Today marked the long-awaited practice collaboration with the Practical Division. Kenneth sat on a bench, taking in the bustling scene. The contrast between the two divisions was stark: the Special Division had only 5 students, including himself, while the Practical Division had 25 students. Their sheer numbers felt overwhelming.

Scanning the crowd, Kenneth realized he wasn’t familiar with most of the Practical Division students, save for a few recognizable faces: Elena, Raiden and Ilgar.

It was clear there was a divide between the divisions. The Special division rarely interacted with the other two—Theory and Practical—except for the one shared class with Professor Rowan.

What made the Special Division unique was its structure.

While other divisions grouped students by experience and graduated them after five years, the Special Division remained until its students became Elemental Guardians.

That longevity, Kenneth thought, made them feel… different.

His classmates—Rika, Ash and Aine—seemed entirely unfazed, calmly warming up for the match. Kenneth, on the other hand, was tense. They’ve done this before, haven’t they? he realized, noting their ease, compared to his own growing nerves.

Lucian sat beside him, silently observed the crowd, his demeanor as unreadable as ever.

Professor Winraus stepped forward, addressing the Practical Division students. “Today is our annual collaboration with the Special Division,” he announced, his voice commanding. “Your performance in this match will contribute to your final examination grade for this term.”

The Practical students murmured in excitement, some exchanging eager glances.

Professor Winraus turned to Kenneth and others. “Please take care of my students,” he said.

Aine grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. “No worries, Professor. We’ll go easy on them… maybe.”

The Practical students chuckled nervously.

Professor Winraus shifted his attention back to the Practical Division. “This will be a team match against the Special Division,” he explained. “Five of you will form a team to face one of them.”

Kenneth’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Five people? Against one?” he whispered.

“You heard correctly,” Professor Winraus confirmed, as if reading Kenneth’s thoughts. “Form teams of five, and we’ll draw lots to determine which Special Division student you’ll face.”

Kenneth could help but feel like they were treated as some kind of area boss in a game. He glanced at Rika, Ash and Aine, who were still warming up, looking completely unbothered.

Lucian, sitting beside him, let out a soft hum, his sharp gaze analyzing the Practical Division students.

“How many times have they requested you guys for this collaboration?” Kenneth asked, breaking the silence.

Ash scratched his head, thinking. “Hmmm… five or six, maybe? I've kinda lost count”

“They switch it up every year,” Aine added, stretching her arms. “I remember one time we had to go out the academy for a monster hunt. It turned into a race to see who could bag the most.”

“Who won?” Lucian asked.

“Of course, it was Ash,” Rika replied with a smile. “He knows the terrain like the back of his head and found the monsters faster than the rest of us.”

Ash grinned proudly. “What can I say? It’s what my family specializes in. Had to live up to the Gairos name.”

Kenneth chuckled. No wonder Professor Winraus had such high expectations for them. They weren’t just students, they were treated like elite contenders.

His thoughts were interrupted by murmurs from the students as they gathered to draw lots. Their voices carried across the field, some louder than others.

“Please let us get Kenneth or Lucian!”

“Do you think Kenneth will use a physical weapon today?”

“Lucian’s looks so weak. I hope we get him,”

Ash laughed, clearly entertained by the chatter. “Kenneth, have you ever shown your fire magic publicly yet?” he asked, amused.

Kenneth shook his head. “I don’t think so. The only time I’ve really used my magic was in our class and the ritual we had in Tree of Life.”

Aine chuckled softly. “I’m curious to see how your match turns out. And Lucian’s no pushover either,” she said, glancing at him. “Lucian trained a lot before coming to the academy.”

Stolen novel; please report.

Lucian gave a small nod, his usual calm demeanor unshaken. “I’ve had my fair share of training,” he admitted.

The group turned their attention back to the Practical Division as more voices rose. It seemed the teams had finished drawing lots. Kenneth noticed some disappointed expressions on a few teams—likely those who had drawn Rika, Ash or Aine.

Then Kenneth’s eyes met Raiden’s. He held up a piece of paper with a smug grin, his team standing confidently behind him. Written on the paper was his name.

It seemed he’d be fighting against Raiden and his team—the so-called “Uncrowned Guardians.” Instead of feeling nervous, he found himself surprisingly calm.

＊＊＊

“Elena!” Aine called, waving toward the Practical Division student, who was standing with her teammates.

Kenneth noticed Elena glanced toward Aine before hesitating. Her teammates exchanged subtle looks, their expressions unreadable as Aine approached their group.

“You can sit with us,” Aine said, patting the empty spot beside her and gesturing for Elena to join them.

Elena hesitated, glancing back at her team. They had already settled at the nearby bench, but there were no empty seats left for her. After a brief pause, she nodded and walked over, taking the seat next to Aine.

“Thanks,” she said softly, offering a small smile.

“Please take care of us later,” Elena said shyly, her gaze dropping to her hand. It seemed her team had drawn Aine as their opponent.

Aine grinned. “You too! You’ve been training with Lucian, haven’t you? That means you’re probably just as strong as him.” She tilted her head toward Lucian, who had been quietly observing the interaction.

Elena’s cheeks flushed slightly as she glanced at Lucian, only to catch him looking at her. Their eyes met for a brief second before Lucian quickly looked away, his usual calm demeanor faltering.

Rika and Aine, chuckled softly as they watched the moment unfold.

Professor Winraus stepped forward, his commanding voice cutting through the chatter. “Let’s start the match!”

Ash stood up, rolling his shoulders. “Looks like I’m up first.”

“Don’t take them too seriously!” Aine called out playfully.

“Have fun!” Rika added, smirking.

“Good luck!” Kenneth said with a small wave.

Ash grinned, giving them a thumbs-up before heading to the center of the field. His opponents were already assembled, their faces serious.

Rika leaned towards Elena. “What do you think of Ash’s opponents? You know them better than we do.”

Elena nodded thoughtfully. “They’re a strong team. Their magic varies—plant, water, air, ice, and earth. They complement each other well.”

“I see,” Rika murmured, exchanging a look with Kenneth.

Kenneth observed the opposing team with interest. A combination like that could pose a real challenge for Ash, especially since some elements, like water or another earth, can counter his earth magic.

Professor Winraus raised his head. “Begin!”

Ash knelt quickly, slamming his palms into the ground. A wave of seismic energy rippled outward, the earth trembling violently as cracks spiderwebbed toward the opposing team.

But the boy with matching earth magic reacted instantly, countering with his own spell. The tremors stilled as if the ground itself obeyed his command.

Kenneth’s eyes narrowed. That boy isn’t just talented—he’s trained. Probably a vassal of the Gairos family.

Before Ash could follow up, the girl with water magic stepped in. With a flick of her wrist, the ground beneath Ash turned to slick, unstable mud, forcing him to adjust his footing. Ash responded just as quickly, hardening the earth and elevating himself on a rising pillar to escape the trap.

But the girl with plant magic was ready. Vines shot out, coiling around Ash’s body and limit his movements. The air and snow magic users didn’t waste the opening, launching a synchronized attack. Gusts of wind carried sharp icicles, slamming into Ash with relentless precision. His earth walls barely held, and when they finally shattered, the ice-laden wind struck him directly.

Ash stumbled, visibly hit, his figure wrapped in vines and battered by the icy barrage. He dropped to one knee, struggling to maintain balance. The opposing team smirked, their coordination paying off.

Kenneth frowned, leaning forward. “That seems… too easy,” he murmured.

As the opposing team approached, confident in their apparent victory, something shifted. Ash’s body, still trapped in vines and crouched on the ground, began to crack. Pieces of it flaked off, revealing a texture not of flesh, but solid earth.

The girl with plant magic gasped. “Wait… that’s not him!”

“What?!” the air mage spun around, panic flashing in his eyes.

At that moment, Ash’s real voice cut through the chaos from behind them. “Too focused on the decoy,” he said with a grin.

The plant, water, and earth magic users froze in shock, spinning around to see Ash emerging from the shadows behind their backline. Before they could react, he darted in with swift, precise movements. With expertly placed strikes to the backs of their necks, each of them fell unconscious in rapid succession.

“Sometimes, you’ve gotta rely on good old physical attacks,” Ash quipped, his grin widening as he brushed his hands off and straightened up.

The remaining air and snow magic users tensed, their expressions shifting from confidence to unease. The boy with air magic reacted first, sending a barrage of wind blades toward Ash. He moved quickly, weaving between the sharp currents as though he were reading their trajectory before they reached him.

The girl with ice magic narrowed her eyes, freezing the ground beneath Ash in an attempt to disrupt his movements. But Ash, as calm as ever, snapped his fingers. The ground cracked beneath her feet, and in an instant, the ice mage found herself trapped, her legs immobilized by hardened earth.

“Stay there for a moment,” Ash said with a playful tone, not even breaking stride as he turned his attention to the air mage.

The boy hesitated, panic clear in his wide eyes. “You won’t get me that easily!” he yelled, launching more wind blades in rapid succession. But Ash raised his hand, manipulating the terrain once again. Jagged walls erupted from the ground, deflecting the attacks harmlessly.

Using the shifting terrain to his advantage, Ash leapt onto one of the walls, scaling it with ease. His movements were fluid, almost like a dance, as he parkoured across the obstacles he’d created.

The air mage stumbled back, frantically trying to keep track of Ash’s erratic movements. But before he could react, Ash was upon him, closing the distance in a single, decisive leap. With a swift strike to the back of his neck, the air mage crumpled to the ground.

The battlefield fell silent. The terrain shifted again, the jagged walls melting away as Ash released his magic, leaving the training ground flat and unmarked.

Professor Winraus stepped forward, his authoritative voice ringing out. “Match over! Ash Gairos wins.”

Ash turned toward his team, flashing a cocky grin as he made his way back to the bench. “And that’s how it’s done,” he said, his voice dripping with confidence.

“Show-off,” Aine teased, though her applause was genuine.

Rika chuckled, leaning toward Kenneth and Lucian. “Looks like we’ll have to step it up if we want to keep up with him.”

Kenneth nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips as he watched Ash take his seat.