The heavy silence in the coliseum didn't last long. The magical amplification runes flared to life once more, and the announcer's voice boomed across the stands, carrying a sudden spike of theatrical excitement.
"What a brutal, scorching display of upperclassman dominance! But there is no rest for the wicked, ladies and gentlemen! We are skipping the midday delay and continuing our program right now! Prepare yourselves for the grand finale, the battle of the two ultimate winners! Representing the fresh-faced freshmen, The Crimson Phantom! And representing the absolute peak of the academy, Yellow Volcano!"
The stadium instantly erupted into a chaotic war of noise.
Up in the freshman bleachers, the celebratory mood completely evaporated, replaced by intense worry. Aisha, Amelia, and Cindy were gripping the railings, their faces pale as they looked down at me. They had just seen Yellow Volcano literally melt a student's face off. The fourth-year section, on the other hand, was boasting loudly, banging their feet against the benches and shouting that a pathetic slum rat was about to be turned into charcoal.
Meanwhile, the second and third-year sections, still furious and humiliated, were throwing bitter curses down at the arrogant fourth-years, creating a toxic storm of shouting matches across the stadium.
I stood up from the participant bench, my fingers gripping the handle of Zenni's black umbrella tightly.
Across the sandy floor, Yellow Volcano was still standing near the edge of the ring, looking down at Sticky Sperm...whose face had just been fully knitted back together by Miss Karrie's advanced healing magic. Yellow Volcano let out a mocking snicker, entirely unbothered by the damage he had caused, full of disgusting upperclassman arrogance.
"He really thinks he's untouchable," I thought, my eyes narrowing under the deep shadow of my umbrella.
His magma magic was genuinely dangerous. The ambient heat radiating from him was already dry and suffocating, and a single direct hit could melt through standard academy armor. But to an bounty hunter like me? He was just a loud spark plug.
The real challenge wasn't surviving his heat...it was making sure I didn't accidentally expose my true identity to the Archivist, who was still leaning forward in the VIP balcony like a hawk watching its prey. If I used even a single high-tier blood weapon or a high-velocity physical dash, the game would be over.
"The plan stays the same, use simple, low-density blood manipulation strictly to disrupt his senses, blindside his perimeter, and then use my raw, heavily suppressed primal strength to knock his lights out before he can even process what hit him." I calculated silently, walking toward the weapon rack to deposit my umbrella.
I stepped onto the warm sand, entering the newly formed mana dome. Yellow Volcano slowly turned his head toward me, a wide, predatory grin splitting across his face as his fists began to glow with a brilliant, bubbling yellow heat.
"Well, well, looks like I get to play with the freshman prodigy. Don't worry, slum boy... I'll make sure to burn that smug look right off your face." he sneered, the sand beneath his boots beginning to smoke.
I just lowered my head, letting a lazy, terrifyingly confident grin spread across Zenni's face.
"Let's see if your lava can move faster than a phantom."
Before the glowing aura of Yellow Volcano's magma could even fully expand across the sand, a loud, resounding mechanical chime echoed throughout the entire campus.
"BONG! BONG! BONG!"
It was the grand academy bell tower. Right on cue, the clock had struck noon.
The tense, suffocating atmosphere in the gymnasium suddenly broke like a popped bubble. The bubbling yellow heat around Yellow Volcano's fists flickered and died down, leaving him blinking in utter confusion as his battle momentum was completely cut short.
Up in the announcer's booth, a rustling of papers could be heard over the magical amplification runes before the announcer chuckled nervously into his communication stone.
"Ah! Perfect timing, ladies and gentlemen! It is officially noon, which means it is time for our scheduled campus lunch break! The grand finale between the Crimson Phantom and Yellow Volcano will temporarily be put on hold. Our program will continue immediately after everyone has finished their meals! Enjoy your lunch!"
An audible wave of groans and collective sighs murmured through the bleachers, mixed with the sound of thousands of hungry stomachs grumbling. One by one, the massive crowds of students began to stand up, shuffling toward the exit doors and gossiping excitedly about the brutal matches they had just witnessed as they proceeded to their respective district canteens.
Yellow Volcano let out a frustrated hiss, pointing a fleshy, calloused finger at me.
"You got lucky, freshman. The bell saved you from a roasting. Enjoy your last meal, because the second we get back, you're done."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, senior," I replied with a lazy, entirely unimpressed yawn.
I turned on my heel and walked back to the weapon rack, retrieving my black umbrella and snapping it open to shield myself from the midday sun pouring through the facility doors. As I stepped out of the staging area, Aisha, Amelia, and Cindy came running down from the bleachers, their faces a mix of intense relief and lingering worry as they swarmed around me to join the line for the canteen.
I looked up at the VIP balcony out of the corner of my eye. The Archivist and my sister Elicia were already standing up, escorted by a cohort of high-level guards as they headed toward the faculty dining hall.
Also, my hunger didn't last long.
"Eirene, your tummy is gurgling, you should eat. Maybe, eat some real food from now, not some blood feast." Plasma banters
My bounty hunter metabolism was already burning through my reserves after that short burst of speed against Zero-G. I was absolutely starving. If I didn't hurry up, the ravenous crowd of upperclassmen would completely clear out the cafeteria counters, leaving absolutely nothing left.
"I'll catch up with you guys in a second!" I called out to the crowd, tucking my black umbrella tight against my shoulder and picking up my pace.
I hurried through the gymnasium exit, darting through the grand stone hallways of the main facility. Utilizing a tiny, unnoticeable fraction of my agility, I smoothly navigated the sea of hungry students and managed to slip right into the rapidly growing queue just as the canteen doors opened.
As I stood in line, a familiar, soft scent drifted next to me. Aisha suddenly appeared from the crowd, her face still flushed with adrenaline as she immediately clung tightly to my arm, burying her face into my uniform sleeve. Amelia and Cindy weren't far behind, squeezing into the line beside us, their expressions completely overwhelmed with anxiety.
"Zenni, oh my gosh, are you really going to be okay?! Did you see what he did to that third-year? He literally melted his face! What if he does that to you?" Aisha whimpered, her hands trembling slightly against my arm.
"Yeah, Yellow Volcano is completely unhinged, his magma magic is a completely different tier than Zero-G's gravity. It's too dangerous, Zenni. Maybe you should just forfeit the exhibition? No one would blame you!" Amelia whispered, looking around nervously to make sure no fourth-years were listening.
Cindy nodded vigorously in agreement, her eyes filled with genuine dread.
"We're so worried about you. You've already proven you're a prodigy by beating a sophomore. You don't have to risk getting horribly burned just for an exhibition."
Listening to their frantic, protective chatter, I couldn't help but let out a soft, thoroughly confident chuckle. I lightly patted Aisha's head, adopting Zenni's signature, completely unbothered smirk.
"Hey, calm down, ladies, it's okay. I promise you, I will beat that fourth year. Magma or no magma, he's just a loudmouth who hasn't fought someone who can actually move." I said, my voice smooth and reassuring.
My absolute certainty seemed to put them at ease, their worried expressions melting into awestruck blushes.
We finally reached the front of the serving counter. Today's lunch menu was a slight upgrade from the morning porridge: a thick slab of cinnamon-toasted bread and a single wooden cup of cold spring water. The sweet, spicy aroma of the toasted cinnamon made my mouth water instantly.
The girls quickly claimed their identical meals, and together, we navigated the chaotic, noisy dining hall. We found a familiar, secluded table near the thick stone pillars...well within the shadows to keep my sensitive hunter skin safe from the glaring midday sun. We sat down, trays clinking against the wood, ready to fuel up before the final showdown.
Amelia wasted no time sliding into the seat directly beside me, wrapping one arm tightly around my shoulder and hugging me close. She tore off a small, warm piece of her cinnamon-toasted bread and held it right up to my mouth, her eyes sparkling with affection.
"Open wide, Zenni! You need your strength to crush that magma freak," she cooed.
Across the table, Aisha and Cindy giggled, watching us with playful envy. Internally, I was sweating buckets.
"Getting hand-fed by a freshman girl while posing as a teenage boy... if my former bounty hunting targets could see me now, they'd die of laughter." I thought
But keeping up the popular kid facade was paramount. I gave Amelia a roguish wink and accepted the bite, chewing the sweet, crispy toast.
I cast a quick, subtle glance across the bustling, high-ceilinged canteen. Somewhere in the distant, private faculty section, my older sister Elicia was likely enjoying a high-class noble meal, completely occupied with her administrative duties and VIP guests like the Archivist. She was too busy to notice my little corner, which was a massive relief.
As the girls and I continued eating, a shadow fell over our wooden table.
I looked up, expecting an aggressive fourth-year, but to my surprise, it was Zero-G. His pristine ivory and gold sophomore uniform was still heavily stained with the dark crimson mist from our match, and his jaw looked a bit swollen, but he was holding his lunch tray with a surprisingly calm demeanor.
Instead of showing hostility, I decided to play the magnanimous victor. I said smoothly, flashing Zenni's polite, casual smile.
"Hey, man, you're actually incredibly good with that gravity magic. That tenfold pressure was no joke. Why don't you come sit with us?"
Zero-G blinked, clearly not expecting a slum kid to be so courteous after flattening him. He wasn't mad at all. In fact, he gave a faint, respectful grunt and slid into the empty space on the bench right next to Aisha and Cindy.
Setting his tray down, he took a sip of his water and looked across the table at me, his cocky sophomore attitude returning in a flash.
"You're a weird kid, Roy, but don't get too inflated by that win. Your blood manipulation is flashy, sure, but honestly? It's pretty basic. You only beat me because you used that cheap pocket-sand explosion to blindside my field. If I had kept my distance, your little crimson tricks wouldn't have scratched me."
Zero-G muttered, shaking his head as he began breaking his bread. Aisha and Amelia both puffed their cheeks out, ready to snap back in my defense, but I lightly tapped the table to calm them down. I just leaned back, giving Zero-G a lazy, knowing smirk as I took another bite of my toast.
"Maybe so, senior, but a win's a win. Though, if you really think my blood magic is that underpowered, you might want to watch close when I go up against Yellow Volcano. I might just have a few more 'basic' tricks up my sleeve." I chuckled, keeping my voice cool.
Zero-G paused, munching thoughtfully on his cinnamon toast as he looked me up and down, his eyes narrowing with a newfound, sharp analytical focus.
"You're a pretty strange case, Zenni, you casted a simple blood spell at me just to disrupt my senses and then landed a flawless punch straight through my guard. Even though your magical affinity seems mediocre and basic, your raw physical strength is unbelievable. Anyone caught in my tenfold gravity field should have quit instantly. Their knees would have shattered."
He said, swallowing his bite and pointing a piece of bread at me. He leaned in closer over his tray, his voice dropping slightly.
"In fact, that is exactly how I defeated Garret last month. He didn't even have time to use his molten metal before I crushed him into the dirt instantly. But you? You just grit your teeth and kept taking steps forward like it was nothing. Tell me, Zenni... have you been to the Caria Mastery Academy?"
The moment those words left his mouth, a heavy silence settled over our little corner of the table.
Zero-G really was a tactician. He was beginning to fully realize that my physical baseline didn't make sense for a standard freshman mage. Sisiphon Magic Academy was designed to train scholars and traditional mages who relied heavily on casting circles, incantations, and mana output. But the Caria Mastery Academy, located in the prestigious 2nd district of Caria City, was an entirely different world. They didn't focus on high-tier magic, they trained brutal combatants, vanguard knights, and physical juggernauts who could fight through magic fields using pure martial prowess and enhanced conditioning.
If I admitted to having ties to Caria, it would invite a mountain of background checks...checks that a fake identity like Zenni from the slums could never survive. The Archivist would immediately trace the anomaly.
I kept my face completely blank, Zenni's lazy smirk freezing just a fraction of a second as I calculated a lie. But before I could even open my mouth to deflect, Amelia unknowingly saved my cover.
She tightened her grip on my arm, shifting her posture so she was clinging to me even harder, the soft pressure of her chest pressing firmly against my shoulder as she glared defensively across the table at Zero-G.
"Hey! Stop interrogating him, senior! Zenni wasn't raised in some fancy district academy! He was raised right in the slums, fighting to survive every single day. He's just naturally strong because he's had to be, and your gravity strength was completely unmatched by Zenni anyway!" Amelia huffed, tossing her long hair over her shoulder.
Aisha and Cindy nodded in fierce agreement, rallying behind Amelia's defense.
"Yeah! Don't try to make up excuses just because our freshman prodigy beat you fair and square!" Aisha added, sticking her chin up.
Zero-G raised his hands in mock surrender, letting out a faint chuckle.
"Alright, alright, hands off, ladies. It was just a theory."
He looked back at me, a lingering trace of skepticism in his eyes, but the girls' passionate defense had effectively muddied the waters.
I took a calm, deliberate sip of my water, masking my internal sigh of relief with a roguish chuckle. I leaned back against the stone pillar, throwing a casual arm over the back of Amelia's chair.
"Yeah, senior. The only "mastery academy" I graduated from was the school of hard knocks in the lower blocks. But hey, I'll take the compliment."
Before Zero-G could press the issue any further, a heavy, aggressive shadow fell over the entire length of our wooden table.
We all looked up, and I had to instantly press my hand against my mouth to keep from spraying water across the bench. Standing right there, with his face miraculously knitted back to a completely smooth, normal state thanks to Miss Karrie's top-tier healing magic, was the third-year upperclassman.
It was none other than Sticky Sperm.
Despite having his face literally melted off just twenty minutes ago, his pride was apparently still intact, and his hands were already bubbling and dripping with that same thick, milky-white slime as ever. He slammed one slimy palm onto the edge of our table, glaring down at me with an incredibly hostile, arrogant sneer.
"Hey, you first-year, Crimson Phantom!" he growled in a deeply rude, confrontational tone, trying his absolute hardest to sound like an intimidating senior.
The sheer contrast between his tough-guy attitude and the fact that his name was literally Sticky Sperm was too much for my lungs to handle. I completely choked on my toasted bread, letting out a violent cough before bursting into an absolute, breathless fit of laughter. I leaned back against the stone pillar, howling so hard that tears started welling up in Zenni's eyes.
"Pffft...! Oh my gods, man, please! You really need to go to the registrar's office before you try to threaten people! I can't take you seriously with those gooey hands!" I gasped out between laughs, pointing a shaking finger at his dripping hands.
Seeing me lose my composure completely broke the dam for everyone else at the table. Amelia and Aisha buried their faces into my shoulders, their bodies shaking violently as they tried to muffle their hysterical giggles. Cindy didn't even try to hide it; she snorted loudly and covered her mouth, her shoulders trembling.
Even Zero-G, who had been trying to maintain his stoic, dignified sophomore persona, completely cracked. He let out a loud, mocking snicker, shaking his head as he looked away from his upperclassman.
"Bro, just take the loss and go wash your hands, you're getting your slime all over the freshman zone." Zero-G muttered, completely undermining the third-year's authority.
Sticky Sperm's face violently transitioned from a smug sneer to a furious, bright purple crimson. The white goo around his knuckles began to hiss and bubble aggressively as the entire table openly mocked him right in the middle of the crowded canteen.
"You...you little slum rats! Stop laughing at me! I told you, it was a clerical error! I'm going to personally make sure Yellow Volcano burns you to a crisp next round, Phantom!" he shrieked, his voice cracking horribly in sheer humiliation.
The frantic laughter at the table cut off instantly, the air turning ice-cold.
Sticky Sperm, completely broken by the humiliation, let his face twist into something genuinely hideous. He stepped closer, his shadow falling over Amelia, and pointed a dripping, slimy finger at her.
"You think you're funny, slum rat? Keep laughing. Maybe I'll just take one of your precious little girls after the tournament. I'll make sure she screams until you learn how to behave yourself." he hissed, his voice dropping into a vile, malicious snarl.
The moment those disgusting words left his mouth, my lazy, mocking persona vanished.
A dark, suffocating pressure radiated from my core. My eyes narrowed into slits, flashing with the cold, lethal gaze of an bounty hunter who had slaughtered entire syndicates. Amelia flinched, shrinking back against my arm in sheer discomfort and embarrassment, while Aisha and Cindy went completely pale, gripped by a sudden, protective fear.
A primal rage surged in my chest. I rose slightly from the bench, my knuckles cracking like thunder.
"You shouldn't have said that," I whispered,
I pulled my fist back. Every instinct in my body screamed to drive my knuckles straight through his skull and paint the canteen walls with his brains. But just as my arm tensed, a cold splash of reality hit me.
"The Archivist. The guards. The cover."
If I unleashed my true physical output right here, the shockwave alone would blow the roof off the canteen and expose the Phantom instantly. I hesitated for a fraction of a second, forcing my muscles to restrain the lethal force.
But I didn't need to strike.
"CRACK!"
Suddenly, a localized purple aura flared right next to me. Zero-G slammed his hand onto the wooden table, his face twisted in pure disgust.
"Gravity Well: Fivefold Weight!"
An invisible, crushing pressure slammed directly onto Sticky Sperm's shoulders. The arrogant third-year let out a sharp gasp as his knees violently buckled, his face crashing down toward the floorboards under five times his normal body weight.
While the slime mage was pinned and struggling against the gravity, Zero-G didn't hesitate. He pivoted his torso, channeling his momentum, and threw a devastating, text-book right hook straight into the side of Sticky Sperm's jaw.
"BANG!"
The punch connected cleanly, sending a spray of saliva and white slime flying across the aisle. The force of the hook, combined with the downward gravity, sent the third-year spinning into the dirt, rolling hard against the adjacent dining tables.
Zero-G stood up, dusting off his uniform sleeve, his eyes flashing with intense disdain as he looked down at the groaning senior.
"There are rules to banter, upperclassman, bring a freshman's girls into it again, and I'll make sure your gravity stays at fiftyfold permanently." Zero-G said coldly, his voice echoing in the suddenly quiet canteen.