Chapter 178

178

‘He resisted by force?’

The gravity magic used by Toluah manipulates the gravity around the user, excluding the user themselves.

A high-difficulty spell affecting the surrounding area.

Its incantation is also very complex, making it quite difficult to use.

However, if successful, it is an extremely powerful spell.

Of course, this spell also has its weaknesses.

Since it’s a magic spell, after all, one can either dispel the incantation or increase their magic resistance to withstand it.

Toluah thought there might be a first-year student who could deal with this magic.

“But I didn’t expect this kind of response.”

“To resist by brute force… That’s not very wizard-like, is it?”

“But I’m an all-class student.”

As Leo spoke, Toluah crossed her arms.

As a fifth-year student in the Department of Magic.

And as the top student in the Department of Magic, Toluah had always regretfully thought of Leo’s potential.

Not that she dismissed Leo’s talent as a knight or as a summoner.

But Toluah believed that Leo’s most powerful and prominent advantage was ‘magic.’

At first, it was merely out of simple curiosity.

However, the more Toluah got to know Leo, the more certain she became that there was no human more suited to be a wizard than Leo.

“And that fact hasn’t changed, even now.”

Sedgen had arranged this event not solely for the first-year students but also to offer lessons and advice to the fifth-years leaving the school, to ensure they had no regrets.

Of course, graduating doesn’t mean severing ties with Lumeran.

But even so, the fifth-years couldn’t help but feel a bittersweet parting.

“Professor probably wanted us to leave our mark in some way.”

Toluah glanced at Sedgen and then looked at Leo.

Toluah, too, wanted to teach and encourage the younger students who would lead Lumeran in the future.

But…

“What should I say to this one?”

Toluah didn’t know what kind of advice to give Leo.

Even while tilting her head slightly, Toluah casually waved her hand.

Ku-kung!

“Ke-hek!”

“Cough?”

Other students working in Leo’s team screamed.

The pressure grew even stronger.

Even Leo’s knees wobbled.

Cold sweat poured from his entire body, and his limbs trembled.

An unimaginable gravitational force pressed against his entire body.

But Leo’s knees did not buckle.

Toluah smiled.

“Can you keep it up?”

Hwa-ak!

‘The gravity keeps increasing.’

Leo, resisting the magic with brute force, smirked as he looked at Toluah.

At that moment…

Hwa-ak!

Chloe and Abad abruptly stood up.

Seeing this, Toluah’s eyes widened.

“Dispel?”

No one had ever dispelled Toluah’s gravity magic until now.

However, among the first-years in the Department of Magic, Chloe and Abad were unmatched talents.

Quickly, they successfully dispelled her magic.

Hwa-ak!

Leo also quickly succeeded with a dispel, freeing himself from Toluah’s magic influence.

Following him, Chelsea also dispelled the magic.

“Yip!”

In an instant, Chelsea closed the distance with Toluah.

Hwa-ak!

Toluah stepped back to evade Chelsea.

Then the gravity magic affecting the other students dissipated.

“Of course! Now I understand the magic can be broken if the caster moves!”

“To notice this is impressive. The third-ranked wizard certainly lives up to the name.”

Toluah smiled gently and flicked her finger.

Chep-png! Chep-png!

Then, in the air, a magic circle opened, dropping eight blue, slippery objects onto the ground.

The students looked at them curiously.

“What is that?”

“Slimes?”

“Did Senior Toluah use summoning magic?”

Summoning magic.

It’s a technique that blends summoning arts with magic.

Typically, when a wizard controls a servant familiar, this technique is used.

Servant familiars are usually enhanced creatures reinforced by magic, not familiars or spirits.

The eight slimes began to squirm and soon took on the form of humans.

Seeing this, Chelsea was confused.

“Me?”

“Ding dong dang. Correct.”

Toluah smiled.

“These slimes are chimeras I created. They have the ability to copy another’s appearance and abilities. Their name is Ditto.”

“To copy both appearance and abilities? Even if Senior Toluah is amazing, aren’t specialized forms of life magic outside her expertise? Is it even possible to create such advanced chimeras?”

As Chloe shook her head and spoke, Toluah blinked, then walked over to a slime that looked like Chloe, squatting down and slightly lifting the hem of its garment.

“What are you doing?”

Chloe turned bright red and protested, feeling embarrassed because a slime that resembled her had been teased.

Back up, Toluah stood and blinked.

“Junior, at fifteen, it’s still a fresh age, but… isn’t your preference a bit too girlish? Rabbits… ”

“Ack! Ack! Ack!”

Chloe screamed hysterically, cutting off Toluah’s words.

Her voice, momentarily amplified by magic, drowned out Toluah’s voice mid-sentence.

Especially sensitive to sound, Abad and Chelsea had to cover their ears.

Toluah blankly blinked her expressionless face and then glanced at Leo as she said,

“With this, I might not be able to charm Leo…”

“Aaaaaaaaaaah!”

This time, Chloe screamed so loudly it shook the entire training ground.

Everyone in the training ground was startled, covering their ears and looking at Chloe.

After seeing Chloe with a red face, everyone quickly glanced at Toluah, who they presumed to be the cause of the issue.

“Hey, Toluah. Stop teasing the junior.”

Jamua admonished her, and Toluah chuckled.

“Sorry. She’s just too cute.”

“No matter how cute, teasing this much is annoying…”

“Haaap!”

With a shout, Selia unleashed powerful energy, and with incredible speed, the special ball flew and struck Jamua squarely on the forehead.

Kwa-aang!

An immense explosion of sound rang out.

The powerful flaming aura infused with Sia’s first-year Knight Department skill was formidable.

Especially when combined with the compatible fiery aura of Bastera weapons, such an attack was so powerful that even second and third-year students would have struggled.

Tuk! Ting! Ting! Ting!

But the ball simply bounced uselessly on the ground.

“Hmm.”

Jamua, whose head had been tilted backward from Sia’s attack, massaged her neck and grinned.

“This one stung a bit, huh?”

“Krk.”

This was her third attack—first Duran, then Chen Sia, now Sia.

But Jamua had taken all these attacks head-on.

She didn’t move a single step from where she initially stood.

Before the match began,

Jamua had declared,

“I’ll forgo my ten turns.”

“Huh?”

Sia was taken aback.

“Here, I’ll remain still without moving a step while you all throw ten balls. Winning by making me move even a step is all yours.”

Jamua grinned.

“Feel free to strategize in any way you want based on my rules. You could score one goal and pass the time. Professor Sedgen will reward good performances regardless of the details if you manage to defeat me, a fifth-year. That’s my guarantee.”

Upon hearing Jamua’s words, Chen Sia tilted her head in confusion.

“Why the extreme favoritism?”

“Because you will lead the Knight Department. I like outstanding juniors.”

Jamua chuckled.

“As a fifth-year senior, I’m giving you a chance to earn a high score.”

“That’s very generous of you.”

Pajijijik!

Duran snatched the ball from Sia, veins bulging on his forehead.

“But we won’t accept such leniency.”

Kwagagagagagak!

A sharp and destructive aura of lightning surged and danced around him.

Everyone watching was startled.

“When had he become so powerful?”

The Lightning attribute, like flames, possesses formidable destructive power.

Because it was also highly specialized in ‘speed,’ Duran had always pursued both power and velocity.

Because of this, there was a perception that his attack strength was weaker compared to Sia’s flame aura.

But as if to disprove that, the lightning aura currently glowing in Duran’s hands was charged with unimaginable power.

Hwa-ak!

Duran raised the ball high.

Pwip-pwip!

With a golden flash, lightning erupted as the ball rushed straight toward Duran.

Pajijijik!

Sparks flew in all directions.

Tuk!

But the ball just rolled uselessly on the ground.

“That makes one.”

Jamua smirked, speaking up.

Howl retrieved the ball and glanced at Jamua with what seemed to be a disbelieving look.

‘This is Senior Jamua with the iron wall.’

Ris, Ulta, Toluah, and Jamua were collectively referred to as the strongest fifth-years.

But unlike Ris, whose overwhelming offensive power was famous, or Toluah’s broad use of magic, or even Ulta’s flashy abilities, Jamua lacked flamboyance.

However, when it came to one-on-one combat, Jamua was one of the toughest opponents.

Jamua’s terrifying aspect was her “defense.”

She possessed the uncanny stamina and defenses of a monster that never fell, earning her the nickname ‘Iron Wall.’

The man who had always saved his teammates’ lives by enduring and resisting until the last moment in times of crisis.

‘Even with these three being the strongest first-year knights, can they manage to move Senior Jamua with Bastera?’

Though close to real combat, Bastera was still ultimately within the bounds of sports, limited by constraints that didn’t fully reflect true battlefield conditions.

The teammates of the three were unsure how to bring down Jamua.

“How about this, Howl?”

“Hm?”

“Howl handed the ball to Celia, who had approached him.

“Thanks.”

Her face slightly red, Howl cleared his throat.

“Sia, Duran, come over here.”

Celia glanced at Leo, who was playing nearby, then continued.

“I have a plan.”

*

“Isn’t my slime creation amazing?”

Toluah proudly crossed her arms and boasted.

“Both appearance and abilities are exact!”

“It’s truly impressive.”

Abad extended his palm.

“Wind Storm.”

Kwagagagak!

A massive, roaring whirlwind raged.

“Let’s see if they can handle this level of attack, shall we?”

“Ah. That might be too much.”

Kwagagagak!

Simultaneously with Toluah’s words, the eight slimes were shattered into pieces and scattered.

But soon, they began to squirm back together.

“But though they can’t counteract the attack directly, they boast excellent durability, quickly reverting to their original form. And…”

Toluah casually flicked the ball towards her juniors’ goal.

“This is Bastera. Not too distracted by slimes, are you?”

The seemingly easy toss, enhanced by magic, moved at an incredible speed. As Abad moved to hastily block the ball…

“Pimbulret.”

Tzerzerzerzerzeric-!

With a small incantation, an intense cold swept in.

The cold not only froze the ball but also caught the slimes reverting to their original form, freezing them all in place.

Chloe, who had cast the spell, relaxed her staff with a puff.

A chilling frost swirled around her.

“Wow? A new unique magic?”

Toluah’s eyes sparkled.

Hwarururuk!

Toluah extended her hand into the air.

Pwip!

In the same moment, a staff appeared from the void.

Seeing Toluah take her staff, the first-years tensed.

A wizard taking up their staff meant only one thing.

‘This is going serious!’