The dueling arena behind the academy's main hall was enormous.
Several smaller platforms were arranged in circles around a massive central arena. Transparent barriers surrounded each platform, glowing faintly with protective magic.
Hundreds of students filled the seats surrounding the arena, watching nervously.
Today was the practical combat exam.
Floating above the central arena was the combat magic professor.
His voice echoed across the entire stadium through amplification magic.
"Students!"
"The duel examination will now begin!"
"You will fight in one-on-one matches. The loser will be eliminated from this round."
"Victory will be decided when your opponent is unable to continue."
The professor raised one hand.
"Take your positions!"
Platform 11
Olivia ran through the arena corridors, trying to find her assigned platform.
She finally spotted the number painted on the ground.
"Platform eleven!"
She quickly climbed up the stage, slightly out of breath.
"Huuu… hello… is this platform eleven?"
The supervising teacher glanced at her and nodded.
"Yes."
Olivia relaxed slightly.
Before she could say anything else, a voice came from across the platform.
"So… you're my opponent?"
Olivia looked up.
A thin boy with messy hair stood across from her, holding a wooden staff.
He examined her carefully.
"You look kind of… uh… weak," he said awkwardly.
"No offense."
"Are you sure you're up to this?"
Olivia blinked.
She tilted her head.
"Thanks for your concern," she replied sincerely.
"But I'm fine."
The boy stared at her for a moment.
"…Right."
Platform 7
Kane stood silently across from a boy nearly twice his size.
The large boy planted a thick metal staff into the ground. The weapon looked more like a spear than a mage's tool.
"My name is Don," he said in a deep voice.
"Don Rose."
He glanced at Kane's uniform and noticed the crest on his chest.
"From the emblem on your clothes… you're from the Wall family."
"A duke's son, huh."
He crossed his arms.
"I'm only a marquis' son."
"But I hope we can duel as equals."
Kane calmly looked him up and down.
Then he replied in a flat voice.
"Sure."
"But don't expect any mercy."
The supervising teacher raised his hand.
"Begin when you are ready."
Kane lifted his wand slowly.
But he didn't cast anything.
He simply stood there.
"Your move," Kane said.
Don frowned.
"Don't look down on me!"
He slammed his staff into the ground.
"Intermediate Earth Magic!"
"Stone Hail!"
Mana surged through the platform.
Suddenly dozens of stones shot into the air before raining down toward Kane.
Kane's eyes narrowed.
He moved immediately.
Dodging.
Sliding.
Stepping between the falling stones as they smashed into the ground around him.
Don laughed loudly.
"Heh!"
"You talk big but all you can do is dodge!"
"What are you, a knight?"
"Use magic!"
The moment Kane heard that word—
His expression changed.
He hated being compared to knights.
His family had expected him to become one.
But he chose magic instead.
He would prove he was right.
Kane whispered quietly,
"Mana Blast."
Don blinked.
Then he burst out laughing.
"Pfft!"
"Mana Blast?"
"You're seriously using that?"
"What are you going to do, give me a little bump?"
It was a reasonable reaction.
Mana itself was simply raw magical energy.
Releasing it directly was inefficient and wasteful.
Most mages only used the spell during training to test mana control.
The small sphere of mana slowly floated toward Don.
Don didn't even move.
"Stone Wall."
A thick barrier of rock rose in front of him.
The sphere touched the wall—
And passed straight through.
Don's eyes widened.
"What—?!"
He jumped back immediately.
"Stone Wall!"
"Stone Wall!"
Two more barriers rose rapidly.
But Kane quietly spoke again.
"Too late."
He raised his wand slightly.
"Detonate."
The sphere exploded.
A violent surge of mana burst across the platform.
"GH—!"
Don collapsed to his knees, suddenly coughing violently.
Blood splattered onto the stone floor.
Students watching nearby gasped.
Using pure mana as magic had another name.
Neutral magic.
Most mages believed it had no real potential.
It required too much energy for too little power.
But Kane had done something different.
The mana he used had been refined by him.
It was mana unique to his control.
When the explosion spread through the air, it disrupted the surrounding mana flow.
Don had been absorbing mana from the environment to replenish his reserves.
But Kane's mana interfered with that process.
The result—
Mana backlash.
Don's own mana reserves became unstable inside his body.
Seeing Don coughing blood, the teacher immediately stepped forward.
"Stop the match!"
Don collapsed fully onto the ground.
Healers rushed toward the platform.
Kane watched calmly.
He won't die.
I used less mana than usual.
Kane looked down at Don.
"Magic," he said quietly,
"is based on imagination."
"Not just reciting spells and wasting mana."
Platform 11
Meanwhile…
Olivia's opponent was already unconscious.
Only twenty seconds had passed since the match started.
To understand how this happened—
Let's return to the beginning of the match.
"Begin when you are ready."
Olivia raised her staff.
It was bright pink.
At the top was a heart-shaped crystal.
Her opponent stared at it in disbelief.
What kind of ridiculous staff is that…?
He raised his own staff.
"Wind Bullet!"
A compressed blast of wind shot forward.
It grazed Olivia's face, leaving a small cut.
"There's more where that came from!" the boy shouted.
"Wind Bullet!"
"Wind Bullet!"
"Wind Bullet!"
Three more blasts shot toward her.
Olivia calmly raised her staff.
A soft glow surrounded her.
Healing magic.
Healing magic was extremely rare.
It increased the body's vitality, allowing wounds to regenerate rapidly.
The cut on Olivia's face closed instantly.
Then—
She started running.
Straight toward him.
The boy froze.
"What?!"
He started casting faster.
"Wind Bullet!"
"Wind Bullet!"
The attacks struck her again and again.
But every wound healed instantly.
Olivia kept running.
Step.
Step.
Step.
The boy began to panic.
"What is wrong with this girl?!"
Before he could react—
Olivia reached him.
She raised her fist.
"Fist of Fury!"
The audience watching froze.
"…What?"
There was no spell called that.
Was it unique magic?
She already possessed healing magic.
Did she have another unique ability?
Before anyone could finish thinking—
Olivia's fist suddenly grew twice its size.
And slammed into the boy's face.
BOOM.
The boy flew across the arena.
He crashed into the barrier surrounding the platform.
When he dropped to the ground—
His limbs were bent at unnatural angles.
The arena fell silent.
The teacher stared in shock.
"Th-the winner…"
He cleared his throat nervously.
"…Olivia Holder."
The first round of the duel exam had only just begun.
But already—
Several students realized something.
Among the new class…
There were monsters.