Proof in the Arena
I spat out the cookie properly, then immediately headed to the nearby bathroom. "Uweeegh." Only after throwing up one more time did my stomach finally feel empty.
Having stomach acid reflux was never a pleasant feeling in any situation, but right now it was even worse.
My throat burned, my stomach throbbed with sudden contractions, and a sharp, acrid smell kept rising from my mouth.
It was disgusting.
"Blegh."
I shoved my face into the sink and rinsed my mouth. The stomach acid that had been stinging my throat washed away, and the burning sensation began to subside.
Then—splash. I plunged my face even deeper.
I submerged it until water was about to pour into my ears and closed my eyes.
‘...’
In the quiet space, the only sound was the dripping of water droplets.
It was peaceful. Comforting.
Gurgle—
Every time I exhaled, bubbles rose and tickled my cheeks.
"Pwah!"
I didn't know how many seconds had passed, but after some time, I quietly lifted my face above the surface. Streams of water poured down my neck, soaking my clothes.
When I looked at myself in the mirror, I looked like a drowned puppy. Pathetic.
Bender and Cael came to mind.
They had tried to use Eline.
Of course, even if I had agreed without resistance, there was no way Eline would have fallen for it. But the fact that they had even considered it left a foul taste in my mouth.
Why?
...
‘You already know the answer.’
I slowly raised my hand to the mirror.
Water droplets falling from my wet hair and chin struck the sink with clear sounds that echoed in my head.
Because I was by her side.
That was why they saw her as an easy target.
‘...’
Valrod's words came back to me.
In the end, whether you like it or not, once a topic is thrown out there, it gets chewed over by everyone.
Talk about Eline kept coming up and would continue to do so.
And the reason for that was me.
A disgusting feeling I never wanted to experience again.
I absolutely did not want to see her subjected to needless gossip because of me.
I quietly dried my face with a towel and looked in the mirror once more.
...
It had been a complacent thought.
I had simply planned to climb to the Alpha Class while ignoring the stares around me, thinking that would be enough.
I thought I could just disregard them and turn a blind eye.
But that wasn't the case.
‘We’ve got Eline, don’t we?’
The hand I had placed on the mirror tightened.
As the wind blew, the water on my face began to dry, and the clearer my mind became, the colder my thoughts grew.
Plop—
The last drop of water fell from the tip of my chin, creating ripples and a clear sound.
If I didn't want to be seen as an easy target,
‘I have to prove it.’
Climbing to the Alpha Class would take care of that.
And to do so, I would have to approach it with even greater sincerity.
The bell signaling the start of class rang out.
The Western Fifth Regular Training Grounds.
Unlike most training grounds surrounded by marble floors and domes, this place was characterized by its vast plain.
The well-maintained vegetation and grass, though artificially shaped, boasted such high realism that they looked as if they had grown there naturally from the beginning.
Since there were no designated seats or chairs, the students freely sat in their assigned areas, resting or chatting among themselves.
The mild weather and the wide-open plain created a relaxed atmosphere despite it being class time.
Above that peaceful plain, a man in somewhat unusual attire approached, limping with the help of a cane.
He wasn't wearing a free-flowing, mysterious robe, but a form-fitting uniform. The corroded medal pinned to his chest was the emblem of the former Magic Patrol.
As the man with an eyepatch covering the scar over his left eye drew near, the students who had been chatting leisurely began to fall silent one by one.
"Everyone's here, I see."
Raen swept his gaze over them with his one good eye.
A former agent of the Magic Patrol, and now one of the academy professors in charge of practical training.
Raen was particularly notorious for emphasizing real combat against people.
"Raen Ignir. As you all know, I'll introduce myself out of formality. I look forward to working with you."
Even though his deep voice carried no particular force, it was more than enough to command the atmosphere.
The students responded with quiet applause as if on cue.
"The schedule has changed suddenly, but since you're already third-years who've learned everything there is to learn, there's no need for theoretical lessons. Today, we'll measure your abilities."
Ability measurement.
It was Raen's signature teaching method, a sort of initiation ritual.
The method was extremely simple.
"Now that you're third-years, I suppose it's reasonable to expect a certain level from you?"
One-on-one sparring with Raen.
It was pure magical offense and defense, but the gap in skill between Raen and the students was obvious. In the end, it all came down to how long they could endure.
Unlike other professors who pitted students against virtually created monsters or had them spar against each other, Raen always preferred to step in personally.
From his perspective, having spent his time in the Magic Patrol dealing with intelligent humans far more dangerous than monsters, what he valued above all was combat against people.
"In a year—or rather, in just a few months—you'll graduate and head off to various places."
To imperial territories, to institutions directly under the Magic Association, to the imperial palace, or to the front lines.
"But don't forget. In the end, the ones you must be most wary of are not monsters, but humans."
Raen lightly tapped his worn eyepatch, weathered by the passage of time, then struck his cane down. Mana began to compress in an instant.
The wind stirred and swirled around him.
"This applies even to those in the support field. The threat to life comes equally to everyone. Orientation ends here. Any questions?"
When no one raised their hand, Raen smiled leisurely as the grass around him began to rustle and flatten slightly.
"Then I'll start calling names."
He gripped his cane tightly and scanned the students with his eyes.
Bang—!
With a sharp sound, mana bullets from both sides collided.
Flashes of light burst as dozens of mana bullets flew. The student had blocked the first few, but Raen fired far more afterward. The bullets pierced through the fragments and flew straight at their target.
"Aaaagh!"
The student screamed as if truly hit, but the mana bullet exploded right before impact, leaving behind a lingering trail before vanishing.
"Stop exaggerating. One minute forty-one seconds. Not bad. Next!"
Raen skillfully pulled a potion from his bag, drank it, and called the next student.
Now that they were third-years, several familiar faces stood out to him.
Those who were quite talented and outstanding in skill.
"Three minutes twenty-eight seconds. You held out well. Your skills have improved, Gart."
"Thank you."
Raen pointed them out one by one, offering encouragement or pointing out their flaws.
"Two minutes thirty-nine seconds. Yudit, don't rush in just because you spot a weakness. Always think first."
"Yes, I'll keep that in mind."
The lingering traces of mana grew thicker, and the ability measurement was nearing its end.
"Kuek!"
When Moltz comically tumbled over, laughter erupted throughout the training ground for a moment.
"Thirty-two seconds. Focus more on the basics, Moltz."
"Y-yes..."
Seeing Moltz record the shortest time in this measurement, Raen clicked his tongue briefly.
"You're knowledgeable in theory, but you're still soft in real combat, Moltz. No matter how much you lean toward academics, you must at least possess the minimum ability to perform in battle."
"...I'll keep that in mind."
Moltz bowed his head deeply and returned on his short legs. Only a few students remained.
Raen lightly tapped his cane and drank another potion. His fatigued body loosened up again, and his mana stabilized.
"Next."
At his call, a student walked out from the crowd.
When Raen put the potion back in his bag, a clinking sound rang out.
"Are you ready, Lutes?"
"Yes."
Lutes Liperto.
Black hair with a light brown tint. He was one of the students whose name Raen remembered but who hadn't left much of an impression.
Raen looked Lutes up and down as he lightly loosened his body. A brief silence.
"Let's begin."
When Raen lightly tapped his cane, mana once again enveloped his body as if it had never left.
In response, Lutes's body twitched and began to tremble.
It was only natural.
Though one couldn't see mana with the naked eye, anyone with even a hint of sensitivity could feel the difference.
‘...Oh.’
A faint strength entered the hand gripping Raen's cane.
When faced with mana overwhelmingly stronger than their own, anyone who wasn't extremely well-trained would instinctively shrink back.
Lutes was no exception, yet...
‘His eyes...’
His unwavering pupils were still fixed on Raen.
Had he always been this kind of student?
‘No.’
If he had been, he would have remained in Raen's memory.
Unfortunately, the Lutes from the past in Raen's mind had never made a strong impression.
Dismissing it as a trick of the mind, he did as he always did and created light mana bullets to start.
A simple spell that merely condensed mana and launched it.
Whoosh—
Several mana bullets flew toward him.
Lutes watched the mana bullets with his eyes, then dodged to the left while condensing mana in his left hand. When he spread it out as if bursting it open, a barrier glowing with a crimson light formed.
Bang—!
The magic bullet Raen had fired bounced off lightly. The barrier shattered, but the mana bullet also scattered and disappeared at the same time.
Raen's eyes narrowed slightly.
There were no set patterns in real combat.
Unlike theory, where one could read from a book and produce a predetermined answer, real combat involved variables in every step and every movement. There was no such thing as a perfect, set pattern.
However, there were statistics forged from bloody experience.
Dodging or deflecting were both valid, but deploying a barrier was a stable choice.
"Not bad, Lutes."
"Thank you."
Raen increased the output slightly and, putting more strength into his right hand, created even more bullets and sent them flying.
Lutes kept raising barriers with both hands, buying as much time as possible while also reacting to attacks aimed at his body.
Thud, thud—
Clang—
Brilliant lights exploded, and the lingering traces of mana grew increasingly dense.
One minute thirty seconds.
‘Interesting.’
As Raen watched Lutes, he briefly recalled the past.
From what he remembered, Lutes had lasted one minute as a second-year.
His basic stamina had been excellent, but his magic was sloppy and, above all, he had shown no willpower.
What about now?
‘He's reacting to my magic.’
His eyes were different.
The once-faded gaze now held Raen's own mana bullets, not missing a single one.
It was intriguing.
Two minutes.
It was time to raise the output.
To make his magic more precise, Raen began using his left hand, the one holding the cane.
From a blind spot, from an unseen angle, he created small mana bullets. The sound of air being sliced reached Lutes as they flew toward him.
Ping—
"...!"
The first hint of panic appeared on Lutes's face, and Raen didn't miss it.
‘His weakness is blind spots.’
Raen cast his spells even more meticulously and precisely from the blind spots.
Instead of the bold movements from earlier, Lutes minimized his motions, turning his head more to focus on his defenses.
Tss—
Slash—
Of course, he couldn't predict every attack. As Lutes's range of movement shrank, Raen took advantage and pressed in even more persistently.
Two minutes thirty seconds.
‘Not bad at all.’
It wasn't just his imagination.
It was still too early to make a full assessment, but Lutes Liperto had changed.
Since retiring from the Patrol and spending the last ten years teaching at the academy, Raen had seen all kinds of students.
He had seen many whose impressions changed as drastically as Lutes's in an instant.
Whatever the reason, someone who trained themselves and moved forward was the kind Raen found most pleasing. Gradually, Lutes's name began to be etched into his mind.
Three minutes had passed.
‘Now it's time...’
To bring it to an end.
He raised his right hand and deployed a magic formula. An enormous number of mana bullets began forming behind him.
"Whoa..."
"How many is that?"
While the students marveled at the sight, Lutes also seemed to prepare a barrier as he reached out his hands again.
It was a predictable preparatory movement.
To suppress him more decisively, Raen subtly shifted his gaze.
He cast a spell from a position Lutes hadn't noticed yet. A sharp mana bullet took direct aim at his thigh.
As Raen deployed the chant with his right hand, the mana bullets flew like a torrential downpour.
At the same time, he put strength into the cane held in his left hand.
A pincer attack that couldn't be avoided.
Bang, bang, bang—!
Watching the mana bullets fall like a monsoon, Lutes pondered for a moment before deploying a barrier with one hand.
‘Double barrier.’
Not a triple barrier with both hands, but a double barrier using as much mana as possible with one hand.
‘And with the remaining hand, he plans to guard against the blind spots.’
Not bad. In fact, it was a good choice. Raen nodded lightly.
‘Of course, if he can react to it.’
Oooong—
Starting with mana bullets embedding into the barrier one by one like falling water, the tremendous barrage caused a deafening roar as cracks formed across the barrier.
Eventually both barriers shattered completely. The remaining mana bullets grazed Lutes's body, but he managed to stagger to his feet, seemingly having avoided a fatal blow.
"He endured that?"
"That's impressive."
The students murmured in admiration, yet some expressed doubt.
"But wasn't it too monotonous? There weren't any attacks from the blind spots."
"Yeah. Maybe the professor went easy on him on purpose."
That wasn't the case.
Raen had already prepared one bullet aimed at his thigh. He had deployed the chant alongside the frontal barrage, intending to send it at the same time to incapacitate Lutes's leg.
But contrary to the plan, the bullet he had created in the blind spot was still aimed at Lutes.
"...Hah."
Raen let out a genuine sigh of admiration for the first time.
"Very interesting."
Because his left hand hadn't moved.
And because Lutes's other hand was still extended toward him.
Creak—
The sensation of his hand being bound made it tremble.
It was crude and sloppy—something he could break free from immediately—but that didn't matter.
"Lutes."
The corners of his mouth lifted into a satisfied smile.
When he raised his head, he saw Lutes standing unsteadily, sweat pouring down like rain, his mana clearly on the verge of depletion.
"Very interesting indeed."
What Raen had caught in his hand was a binding spell.