14. Omen (2)
The intense lightning scorched the ground and even sent up a thick plume of smoke.
The dust cloud that had risen as if to fill the sky gradually subsided, and there was nothing standing in that place – literally, not even a small pebble remained unbroken; the rocks embedded here and there had all disintegrated into sand.
Karla observed the scene, gasping for breath.
With a backpack full of sand and having run for what felt like hours, her body felt as if all its strength had drained away, as heavy as a thousand pounds. Yet, the grand spectacle before her eyes satisfied her deeply.
‘This… this can’t be possible?’
Albina widened her eyes in disbelief and attempted to detect any residual mana.
No matter how minor or elementary, she had once been the captain of a squadron within the Mage Brigade, not to mention her summoning abilities.
Yet, the slime she had summoned – she couldn’t feel it anymore.
There was no trace of it left. It was as if the slime had been completely erased from existence.
It had vanished entirely. Despite being connected to her mana, not a trace remained; it had been forcibly annihilated from the world.
Seeing Albina’s disarray only deepened Karla’s sense of fulfillment and satisfaction.
Wasn’t this undeniable and solid proof right here for anyone to see?
Right before their eyes, Karla had accomplished what even Ivan couldn’t – the complete annihilation of the slime.
“K-Karla. You’ve become several times stronger than during the entrance exam…”
Albina’s voice faltered as she started to offer her critique. Though Karla felt no need for commentary, out of curiosity, she waited to hear what Albina would say, remembering how greatly Ivan had been praised.
“Of course, it did take some preparation time… Not that we’d have much time in actual combat, but if it hits, it could annihilate even a Heavy Mage Infantry instantly.”
In reality, assuming the opponent was human, this devastating punch was nearly flawless.
Although it required much preparation for now, with practice, it could evolve into a flawless technique. Furthermore, once Karla mastered the control of her power, there was no doubt this single blow could become unbeatable in individual combat.
“Excellent, Karla. Absolutely excellent. Next… Liam? Come forward, Liam.”
“Having to follow such a monster’s turn is overwhelming.”
While Albina summoned a new slime, Liam grumbled but stepped forward. Holding an imperial curved blade with its expansive design, Liam traced a seal over it, invoking flames that burned fiercely as he pointed his weapon towards the slime.
“Only three slimes left, so go easy on them?” Albina teased.
“I wish I could, Instructor, but it’s not really within my control.”
Under his quiet chanting in an alien tongue, the flames around Liam’s blade roared, and with a powerful slash, he split the slime down the middle, making a gushing sound as it rolled onto the ground.
While the flames burned intensely for a while, once they subsided, the slime simply rose up again, fusing its halves and restoring itself.
“Excellent, Liam. You remind me of your father, Fumo, in his prime.”
“Hmph.”
Liam smirked at Albina’s praise.
“The commendation is appreciated, but after the earlier monster, words of encouragement do nothing.”
He was referring to Karla, whose ability to annihilate the slime in a single strike left little impression from whoever followed her act – a sentiment of unease that even extended to Regina, whose usually cheerful face tinged with red now bore signs of tension.
‘It seems like she’s reached a level I can’t keep up with… Ivan, and now Karla…’
Summoning her courage and concentrating her mana, Regina stretched her trembling hand, channeling its energy and reciting an incantation.
“Frost Magic: [Absolute Zero].”
As her finger pointed towards the slime, it gradually slowed down until its surface turned a bright blue. The deeper the blue hue intensified, the more motionless it became until it finally shattered completely with a crisp sound, frozen solid.
‘Though I couldn’t destroy it, at least this much…’
This was good enough.
With this level of freezing, just a few swings of a hammer would be enough to shatter it.
“Regina, that’s an intriguing magic you’ve learned. Just as there’s a typhoon in Wind Magecraft, there’s Absolute Zero in Frost Magecraft. But while it’s symbolic, it’s difficult to use and Frost Mages themselves aren’t common. Your range is still narrow, but by combining skills and considering your magic circuits, you can expand the range as much as you wish.”
“Yes, I’ll work hard, Instructor.”
Regina was conflicted. She couldn’t match Karla or Ivan…
Can I become stronger if I work hard?
“Well, shall we move on to the next phase? We’re transitioning to area spells now. Although, we shouldn’t be starting this stage so early, really.”
Still, it’s best, isn’t it?
Albina justified her decision, reasoning that cultivating strong mages was the academy’s purpose, and aligning their education to their current level was ideal.
As Albina explained what was coming next, Karla’s gaze met Ivan’s.
“Huh… why?”
When Ivan returned her stare, Karla firmly declared:
“This time, I will defeat you again, Ivan.”
“Huh… what?”
“I’m saying I’m going to fight you seriously this time, Ivan. It’s not going to be easy with just some half-hearted preparation.”
With Karla’s eyes burning with a fervent rivalry, Ivan struggled to figure out an appropriate response.
But, clearly dissatisfied with his hesitation, Karla turned away with a dismissive snort.
“…Alright,” Ivan finally replied.
And upon this response, Karla allowed herself a small nod, her tensed expression easing.
*
Two types of magical tests followed.
One was for long-range, wide-area magic used to target extended battle lines. The other, designed to counteract the above, was to disperse the enemy lines and employ wide-area spells to counter them.
The results were consistent: Liam managed to hold his own to a degree with his Swordfire magic but still showed weaknesses in dealing with larger areas. Emil, relying solely on power condensed in explosive orbs, faced issues stemming from the limited versatility of this approach.
Then there was Karla, whose circuit design lacked the necessary extensions, making her unable to perform both types of magic under the given constraints.
Albina observed Karla with a growing sense of puzzlement.
It was apparent that as a military mage, Karla had limitations. Her circuits lacked any lateral extensions, thereby rendering her incapable of contributing to full-frontal engagements and, considering her Lightning Affinity, her flashy and power-heavy magic was prone to other issues as well.
It was evident she had put effort into becoming this strong for certain reasons, but Albina hesitated to ask about her motivations, considering Karla’s personality, as well as the weight of her family background.
“Alright then, for now, we’ve gathered enough data. Future lessons will be built upon what we’ve observed in this session. That concludes the morning practice. This afternoon, we will proceed to theory lessons. So, lunch break! Everyone dig in, and don’t be late for the next session!”
“Understood—”
As Ivan, Regina, and Emil loudly acknowledged, the group prepared to descend the training grounds when an unexpected change occurred.
“…Is this fog supposed to be so thick?”
Even without Liam’s question, Albina had already been scanning her surroundings nervously.
The unexplained thickness of the fog, appearing without the presence of a lake or river, gave off an ominous vibe. The heavy veil obstructing their vision served only to amplify the foreboding atmosphere.
“Don’t stray from my side. Everyone, take this.”
As Albina reached out, small, figurine-like objects appeared in her hand.
She distributed them to her students, her tone strained.
“I’m giving these to you just in case something happens. Keep them with you, understood?”
Atop a towering tree, somebody observed the scene from above, a crystal orb floating over their hand, revealing a pair of fiery red eyes within.
“So, should we proceed right now?”
The woman asked her counterpart within the crystal.
In a hushed tone, mindful of being overheard, she received her response.
– Be patient. Is this another reckless act after your last mistake?
“Mercurio said there’s no time. That one-eyed guy’s schedule is uncertain, so we’ve been ordered to act swiftly. I’ll do it my way.”
– Tch… just wait. Mercurio said he’d try to align with the school lunch bell, so we have some time. Be patient.
“And trust that? You expect me to wait around while you do nothing? I’ve got this. Besides, we have the council’s approval, right?”
– Like the council would approve of this. Be patient.
“Fine. I’ll handle it. I won’t screw it up like Mercurio did. Speaking of which, who gave the authorization anyway?”
The crystal fell silent.
Just as she was about to press the matter, the reply finally came.
– …It was authorized by the Royal Palace’s Court Mage. Clear enough?”
