The training room sealed itself the moment they entered. A faint hum spread through the walls as layered barriers activated, isolating the space completely.
Alex stood on one side of the room. Across from him stood Elena. This was their second round—this time, with magic.
Even though he had recently learned several new Dark magic spells, he had no intention of using most of them here.
First, because they were still new, lacking proficiency. Second, because showing too much would invite questions. Questions about where he had learned them. Questions he couldn't answer.
One impossible thing could be dismissed as an anomaly. Two might still be tolerated. But repeated irregularities? That was how curiosity sharpened into investigation.
There were limits to how much even this world's tolerance for anomalies could stretch. Sure, this world was full of unknowns—but Alex was still new to its common sense.
So he decided to avoid anything above Tier-4 altogether.
The Tier-5 spells would remain hidden—for now.
Elena turned to face him, her presence snapping his wandering thoughts back into focus.
"Are you ready?" she asked.
Alex nodded. "Yes."
She lifted one hand slightly, signaling the start. "I won't interfere at first, like yesterday. Do whatever you want." Her eyes gleamed with sharp interest. "Show me what you can do."
The moment her words ended, Alex moved.
He began with a barrage of his first—and still his favorite—spell: Multicasting
A dozen pitch-black projectiles formed instantly around him, humming with tightly compressed force. With a sharp flick of his hand, he sent them screaming forward.
They tore through the air in a staggered spread—not meant to overpower, but to restrict movement, to carve away reaction space.
Elena didn't move.
She stood there calmly, hands at her sides, watching the incoming barrage as if evaluating brushstrokes on a canvas.
Alex didn't pause.
As the bullets closed in, he cast two more spells simultaneously:
Black obsidian flames erupted midair, colliding instantly with jagged shards of frost-dark crystal ice. The opposing elements destabilized each other, detonating into a roiling cloud of shadowy vapor that swallowed the space between them.
Visibility dropped to nearly zero.
Aurora's eyes widened. "Oh… that's clever."
Alex vanished into the smoke using
Without hesitation, he condensed mana into his right hand, pushing it harder than usual.
The spear formed instantly—longer, denser, its edges subtly warping the air around it. He overcharged it just short of instability, feeling the strain bite into his focus, then hurled it forward with everything he had.
The spear howled as it crossed the short distance, aimed squarely at Elena's back.
For the first time since the test began—
Elena smiled in earnest.
And Alex realized, a fraction of a second too late, that this reaction… was exactly what she had been waiting for.
The Void Spear struck.
For a split second, the world seemed to compress inward—then the impact detonated with a deafening roar. A violent surge of force ripped outward, the shockwave slamming into the reinforced walls and making the entire training room tremble. Protective runes flared brightly as the barriers absorbed the excess energy, then slowly dimmed back to normal.
Alex landed lightly several steps away, eyes locked on the epicenter. 'That should've at least—'
The smoke thinned.
Elena stood exactly where she had been.
Not a single step displaced. Not a strand of hair out of place. Her clothes were pristine, as if the explosion had politely curved around her instead of colliding with her head-on.
She brushed imaginary dust from her sleeve and looked at him, smiling.
"Interesting," she said calmly. "Continue."
Alex felt his jaw tighten.
Only now did the full weight of what he was facing truly register. That explosion would have badly injured ordinary A-rank monsters.
And yet…
Her eyes were sharper now.
She was surprised.
'Multicasting on top of silent casting… rapid sequencing…' Elena assessed internally. 'These aren't techniques a newly awakened mage should even understand, let alone execute cleanly.'
If raw force wasn't enough, then Alex needed volume.
And pressure.
Since Elena remained still, making no attempt to counterattack, Alex seized the opportunity and cast two spells in rapid succession:
Dark magic circles blossomed across the floor one after another, spreading like a graveyard awakening. From them, fifteen skeletal warriors clawed their way out, armor forming from condensed mana, blades coalescing in their hands. Behind them, two skeletal mages emerged, staves glowing faintly with unstable dark light.
Each summon radiated a solid, oppressive presence.
With both summoning spells at A-rank mastery, these weren't fragile fodder. Each skeleton soldier carried combat strength comparable to a solid B-rank monster.
Elena didn't move.
She watched them assemble, head tilted slightly, as though observing an interesting experiment.
Alex didn't waste the opening.
He vanished—then reappeared at Elena's flank, already casting.
He hurled it point-blank.
At the same moment, the skeleton soldiers charged, blades raised, attacking from multiple angles. Behind them, the skeleton mages began casting, dark projectiles forming at the tips of their staves.
The room descended into chaos.
Alex Void Stepped again—behind her—then again above—then to her blind side, chaining movement and attacks seamlessly. Each reappearance came with another
But Elena moved.
Or rather—she was already where she needed to be.
She shifted her weight by fractions, raised a hand here, stepped aside there. Void Spears were deflected, dispersed, or narrowly avoided by margins so precise they felt intentional. A skeletal blade was caught between two fingers and crushed into dust. Another skeleton was shattered by a casual backhand, its core extinguished instantly.
She didn't cast a single visible spell.
It was as if she could see several seconds into the future.
A chill crawled up Alex's spine.
'She's predicting my Void Step…'
Even when he cast spells mid-transition—something that should have disrupted timing—Elena adjusted flawlessly, her movements precise to an absurd, inhuman degree.
The skeletons barely slowed her.
Still, one Void Spear grazed past her shoulder—close enough to tear fabric and leave a faint spatial distortion in the air.
Elena paused.
Her smile widened.
"Not bad," she said, genuine amusement creeping into her voice. "You almost got me just now."
Her eyes gleamed—not with evaluation, not with restraint.
But interest.
Aurora floated higher, her expression serious for once. "Alex… she's enjoying this."
Alex exhaled sharply, sweat beading at his temple.
'Yeah,' he thought grimly. "I can tell."
And for the first time since the spar had begun, Elena finally shifted her stance—
As if she was about to stop holding back.
Without warning, Elena moved.
She stepped forward once, fingers snapping sharply.
A cluster of
Alex didn't hesitate. He cast
The moment he reappeared—
Elena was already there.
She closed the distance with terrifying speed, her presence crashing down on him like a wall.
Alex reacted on instinct, firing off a string of Tier-1 spells in rapid succession—
Elena dismissed them with a casual sweep of her hand.
The spells unraveled midair, dispersed as if they had never existed.
Then she counterattacked.
"
One. Then another. Then three more—launched not as a reckless barrage, but as perfectly spaced threats, sealing off every possible escape route.
Alex's pupils shrank.
He had no time to dodge.
"
The barrier snapped into place just in time—only to shatter on impact. Flames tore through it like brittle glass, the residual heat slamming into him and sending him skidding violently across the floor.
Pain flared across his ribs.
Before he could even finish rolling, Alex activated
He vanished—then reappeared near the ceiling, already condensing mana into another
The resulting explosion rocked the training room, runes flaring as the reinforced barriers absorbed the shock.
And that became the rhythm of the battle.
Alex attacked with everything he had—constant movement, chained spells, relentless pressure. Elena advanced without haste, dismantling his offense piece by piece. Whenever he tried to create distance, she erased it. Whenever he tried to overwhelm her, she neutralized him effortlessly.
Occasionally, she sent a
She wasn't trying to defeat him.
If she were, the fight would have ended before it even started.
Once Elena had a clear grasp of his capabilities, she ended it decisively—overpowering his final attempt with sheer magical dominance and driving him back until his body simply couldn't respond anymore.
"You've exceeded my expectations, Alex." she said, unmistakable admiration in her voice. "If you hadn't told me yourself, I never would've guessed you were an ordinary person just a few months ago."
Alex tried to straighten—and failed, settling for barely standing upright, his body trembling with exhaustion. Scorch marks streaked his clothes and skin, his expression utterly spent.
"Your magic power and casting speed are both ridiculous." Elena continued. A faint smirk tugged at her lips. "In fact—" her eyes gleamed, "—I'd say they're easily within the top five among the academy's students."