Combat Sector 5 – Duel of Precision
A hush fell across the battlefield as the next candidate stepped into Sector 5.
Name: Velis Noxen
Origin: House Noxen, a lesser-known noble family associated with gravity and pulse magic.
Age: 13
Magic Circle: Second Tier, but unusually stable.
Velis was slim, composed, and walked with unnerving silence. His gray robe shimmered faintly as if reacting to unseen pressure fields. Students watching in the viewing dome whispered:
"Is that gravity magic?"
"No way he's that young..."
"Look, he's not even flinching under the pressure zone."
Above, on the high balcony:
Aaron leaned over. "He reminds me of a marble statue I once tripped over."
Lily folded her arms, golden-red hair flickering like fire. "He's from House Noxen. Don't underestimate him. They train inside null-gravity chambers."
Aaron nodded. "Sounds...floaty."
Nova giggled softly. "Shh. Watch this one."
The arena terrain shifted into a wide, barren plain—with erratic gravitational fields marked by glowing blue rings. Floating rocks orbited across the arena like lazy comets.
Aaron tilted his head. "That arena looks... dangerous."
Lily grinned. "Now it's interesting."
---
Summon: Graviton Drake
From the summoned glyph emerged a Graviton Drake, a metallic dragon-like beast composed of magnetized bone plates and anti-magic cores. It immediately distorted the gravitational flow in the arena.
Velis didn't move.
Instead, he exhaled—then walked forward as if weightless.
The crowd gasped.
The Drake lunged. Velis sidestepped using pulse bursts from the ground, launching into the air like a pinball.
He wasn't just controlling gravity.
He was bending it.
Mid-air, he condensed a gravity sphere and launched it at the drake's spinal node—rupturing its flow mid-flight.
A second burst knocked him sideways, where he snapped his fingers, reversing polarity in a nearby ring.
The Drake was sucked downward into a magnetic crash zone.
One pulse. One flash.
Trial Complete.
Aaron blinked. "Did… he just slingshot a dragon into itself?"
Lily, raising an eyebrow, muttered, "I take it back. House Noxen may rise this year."
Nova smiled slyly. "Now if only he weren't trembling so hard every time Aaron looks at him."
---
Combat Sector 6 – A Delayed Entry
"Next candidate: Rye Grell."
A murmur spread.
"Commoner?"
"I heard he was raised in the wilds."
"No noble house, no title."
"Wait—is that the boy who walks with a limp?"
Rye appeared at the edge of the arena, limping slightly, hood pulled over his face. Worn boots. Patch-repaired robe. No crest. But his presence… was undeniable.
Aaron looked intrigued. "Oh? That one seems... genuine."
Lily raised a brow. "He's the one who awakened his mana through survival instinct. Lives off beast cores and rogue runes."
Nova tilted her head. "No formal training. Yet he passed the first two rounds."
Arena 6 morphed into a jungle—dense vines, shifting flora, and mana-reactive mist. Clearly chosen to match Rye's reported background.
The summon activated: Chimera Stalker—a predator beast with shifting elemental organs, designed to test environmental adaptability.
Rye didn't flinch.
He stepped into the jungle... and vanished.
No one saw the fight.
Only bursts of mana flared within the forest.
At one point, the chimera howled—then the jungle grew still.
Minutes later, Rye reappeared—muddy, bruised, but standing.
In his hand was the creature's mana core.
He dropped it.
Trial Complete.
---
Whispers Across the Viewing Dome
"That was silent."
"He didn't use chants."
"Did he kill it... with traps?"
"I didn't see a single spell circle…"
Aaron whispered, "Maybe he's an illusion mage?"
Lily said bluntly, "No. He's a survivor."
Nova added, "He's either a prodigy... or a weapon."
Aaron blinked, smiling slightly. "Then I hope he's on our side."
From below, Rye dared a glance toward the observation balcony.
Aaron smiled and gave him a polite nod.
Rye stumbled backward, panic flashing across his face.
"He smiled at me… Why would a god smile at me?!"
---
Scene Shift – Elsewhere in the Academy
In a darkened corridor beneath the arena, Axel Myrravelle sat on a bench, knees pulled to his chest. His hands trembled.
"I saw him. That professor. He knows."
Kaelen Raventhorn, the vice-headmaster, stood silently in the shadows.
"He's just observing. Stick to the plan, Axel."
Axel swallowed. "He doesn't blink. He drinks tea like he's judging the universe."
Kaelen's eyes narrowed. "Survive this phase. Win the students. The rest... will follow."
---
Closing Scene – Sunset Over the Arena
The sun dipped low over the horizon, casting red-orange light across the battered arenas.
Six trials had concluded.
A third of candidates had failed.
Whispers of Aaron Aetherwyn spread like wildfire—some saying he was a celestial, others saying he could kill with a glance.
Back in his chambers, Aaron looked into a mirror, poking his cheek.
"Do I look scary? Maybe I should smile more..."
His reflection didn't help.
Aaron sighed. "I'm definitely failing as a friendly professor."
---
End of Chapter 30