After the backlash from the black spheres faded, the hall didn’t return to normal, it just became quieter in a way that made everything feel heavier than before. The ground was marked with cracks and scorch marks, and the air still carried the heat of countless spells colliding in every direction. Some participants were still recovering from the hits they took, either crouched down or standing with unsteady legs, while others stared ahead as if trying to figure out what they had just survived.

Slowly, attention began to shift, not because anyone said anything, but because it happened naturally.

More than a few people were looking at Shadow.

Jane noticed it too, but she didn’t look away like the others. Instead, she studied him more carefully, her expression tightening just a little.

’He’s not even breathing hard...’

That alone was enough to bother her.

Everyone else had struggled at some point, even the stronger ones, but Shadow looked like he had barely been touched by the test so far, as if he had been playing a completely different game from the rest of them.

The timer above continued to tick, cutting through the silence and forcing everyone back to reality.

There was no time to think too much.

Either they moved now, or they lost their chance.

Shadow shifted his gaze back toward the spheres without acknowledging anyone.

’System, analyze their movement.’

A short pause followed.

[Analysis complete.]

He didn’t ask for details.

He didn’t need them.

’Tell me when.’

[Right side. 120 degrees. Now.] 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Shadow raised his hand with a casual motion that didn’t match the result that followed.

A fireball shot forward instantly and struck a blue sphere with perfect accuracy, destroying it before it had the chance to drift even slightly off course.

[Left side. 180 degrees. Now.]

Another fireball followed just as smoothly.

Another perfect hit.

A participant nearby blinked in confusion, his voice coming out before he could stop himself.

"Is he guessing... or what?"

Shadow didn’t look at him.

"If I was guessing, I’d miss eventually."

That answer didn’t help.

It only made things worse.

[Three targets incoming.]

Shadow’s fingers moved slightly, not rushed, not dramatic, just precise enough to matter.

The first fireball curved slightly mid-air before colliding with its target.

The second followed right after, hitting another sphere just as it crossed its path.

The third landed a moment later, perfectly timed with the movement of the last one.

Three clean hits in a row.

No mistakes.

No wasted effort.

The sound of the explosions echoed, then faded.

For a moment, nobody said anything.

Shadow lowered his hand and exhaled quietly.

"...They’re repeating the same thing."

Someone let out a dry laugh.

"You’re saying that like it’s obvious."

Shadow glanced at the floating spheres again.

"It is."

Lucian’s jaw tightened as he watched.

"I’m not falling behind like this."

He stepped forward and slammed his hand down, forcing the ground to crack as chunks of earth rose up and launched toward a cluster of spheres.

The attack worked.

Partially.

Several blue spheres shattered, but two red ones exploded along with them, resetting the score again.

He slid back a short distance, barely keeping his balance.

"Damn it..."

He didn’t stop.

He adjusted his stance and attacked again, this time with a little more control and a little less force.

The next wave hit fewer targets, but it avoided most of the red ones.

Jane watched closely, her eyes following the trajectory of his attacks.

"That might actually be a workable approach."

Shadow tilted his head slightly.

"...If you enjoy taking unnecessary risks."

Jane looked at him.

"Not everyone can do what you’re doing."

"Then they should stop pretending they can," he replied without hesitation.

"...You really don’t know how to say things nicely, do you?"

"I do," Shadow said. "I just don’t see the point right now."

Despite that, others started following Lucian’s method.

It looked easier.

It felt faster.

It also caused more problems.

The hall quickly filled with noise again as spells were thrown in every direction, most of them aimed at clusters rather than individual targets. Fireballs exploded against multiple spheres at once, lightning struck randomly, and wind attacks pushed everything around without much control.

Then someone hit a black sphere.

The backlash came instantly.

A sharp wave of force spread out, knocking several people off their feet.

Another one followed not long after.

More shouting.

More panic.

"Watch where you’re aiming!"

"That wasn’t me!"

"Just focus!"

Shadow didn’t move much during all of that.

He watched.

Waited.

Then acted only when it made sense.

A fireball left his hand at the exact moment a blue sphere crossed its path.

Another followed a few seconds later.

Every action felt small, but none of them were wasted.

His attention shifted when something different caught his eye.

Talia.

Instead of attacking directly, she used her paper ability in a way that most people hadn’t thought of.

Thin sheets formed around the spheres, moving fast enough to keep up with them while wrapping tightly around their movement.

She didn’t destroy them right away.

She held them in place first.

Then she compressed them.

The blue spheres shattered inside the layers without triggering anything else.

Shadow watched for a moment.

"...That’s actually smart."

Talia glanced at him, clearly not expecting the comment.

He didn’t say anything else, but the small nod he gave was enough.

Then the moment broke.

A loud explosion shook the hall.

Several spheres that had been trapped suddenly detonated all at once.

Jaden stood in the middle of it, looking very pleased with himself.

"That’s how you do it."

Jane stared at him.

"You mean using someone else’s setup?"

Jaden didn’t look bothered.

"I mean using what’s in front of you."

"That’s not the same thing."

"It is if it works."

Jane looked like she wanted to argue more, but Shadow spoke before she could.

"...He’s not completely wrong."

Jane turned to him immediately.

"Don’t encourage him."

Shadow shrugged slightly.

"If someone does half the work for you and you finish it, that’s still a result."

"That’s such a convenient way to look at it."

"It’s a realistic one," he replied.

Jaden smirked.

"Exactly."

Shadow looked at him for a second.

"...Relax. I didn’t say I liked it."

"...You’re hard to read, you know that?"

"I try."

The number of spheres kept dropping after that.

Less targets meant less chaos, and the pace of the fight started slowing down.

People focused more, made fewer mistakes, and one by one, they finished what they needed.

Lucian let out a long breath once he was done, clearly exhausted.

"That took more out of me than I expected."

Jane nodded, wiping sweat from her forehead.

"Same here."

A low buzzing sound spread across the hall.

The test was over.

The remaining participants stood where they were, some relieved, others too tired to react properly.

A moment later, the professors stepped forward again.

"Congratulations," Arthur said, looking over the group. "You made it through."

That alone lifted some of the tension.

Tess stepped forward next.

"There’s only one test left."

A few people sighed in relief at that.

Shadow didn’t.

Tess noticed and gave a faint smile.

"Relax. You’ve already passed."

That got everyone’s attention.

Claire stepped in to explain.

"The last test isn’t about passing or failing."

Jane frowned.

"...Then what is it?"

"It’s a measurement," Claire said.

"Of what?" Jane asked.

"Your mind."

That answer made a few people uneasy.

"You’ll be exposed to a strong intent," Claire continued. "You just have to endure it."

Lucian frowned slightly.

"...That doesn’t sound simple."

"Most of you will drop the moment it starts," Claire added.

That made the silence return.

Jaden cracked his neck slightly, looking confident as ever.

"Not me."

Jane glanced at him.

"Of course not."

"My mind doesn’t break," Jaden said. "Pressure like that won’t do anything."

Shadow looked at him for a moment.

"...Good."

Jaden smirked.

"Knew you’d agree."

Shadow looked away.

"...I didn’t."

"...Then what was that?"

Shadow paused briefly.

"...I just don’t want you to pass out too fast. It would be... disappointing."

Jane turned away, clearly trying not to laugh.

Jaden narrowed his eyes.

Claire raised her hand.

"The final test begins now."