"Today’s Magic Combat Practice will start with a test. Before that, however, there are a few things I need to explain." Instructor Mike. Fit build, with a scar across his left eye that had fire written all over it.

"As Mages and warriors, there will come a time when combat against other Mage Warriors becomes unavoidable."

Mike adjusted his posture, drawing everyone’s attention through sheer presence alone.

"When facing a mage, the most important thing is not possessing powerful magic but understanding how to use your magic effectively according to the timing and situation."

"Take shooting magic as an example. Spells fired directly for their power have impressive range and destructive force. But at your level, those spells take time to cast, giving your opponent room to react.

Target magic is different. It manifests spells directly at designated coordinates. While it lacks the same range and power, it’s efficient and much harder to avoid in actual combat."

Mike paused for a few seconds, allowing his words to sink in before speaking again.

"The range of target magic changes depending on the attribute. That means controlling distance is crucial. Control the space between you and your opponent, and you control the flow of battle itself."

"In other words, because each attribute differs in range, the foundation of combat is to avoid your opponent’s effective range while maneuvering them into your own."

A cadet’s hand went up almost immediately, asking the question that was already visible on most faces.

"What’s it, Umar?" Mike asked with a furrowed brow.

"I know only a few of us form possession contracts, but doesn’t this fighting style heavily favor people with elemental or offensive magic? What about the rest of us who can’t even cast something as simple as a fireball?"

Murmurs of agreement followed Umar’s question through the crowd.

Mike massaged the bridge of his nose. He’d come expecting less talk and more action. This was the First Class, the top twenty among the first-years. And yet here they were, asking exactly the kind of question that left him wondering.

"Elemental magic has little to do with this. As long as you possess some kind of offensive ability, these principles apply to you. And even if you don’t, learning this will still help you understand how to deal with mages in battle."

Mike turned. The dummy stood behind him, mouth opening and closing, hands swinging idly... the posture of something that had been waiting far longer than it cared to.

Behind it on the sparse field sat the wooden target stands Mike had arranged himself, the original plan, abandoned at the last minute. He’d changed his mind. Or rather, perhaps, he’d been too eager to show off his new plaything.

"This dummy artifact wields six elements: fire, water, wind, earth, lightning, and ice. It can only attack forward and within a fixed range."

Mike turned to the cadets.

"Using what you have learned, you will have thirty seconds to enter its blind spot and strike or survive within its attack range for thirty seconds without being hit. The use of magic is prohibited, and if even a single attack lands on you, you fail."

Mike shrugged slightly.

"Don’t worry about breaking it... it’s constructed from Preet Metal, the strongest metal in the Naver Kingdom. When you enter its range, it will activate using your stamina as collateral. It will shut down automatically after thirty seconds."

Mike reached into his coat, unfolded a sheet, and glanced at the class list without particular ceremony. "Kate. Kindly take point."

"So he wants us to figure out its attack pattern and weaknesses," Raine murmured at the back of the crowd, to no one in particular.

"Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet." Leomaris stood shoulder to shoulder with Raine, a taunting smile already in place. "You were fairly confident moments ago."

Raine turned and found his eyes. Her expression gave nothing away. "I wouldn’t be so confident if I were you. Surviving six elements for thirty seconds isn’t that easy."

Leomaris smirked, and the expression carried so much that the words almost felt redundant. "Will you finally be impressed enough to join my faction if I succeed?"

Raine’s expression didn’t change. She turned toward the dummy. Kate hadn’t survived two seconds. The two cadets after her had fared no better. The dummy, apparently, had opinions about confidence.

"The ’Apostle of Death’ wants me in his faction that badly? Fine. But I have one condition."

"Wait... isn’t the condition just surviving against the dummy?"

Raine smirked. "You wish. I know exactly how valuable I am. If you succeed, then I’ll tell you what my condition is."

Raine obliged, and they shook on it. What she didn’t know was that the faction was only one layer of what Leomaris wanted. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Three days ago, he’d learned the Mercy of Death sword arts, and the partial acknowledgement that came with it had raised the bar. People expected things from him now. He intended to use that.

Failing this test, small as it was, could seed another rumour. And his father was already unhappy about the sudden popularity. Another mark against his name, on top of that, wasn’t something he had room for.

He’d sent Hazel to survey the mountains to check whether his knowledge of the Great Citadel from the novel matched the world he was actually living in.

She was injured and should have been resting, but she’d insisted, and Leomaris hadn’t pushed back. He didn’t have much time to waste. He left it at that.

’I need to do my part. I need to acquire an ultra-reactive skill, and this class is the best opportunity for that.’

His eyes stayed on the field, cataloguing each failure methodically, waiting for someone with the nerve to change the pattern.

That was the value of watching. His ability, Solve, let him treat any physical or psychological skill like a puzzle, and puzzles, given enough attention, always had answers.

Experience had sharpened him. He knew now what to look for: body anatomy, mindset, motivations, emotions, and environmental awareness.

The right inputs made Solve precise rather than costly. No more sacrificing memory to trial and error. He’d moved past that.

’I get it now. The cadets are reacting out of fear before the dummy even attacks.’

With that realization settled, he knew to get rid of all fear. But one thing remained before he could solve this puzzle: a cadet who would actually succeed. Then, as if the universe had been listening, Lucius’s name was called.

A soft smile tugged at his lips. He already knew how this would go. Lucius had been a mercenary before he’d ever set foot in this academy, which alone said something. But more than that, he was the protagonist. That said everything.

’His ability, Timeless, gives him an extreme physical advantage, especially defensively. Passing this test should be easy for him.’

Lucius’s test began, and his reactions were immediately, almost irritatingly perfect. No weakness. No hesitation.

Every attack was avoided mere seconds before it could connect, even the vines that tore up from the ground without warning. There was no other word for it. It was as though he had a sixth sense.

His thoughts slipped out before he’d decided to say it.

"Wait, that’s it. Sixth sense."

Raine turned toward him, and Leomaris offered an awkward smile in return, which was the best he had.

Now he knew exactly what to learn. And with that knowledge came a quiet settling. The Sixth Sense was the right technique, the best one.

The Sixth Sense was different for everyone who used it, and that mattered.

Solve’s cost was specific: master a technique and its difficulty doubled. Let someone else learn it at that doubled level, and the ability was gone.

Which meant he couldn’t afford to learn something anyone else might reach. He needed a version that was entirely, unambiguously his.

He’d learned what he needed from the failures, and Lucius had given him the rest. Then came Alfred, the Ace among the Calamities, called right after, as though the gods had arranged the order themselves.

He passed as well. And with that, Leomaris had everything he needed to theoretically solve the puzzle.

Still, something sat wrong. He turned it over for a moment.

’Theory isn’t enough. My body hasn’t felt the technique yet, so there could be flaws I can’t perceive from here. Again... it’s a puzzle. I can’t solve it like I solved the last one.’

He had everything laid out. Muscle fiber tension. Heartbeat rhythm. Balance changes. Eye focus. Airflow disturbances. Reaction timing. The technical foundation was solid.

But what made it his, what separated it from anything someone else might replicate, were the two things he’d added himself.

Killing intent; to shape his posture. Emotionless; to sharpen his reaction time. And still, without a feel for it in practice, he hesitated to use Solve.

Soon enough, Mike called out: "Leomaris Runerth!"

He panicked for a moment. Raine noticed and looked quietly amused. "You better pass, ’fiancée.’"

Leomaris pulled the anxiety back and replaced it with something that read as cocky, directed squarely at Raine.

Inside, the monologue was considerably less composed. Three attacks. He just needed to survive three attacks. At least three.