Elias stood in the Academy's training field, flexing his fingers inside the reinforced gauntlet. The device hummed softly, absorbing ambient mana with controlled efficiency. It was working—this time without explosions. That was progress.
Lira leaned against a nearby post, watching with narrowed eyes. "Alright, it didn't blow up this time. That's a good start. But testing it on a dummy isn't the same as using it in a real fight."
Elias exhaled, adjusting the straps on his wrist. "I know."
And that's why he needed to take the next step.
He turned to one of the students near the practice fields, a tall, broad-shouldered guy with a duelist's stance. "Hey, mind helping me test something?"
The student—Leo, if Elias remembered correctly—raised an eyebrow. "You want to spar?"
Lira groaned from behind Elias. "Oh, come on. You just finished fixing that thing."
Elias ignored her. "Yeah. Nothing too crazy, just a basic duel. First to land a solid hit wins."
Leo grinned, rolling his shoulders. "Alright. But don't complain when you get blasted."
A small crowd began to gather as word of an impromptu match spread. First-years were always looking for an excuse to watch a fight, and Elias knew he was already a curiosity. The "magicless Summoned One" challenging a combat mage? People wanted to see how badly he'd lose.
Leo stepped into the ring, summoning a small flickering fire rune between his hands. "You ready?"
Elias took a steady breath, raising his gauntlet. "Let's find out."
The moment the instructor called for the match to start, Leo moved. He wasn't slow. Elias barely had time to react before the fireball was already streaking toward him.
But this time, he was prepared.
He angled his wrist, engaging the gauntlet's absorption function. The fireball collided against his palm, dispersing into the device. The energy pulsed through the circuits, humming as it stored the magic instead of letting it dissipate.
The crowd murmured.
Leo blinked. "What the—?"
Elias smirked. "My turn."
He released the stored energy, not in an uncontrolled burst like before, but as a focused pulse, launching a glowing shot straight back at Leo's chest.
Leo barely dodged in time, twisting to the side. The bolt grazed his shoulder, leaving a faint scorch mark on his sleeve.
Lira whistled from the sidelines. "Oh, that actually worked."
Leo's smirk widened. "Alright, that's cool." Then he raised both hands, summoning two more firebolts. "Let's see if you can handle this."
Elias's grin faltered slightly.
Two at once?
The firebolts launched toward him in rapid succession. He absorbed the first one easily, but the second—too fast, too close—he had no time to react.
It slammed into his side, sending him stumbling back. Heat flared through his ribs, but it wasn't unbearable.
Leo grinned. "You got some tricks, but magic moves faster than machines."
Elias coughed, rubbing his side. "Yeah? Let's test that theory."
This time, he adjusted his stance. Instead of absorbing energy directly, he let the gauntlet's refraction mechanism angle the next firebolt away from him, redirecting it toward the ground at an angle instead of fully absorbing it.
Leo frowned. "Wait, what—"
Elias dashed forward.
With the split-second opening he'd created, he launched a short-range pulse blast, aiming directly at Leo's chest.
It hit cleanly, sending Leo skidding backward.
The crowd gasped.
The instructor raised his hand. "Match over. Elias wins."
Silence.
Then, murmurs.
Elias had won—without using magic.
Leo sat up, rubbing his chest, then let out a chuckle. "Well, damn. That thing's actually legit."
Lira smirked. "Told you he was insane."
Elias exhaled, flexing his fingers inside the gauntlet. It still needed refinements, but the core design worked. He could fight mages on equal ground.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he wasn't just surviving.
He was winning.