"...Lami? You're in this class? ….Of course, of course," Lucian answered, his bored expression disappearing in an instant. "Finally someone I know."
"Thanks."
Lami took a seat.
"I was making revenge plans just before you arrived. Aimed at her." Lucian motioned toward the snow-white-haired girl with his eyes.
"Lumia? Why?" Lami asked.
"You know her?"
Lami nodded.
"Just by her name."
"...Oh, the reason isn't anything much, really; I just lost to her in the practical test. I was aiming for the top three, but she cost me heavily."
Lucian answered. He had a slightly annoyed look on his face.
"Lumia. I need to get my revenge," he mumbled.
"Top four? Not bad."
'He has to be strong. Then why wasn't his name given to me?'
He didn't know why; all he knew was that Lucian was really strong with perfect mana control. He still couldn't sense any mana leaking from his body.
"Yeah, I guess Mr. Hundred percent," Lucian taunted.
"You're probably ranked higher than me, though," Lami said, his voice devoid of amusement.
"..Not really. I didn't write the theoretical test."
"...Oh? Why?"
"I oversl—" Lucian's words got interrupted by a sudden, loud noise.
Clank!
A woman with striking lavender purple eyes and hair the same color walked into the room, her presence commanding immediate attention.
Her beauty was mesmerizing, almost otherworldly.
Her hair cascaded like a silken waterfall down her back. Her pristine white shirt clung delicately to her frame, while the sleek, long black skirt hugged her curves, highlighting her figure.
As she moved toward the podium, the sharp clicks of her heels echoed through the room."
Observing the other students, he noticed their eyes were fixed on the woman, captivated by her presence.
Her beauty was enthralling to both the male and female students—but not Lami. He was unfazed...
Almost.
Lami turned his head to check on Lucian, and he was almost drooling.
Lucian's reaction was different from the others; he could tell by his expression. He wasn't captivated by her aura like the rest of the students—he was just lusting, fully in control of himself.
The woman was their Professor, Calista Laurent. As far as Lami knew, she was a Grandmaster, and her specialty was close-combat mage.
Calista was a rising star, being at the threshold of the next rank, Ruler, at the young age of 23.
Calista's achievements would be even crazier if it weren't for 'her'.
One of Calista's known Spells was 'Haze' which messed with her targets' minds, slowing their movements and decision-making or even putting them in a trance.
She was also a proficient Gravity user.
Clap!
Calista clapped her hand once, and the students snapped out of their dream world.
Most of them.
Lucian's eyes were still locked onto her. Lami shook his head at the sight.
"Attention!" Calista said loudly. "Most of you probably know who I am, but I will still introduce myself briefly. I'm Calista Laurent. For some of your classes, I'll be your professor—being a close-combat mage, I'm knowledgeable in both magic and close-quarter combat."
Calista stopped, her lavender eyes scanning the students. She lingered on a few, with Lami being one of them. After all, he was the top prospect in the theoretical exam.
"...Please scan your fingerprints for attendance. Afterward, we will visit Hermes Hall, where I'll personally evaluate your skills."
With that, Lami scanned his fingerprint and waited for others. He decided to carefully observe the names he was given by the Will of the Omniscient.
And also Lucian.
…
The class entered Hermes Hall, the main training facility for students. It was equipped with state-of-the-art technology, including gravity rooms, virtual simulation rooms, and consciousness pods.
The first two were straightforward, but the last one was more complex. It was a pod where students could dive deep into their consciousness, training for what felt like days in their imaginary worlds.
The mental fatigue accumulated from the pods was overwhelming, so first-year students weren't permitted to use them.
The bigger issue, however, was the possibility of losing control of the mental images. If they ran amok, they could leave deep scars on their minds.
They walked toward the center of the hall, where a small arena was located. After checking to ensure everyone had arrived, Calista turned to the hundred students following her.
"We will start with the higher-ranked students on the practical test," Calista said, fastening a bracelet around her wrist. "I won't use any mana; come at me with your strongest moves. We will begin in five minutes, so get ready."
'A hundred students, and I am ranked last. This will take a while.'
Since Lami didn't attend the practical test, he was placed last. He knew Mateo was the top-ranked student, being one of the three Apprentices.
Lami took out his notebook, noticing a boy with brown hair and hazel eyes making his way to Calista. The boy was shorter than Lami, and he didn't look extraordinary in any aspect.
It wouldn't be fair to call him ugly, as he was decent-looking, but he didn't possess any features that would make anyone awestruck.
'So he is Mateo. Highest ranked in the practical test. Can't say I heard his name before, apart from the Will's warning.
Mateo approached Calista; he didn't seem to have any weapons with him.
"Ready?" Calista asked.
Mateo nodded and got into a battle stance.
"Go."
***
Snap!
With a snap of his fingers, Mateo appeared behind Calista, attacking her with his now orange-glowing fists.
Thud!
Calista redirected Mateo's fist and attempted to sweep his feet, but Mateo disappeared with another snap.
He reappeared airborne, descending directly toward Calista. Calista readied herself to punch Mateo in his unguarded gut.
Snap!
But just as Calista was about to strike, Mateo vanished again, reappearing from her blind spot.
Wooosh!
Just as Mateo was about to make contact with the professor, Calista rotated her body, her leg moving at breakneck speed. Her kick connected with Mateo's stomach and sent him flying into the stands.
"..."
"Woahh!"
"That must've hurt!"
"...!"
The silence shattered into a myriad of reactions as the fight ended.
'He is strong,' Lami thought. The whole fight had taken less than a dozen seconds, but it felt as if Mateo could teleport around without any restraint.
Mateo slowly got up and walked to the stands, mumbling to himself, but Lami couldn't make out the words.
"Next!" Calista shouted.
"Yes."
A student with orange-red hair and gray eyes responded to Calista and entered the arena shortly after.
He appeared to be taller than Lami, but he wasn't entirely sure due to the distance between them.
Even though Lami didn't want to admit it, with his sharp features, this student was quite handsome.
He knew him by the name Vinny Hope, the second Apprentice. He had also overheard that Vinny specialized in blood magic.
'It was expected. He is from the Hope family after all.'
Blood wasn't considered an element but rather a specialization.
In elemental magic, there were six basic elements: water, ice, lightning, earth, fire, and wind.
In addition to these, there were specializations like blood and nature. The number of specializations was not comparable to the six basic elements, as there were many different types.
Awakening specializations wasn't something that could happen randomly; they usually awakened after a life-altering event.
Lami's illusions were also a specialization; just like elemental magic, he could build Spells from a specialization—he had already developed one.
Though, not intentionally.
Thanks to 'My World, My Rules,' he could put himself or others into an illusion. He decided to go for that name since he could control the cast illusion to a certain extent.
But also, his illusions were quite flexible; he could simply utilize them on the go in various ways.
While elemental magic offered more flexibility with potential combinations, specializations varied greatly from user to user, making it difficult to gather information on specific ones.
Vinny entered the arena, holding a plastic bag filled with red liquid.
'Blood.'
"Go," Calista said.
As soon as hearing the confirmation, Vinny ripped the plastic bag, and the blood stored inside started floating around him.
Fluctuating, the liquid started to form a weapon.
A long shaft with a sharp, curved, long blade pointing outwards formed slowly in Vinny's hands.
Unlike Lami's Blood Katana, which only had its blade blood-red, every part of Vinny's weapon was the color of blood.
It was a scythe.