Dark Dragon: The Summoned Hero Is A Villain-Chapter 12: F-rank Fireball

Mana surged upward from deep within Noah, drawn from his vast core like breath pulled through stone.

The air shifted.

A faint gold shimmer spread across his fingertips.

He extended his hand before him, palm up.

With deliberate motion, he began to shape the lines of the spell in the air, drawing golden runes that shimmered as they took form.

Gasps echoed across the room.

The formation bloomed to life. Three rings, nine core runes, and stabilizers anchoring each glyph.

The glow pulsed with heat and balance.

Professor Geldrin’s face went pale.

His mouth opened slightly. His jaw slackened.

The formation flickered once, then steadied again as Noah poured in a touch more mana, stabilizing the outer glyphs.

It floated, complete.

Noah said nothing.

Geldrin took a step forward, trying to recover.

"Well... impressive formation, but a spell isn’t complete without the casting. You haven’t done anything. You’ve—"

"I’m not done." Noah interrupted calmly.

He exhaled slowly, then focused.

His intention was clear and unwavering. He knew what effect he wanted to create. A fireball.

Ignite. Burn. Impact.

The runes before him pulsed in unison, the golden rings tightening around the spell’s core. Mana surged through the formation, flowing along the lines he had drawn like blood through veins.

Then...

He released it.

The fireball burst forth from his hand with a low whump, a ball of compressed flame hurtling forward. It struck the stone platform just a few meters ahead, where it exploded into a quick flash of heat and light.

When the fire faded, a black scorch mark remained on the stone floor, smoke curling faintly from the center.

The classroom fell silent.

Then came the murmurs.

"He really casted it."

"Was that really F-rank?"

"I thought he was supposed to be FFF..."

Noah turned, calm and unhurried, facing Professor Geldrin once again.

The man stood frozen, eyes wide, mouth slightly ajar. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"I believe," Noah said quietly, "we had a deal."

Geldrin blinked. His lips moved, but no sound came. Then, he took a half-step back and forced out a brittle laugh.

"Well, I— yes, it was— technically— impressive control, I’ll admit, but casting a fireball isn’t—"

Noah tilted his head. "Are you trying to renege on a deal you made in front of your entire class?"

That silenced him.

Dozens of eyes were now on Geldrin.

He stiffened.

His jaw clenched.

For a long moment, hatred flickered behind his noble mask, deep, boiling, and barely hidden.

He quickly calculated the situation. The boys had known he could cast the spell from the very beginning.

For him to not struggle with an F-rank spell, that meant his mana capacity and magic control were at least D-rank. Even someone with F-rank mana capacity and magic control would struggle for a few tries before casting the spell.

The kid had duped him, but he couldn’t use that as an excuse to not give him the token. Not without losing his noble dignity.

Then, without a word, Geldrin pulled the bronze spell token from his sleeve.

He held it out.

His fingers gripped it so tightly his knuckles went white.

Noah stepped forward and took it without hesitation.

"Thank you." He said, voice flat.

Then he turned and walked calmly back to his seat, the bronze token still warm in his hand.

He sat down.

The murmurs still swirled, but none of it mattered.

He’d gotten what he came for.

Beside him, the white-haired boy who had been sleeping earlier sat up with a grin.

Now that Noah could see the boy’s face, he realized that the boy’s eyes were blindfolded.

Even with the strip of cloth covering his eyes, his head was tilted in Noah’s direction as if he could see everything.

"That," he said, "was amazing."

Noah blinked.

"I’m Arlo." The boy added, brushing a lock of hair from his face. "And I’m really glad I’m not the only one in Stone Tier with hidden potential."

Before Noah could respond, at the front of the class, Professor Geldrin cleared his throat.

Loudly.

He stepped forward, hands clasped behind his back again, the forced calm returning to his voice, though a slight edge could be heard beneath every word.

"Well," he said, "there you have it. A practical demonstration."

He turned slightly to the class, gesturing toward the black scorch mark still steaming on the stone floor.

"A perfect example of how spellcasting can allow even mages with low potential to access meaningful combat capabilities, when their other attributes are well developed."

He began pacing again, tone smooth, as if nothing unusual had just happened.

"Despite Mr. Webb’s... limited potential," he said, forcing a smile, "he was able to successfully cast an F-rank fireball due to two crucial things I mentioned before. Mana capacity and magic control."

He tapped the side of his temple with a single finger.

"That’s what makes spellcasting so valuable. Skills are restricted by your potential. They are tied to the nature of your beast and can never exceed your ceiling. But spells, spells are more flexible. More democratic, even."

He let out a dry laugh, as if the moment was all part of the lesson.

"If your mana capacity and magic control are both strong enough, even if your potential is not, you can still contribute, grow, and surprise your enemies."

Noah leaned back in his seat, the bronze token resting on the desk in front of him.

He said nothing. He didn’t have to. Everybody knew just what he had done.

Geldrin continued as if nothing spectacular had happened.

"And that, class, is precisely why our curriculum begins with spellcasting. Because while skills are exciting, they are rare. Dangerous to obtain. Unpredictable in growth. But spells?" He smiled thinly. "Spells are what carry you from battle to battle. From failure to survival."

Some of the students nodded, the tension in the room starting to ease.

Others glanced at Noah with new thoughts behind their eyes.

Geldrin paused once more, eyes lingering just a second too long on Noah’s blank expression.

Then he turned to the board again.

"As I was saying... let me show you the FFF-rank flame spell. We shall break down the individual rune clusters within the formation, so you may all attempt to cast it yourselves before the end of today’s session."

He began to draw again, chalk squeaking faintly, but no amount of runes could erase what had just happened.

Not to Noah. And not to anyone who had seen the fire.

As he droned on, trying to regain his dignity with a breakdown of rune structures, Arlo turned slightly in his seat.

His blindfold remained perfectly in place, a smooth strip of dark cloth covering both eyes. Yet somehow, Noah could feel his gaze on him.

He turned his head to state at his grinning classmate. "What?"

Arlo spoke, his voice low enough that only Noah could hear.

"I know the secret you’re trying to hide."