CHAPTER 264: RANKING MATCHES RESUMES [3]

"Haha, as expected of an honor student. Your learning attitude is different from the rest. That’s right—excluding ’condense,’ which forms the foundation for most magic, even a basic spell like this still requires the precise calculation of three separate conditions. But most mages don’t go through that process. Do you know why?"

Of course, I do.

"Because they just memorize the completed formulas...?"

"Oh, correct, Rin!" she said, smiling brightly. "Most mages skip the calculations and simply memorize finalized formulas, relying only on a few spells that suit them. And honestly, in the middle of battle, it’s not exactly easy to draw magic circles, calculate mana circuits, and chant incantations at the same time."

She gave a faint, almost regretful smile as she began to spin the Mana Arrow in place.

"But with that method, you can never surpass C-rank. It’s simply impossible. Now, look closely—this is a Mana Arrow with an additional spell, ’rotate.’ Naturally, adding another spell increases mana consumption, but it also boosts the arrow’s power as it spins. Then let me ask you this—does using more spells automatically make a magic stronger?"

"No," I said without hesitation. "Some spells contradict each other."

Alice’s eyes lit up at my answer, almost like a cat finding a new mouse to bat around.

"Exactly, Rin. You’re sharper than I thought," she said, twirling the rotating Mana Arrow between her fingers like it was weightless. "Some spells naturally interfere with each other—just like trying to stir tea while freezing it at the same time. The result..."

She flicked her wrist, adding a new spell mid-rotation. The arrow shuddered, wobbled, and then—

BANG!

It exploded into harmless motes of mana that fizzled against my face like glitter.

"...is an unstable mess," she finished, smirking. "If this were real combat, you’d be picking pieces of yourself off the floor right now."

Still, why is she doing this in the middle of a ranking match?

Don’t get me wrong—it’s always fun to watch magic in action—but this really doesn’t feel like the right time or place.

"Ah, you’re wondering why I’m giving you a lesson now, aren’t you?" Alice said, not even looking at me as she twirled a Mana Arrow between her fingers. "I know exactly what’s running through that head of yours."

Before I could respond, she nocked the arrow onto her bowstring, eyes locked on our unsuspecting opponent.

"I told you before, didn’t I? I’m here to help you. I also handle mana in a... let’s call it reckless way—just like you, Rin. The thing is, the way you control mana is like being right-handed or left-handed. It’s instinctive. And changing instinct? That’s hard. So first, we’re going to trim the waste. I’ll show you how to get maximum efficiency for minimum cost."

...Oh, she remembered that from earlier? I’m a little touched.

"If the mana cost of a Mana Arrow is one unit, how do we make it hit harder without raising that cost?" she asked, still sighting down the arrow.

"...Remove what’s unnecessary and add what’s essential?" I guessed.

Her lips curled. "Exactly. Watch closely."

She drew the bow and, instead of letting the arrow hum with lethal sharpness, the magic around it shifted. The glow softened, the point dulled, and the mana condensed into a tight, vibrating sphere at the tip.

"This is the ’remove unnecessary parts’ part," she explained. "No sharpness, no extra mana bleeding into the air. Just pure force."

Before I could ask what she meant by force, she loosed the arrow.

"Ugh!"

"Ohh...You doged that! You really are fast and here I was hoping I should end this since my lesson is over."

I should always on top guard around her.

I mean she suddenly attacked me when I was even expecting it.

"Are you insane?!" I snapped, instinctively taking a few steps back, my heart still pounding from the near miss. The golden streak had whistled past my ear so close I could feel the heat off it.

Alice just tilted her head like I was being dramatic.

"Insane? No, no, no, Rin. This is called practical learning. Real-life application. Theory means nothing if you can’t put it into practice."

"Practice? You almost took my head off!"

She made a small flicking motion with her fingers, as if brushing away my complaint. "If I wanted to take your head off, Rin, you wouldn’t be standing here complaining. Now stop sulking and pay attention—the next part’s important."

Her bow dissolved into glittering motes, only to reform again in the same breath.

A fresh arrow of golden mana shimmered into place, this one tighter, smaller, almost compacted to the point of looking harmless. Which, coming from her, was the biggest red flag possible.

"This is the difference between raw power and refined technique," she said, holding the arrow sideways so I could see how the mana pulsed in a steady rhythm along the shaft.

"Most cadets waste mana on theatrics—big flares, pretty shapes, all useless in a real fight. The real killers use less mana, less time, and hit ten times harder."

I narrowed my eyes. "And let me guess—you’re about to demonstrate by trying to hit me again."

Alice’s smile widened ever so slightly. "See, Rin? You are learning."

The arrow vanished from her fingers before I even saw her release it. My instincts screamed, and I twisted to the side—only to feel a jolt of impact on my shoulder, like being punched with a padded hammer.

"What the hell—?!"

She lowered the bow with an innocent look.

"Oh, relax. I dampened the lethality. That was just to show you how much force you can pack into a low-cost shot. Imagine if I hadn’t."

I rubbed my shoulder, glaring at her.

"Imagine if I stop trusting you entirely."

"Now that," she said sweetly, "would be a mistake. Because next time, I might actually be aiming for the head."

...Yeah. I’m definitely not turning my back on her again. Not even for a second.

And just like that, the ranking matche between me and her resumed.

"Don’t run away."

"I won’t. That’s not my style."

...

Fifteen minutes later.

"I surrender! I surrender! I surrender! I SURRENDERRRRR!"

"Haha, Rin! Are you seriously running away? You said you wouldn’t!"

Yeah, well, I had to. I wasn’t fighting anymore—I was being toyed with like a cat batting a half-dead mouse.

At first, I could dodge her shots. I even thought I might actually keep up. But she just kept pulling spell after spell, one more outrageous than the last.

It wasn’t just Mana Arrows—she started mixing in elemental magic too, weaving fire, ice, and wind into her attacks like it was nothing.

Even with Lan, my half-divine artifact, I couldn’t land a single meaningful hit. All I could do was dodge, block, and pray.

So, I did what any sane human being in my position would do—I surrendered.

And to make matters worse...

She didn’t even let me run out of bounds. Every time I tried, she blocked my path, cutting me off with walls of fire or blasts of wind, forcing me back into her range.

I wasn’t just losing. I was trapped.

By the time I gave up, my pride wasn’t the only thing bruised—my legs were jelly, my breathing was a mess, and my heart was still pounding from the very real fear that she’d keep going even after my surrender.