Book 1 Chapter 410
410.
The final exam of the first semester of the first year, the first match before the tournament.
The tournament was open to anyone, but there was still time before the world summit.
As such, no external guests had yet arrived in Lumerne.
"Will the children feel a little less pressure?"
Yura, the professor in charge of the second-year Summoning Department, tilted her head and asked.
In response to the question, Ain, the professor in charge of the second-year Knight Department, shook her head.
"It won't make much difference to the first-years."
"Indeed."
Yura nodded as if convinced and looked around.
She knew there was always someone lurking around during events like this.
"Popcorn! Buttered squid! Roasted corn! Drinks! We have everything!"
And as if to meet Yura's expectations, Kal appeared.
Seeing him, Yura raised her hand.
"Here, here!"
"Yes! Yes! Coming right up!"
Kal came running breathlessly.
Then, looking at Yura, he said to Ain,
"What can I get for you?"
"I didn't call you."
Ain replied with her usual cold expression and pointed to Yura with her chin.
"Give me buttered squid."
"…It's all sold out."
"You said you have everything?"
Yura narrowed her eyes, but what could she do if it was all sold out?
"Then popcorn."
"…It's all sold out."
"Are you messing with me?"
Yura's face turned grim.
Seeing Yura like that, Kal looked scared.
"B-but, it's all sold out."
Seeing Kal struggling to answer, Yura snapped her fingers.
Then, summoned familiars began to rummage through Kal's belongings.
Delicious-smelling snacks spilled out of Kal's bags.
"What are these? Are you mocking me?"
As Yura's face darkened, Kal looked crestfallen.
"There's nothing to sell to Teacher Yura."
"Are you kidding me?!"
It was at that moment that Yura's face turned demonic.
"Heh, that's right. There's nothing to sell to Senior Yura. Ah, what a beautiful resonance. Well said, Kal student."
Thump- thump-
Ren descended from the stands.
Clad in a black mage's cloak, he inexplicably held a wine glass in his hand.
He lightly swirled the wine in the glass, took a sip, and looked satisfied.
"What is this ridiculous display?"
Yura scrunched up her face and said, and Ren casually discarded the wine glass he was holding.
Clink.
Leaving the sound of the shattering wine glass behind, Ren approached and snapped his fingers.
The goods Kal was holding, which Yura's familiars had taken, were returned to the bag by Ren's magic.
"There's no need to blame Kal student, Senior Yura. Students from the merchant club, including Kal student, have made a contract with me."
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
As Yura scrunched up her face and spoke, Kal showed a piece of paper from his pocket.
It was a contract stipulating that the merchant club could not sell to Yura during the tournament.
"Why are you going to such lengths?"
"Heh, it's to punish Senior Yura, who presumptuously claims Leo Flob as belonging to the Summoning Department."
By this point, it was beyond childishness and bordering on madness.
Yura, who let out a hollow laugh, beckoned to Kal.
"Let me see that contract."
At her words, Kal handed over the contract.
"It doesn't contain any predatory clauses, does it?"
Yura's lips curled upwards.
"What happens if I pay the penalty instead?"
"Then the contract becomes void, right?"
"Good, then change the terms of the contract. Make it so that I can't sell to that guy."
"Agreed."
"Kal Thomas! Are you betraying the Magic Department now!"
As Ren raised his voice, Kal said,
"I'm sorry, but merchants naturally move for money."
"Trust! Don't merchants have to pursue trust!"
"I don't think breaking such an absurd contract will affect my credibility."
"Fine! Then this time, I'll strengthen the penalty clause and rewrite the contract!"
Ain stood up, watching the two juniors bickering.
"Professor Ain, where are you going?"
"I'm going elsewhere. I can't sit with those sorts of people."
Ain said coldly and left her seat.
***
Thump- thump-
Emerging from the long corridor into the bright light, the view opened up.
On the opposite side of the arena stood Rement, and the stands encircling the arena were packed with people.
-The two students have just entered the arena! Please welcome them with a big cheer!
Runba Tess, who was always the commentator for big events, spoke to hype up the atmosphere.
The students responded with cheers.
Under the enthusiastic cheers of the students, Luke's face became even more tense as he walked onto the arena.
There stood Mel, the first-year professor of the Magic Department, acting as the referee.
Mel gave the two students a gentle smile and said,
"I hope you have no regrets. All attacks are allowed, so fight to your heart's content."
At those words, Rement narrowed his eyes.
"All attacks?"
"Yes. Even lethal attacks that take a life are possible. Of course, if it's a truly dangerous attack, I will intervene."
No matter how skilled, it was unlikely that the faculty couldn't stop an attack planned by a first-year. Especially not Mel.
Rement smiled and nodded at Mel's answer, and Luke also nodded with a tense expression.
"Then go to your respective positions and wait. It will start as soon as the signal is given."
Mel stepped off the arena.
Before going to his position, Rement said,
"I'll give you credit for not running away. After all, if you had run, you wouldn't have been able to face the student council president."
"…"
Rement narrowed his eyes.
"I didn't like it. You, getting private tutoring from someone like Professor Ren. Did you like being treated specially because you're the student council president's mentee?"
At those words, Luke recalled his lessons with Ren.
In fact, it was Anna, Ren's assistant professor, who taught Luke magic.
Ren was a celestial mage.
What interested him was solely Luke's mana characteristics.
Aside from that, Luke was ordinary as a mage.
Especially since he hadn't even laid the foundation for magic.
There was only one other time Ren showed interest, besides when researching Luke's magical characteristics.
'Assistant Professor Anna.'
'Yes, Professor Ren.'
'What do you think about dissecting student Luke?'
'Please shut up.'
Ren claimed it was a joke, but his eyes were infinitely serious.
Recalling that time, Luke shivered and said,
"It wasn't very pleasant."
"Hmph, you don't even know how great the honor you've received is."
Rement scoffed and returned to his seat.
Luke, who returned to his seat, took a deep breath.
'How much of what I've done so far will work?'
He recalled the past.
After classes, he always engaged in physical training.
It was literally hellish days.
What Leo taught Luke was only physical training and combat-related exercises.
There were countless times he questioned his own lack of progress.
He always felt his limits.
Whenever that happened, Leo would say,
'Hitting a limit means encountering your own limit. Continuing to do so means repeatedly surpassing that limit. Believe in yourself who has constantly surpassed your limits, Luke Elda.'
Luke, turning his body, was smiling.
'It's a challenge, to see how far I can go.'
"Smiling?"
Rement scowled.
Mel, watching Luke, muttered to himself,
'There are people like that sometimes. People who smile in a crisis.'
With that thought, Mel snapped his fingers.
Ting-! Wheeeerl-!
A coin began to spin.
The spinning coin soon fell in the center of the arena.
Ting-!
The moment it hit the ground, Rement slammed his palm on the ground.
"Earth Wave."
He completed the magic instantly with high-speed chanting.
Rumble- rumble- rumble-!
The arena began to heave.
It rippled like water, but the solid ground hadn't become soft.
If you were caught in this ripple, you would collide with the ground.
Luke generated an aura.
A silver aura formed at his feet.
Whoosh-!
Luke quickly charged towards Rement.
"Foolish boy. Do you think you can close the distance?"
Rement sneered.
Luke's eyes followed the ground's undulation.
He quickly grasped the pattern and leaped up, lightly stepping on the crest of the rising ground before pushing off.
Rement's eyes twitched.
Luke hopped from one safe spot to another, quickly closing the distance to Rement.
The moment he closed the distance to Rement. Luke saw Rement's lips curl upwards.
CRASH-!
"Ugh!"
A fist that shot up from the ground struck Luke.
Luke, who barely managed to raise his aura to block the attack, was sent flying back.
"You're pretty good. But do you think I'll let you close the distance so easily?"
Magic flickered around Rement.
"I'd like to play with you as much as possible, but the spectators will get bored."
Rement's lips curled upwards.
"I'll end it here."
WHOOSH-!
As if reacting to Rement's magic, the surrounding ground began to shake.
CRASH-!
Rock spikes began to shoot up from the ground around Rement at tremendous speed.
An attack that indiscriminately tore apart the opponent.
CRASH- CRASH- CRASH- CRASH-!
In an instant, spikes that shot up from the ground filled the arena.
Thick dust billowed up.
The only place to escape was the sky.
But even if he leaped, there was nowhere to escape.
Anticipating this, Rement had already taken control of the airspace above the arena with wind magic.
'If I jumped to escape, my body would have been sliced by the wind blades.'
"As expected, it's tedious."
Rement sneered and turned to leave the arena when.
WHOOSH-!
A sharp sound of wind cutting through the air was heard.
"What?"
Luke, who had pierced through the spikes, was swinging his sword towards Rement.
Rement barely managed to avoid the attack by rolling on the ground.
WHOOSH-!
Blood spurted from Rement's neck.
Thud-!
Luke landed on the ground.
If it had been a little deeper, the match would have ended with Luke's victory.
"You damn brat! What trick did you use!"
"I dodged."
Luke said, shaking off Rement's blood from the tip of his sword.
"Don't make me laugh. You dodged that attack?"
Rement's veins bulged on his forehead due to extreme anger.
At that moment, jeers erupted from the first-year spectator seats.
"You're allowing an attack from a failing student like that?"
"Rement, you're not that great either?"
At the sound of laughter, Rement's eyes went wild.
"Good eyes. To think of dodging that."
Chelsea muttered from the second-year spectator seats.
"The reason he became Leo's mentee in the first place is because he has good eyes."
Celia crossed her arms.
"Of course, the attack was successful because the opponent was careless. But once that attack fails, it's over."
At those words, Chelsea rested her chin.
"Isn't he going to show his true strength now?"
"I'll finish you off! You damn failing student!"
Rumble- rumble- rumble-!
The ground began to heave.
CRASH- CRASH- CRASH- CRASH-!
The ground covered Luke like slime.
THUD-!
"Ugh?"
The ground, spread out like a palm, struck Luke.
Luke was sent flying back, hit by it.
CRASH-!
"Gasp?!"
Luke's back was struck by a fist made of the ground.
Luke, who was being beaten by physical attacks erupting from the ground, collapsed on the ground.
His whole body screamed.
When the attacks stopped, Luke got up.
"As expected, it's no use."
"Ha, did you think you'd win?"
Rement snarled as if it were pathetic and kicked the ground.
CRASH-!
"Cough?"
The ground shot up, sending Luke flying into the sky.
His consciousness blurred from the impact.
WHOOOOOSH-!
Luke, who had soared to an unimaginably high altitude, looked at the bracelet on his wrist.
'As expected, in this state, this is the limit.'
He looked down at the arena.
'The way to remove the seal is simple. Just think 'release' with all your heart and it will be undone.'
Removing the seal was easy.
But he had endured.
He had endured being scorned and ignored as a failing student for the entire first semester.
For this very moment!
'Release.'
The moment he thought that.
Ting-!
The bracelet and anklet that bound Luke came off and flew away.
At that moment.
'My body… feels light.'
Luke looked at his palm with a surprised expression.
'With this…'
Luke unleashed all the mana in his body.
WHOOSH-!
In an instant, an aura enveloped his feet.
Luke kicked off the air using Aura Step.
***
"If he gets buried in the ground, it'll be over."
"Ah, I thought a giant killing was about to happen."
"Hey! At least curse Rement."
"Ah, was it too much?"
It was at that moment that the first-years laughed and chuckled.
FLASH-! CRASH-!
A silver flash descended from the sky and struck the arena.
"Wh-what?"
"Something just came from the sky…"
The first-years were bewildered by the thick dust.
"This… what…"
Rement was also surprised.
FLASH-!
Along with the silver flash, something flew.
THUD-!
"Ugh?"
Rement, kicked in the abdomen, tumbled miserably on the ground.
Thud-!
Luke, landing on the ground, said, surrounded by a silver flash.
"This is where it begins."
Luke said powerfully towards Rement.
"For real."