Arvian's eyes widened in surprise.
"Hey! Can we be friends? I'm Lioren Varkhali." Lioren extended his hand toward them with a friendly smile.
'Wait... the main character? He wants to be friends? This makes things way easier than I expected.' Arvian thought, trying to stay calm.
"Yeah, why not?" Arvian said, shaking his hand. "I'm Arvian, and this is Jaxyn."
Jaxyn simply nodded, crossing his arms. "Nice to meet you."
Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed through the chamber, silencing the chatter.
"All students, prepare for the second stage. It will begin in a few minutes. The first match will be between Lioren Varkhali and Arvian Nyxbourne."
Arvian and Jaxyn both froze at the unexpected name.
"Nyxbourne?!" Jaxyn exclaimed, eyes wide.
'What the hell? The Nyxbourne bloodline... the Reaper's bloodline? But I guess it's better than revealing my true Velnoctenes bloodline...' Arvian thought, keeping his expression neutral.
Lioren turned to Arvian and grinned. "Well, looks like it's us first. Let's see how strong you are."
Arvian met his gaze with a confident smirk. "Same to you."
After that Arvian thought to himself, 'I should buy some magic abilities... and maybe enhance my physique with the potion I received from the ogre...?'
He then opened the system's Novel store and started searching for magic abilities.
[Novel Store]
1. Fulgur Sphaera — 「Lv. 1」
A spherical construct imbued with a mix of lightning and light patterns, creating a highly destructive and versatile energy weapon. The sphere can grind into anything that comes into contact with it or cut through any material. While it provides raw offensive power, it also grants a burst of lightning speed during its usage, allowing for faster movement and attacks.
Command: The magic must be activated by saying its name aloud.
Note: It drains mana.
[Lv. 1: 3000 pts ]or [Lv. 10: 5500 pts]
'This is perfect..'
Arvian purchased the magic ability.
[Congratulations! You have purchased Fulgur Sphaera and 5500 points have been deducted.]
***
After a while, two doors appeared in front of them, opening into a wide arena, while a third door opened on the opposite side.
"Lioren and Arvian, please enter through these doors. The rest of the students, please proceed through the opposite door to watch the match."
"Good luck, Arvian," Jaxyn said with a smirk.
Arvian gave a small nod before stepping forward.
Both he and Lioren walked through their respective doors, ready for battle.
The arena was vast and open, with a royal glass box suspended high above at one end, where the professors and the academy president would observe the fight.
At the center, prepared to begin the match, was a professor who served as the referee and held a red flag.
Arvian and Lioren stood across from each other, waiting for the signal.
Arvian quickly drank the Ogre Potion, feeling the surge of power rush through his body as his muscles tightened and his vision sharpened.
[Ogre Potion in use - Time left: 1 hour]
The referee raised his flag, signalling the start of the fight.
The referee's flag dropped, and the arena erupted with a collective breath held. Arvian and Lioren vanished from their starting spots in an instant.
Their arms crossed in a clash of force as they collided.
In the moment of impact, Lioren quickly shifted his stance, using his other arm to deliver a powerful punch straight to Arvian's stomach.
In an attempt to regain his equilibrium, Arvian staggered back a few steps and grunted as the air left him. It was a heavy blow, but he quickly focused and steadied himself.
Arvian gritted his teeth and charged at Lioren with tremendous speed, aiming a punch straight at his jaw.
But unfortunately, Lioren sidestepped with ease, blocking the attack. In a flash, he countered, delivering a powerful kick to Arvian's stomach.
After being knocked to the ground, Arvian rolled quickly and jumped back up, prepared to take on Lioren once more.
As they watched in amazement, the other students whispered to one another about how fierce the fight was.
Arvian struggled to his feet, his body aching from the recent blows. Determined not to give up, he steadied himself.
With a sudden movement, he extended his hands forward, focusing all his energy. "Fulgur... Sphaera," he whispered under his breath.
A red-coloured spherical construct materialized in his hands, glowing with a mix of crackling lightning and intricate light patterns swirling within.
Arvian's eyes locked onto Lioren, and the sphere in his hands pulsed with power, crackling in the air.
In a flash, Arvian disappeared from his position and reappeared behind Lioren, his speed enhanced by the Fulgur Sphaera ability, which gave him lightning-like reflexes.
Lioren's eyes widened as he sensed the shift, quickly conjuring a greenish-swirling energy barrier around him.
But Arvian was too fast. His hand pierced through the barrier effortlessly, and in a single fluid motion, with his other hand, he punched Lioren squarely in the back, sending him flying through the air.
Before Lioren could recover, Arvian reappeared in his path, delivering a powerful kick to his chest.
The impact sent Lioren spiralling midair.
Arvian followed up with a relentless barrage of strikes, each one faster than the last, never letting Lioren touch the ground.
Arvian wasn't using the Fulgur directly against Lioren. Instead, he was taking advantage of its ability, which provided him lightning-like speed. With this speed, he could easily outmanoeuvre Lioren and land decisive blows.
Arvian was practically unstoppable thanks to his speed, the Ogre Potion's increased strength, and Fulgur Sphaera's lightning-fast reflexes. He struck with lightning accuracy and speed, using brute force to destroy Lioren.
But as the battle wore on, Arvian felt his eneegt draining. His mana was running low, and the exhaustion from using the ability took its toll. With a final strike, Lioren crashed to the ground, both of them falling to the ground in exhaustion.
As both students lay there, exhausted and exhausted, there was a brief silence in the arena.
The professors in the glass-box were amazed by the intense fight, their eyes glued to the action. They were thoroughly engaged, impressed by the skill and determination displayed by both Arvian and Lioren. It seemed clear that both of them had passed the academy exam with their performance.