Feeling the vibration on his belt from behind, Daren froze in disbelief.

As the brightest hope of Ironclad Academy, he had been struck in a vital spot.

Worse yet, his defeat came at the hands of a nobody from Red Leaf Academy—a minor figure with thick eyebrows no less. This was humiliating beyond measure.

Even so, Daren managed to suppress his fury and maintain his composure. Raising his hands, he turned around and declared, “I surrender!”

He had no choice. One vital spot had already been struck; any rash movements could jeopardize his chances of continuing in the exam. All he could do now was hope the opponent wouldn’t target his other two vulnerable points.

Even for someone as proud as Daren, surrendering was the only option.

From the ground, Sali conjured a blade of wind in his palm and squinted as he grinned at Daren.

“I’ve heard you Ironclad Academy students look down on us Red Leaf folks—your teachers included. So tell me, why shouldn’t I take this chance to deal with you thoroughly?”

Daren fell silent.

It was true. The culture at Ironclad Academy revolved around revering the strong and scorning the weak. Ironclad Academy had long dominated the rankings, rarely slipping below second place, while Red Leaf Academy languished at the bottom year after year.

Such an environment bred contempt. It wasn’t uncommon for Ironclad students to mock their Red Leaf counterparts when they crossed paths at the main campus. Daren had been no exception.

But today, twenty Ironclad Academy students had attacked ten Red Leaf students—and suffered a complete rout. Even Daren, the strongest among them, had fallen.

For the first time, Daren saw how ridiculous their arrogance had been. Their long-standing sense of superiority had been utterly crushed.

Lowering his head, he said, “I apologize for how we’ve behaved in the past…”

Though Daren’s words carried genuine remorse, his apology was also a bid for survival.

At fifteen years old, this was Daren’s last chance to earn a spot in a top academy. He’d participated in exams in previous years but failed to qualify. This year was supposed to be his triumphant comeback.

But Sali had derailed those plans.

If Sali chose to strike Daren’s remaining two vital spots, it would mean immediate elimination—and no chance to retake the exams. Without a special invitation, Daren’s academic future would be doomed.

That fear compelled even the proud Daren to bow his head.

Sali studied Daren quietly for a few seconds before dissipating the wind blade with a laugh.

“Relax, just kidding. We’re all classmates; we should get along.”

He turned and climbed back onto the wooden platform, adding, “Take fifteen minutes to get yourselves together. Of course, if you’re itching for another round, I don’t mind obliging.”

Even if Daren hadn’t apologized, Sali wouldn’t have necessarily targeted his remaining vital spots. While Ironclad Academy’s behavior was infuriating, it mostly amounted to verbal jabs. This time, however, their ambush had gone too far, prompting Sali’s team to retaliate by raiding Ironclad territories twice. They even planned additional raids the next day.

But revenge had its limits. Sali wasn’t about to destroy someone’s future over petty grievances—unless it was that bear-like boy who had tried to eliminate them at the outset. Sali had no qualms about taking him out early. As for Daren? Sali was feeling magnanimous today.

Daren watched Sali’s retreating figure, his emotions a complex tangle of bitterness and gratitude.

Back on the platform, Jack, with his dark skin gleaming, clicked his tongue.

“Wow, that was a performance. Smooth, man.”

Sali flicked his hair with exaggerated flair and smirked.

“Of course! Do you even know who you’re talking to?”

The others rolled their eyes and dispersed with a collective groan of exasperation.

Observation Deck, Leader’s Area

Adrian, the team leader from Ironclad Academy, turned pale as he watched Daren—his strongest student—fall.

Though it was night and the 25th territory was far away, Adrian, as a fifth-tier mage, had far sharper vision than most. While he couldn’t make out every detail of the battle, he could clearly see Daren sitting motionless by the wooden platform. Defeated.

Adrian buried his head in his hands, overwhelmed by frustration. This year’s graduation exams were shaping up to be a disaster for Ironclad Academy. Forget competing for first place with Midnight Academy—avoiding last place would be a miracle.

Beside him, Karien craned his neck, squinting futilely into the darkness.

“Hey, hey, what’s going on in there? I can’t see a thing. Fill me in!”

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Adrian shot him a glare before storming off to another seat, leaving Karien bewildered.

Jessica, sitting a seat away, glanced at Karien and shook her head. This guy sure knows how to rub salt in the wound.

Karien, oblivious, muttered, “Should’ve brought a telescope…”

Wells, seated on Karien’s right, perked up.

“Telescope? What’s that?”

“Ah, nothing,” Karien said quickly, brushing it off. He turned to Wells, a golden-haired instructor from Midnight Academy.

“So, Wells, what’s the situation in there?”

Wells chuckled.

“Your Red Leaf students are doing well. They’ve taken out twenty Ironclad students.”

He paused before adding, “But one of our students is closing in on your 25th territory. I’d say their target is your team.”

Karien frowned. “Your student? Who?”

Wells’s smile faded slightly. “A student so powerful even I find them unsettling.”

Simulation Battlefield, 25th Territory Platform

Mia, who had been napping peacefully, suddenly opened her eyes and sat up.

Jack, startled, asked, “What’s with you? It’s not your turn to stand guard.”

Ignoring him, Mia turned to look eastward, her brow furrowing.

“I sense a strong elemental disturbance heading our way.”

“Wind element?”

Shaking her head, Mia replied, “Dark element.”

“Dark element?”

The group fell silent as they closed their eyes to focus. Soon, even those with low affinity for dark magic could feel the ominous surge of energy.

All eyes turned east, where a figure clad in black was approaching slowly, shrouded in swirling darkness.

As the figure dressed entirely in black drew closer from the eastern direction, Mia frowned and said to Jack and the others,

"Be careful. That guy doesn’t look simple."

Jack raised his spellcasting rifle, aiming at the approaching figure.

"With such strong dark elemental waves emanating from him, how many dark elemental orbs did he collect?"

Sali also pulled out his spellcasting rifle from his backpack. "I don’t think those elemental waves are coming from orbs..."

"How is that possible?" Jack retorted. "How could a normal student emit waves this strong?"

Mia didn’t know the reason behind the unusual elemental waves either, but her intuition screamed danger.

"Everyone, aim and attack!"

Without waiting for Mia’s command, the others had already pointed their spellcasting rifles at the figure, unleashing a barrage of fireballs, wind blades, water bullets, and lightning spheres.

The black-clad figure raised his head, revealing a pale, almost sickly face framed by jet-black hair tied neatly behind him. His expression was lethargic, and even his gait seemed unsteady.

As the attacks closed in, he calmly raised his right hand, quickly tracing a magic formation in the air. Thick black smoke surged forth, forming a dense shroud that blocked every incoming attack.

Tier-Two Magic: Black Veil.

For Mia, this was the first time seeing someone sketch out a Tier-Two formation so effortlessly without any magical artifacts.

Just as she was pondering their next move, the effeminate-looking boy raised his left hand, conjuring another magic formation.

Tier-Two Magic: Black Needles.

Countless fine, dark needles erupted from the formation, swarming forward like a deadly storm and relentlessly bombarding the wooden platform.

Although the protective barrier on the platform weakened the needles slightly, their piercing force remained substantial. The students of Red Leaf Academy quickly activated their spellcasting gloves, summoning walls of wind to deflect the onslaught.

However, the needles didn’t vanish on impact. Instead, they dissolved like ink spreading through water, blending into the wind walls and turning them darker by the second.

Mia’s unease grew as she gripped her Azure Gale Sword and leapt off the platform, charging toward the black-clad boy.

The spellcasting rifles carried by her classmates were equipped mostly with Tier-One long-range magic, sufficient for typical skirmishes but ineffective against this opponent’s Black Veil. Mia concluded that a close-range confrontation was necessary.

As she closed the distance, the boy in black created a third magic formation in front of him without moving an inch.

Tier-Two Magic: Black Mist.

Thick, dark fog poured from the formation and surged toward Mia like a creeping tide.

Realizing the danger, Mia halted abruptly.

Black Mist not only slowed movement but also sapped willpower and suppressed physical functions. If she was engulfed, her combat effectiveness would be halved.

From a distance of ten meters, Mia swung her Azure Gale Sword, carving out two half-meter-wide magic formations in midair.

Tier-Two Magic: Gale Repulse.

Under her control, violent, swirling winds burst forth, dispersing the Black Mist and lifting the boy off the ground, interrupting his casting.

The boy tumbled mid-air before managing a shaky landing. Looking up at Mia, he spoke in a low, raspy voice,

"That ‘Gale Repulse’ is interesting."

Mia eyed him cautiously. "Are you from Nightfall Academy?"

Though Palos Magic Academy belonged to the Church of Darkness, most dark magicians avoided studying the black magic of the Corruption Era after the Code of Reverence was introduced.

Nightfall Academy, however, retained and refined much of the old black magic, discarding its corruptive aspects. The three spells used by this boy clearly belonged to that category.

The boy’s lips curled into a smile. "You seem worthy of a proper fight. My name is Hui. What’s yours?"

Mia couldn’t pinpoint why, but Hui gave her an unsettling feeling.

"Mia," she replied simply, before asking, "Are you attacking our territory? Just you?"

Hui’s lethargic eyes briefly lit up. "I alone am more than enough—"

Before he could finish, a fireball shot toward him from the platform. Jack had fired his spellcasting rifle without hesitation.

Hui lazily raised his arm, conjuring a small Black Veil that effortlessly blocked the attack.

"What is this weapon you’re using? I’ve never seen anything like it—fascinating."

"Sorry, that’s classified," Mia said, activating the Wind Cloak spell on her Azure Gale Sword. She gripped the hilt tightly, preparing to strike.

Though it was a low-tier magical artifact, the Azure Gale Sword carried multiple wind-elemental magic formations. Unlike spellcasting rifles, the sword required the user’s own mana, but it was far superior for close combat.

Boosted by the Wind Cloak and the K7 propulsion system, Mia launched herself toward Hui at incredible speed.

Hui’s expression shifted slightly as Mia closed the gap almost instantly. With an oddly fluid motion, he dodged her attack, retreating several steps.

As he distanced himself, Hui’s lips curved into a smile, and he began chanting in a low voice:

"Master of Chaos... Sovereign of the Undead..."

Mia’s face turned pale. This was a summoning incantation—a Tier-Three spell! Hui was a Tier-Three Magician!

Realizing the urgency, Mia dashed toward him again, hoping to interrupt the spell.

But Hui, despite his seemingly clumsy movements, evaded her strikes with uncanny precision while continuing the chant:

"Nightmare of the shadows... Supreme embrace of the Dark Lord..."

"Answer my call... knock upon the gates of the abyss... summon the Undead!"

At the culmination of his incantation, an overwhelming surge of dark energy erupted from Hui, coalescing into the half-formed figure of a towering skeleton.

Tier-Three Summoning Magic: Necromantic Summon!