Chapter 240
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 240
Chapter Title: Mastering Control
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Having precisely recognized the fact that a single spell had been dismantled in an instant, she now unleashed a different kind of magic.
Double casting?
Crackle!
Offset.
Triple casting? Ridiculous.
Kwachik!!
Offset.
It's not even spirit magic—elemental spells aren't actually this easy to interfere with.
But if evaluated coldly, her magic was no different from a castle built on sand.
Impressive, sure. But paradoxically, it was easier to offset than that of a mage whose peak was a bit lower but whose fundamentals were rock-solid.
Unable to comprehend the repeated offsets, she entered a focused state, trying to analyze the principles behind my dispel.
Soon, an ominous surge of mana began to overflow around her.
The spell she was casting was a 5th-circle Explosion.
But while it appeared that way on the surface, peeling back one layer revealed something entirely different writhing within.
Ah, phantom magic? It was so absurd I let out a hollow chuckle. Even among 5th-circle mages, very few could wield such intricate disguise spells.
This girl's peak really is on another level.
Offset.
"Eut?!"
She staggered badly and collapsed right there.
I had a rough gauge of her abilities now. It was getting boring; my motivation was fading.
She was at the cusp of 5th circle, but purely in terms of potential, she already surpassed that.
Considering raw firepower alone, few among the faculty could beat her.
Still, continuously blocking like this wouldn't help her growth. I'd gathered all the info I needed—that was enough.
"That's it for now."
"...Haa... haa. I can still... go more..."
"We're not fighting to the death here."
From what I could see, she had no control over her output, which meant massive mana consumption.
She possessed a vast reservoir to compensate for the offsets, and until now, she'd probably overwhelmed everything with sheer force.
It hadn't been an issue before, but maximizing her expenditure through dispels exposed the flaw immediately.
Ideally, she'd learn control by practicing against real monsters, but that would take far too much time.
However, I'd recently acquired something that could drastically shorten that timeline.
"I've got a good method. Follow me."
I immediately drew her into the mist domain.
The white mist space could generate as much room as the power of Spirit Sword Utopia allowed. It was all illusory anyway.
What she needed to master first was the intuition honed through countless trials and errors.
Her eyes widened at the pristine training ground, and she looked around.
"Amazing. It's not magic, though. What is this?"
"Think of it like magic. From now on, you're going to learn how to control your power."
"Huh?"
I summoned a single goblin into the empty air.
Of course, it was immobile for now.
Later, I'd make ones that charged at her.
She needed to allocate power even in desperate situations.
"Want to try attacking it?"
I pointed at the motionless goblin, and she extended her hand.
Kwaaang!!!
A massive explosion erupted simultaneously, reducing the goblin to ashes.
As expected, no control. It wasn't just that she wasn't controlling it.
Even if she tried intentionally, it would be nearly impossible.
I kicked the charred goblin remains, making them vanish, and she looked at me.
"Did I do it?"
"From now on, you're going to adjust your Fireball until that thing doesn't die."
"...That's impossible."
She stated firmly.
"Fireball is a 4th-circle spell. No matter how much you reduce the output, it's nearly impossible not to kill a goblin."
It was like telling someone to lob a grenade at a person and keep them alive, but magic wasn't bound by physics.
In response, I lightly snapped my fingers.
Another goblin appeared.
"What's impossible about it?"
[Fire Ball]
[Structure Omitted]
Kwaaang!!!
The explosion happened in an instant, and her eyes flew wide open.
"Structure omitted...?"
"Wanna see?"
Where I pointed, the smoke from the blast cleared to reveal a goblin writhing on the ground.
It was critically wounded but alive.
"Your efficiency is abysmal right now. You don't even realize how dangerous your spells are."
"But suppressing power this much is just pointless waste..."
"Normal mages gradually build control and efficiency as they grow from weakness, but your case is different, right?"
Starting at the peak meant she'd never experienced the bottom.
She hadn't learned from anyone; she'd absorbed knowledge on her own.
Combined with her talent, it birthed this monstrous aberration.
"Fundamentals matter, so focus on this and nothing else."
Grasping her staff tightly at my demand, she wore a dissatisfied expression.
"You won't teach me how you interfered with the magic?"
"Nope. Not teaching."
At my firm reply, she pouted.
"Then I won't learn."
"Says who? You're an academy cadet, and I'm a professor. If you don't like it, drop out."
"That's..."
Great Mage Luteon Abelgard had passed from illness, they said. Likely, she'd come here due to some dying words he'd left.
"But if you do well, I'll teach you a little."
"I'll do it."
"First, as professor and cadet, show some respect?"
"Yes, Professor."
She nodded at my proposal. Per the dean's message, she didn't listen to professors.
But handling types like her didn't require any special trick.
She's easy to manage.
Nearly a week passed.
New cadets had arrived, and the placement exam was right around the corner.
After orientation, the freshmen registered for classes and attended lectures while preparing for the exam in their own ways.
There'd be no such test after freshmen year, but as the academy's first exam and one that ranked everyone fully, the new cadets were gearing up in their spare time.
"Good work, everyone. Now rest up before classes start."
"Thank you, Student Council President."
"No, you three worked hard too. Especially Liscia Hevilion— you're not even in the student council, and I feel like I burdened you too much."
"I'm aiming to challenge you for that seat someday."
"Heh. Looking forward to it."
Current Student Council President Rodia Rashel smiled in satisfaction.
"By the way, you three—how's the placement prep going?"
"No upsets, and I won't lose top spot."
Basara Crevad, the hulking heir of the Star Clan, answered, prompting Rubas Hontail—the successor of one of the Thirteen Great Families—to draw up mana.
"Top spot's mine, punk. Butt out."
Basara of the Star Clan and Rubas of a mage noble family bickered over who'd take first, pride clashing as usual.
Rodia Rashel turned silently to Liscia Hevilion, granddaughter of Dean Galion of the Alchemy School, who was organizing documents.
"Liscia, no thoughts on it? There's tons of buzz among freshmen about who'll claim top rank. Aren't you one of them?"
Star Clan's heir, Basara Crevad. Rubas Hontail, youngest son of a Thirteen Great Family mage house. Galion's granddaughter, Liscia Hevilion. And finally, Ashuria Abelgard, hidden disciple of a secluded grand mage.
These four dominated the top spots—1st through 4th—with overwhelming scores, so it was natural to wonder.
"I'm a golemancer, but I don't have much attachment to this exam. Top spot's out of reach for any of us three anyway."
The bickering boys turned to her.
"You said that before. What makes you say that?"
"You think you can call top just from mana measurement?"
Liscia shrugged at the spirited duo.
"Not dissing you. Everyone knows you're amazing, talented geniuses."
"Then why..."
"I saw her. The hidden disciple—what she's like."
Liscia Hevilion let out a deep sigh.
"What'd you see?"
As the president asked, she slowly spoke.
"On the way to the academy, I shared a carriage with her. Midway, a Demon Realm monster broke out and attacked. Rare accident, pretty absurd..."
She recounted it as if reliving the moment.
"Demon Realm monster?"
"Ever heard of an Ignition Drake?"
Ignition Drake!
That name made all three pairs of eyes widen.
"Top-tier danger, fire-attribute draconic beast. It came all the way to a travel route?"
"Ridiculous..."
"It lost a territory war, but its power was intact. It was the real deal. You can check—they recovered its corpse. Key point: who took it down?"
Rubas and Basara fell silent.
Realistically, despite their genius, neither could handle an Ignition Drake.
"No way..."
Liscia nodded at the president's murmur.
"Yes. Ashuria Abelgard, dead asleep. One gesture, and she turned it to ash. Everyone who saw knows—she's beyond cadet level."
She seemed utterly convinced.
"Casting speed's on another plane too. Frankly, no one our age—under twenty—on the Lazeroth Continent beats her. Maybe the professors intervened in that duel because she was about to use dangerous magic?"
Rubas and Basara swallowed hard, clenching their fists at her confident tone.