“Look… thanks for helping me but you don’t have to do this,” the girl Erik saved said in a trembling voice. “I can go talk him out of this… don’t get yourself hurt because of me,” her voice quivered as she pleaded with him to cancel the duel. She sounded sad for some reason.

Erik who had been stretching his limbs glanced at her. Her gaze clearly avoided eye contact as she instantly looked down and seemed to tremble ever so slightly. “Why, don’t you think I’m capable of beating him?”

She gasped, shaking her head several times. Erik could see the grip she had on her books tighten. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you, it's just—”

Her words stopped as Erik patted her head down before going past her.

“I will win, just know that,” he said nonchalantly as he stared down the field, in search for his opponent up ahead.

The training grounds of the academy were a field outside the main building made of dirt where you could practice your abilities. It was also a popular place for duels since dueling inside buildings—that wasn’t made with that purpose intended—was forbidden.

Ahead, Colin stood with his arms crossed, his deep green eyes narrowing as Erik approached. A small crowd had gathered along the edges of the field, their murmurs anticipating the bout could be heard from the center.

“Done with the date already?” he mocked, and a smirk appeared on his face.

Erik kept walking forward, stopping but a few steps from his opponent. Without a word, he took out his student ID.

“I’ve heard that on matches like these, we have to bet something of equal value so what will you bet?” Erik questioned.

Colin’s smirk deepened, “Equal value? That assumes you have something worth betting, doesn’t it?” he said in a mocking tone.

“I’ll wager my student ID,” Erik said, without giving in to the provocation. “If I lose, you can do whatever you want, even make me leave the academy,” his voice was calm, and yet Erik meant every word he said.

Colin laughed for a few moments.“Sounds good to me! Let’s do it like this, if you win I’ll even become your servant and kiss your ass but you better get ready to leave this academy,” he said with exaggerated movements before straightening himself back. “This isn’t a place for scum like you,” this time, he spoke in a quieter tone.

Despite their short scuffle, it seemed that Colin wasn’t impressed.

‘I guess I’ll have to break his spirit before anything else,’ his last battle was easy, why wouldn’t this be? Just because Colin looked a couple of years older, it didn’t mean it would be any different.

“I agree to our bet,” Erik said, a small smile curling on his lips as he couldn’t wait to feel the victory.

“I agree too.”

“Since both parties have agreed to the duel, it shall commence when I say ‘Start’. The Duel will be over once you surrender or are unable to keep fighting,” the same woman who interrupted them before said from the sidelines as she had been overseeing the whole thing.

Erik didn’t know who she was but it seemed like she had some sort of authority besides being a student and for duels to be official you needed someone to oversee it, so he was happy to go along with it.

The two boys nodded but didn’t utter a word.

They would start around twenty meters from one another. The young magician had the athleticism to cross that in under three seconds, however, that was enough time for a counterattack.

Erik focused his gaze on his opponent, searching for any flinch, any move he would make as soon as the duel started. Erik gulped. This battle would require some thinking.

From their brief skirmish, Erik could tell three things: One, his element was wind. Two, he was a mage not focused on physical combat. Three, he had an ego. Erik would make sure to use that in his favor.

“Start.”

Ba-dum.

One heartbeat. That was all it took for Erik to dash toward his opponent.

“I knew you’d do that! [Lesser Wind Blast]!” Colin screamed, his devilish grin widening as he thrust his hand forward.

The air rippled violently. Erik's instinct felt the same sensation as before, so he leaped to the right.

Boom.

A sudden burst of wind tore through the battlefield, tearing the ground where Erik had been.

This was the same attack that had cut his cheek before. A single hit would be troublesome, but the pressure build-up made it possible to dodge.

Erik raised his hand, and Flames ignited instantly. “[Fire Arrow],” he uttered, sending a flaming bolt streaking toward Colin.

Colin sidestepped, flicking his hand, dodging the attack.

Before Erik had time to do anything else, a sudden force seemed to twist the air.

Wooosh.

It hit Erik in the arm, making him step backward.

‘W-What was this…’ as plain and heat flare, he looked at said member. A gash could be seen below the cut uniform. That attack injured him just like that.

Erik gritted his teeth, wincing through the pain, but decided to launch another [Fire Arrow].

The noble was forced back, but his smirk didn’t disappear.

“You’ll have to do better than that!” Colin taunted. His arm moved again—this time, nothing seemed to happen.

That’s when he felt a faint tingle raced down his spine, then almost like lightning had struck him, his body moved almost on its own, ducking to the ground.

It was like his body screamed that he would be in grave danger hadn’t he done so.

Then, he felt a blast of compressed air tearing past his head.

Stolen story; please report.

For the next one, though, Erik barely had time to move. The wind slammed into Erik’s side, sending him skidding across the ground.

‘That’s… stronger than before.’ Erik’s chest felt heavy as he pushed himself up. This hurt, it felt like he was hit by a hammer ten times over. If not by his enhanced body, he would be surely dead after this.

That’s when he noticed it—a faint green flash on Colin’s wrist. A bracelet, glowing with power.

Colin saw his gaze and scoffed. “Surprised? Of course, you’d never have access to something like this. A plebian like you wouldn’t even dream—”

“[Fireball],” Erik shouted, interrupting the noble.

Colin’s grin turned to worry as the streaking flame made its way to him.

“[Wind Shield],” he said at the last moment, blocking the attack before it reached him.

Erik sighed deeply. Another spell failed. If it kept going like this, he would probably be defeated. It seemed that at least as a magician, Erik was inferior.

Once again, he steeled himself and dashed. No matter what, he wouldn’t stop this time.

“[Fireball],” he shouted once again, the flaming orb appearing just above his hand.

“You never learn, do you?,” Colin snarled, raising his hand. “[Wind Sphere!],” The pressure around him changed, condensing in his hand. Then, with a move of his arm, Colin hurled the invisible attack at Erik.

Erik was just five meters away from Colin. Dodging the attack would be hard, nigh impossible, so the only course of action was attack.

Erik brought his hand forward, hoping his fireball would block the wind.

Erik stopped.

Not because he wanted, but because his [Fireball] had met the [Wind Sphere]. Though the attack itself was invisible, it tried to push Erik back, its power twisting the fireball and threatening to rip it apart as strings of flames flew everywhere.

For a moment, it seemed neither spell would yield. The searing flames burned brighter, straining against the invisible force that pressed inward, the wind howling as it sought to extinguish the fire. Then—

—With a roar, both attacks exploded, filling the battleground with smoke.

“Aaargh,” Erik screamed as a burst of embers scorched his hand. Heat seared his skin and boiled any blood that tried to leave. The acrid smoke clawed at his throat, threatening to choke him with every breath. His eyes burned, watering as the dense cloud stung and blurred his vision.

‘He’s strong,’ he thought. At first, he thought this would be an easy battle but what was he thinking? That guy was more experienced than him, his spells were faster and Erik’s only chance—getting close—was but a horrible idea. No decent mage would let you get close to them in a fight.

However, he didn’t stop. He couldn’t stop.

‘You think this is over?’ Erik’s thoughts seared as hot as the embers on his hand.

He gritted his teeth, forcing the agony to the back of his mind as mana coursed through his body. Flames began to dance around his clenched fist, they roared, threatening to consume all. “[Ablaze],” he growled under his breath, the magic surging in response, flaring the flames even higher.

This was it, Erik would place all his focus on creating an attack as strong as possible.

As he fell out of the smoke, he could see Colin. He was close. After landing down, Erik would only need to cross three steps to get to him.

A smirk formed on his face as Colin’s eyes widened momentarily.

He didn’t seem scared though.

“Let me teach you something, scum. The first lesson of Battle Magic is to never let your barrier down. I’ll take your attack and then crush you,” he screamed in a condescending tone, a full-on smile was apparent on his face as he threw his arms to the side, appearing wide open.

This reminded Erik of his battle against Eleanor. Just like that time, he would crack another shield open and defeat his enemy. Despite being underestimated, Erik internally thanked him for it. Using one’s ego against themselves was the easiest way to win.

In another heartbeat, Erik landed and stepped forth. He brought back his arm, a grin was on full display on his face as he kept channeling more and more mana into the flames. They burned as the fire surrounding his fist was now big enough to engulf his entire forearm.

In a blur of movement, Erik took his final step, planting his foot firmly into the ground to anchor his strike. His fiery fist shot forward like a blazing comet, aimed squarely at Colin’s chest.

“[Inferno Strike]!” Erik roared, the flames plunging in unison with an attack much greater than anything Erik had ever done.

Colin’s grin didn’t falter. The shimmering blue hue of his barrier flared to life, and a protective dome of mana just a few centimeters off his skin blocked Erik’s fist.

Then came the crack.

A spiderweb of fractures erupted across the surface of Colin’s barrier, the sheer force of Erik’s punch pushing it to its limit. The heat of the flames surged through the cracks, brushing against Colin’s uniform and causing him to stumble backward.

“What—” Colin’s smug expression vanished, replaced by wide-eyed panic. Before he could react, the barrier shattered completely, shards of mana scattering like broken glass before turning into dust. Erik’s flaming fist accelerated again, connecting with Colin’s chest, and sending him flying several meters through the air.

The crowd cheered on after Colin received the decisive blow. It was something unheard of for a newcomer to just defeat a student who had gone through several battles and become stronger through the years.

After a few seconds, there was a thump as Colin fell to the ground, his hands clutching on his chest. He screamed as he twisted and rolled on the ground for a few moments before he was able to roll on his belly and get on one knee.

“You brat, I’m gonna-a k-kill you!” he spoke as blood spilled out of his mouth. One hand still clutched on his chest as he stretched his arm forward. Though it trembled, Erik could make sure something was pulsating, he would use another powerful attack to end it all.

‘This is bad,’ Erik thought, yet his mind was calm. He felt the pressure building up, it was on a completely another level. Perhaps that attack achieved the third tier.

“Die!” Colin screamed.

Just as he said that the redhead’s eyes widened. He tried to dash, step out of the way but the chills he felt—the instinct built into any being to maintain survival screamed at him. He wouldn’t be quick enough.

Boom.

As the sound of the explosion roared, his gaze shifted to the attack, only to see that same woman who had started the duel. Her hand was raised forward against his opponent and a glimmering yellow bubble surrounded them before it dissipated.

‘Huh?’ he stopped in his tracks.

“Why, you bitch…” he gnarled however quickly shut his mouth and watched her with fury in his eyes.

“The duel is already over. Erik Blake won.”

Colin, still on one knee, glared at the woman who had intervened, his deep green eyes seething with hatred. "This isn’t over!" he shouted, his voice rough. "I can still fight—" His words broke off abruptly as a violent cough surged, blood splattering from his lips and staining the ground. He clutched at his chest, his breaths shallow and ragged. Erik’s final blow had done more than just shatter his barrier. Colin needed medical attention.

The woman, calm and unflinching, lowered her arm. Her sharp gaze locked onto Colin, cutting through his defiance like a blade. "The rules are clear. You agreed to the terms, and you can’t keep on, now swallow your ego and let me get you help."

Erik exhaled slowly, the tension in his chest easing slightly. He had won, however he couldn’t say it was the kind of win he wanted. The boy had little experience fighting magicians and as such, he couldn’t perform to his utmost. That last attack would have most likely made this end a tie, and as such this victory felt hollow.

“Thanks,” he said as the woman approached him.

She nodded once. “You did better than I expected Erik but you’ve pushed yourself too far already. Someone will take you to the infirmary,” she said in a softer tone compared to before.

She turned to leave, however, Erik grabbed her arm.

“Wait!” he said, making her turn back. “Who are you?” he asked as the display of power she had shown was far beyond anything he’d seen from a student before.

“Helen Drakemore, it’s important to know who the leader of your house is, Erik, so make sure to remember,” she said in a gentle tone before leaving.

“I’ll do my best,” he said with a grin before two students came to help him get to the infirmary. He was sure he would see this important figure again.