That afternoon, Liam meets Lutzer Swan in the Grand Master’s private training room.

  “What exactly is your elemental power, William? It doesn’t look like wind at all,” Lutzer says. He can clearly sense the difference.

  Standing before the man with the highest authority in the Verlyn Academy, Liam feels reluctant to hide the truth.

  “To be honest, I don’t know either. My elemental power is very different from any type of magic I’ve ever seen,” Liam admits.

  He manifests a cluster of light particles from his right palm. “Because it shines, I just assumed it’s a light element.”

  “Light element?” Lutzer’s face fills with awe. “In all my life, this is the first time I’ve ever seen a mage wield an elemental power like that. Its sharpness surpasses even the metal element. I understand that light can move at incredible speed—but can light really split stone?”

  “Just like any other element, when it’s shaped into a weapon, its sharpness becomes extraordinary.” Liam manifests a sword of light in his hand.

  Lutzer remains transfixed by the golden glow of the weapon.

  “Attack me, William.”

  Liam stiffens, thinking he must have misheard. “Pardon?”

  “Attack me with your light sword,” Lutzer clarifies calmly. “I want to test its sharpness firsthand.”

  Hesitation lingers on Liam’s face. This time, his target isn’t a stone pillar, but a living person.

  Lutzer goes on, a serious smile on his face. “William, how else can I convince you that Verlyn Academy is truly worthy of being the place where you hone your power?”

  The words carry the same meaning as what Chryssa’s class instructor said earlier. Liam smiles faintly, lowering his head a little—once again, he realizes he has been acting arrogant.

  “Very well. I ask for your guidance, Grand Master.”

  With no further hesitation, Liam unleashes a powerful, lightning-fast strike with his blade of light toward Lutzer Swan.

  CLANG!

  A transparent barrier instantly forms around Lutzer, perfectly deflecting the attack. Liam stiffens in shock. Lutzer’s expression also shifts—clearly surprised.

  “It’s tremble,” he says in awe. “Your attack made this shield tremble. Truly an extraordinary power.”

  Liam’s gaze fixes on the Grand Master’s barrier. “That shield…”

  “You recognize it?” Lutzer replies. From his palm, he conjures a glowing white elemental orb. “This shield is formed from the Arzechlous Orb— the strongest magical shield ever created on the Arkha continent.”

  Liam raises his palm as well, revealing an identical orb. “I have one too.”

  The Grand Master freezes in sheer disbelief. “Y-you have one as well???” Then he lets out an awkward laugh. “Ah… I suppose I got carried away showing it off. Where did you obtain it?”

  For a brief moment, an unpleasant memory surfaces in Liam’s mind—the group of assassins who once attacked him and his mother when he was still a child, and the orb drifting amid a pile of human bones.

  “I found it during a journey,” Liam replies shortly, his expression making it clear he has no intention of elaborating.

  “You’re a fortunate young man, William,” Lutzer says. “To possess one of the rare orbs on this continent. Its shield can even withstand an attack as extraordinary as yours.” The arzechlous orb fades back into Lutzer’s hand.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “That means you might be the perfect sparring partner for me.” Lutzer’s smile reflects the high expectations he now places on his new student.

  “Is it really allowed for a first-year student to spar with the Grand Master?”

  “William,” Lutzer says with a soft laugh, “judging by the sharpness of your power—something this academy has never seen before—if I let you spar with the instructors, I worry they might lose a limb, even if you have no such intention.”

  Liam realizes it too—his power would still be dangerous, even if it were used only for sparring practice with someone else.

  Lutzer continues, “You’ve seen how the arzechlous shield can withstand your attacks. The same applies to you—since you also possess an arzechlous orb, I won’t need to hold back when I release my power.”

  The master smiles, his eyes glinting with challenge. “So? Wouldn’t it be enjoyable to spar without having to hold back your power?”

  Liam’s spirit trembles with excitement—training without having to hold back, against the strongest mage in the Verlyn Academy.

  He bows deeply at once. “I humbly ask for your guidance, Grand Master, from this day onward.”

  Lutzer’s smile spreads even wider, pleased to have found a student with such extraordinary potential.

  .

  Apartment Unit 302.

  Liam steps inside, carrying a bag filled with food and drinks. An unusual sight greets him—Chryssa is curled up on the long sofa, her face buried deep in a pillow she hugs tightly.

  “Are you okay?” Liam asks, curious about her condition.

  Chryssa answers without lifting her face from the pillow. “I just want to leave this academy.”

  The words are heavy with pressure and frustration. Liam can guess what’s behind that.

  During the elemental power measurement earlier that morning, when it is Chryssa’s turn, the watching students are left stunned, struggling to hold back their laughter. Chryssa, an electro-element user, only manages to reach the very bottom line of the low-level range on the indicator.

  “That’s the level of a mage who’s still a child!” one student blurts out, prompting laughter from his friends.

  “She’s the only one in our class with electro element, yet she’s completely disappointing.”

  Chryssa is utterly humiliated, becoming the target of mockery.

  That incident is, of course, what leaves Chryssa feeling so deeply discouraged now.

  Liam lets out a sigh. He sits down on the single sofa and sets the bag of food on the table.

  “You don’t need to quit the academy because of what happened this morning,”

  Only then does Chryssa lift her face from the pillow and look at Liam with a sullen face.

  “I’m the only mage with the lowest power level in this academy! All students will keep mocking me, and the instructors will see me as a a mage with no future.”

  “And because of that, you decide to quit instead of training to become stronger?”

  Liam’s words corner her, making Chryssa press her lips together, her expression still sulky.

  “Even though your initial power level is very low, the instructors don’t kick you out of the academy, do they? That means they believe your abilities can still improve with training,”

  The disappointment on Chryssa’s face slowly begins to fade.

  Liam leans in closer, his gaze steady and intense.

  “Remember why we came to this academy—to train and become stronger battlemages. Don’t worry about how others see you. Just keep moving forward on your own path.”

  Those words feel like a powerful remedy for Chryssa’s heavy heart. She pats both of her cheeks, as if trying to snap herself back to her senses.

  After letting out a deep breath, the girl looks steadier. Her gaze shifts to Liam.

  “You must have trained hard before entering the academy, to have elemental power on that level.”

  Since the conversation has turned to him, Liam assumes Chryssa is back to her usual self.

  “There were a few things that forced me to become stronger, so the people I want to protect wouldn’t get hurt.”

  “Huh? Why does your life sound so difficult? You’re from a noble family.”

  Liam lets out a soft laugh. “Is there any guarantee that a noble family is never in danger? Even royal families are willing to kill each other just to claim the throne.”

  “Ah, right. Political conflict,” Chryssa understanding at once.

  Liam takes out two bottles of fresh fruit drink from the grocery bag. He offers one to Chryssa.

  “This is for you. I figured you’d be feeling down.”

  “Oh, thanks. You’re really thoughtful.” Chryssa takes a quick sip of the drink, her mood visibly lifting.

  Liam also starts to open the bottle in his hand.

  Chryssa suddenly remembers something. “I ran into a male and female student who were also placed in the same unit as us.”

  “Oh? That’s good news.”

  “But they don’t want to switch places.” Chryssa’s expression turns cynical as she goes on. “Because they live together, they ended up becoming a couple.”

  Liam, who is in the middle of taking a drink, chokes and coughs a few times.

  “Ah… so that can happen, huh.”

  Chryssa immediately shoots Liam a wary glare, her posture turning defensive. “Don’t let that happen to us. I don’t want to get pregnant at a young age.”

  Liam’s face twists into an awkward grimace. “You’re overthinking it again.”

  He then gets up from the sofa and walks toward the bedroom.

  “Hey, Liam. Since we haven’t gotten any assignments from the academy yet, want to go out tonight to the main square?” Chryssa asks. “People say the God Y’tzyar’s statue over there looks beautiful at night.”

  Liam pauses for a moment, considering.

  “Okay.”