was a chance to read him, and if I could break down his pattern, I'd find my opening.
Draven hurled another barrage of sand projectiles, but I couldn't help myself—I started calculating their trajectory. Using some good ol' basic physics, I clocked the angle and speed. If he's launching these at 45 degrees, they'll land right... there. I sidestepped easily, the projectiles whooshing past me.
Draven, predictably annoyed, raised a wall of sand for defense. Ten cubic meters, give or take. If I hit the center with enough force, that thing's crumbling faster than his ego.
"C'mon, Lucius! You can't dodge forever!" he barked, sand swirling dramatically around him. I mean, he could tone it down just a little.
But I adjusted my stance, mentally running through the geometry of my next move. If I swing at a 30-degree angle... yeah, that'll do it. As his next sand spike launched toward me, I sidestepped and charged forward, my mana sword sparking to life.
"Let's see you block this!" I shouted, swinging hard.
Crackle!
Somehow, this guy blocked it, doubling his defenses at the last second. My mana sword collided with his sand shield, and instead of shattering, it held firm.
Draven smirked. "Didn't expect that, did you? A mana sword, huh? Impressive! Too bad it's not enough. Haha!"
"Wait, a two-star student can wield a mana sword?!" someone in the crowd gasped.
"Is that seriously a mana sword? Damn, this fight just got a lot more interesting!" another voice called.
Leon, watching from the sidelines, crossed his arms with a smirk of his own. "Now this is interesting."
I couldn't believe it. Even with my careful calculations, Draven had managed to block my strike. I'd have to rethink things fast because this guy wasn't playing around anymore.
Draven came at me again, sand spikes flying from every direction, but this time he tightened his attack range. He was making it a lot harder for me to dodge.
I managed to evade most of them, but I had to block a few with my sword, and each impact drained more of my stamina. The vibrations from the blows rattled my arm, reminding me that I couldn't keep up this dance forever.
Focus. There had to be a pattern, a weakness. As Draven prepared to launch another volley of sand, I spotted it—the brief moment he needed to concentrate to gather his sand. That was my opening.
With a quick breath, I channelled my mana, my mind settling on the only spell I could reliably cast—Elemental Shot.
"Let's see how you handle this!" I called, flicking my wrist and sending a dark bolt of energy flying at him.
The bolt shot through the air like a shadowy missile, straight at him. Draven's eyes widened, caught off guard by my sudden counterattack.
"What the—?!" he managed, just before the bolt hit the ground near him.
BOOM—a thick cloud of dark mist exploded into the air, shrouding him in a swirling fog. For a moment, the arena went completely still, the crowd holding their breath as Draven stumbled back, blinded by the unexpected move.
Now we're talking.
Seizing the moment, I dashed forward, heart pounding in my chest like I'd just downed five espressos. The dust cloud cloaked me just enough to give Draven a healthy dose of paranoia as I dodged the last of his sand spikes, mentally calculating each step and bracing for his next tantrum—uh, I mean, attack.
With a burst of mana fueling my legs, I closed the gap in record time. Draven was flailing, trying to swat the dark mist like it was a particularly aggressive swarm of gnats.
"You think you can just—" he sputtered, but by the time he tried to finish that sentence, I was already on him.
Dodging one last oversized sand spike, I sidestepped with all the grace of a professional dancer and swung my sword toward his exposed flank. "This," I yelled, "is what a two-star can do!" I poured every ounce of my pent-up frustration and energy into the strike.
Draven scrambled to put up a sand barrier—predictable, honestly—but I wasn't aiming for him. With a quick adjustment, I slammed my sword into the ground instead, sending a shockwave that turned his sand barrier into a puff of dust and launched a miniature sandstorm into the air.
"What the—?!"
He barely had time to blink before I lunged, aiming my blade straight for his shoulder. The panic in his eyes was priceless, but Draven wasn't going down without a fight. He threw up sand defenses faster than a kid building a panic-stricken sandcastle, but I broke through them like they were made of papier-mâché.
The more I pressed, the more frantic he became. For every barrier he built, I was right there, smashing it to pieces. We both knew I had the upper hand, and I could see the realization sink in—his smug grin replaced with something closer to, well, terror.
But no matter how many hits I landed, I couldn't land the hit. Frustration was starting to creep in, but Draven suddenly hurled himself backward, desperately putting space between us. He dropped into a defensive stance, eyes narrowing as he began muttering some chant.
Oh, great. A chant. Because those never end badly.
Within seconds, a thick, fortress-like sand barrier materialized around him. It screamed, I'm out of ideas, so here's a glorified bunker! He was trying to stall me out, hoping I'd drain my mana like some noob and collapse while he hid in his sandbox.
But I wasn't about to play along. If he wanted a test of endurance, I'd gladly flunk him.
I channeled every drop of mana into my sword, feeling the dark energy blaze up like it had a score to settle. I wasn't just swinging now; I was about to turn his fortress into nothing more than a bad memory.
With a deep breath, I charged. "Time to wrap this up, Draven!" My sword hummed with energy, crackling as I unleashed everything I had.
Whoosh!
The strike hit his sand shield with the force of a runaway train, and the sound of it shattering echoed across the arena. The crowd gasped in unison as I tore through his last line of defense. But as I felt the surge of power coursing through me, I realized... I'd overdone it. If I landed this, it wouldn't just break the glimmerband; it might break him.
My sword cut through the air like lightning, and just as I was about to land the finishing blow—
Clang!
Instructor Isaac appeared between us faster than a bad decision, his magic stopping my sword an inch from Draven's trembling form.
"That's enough!" Isaac's voice rang out, authoritative and very much done with our nonsense. "The match is over. Lucius Ravenhart, you win."
I blinked, pulling back my sword, and smirked.
"See, Draven? Two stars is all it takes."
Relief washed over me like a cool breeze, but my body felt as heavy as a lead weight. Catching my breath was a struggle; I hadn't expected to win this fight, especially after draining so much mana. Who knew fighting a sandstorm could be so exhausting?
As I stepped off the arena, a familiar notification popped up in my vision, brightening my mood.
[Mission Completed]
[You are given a reward]
[Librarian's Tome]
I blinked at the notification. I'd completed the mission, and to my surprise, I received the Librarian's Tome. This wasn't just any old book; it was a gem for storing every tidbit of information I'd gather during my journey. Character lore, side quests, and possibly even my questionable choices would all be neatly cataloged.
Just then, Dorian approached, a grin plastered across his face. "I didn't expect you to be that great, but honestly, I knew you'd win from the start."
"Flattery will get you nowhere, Dorian," I shot back, but the compliment warmed me just a bit.
Zephyr chimed in, bouncing on his heels. "You can use a mana sword? Next time, you've got to fight me!"
The crowd erupted in surprise, praising my performance like I'd just single-handedly saved the kingdom. I hadn't anticipated all this attention after that match.
"Haha, I was just lucky!" I replied, trying to deflect their enthusiasm like a seasoned diplomat dodging awkward questions. But just as I thought I'd slipped away, Claire stepped right in front of me, her eyes wide with curiosity.
"You! I didn't expect you to be that strong. Where did you learn the mana sword?"
"I just trained alone," I answered, keeping it simple.
"No way! Even I had to train for three years under a veteran magic swordsman! How could you have done it alone?"
"But I'm telling you, it's true. I'm not lying."
Claire crossed her arms, her expression a mix of disbelief and sulking. "Fine, if you don't want to be honest, you don't have to lie."
"Haha… Well, I'll be heading out now. I'm pretty tired." I could see her curiosity bubbling, which made sense since she was one of the most talented magic swordswomen among the new students this year.
With a heavy sigh, I navigated through the throngs of students. This whole interaction was exhausting, and my mana was running dangerously low. I really needed a break.
Haa... this is so tiring having to face these people. I'm running on empty here.
Choosing to sit apart from the crowd, I settled in to watch the next fight. According to the novel and game logic, the next contender should be Lucas. Yes, Lucas Hazemark—the enigmatic character with a super rare element: gravity. He was a combat genius. If the story held true, he'd be going up against Leon.
"Now I will call the next student: Lucas Hazemark, please step forward!"
"Choose a student who will be your opponent," the instructor continued.
"I choose… Dorian Ashford!"
W-what?! Why does he want to fight Dorian? My mind raced. Had the storyline changed because of my interference? Draven was supposed to fight Dorian, and now Lucas had jumped the queue.
There was no way Dorian could take Lucas right now. Sure, he had a four-star magic core, but the gravity element was a whole different ball game. Dorian's strength came from his future potential to combine four elements into a Divine Element. What would happen if he lost this fight?
I felt a wave of doom wash over me.
I'm doomed...