"Kael Redgrave... It's a bit sad to say something like this, but looking at your current grades, you probably won't be able to complete your learning journey at this institution. It seems that... your magical core has been completely destroyed. It's highly unlikely you'll manage to climb the tower." 

The old man's words were harsh, perhaps harsher than necessary, but in his eyes, it was better to face the truth than to live in its absence. He couldn't offer the boy false hope based solely on empty words. 

Kael looked at him, almost lifeless. He forced a crooked smile, trying to think of something—anything—that could help, a single way to stay in the Academy. 

Sitting before him was the man, the imposing explorer and director, Albert Osiris. The first and only headmaster of the Arcane Academy of Azalith. He was an old man, yet muscular and reserved. Despite his peculiar sense of humor, he wasn't joking when he laid out Kael's reality. 

"You can't clear portals… Well, if you somehow manage to increase your strength purely through physical training and abandon the path of mana, improving your combat scores, it might be possible to keep you in our institution," Albert said, trying not to give the boy false hope. 

"Headmaster, I'm sorry, but it's better to expel him for his own good. We can't bury more disciples who fail in their Arcane journey," said a female voice from behind them both. 

Her name was Violet, a woman with long white hair and slightly muscular arms that drew attention. She wore a simple outfit—a top paired with a dark jacket. The jacket was cropped, revealing her well-defined body. Her large—no, enormous—breasts were bound by bandages under the top, concealing their true size, leaving her toned abdomen exposed. 

In theory, she was responsible for the destruction of Kael's arcane core after orchestrating a practical combat match using magic. 

After all... She was the professor of Magical Combat. 

"He can't continue. I don't know what's wrong with him, but he no longer has magical power or mana. His skills can't even reach a beginner level, and he can't last two minutes in combat. He has no future here," she said, looking at him—not with hatred, but... pity. 

Her eyes briefly met his, and she bit her lip. "Expel him already!" she demanded, punching the wall beside her. The impact left a spiderweb-like crater. 

The woman turned away, giving him one last look before leaving through the door, her long white hair swaying gracefully. She seemed slightly agitated but... 

"Damn it, kid..." she muttered to herself, leaving the headmaster and Kael alone once more as the wooden door slammed shut. 

"Whore," Kael muttered, his expression far from pleasant. His breathing was heavy. He was furious. 

"What did you just say?" The woman returned, red with rage. Her violet eyes flared with anger, and her hair seemed ready to change color. Kael looked directly at her, unfazed, and said, "Then finish the job. You've already destroyed me. What do you expect me to do now? This is your fault, you old, bitter hag." 

Kael spoke, grasping for the one thing that could help him now—the pride of a warrior woman being challenged. 

"I'll kill him right now," she said, her heavy steps drawing closer to Kael, who remained still. She raised her fist, which was now crackling with purple energy, making the air tremble. 

"A bet," Kael interrupted, breaking her glare. "If you're as incredible as you think, you wouldn't refuse a bet with me, would you?" he asked. 

The professor paused, now glaring at him even more fiercely. She seemed to wait for him to elaborate, keeping her massive fist of magic raised. 

"I just need to improve my grades, don't I?" he asked the headmaster, who watched the scene with a weary expression. 

"Well… if you can keep up with the others, it's possible for you to stay," the headmaster admitted. 

"Very well, then I want to make a bet with you, Violet Vein," Kael said, staring directly into the woman's eyes. 

"Pick a portal and send me through it. I'll clear it—or die trying," he declared, locking his gaze onto her violet eyes. 

"You've got guts, kid, or should I call it madness?" she retorted, her eyes glinting. 

"You have no skill, brat. A single goblin's kick would kill you. Give up on your dreams before they take your life," she said, trying to stop him, but... 

"Are you afraid of losing?" Kael taunted. 

Violet's glowing fist pulsed even brighter, the magical energy throbbing like a heart about to burst. Her violet eyes now burned with pure fury, almost sparking with the indignation of being challenged by someone like Kael. 

"Fear?!" she growled, stepping forward. The ground beneath her feet cracked from the force of the impact, as if the earth itself feared what was coming next. "Do you think I, Violet Vein, am afraid of a rat who can barely stand without fainting?"

Kael kept his gaze steady, unblinking, as if the weight of his words was the last defense he had. "Seems like you're considering expelling me rather than facing me for real. Must be because you know you might lose, even to a 'rat.'"

The provocation was like pouring oil on an already uncontrollable fire. Violet laughed loudly, but it was a cold laugh, filled with disdain. "You've got a lot of nerve to talk to me like that, boy. Nerve or an uncontrollable desire to die."

"Maybe both," Kael replied with a half-smile, his tone challengingly calm.

Violet took another step, now just inches from him. The energy radiating from her body was almost suffocating, making the air heavy. "Fine. You want a portal? I'll pick the deadliest one I can find. A hell so deep that even demons hesitate to tread there. And when you're torn apart by the first creature you encounter, I'll laugh at you. Because that's exactly what you deserve."

She leaned in closer, her face nearly touching his. "You don't deserve to be here. You don't deserve to look at me. And you definitely don't deserve to breathe the same air as me."

Kael swallowed hard but held his ground. He knew every word she spoke was calculated to break him, to crush the little determination he had left.

"Great," he said, not breaking eye contact. "But remember: if I come back, if I complete that portal, you'll have to admit you were wrong. And you'll have to swallow that shitty pride of yours."

"Pfft… HAHAHAHAHA!" Violet laughed again, this time with an almost insane intensity. "You're playing with fire, kid. And I'll make sure you burn to ashes."

She turned to leave but threw one last venomous remark over her shoulder. "Get ready, Kael Redgrave. I'll make sure your bet is the last thing you ever do."