Chapter 30: Preliminary (2)

“…Did you see that just now?”
“Yeah, I saw it.”

The royal scout, Eve, couldn’t help but gape at the scene that had just unfolded before her eyes.

Who was Drixion, after all?
He was one of the four candidates personally trained by the Mist Tower Master and considered the most promising successor in terms of bloodline and talent.

But that Drixion had just been blown away like a fallen leaf.
And it only took a single spell.

“What kind of spell casting speed…?”
“At that level, it looks like the spell was pre-formed before it was even fired.”

Drixion’s sneak attack was flawless.
He used Mist Transformation to link into a Blink attack.
Even Eve had been impressed by how seamlessly the combo had flowed.

But to think that someone as formidable as Drixion would be taken down by a no-name commoner.

“That spell… It’s the first time I’ve seen something like it, right?”
“Yeah, there was no pentagram in the formula.”

A magic spell without a pentagram. That could only mean…

“Could it be a unique spell?”
“Or maybe a signature magic from a specific school.”

Unique spells passed down within magical families, refined and perfected through generations.
But a commoner with no family background using a unique spell?
That’s just impossible.

And there’s no way a mere freshman would be capable of using an advanced school’s unique spell.

Eve muttered in a tone of disbelief.
“Could it be… self-created?”

Creating a spell from scratch—it’s not entirely impossible.
Sometimes, geniuses who defy common sense do appear.
But a freshman who created his own spell? That’s unheard of.

[Luke Richter, Victory!]

Against everyone’s expectations, Luke Richter had emerged victorious.
After standing there absentmindedly for a moment, he simply turned around and walked back to the waiting area.
A wave of murmurs rippled through the spectator seats.

“Who is that guy?”
“Drixion lost?”
“That must’ve been a fluke.”
“Is it even possible to get blown away like that with just one spell?”

The reactions from the audience were mostly dismissive.
Most couldn’t help but question Luke Richter, the commoner who had just caused such a stir.

But the reaction in the scouts’ special seats was quite different.
They too seemed to have felt the strange unease from the previous match.

---

[Next Match: Evan Stitch vs. George Arrote!]

The matches continued.
Since the preliminaries were organized by grade level, students of similar skill naturally ended up competing against each other.
Thanks to that, the matches were quite entertaining.
Of course, there were some one-sided fights as well.

“That George Arrote guy is pretty skilled.”
“Yeah, he looks annoyingly smug, but his technique is solid.”

With a sly smile, George Arrote deftly parried his opponent’s attacks.
Then, with a simple but precise combo, he knocked his opponent into a state of unconsciousness.

“Isn’t that guy a commoner too?”
“Yeah. I heard he’s an unaffiliated commoner.”
“Why are commoners these days so ridiculously strong…?”

The matches continued without much delay.
With most fights ending quickly, the first round was wrapped up in no time.

Next up was the second round.
After filtering out the losers from the first round, the remaining contestants would fight again.

[Luke Richter and Ellie Drunin! Please come to the arena!]

A commoner who had just fought earlier versus the precious daughter of the Drunin family.
Normally, people would bet on the Drunin heiress winning without question…

“Who do you think will win?”
“I’m betting on that guy.”
“Same here.”

No one could imagine Luke Richter, who had defeated Drixion, losing to Ellie Drunin.
And their prediction hit the mark once again.

Boom—!!

With that same bizarre pose, Luke unleashed a compressed shockwave from his palm.

Ellie Drunin, caught completely off guard, was blasted backward in an instant.
Before she could even process what had happened, she was already outside the boundary line.

The crowd, initially buzzing with excitement, fell into a stunned silence.

“W-What just happened?”
“Ellie Drunin… lost?”
“Was that… that wind spell again?”

As people tried to process the outcome, Luke Richter casually brushed off his hands and walked away.
His calm demeanor seemed to infuriate the crowd even more.

“How can a commoner like him be so strong?”
“Didn’t they say he’s just a freshman?”
“How many times has he won in a row now?”

The scouts, though, looked intrigued rather than upset.
Among them, Eve’s eyes gleamed with curiosity.

“This guy… Who the hell is he?”

“Aaaahhhhh!!!”

Just like Drixion earlier, Ellie Drunin was sent flying at the exact same angle.
The sight was so ridiculous that some of the spectators burst into laughter.

“Pfft…!”

What a crazy guy.
Is that really the only spell he knows?
Or is this some kind of performance?
It’s impossible to figure out what’s going on with this guy.

[ Lu… Luke Richter, Victory! ]

Even the referee, watching the situation unfold, stammered out of sheer confusion.
The reaction from the audience gradually shifted from suspicion to sheer disbelief.

If a coincidence keeps repeating, it’s no longer a coincidence.
To begin with, the ones calling it a coincidence clearly didn’t know what they were talking about.

The same pattern continued in the following matches.
Some opponents tried to analyze and counter the bizarre magic, but it was all in vain.

Even if they set up barriers, they’d still get launched with the barrier intact.
Even if they dodged the initial strike, the match would still end with them being blown out of the arena.

“I… I forfeit.”

Even George Arrote, who was considered a potential match for Luke Richter, surrendered the moment he saw him.

With similar scenes repeating over and over, the preliminaries eventually reached the final match.

[ Luke Richter, and Van Beonar! ]

The Crown Prince of the Belkin Empire, Van Beonar.
He was finally chosen as Luke Richter’s opponent.

While Luke casually made his way to the arena, the prince’s face was visibly tense.

“Is he going to blow him away again?”
“Who knows? It’s probably the only way he knows how to win.”

Van Beonar.
He was the last surviving prince from the brutal succession war within the Belkin Empire.
He survived not just because of his combat skills but because of his cunning and ruthlessness.

If it weren’t for that strange magic that blows people away, could that commoner really beat the Crown Prince?
Eve couldn’t imagine such a scenario and was convinced it wouldn’t happen.

[ Start!! ]

The battle began.
Luke Richter and Van Beonar maintained a cautious distance, staring each other down.
The Crown Prince kept his guard up, his eyes locked on Luke.
Meanwhile, Luke just smiled cheerfully, meeting the prince’s gaze.

Then, suddenly—

[ 4-Star Spell: Sinkhole ]

The ground of the arena began to cave in.
The entire ground trembled as a massive pit formed where Van Beonar was standing.

“Oh, impressive.”
“That casting speed is unreal.”

The other scouts in the audience couldn’t help but voice their admiration.
It was the first time Luke had used a conventional magic spell.

But it wasn’t just Luke who was impressive.

[ 4-Star Spell: Fly ]

Van Beonar floated midair, surrounded by a golden protective barrier.
It was as if he had predicted the entire situation.

“As expected of the Crown Prince.”

His reaction speed and judgment were exceptional, far beyond what one would expect from a freshman.
Hovering in the air, Van Beonar looked down at Luke and smirked.

“Same trick as always, Luke Richter. Did you really think I’d fall for that again?”
His arrogant voice echoed through the arena.

“I can see right through you.”
Van Beonar continued to taunt, but Luke just kept his faint smile.

And then—

Luke slowly raised his hands, as if to stretch, and then—

[ Special Magic: Wind Cannon ]

A powerful gust of wind burst forth from Luke’s hands.
The sound it made as it cut through the air was deafening.

“What?!”

Van Beonar, still floating, instinctively raised his barrier to its maximum.
But the compressed wind force slammed into him with such intensity that his barrier shattered like glass.

“Argh!!”

The Crown Prince was blown backward, his body spinning midair before he crashed outside the boundary line.

The crowd gasped collectively.
The Belkin Crown Prince, one of the most formidable freshmen, had been blown away just like the others.

[ Luke Richter, Victory! ]

The referee announced in a shaky voice.
Luke just brushed his hands together as if shaking off dust and turned to leave the arena.

The audience, completely dumbfounded, couldn’t muster a single cheer.
Somewhere in the stands, a scout muttered under his breath.

“…Did we just witness a miracle?”
“More like a catastrophe for the Crown Prince.”

The previously noisy arena fell into an eerie silence as Luke calmly walked back to the waiting room, his steps unhurried.

[ 5-Star Spell: Reverse Gravity ]

With a bizarre sensation of reversed gravity, the Crown Prince, who was floating in midair, plummeted at an alarming speed into the gaping pit below.

“Wha… What the…?”

Reverse Gravity – a 5-star spell, especially notorious for being one of the most complex spatial magic spells.
It was already shocking that a mere freshman could use a 5-star spell, but the fact that it was a spatial spell made it even more astounding.

A chilling silence engulfed the spectator stands.
The scouts, too, could only watch the match with eyes full of disbelief.

[ 3-Star Spell: Torrent ]

A magical formula appeared in the air briefly before vanishing.
Simultaneously, a massive torrent of water surged into the large pit, filling it up.

[ 4-Star Spell: Over Freeze ]

As the water filled the sinkhole, a cold blue light seeped in.

Crack! Crackle! Crackkk!

An icy prison blossomed over the water-filled pit, creating a perfect combination.

However, it seemed that Luke Richter was just getting started, as he relentlessly continued to cast more spells.

[ 4-Star Spell: Quagmire ]

[ 3-Star Spell: Psychokinesis ]

The arena’s ground started to ripple like waves.
At the same time, the undulating earth rose and enveloped the frozen prison in a rounded dome.

[ 4-Star Spell: Call Lightning ]

A vivid blue beam shot upward like a pillar into the sky.
Suddenly, dark clouds gathered in the once-clear sky.

Brrrrrmmmmm—!!

The overwhelming surge of mana caused the air to vibrate.
Soon, from beyond the dense clouds, a brilliant blue lightning bolt flashed.

Crashhhhh—!!

A massive bolt of lightning struck the rounded earth that encased the frozen prison.
The mushy, unstable ground was instantly seared by the high-temperature lightning, leaving it crisp and solid.

Due to the extreme heat generated by the intense electrical surge,
The earth, now perfectly baked, hardened to an exceptional degree.

“…This is insane.”

What did I just witness?
Eve, sitting still, slowly blinked in disbelief.

It all happened so fast.
Within that short span, Luke had cast six spells.

The precision, the flawless spell combinations, and the practical application—
There was not a single flaw to be found.

Luke Richter wasn’t just theoretically skilled;
He was a genius who could seamlessly execute complex magic in real combat.
He wasn’t just a theorist—he was a natural-born prodigy.

However—

“A… A grave…?!”

There lay Van Beonar, buried deep within the ground.
The solid, dome-shaped earth encasing the frozen prison looked eerily like a massive grave.

“…”

Luke Richter had literally buried the Crown Prince alive.
Yet, his expression remained indifferent, as if it was nothing significant.

[ L-Luke Ri… Richter, Victory!!! ]

The referee barely managed to announce Luke’s victory, almost squeezing the words out.
And thus, the most sensational preliminary round came to an end.