Chapter 411

"You bastard…!"

At Luke's words, fire blazed in Lement's eyes.

"You think now is the real fight? Where do you get off spouting such arrogant nonsense?!"

His opponent was a mere first-year failure at Lumene. A nobody who should have been expelled long ago. Just the fact that this Luke had landed a hit on him and sent him rolling across the ground was enough to make his blood boil.

And now, seeing Luke speak as if he was about to mount a counterattack, Lement felt his reason slip away.

Rumble—!

The ground trembled as Luke tightened his grip on his sword.

Craaaaash—!

A tidal wave of earth surged toward him like an immense tsunami. The scale and power of this spell were leagues beyond Lement's previous attacks.

Luke crouched, adjusting his grip.

There's no way to dodge!

This attack was different. It was meant to annihilate him completely.

Luke clenched his sword with all his strength.

If there's no opening… I'll make one!

He focused his aura into a single point at the tip of his blade.

Flash—! Shwaaack—!

As he swung, a silver light erupted.

Ruuumble—!

The tidal wave of earth swallowed him whole.

Lement scowled. "What a joke."

Whoosh—!

"What?"

Luke burst through the dust cloud, charging straight at Lement.

Clang! Crackle—!

His aura-clad sword struck Lement's shield spell.

Thud—!

Luke was sent flying backward.

"You bastard! What kind of trick are you pulling?!" Lement roared, his mana surging violently.

Furious, he began firing off spells wildly.

Boom! Craaaash—!

sep

"This… this is insane."

"He can actually use aura like that?"

"What the hell is happening?!"

The entire first-year audience erupted into chaos at Luke's unexpected display.

"Wow, was he hiding that all along?" Juen's eyes widened in surprise.

"Hmph. So he did have a trump card." Sasha covered her mouth with her fan, narrowing her eyes.

Haviden scoffed, arms crossed. "That much was obvious."

Aina simply stared at Luke, expressionless.

"Wow… I didn't expect it to be an easy fight, but I really didn't think he had something like that up his sleeve," Eliana murmured, munching on popcorn from the second-year stands.

"But… he's using his power pretty clumsily."

"Of course. It's his first time wielding that much strength."

"Oh! Clas Prez!"

Eliana waved as a familiar voice answered from behind.

Leo reached for her popcorn.

Eliana desperately tried to shield it, but Leo effortlessly stole a handful, leaving her sulking.

As Leo sat down, Chloe tilted her head. "If he had this much power, was there really a need to let him carry the label of a failure?"

"He had to suppress his strength for a long time due to the nature of his training," Leo said casually, tossing popcorn into his mouth. "Luke's growth process was completely different from other hero candidates. He learned everything on his own."

"In that sense, he's a bit like you, Sir Leo."

Not at all.

Leo had been born with memories of his past skills, but Luke was different. He had started as a blank slate—completely pure. He hadn't even been able to properly wield aura until he entered Lumene.

Even with his unique mana traits and natural talent, his underdeveloped vessel had put him far behind his peers.

If he had trained the normal way, he still would have shown remarkable growth… but not this explosive progress.

That was why Leo had focused on shaping Luke's vessel through extreme methods, though it would undoubtedly be a grueling path for Luke.

While the other students raced ahead, he remained stuck in place. No matter how hard he worked, he didn't move forward… That must have been frustrating.

If Luke had wanted, he could have chosen an easier, faster path to growth, but he had endured the difficult one to the very end.

"He's only just gotten a proper vessel," Leo muttered, watching Luke with a smirk. "But if the top-ranked first-years underestimate him now, they're in for a rude awakening."

His eyes were always sharp, his observational skills were good, and his combat instincts were there too. All Leo had done was give him a blank canvas.

Now, it was up to Luke to paint it.

sep

Boom! Boom! Craaaaash—!

"I'm ending this!" Lement roared, eyes bloodshot. Half out of his mind, he kept firing spell after spell.

But no matter how many attacks he unleashed, none of them hit Luke.

Luke's gaze tracked every spell's trajectory, his eyes darting rapidly.

My body feels so light… And I'm not getting tired.

Leo had sealed more than just his mana. Luke's physical abilities had been restrained as well. And in that state, he had pushed his body to its absolute limits every single day.

He had sprinted forward relentlessly, yet never advanced an inch. He had stagnated, showing no improvement.

But now… it felt as if all of that had been preparing him for this moment.

Even as he moved, his body continued to evolve, as if the grueling effort of all those days was finally being repaid.

Thud—!

Luke stepped onto a massive stone spear hurtling toward him.

Whirl—!

Spinning in midair, he deflected the incoming rock arrows.

Ch-ch-chang—!

Lement's attacks were relentless. As Luke dodged and blocked every strike, veins bulged on Lement's forehead.

"Hah! So you think you can outlast me?! Before that happens, you'll either tire out or get hit by my spells!"

And he was right.

Even if Luke never got tired and could read the trajectory of spells, Lement wasn't just standing still. The more Luke adapted to his attack patterns, the more Lement adjusted as well, making his assault even more complex.

Lement Morlock. A scion of a prestigious mage family and ranked third in the first-year magic division. His natural mana reserves alone were leagues beyond most students.

If this turns into a battle of endurance, I'll lose.

Even with the seal lifted and mana flowing freely through him, Luke's reserves weren't overwhelming. For a knight, aura was fuel. Once mana ran out, physical performance would plummet.

Closing the distance with Lement isn't easy either.

Luke had tried multiple times, but Lement had blocked every attempt with layers of protective spells. He hadn't secured his ranking in Lumene's magic division through luck—he wasn't just skilled in magic, he had extensive combat experience. He had fought knights before, knights far more formidable than Luke.

If I so much as brush against an attack or get tired, I lose.

Luke's silver eyes locked onto Lement, glowing faintly.

Whoosh—!

Luke suddenly changed direction and charged.

Lement smirked.

Idiot!

For a brief moment, he had been shaken—when Luke's power had surged, when he had been struck. But he quickly regained his composure.

There's no way I'll lose to Luke Eldar!

Lement knew his attacks overwhelmed his opponent.

He's fast, sure… but that's it.

Lement was gunning for the top spot. As a traditional mage, his greatest threats were Haviden and Aina from the knight division—warriors who relied on sheer speed and overwhelming force.

He had prepared for them. His primary affinity was earth, and an earth mage's greatest strength was defense.

The moment you step into my domain, it's over.

Lement's eyes glinted.

Thud—!

Luke broke through his defensive spells and entered his domain.

Crash—!

Lement's magic activated, targeting him.

Whoosh—!

But Luke retreated just as quickly.

Ching—!

The spells erupted from the ground, but Luke deflected every one of them with his sword.

Thud—!

Luke kicked off the ground, circling behind Lement.

Whoosh—!

He attacked from outside Lement's field of vision.

"It's useless! This spell has no blind spots!" Lement shouted as another wave of magic targeted Luke.

Once again, Luke retreated. He couldn't attack. He could only dodge and defend.

It was like being trapped in quicksand.

Lement smirked.

Then…

Stop—!

Luke's movement ceased.

Lement, mid-cast, hesitated, then his smirk widened. "Have you given up? Too bad. I have no intention of ending this quickly for the bastard who humiliated me…"

"I'm going." Luke exhaled, tightening his grip on his sword.

"What?"

Lement's expression twisted.

Thud—!

He vanished?!

Lement's eyes widened in horror. His detection spell caught Luke's movement.

No… He's just moving faster!

Lement focused his mana on defense, expanding his domain.

Bzzzt—!

The moment Luke stepped inside, mana reacted.

Rumble—!

A barrage of earth magic erupted, engulfing him.

But Luke slashed through every attack, closing the distance.

"You fool! You think a little speed boost will let you reach me?!" Lement sneered.

Then…

Whoosh—!

Luke breached the first defensive perimeter.

Lement's smile faltered.

No. He can't reach me.

Lement poured more mana into his defenses.

Rumble—!

The ground rose, trying to trap Luke.

Then…

Flash—!

Luke's silver eyes gleamed, and his sword carved through the magic.

Slash—!

A devastating sword aura cleaved through the spell.

Lement's face twisted in shock.

Throughout the first semester, Luke had been forced to operate on minimal mana. That necessity had refined his control to a near-superhuman level, maximizing efficiency. He had trained endlessly to achieve the greatest effect with the smallest amount of energy.

As Luke broke through the second defensive perimeter, Lement drained his mana reserves.

"It's not over yet!"

Buzz—!

A massive magic circle formed around him. He activated every spell he could cast, aiming at Luke.

Then…

Whoosh—!

He's… getting even faster?!

A silver blur closed in on Lement.

Thud—!

Luke planted his left foot.

"Wait…"

Using it as a pivot, he drove his right foot into Lement's gut.

"Gah…"

Boom—!

The concentrated aura in Luke's strike shattered Lement's shield spell.

Crash—!

Lement flew backward and slammed into the arena wall.

Rumble—! Thud—!

He collapsed to the ground, unconscious, eyes rolled back.

Luke exhaled, standing tall.

"Winner, Luke Eldar," Mel announced with a smile.

"Oooooooh!"

The upperclassmen erupted in cheers.

"The way he reads attack trajectories and dodges… it's almost an art form."

"That kid's got insane vision. I like him."

It was a completely unexpected victory. Moreover, Luke's systematic breakdown of Lement had been a spectacle. The upperclassmen gave a standing ovation.

In contrast, most first-years stared at Luke in disbelief.

"Th-this doesn't make sense."

"That failure…?"

"Wait. If he just took down Lement, doesn't that make him one of the strongest in our year?"

"I've been openly mocking him this whole time… How?!"

Some turned pale.

"He's not even done."

"That's right. He hasn't used magic yet," Juen said.

At his words, Sasha narrowed her eyes.

Juen stood. "Do your best, magic division's number one."

"I'm going to win," Sasha replied.

Juen scoffed, heading for the waiting room.