Chapter 305
Chapter 305
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 305
Chapter Title: Wrapping Up (3)
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“Hmm... You're strong enough to maintain balance right from the start?”
Oliver said it casually, but it was spot on.
Yarelli of the prestigious Ice Eye family from the Scardi school possessed mana reserves and magical prowess befitting her reputation, along with combat experience to match.
She wielded ice magic—typically disadvantageous in dry environments—with effortless skill, and understood its unique properties better than anyone: the chilling cold like poison, binding restraints, and spatial control.
As proof, even using only minor spells relative to her mana pool, she subdued her opponent with ease while ensuring they weren't harmed.
Actions possible only for someone several levels superior in skill.
Because of that, both the student who faced her and the onlookers—regardless of gender—harbored positive feelings toward her, like admiration and affection.
'She looks a bit tired herself, though...'
Oliver thought, peering into Yarelli's emotions.
Well, that wasn't so strange... Most students in the magic tower suffered from constant pressure, leaving them mentally and emotionally fatigued.
There were exceptions, but they were few, and even those from prestigious families weren't immune.
From what Oliver had observed, the higher the expectations from a noble house, the worse it got.
'Must be tough for everyone.'
Oliver mused as he filled out the evaluation sheet for Yarelli alongside Kevin.
Scratch. Scratch. Scratch...
Moments later, the pen stopped, and Kevin reset the timed clock before asking,
“Felix and Derek finished all ten matches, right?”
“Yes, Mr. Derek and Mr. Felix are done. Ms. Yarelli has one last match left.”
Oliver replied after checking the evaluation sheet he'd prepared.
The [Basic Magical Combat] final exam followed Kevin's bracket, pitting students against each other in ten consecutive matches per person—a grueling format.
As a result, most students were utterly exhausted, save for a few like Derek and Yarelli.
'But it has to be this way. This class prepares army mages for war, and war isn't a tournament. You have to squeeze yourself to the limit to make it count.'
That was Kevin's response when students balked at the intensity, so different from other [Basic Magical Combat] classes.
To Oliver's ears, it didn't sound wrong.
In life-or-death fights, unexpected situations arose far more often. This approach would help far more.
'Not for grades, though.'
Oliver thought, recalling the students who'd already tested.
There were skilled ones and lacking ones, but regardless, most had faltered midway through the string of matches, and Kevin had declared them “dead.”
Given Kevin's strict grading, good scores would be rare.
Oliver finally understood why the magic tower favored easy-A classes over truly helpful ones lately.
“May I say something?”
As Derek and Felix stepped down and the next pair ascended, Yarelli spoke in a calm yet clear voice.
Her voice was uniquely captivating, as Oliver had noticed before.
Not loud, yet it drew attention, stuck in the mind, and was pleasant to hear—like she'd trained it.
“What is it? You hurt somewhere?”
Kevin asked, and Yarelli shook her head.
“No, I'm uninjured, and my stamina's fine.”
“Then?”
“If you'll allow it, may I choose my final opponent?”
“Choose your opponent?”
The request was so unexpected that Kevin furrowed his brow.
“Yes.”
“Hmm... Who do you want to fight?”
“Mr. Xenon.”
Yarelli pointed at Oliver, who was organizing the evaluation sheets. All eyes turned to him.
***
Eyes upon him from every direction. Oliver felt a sense of déjà vu.
Something similar had happened on the first day of [Basic Magical Combat].
“What's the reason?”
Kevin asked, and Yarelli answered fluidly.
“You said this exam isn't just for grades—it's training for when we become full mages and serve as army mages, right?”
“And?”
“Coincidentally, I've watched everyone fight and noted their weaknesses.”
Oliver was impressed. Yarelli wasn't boasting; she was stating a cold, factual assessment.
No wonder she'd anticipated hesitations or next moves so perfectly—she'd memorized them all. Astonishing observation and memory.
Kevin offered no rebuttal, tacitly acknowledging it.
She drove the point home.
“So, fighting Mr. Xenon, whom I don't know well, would be better for training and evaluation.”
It wasn't wrong, if you ignored that Oliver wasn't a student. The other students nodded, intrigued.
Oliver glanced at Kevin, who pondered briefly.
His reluctance seemed less outright dislike and more some deeper backstory.
“Is there a reason it can't be done?”
Yarelli asked bluntly. But it carried weight—not idle talk. A flicker of suspicion in her emotions confirmed it.
Stung or provoked, Kevin showed a subtle flash of irritation.
Surprising. Oliver had thought any awkwardness between them stemmed from her being a “red person,” but otherwise fine. Apparently not.
Kevin looked at Oliver.
“Xenon, you up for it?”
“Well... if it's work, I'll do it.”
***
As suggested by Yarelli and Kevin, Oliver shed his outer coat, grabbed his tonfa, and stepped onto the arena.
He'd agreed, but he still wondered why this had happened so suddenly.
'Déjà vu again?'
Oliver thought, eyeing the students whose eyes sparkled with interest. They'd paused the exam to crowd around the arena.
It felt just like his first match with Derek.
“Wouldn't a quarterstaff be better?”
Yarelli suddenly asked Oliver, who stood awkwardly amid the tension.
“Pardon?”
“I asked if a quarterstaff wouldn't be better. You used one on the first day.”
“Ah. I've gotten more used to tonfa lately. Thank you for the suggestion.”
Oliver half-lied.
He had trained tonfa against the corpse puppets—Duncan and Joe—so it was more familiar, though the quarterstaff still edged it out due to longer use.
'Not that it matters.'
Oliver turned to Kevin, who approached the arena's center seriously to explain the rules.
Same as with Derek—no big deal.
“Match time is five minutes, like the others. Understood?”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
“Good...”
Kevin stepped out, erected a mana barrier around the arena, and declared,
“Match start.”
At his words, Yarelli channeled mana through her feet, forming vast ice across the arena floor, spreading in all directions.
Not pre-cast like others, but instant at the start—Oliver reacted a beat slower than usual.
Truly remarkable proficiency.
But more astonishing: this wasn't a finishing blow, just groundwork.
Her emotions betrayed it, so Oliver responded by gripping his tonfa like an axe, slashing upward from below to disrupt the front.
The ice covering the entire arena couldn't reach the disrupted section.
'Drag it out, and it'll be risky?'
Oliver thought, recalling her prior matches and emotional state.
She lowered body functions with poison-like chill, dominated space with trap-like ice, slowly crushing foes. Prolonged fights favored her.
Losing simply wouldn't have bothered him, but something felt off.
Faint, but she harbored suspicion and a desire to confirm toward him.
Not malicious or sinister, yet scheming—best to stay cautious.
Decided, Oliver advanced over the uncovered ground. Ice spikes erupted with a sharp crack!, blocking his path.
Sprung from iced earth, dense with mana, they briefly obscured his vision.
Oliver smashed the spikes with a tonfa swing and looked ahead.
Yarelli was gone.
Whoosh—————bang!!
Confirming her absence, Oliver burst mana to sense around him, whipping his tonfa like a lash to deflect an incoming ice dart from the side.
A crisp shatter like breaking glass scattered sharp fragments, revealing Yarelli beyond.
She glided swiftly over frozen ground, generating and hurling more darts.
Trrr... whoosh—!
Oliver deflected with whip-like swings; she kept firing.
Inefficient, tedious attacks unlike her. Oliver quickly grasped the ploy.
Whoosh—!
Whoosh—!
Amid the barrage, Oliver dodged two without shattering them, twisting aside.
The intact darts hit the barrier, unleashing potent chill that froze the surroundings.
Her ploy seen through, Yarelli tried prepping a big attack via the floor ice, but Oliver hurled his tonfa axe-like to disrupt her cast.
Best way against magic or black magic or brawls: interrupt before deployment.
Stunned by the aggressive offense, Yarelli looked at Oliver in surprise.
But it wasn't over.
The embedded tonfa yanked back via mana thread, Oliver closed in rapidly on the slippery ice—needing purchase.
'Ice magic. Opposite of fire, but similar.'
Both heavily influenced the environment, seizing space with wide-area spells, Oliver noted.
Yarelli panicked briefly at his approach but, with real combat experience, quickly composed and cast.
She inhaled the arena's chill and exhaled it at Oliver—a sky-blue blizzard to shred skin and impair functions.
Perfectly aimed mid-approach, dodging impossible, Oliver charged straight through.
One tonfa in hand, he packed mana into a straight punch.
Bam...!!
His mana-charged fist met the blast; astonishingly, the cold dispersed widely, losing focus.
Swooooosh...
Boosted power and exploited formula weakness made it possible.
Onlookers gasped at the brief exchange.
Oliver halted a few steps from Yarelli.
Undaunted by her spell's failure, she gathered ground ice for a counter.
Oliver yanked his tonfa back and swung at her shoulder.
Thwack!!
She shielded with summoned ice, not just blocking but freezing the embedded tonfa—and Oliver's hand.
A precise counter that could trap if mishandled.
Impressed, Oliver smashed the frozen tonfa with his free one, shattering the ice around his hand, then focused mana to restore warmth.
He'd thought fire magic's overwhelming firepower superior to ice, but that seemed wrong.
Fire crushed instantly with heat; ice constricted slowly.
Just a difference in temperament—equally threatening.
Hand thawed, Oliver lunged again, but Yarelli was faster: gathering mana in both hands, she infused the iced ground, erecting massive ice walls.
Between her and Oliver... and across the entire arena.