The sun was beginning to set as Elian stared at the two books Fin had handed him. Basically, people could only master one element—until the rise of the Arch Mage. By forming a magic circle, an Arch Mage could wield multiple elements at once. From that moment on, he started building the Magic Tower and trading single-use books that allowed others to learn various types of magic.
Many merchants dreamed of inheriting the Arch Mage's destiny—not for the power itself, but because that ability brought enormous profit.
Elian opened the water magic book first. Every word in the book began to glow, floating toward his head. In an instant, the book spun rapidly, all the words absorbed into Elian's mind, leaving the book empty. The knowledge was now stored in his head. He then opened the lightning magic book, and the same thing happened.
Night began to fall, but Elian kept practicing the knowledge now in his mind. In magic mastery, there were three stages:
1.Control—allowing the user to manipulate elements around them.
2.Manifestation—allowing the creation of elements from nothing.
3.Mastery—those who reached this stage could turn the entire land into a field of fire or lightning with their power.
After mastering water and lightning magic to the Manifestation stage, Elian decided to rest. Reaching Mastery in a single day was impossible; even though Control and Manifestation could be achieved faster, the gap to Mastery was enormous and unexplained. Even the most talented could take years to reach it.
The next day, rumors had already spread. Many students waited eagerly to see what would happen during the break period. Elian went about his activities as usual until 9 AM, when he started walking toward the East Arena.
At the entrance, he saw Fin and Max already waiting for him. Elian approached them immediately.
"By the way, Fin, the books you got… no killing involved, right?" he asked.
Fin flinched slightly, then quickly calmed himself. "Don't worry, Master. I only had the subordinates handle the transactions with merchants in the capital. As for the lightning magic book, it was obtained through an agreement with one of the noble families."
Elian nodded, understanding. For security reasons, the academy being close to the capital allowed Fin to acquire what Elian needed quickly. They walked together into the arena, which resembled a coliseum.
Elian walked to the center of the arena, while Fin and Max left him. On the opposite side, he saw Wiliams holding a long magic staff. As Wiliams planted his feet in the middle of the arena, the crowd erupted in cheers.
The arena stretched about 300 meters, and it was clear that almost all students from first to fourth year were present to witness the spectacle.
A host climbed onto a small stage and raised his hand to get everyone's attention. "Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to today's special duel! On one side, we have Wiliams Cedric, a Sequence 8 fighter with extraordinary fire magic! And on the other… Elian Arcadia, a Sequence 9 fighter from the Arcadia family!"
The crowd cheered. Many supported Wiliams, while others jeered at Elian. The level difference made most confident about who would win, especially since some nobles knew how weak Elian's power was compared to Wiliams.
The battle began.
Elian formed a magic circle in his hand and launched a water sphere at Wiliams. Wiliams countered with a fireball. As the two elements collided in midair, Elian's water sphere immediately vaporized, and Wiliams' fire also vanished.
While running, Elian shot another water sphere, while Wiliams' fireball vaporized it and continued moving toward him. Elian quickly formed a thick water shield; when the water sphere hit, thick mist erupted.
Elian emerged from the mist, firing wind magic with precision and speed. Wiliams ran closer, but Elian retreated while shooting water spikes at him. Wiliams formed a fire shield, making the water spikes overflow. In an instant, Wiliams was already in front of Elian, hands blazing, choking him.
"I won't make this easy for you," Wiliams said challengingly.
Elian smirked faintly. Suddenly, a chain appeared, binding Wiliams' body.
Wiliams looked into Elian's eyes and sensed something strange. Elian's eyes transformed into a clock—suddenly the ticking sound echoed in Wiliams' ears.
Elian's figure transformed into a pocket watch in Wiliams' hand. This was Persona, the illusion ability of Elian's pocket watch.
Wiliams realized something and tried to move, but his legs felt heavy, his body weak as if running in a dream. The white mist cleared, and Elian stood tall above a large magic circle. Wiliams felt uncomfortable, trying to move forward, but his body felt restrained.
He felt his body grow weaker with every step, each movement like running in a dream, eventually ending with him kneeling on the ground.
The magic circle beneath Elian began to glow, flooding the surrounding area with water. Elian used wind magic to fly.
Wiliams quickly formed water around himself, evaporating the water trying to trap him. Instantly, the arena filled with steam.
After about five minutes, the steam cleared, leaving Wiliams surrounded by roaring flames.
The crowd cheered, witnessing Wiliams endure and stand proudly.
"Not bad. Since you know you can't beat me, you tried a sneaky tactic to weaken and drown me. But unfortunately, I survived," Wiliams said with a mocking smile.
Elian stared at him coldly. "Wrong guess. Better luck next time." A small smirk formed at the corner of his mouth.
Suddenly, dark clouds gathered in the sky with lightning writhing above Elian. He swung his hand, and a bolt of lightning struck Wiliams instantly. The speed of the lightning reached 100,000 km/s—impossible to dodge, even for a Sequence 8. An explosion erupted as the lightning collided with the fire surrounding Wiliams.
The arena fell silent, all eyes fixed on Elian, who looked down at them with icy eyes, majestic and godlike, as if delivering divine judgment upon humans.
The crowd erupted in astonished cheers. They had not expected the duel to escalate so intensely, and that Elian would emerge victorious.
Elian slowly lowered his hand and looked at the crowd. "Remember this," his calm voice echoed across the arena, "I am not someone you can challenge recklessly. Defeat is not just pain—it comes with a price for those who oppose me."
He paused, ensuring his words sank into the hearts of the others. "Do not test my limits. There will be no mercy for fools next time."
The atmosphere in the arena froze immediately. Some students lowered their heads, others looked terrified. Cheers turned into fearful whispers. From now on, no one would dare underestimate Elian again.