I put a few drops of mid-grade Health Potion on a small piece of cloth and applied it on Wolf’s bruised eyebrow. The Fortifier’s barrier wasn’t as efficient against blunt damage as it was against piercing and slashing, and Jorvyn Herran's blows had reached Wolf’s face. Across the pavilion, Jorvyn received similar attention, although his self-esteem seemed to have gotten the worst part of the beating. The noble kid pushed the healers away and covered his face with a towel. Lord Herran ruffled his hair before dismissing the healers.
Wolf remained trapped in his thoughts.
“Dizzy?” I asked, bringing the potion to his lips.
“The barrier absorbed most of the force,” Wolf replied, drinking the rest of the contents of the vial. A swollen eyebrow and a nosebleed were a small price to pay, considering the strength of the blows.
I patted his shoulder and smiled.
“Congratulations, Wolf. You are the first to steal points from Team Herran,” I said. In the last match, the Herran kids had steamrolled their opponents.
“I guess I did. Two points isn’t much, though,” Wolf replied, more reflective than happy.
“One point of advantage is all we need to win the bracket.”
I made a mental note to have a conversation later.
After ensuring both combatants had recovered, the Master of Ceremonies returned to the arena and called for the second match: Firana against Dreva Herran, the half-orc Lv.7 Forgemaster. This match made me nervous, as the Book of Classes didn’t have much information on Forgemasters, and the author couldn’t even decide if they were a combat or a support class. Considering Dreva’s presence in the tournament, I thought it was the former.
“Your turn, Firana,” I said.
The girl nodded and used aerokinesis to get on her feet. Ilya didn’t seem happy with the casual usage of mana but kept it to herself. I focused on Firana.
“Be alert of her fire attacks, and remember, she’s probably as strong as Wolf,” I said.
Instead of listening to me, Firana gave me a tight hug and skipped to the weapons rack. I understood Firana had complete confidence in her class, but I wasn’t sure why she was so cheerful. The situation with Kellaren was delicate at best, but she didn’t show signs of unrest—at least not openly. I made a mental note to keep an eye on her.
Whether I liked it or not, the tournament would end sooner rather than later, and with it, the resolution of our problems with Kellaren. I glanced at the blackboard. There were only three rounds until the final. If we won against House Herran, our next opponent would be House Osgiria or House Jorn.
Firana grabbed a slim longsword and walked to the center of the arena. Dreva was already waiting for her. The half-orc girl wielded a hammer in her right hand while her left was empty. I wondered if she needed a free hand to cast her spells. Despite the Book of Classes listing blacksmith-related skills, Forgemasters seemed to have a close relationship with fire, and fire was dangerous.
Firana saluted the crowd with a broad smile, enjoying the attention. The crowd replied with cheers and claps. It seemed Firana wasn’t only popular among nobles. The number of invitation letters she got after the first round was worrying, and I foresaw the number doubling in the near future. Firana used her wind magic to raise a gust of sand, and the crowd roared. Locals had an advantage in all competitions, but Firana was taking it one step further. Dreva seemed to shrink in the middle of the arena.
I asked myself if she was doing it on purpose.
“Combatants, raise your weapons!” The Master of Ceremonies said, taking a step back.
Dreva Herran slapped her face and rolled her shoulders.
“Fight!”
Firana moved like an arrow and hit Dreva in the chest before the orc girl could react. A barrier broke into a blue mist of mana particles. Then, with the same speed, Firana jumped back, away from Dreva’s hammer, and landed like a feather at a safe distance. The crowd gasped in surprise, and even Dreva didn’t seem to know what hit her.
“If you want to date our green guy, you’ll have to get through me,” Firana taunted.
Dreva came out of her confusion and channeled her mana. Her ashen skin gleamed as if rivers of magma flew through her veins. The temperature of her body rose, and the air rippled around her.
“I don’t think your green guy can handle the [Heart of the Crucible],” Dreva said, taking a deep breath. Her chest expanded almost twice her original size. Mana flew through her body, from her feet to her lungs, and [Awareness] set off alarm bells in my mind. Then, Dreva blew a huge flame that enveloped the arena.
Firana disappeared under the bright red sea of fire, but a moment later, she emerged through the flames and landed behind her opponent. The barrier had taken most of the attack, but the edges of Firana’s gloves smoked. Without skipping a beat, Firana pulled a ribbon from her pocket and tied her hair in a tight bum, getting a few laughs from the crowd.
It was a wise move.
Dreva’s skin had turned bright red, and her eyes gleamed with an inner fire. Even if she was twenty meters away, I felt a dry heat against my face. Across the pavilion, Lord Herran glanced at the arena with a satisfied expression. These skills were beyond what we expected from a Forgemaster.
Dreva spat another blast of fire, forcing Firana to dodge. The flames scorched the ground, leaving blackened trails in their wake, but Firana remained untouched. The first attack surprised her, but she was prepared for the follow-up. Dreva charged, using her fire spell to block Firana’s retreat and forcing a close-quarter exchange.
The air rippled as the girls exchanged blows. Dreva was strong, but Firana had the finesse to parry the hammer and dodge the flames. The combat remained balanced until Firana had to retreat; sweat covered her face despite the cold day. The arena had turned into a small inferno. Dreva feinted an attack but attacked with her [Flame Breath]. Firana’s eyes shot open, but she managed to use her [Aerokinesis] to divert the flame in the last instant. Next, she jumped over Dreva, but when the girl was going to catch her mid-flight, Firana used [Windrider] to change her direction. The flame rose into the sky while Firana softly landed by Dreva’s side, unleashing a flurry of strikes.
Dreva channeled her mana and kicked a rain of molten rock. Firana was forced to channel mana to propel herself high into the air to escape the range of Dreva’s flames. Firana used [Feather Fall] to land safely away from the molten rocks that covered the arena. She breathed heavily, her face dirty with dust and ash, and despite her mobility, she seemed to be on the receiving end.
The temperature in the arena rose to the point that Firana couldn’t come close to Dreva. The girl unbuttoned her padded fencing jacket, her shirt soaked in sweat, and used aerokinesis to push the cooler air from the arena's edges under her clothes. Firana was having trouble breathing.
“Don’t take off your jacket! A shirt will not protect you from the flames!” Ilya yelled from the sideline.
Firana gasped for air, unable to reply.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Our planning didn’t cover a heat stroke in the middle of a harsh winter.
Firana stepped back, almost to the edge of the arena. She breathed heavily; her forehead glistering, beaded by sweat, and rogue strands of hair stuck to her face. The temperature was rising, and the coliseum-shaped arena, almost like a crucible, helped to retain the heat. Firana was against time. She needed to get closer to score more points, but the heat near Dreva was unbearable.
Firana couldn’t move enough air to cool the arena at her current level.
“Firana, go in and out!” I yelled.
The girl nodded and threw herself into the fight like an arrow. Dreva awaited her, hoisting her hammer like a baseball batter. Firana slid across the ground, ducking at the last moment to avoid Dreva’s weapon. Seeing her prey bypass her defense, the orc girl spat her Fire Breath against the ground, surrounding herself in flames, and Firana had to retreat before getting caught in the attack.
“You need to go faster!” Ilya yelled.
“I can’t!” Firana replied.
The heat and the sprints were burning through Firana’s stamina at an alarming rate, and the tailwind she was creating with Aerokinesis wasn’t enough to beat Dreva’s reaction time. The area of her flame burst was too broad. Firana needed an edge to cover the distance faster, but there was no time for trial and error.
“Firana! The air in front of you is slowing you down. Cut through it!” I yelled.
“I’m already using Aerokinesis to push me forward!” Firana replied, dodging a barrage of firebolts.
“Try doing both! If anyone can, that’s you!” I said.
Firana nodded and lunged at Dreva. I couldn’t see the air currents, but I could feel the mana streams swirling around Firana. The System didn’t seem happy with Firana attempting to run two separate instances of Aerokinesis. Every time she tried to move the air in front of her, the air pushing forward wavered. She clenched her teeth, doing her best to juggle both instances.
Dreva spat a wave of fire, and Firana had to dodge, missing Dreva by a meter.
“Firana got this, don’t worry,” I said, not knowing if I was trying to convince the others or myself.
I knew that casting multiple instances of the same skill was possible. My Mana Manipulation was proof of it. I could control a blade, shards, and a shield at the same time. Firana just had to focus and use the skill beyond the automated assistance of the System.
“Don’t let the System use the skill for you! You have control over it! Use it with intent!” I yelled, drawing curious glances from the rest of the participants.
Firana flashed a smile. My instructions followed the same principle as our training with [Longsword Mastery]. The skill engraved in the subject’s brain followed a specific pattern. I had been training the kids to break those patterns into smaller pieces, threads of knowledge, and mix them in new combinations depending on their needs during the fights. True knowledge wasn’t pure memorization but being able to use your knowledge to solve unique problems.
Firana lunged. The mana currents opened a way before her while others pushed her forward. The crowd gasped as Firana seemed to disappear and reappear an instant later behind Dreva. I didn’t expect her to get the feeling the first try. Firana swung and broke a barrier, and the next instant, she was out before Dreva could counter with her fire attack.
The kids cheered from the sideline, but I was more worried about Dreva’s reaction. The orc girl channeled even more mana into her body, and the arena's temperature rose a few degrees. I unbuttoned the neck of my jacket and focused my mana sense. The amount of mana Dreva was channeling didn’t make sense. Not even Belya Nara had that amount of mana, and she seemed to be some sort of mineral savant. I glanced across the pavilion. What kind of training had Dreva been put through?
Lord Herran smiled.
“Try that again, little human. I dare you,” Dreva growled, her skin glowing red and yellow.
Firana disappeared into a gust of sand, but this time, Dreva dropped her hammer.
“Careful!” I yelled, but the words died in my mouth.
The barrier shattered, and Dreva caught Firana’s longsword with her bare hands. Firana tugged, but the orc girl clutched the sword with an iron grip. A wave of heat radiated from Dreva’s body and seeped into the edge. The metal turned red, then yellow, and finally white. Firana let go just as the blade melted through Dreva’s fingers.
Firana looked at the weapon’s rack, but Dreva cut her retreat with Fire Breath.
“Crap,” Elincia muttered as Firana jumped away from the fire.
I shared the feeling. Dreva still had six barriers, which meant we would end the fight four points behind Team Herran. It didn’t look like a huge difference, but we weren’t in a position to score more than one or two points in each fight. The Herran kids were at a completely different level than the teams disqualified in the previous round. If Firana lost, our chances of going to the next round would be slim at best.
I stood to end the battle. Firana was too prideful to surrender; if the combat continued, she would only manage to hurt herself. Without a weapon, Firana had no way of breaking Dreva’s barriers, and engaging in hand-to-hand combat against Dreva’s red-hot fists was suicide.
“We—”
“Not yet!” Firana yelled as she channeled mana around her fists. Chaotic wind currents surrounded her, forming and dissolving without rhyme or reason.
“What is she doing?” Zaon asked.
“I don’t know,” I replied.
Not even my [Awareness] could shed light on Firana’s goal, which was strange considering the Skill always had a theory, no matter how far-fetched. I activated my mana sense. Firana was doing something. Air swirled around her hands, but she had to bail out as Dreva cast [Fire Breath].
Firana propelled herself up and landed at the opposite edge of the arena. Aerokinesis barely used mana. Unlike Ilya, who practiced ad nauseam to squeeze out the last drop of efficiency for her vines, Firana went by instinct. She used minute amounts of mana to create short wind tunnels and then used Windrider to surf them perfectly. No mana went to waste, no unnecessary movements, no sharp turns. But no matter how efficient Firana was, her mana pool was limited.
“You’ll get Mana Exhaustion if you continue this way! The points are not worth it!” I yelled, but a part of me refused to stop the match. Part of me wanted to trust Firana despite the overwhelming weight of evidence against her. Without a weapon, she couldn’t touch Dreva.
“I almost got it. I can feel it. Trust me!” Firana replied.
Elincia made a gesture of standing up, but I stopped her.
“We have to stop this. Firana lacks self-control. Her Mana Exhaustion will turn into Corruption,” she hissed.
[Awareness] did not give a vote of confidence either, but I silenced the skill.
“Trust her,” I replied.
Firana dodged Dreva’s firebolts for what seemed like an eternity, jumping, crouching, and rolling around. She was running out of mana and stamina, and her hair was completely caked in sweat. The part of my brain telling me to give her a chance was losing credibility until it was a mere afterthought. A firebolt hit Firana’s shoulder, making her miss the air tunnel and drop to the ground. Luckily, [Feather Fall] cushioned her fall, but Dreva saw the opportunity and attacked.
“Got it!” Firana muttered from the floor with a wide grin.
A sudden surge of mana enveloped her. She jumped up and, with a twirl, she dodged the rain of firebolts. The crowd went crazy, and even Dreva seemed surprised by the sudden recovery. Firana bolted forward with renewed energy, channeling the newfound mana into her hands. Dreva took a deep breath and spewed a wave of fire against Firana. My body froze.
Firana wasn’t dodging.
In the last moment, the gusts around Firana’s hands formed long blades, and with a single swing, the flames were sliced into small flares and sparks. The wind blades vibrated and quivered as Firana fought to keep them going. The spell depleted Firana’s reserves at a dizzying speed, but she smiled as she covered the distance that separated her from her rival.
Dreva swung her hammer and released short bursts of flames, going on an all-out attack, but Firana parried and dodged, contorting her body only like a Wind Fencer could. The fight turned into a smudge of currents of fire and wind mana, fire, and dust. For a moment, [Awareness] lost track of the battle.
After a minute, Firana cleared the arena with a swing of her windblade.
Dreva was kneeling on the ground, her skin back to her usual ashen green, but she wasn’t defeated. She again grabbed the hammer and kickstarted her [Heart of the Crucible]. Her right arm lit, and her hammer became a white, crackling flame. Firana raised her guard, the integrity of her wind blade stuttering as her mana ran dry. The crowd was on the edge of their seats. No thought passed through the combatant’s faces other than reaching their opponent. All would be decided in one last move.
“Stop!” The Master of Ceremonies yelled.
An instant later, Sir Janus, Duke Jorn, and Prince Adrien blinked into the arena, grabbing Firana’s arm and Dreva’s hammer.
The fight was over.