Charlotte stepped through the doorway and immediately tightened her grip on her lance.

Unlike Kael, she didn’t have the luxury of acting relaxed during the tournament.

Every battle mattered.

Every victory mattered.

And more importantly—

She didn’t want to disappoint the person who had brought her this far.

The thought alone made her grip tighten slightly around her weapon.

A few months ago she had been nothing special.

An ordinary academy student.

Someone struggling to keep up with her classmates.

Now she had awakened her mana core.

Learned mana manipulation.

Began training under enhanced gravity.

And according to Kael, she possessed the potential to become a Warlock.

The title still felt unreal.

Even now.

Charlotte exhaled slowly as she looked around her surroundings.

The room resembled a circular stone arena.

Cracked pillars surrounded the battlefield while a high ceiling stretched overhead.

Standing opposite her was a young human male carrying a large shield and a short sword.

The boy frowned.

"You’re in Class D?"

Charlotte blinked.

"What about it?"

The boy seemed amused.

"Nothing."

"I just wasn’t expecting my next opponent to be someone from the higher rankings."

Charlotte sighed.

For some reason people always said something similar before fighting her.

The boy raised his shield.

"I’ll make this quick."

Lightning mana immediately surged through Charlotte’s body.

The familiar sensation spread through her limbs.

Her muscles became lighter.

Her senses sharper.

Her thoughts clearer.

At first she hadn’t noticed the effect.

Then after spending weeks training under gravity while continuously circulating lightning mana through her body, she gradually realized something.

Lightning didn’t just improve attack power.

It improved reaction speed.

Processing speed.

Movement speed.

The effect wasn’t overwhelming.

But in battle—

Even a fraction of a second mattered.

The boy charged.

Charlotte immediately noticed every detail.

His shoulder shifted.

His footing changed.

His sword angle moved.

Almost instinctively she knew where the strike would come from.

The shield slammed forward.

Charlotte sidestepped.

The sword followed.

Her lance shot forward.

The tip struck the boy’s shoulder.

His eyes widened.

Too slow.

The thought crossed her mind.

Not because he was weak.

But because she had become stronger.

The boy attempted another attack.

Charlotte moved automatically.

Her lance spun.

Lightning crackled along the shaft.

The strike smashed into the side of his shield.

The impact threw him off balance.

Before he could recover another strike arrived.

Then another.

Then another.

The pressure increased continuously.

The boy’s expression gradually changed from confidence to panic.

"How are you so fast?"

Charlotte didn’t answer.

The boy launched one final desperate attack.

Charlotte lowered her stance.

Lightning surged through her lance.

The weapon blurred forward.

The boy vanished.

Eliminated.

Charlotte released a breath.

"One down."

She looked toward the next doorway.

Her confidence increased slightly.

Only slightly.

Because she knew Kael would probably call that average.

The thought made her smile.

Then immediately frown.

"Why do I care what he thinks?" She muttered.

Charlotte stepped into the next room.

This time an elf stood waiting.

The girl possessed long blue hair that reached her waist and silver eyes that seemed unusually calm.

A wooden staff rested in her hand.

A mage.

Charlotte immediately became cautious.

Kael had repeatedly warned her about mages.

Especially talented ones.

The elf smiled.

"You seem nervous."

"I’m not."

"You should be."

Several magic circles appeared.

The spell activated immediately.

Ice spikes erupted from the ground.

Charlotte jumped backwards.

Another wave followed.

Then another.

The attacks forced her to continuously move.

The elf’s expression remained calm.

Almost bored.

Charlotte clicked her tongue.

Long-range opponents were annoying.

Another spell activated.

An ice spear shot toward her face.

Charlotte twisted her body.

The attack barely missed.

A few weeks ago she would have been hit.

Today she avoided it.

The lightning affinity wasn’t simply improving her attacks anymore.

It was affecting her entire combat style.

Charlotte accelerated.

Lightning surged through her body.

She rushed forward.

The elf’s eyes widened.

A new spell circle appeared.

Charlotte was already inside her casting range.

Her lance struck.

The staff flew from the elf’s hands.

A second strike stopped inches from her throat.

The elf vanished.

Eliminated.

Charlotte blinked.

Then laughed softly.

"That actually worked."

The gravity room.

The endless conditioning.

The countless hours of training.

The results were finally showing.

One battle after another followed.

Some opponents were stronger.

Some were weaker.

But gradually the competition became harder.

Far harder.

By her fifth battle Charlotte was breathing heavily.

Standing opposite her was a wolf beastkin carrying a lance.

A fellow lancer.

The beastkin grinned.

"This should be fun."

Charlotte nodded a bit exhausted.

The battle began instantly.

Their weapons collided.

Metal clashed.

The beastkin’s technique was impressive.

Several exchanges later Charlotte already understood.

Skill-wise—

She was losing.

Badly.

The beastkin noticed too.

His grin widened.

"You rely too much on speed."

Charlotte frowned.

The next clash proved him right.

Her attack was redirected.

His lance nearly struck her shoulder.

She barely avoided it.

The beastkin pressed his advantage.

Attack after attack descended.

Charlotte found herself retreating.

Her thoughts raced.

What would Kael do?

The answer appeared immediately.

Observe.

Adapt.

Exploit.

Charlotte focused.

Watching carefully.

Studying every movement.

The beastkin attacked again.

Then she noticed it.

Every powerful strike started from the same stance.

Every aggressive thrust followed the same setup.

Charlotte smiled.

"I found it."

"What?"

The beastkin frowned.

His next attack launched.

Charlotte moved first.

Her lance intercepted perfectly.

His opening appeared.

Lightning erupted.

Her weapon slammed into his chest.

The beastkin staggered.

Shock filled his eyes.

The momentum shifted instantly.

Charlotte attacked relentlessly.

The beastkin tried recovering.

Failed.

The final strike landed.

He vanished.

Charlotte lowered her lance.

Sweat covered her forehead.

That fight had been difficult.

Very difficult.

But she won.

And for the first time she felt herself truly improving.

Not simply becoming stronger.

Actually becoming a better fighter.

The next doorway appeared.

Charlotte stepped through it.

Then immediately froze.

Standing opposite her was a young woman with short black hair and bronze skin.

Several metallic spheres floated around her body.

A mage.

But not an ordinary one.

The girl’s eyes landed on Charlotte’s lance.

"A lancer?"

Her tone sounded disappointed.

Charlotte was beginning to hate that reaction.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

The girl shrugged.

"Nothing."

"Most lancers are straightforward like their Lance." She joked.

The floating spheres spread throughout the arena.

"Which makes them easy targets."

Danger immediately filled Charlotte’s instincts.

The battle started.

The metallic spheres shot forward.

Charlotte dodged the first.

A second curved behind her.

She barely ducked.

A third slammed into her side.

The impact sent her stumbling backwards.

The spheres weren’t moving randomly.

The girl was controlling all of them simultaneously.

Charlotte attempted to close the distance.

Three spheres immediately intercepted her.

One from above.

One from the side.

One directly ahead.

She spun her lance.

Lightning surged.

One sphere was knocked away.

Another grazed her shoulder.

The third struck her stomach.

Pain exploded through her body.

Charlotte slid backwards.

The girl folded her arms.

"You aren’t bad."

"But your weapon is too long."

"Against a controller-type mage you’re at a disadvantage."

Charlotte gritted her teeth.

For the first time during the tournament—

She felt completely suppressed.

Every opening disappeared.

Another sphere struck her thigh.

Charlotte nearly lost balance.

The girl shook her head.

"This is why close-combat fighters lose against intelligent mages."

Charlotte’s breathing grew heavier.

Then suddenly—

A memory surfaced.

A training session.

Charlotte lying on the ground.

Completely exhausted.

Kael standing above her.

"You keep thinking like a lancer although it’s the weapon that is most suited for you."

Charlotte remembered glaring at him.

"What does that even mean?"

Kael pointed toward her chest.

"Your affinity."

"My lightning?"

"No."

"Your potential."

"You keep forgetting what I told you."

The memory became clearer.

"You have the potential to become a Warlock."

Back in the present Charlotte froze.

Warlock.

A Warlock wasn’t simply a melee fighter. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

A Warlock combined magic and combat.

The realization struck her.

She had been approaching the battle incorrectly.

The girl frowned.

"Why did you stop moving?"

Charlotte smiled.

Lightning mana surged.

Not through her body.

Not through her legs.

Directly into the tip of her lance.

The weapon crackled violently.

The spheres rushed forward.

Charlotte thrust.

A bolt of lightning erupted.

The attack barely damaged a sphere.

But Charlotte wasn’t testing damage.

She was testing a theory.

The sphere slowed.

Only briefly.

But it slowed.

Charlotte’s eyes widened.

"It worked."

Electricity interfered with the mage’s control.

Only slightly.

But it worked.

The girl’s expression changed.

The spheres accelerated.

Charlotte rushed forward.

This time she attacked the spheres themselves.

Lightning struck repeatedly.

One sphere slowed.

Then another.

Then another.

The girl’s concentration visibly increased.

For the first time she looked pressured.

Charlotte smiled.

"I finally found you."

"What?"

"The weakness."

The mage clicked her tongue.

The spheres launched another coordinated assault.

Charlotte dashed between them.

Compared to moving under enhanced gravity every single day—

These attacks felt manageable.

One step.

Two.

Three.

The distance vanished.

The mage’s eyes widened.

Charlotte entered striking range.

The spheres desperately moved to protect their owner.

Too late.

Charlotte thrust her lance.

Lightning exploded from the tip.

The mage barely created a barrier.

Cracks spread instantly.

A second strike followed.

The barrier shattered.

The tip of Charlotte’s lance stopped at the girl’s throat.

Silence filled the room.

The mage stared at her.

Then laughed.

"Interesting."

Charlotte blinked.

"What?"

The girl smiled.

"You started this fight like a lancer."

Her gaze moved toward the lightning surrounding the lance.

"But you finished it like a mage."

Before Charlotte could respond, the girl vanished.

Eliminated.

Charlotte stood alone.

Sweat covered her forehead.

That had easily been her hardest battle so far.

Yet strangely—

She felt excited.

For the first time she could see what Kael had been trying to teach her.

Maybe she really did have the potential to become a Warlock.

Maybe all those insane training sessions weren’t pointless.

Charlotte tightened her grip on her lance.

A smile slowly formed on her face.

"Alright, Kael."

"I’ll prove you’re right."

Then she stepped toward the next doorway.

Ready for whatever waited ahead.