At those words, all the geniuses in the room paused for a second. Then, barely hidden excitement flashed in their eyes.

Magic Combat Class!!

It was easily their favorite class. These high-energy geniuses lived for it.

In a world that only respected real combat, there was no better way to prove your talent than blowing your opponent to pieces in the arena.

"Today, we’re running the first practical combat test since classes started."

Professor Harris’s gaze casually brushed past Arthur in the back row. His tone turned heavy with meaning.

"I expect you to show off every bit of your noble S-rank talents. Don’t make me look bad."

"Of course, real combat always comes with some... unpredictable accidents."

"Just don’t actually die. The academy healers will stitch you back together."

The mood in the room shifted the second he finished speaking.

Andrew whipped his head around. His eyes, reflecting a fire-like glint, locked onto Arthur in the back row.

A cruel, excited smirk twisted his lips. He even dragged his thumb hard across his own throat.

It was an open, unmistakable threat.

The arena was brutally fair. It didn’t matter what background you had, or if the Headmaster had personally shoved you in.

Once you stepped onto the battle platform, only magic would speak!!

The other geniuses around him looked at Arthur with a mix of pity and mockery.

"Now this is going to be entertaining."

"A complete trash who can’t even raise a basic mana shield. I doubt he could even survive one beginner fireball from Andrew."

"I bet he drops to his knees begging for mercy before ten seconds are up."

Vicious curses and open mockery echoed through the classroom.

Elena, sitting in the front row, finally closed her ancient magic tome.

She stood up slowly. Her long silver hair swished through the air in a graceful arc.

She didn’t even glance at Arthur. She just spoke to the empty space ahead, her voice icy and clear:

"Magic is meant to explore the truth, not to play the jester for attention."

With that, the proud Ice Rose turned on her heel and walked out of the classroom without looking back.

As Elena left, the rest of the geniuses pumped their fists. Smirking with excitement, they rushed out the door.

In less than two minutes, the massive classroom was completely empty. Arthur was the only one left.

"Practical combat, huh??"

Arthur set down his charcoal stick and lightly blew the graphite dust off his parchment.

He slowly lifted his head. Those usually lazy eyes suddenly flashed with a dangerous, azure arcane light.

"Perfect."

Arthur tossed the parchment, now covered in his modified [Magic Missile] diagrams, into his pocket. He threw his arms up for a long stretch.

"My fingers are getting a little itchy anyway."

Lancelot Royal Academy of Magic. Arena One.

It was a massive arena that could hold over ten thousand people.

Dozens of giant stone pillars, carved with ancient Magical Beasts, stood around the rim.

Sunlight filtered through the translucent magic dome above, painting the floor with shifting, colorful light.

The whole floor was made of solid obsidian, tough enough to take a full-power hit from a high-level mage.

Right now, a pale gold magic barrier hung over the central ring, humming with a low, steady vibration.

All the Dawn Class geniuses had crowded around the ring.

Every single one of them looked ready to jump right in.

Except Arthur.

He was trailing behind the rest of the line, chewing on a random piece of grass he’d probably plucked from somewhere.

That sloppy, laid-back vibe stood out like a sore thumb next to the noble kids around him, who wore their robes perfectly pressed and looked ridiculously serious.

Professor Harris stood dead center on the platform, pushing up a monocle on his nose.

"Alright, class. This is your first real combat lesson in Dawn Class."

His voice, boosted by a casting spell, rang out across the open arena.

"But I’m not putting you in a ring today just to blast each other blind."

"You’re the cream of the crop here in the Kingdom of Oran."

"Your worth isn’t measured by how many old spell formulas you’ve memorized."

"It’s all about your creativity!!"

Harris took a quick pause, his eyes scanning the crowd.

"By academy tradition, during your first week, every single one of you has to show us a brand-new spell of your own."

"Rank doesn’t matter. Element doesn’t matter."

"I’ll be grading you on your Magic Power control, how you build your spell, and how well it actually hits in a fight!!"

The second they heard that, the kids’ eyes went wide.

In a world where magic barely ever changed, most people treated spell-casting like a strict rulebook.

Most mages spent their whole lives just spamming the same old classics like [Minor Fireball], [Gust Spell], and [Earth Spike].

If you could tweak a basic spell even a little bit, people called you a genius.

The Dawn Class kids had grown up with top-tier training.

Who among them didn’t have at least a couple of "improved" spells handed down by their rich families?

"Who’s stepping up first??" Harris called out.

"Me!!"

A noble boy with curly red hair didn’t wait a second. He hopped right onto the platform.

He shut his eyes and started muttering a long, complicated chant.

It took a solid ten seconds before a harsh red glow finally sparked at the tip of his wand.

"Second-Level modified spell... [Chain Fireball]!!"

With a roar, he sent three fireballs flying out. They were a bit bigger than normal and formed a triangle in the air.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

They slammed into the barrier, bursting into three big, loud flashes of fire.

"Not bad. You cut down the casting time for the fireball and boosted the power by ten percent." Professor Harris nodded in approval. "Grade: B+."

The red-haired boy strutted off the platform, basking in the applause from his classmates.

Next, the students took turns stepping up to show off their spells.

But to Arthur, these so-called "custom spells" were nothing but a disaster.

"What ’double water arrow’? You just split one arrow in half, and the piercing power actually dropped."

"And that ’whirlwind blade’? That was a joke. Adding a spin effect to a wind blade tripled the casting time. In a real fight, you’d be dead a hundred times over."

Arthur leaned against a stone pillar and let out a bored yawn.

Is this really the best mages in this world can do??

With his perfect knowledge of the D&D magic system, he felt like he was watching a bunch of kindergarten kids playing in the mud.

"Hmph. Looking down on who? You’ll be crying soon enough."

Andrew caught Arthur’s dismissive look and let out a cold laugh. He took a few big steps and jumped onto the platform.

As an S-rank fire genius, his entrance instantly grabbed everyone’s attention.

Andrew lifted his head high in pride. He didn’t even pull out his wand. He just crossed his hands quickly in front of his chest.

"Two seconds of prep time!!" someone gasped.

"Great spirit of fire, hear my call..." Andrew whispered the chant.

A ring of raging fire suddenly burst from under his feet and instantly formed a burning shield right in front of him.

The surface of the shield was even covered in sharp, burning spikes!!

"Second-Level custom spell... [Explosive Flame Shield]!!"

With a loud shout, Andrew punched the fire shield.

The shield shattered on the spot, exploding into hundreds of burning shards that flew in all directions without mercy!!

The temperature around them spiked instantly, and the air turned hot enough to distort.

Bang! Bang! Bang!!

Those fire shards slammed into the magic barrier, sending out huge, violent ripples.

"So strong!! Not only does it block attacks, but it also deals massive splash damage when it breaks!!"

"As expected of young Andrew. This definitely hits the power level of a Third-Level spell!!"

"That’s insane. That kind of talent is just hopeless."

A wave of sharp, shocked breaths rose from the crowd below.

Professor Harris’s eyes lit up too. He didn’t hold back his praise at all.

"A very clever design!! Defense and offense combined, with extremely precise control over your Magic Power."

"Andrew, your grade is... A+!!"

"Thank you, Professor." Andrew bowed proudly.

Before stepping off the stage, he couldn’t resist throwing a highly provocative glare at Arthur.

Arthur didn’t even lift his eyelids. He just kept chewing on the grass in his mouth.

"Next up, Elena Klein." Professor Harris’s tone suddenly turned a bit more respectful.

All the chatter in the room vanished in an instant.

Everyone held their breath. Their eyes, full of fanaticism, locked onto the silver-haired girl sitting on the bench.