The academy square was already crowded early in the morning.
Students gathered in front of a massive stone wall engraved with glowing runes. Every few seconds, the runes shimmered and rearranged themselves, displaying rows of names and rankings.
It was the Freshman Magic Ranking Board.
For first-year students of the Royal Magic Academy, this board represented everything—talent, status, and future.
Lucien stood quietly at the edge of the crowd.
He had come early, hoping to observe things before the crowd grew too large, but it seemed everyone had the same idea.
"Look, the rankings have updated!"
"Arthur is still first!"
"Of course he is. He awakened a dual-element affinity. Who could possibly compete with him?"
Lucien raised his eyes.
At the very top of the board, glowing in bright golden letters, was a name that everyone already expected.
No.1 — Arthur Valerian
Below it were several other talented students.
Lucien scanned them quickly.
No.2 — Elena Frost
No.3 — Marcus Hale
No.4 — Lydia Verne
And further down…
Lucien's gaze slowly moved until he finally saw the name he was looking for.
Near the bottom.
Almost invisible.
No.97 — Lucien Blackwood
A few nearby students noticed it too.
Someone immediately laughed.
"Blackwood? Isn't that the useless noble?"
"Yeah, the one who could barely control a spark during the entrance test."
"Honestly, I don't know why the academy even admitted him."
Lucien heard every word clearly.
But his expression did not change.
Inside, he simply sighed.
Well… technically they aren't wrong.
The original Lucien Blackwood really had been incompetent.
Arrogant, wasteful, and completely talentless.
In the original novel, he was nothing more than a stepping stone for Arthur.
A villain designed to be humiliated.
Lucien crossed his arms and leaned against a nearby stone pillar.
But that story is already changing.
Yesterday's duel had proven something important.
His magic control was far superior to the original Lucien.
If he continued improving at this pace, climbing the ranking board would only be a matter of time.
Suddenly, the crowd grew louder.
"Arthur is here!"
Lucien looked up.
A tall young man walked through the square, surrounded by several admirers.
Arthur Valerian.
Golden hair.
Confident smile.
A natural leader.
Even Lucien had to admit that the protagonist's presence was impressive.
Arthur stopped in front of the ranking board, glancing at his name at the top.
A few students immediately began praising him.
"As expected of you, Arthur!"
"You'll definitely become the strongest mage of our generation."
Arthur smiled modestly.
"It's just the first ranking."
His tone was humble, but Lucien could see the pride hidden in his eyes.
Classic protagonist behavior, Lucien thought.
Just then—
The temperature of the square suddenly dropped.
A faint chill spread through the air.
Students began murmuring again.
"What's happening?"
"Why is it suddenly so cold?"
Then someone whispered a name.
"Elena…"
Lucien followed the direction of their gazes.
A girl slowly walked into the square.
Silver hair.
Pale skin.
Cold blue eyes.
She wore the academy uniform like everyone else, but the atmosphere around her felt completely different.
As if frost followed her every step.
Elena Frost.
The second-ranked freshman.
And one of the most powerful characters in the original novel.
In the story Lucien had read, Elena was known as the Ice Witch of the Academy.
She was talented.
Beautiful.
And terrifyingly strong.
Most importantly—
She hated arrogant nobles.
Lucien suddenly had a bad feeling.
Elena stopped in front of the ranking board.
Her eyes moved across the names until they reached the top.
Arthur Valerian.
The air grew even colder.
Arthur noticed her too.
He smiled politely.
"So you're Elena Frost. I've heard about you."
Elena didn't return the smile.
Instead, she asked calmly,
"Are you satisfied with being first?"
The question caught everyone off guard.
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"I suppose I am."
Elena looked at him for a moment.
Then she said something that shocked the entire square.
"I challenge you."
Silence fell instantly.
Several students gasped.
"A duel?"
"Is she serious?!"
Arthur's smile faded slightly.
"A challenge already?"
Elena nodded.
"The rankings mean nothing if they are never tested."
Arthur considered for a moment.
Then he laughed.
"Interesting."
Before he could answer—
Elena suddenly turned her head.
Her icy blue eyes scanned the crowd.
Then they stopped.
On Lucien.
For a brief second, their gazes met.
Lucien froze.
Wait… why is she looking at me?
Elena studied him for a moment.
Then she spoke again.
But this time—
Her words were directed at someone else.
"Actually…"
She pointed.
At Lucien.
"I'll start with him."
The entire square exploded.
"What?!"
"Elena is challenging Lucien Blackwood?!"
Arthur looked surprised.
Lucien slowly straightened from the pillar.
Inside, his thoughts were racing.
This is not how the story is supposed to go.
In the original novel, Elena had never even interacted with Lucien.
But now…
She was challenging him in front of the entire academy.
Lucien sighed quietly.
Great.
The plot is completely broken now.
He stepped forward.
Students quickly moved aside.
The square became silent again.
Lucien looked at the cold girl standing before him.
"Are you sure about this?"
Elena's expression remained calm.
"Yes."
Lucien rubbed his temple.
Of all the possible opponents…
The second strongest freshman had chosen him.
This was definitely going to attract attention.
But maybe…
A small smile appeared on Lucien's face.
This might be an opportunity.
He raised his hand slightly.
"Fine."
"If you insist."
The wind blew across the academy square.
Students quickly formed a large circle.
Everyone wanted to witness this unexpected duel.
The mysterious genius.
Versus
The infamous noble failure.
Arthur crossed his arms and watched from the side with interest.
Lucien met Elena's cold gaze.
"Just one question," he said.
Elena tilted her head slightly.
"What?"
Lucien smiled faintly.
"Are you prepared to lose?"
For the first time—
A tiny flicker of surprise appeared in Elena Frost's icy eyes.
And the duel had not even begun yet.