Chapter 11

  TO TASTE IRON IS TO LEARN STRENGTH (1)

  “I can’t believe she’s late,” muttered a man in a sharp black suit, not a wrinkle in sight. His white tie knotted neatly at the throat. He flicked open his pocket watch, brows furrowing as his polished shoe continuously tapped in an impatient rhythm against the ground.

  His eyes narrowed, scanning the training field, still no sign. “She does this every time,” he grumbled, voice growing louder. “Why the school puts up with someone so irresponsible and careless is beyond me.” His complaints buzzed through the clearing as students from Class A and the elite Class S filled the training grounds.

  The grounds themselves were a marvel: a vast artificial clearing carved into the heart of the jungle, designed for both magic and swordsmanship.

  Obstacle courses, dueling rings, and spell-testing zones were spread across the domain. Within it, every physical element, environment, and natural factor remained under the watchful control of the Grindelwald Magic Administration.

  Put simply, the academy spared no expense.

  Fun fact. Even the forest itself regenerated each night, restoring whatever damage the students wreaked during training.

  Students scattered across the area, whispering excitedly as they tried to guess the day’s exercise and what the teachers could have planned for them.

  “Just where is Alicia?” A girl’s voice drifted through the chatter. Regis, her long crimson hair tucked back, scanned the grounds nervously. “It’s been almost ten minutes since I got here, and she’s nowhere to be seen… Don’t tell me she got lost while teleporting and ended up stranded on some random island in the middle of the sea.”

  “I should go look for her… but…” Regis’s chest tightened. “There are so many people here, and I can’t wait to test my skills. Alicia will be fine without me for a while. Probably…”

  For Regis, who had been homeschooled all her life because of her destructive magic, this academy was a dream come true. Every new face that could be her opponent sparked a thrill in her chest.

  Just then, the sky shifted. One lone cloud drifted against the wind, sliding in the opposite direction of the other clouds floating across the sky with unnatural speed.

  “What’s that?”

  “It’s huge…”

  The dark overshadow cast on the training ground caught everyone’s attention.

  “Could it be part of our training?”

  “Wait, I think I’ve heard about this… look, it’s coming down!”

  The massive golden cloud descended from the sky, its fierce descent nearly summoning a typhoon.

  Just before touching the earth, it halted with a jolt. The sudden stop unleashed a shockwave—grass and leaves tore free, students’ accessories scattering through the air, and even a few robes flipping up as if caught in the downdraft of a landing helicopter.

  From atop the radiant cloud, a figure leapt gracefully to the ground. Her bun-tied hair snapped in the wind as she landed with a thud, fists planted firmly on her waist in a pose straight out of a heroic comic.

  “Hi Aldric. I see you are early,” said Miss Xu, her tone as casual as if she had simply strolled in.

  “No, you are the one who is late,” the man in the immaculate white-and-black suit snapped, glaring at her. “How can a teacher arrive after her own students? And to think they entrusted Class S to you. Utterly unfit.”

  Xu Lian smirked. “Oh, come on, little guy.”

  “I am your senior at this institution, speak with—” The man refuted but was cut off again.

  “We both know there’s no one on this continent who can match me in spiritual martial arts. Besides, kids deserve someone lively, fun, and inspiring—not a grumpy fossil who scolds them for an untidy academy uniform and a lost homework copy.”

  Some students chuckled under their breath.

  “How dare you?”

  “Face it, Aldric—you’ve been unpopular with girls since your student days, and I don’t see that changing any time soon,” Miss Xu said, leaning closer with a mischievous grin. “Must be tough, growing old and still losing to me in everything.”

  Aldric’s eye twitched. Miss Xu’s confidence was untouchable.

  “I still can’t believe this,” Aldric said, his voice sharp with disapproval. “The current heir—the second generation of the True Hero’s companion, the Unmovable Lian—is acting so unruly. And thank you for your concern, but I live a happy, married life. Now, tell me, Xu Lian—do you have any plausible reason for being late?”

  Xu Lian scratched the back of her head and laughed. “Alright, alright, you got me. One of the students failed to teleport properly. So, I had to bring her the old-fashioned way.”

  She turned toward the glowing golden cloud that still hovered in the sky. Raising her hand with a theatrical flourish, she called, “Miss Alicia, you can come out now.”

  All eyes shifted upward.

  I pushed my hand through the misty surface of the cloud, but the moment I tried to step out, my balance betrayed me. With my legs wobbling and the world spun wildly around me—grass, trees, students’ faces all blurring into a dizzying whirl of colors.

  No, no, no—I’m going to faceplant in front of everyone! I don’t want to mess up a second time in front of everyone.

  …

  About ten minutes ago…

  Back in the Grindelwald Magic Academy classroom.

  “What? But—” I fumbled over my words, unable to follow the abrupt method Miss Xu was explaining.

  “No time to waste talking,” she cut me off. “If I get late, I’ll never hear the end of it.”

  Before I could protest—or even learn what sort of transport she was suggesting—she clapped her hands twice. Then, with an exaggerated inhale, her chest tightened and a stream of golden smoke burst from her lips, swirling in the air until it condensed into a massive, fluffy cloud that filled the room, wrapping around both of us like a living cushion.

  My eyes widened. I reached out, brushing my hand against it. The texture was soft and weightless, like cotton candy spun from sunlight.

  “Off to the sky, Fei!” Xu Lian declared, striking a heroic pose.

  The cloud lifted gently at first, then—without warning—lurched forward and shot straight out the classroom window.

  CRACK… CRACK… CRASH!

  “Ahhhh!” I screamed as glass exploded around us, sharp shards flew dangerously close, glittering past my face by a mere inch.

  “Oops! I forgot to open the window again,” Miss Xu said cheerfully, still standing tall at the front of the cloud, her hands at her waist. Laughing, utterly unbothered.

  Why does she look so proud of herself?!

  “Faster, Fei! Faster!” she shouted, and the cloud obeyed. It roared forward with a sonic boom, tearing through the skies, shattering air currents, and leaving trails of gold mist exploding behind us.

  “Sl—slow down! Please slow down!” I begged, my voice instantly swallowed by the rushing wind.

  I clung desperately to the cloud, knuckles white, terrified I might slip off and plummet. Skies, forests, and mountains blurred together, swirling in dizzying circles as if I’d been tossed into a 360-degree whirlwind.

  Then, just as suddenly, the cloud screeched to a halt. My body lurched forward, legs cramping, fingers still buried in the candy-floss fluff.

  I barely managed to whisper, “A-are we… there?” My voice trembled with dizziness, shame, and the desperate hope that this nightmare ride was finally over.

  As I stumbled forward, trying to climb down, my balance betrayed me again. The ground tilted, my body pitched forward—

  —only for a pair of steady hands to catch me just in time.

  “Alicia, are you okay? Why were you so late?”

  That voice.

  I blinked through the haze, my vision finally slowing its frantic spin, just enough to recognize her. “…Regis.”

  Relief washed over me, but my cheeks burned with embarrassment. I had almost faceplanted in front of everyone—again.

  “What happened?” she asked softly, her brows drawn together in worry.

  The crowd of students erupted in murmurs. Some gasped in awe at my dramatic entrance. Aldric pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing as if the heavens themselves had conspired to test his patience.

  Meanwhile, Miss Xu only folded her arms, grinning as though this chaotic spectacle was exactly the kind of grand introduction she had planned all along.

  ◇◇◇

  “I can’t believe it,” Aldric’s voice cut sharp through the air. “A student of Class S unable to even teleport using the assigned coordinates in their uniform. Shameful.”

  Whispers rippled through the crowd. Class A students smirked. My classmates from S-Class turned their gazes on me, and I could feel the weight of every pair of eyes drilling into my back.

  “Don’t be so harsh, Aldric,” Miss Xu interjected, her playful tone cutting through the tension. “It’s her first day at the academy. She’s one of the new student; can’t you go easy on her?”

  “Fine.” Aldric adjusted his white tie with irritation. “Make whatever excuse you want to. And it’s not as if she belongs to my class. I’ll leave it to you how you handle your students. And while you are free to waste your own time—but you can’t just think that there will be no consequence if you try wasting other people’s time.”

  “And what do you mean by that?”

  “This academy doesn’t raise selfish magicians. If you want to succeed, you must learn collective responsibility.” Sir Aldric’s eyes narrowed. “I will be deducting class points for the S class.”

  His words landed heavily. Around me, my classmates shifted, glaring openly. Their eyes spoke what their mouths did not: She’s dragging us down.

  My chest tightened. Looking down, I apologized, “I’m sorry.”

  A hush fell. For the first time since her flashy entrance, Miss Xu’s confident smile wavered. Her playful eyes dimmed, and a frown tugged at her lips.

  “There’s no need for that,” Miss Xu said. “It was my oversight. I should have accounted for the possibility of a uniform malfunction or a student not attuned properly to the magic. That was my failure as a teacher, not hers. You don’t need to bow to this stuck-up man in a suit.”

  I clenched my fists tighter. “…It’s alright. I was at fault too. I’ll make sure it never happens again.” My voice was quiet but steady. After all, Al had memorized the coordinates now. From this point on, I could teleport here on my own—without mistakes.

  Miss Xu exhaled, her smirk returning as if she refused to let Aldric’s scorn linger any longer. She clapped her hands once. “Good. Then let’s not waste any more time—and let the class begin!”

  The students of Class S and Class A split back into their groups, more than a hundred of us filling the training field. At the edge of the clearing, Sir Aldric and Miss Xu engaged in a hushed but heated argument, hands gesturing sharply as they debated what kind of training we should start with.

  Suddenly, Miss Xu brought her hand forward.

  “That has to mean something, right?” a student whispered.

  “I think they are trying to shake hands…” another murmured.

  “Do you think they’ve finally decided?”

  “Finally! I thought I was going to melt in this heat.”

  “Tch. If these unnecessary delays keep up, I swear I am telling my father.”

  Relief began to spread among the students as Aldric hesitantly extended his hand to complete the handshake. Miss Xu’s lips curved in a dazzling smile as she took it.

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  And then—

  WHUMP!

  Gasps erupted as Aldric’s body suddenly plunged into the earth, half of him sticking out while the other half was buried upside down in the dirt. His polished shoes flailed in the air helplessly.

  Miss Xu, on the other hand, dusted off her hands as if nothing unusual had happened. Humming a light tune to herself, she strolled toward us with the grace of someone who had just won a friendly game rather than humiliated a fellow instructor.

  “Alright, students,” she called cheerfully, clapping her hands together. “After a very peaceful discussion with your other teacher…” Her tone dripped with innocence. “We’ve decided on your first task.”

  Her eyes sparkled.

  “So… show me how you would knock down a mountain.”

  “What—?”

  A wave of doubt swept through the students like ripples across water. No one dared speak too loudly, not after watching Sir Aldric end up buried upside down by Miss Xu. A wave of doubt moved among the students, but so did a sharper wave of fear.

  She paused, letting her eyes sweep across the confused faces, then grinned.

  “I see,” Miss Xu said, her smile never wavering. “Let me put it simply for you—you need to break this.”

  She turned toward the open training ground, a vast stretch of clean earth extending for nearly a mile. Her hands moved in a blur, weaving through a series of rapid hand seals with practiced precision.

  “—Formation: Barrier of the Mountain Peaks, Five Layers!”

  A deep rumble answered her command.

  Rrrrmmm—CRACK—KRAAANG!

  The ground split open, trembling underfoot as colossal slabs of earth erupted upward. One after another, massive walls rose skyward. By the time the final wall settled into place, five towering barriers loomed before us, stacked like mountains themselves, blotting out the horizon.

  Gasps and murmurs spread through the crowd.

  “Five layers…?”

  “Those aren’t just simple earth walls—each one is almost as thick as a mountain cliff.”

  “Can we even… leave a dent on them?”

  Miss Xu clasped her hands behind her back, her voice as casual as if she were asking us to practice a simple fireball spell. “Your task is to destroy all five shields with your best single move. Use whatever you like—magic, sword, spirit arts, anything. So…” She glanced over the sea of hesitant faces. “Who wants to go first?”

  The silence stretched. No one dared move.

  Then, from among the S-Class group, a single hand rose.

  One by one, the students moved aside, their eyes drawn to the girl who strode forward.

  “Miss Glaciemire,” Miss Xu said with a spark of approval in her voice. “So you wish to volunteer? I’m glad to see someone showing initiative.”

  The girl’s white hair cascaded like a waterfall of snow down her back, shimmering faintly under the sun. Her eyes—an icy shade of violet—gazed coolly at the towering walls ahead. The frost-blue accents lining her uniform marked her affinity without question: an ice mage.

  “Yes,” she replied, her voice calm, unshaken. “If no one has any objection.”

  “By all means,” Miss Xu said with a sweeping gesture. “Show us how much you’ve grown.”

  “I intend to,” the girl replied steadily, raising her gaze to the five towering walls. “These won’t last long.”

  A hush fell as she focused, her aura beginning to gather like frost in the air around her.

  “Wait, isn’t she the second-ranked S-Class elite student?” a Class A boy muttered.

  “Noelle Glaciemire…” another breathed.

  “She is the third daughter of the Witch Queen. That makes her practically a princess.”

  “I heard she was dubbed the Ice Princess last semester. Not just because of her magic, but her personality too…”

  All eyes remained fixed on Noelle as she stopped before the five towering barriers, her expression serene, her focus absolute.

  Raising both hands, she drew in a breath as frost surged above her, the moisture crystallizing and rapidly gathering into a colossal spear of ice that spun violently. Twisting into a perfect spiral until it formed a massive icicle drill, whirring with an ear-splitting roar as shards of frost scattered across the field.

  “Glacial Lance!”

  With a flick of her wrist, the drill launched forward.

  BOOM!

  The first wall shattered instantly, fragments of earth scattering like sand before a tidal wave. The thickness meant nothing—it crumbled as if it were paper.

  The crowd gasped. “She broke it so easily…!”

  But as the drill slammed into the second earth barrier, Noelle’s calm expression twitched, her violet eyes narrowing.

  CRAAANG!

  Noelle’s composure wavered. Her eyes narrowed.

  This wall wasn’t like the first.

  The resistance was greater—far greater. Hardened minerals and dense metals reinforced its body, giving it the weight and resilience of steel. The drill ground against it with a screeching roar, sparks of frost clashing against stone-metal.

  For a moment, the spell stalled. The drill shuddered, threatening to break.

  Noelle’s eyes sharpened. She clenched her fists, infusing more power into her construct. Streams of raw magic pulsed from her arms, so dense they became visible—white light crackling around her fingers, dazzling the crowd.

  “Unbelievable… her mana is overflowing.”

  “She’s forcing it through with raw magic power alone.”

  With a final surge, the drill cracked the barrier. A shrill sound tore through the air as a clean hole bored through the second wall.

  Noelle exhaled softly, her breath visible like mist. She steadied herself, then pushed the drill forward toward the third barrier.

  At first, the wall seemed ordinary. Her icicle slammed into it—

  —and then the surface rippled.

  Noelle’s and everyone’s eyes widened. “What…?”

  Instead of resisting, the third wall flowed like liquid earth.

  Her ice drill, instead of breaking through, began to sink, dissolving into the shifting barrier. The wall itself pulsed faintly, absorbing the construct like a sponge swallowing water.

  Within seconds, the ice drill was devoured entirely, leaving behind not even a crack.

  A wave of silence fell across the field.

  “What happened?”

  “Did it… eat her magic?”

  “That wall wasn’t normal…”

  Miss Xu stepped forward, clapping lightly, her expression filled with satisfaction. “That was a fine display, Miss Glaciemire. To pierce even the second layer is no small feat. Congratulations on reaching the third wall.”

  Noelle’s face remained calm, though her clenched hands betrayed her frustration.

  “Thank you, Miss Xu. Next time, I will break through all five.”

  “I have no doubt you will,” Miss Xu replied warmly. “Once you learn the trick behind them, you’ll surpass even this. Well done.”

  Clapping her hands, she turned back toward the assembled students. “Now then—who wants to go next?”

  Class A remained utterly still. Whispers buzzed, but none dared step forward.

  Then, from Class S, another hand rose.

  This time it was a boy, and as he stepped into the open, the crowd erupted with chatter.

  “Wait—isn’t that… Henrique Goldwyck?”

  “The fourth-ranked student? That maniac?”

  “I heard he defeated three upper-division students last year—then laughed about it when he got suspended!”

  “It was far worse—they had been beaten half to death and dropped out after. He is dangerous.”

  “…But isn’t he handsome?” One of the girls spoke in between.

  “Of course he is—he’s from the Goldwyck dukedom! Their family controls all the gold mines and rich mineral veins in the western lands.”

  “Tch. I still can’t believe they let someone so barbaric into this academy.”

  Henrique Goldwyck strode forward, the whispers trailing him like shadows. His golden hair glinted beneath the sunlight, his uniform tailored to resemble a knight’s garb clung to his tall, broad frame.

  “So,” Miss Xu asked with a teasing smile, “what will you be showing me today, Henrique?”

  Henrique grinned. “Nothing special. Just… a slash.”

  There was a reckless fire in his sharp eyes, a smirk curling on his lips as if the challenge before him were hardly worth his notice.

  The crowd fell silent again, tension rising in anticipation of what the notorious nobleman would do.

  Henrique placed his hand casually on the hilt of his sword, fingers curling around the grip. For a moment, nothing happened. Then—

  SHHHHHHHHHH!

  A violent gust of wind roared through the training ground, sweeping past the gathered students. Cloaks fluttered, hair whipped, and a hush fell over the crowd. Henrique still stood perfectly still, his blade unsheathed only a finger’s width.

  “What… happened?” a bewildered Class A student blurted out, unable to contain himself.

  Henrique’s smirk widened. “You would’ve seen it… if you didn’t blink.”

  CRRRAAACK!

  In the next instant, the results appeared.

  Trees lining the edge of the clearing split neatly in two. Boulders crumbled in clean halves. Dust rained from the air as silence gripped the field.

  And then—

  BOOOOOOM!

  The first wall of the Barrier collapsed in an earth-shaking crash. A heartbeat later, the second wall groaned and split, crumbling apart under the invisible cut.

  Gasps rang out.

  “He… he took down two layers in one stroke!”

  “I couldn’t even see the draw!”

  “What was that speed!?”

  The third wall, however, wavered strangely. Its surface rippled like jelly, trembling from the blow but holding firm, refusing to break.

  Henrique scratched the back of his head with a careless chuckle. “Man, I really thought if Noelle’s witchcraft couldn’t break it, maybe raw physical strength would. Guess not.”

  Miss Xu clapped enthusiastically. “Now that was a truly brilliant sword move, Henrique.”

  The crowd, still buzzing in disbelief, shifted nervously. Miss Xu glanced around, expecting more volunteers. And from the murmurs, I got to hear that—the first and third-ranked elites weren’t present today.

  Which meant…

  “Wait,” I thought with dread sinking in. “By process of elimination… does that make me next?” Surprisingly, I was ranked fifth after clearing all the admission tests and assessments.

  My stomach churned. I wasn’t sure what I could even do against those walls as a non-combat healer.

  Maybe I could conjure a beam of light, heat the surface, melt through it bit by bit…? But that’s not how I want to use my magic. Worse, too much attention could make people suspicious. I didn’t want anyone noticing me.

  Just as the silence stretched, another voice cut through it.

  “I’ll go next.”

  Relief washed over me like cool water. Thank goodness.

  The crowd parted again, and this time a girl stepped forward—her long aquamarine hair flowing behind her like ocean waves. It was her.

  The very same girl who wanted my mask for herself.

  Ingrid Aenswalt.

  She met my eyes as she walked. Her gaze locked directly onto mine, carrying a silent challenge.

  “Best of luck, Ingrid,” Henrique said quietly, brushing past her with a smile. “I’m sure you worked hard even during the break.”

  “What’s it to you?” Ingrid snapped, glaring. Yet Henrique only gave an odd smile before stepping aside.

  Miss Xu gestured toward the barriers. “Alright then, Miss Aenswalt. Take your position.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Ingrid closed her eyes. Water gathered around her feet, swirling upward, forming into a powerful whirlpool of shimmering blue waves. With a sharp thrust of her arms, the torrent surged forward like a crashing tide.

  BOOOOOSH!

  The first wall loosened instantly, its foundation crumbling as the raging water tore through the sand and stone, collapsing it into mud. The crowd cheered as Ingrid pressed on.

  Her wave smashed into the second wall with explosive force, but—

  GRRRRRRK!

  The barrier resisted, its iron-like structure deflecting the water. Ingrid gritted her teeth, pouring more energy into the surge. Cracks appeared across the surface—yet when the flood subsided, the wall still stood.

  “Haaa…” Ingrid exhaled heavily, her magic dissolving into mist.

  “That was good,” Miss Xu applauded warmly. “You chipped through half the second wall. Not many manage that on their first try. Well done.”

  Despite miss Xu’s good evaluation, Ingrid did not look too happy with the results.

  “Also,” Miss Xu added, turning to us with a playful smile, “it’s not necessary for you all to participate today. This is just to gauge your skill levels. As this kind of activity may not suit some of our non-combatant or support-oriented magics. No need to force yourselves.”

  A sigh of relief escaped me before I could stop it.

  From then on, students volunteered one after another. After the explosive displays of the top-ranked elites, the rest did well too.

  Even Regis stepped forward, determination burning in her eyes as she had been itching to take on the challenge herself.

  “I’m going.”

  Her bow manifested from the dimensional space in her ring. She knocked her bow, and a magically charged arrow appeared instantly, wrapped in crackling wind magic.

  The projectile slammed into the wall like a miniature hurricane—yet even with her destructive magic, she only managed to pierce halfway into the second wall before the barrier pushed it back and dispersed the magic.

  The crowd still applauded. After all, these were no ordinary obstacles.

  The next wave of students had mixed results. Some made dents, some struggled to break even the first wall, but each spell still radiated enough power to justify their place in the elite S-Class.

  As I watched, one thought lingered in every student’s mind: If these are just the first three… then what in the world did Miss Xu prepare for the fourth and fifth?

  “Alright, that’s enough for Class S.” Miss Xu dusted her hands and turned with an almost mischievous grin toward the other half of the field. “Now then… Class A.”

  The students of Class A stiffened instantly, as though they’d been called to face an executioner.

  Just in the nick of time, their teacher, Sir Aldric, stepped forward—shoes gleaming, suit immaculate.

  At least, that was the image for all of three seconds until he came close enough for all the students to see.

  Because right then, his chest burst with dirt. His arms were caked with mud, his once-pristine tie spattered with soil, and worst of all—he was coughing clumps of dirt out of his mouth.

  “Waghhrrk—khhhghh! Khuuugh—what are you doing, Miss Xu!?” Aldric choked, spitting mud onto the ground. “I told you, you cannot interfere with Class A’s assignment—”

  Miss Xu leaned casually, humming with the same bright energy she always carried.

  “Assignment, shmignment. Look at these kids.” She gestured broadly to Class A, who looked like terrified rabbits caught under a hawk’s shadow. “Don’t they look thrilled to try my test instead of your boring routine? Tell me, would you rather spend the day beating up lifeless wooden dummies—or unleash your full magic potential?”

  Her smile widened, positively sparkling.

  “C’mon, who wouldn’t want the chance to smash mountains instead of blowing up mannequins all day?”

  Several Class S students snorted with laughter.

  But Class A students… froze. They looked between Miss Xu’s bright grin behind the giant five walls they needed to take down and Aldric’s mud-stained glare. Their expressions screamed in unison: We don’t want to die.

  And slowly, reluctantly, they nodded toward Aldric instead.

  “Alright then,” Aldric said firmly, dusting himself off with all the dignity he could salvage. “It’s decided. My class will follow my training plan.”

  He clapped his hands together once. BA-DUMP!

  In a flash of magic, the ground rippled. A moment later, dozens of training dolls—smooth, featureless humanoid figures—rose out of thin air and planted themselves across the field.

  “Alright, students. Step up one by one as I call your names from the roster, in order of rank. You will have thirty seconds to take down as many mannequins as possible,” Sir Aldric instructed in his brisk tone.

  The students of Class A straightened, some nervous, others eager to show off. One by one, they came forward, unleashing quick projectile spells—firebolts, arrows of light, bursts of wind—that toppled mannequins in rapid succession. Sir Aldric noted their scores.

  “Next—Garrick Fairbourne.”

  A tall boy strode confidently to the front. His bright red hair glimmered in the sun, and golden jewelry dangled from his ears and wrists. In his hand, he carried a staff so over-embellished it almost looked like a decorative heirloom rather than a weapon.

  Wait… why does he look familiar? I tilted my head, trying to recall.

  Around me, students muttered under their breath. Their expressions were anything but impressed, though none voiced their dislike aloud.

  “I’ll show everyone how to achieve the highest score in this exercise,” Garrick declared loudly, his voice brimming with self-importance.

  The mannequins materialized. Garrick tapped his staff against the ground, and a glowing crimson magic circle unfurled high above, realigning themselves in complex patterns.

  “Crimson Crash!” he roared.

  Dozens of fireballs ignited in the circle, then rained down simultaneously with machine-like precision. Every mannequin was struck in the exact same instant. The clearing erupted in flames as each target toppled, smoldering into ashes giving Garrick a full score.

  That wasn’t him… I realized. The staff had a built-in auto-targeting function. He had only provided the magic power, and the artifact had done the aiming, adjusting, and power modulation on its own.

  Yet he stood tall, chest puffed out, basking in imagined glory as if he alone had orchestrated the whole display.

  “Good work, Garrick,” Sir Aldric said flatly.

  But Garrick wasn’t finished. His grin sharpened, and he suddenly raised his voice so all could hear.

  “No,” he announced, “this isn’t enough. I believe I’ve been wronged—robbed of my rightful place. I scored the highest score in Class A, yet I remain here, when it’s clear I deserve to be in Class S.”

  The crowd buzzed in confusion.

  “What is he saying?”

  “Is he insane?”

  “Does he think his family’s money can sway the academy?”

  “Is he really challenging the school’s ranking?”

  Yet some voices were quieter, uncertain.

  “Well… his control was impressive.”

  “The staff or not, he did score highest…”

  Garrick basked in both outrage and attention, striding forward until he was standing directly opposite Class S. His eyes locked onto us with undisguised hostility.

  “We all know why I was denied entry into Class S. It wasn’t because of strength. It wasn’t because of skill. It was because of two new mid-semester admissions—admissions that should never have been made!”

  His words sent a ripple of tension through the crowd. Even Class S, usually aloof and unbothered, looked unsettled.

  “I investigated them,” Garrick continued, voice rising. “And one of them isn’t even a combat mage. They are a fraud. A parasite hiding among the best mages!”

  Garrick pointed out the well-known fact that every year—almost as if by rule—the Class S students always turned out to be the strongest battle mages.

  “And even now,” Garrick continued, voice rising, “that student hides among you—pretending, knowing they don’t belong. Let me expose them. The truth is clear: a healer weaseled their way into Class S through unfair means, stealing the spot that should have been mine!”

  He thrust out his finger, accusing.

  Gasps erupted. Every head turned.

  And as if all at once, the stares converged. On me.

  Wait… A healer? New admission? That’s—

  My stomach dropped. My throat went dry.

  He’s talking about me.

  Garrick thrust his staff toward me, his eyes blazing with triumph as if he had cornered prey.

  “I call you out!” he roared. “If you truly belong in Class S, then prove it here and now. Fight me and show us all that you are worthy—or admit that you stole my place with lies!”

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