Adam summoned two wind arrows and hurled them at Asher.

But Asher vanished from his position once again

.

"This spatial magic is annoying..."

Adam quickly sensed his presence behind him and swung in a wide arc, releasing a blade of wind. It struck nothing but the ground, sending debris flying into the air.

Asher disappeared again—only to reappear at a distance.

"I wonder how long you can keep teleporting. Your mana will run out soon."

This time, however, Asher didn’t teleport. He lunged straight toward Adam.

Adam fired another wind arrow, but Asher dodged it effortlessly.

They clashed.

Adam with his sword, Asher with his mana blade.

Steel and mana collided as they exchanged rapid strikes. Then, in a sudden move, Asher caught Adam’s sword with his bare palm.

Seizing the moment, Adam tried to kick him in the chest—but Asher blocked it with his other hand, reinforced with mana.

Asher pushed him back and created some distance.

Without giving him a moment to recover, Adam unleashed a barrage of wind slashes and arrows.

Asher evaded most of them and deflected the rest with his mana blade.

Then—

He vanished again.

And reappeared right in front of Adam.

Reacting instantly, Adam swung his sword—

But suddenly—

It vanished from his hand.

"Huh?"

Before he could process what had happened, Asher drove a punch into his gut, followed by a sharp strike to his chin.

The next moment, Adam lay on the ground.

Asher stood over him, his mana blade poised at Adam’s throat.

Then a voice echoed across the field—

"Asher is the winner," said Professor Alex.

Meanwhile Adam thought.

’Why did my sword vanished?’

He marked it, when?.Then he realised it was when he held his sword with his palm.

He planned it from the start ,making me lose my guard and teleporting my sword at the moment I least expected it.

Professor Alex stepped forward, a faint grin on his face.

"Well, that settles it. Rank 26 defeats Rank 10. Rankings will be updated accordingly."

He glanced at Asher’s retreating figure.

"...Interesting."

Among the crowd—

Different reactions brewed.

Leon Zevark watched silently, arms crossed.

A small smile tugged at his lips.

"Control, precision... and that spatial usage," he murmured. "He really was holding back."

Not excitement—

But interest.

Celestine Voltaris narrowed her eyes slightly.

"He didn’t even try to dominate," she said quietly. "He chose the fastest, most efficient path to victory."

One of her companions frowned. "But that just makes it worse, doesn’t it? It means he could’ve—"

"Yes," she cut in.

"It means he could’ve ended it even sooner."

Her expression turned thoughtful.

Aria Velmora said nothing.

Her crimson eyes followed Asher as he walked away.

Calm.

Unshaken.

Empty—

And yet not.

...Again.

That same feeling.

No pride.

No thrill of victory.

No contempt.

Just... stillness.

As if the outcome had been decided long before the fight began.

Her fingers curled slightly.

What are you...?

Meanwhile—

Asher returned to Noah, who looked like he had just witnessed something beyond comprehension.

"...You didn’t even try, did you?" Noah asked slowly.

"I did," Asher replied, stretching lazily. "Just enough."

Noah stared at him.

"That’s your ’just enough’?!"

Asher tilted his head.

"Yeah?"

Noah opened his mouth—

Then closed it.

Then opened it again—

Before finally giving up.

"...You’re insane."

Asher smiled faintly.

"I get that a lot."

As the students began to disperse—

A quiet shift had already begun

.

The way they looked at Asher—

Was no longer confusion.

Nor curiosity.

It was something sharper.

Something heavier.

Recognition.

High above the training grounds—

Inside a wide observation chamber lined with tall glass windows—

Several professors stood watching the duel unfold from start to finish.

Not a single one of them spoke while it happened.

They couldn’t.

Because what they were seeing—

Didn’t make sense.

The moment Asher’s mana blade touched Adam’s throat and the duel ended—

The silence finally broke.

"...What exactly did I just witness?" one of the senior professors muttered, his brows tightly furrowed.

"That wasn’t just control," another said slowly.

"That was... precision at a level I’ve never seen from a first-year."

A third crossed his arms, eyes still fixed on Asher’s retreating figure.

"He shaped, solidified, maintained, and weaponized mana like it was an extension of his body. No delay. No instability."

"And that teleportation," someone added. "Not a chant. Not even a visible trigger. Instant. Repeated. Flawless."

A brief pause followed.

Then—

"...And he marked the sword mid-combat," a sharp voice cut in.

All eyes shifted slightly—

Toward Elisa.

Her crimson eyes were narrowed, her expression unusually serious.

"He didn’t just react to Adam’s attacks," she continued. "He was guiding the entire fight from the start."

Her tone lowered.

"Every movement had a purpose."

Alfred stood near the back, silent.

But his gaze had changed.

Earlier, he had doubted.

Now—

He was thinking.

"...You noticed it too," he said quietly.

Elisa nodded once.

"He forced close contact early on. That ’careless’ moment when he caught the blade..." she said. "That wasn’t carelessness."

"It was preparation."

At that

A faint chuckle echoed through the room.

Eldric.

All attention shifted toward him.

He stood calmly, hands behind his back, gaze still fixed on the training grounds below.

"I told you," he said lightly. "The boy is special."

One of the professors frowned.

"Special is an understatement. That kind of control shouldn’t be possible at Silver Rank."

Another added, more cautiously,

"Unless... he’s hiding his true cultivation."

Alfred glanced at Eldric.

"Is he?"

Eldric’s smile didn’t change.

"No."

That single word made the room fall silent again.

"...Then how?" someone finally asked.

Eldric didn’t answer immediately.

His eyes followed Asher as he yawned and walked away like nothing had happened.

Then, quietly—

"He doesn’t treat mana like a tool," Eldric said. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"He treats it like... nothing."

A few professors frowned, not understanding.

But Elisa’s expression shifted slightly.

Eldric continued,

"Most of you impose your will on mana. You control it. Force it to obey."

His gaze deepened

.

"But that boy... doesn’t resist it at all."

A brief pause.

"It flows for him."