Chapter 51: Competition Between the Two Academies (Part 2)

“If I fail, I’ll abide by our agreement. But after that, you must never be defeated by anyone else. If you lose, you must win it back!”
…What exactly does she want?
Sigh, I should have refused her from the start… Tch, so troublesome!
Still, losing does… really feel bad…
“There are so many people signing up…”
“Mm…”
“Hey, buddy, are you hearing me?”
“Mm… What were you saying?”
“I was defeated by you,” Allen said, shaking his head helplessly and gesturing at the crowded crowd around them. “It’s just as busy as last year’s school festival…”
“Maybe it’s because there are students from other academies, so they’re putting in extra effort,” Jiang Zhe said, glancing at Allen’s iron gloves. “Is it really okay to wear something like that?”
Allen chuckled and pointed to a professor from the Rexox Academy not far away, who was repeating the competition rules over and over again.
“…I’ll restate the competition rules once more: Competing students are prohibited from using level-six magic, and the use of highly dangerous curse magic is restricted… It is strictly forbidden to attack after the opponent has surrendered. Violators will be deemed losers… Being unconscious, leaving the field, or surrendering voluntarily all result in defeat… Both sides may bring auxiliary props for the competition…”
“Hehe, did you hear that?”
“I heard it…” Jiang Zhe shook his head irritably and muttered, “Is that also considered an auxiliary magic prop?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Zhe suddenly felt someone approaching from behind. Turning around, he saw it was Ravia.
Ravia glanced at the long line of people signing up and murmured, “No way, there are so many people?”
“You’re only seeing a small portion,” Allen said, shrugging and pointing in the direction behind the castle. “I think the professors are also a bit surprised…”
“Mm…” Ravia looked around at the students, frowning slightly. Then she glanced at Allen, who stepped back knowingly to let Ravia line up behind Jiang Zhe.
Looking at Ravia, Jiang Zhe said helplessly, “Hey, cutting in like this will upset the students behind us…”
Ravia gave a casual glance behind her and said softly, “What does that have to do with me?”

“…” Jiang Zhe helplessly shook his head and looked around, saying, “It seems almost all of them are students in grade three or above. By the way, Allen, where’s Scott?”
“Who knows? I couldn’t find him early this morning. Damn it, could he have just been pretending to help me yesterday?”
As soon as he finished speaking, a calm voice came from behind Allen.
“Allen, it’s very impolite to talk about others behind their backs…” Scott, dressed in a black magic robe, walked over slowly, gave a slight nod to Jiang Zhe and Lavia, and said, “The number of registered students seems to exceed expectations. So, all students in our academy must take one or two tests before they can participate in the competition…”
“How do you know that?” Allen asked in confusion.
Glancing at Allen, Scott shook his head and continued, “The tests are divided into magic power tests and magic spell tests. Passing either one is enough to qualify for the competition. Since I don’t have any particularly strong offensive magic spells, I chose the magic power test… I’ve already passed!” He said the last part to Allen.
“P-Passed?” As expected, Allen looked shocked before awkwardly saying, “Hey, hehe, I wondered why I couldn’t find you early this morning. So that’s why…”
“I went to the library at that time. I registered on my way back. It didn’t seem as crowded then…” As he spoke, Scott pushed up his glasses, turned around, and waved his hand, saying, “The elimination rounds are in the afternoon. I’ll head back to my dormitory first…”
Looking up at the glaring sun, Allen shrugged irritably, “This guy…”
After waiting a full twenty minutes, it was finally Jiang Zhe’s turn. Just as Scott had said, competing students had to choose between a magic power test and a magic spell test—probably to eliminate those with insufficient skills.
When it was Jiang Zhe’s turn, the professor in charge stared at him for a long time before suddenly saying in a strange tone, “You… are still a second-year student, right?”
“Yes, professor!”
“Hmm…” The professor nodded, pointed at the magic power test device that resembled a crystal ball on the table, as well as a completely black rock in the distance, and smiled, “You seem confident… I hope you can pass! Let’s begin!”
Looking puzzled at the crystal ball and then at the black rock in the distance, Jiang Zhe asked, “Can I choose either one?”

“Yes, either one is fine,” the professor nodded. Noticing a hint of confusion on the student’s face, he explained, “If you’re good at offensive magic, it’s better to choose the magic test. No matter what kind of magic it is, hitting that obsidian once means you pass. But if you’ve studied illusions, curses, or similar spells, it’s better to choose the mana test. As long as you have enough mana to make the crystal ball glow, you pass. Do you understand?”
“I understand…” Jiang Zhe nodded and said, “I’ll choose the magic test!”
“Very good. Come here, child,” the professor said, pointing to a white circle on the ground beside the table. “You only have one chance. Use your best magic!”
“Okay, professor.”
One chance?
Jiang Zhe glanced at the obsidian, which was about ten yards away.
Compared to Professor Hodde’s test, this one was simply…
“A waste of time!” Lavia, standing behind Jiang Zhe, crossed her arms and muttered under her breath.
As soon as she spoke, there was a loud “boom” as a basin-sized fireball struck the obsidian, scattering sparks everywhere.
It was a standard fireball spell!
But…
“Is fireball magic your best spell?” A mocking voice came from somewhere.
Jiang Zhe turned to look and saw a boy with golden hair in the crowd nearby, staring at him with disdain and mockery. “It’s easy if your opponents are targets that won’t dodge! Right, you idiot who got zero points!”
“What are you talking about?” Pushing Lavia aside, Allen stepped forward, clenched his fist, and said, “Do you want me to teach you how to fight? Idiot!”
“Stop trying to scare me, son of a country bumpkin. I heard your father spent a fortune to buy a count title. Tsk, money really is everything!”
“Of course,” Allen replied to his mockery, clenching his fist and sneering. “You’d never be able to do something like that. Next time, I’ll have my old man try to buy a duke title. After all, in the eyes of us nouveau riche from Opereos, gold coins are just as easy to get as your so-called noble titles!”
“Allen Skander!”
“No need to shout so loud. I can hear you, you idiot from the Flores family!”
“You two, watch out!” a professor at the registration desk shouted. “If you disrupt the competition again, your entries will be canceled!”

“Tch!” Glancing at the professor nearby, the blond boy pointed at Allen and said in a threatening tone, “You’d better pray you don’t run into me…” He then turned his finger in another direction. “And you, commoner!” After saying that, he glanced at Ravia, snorted coldly, and turned to leave.
“Hey!” Allen shook his head disdainfully and smirked. “To dare be more arrogant than me? Really infuriating!”
“…” Jiang Zhe looked at Allen speechlessly and asked, “Who’s that?”
“Hm? Don’t you remember? That idiot from the Flores family, Vincent! I heard from Scott that you met him when you first arrived at the academy. No memory?”
“No memory!” Jiang Zhe shrugged indifferently.
By chance, Ravia had also passed the magic test. Hearing this, she said with a hint of pride, “Right, Thors. You don’t need to worry about others. Your opponent… is me!” she said as she stepped closer to Jiang Zhe, speaking softly but firmly.
“What’s going on?” Allen asked in surprise, watching Ravia’s retreating figure. “She seems… a bit different today… Hmm, seems like she’s quite happy…”
“Is that so? Maybe…”
“…”
“Hey, next! Over there! If you don’t come now, your registration will be canceled!” The professor at the registration desk said impatiently in Allen’s direction.
“Okay, okay, I’m coming… Please don’t say that, Professor. I’m really looking forward to this competition…”
“Stop talking nonsense. Which test do you choose? Hm? Wait… What’s with those gloves of yours? They’re pure iron, right?”
“Hmm, they’re auxiliary magic tools… Is that not allowed?”
“…Well, it’s okay for now…”
Meanwhile, not far from the registration desk, under a tree, several Salonia students in white magic robes seemed to be discussing something.
“Hey, none of them are that great. It seems Heliriox isn’t all that impressive after all!” One of the boys, with brownish-yellow spiky hair, shrugged and said casually.

“Gale, pride and underestimation lead to failure!” Next to him, a boy whose build even surpassed Allen spoke in a serious tone, calm and composed. “Don’t forget, this is just the most basic test… No one would show off all their strength without reservation in such a test. Remember that sixth-grade student just now? He could use [Earth Thorn] to hit the target accurately without aiming deliberately. If that’s the average level of sixth-grade students in Rheox… I’m not so sure…”

“That joke isn’t funny, Eddie…” The boy named Gale said with a mocking shake of his head.

“I’m not joking!” The boy, now called Eddie by his companion, a seemingly steady sixteen- or seventeen-year-old, frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, “Since he’s a sixth-grade student, he must have mastered the earth magic [Rock Statue]. If he’s also skilled in enchantment, I think even [Holy Light Wall] can’t withstand a few heavy strikes from Rock Statue…”

“Hey, that’s impossible, right?”

“Nothing is impossible. Holy Light Wall is already weak against non-magical damage. As long as Rock Statue reaches twenty yards in height… it won’t last long.” Saying this, Eddie took a soft breath, crossed his arms, and narrowed his eyes slightly. “But the most troublesome ones are those skilled in summoning… Helirheox is different from our Salonia. Here, outstanding students can learn not only black magic but also dark magic. If your opponent can summon demons from the Abyss, with two or more of them, I advise you to surrender…”

“Hey, Holy Light can counter all darkness…”

“You’re right. Holy Light can indeed deal heavy damage to dark creatures, but only when there’s not a big difference in strength… The demons from the Abyss are mid-to-high-level demons… And be careful of those skilled in fire magic. If they can summon demons from the [River of Flame], I still advise you to…”

“Surrender again, right?” Glancing at Eddie, Gale shook his head and said firmly, “Do whatever you want. Anyway, I didn’t come here to surrender. Hmph! Let’s see how amazing Helirheox’s students really are!”

As he spoke, he seemed to notice something and turned to the girl beside him, asking curiously, “What are you looking at, Katerina?”

The girl with silver-like hair seemed distracted, taking a few seconds to snap out of it. It was Katerina Catherine Latimer, the Salonia student who had once met Jiang Zhe. She stared at Gayer in confusion before, as if realizing something, she said, “Senior Eddie is right, Gayer. Don’t underestimate the students from Riox. After all, it’s the most famous magic academy in the empire…” She raised her hand and pointed with her slender fingers in the distance. “Can you see him? That boy with dreamy dark golden hair…”

“Hm?” Gayer glanced in the direction Katerina indicated and happened to see Allen hurrying after Jiang Zhe, the two walking back together with arms around each other. He was puzzled, seemingly not understanding Katerina’s reaction, and asked in surprise, “Him? What’s wrong with that kid?”

Katerina smiled slightly and said softly, “That boy’s name is Thos. He’s quite strong…”

“That kid?” Before Katerina could finish, Gayer widened his eyes in disbelief. “His best magic is fireballs? Hey, don’t make me laugh! Is that considered strong? Good heavens… I doubt his fireballs could even shake the Holy Light Wall!”

“Katerina, do you know him?” Eddie asked calmly, watching Jiang Zhe and Allen walk away.

“Well, not really. A few days ago when I met him, he was mostly silent. I could tell he wasn’t very friendly toward me either, so I didn’t dare ask too much… It’s strange. That child gives me a heavy sense of pressure…”

“Tch!” Gayer, with his hedgehog-like hair, curled his lips in mockery. “Scared of a kid who’s eleven or twelve? I’m really impressed by you, Katerina!”

“Don’t say that,” Eddie interjected, seemingly noticing Katerina’s displeasure. “Katerina is an introverted girl. Even at the academy, aside from us a few people she knows, she hardly talks to anyone else. It’s already quite impressive of her, haha! But…” His expression grew serious as he continued, “But she’s right. Didn’t you notice, Gayer? It took that kid about four seconds to cast a fireball…”

“Hey!” Before Eddie could finish, Gayer said jokingly, “Four seconds? Is that considered strong? With a kid like that, even ten of them as opponents wouldn’t scare me…”

“It seems you didn’t notice—you’re not careful enough,” Eddie said in a low voice, shaking his head slightly in disappointment. “Using a fireball in four seconds isn’t great, but what if he didn’t chant any spells at all?”
“H-He didn’t chant?” Gayer stared at Eddie in shock, shaking his head in disbelief. “That’s impossible! Absolutely impossible! A kid like him casting a fireball without chanting in just four seconds? Shouldn’t it take at least two seconds even if he chanted? Even the instructors at the academy are about that level, right?”
“That’s because Salonia doesn’t place much emphasis on green magic. But remember, we’re here in Heliorox—the largest and most famous magic academy in the empire, where black and green magic are highly valued! The students here master green and black magic at the same level we master white magic! If you still harbor pride and contempt, I think you might not make it to face me in the finals…”
“Hey, that won’t do!” Gayer glanced at Eddie and grinned, speaking in a tone that was partly playful and partly serious. “I’ve been waiting a long time to compete with you… Hmph! I really want to see how much of a gap there is between me and you, who’ve become an apprentice of Archbishop Weplington! I assume you’ve already passed the trials to become a holy knight, right?”
“No, not yet…” Eddie shook his head and smiled faintly. “You’ll get your chance. If we meet in the competition, well… I won’t hold back!”
“Who said you should hold back, jerk!”
“Stop arguing, Gayer, Senior Eddie…” Katerina said to her companion standing on the other side. “Gert, try to persuade them too…”
A boy wearing a monocle glanced at the noise nearby, then stared blankly into the distance and murmured, “Don’t worry, Katerina. It’s unlikely they’ll meet in the competition. Senior Eddie will definitely make it, but Gayer…”
“Hey! What do you mean by that, jerk?”
Perhaps Gayer wasn’t the only one who looked down on Heliorox’s students. Among the nearly a hundred Salonia students, most felt the same way. Of course, it was reciprocal—the Heliorox students also didn’t think much of those guys in white magic robes.

This phenomenon arose mainly due to the lack of interaction between the Empire and the Holy See over hundreds of years; the students from both academies were unaware of each other’s strengths, nor did they understand the differences between white and black magic. This was precisely the intention behind the exchange competition organized by the old dean and Father Andrew—these wise elders wanted those naive youngsters to see just how vast the world really was!

It was the students from Salonia who first realized the strength of their opponents. Fortunately, with only a hundred students competing, they didn’t need to go through multiple elimination rounds like the students from Riox. When they saw giant stone statues, even boulder-like figures, shaking the ground with their fists; when they saw some Riox students summoning more than three contract beasts at once; when red flames swept across the entire arena, sending waves of heat in everyone’s direction; when storms swept through the area, making it impossible to keep one’s eyes open—only then did the Salonia students realize this was Riox! This was the Empire’s most famous and oldest magic academy, Heliriox!

Of course, not all matches were as entertaining. Amidst several exciting contests, there would always be some boring and dull ones, but those were usually lower-level matches. For magicians, combat experience is indeed a very important factor. For example, when younger students faced older ones, those seniors didn’t use advanced spells like those used against peers, but only basic spells such as fireballs, fire waves, and beast imitations. Yet even so, as the elimination rounds progressed, the younger students were eliminated one after another. Apart from differences in mana and control, combat experience was the main reason for their failures.

By the fourth round of eliminations, hardly any students from grade three and below remained—of course, this didn’t include Jiang Zhe and the others. At least Jiang Zhe, Allen, Scott, and Lavia had advanced, and even Lisa and Lailira had defeated their opponents. Vincent Flores, the noble student who saw Jiang Zhe and Allen as enemies, along with his two roommates, also passed those elimination rounds. Aside from these few, almost no students from the second year managed to make it through, let alone those from the first year. Having just started studying at Riox Academy, they had no chance against their seniors and none of them survived.

Finally, after the fifth round of eliminations, only about three hundred students remained from Riox Academy. The rest had been eliminated one after another. Among these two hundred students, those in grades four, five, and six made up nearly 80% of them. Even Lisa and Lailira were unfortunate enough to lose, as they were only at the second-grade level and found it extremely difficult to compete against students from higher grades.

Throughout these elimination rounds, the most prominent figures were probably Jiang Zhe, Allen, Scott, as well as Raviya, Vincent Flores, and a few others.

First, there was Jiang Zhe. Before the eliminations, Professor Hodde came to see him and forbade him from using Flashfire in the matches, as this spell’s damage was too great—its instantaneous explosive force combined with the burning effect of flames was beyond what everyone could withstand.

Jiang Zhe hadn’t realized this because his sparring partner was Professor Hodde himself. With a professor whose strength was nearly on par with that of a grand mage as his opponent, Jiang Zhe could use Flashfire freely without worrying about harming Professor Hodde… because he simply couldn’t do so.

This time, however, it was different. If it were students from grades five or six, they might have prepared a barrier or auxiliary spell to reduce fire damage before facing him. But if it were students from grades three or four, or even those in the same grade, the explosive force of a single Flashfire blast could be enough to injure them—something Professor Hodde didn’t want to see.

Of course, besides this, Professor Hodde also didn’t want Jiang Zhe to become arrogant because of this spell.

As a result, Jiang Zhe could basically only win matches using Fireball, as it and Firebolt were the spells he mastered most proficiently—more so than Flashfire.

Coupled with his excellent control and wide perception range, his opponents in several elimination rounds found Jiang Zhe’s Fireballs extremely troublesome.

It was quite astonishing that someone who relied mainly on Fireballs in most of his matches could still make it to the actual competition.

Next was Allen. He was probably the most notable among the lower-grade students. After all, he was the only mage in entire Riox Academy who defeated his opponents with his fists. Every student who faced him was unfortunately knocked out and carried off the field…

Scott was probably the least well-known of the three, and his matches were the most boring and dull. After all, curse magic wasn’t as exciting as green magic. Yet, the senior students had already noticed this junior who barely allowed his opponents to cast any spells throughout a match…

Ravia’s match, on the other hand, was the most eye-catching, as she was one of the few girls among the competing students. Despite appearing delicate, she achieved a crushing victory over a third-year senior, which was truly surprising. Coupled with her attractive appearance, many people cheered for her during her matches.

As for that noble student named Vincent Flores, the spells he used in the matches seemed to indicate he was an expert in summoning magic. But once, he used earth magic—“Earth Thorns”—to pierce the arm of his third-year opponent.

By the time the elimination rounds… well, let’s call them qualifying elimination rounds… ended, it had already started to darken. There were simply too many students participating. Even with several arenas and short match durations, things went on until dinner time.

The students gradually left, while the professors began planning the schedule for the next day. It seemed like the tasks were much easier than the previous elimination rounds, but in reality, they weren’t. With the addition of those 100 Salonia students, the professors had to think carefully and discuss thoroughly their plans, as they didn’t want Salonia to think they were playing dirty.

Overall, the ratio of students from Rexox Academy to Salonia Academy was three to one, and the professors followed this ratio when scheduling matches. That is, after a Rexox student competed in two matches against students from their own academy, they would inevitably face a Salonia student—very fair.

The real competition had just begun…