The Greatest Dark Horse
The scout sitting next to Kain mentioned that she had the potential to become the greatest dark horse of this tournament. As countless eyes watched Arina on the screen, the crowd fell silent for a moment, sharing one common feeling deep in their hearts: shock, and utter astonishment.
"Hmm."
If one had to pick the single most shocked person among them, it would undoubtedly be Senior Professor Savage Frankhorn.
Though much had changed because of Kain, there was no way an outstanding mage like him could fail to recognize that the very foundation of it all was his own magic theory.
How did this happen?
A new magic theory that had evolved endlessly in a direction completely different from what he had pursued. The problem was that he had only published the foundational paper barely a month or two ago.
No matter how normal it was in modern magic society to develop further by citing previous papers, this level of advancement was simply too fast. This isn't student-level work.
It wasn't some average magic thesis. This was a theory so revolutionary it would be called innovative even in the Magic Tower, where countless new theories emerged every day. Modifying something like this in such a short time would have been impossible even for Marily Raymond, the girl rumored to be a generational genius.
No, there was no need to look that far. Even he himself would have found it impossible to rework a magic theory this quickly and create an entirely new magical system with a completely different direction.
To be completely honest, even though he was seeing it with his own eyes, he couldn't even begin to guess at the core theory hidden within that magic system.
Would someone at the Chancellor's level be capable of this?
From what he could tell, the additions to his magic involved theories from dark magic or spirit arts. In other words, at least a superhuman who had mastered two or more disciplines had created the magic system Arina was using.
Just who is it?
Professor Frankhorn's gaze shifted to the side.
"Ohhh, Professor Frankhorn! Did you see that? The way she instantly crushed that Dominic Academy student! That girl is my student! One of the ones I taught!"
In both hands he held a cheer stick that glowed brightly even in daylight. A headband with those names fluttered wildly with his every movement. As he thrust his hands overhead, his baggy sleeves rolled up naturally, revealing arms so skeletal one might worry about starvation. Those thin arms shook the cheer stick with enough force to snap them, as Professor Karlsen passionately cheered on the Arina displayed on screen. The sight was exactly like watching an otaku dance from an idol concert video in real life.
Come to think of it, this professor is a 7-star dark mage, isn't he?
It was hard to believe when looking at his current undignified behavior, yet the man passionately waving his cheer stick and drawing every eye around him was indeed one of the few high-ranking dark mages on the continent.
Could he be the one who helped her?
Professor Karlsen was certainly powerful, but he fell quite short of the 8-star superhuman Professor Frankhorn had imagined. Still, as a professor who taught students, he possessed far more knowledge than the average 7-star dark mage. He had also heard that Professors Magnus and Paracelsus had assisted in teaching the first-years. If they had helped, then perhaps it wasn't impossible for Karlsen to have constructed that magic system...
"No, it couldn't be."
Professor Frankhorn immediately dismissed the hypothesis that had flashed through his mind. It wasn't simply because the man looked unreliable waving those skinny arms around.
No matter how I look at it, there isn't enough time.
Magic wasn't something that ended with conception and creation. Time was also needed to learn it. That student's level was at most 3-star. No genius, no matter how exceptional, could use a brand-new magic system immediately without any trial and error. Even if the three of them had combined their strength to create it somehow, there wouldn't have been enough time for the girl to master it. On top of that, they had to look after the other children as well, so time would have been even tighter.
I heard she's a commoner, but it seems she's not just an ordinary student.
There was someone. Someone close to that girl. A high-level ability user connected to her by a bond affectionate enough to create such special magic just for her.
Having instantly deduced the answer, Professor Frankhorn fixed his eyes on Arina's image and observed the magic she used with careful, almost analytical attention.
"Huh."
He let out another sigh of admiration at its precise, flawless completion.
Not a trace of negativity existed in Professor Frankhorn's eyes toward whoever had arbitrarily modified his magic system. As he had mentioned earlier, continuing to develop existing research by citing previous papers was completely natural in modern magic society.
Rather, if his research had helped someone, it was an incredibly joyful thing.
So it could be used like that.
Collective intelligence often revealed directions an individual could never imagine. There was no time to feel envy or rejection over that fact. One learned from it, studied it, and promised an even better tomorrow.
Mages were both collaborators who helped one another and rivals who competed in skill. In the magical society built by the Majoan, those who boasted that only their own magic was supreme had already been weeded out long ago.
I'd like to meet them and have a proper conversation.
He wanted to talk with the person who had created that magic. Perhaps Professor Paracelsus would know. The foundation of his own magic theory was alchemy. If Professor Paracelsus had offered guidance, it would surely have been given to that girl.
Thinking that, Professor Frankhorn slowly edged away from Professor Karlsen, whose movements were growing increasingly wild, pretending he didn't know him.
After easily dispatching the careless Leon and following the orb of light, Arina arrived at a wide cavern.
It was a smooth, circular space like an igloo—so vast it was difficult to take in all at once. The interior stood in complete contrast to the messy passage filled with jagged stalactites, stalagmites, and stone pillars.
In the center of the room, which looked artificially created, a passage leading out of the maze shimmered like heat haze.
Has no one else arrived yet?
Walking toward the light orb circling the haze, Arina glanced around. There were no traces of anyone having passed through. At most one or two people might have come, or perhaps she truly was the first to reach this place. It seemed she had luckily started near the escape room.
"......"
Retrieving the now-useless orb of light, Arina's hands moved busily. She pulled the magic circle stored inside the Mana Restriction Cuffs with her right hand, stretching it out like a rubber band before whipping it toward the wall.
Swish!
The formula spread across the wall like splashed paint. It engraved itself completely into the surface and began arranging into a fixed shape.
I'm building a base.
Although she had found the exit, she had no intention of leaving right away. Quite the opposite. Since this was the only exit from the entire maze, she would block it so no one could get through. Not until Jeon Raydel, the leader of their team, finished clearing monsters throughout the maze, earned points, and made his way here.
The Academy Tournament freely permitted the use of magic tools and artifacts. Items one had created themselves, mediums essential to one's magic, or even special artifacts only the owner could use—like Togun Masao's Anti-Magic Sword.
As long as they were registered beforehand, anyone could use magic tools and artifacts freely during the match. Even potions were allowed if it could be proven the user had made them.
And these tournament rules gave Arina a greater advantage than anyone else.
Swish! Swish! Swiiish! Slash!
Magic circles poured endlessly from within the Mana Restriction Cuffs like fresh wet wipes. The ones Arina had prepared over the past several days stuck all over the walls, transforming the space into something completely different from before.
Alchemy Magic Circle Shape Transformation—Instant Dungeon Construction.
A mage is one who prepares.
In the wider world, giving a mage time to prepare for battle was considered extremely foolish. The profession where this trait shone brightest was, without question, the alchemist.
The magic Kain had created drastically shortened the long preparation time traditionally required of alchemists.
By preparing multiple magic circles in advance and layering them inside the Mana Restriction Cuffs, one could create a warehouse of spells that could be pulled out and used at any time.
If one had to compare it, the feeling was similar to Memorize—a branch of mental magic—or ultra-high-level spatial magic that stored spells in advance within a time-frozen subspace.
Alchemy-Magic Connection 'Sync'.
The area Arina had constructed linked with the maze inside the virtual world.
Like a virus hacking into a program, her magic circles suddenly burrowed into the formulas that made up the virtual world, parasitizing them.
"Ugh."
Arina's fingers slowed slightly. From this point on, precision was critical. She had to connect the crossing magic circles without the slightest error.
It's fine.
Amid the flood of formulas before her eyes, Arina steadied her heart. Solving endlessly incoming formula problems had already been thoroughly drilled into her through Professor Magnus's teachings. This much might slow her hands, but it could never stop them completely.
"......Done."
Roughly ten minutes later.
Having successfully linked the extracted magic circles with the surrounding space, Arina wiped the sweat streaming down her forehead with her forearm.
Perhaps she had focused too intensely all at once. A sudden wave of dizziness hit her. At the same time, a fierce thirst rose up, making her want to gulp down a glass of ice water immediately.
Forcing her trembling legs that threatened to give out, Arina walked behind the exit.
Though it had been hard work, the result was quite satisfying. This escape room had now become an individually independent space while still remaining part of the maze.
In terms of size, it encompassed roughly a thirty-meter radius centered on this room. She had severed the surrounding space and brought it under her complete control.
The interior, plastered with countless magic circles, was entirely her domain. It lacked nothing to be called the dungeon she had created, and to a dark mage it would look no different from an Inner World being unfolded.
I won't let a single person through.
This was Plan A among the many strategies she had devised with Jeon. A plan being executed under better conditions than any other. If she failed here, she wouldn't be able to face her friends.
Rustle.
Leaning her back against the wall, Arina quietly closed her eyes and regulated her breathing. At the same time, her right hand stroked the Mana Restriction Cuffs fastened around her left wrist. The cold touch of metal against her palm slightly cooled her overheated body from the strain.
Without fail.
After taking that brief rest, she opened her eyes. Noisy sounds were coming from the only exit leading into this place. The occasional explosions suggested someone was fighting just outside. But what mattered to Arina was that someone was approaching.
The short break was over. It was time to begin the real fight. At that thought, strength flowed into the right hand gripping the Mana Restriction Cuffs—enough force to make the emerald turtle dangling from its end swing wildly through the air.