The ground rumbled.
A deep, resonating crack split the air as thick roots exploded from beneath the battlefield, twisting and tangling into a tree. The sheer force of its sudden growth sent shockwaves through the ground, shaking the training hall.
Atop its highest branch stood a young female student with short black hair, her shrine maiden robes fluttered in the rising wind, and her brown eyes remained focused.
Then all of a sudden, someone charged forward.
It was Victoria.
Victoria's golden hair trailed as she charged forward, making sure to avoid every obstacle ahead.
She kicked off the ground, wind touched her feet as she sprinted vertically up the rough bark. With every step, the force beneath her propelled her higher and faster—until she finally leaped.
The moment her feet left the tree, the air exploded beneath her.
A cyclone surged from her hands and spiraled into a vortex.
"hahhhh!"
With a fierce flick of her wrist, she hurled the storm downward.
The cyclone screeched, tearing leaves from their branches and shredding through the entire place.
But the short-haired woman wasn't fazed.
A deep hum resonated as a golden light flicked around her fingers. In an instant, a white barrier bloomed before her.
'Crash!!'
Yet, unaware of it, the woman's eyes widened for a moment when she saw the barrier she was confident of, slowly cracking.
(My mahika was overpowered...? No... it's rather... it's dispersing...)- The woman's thoughts raced for a bit.
Thus instead of keeping it for too long, she changes its angle. Making a raging cyclone collide with it—only to position it above, pushing it away and disappearing harmlessly into the sky.
Victoria's eyes widened.
"What—"
But she had no time to react.
From the shadows of the massive tree, vines shot forward wrapping tightly around her ankles.
Before she could summon another gust, the vines yanked her downward.
Hard.
BOOM!
Victoria's body slammed into the earth, sending cracks webbing out from the impact. The dust cloud that followed swallowed the battlefield whole.
A hush fell over the arena.
Then—
"Match over! Winner—Yuki!"
Yuki, still standing atop the massive tree, exhaled softly before hopping down. She landed gracefully beside her fallen opponent and extended a hand. Victoria, however, pushed it away.
"I'm fine."
Yuki didn't insist and simply stepped back. The professor in charge of S-Class, on the other hand, was far from pleased.
"What was the headmaster thinking, letting a Class B student join S-Rank?"
A heavy silence filled the air.
"You couldn't even defeat a healer. What qualifies you to be a mage?"
Victoria kept her gaze down, gripping her arms tightly.
Before she could speak, a strong voice interrupted.
"That's going too far, Professor."
Lucian.
The white-haired lad stepped forward.
There was no hesitation as he positioned himself between the professor and Victoria.
Victoria's breath hitched as she quickly grabbed his sleeve, whispering, "It's fine."
In which the professor simply scoffed.
"And you think being the headmaster's son gives you the right to talk back?"
Clicking his tongue, the professor waved them off.
"Class dismissed. What a waste of my time."
When the professor walked out, a tense stillness remained.
Victoria let out an awkward laugh. "Thanks for that," she muttered, rubbing the back of her neck. "But you didn't have to step in."
Lucian didn't smile.
"You're strong."
"..."
"I saw you fight in the dungeon. I know what you're capable of."
She shook her head. "That was just teamwork."
Lucian sighed.
"You're selling yourself short. Do your best in the upcoming event. I know you'll win."
Victoria stood frozen for a moment.
She eventually glanced down at her hands, hands that had just failed her.
For she knew the best.
'Not enough...'
'This is all I can do... I've already reached a wall.'
'Can I really improve...?'
****
Dorm F, Room 201.
A soft clink of chess pieces moving across the board.
Elijah sat cross-legged on the chair, eyes locked onto the chessboard in front of him. A single candle flickered nearby, casting long shadows over the neatly arranged pieces.
"Alright..." he muttered to himself, moving a white knight forward. "Let's see what you've got."
After a brief pause, he reached across the board with his other hand and moved a black pawn.
"Bold move," he commented in a monotone. "As expected, there's so many things you need to learn."
"Oh my god, I think I will lose! BUT SIKE! Mate!"
"Not bad, dear me."
For the next few minutes, Elijah continued playing against himself, switching perspectives with each turn, completely immersed in the game.
That was until the door suddenly slammed open.
"ELIJAH!"
Varden stood at the entrance, panting, his green hair damp with sweat, uniform covered in dirt—and was that... was that actual shit on his head? Elijah didn't want to ask.
Instead, he calmly pinched his nose shut.
"What the hell, man? Get out. You reek."
"You buried my belongings!" Varden shouted angrily.
"Oh…" Elijah blinked, unfazed. "You found them already?"
"ALREADY?! I spent my whole day searching in the dumpsters and a whole three hours digging!"
"That's actually pretty fast," Elijah mused, nodding approvingly while clapping his hands. "Impressive."
Yet that compliment did nothing, instead, it only made Varden's rage flared.
"You—!" He jabbed a finger at Elijah. "Let's duel! Right now!"
Elijah finally turned his full attention to him, resting his cheek against his knuckles. His smile gradually widened as if he was thinking of something far too entertaining.
"Duel? Like what? Cooking? Let's not forget we're both mahika-less here."
"Swordsmanship."
At that, Elijah tilted his head, then exhaled like he had just been offered the most boring challenge in the world.
"Swords, huh?" He chuckled. "Alright, but let's make it interesting. What's the bet?"
"If I win," Varden spat, "you drop out of this academy."
For a moment, there was silence.
Varden who had thought he scared him this time, couldn't help but smile.
Not until...
"Sure."
Elijah accepted.
Varden barely had time to register what he just said, before Elijah's voice dropped lower, almost taunting yet unnervingly serious.
Picking up a wooden white pawn, he slowly dug his fingers until it basically broke from his hands.
"But if you lose…" Elijah lifted a hand, letting the wooden shards fall down to the ground. Then he began flexing his fingers one by one. "You cut off one of your fingers."
"W-what?"
"You heard me." Elijah's smile never wavered. If anything, it grew wider. "One finger. Your choice which one."
Varden stiffened. His instincts screamed that something was wrong.
This wasn't some dumb prank. Those eyes tell that Elijah wasn't just messing around. And yet, he couldn't afford to back down.
"Scared?"
Varden clenched his jaw. His pride wouldn't let him retreat now.
"No… I accept the condition."