Finals: An Existence Beyond Common Sense

The atmosphere in the central arena hung heavy, like the calm before a storm. The three stark letters spelling out [Finals] blazed on the electronic scoreboard. The heat from tens of thousands of spectators was scorching, but my senses remained eerily calm. I gathered my mana steadily, eyes fixed on the enemy camp.

Lee Jin-woo. True to his 81% mana aptitude, he exuded the aura of a fully forged warrior. But beneath that aura lurked unrefined malice and inferiority complex.

Don't get cocky. My 100.1% mana was a double-edged sword. A single misstep in control, and my own body would crumble first under its off-spec power. Over the past 90 days, I'd learned not how to wield it, but how to master it. The mana circuits in my body vibrated faintly, signaling the battle's start.

"Jae-hyun, Lee Jin-woo's mana... it's on another level from before," came Seol-ha's tense voice from beside me. Her eyes brimmed with worry for me. I noticed her fingertips trembling. She trusted me, but the overwhelming mana reaction before us instinctively terrified her.

I patted her shoulder lightly and gave a soft smile. "I know. But Seol-ha, your magic's even more solid. Trust the teamwork we've honed over 90 days. You're the reliable partner I can entrust my back to."

"Yeah... leave it to me, Jae-hyun. I'll guard your back no matter what."

Seol-ha nodded with a resolute expression, checking her mana status. Beside her, Jin-ah wound mana threads around her fingers, murmuring low. Her usual playful demeanor was gone, replaced by the sharp gaze of a hunter zeroing in on prey.

"Do Jae-hyun, coordinates locked perfectly. Just give the signal. I'll tangle that bastard's lightning with my threads."

"Thanks. Let's go. Time to show them why we're standing here."

"Match start!" The referee's signal dropped, and the arena erupted in screams.

With the match underway, Lee Jin-woo's two party members stepped up beside him. They were dedicated supporters raised by the Seongjin Group solely for his victory.

"Begin." At his icy command, the two unleashed their mana. Their powers tangled like threads, forcibly injecting into Lee Jin-woo's body. The supporters' faces paled instantly, but his aura exploded upward. An artificial monster born from 81% talent amplified by others' mana.

Then, the [Core of the Blue Thunder] in his hand emitted violet radiance, swallowing the arena floor ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to ceiling. Thick storm clouds gathered on the ceiling, and faint static crackled in the air.

Lee Jin-woo's eyes flashed as he shouted.

Krzzzt! It wasn't mere lightning from the sky—the arena ceiling itself morphed into a massive vortex of thunderbolts. Buffed and boosted beyond limits, violet veins bulged on his skin.

Boom! Each violet bolt striking the ground pulverized the granite floor into sand. Screams erupted from the stands; weaker students bowed under the mana pressure.

"Seol-ha!"

Seol-ha touched the ground, enveloping us in a translucent ice barrier tuned to my space magic's frequency. The bolts slid sideways along spatial distortions upon impact.

But Lee Jin-woo's assault didn't end. He closed in at lightning speed, swinging his thunder-infused sword. Air sizzled in its wake.

Clang! Crash! Dozens of slashes and bolts hammered the barrier. His strikes weren't mere physical blows—the violet mana at the blade's tip assaulted Seol-ha's mana circuits directly, compounded by violent thunder. The barrier visibly thinned.

"Nngh...!" Pain creased Seol-ha's brow.

"Do Jae-hyun! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠You just gonna dodge? Try blocking with that fancy space magic of yours! I'll show you how powerless that 0.1% miracle is against this treasure!"

Violet thunder condensed at his blade tip—a strike to rend space itself.

Crack! Cracks spiderwebbed across Seol-ha's barrier.

Now. I narrowed my eyes, reading his mana flow. Those sharp fangs you've bared at me will choke you instead.

I ignored the attack, opting for the most efficient, ruthless counter.

"Jin-ah! Now!"

"Coordinates locked! Subspace Gate: Reversal!"

Jin-ah linked his blade tip to the space behind him with transparent threads. I snapped my fingers, twisting the phase to swap inlet and outlet.

Whoosh. Just before piercing the barrier, a violet rift yawned in his attack path. His full-power strike vanished into subspace, erupting from behind him.

"Wha...?! Gah!" Instinct made him twist, blocking his own bolt. But it grazed his arm and legs viciously, charring them black amid thunderous roars.

"Hah... hah..." Yet his wounds vanished in an instant. Simultaneously, the supporters maintaining buffs collapsed, their limbs charred black.

Seeing this, I glared at Lee Jin-woo with contempt. "Lee Jin-woo, you using your comrades as meat shields to take the pain?"

"Comrades? No, this is efficient resource management, Do Jae-hyun." He scoffed, oozing ominous mana.

"Hahaha! Fun! This is fun! But Seongjin Group's treasure doesn't end here!"

His body ignited in violet light, the treasure pulsing with his heartbeat. A colossal mana mass formed at his fingertips, shaking the arena—far beyond academy student level.

I approached my teammates, gently placing hands on their shoulders, shouldering their mana burden.

"Seol-ha, Jin-ah. Good work. Step back a bit now."

"Jae-hyun, it's dangerous! That's not just mana—the treasure's consuming him!"

I nodded at Seol-ha's cry. But I saw his pathetic end: devoured by the treasure. Those ruled by power always meet hollow ends.

"I know. That's why I'll finish it myself."

I smiled reassuringly, then advanced slowly toward Lee Jin-woo. His mana storm whipped my hair, but my steps didn't falter.

Tune it. Zero-point-one percent margin for error. I precisely fractionated my inner 100.1% mana. Not violent destruction, but surgical excision—diverting his might through spatial gaps, severing the source.

As he reared for his final blow, I extended both hands.

And murmured low.

Ting. The thunder filling the arena vanished like a lie. The rampaging violet bolts froze mid-air. I'd seized control of the space where time flowed.

Even the crowd's roars couldn't penetrate my sanctuary. Horror filled Lee Jin-woo's eyes; he was petrified, one arm immobile.

"Wh-what is this? Why won't my thunder move? Space... space is crushing me!"

No matter how strong your mana, without authority over the 'space' it exists in, how could it move?

I approached the panicked Lee Jin-woo. Within five meters, laws of the world didn't apply—my domain.

I met his trembling gaze up close. "Lee Jin-woo. You're unworthy of that power. Strength swung to trample others only ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠destroys yourself. You're not blessed by talent—you're devoured by it."

I crossed my arms, gripping empty air—not targeting his body, but the foundation of his madness: the treasure.

Boom! The violet thunder enveloping him compressed violently into one point. The [Core of the Blue Thunder] he clutched like life itself shattered under the gravity.

Not just an object breaking—the sound of his arrogant world collapsing.

"N-no! My treasure! My power! Aaaargh!"

His scream echoed. His mana, family heirloom, twisted superiority—all crushed to a single violet speck, then erased.

Thud. Drained of all mana, Lee Jin-woo knelt. Unscarred physically, but his eyes were vacant, lifeless. Even 81% talent lasted mere 0.1 seconds before me.

I passed his slumped shoulders, walking to the arena center. I glanced indifferently at the frozen thunder remnants.

Tuning complete.

Ting. The world's volume returned. Frozen bolts scattered with friction, and belated realization exploded from the stands in screams.

"Wh-what?! I blinked, and why's Lee Jin-woo like that?"

"No idea, I was watching right next to you..."

Horror, awe, reverence in the cheers. I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠turned, approaching my teammates with a warm smile, my chilling aura gone.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. It's really over now."

"Jae-hyun...!"

Seol-ha and Jin-ah rushed over in relief. I ruffled their hair lightly, sharing the victory's joy. Their warmth seeped into my palms.

This was the true value I protected—the reason I'd shown my power.

At that moment, in the VIP seats, Chairman Kang Do-hyun stood. His hands trembled faintly—not from fear, but pure thrill, the first in decades as educator and guardian of the nation.

Complete mastery of space? Not mere magic. He's warped the laws of the world itself.

He sensed Jae-hyun's skill transcended "good"—a vessel too vast for the academy. His system was complete only upon meeting this off-spec existence, Do Jae-hyun.

I looked up at the VIP seats. The chairman wasn't frozen; he nodded slowly, deeply respectful. Not a sinister smirk, but the elation of witnessing a new era.

I returned a light bow, then a subtle smile. It asked one thing: Satisfied with the answer I've shown for my future? Did I exceed your expectations?

The arena's chill silence lifted, drowned in thunderous applause.