Three Skeleton Revenants...

"Are you even human?"

The sheer terror of Hui's magic made Mia's expression tighten. Hui shrugged nonchalantly and said:

"That was just a warm-up. The real fight starts now. Can you still handle it?"

Without a word, Mia pulled the trigger of her magic rifle.

She had noticed the ethereal shadow guarding Hui, clearly a spiritual magic construct akin to the undead. Lightning magic might prove effective against it.

However, Hui raised an arm, conjuring three layers of “Black Veil” to neutralize the electricity.

"Caught on to that, huh?" Hui dismissed the shadowy guardian by his side.

"Undead magic does have a weakness against lightning, but I’m not limited to just that."

As he spoke, Hui inscribed another magic circle, reinforcing the three skeleton revenants with a second-tier “Black Veil”, layering them in a spectral armor.

Then, controlling all three revenants simultaneously, he launched a coordinated assault on Mia.

This time, Mia was no longer as composed. Under their relentless strikes, she scrambled to evade, her earlier strategy proving ineffective.

The water jets she unleashed were blocked by the “Black Veil”, unable to penetrate the revenants’ defenses.

Even if she used her “High-Voltage Thunder Lance,” the veil would obstruct it, preventing the electricity from spreading through their skeletal bodies to extinguish their soul flames.

"Boom!"

A massive sword cleaved into the ground, scattering sand and stone. Mia narrowly dodged, but a stray shard grazed her cheek, leaving a thin cut.

Frowning, Mia folded up her magic rifle and stored it away. She darted around one of the revenants, closing in on Hui.

But before she could reach him, another revenant leapt high into the air, slashing down at her. Sensing the incoming danger, Mia was forced to roll to her right, breaking off her approach.

From a distance, Jack and Sali watched the battle unfold, their hearts pounding.

"If even one of those attacks lands, Mia’s done for," Jack said nervously.

"Should we call it quits?"

Sali shared Jack’s concern. The gap in power and magical reserves was far too wide. He opened his mouth to persuade Mia to stop, but before he could speak, a figure appeared in the distance.

It was Elder Proxy Bai Xing, who had noticed the escalating danger of the duel. She moved closer to intervene if necessary but stopped at a boulder 30 meters away, sitting calmly.

At this distance, she could step in if any mishap occurred, though she made no move yet, simply observing the fight with folded arms.

Seeing the elder’s presence, Jack and Sali breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to watch Mia.

"You’ve put your weapon away. How do you plan to attack now?" Hui taunted as he cast a “Rage” spell on all three skeleton revenants, amplifying their strength and speed.

Mia stayed silent, using her hands and feet to maneuver through the terrain, dodging the revenants while retreating toward the forest.

The increasing distance forced Hui to split his control, sending two revenants after Mia while keeping one to guard himself.

In the forest, Mia deftly evaded the revenants, crouching low as she swapped out the chip in her spellcasting gloves.

Testing her grip, she confirmed the change was complete and suddenly stopped, crouching on the ground, eyes locked on the two skeletons.

Hui noticed her halt but didn’t hesitate, commanding the revenants to strike. As their greatswords descended, Mia leapt into the air, a powerful gust propelling her upward.

With the assistance of her K7 propulsion system, Mia soared dozens of meters, arriving directly above Hui.

Hui looked up, startled for the first time.

"How did she jump that far?!"

There was no time to process his shock. Hui quickly conjured a “Black Veil” above him as a shield, while commanding the revenant at his side to intercept Mia midair.

From her perch on the rock, Bai Xing also raised an eyebrow.

"This girl… Even third- or fourth-tier fighters might not manage such a leap. And with such precise control of her tools…"

Impressed, Bai Xing readied her magic, prepared to intervene if the imminent clash became too dangerous.

In the blink of an eye, Mia descended within five meters of the ground. One of the revenants leapt two meters high, swinging its massive sword upward.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

At this rate, Mia, unarmed, would be cleaved in two.

Seeing this, Bai Xing extended her hand to step in—

—but at that moment, Mia’s palm erupted with a sudden burst of force, propelling her sharply to the left. Her ankle module activated next, sending her spinning like a windmill in midair.

In a flawless maneuver, Mia shifted from a headfirst dive into an upright stance, avoiding both the revenant and the “Black Veil” overhead.

The moment her right foot touched the ground, she launched herself forward with another burst of force, closing the gap between her and Hui.

It all happened in the span of a single breath.

Hui was still looking upward when Mia’s spinning kick connected with his face, sending him flying over ten meters.

He tumbled across the dirt before coming to a halt, his vision swimming as he tried to get up, only to collapse again.

By then, Mia had drawn her Azure Gale Sword, its tip now poised at Hui’s chest.

"Do you want to continue?" she asked coldly.

Hui, dazed and disoriented, stared at the sword.

"I… lost?"

Disbelief flooded his face.

"Impossible! I still had so many tricks left!"

He opened his mouth to chant another spell, but before he could finish, Mia struck his shoulder guard with her sword.

With a loud hum, the guard dimmed—signaling Hui’s disqualification.

"You’re impressive!"

Near Territory 25, Mia sheathed her Azure Sword and spoke to Hui, whose face was filled with disbelief.

"Among my peers, you’re the strongest I’ve ever met.

But as our teacher always says, power doesn’t equate to skill. Even with the highest magic levels, you still need strategy.

Regardless, it was an honor to spar with you."

After saying this, Mia gave a small nod and turned to head back to the wooden platform.

On the platform, twenty thumbs were raised in unison.

"Boss, you’re incredible!"

Sali exclaimed dramatically. "You flattened a Tier-3 Magus!"

Jack chimed in. "And not just any Tier-3 Magus. That guy was as strong as three of them combined and still wasn’t your match."

"It’s not as exaggerated as you’re making it out to be," Mia replied modestly, though she couldn’t hide the smile creeping onto her face. "He just got careless. If we fought again, I’d probably lose terribly."

A few dozen meters away, on a rocky outcrop, acting elder White Star observed Mia.

Her eyes flickered thoughtfully, and she bit her thumbnail, smiling as though contemplating something.

On the spectator stand.

When Mia kicked Hui away, the crowd erupted with exclamations of awe. Many turned their eyes to Karien.

Karien, engrossed in his book, felt the gazes and looked up, puzzled.

Touching his cheek, he asked Vils, seated beside him, "Is there something on my face?"

Vils chuckled, shaking his head. "Your Red Leaf Academy is truly impressive. I didn’t expect even that guy to be defeated by one of your students."

Closing his book, Karien asked, "Mia won?"

Vils nodded. "And spectacularly so!"

"Thank you," Karien said humbly on Mia’s behalf, then added, "But your team lost. You don’t seem too disappointed?"

With a wry smile, Vils replied, "This is my first time leading a team. Hui never listens to my strategies and insists on acting alone.

While it’s a bit regrettable that he lost, I can’t say I’m too upset. As long as our Darknight Academy improves its overall score, I’m satisfied."

In other words, his wins and losses had nothing to do with Vils.

At some point, Jessica, seated on Karien’s other side, adjusted her glasses and leaned in.

"Karien, I’m curious. That young girl’s jump—did she use a magical artifact?"

Jessica remembered Karien asking about magical artifacts during the morning meeting.

Moreover, every Red Leaf Academy student seemed equipped with foldable weapons.

These magical devices appeared to play a significant role in Red Leaf Academy’s stellar performance.

As Jessica drew closer, Karien leaned slightly toward Vils and replied with a smile, "That’s a secret. I paid a hefty price for those artifacts!"

While Karien didn’t mind showcasing the artifacts, he had no intention of revealing their origins or mechanics.

"Oh, keeping secrets now?" Jessica teased.

"Of course," Karien replied. "You have to keep your advantages hidden. These artifacts will be our edge in future recruitment drives."

At the simulated battlefield, not far from Territory 20, a gaunt and hollow-eyed acting elder named Lydon stood on a tree branch.

Hands clasped behind his back, he gazed toward Territory 25 with a dark expression.

To avoid any conflict of interest, he had deliberately kept his distance from Darknight Academy’s students during the examination.

But he had watched Hui and Mia’s battle from afar and wasn’t pleased with the outcome.

After Hui’s defeat, he lingered at Territory 25 for fifteen minutes, waiting for his "vital areas" to recover before leaving.

While he could have launched another attack on the territory, the sting of his single-combat loss sapped his interest.

This fight had taught him a harsh lesson.

The examination continued. After Mia’s decisive victory, no one dared to challenge Territory 25.

At dawn, Mia instructed Jack and Sali to stay behind with a portion of the team to defend the territory. She led the rest to scout and earn more points.

This time, they adopted a cautious approach. Rather than pushing their limits, they focused on gathering points where they could without unnecessary risks.

With the exam nearing its conclusion, students from other academies were fighting desperately to protect their territories.

Mia knew better than to clash head-on. If they could secure a territory, they would. If not, they moved on.

By noon, Mia’s team regrouped at Territory 25.

Despite being a group of eleven, they had only captured one territory.

Many team members, observing Karien’s impressive artifacts and strategies, had decided that staying another year in the academy wouldn’t be so bad.

At 2 PM, the bronze bell of Palos Magic Academy rang, and Elder Ellison’s voice echoed across the simulated battlefield.

"The examination is over. All students, remain in place while the results are tallied."

As Ellison spoke, invigilating teachers began tallying scores across the territories.

By around 3 PM, the students started leaving the simulated battlefield.

Ellison addressed them again:

"This concludes the graduation exam.

Teachers, check your students’ health and ensure any injuries are treated promptly by healers.

If there are no other issues, you may return for now.

Tomorrow morning, gather at the central campus square for the announcement of written exam results and the list of graduates and advanced placements."

With that, Ellison dismissed the crowd.

He glanced at Karien from afar, intending to ask him some questions, but representatives from various universities and the church needed his attention. For now, Ellison departed with the guests.

Karien, stretching after a full day of sitting, stood up.

For an ordinary person like him, 24 hours seated was no small feat.

Seeing Mia and her team emerge from the southeast gate of the battlefield, he prepared to descend the spectator stand to meet them.

"Karien!"

Adrian from Ironclad Academy called out to him.

Startled, Karien turned and asked, "What can I do for you, Adrian?"

Frowning, Adrian replied in a serious tone, "I, Adrian, stand by my word. A loss is a loss, and I accept it!"

He gestured to a younger teacher nearby. "Bring Peter over!"

The teacher led a struggling wolfhound forward.

Everyone’s eyes widened in shock.

"You’re serious?" Jessica exclaimed.

Adrian’s face darkened. "I said I stand by my word."

He grabbed the struggling wolfhound firmly.

What happened next was an unforgettable sight that left everyone on the spectator stand stunned.