"Excellent," he said, his smile now genuine but no less unsettling. "Tomorrow at dawn, then. In the level 3 testing field. It will be... educational."

With those words, Kairos turned and walked away, his blue salamander gleaming under the midday sun.

As soon as the Summoner was out of sight, Elio's team erupted into a cacophony that would've made a flock of startled seagulls proud.

"Elio, are you insane?" Micah hissed. "He's a Summoner! You know, the guys who can turn you into a crispy snack with a flick of their wrist?"

"You don't have to do this," Zara added, her earlier anger forgotten in the face of concern.

"Did Elio’s balls just talk?" Kriz exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Also, I swear that salamander was giving me the stink eye!"

"A duel against a Summoner..." Ren muttered, his mind already crunching numbers faster than a caffeinated accountant. "0.00001%..."

Brok, for his part, let out a laugh and gave Elio a pat on the back that nearly knocked him to the ground. "Now that's what I call steel balls, boss!"

But Elio knew he had no choice. This duel wasn't about proving the value of his technique, but about justifying the trust Von Lucien had placed in him and preserving his honor from being trampled by the families.

"Guys, guys, calm down," Elio said, raising his hands in a placating gesture that looked more like a surrender. "I know it seems crazy, but..."

"It is crazy," Micah interrupted, his voice serious. "Elio, Summoners are in a whole different league. Even the youngest of them has true elemental control."

Elio nodded, acknowledging the truth in his friend's words, though he couldn't reveal his motives regarding the search for level 4. "I know. But I also know our technique has potential. If we can demonstrate its value against a Summoner..."

"You could die," Zara said, finally breaking her silence. Her voice was low but charged with emotion.

The group fell silent, the weight of those words falling on them like a ton of bricks made of pure, unadulterated reality.

Elio looked at each of his companions, seeing the concern on their faces.

Finally, his gaze settled on Zara. "Although the probability is low because of the armor, I could die," he admitted, trying to sound braver than he felt. "But you could also die at level 3... Still, there are things we must do. If I succeed, I could discover something important for..."

Zara looked at him for a long moment, her gaze intense enough to melt steel.

Finally, she nodded slowly and interrupted. "Then you'd better not die, idiot. Because if you do, I'll go to the afterlife just to kick your ass."

The tension broke with nervous laughter.

Elio couldn't help but think of Von Lucien and his frog. He wondered what the Summoner would think of this challenge, if he would approve of his decision. But now there was no time for doubts.

♢♢♢♢

The sun was barely peeking over the horizon when Elio arrived at the level 3 testing field. His team accompanied him, their faces full of concern.

Von Kairos was already there, his imposing figure silhouetted against the dawn sky. The blue salamander on his shoulder seemed to glow with its own light.

"Ah, the young prodigy," Kairos greeted with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I'm glad you didn't flee during the night."

Elio clenched his fists but maintained his composure. "I'm ready, Von Kairos."

The duel began without further preamble. Elio gripped his magical lance. With a fluid motion, he hurled it towards Kairos.

For a moment, it seemed like it would hit. But at the last second, Kairos moved slightly out of the way, raised a hand covered in a metallic glow, and deflected the lance.

"My turn," said Kairos. With a gesture of his hand, the salamander on his shoulder grew to the size of a large dog. The air around Kairos began to ripple with heat.

Suddenly, a fireball shot towards Elio. He barely had time to dodge it, feeling the searing heat graze his cheek.

"Nine points of damage," Kairos commented casually. "If it had hit you directly, you'd be in trouble."

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"Elio, elemental control magic ignores defense! You can't take more than one hit or the armor's resistance won't be enough!" Ren shouted, seeing the Summoner prepare more than one shot.

It would surely hurt a lot, but Elio had 30 resistance points. He was level 3, so he wouldn't be in danger, right?

More importantly…

He magnetically retrieved his lance, prepared, but before he could throw it again, Kairos attacked. This time, a barrage of 3 fireballs, forcing Elio to roll on the ground to avoid them.

"Come on, Elio!" Zara shouted from the edge of the field, her voice joined by Kriz and Brok in a chorus of support that sounded more desperate than encouraging. "You can do it!"

His friends' cheers gave him a second wind.

"Come on, magical lance soldier," Kairos mocked, his tone dripping with condescension. "Show me that revolutionary technique. Dazzle me with your peasant magic."

Elio stood up. He concentrated all his strength on the lance, activated the device Von Lucien had taught him to create, and threw it with all his might.

The lance flew, cutting through the air at an astonishing speed.

Elio watched Kairos, activating his concentration to the maximum. Time seemed to stretch a bit, as if the universe itself was holding its breath.

Kairos moved his hand from his book to one side in an instant, and a strong blast of wind pushed him aside, dodging the attack once again, despite its improved speed.

"Impressive," Kairos admitted. "But not enough."

What followed was a brutal demonstration of the power difference between a level 3 soldier and a Summoner. The salamander manipulated fire as if it were an extension of its body, creating incandescent projectiles that Kairos' explosions hurled towards Elio at great speed.

Elio struggled to keep dodging as best he could, but it was evident that he was completely outmatched.

The Summoner cornered him with a succession of 8 shots, until a fireball hit him squarely, knocking him down and causing the ball behind it to hit him as well.

The pain was overwhelming. Elio lay on the ground, his skin burning where the fireballs had struck. Each breath was agony, but he refused to give up. He still had 22 resistance points, right?

"Had enough, soldier?" Kairos's voice resonated with a hint of amusement. "You can surrender now. There's no shame in acknowledging the superiority of a Summoner."

Elio gritted his teeth, remembering his promise. "Never again," he thought. Never again will I be humiliated. With superhuman effort, he stood up, swaying.

"I'm not finished yet," he growled, gripping his lance once more.

Kairos arched an eyebrow, genuinely surprised. "Admirable, but foolish."

Elio threw his weapon, knowing that now, without the device, his chances were minimal. As expected, Kairos dodged it easily, looking almost bored in the process.

"Is that all?" the Summoner mocked.

But Elio was already in motion. With a gesture, he recalled the lance, aiming for Kairos's back.

Kairos's eyes widened in surprise, turning at the last second.

For an instant, it seemed it would work. The lance grazed his robe but failed to impact.

"Clever!" Kairos exclaimed, before countering with two more fireballs.

Elio couldn't dodge them. The impact threw him backward, leaving him on the brink of unconsciousness. His vision blurred, the world reduced to a tunnel of pain. He had only 4 resistance points left.

Micah, as if unable to see anymore, fled the place.

"Elio, please, surrender!" Zara shouted, her voice breaking. "I'm sorry, I should never have encouraged you, it's too unfair!"

Elio heard her voice as if it came from far away.

Part of him wanted to yield, to surrender to the embrace of darkness. But something deeper, stronger, kept him conscious.

"It's in those moments when we discover what we're really made of."

With a titanic effort, Elio stood up once more. His eyes, burning with determination, locked onto Kairos.

The Summoner seemed disconcerted for a moment, like a man who had just watched his dinner get up and walk away. "Your bravery is admirable, but foolishness has its limits. Surrender, boy, or you'll die. And I'd hate to have to explain to Lucien why I turned his protégé into a pile of ash."

Elio shook his head. "I want to know... what I'm made of," he panted.

"Charcoal, at this rate," Kairos frowned. With a gesture, he launched another fireball, this time slower, as if expecting Elio to dodge it and finally surrender.

But Elio threw his spear once more, with the last of his strength.

"Predictable... and dumb, dodge, you idiot!" Kairos muttered and then shouted, stepping aside.

The fireball approached Elio, but he maintained his concentration. With a final effort of will, he recalled the lance.

Kairos, who had already dodged the return in the previous attack, which had even been a bit faster, avoided it without problem. Disappointing, he thought.

With a cry of determination, Elio concentrated all his remaining mana into the spear. Ren's trick was clear in his head…

He changed its direction with a precision born of desperation, hope and heat-induced madness.

Kairos, surprised by the sudden change in direction, barely had time to react.

The spear impacted against the magical armor with a loud metallic sound, and something cracked. For a moment, everything fell silent.

Then, a small crack appeared on the surface of the armor.

At that very instant, when the fireball was about to hit Elio, a sphere of water appeared out of nowhere, extinguishing it in a cloud of steam.

Von Lucien was there, his frog on his shoulder, his face a mask of controlled fury.

Time seemed to stop. Elio, on the verge of collapse, maintained his defiant gaze. He had achieved the impossible.

He had touched a Summoner.

‘This’, he thought before darkness claimed him, ‘is just the beginning’.

Exhausted and injured, but with a triumphant smile on his face, he collapsed to the ground. His friends rushed to his side.