The current location is the Magic Training Ground...
After all the students gathered in the magic training room, Instructor Magnus, who stood before them, gave directions and rules for today's practice. In front of the students, there were several specially designed magic wooden dummies for practicing magic attacks. These dummies had also been reinforced with defensive magic, making them difficult to destroy with ordinary attacks.
"Alright, students! Today, after studying the magic books you read in the library, I want to see how well you understand magic. You will be given three chances to attack the magic dummies in front of you."
The students began testing their understanding of the magic books they had read. One by one, the magic class students launched their attacks. Daliana immediately raised her hand and chanted a spell in an ancient language, "Lux Divina, illuminare et incinerare!" A golden light enveloped her hand before a ball of light shot forward and exploded upon hitting the wooden dummy. Part of the dummy was slightly damaged by Daliana's attack.
Seeing this, Seraphine refused to lose to Daliana. She began chanting an ancient spell, "Ventus Tempestas, surgere et dispergere!" A gust of wind turned into sharp blades attempting to tear through the wooden dummy, but Seraphine only managed to make small cuts on it.
At that moment, a talented male student named Eldric Luthvaris, from the well-known Luthvaris family in the city, stepped forward. Confidently proving that he was not inferior to the two beautiful girls, Eldric began chanting his spell, "Fulmen Tonitrua, frange et devastare!" Lightning surged around his hand before he hurled it toward the wooden dummy. The lightning attack left a few scorch marks and slight damage on the dummy.
Many other students also attempted their spells, but most of their attacks were too weak to leave a significant impact on the wooden dummies. Instructor Magnus observed closely, taking notes on which students showed great potential in the magic class.
Meanwhile, Aria stepped forward calmly. For some reason, his mind was at peace, as if he had gained enlightenment from reading the magic book he had found in the academy's library. As he prepared to launch his attack on the wooden dummy, Aria unknowingly activated his Divine Visio ability. In his vision, he could see the flow of mana inside the wooden dummy—its weak points, its defensive structure, and how magic energy reinforced it.
Realizing this, Aria raised his hand and extended his palm forward, letting his will flow and feeling the magic energy within him. The mana around him began to vibrate, gathering an extraordinary amount of power. His blue eyes shimmered, and in an instant, a burst of pure energy shot from his hand toward the wooden dummy.
BOOM!
The explosion shook the entire magic training room. In an instant, the magically reinforced wooden dummy was completely obliterated, leaving nothing behind but dust that slowly dispersed into the air.
The students fell silent, staring at Aria with shocked expressions on their faces.
Even Instructor Magnus was astonished and muttered, "That… was that explosion really caused by a new academy student?"
Daliana, who stood in the front row, also looked at Aria with curiosity. "What did he just do? I didn't even see him chant a spell…."
Aurelia and Seraphine were also intrigued by how Aria managed to incinerate the wooden dummy completely.
However, the most shocked person in the room was Aria himself—his expression of surprise was almost comical as he had not expected such a powerful result. Suddenly, blood trickled from his nose, a sign that he had overexerted himself by using magic beyond his capacity.
At that moment, Aria realized that the book he had read was correct—overusing magic could cause harm to the caster. Magic had its limits, and exceeding those limits came with consequences.
Because of this, Aria began to develop an interest in Ars Eternia and the other secrets mentioned in the book he had read before. However, unfortunately, the book had suddenly vanished like a flash of light. He also wondered whether it was possible to explore dungeons even while still being an academy student.
Meanwhile, from the corner of the room, a man wearing a black robe—one of the senior instructors—was observing Aria with an expression of deep interest and mystery. "It seems like there's someone who needs to be watched more closely..." the robed man murmured, as if signaling that Aria should be monitored and his origins investigated. Then, without warning, the man suddenly disappeared, vanishing into thin air.
The training continued, with all the students persistently attacking the wooden dummies using the spells they had learned, until midday approached. When noon arrived, the magic training session ended, and all the students returned to their dormitories to rest. Meanwhile, Aria proceeded to his next class—Swordsmanship Class, where today's session would be sparring between students in one-on-one duels using wooden swords. This duel was meant to assess the progress of new students after the training they had undergone the day before.
The students rushed toward the swordsmanship training hall, where Gray and Leonhardt could already be seen, eager to duel each other in order to prove who was the strongest. The atmosphere buzzed with whispers from the crowd, with many students supporting Leonhardt as the likely winner of the one-on-one duel. However, some were also rooting for Gray to emerge victorious.
Aria, on the other hand, was still deep in thought about the magic abilities he had awakened, as well as his eyes, which were beginning to develop incredibly sharp vision.
Then, Instructor Cedric entered the hall, and the students quickly lined up in an orderly manner.
The day of the one-on-one duel training had officially begun.
"Very well, it seems you are all eager for a one-on-one duel. Fine!... The one-on-one duel begins! The first participants to step forward are Gray versus Leonhardt!" the instructor announced firmly, his voice echoing throughout the training hall.
Some students began whispering among themselves, speculating on who would win this duel. However, Gray appeared confident and arrogant, convinced that he could easily defeat Leonhardt. Meanwhile, Leonhardt responded with a smirk, as if looking down on Gray, making it clear that he was stronger and far superior.