"Contestant No. 14."
"Take your ball and throw it."
Ash stepped forward, his expression calm yet focused. He grasped the designated ball in his right hand and adjusted his stance.
Then, his eyes began to glow.
A fiery aura surged through his arm, veins pulsing with an intense orange glow as he activated his First Stage of Fire.
"Sparks of Flame."
He whispered it under his breath—too low for anyone to hear. His right hand burned with concentrated energy, heat radiating from his fingertips.
With a swift, calculated motion, Ash launched the ball straight at the plate.
The instant it made contact—BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted, far larger than the plate itself. Smoke and embers scattered into the air as the force of impact sent a shockwave rippling through the ground.
As the smoke cleared, the plate began analyzing the force of the blast. Numbers flickered across its surface before locking into place.
The instructor read the results aloud.
"Contestant No. 14 has completed his attempt. His score is… 10,670!"
A wave of gasps swept through the crowd.
It was an unprecedented score—higher than anything recorded before. The spectators broke into hushed whispers, their voices buzzing with disbelief and excitement.
Avasyu, however, didn't understand what all the fuss was about.
"Why is everyone so shocked? It's just a number…"
But before he could dwell on it, the instructor's voice rang out again.
"Contestant No. 15, step forward and take your designated ball."
It was Avasyu's turn.
He inhaled deeply and stepped forward, gripping the ball tightly. Closing his eyes, he focused his energy inward, channeling power into his right hand.
"First Stage of Thunder."
A surge of electricity coursed through his veins, crackling beneath his skin.
His eyes snapped open, glowing an ominous shade of gray.
"Darkness of Storm."
Sparks flickered around his fingers as raw energy pulsed through him. The ground beneath his feet darkened, forming an intricate circular pattern of electric discharge.
He locked onto his target—the center of the plate.
With all his strength, he hurled the ball forward.
The moment it left his hand, a powerful current arced around his body, illuminating the space around him. The force of his throw sent a visible shockwave rippling through the air.
BOOOOM!
The explosion upon impact was colossal, larger than Ash's. A blinding burst of lightning erupted from the plate, crackling and twisting into the sky.
Avasyu smirked.
"I did it… I beat him in this one."
But then—his smirk faded.
The plate processed his score, the numbers locking in place.
"9,999."
"What?!"
His eyes widened in disbelief.
"Augh! I lost this one too?"
Frustration settled in as disappointment washed over him. He clenched his fists. He had been so sure that his explosion was bigger… so why had he fallen short?
The instructor's voice confirmed it.
"Contestant No. 15 has completed his attempt. His score is 9,999."
Avasyu sighed.
He had come close—but close wasn't enough.
The instructor's voice rang out once more.
"Contestant No. 23, step forward and take your ball."
Avasyu barely paid attention at first. But then—something felt different.
The contestant stepped forward, moving with an eerie calmness. He took his designated ball and held it in his left hand, adjusting his stance.
But it wasn't his stance that caught attention—it was the air around him.
It shifted.
Not violently, like the heat that radiated from Ash's fire or the raw crackling energy of Avasyu's thunder. No, this was something else.
A breeze.
Gentle. Cool.
Like the air before a summer rain. Like sitting on soft grass beneath a massive tree by a quiet river, moments before the first raindrops touched the earth.
Avasyu tensed as he heard the contestant's words.
"First Stage of Air…
Zephyr."
"Air?!"
He turned to Ash, whose expression had completely shifted.
"He's another elemental user?" Avasyu whispered.
Ash didn't reply. His eyes were locked on Contestant No. 23, his usual confidence replaced by something Avasyu had never seen before—uncertainty.
The contestant exhaled slowly. The wind around him coiled like an invisible force, swirling around his body with unnatural grace. Then, with effortless precision, he threw the ball.
It wasn't a violent release.
No explosion of power. No forceful discharge of energy.
It was smooth. Fluid. Perfectly controlled.
The ball sliced through the air like a silent arrow, reaching the plate in an instant.
BOOM!
The impact triggered an explosion—not as large as Avasyu's, but something about it felt calculated. Precise.
The numbers appeared on the plate.
The instructor announced, "Contestant No. 23 has completed his attempt. His score is… 11,000."
"What?!"
Avasyu's eyes widened.
It wasn't just higher than his—it was higher than Ash's. Higher than the so-called No. 1 of the academy.
Gasps and murmurs spread across the field. But while the others were busy reacting, Ash remained silent.
His fists clenched. His eyes darkened.
"What's happening here?"
"Why is he here… at this time?"
"He shouldn't be here."
"And more importantly—how is he alive?"
Avasyu turned to Ash, noticing the change in his demeanor.
For the first time, he saw Ash unsettled.
For the first time, he saw Ash lost in thought.
For the first time, he saw fear flicker across Ash's face.
But then—just as quickly as it appeared—it was gone.
Ash exhaled, his expression shifting again. A smirk curled on his lips.
But this was different from his usual arrogant grin.
This wasn't the smirk of someone who had everything under control.
It was the smirk of someone who had just found a missing piece to a puzzle they thought was lost forever.
Like a wanderer in the desert catching sight of an oasis after days without water.
Like a man who had lost all hope—only to feel it return in an instant.
And for Avasyu, that was more unsettling than Ash's silence.
Avasyu stared at the results in disbelief.
Not only had the air user surpassed him—but Ash, too.
But what confused him even more was Ash's reaction.
That look of shock. That moment of silence. That unsettling smirk.
What did it all mean?
Before he could ask, the instructor resumed calling out the remaining contestants. One by one, they stepped forward, each trying their best to achieve a high score.
Avasyu and Ash watched closely, analyzing every result. Some contestants managed decent scores, while others failed to trigger an explosion at all.
Eventually, the last participant finished their turn.
The instructor stepped forward, holding the final results.
"Here it comes."
He cleared his throat before speaking.
"All contestants have given an excellent performance in this exam. However, only three have secured the top positions."
A hush fell over the crowd.The instructor raised his voice.
"In third place… Contestant No. 15."
Avasyu exhaled sharply.
"Tch. Third place again."
"In second place… Contestant No. 14."
Ash remained silent.And then—
"And the first position in this exam goes to… Contestant No. 23."