Chapter 138 — Mythos League
1
While the third years were about to engage in an intense match, the first years found themselves in a state of confusion as they participated in their joint class.
Today was the day of the so-called Mythos League.
Some students were already buzzing with excitement.
Competition was one of the best motivators.
In the process of honing skills, cultivating character, and refining one’s mindset, competition played a key role in accelerating that growth.
But competition also required a balance between fierce ambition and fairness.
“Wow… look at that, it’s already crazy!”
“Look at Anais. She’s exploding with popularity.”
Were there always this many first-year students?
Kael scratched her head, slightly overwhelmed.
Even around her and Pearson, quite a few people had gathered.
Especially students from the Eagle and Deer classes, who had heard the rumors and come to see them.
It was likely the impact Kael had made during the Student Council selection that had drawn them in.
Naturally, those who recognized Kael’s unique magic were eager to get close.
“You’re Kael, right? Hello!”
“Uh, h-hello…”
Kael, still awkward around people outside her club members, gave a shy, awkward smile.
As she nervously accepted the greeting, the student carrying a sword grinned, revealing white teeth as he nodded his head.
Next to him, someone who looked incredibly reliable offered Kael a handshake.
“You’re really pretty. Nice to meet you.”
“Pretty? No way. Thanks.”
It was clear that Kael wasn’t used to such an overwhelming and sudden influx of attention, leaving her unsure of how to respond.
Ironically, it was perhaps this very reaction that made her all the more charming.
A swarm of male students quickly gathered around her.
Anais, Kael, Melanie, Pearson, and Emerson.
Those who climbed the tower were all top recruitment targets.
Anais and Kael, the two standouts of the first-year class, were naturally at the top of the list.
“Kael, nice to see you again. Do you remember me?”
“Oh, Gradi. How’s your health?”
Among the crowd, a familiar figure approached Kael.
Gradi, the student who had challenged for the Student Council President position and narrowly lost to Kael.
He was the one who fought by throwing his shield using mana.
She had been caught off guard by his unique and powerful technique during their match.
Polite and helpful, they had become acquaintances after he had assisted her during the candidate registration process.
“I’m doing fine. Are you still looking for a team?”
“Yes.”
“If you’re interested, would you like to team up with me?”
Kael nodded readily.
There was no reason to refuse.
Gradi had excellent skills, a good personality, and a calm demeanor that could observe the situation around him.
Manus’s words echoed in her mind.
He had told her to go out into the world and meet many people.
Perhaps that advice applied just as much inside the academy as it did outside.
“Let’s work well together.”
“Thank you. And please feel free to speak casually with me. I’m more comfortable this way.”
“Alright, will do.”
Not only Kael but many others had begun to form their own teams.
The upcoming league would affect their end-of-month evaluations, midterms, and final grades.
Since many of the students would be working in teams for an extended period, the academy’s curriculum ensured they received thorough training from the outset.
They had one hour to finalize their teams.
Everyone started moving quickly and with purpose.
2
“I’m excited for this.”
“There’s no way a second-year can beat the third-years, right?”
“Well, you never know. It’s Caesar we’re talking about.”
The third-year class.
The atmosphere was almost festive, buzzing with excitement.
Whenever strong teams faced off against each other, it was natural for anticipation to build.
Throughout history, high-stakes matches had always been a source of fascination and entertainment.
Professor Edmund Kaiser.
A master of dual casting, capable of creating intricate magical barriers, her abilities were among the best on the continent.
The arena, gently pulsing with heat and cold, drew everyone’s attention.
“Alright, are both teams ready?”
The leaders of each team nodded quietly.
Schwing—
Santo Leo’s longsword slid out of its sheath.
The aspiring guardians readied their shields, while the mages completed their casting preparations.
Manus, meanwhile, prepared to use the artifact he had obtained earlier.
The Memorize Ring.
He hadn’t had the chance to test it out yet, but this was the perfect opportunity.
‘Let’s give it a try.’
Bzzzt—
Mana leaked out from the ring on his finger.
Even without using double casting, the ring made it appear as if he were.
Time to see it in action.
“Everyone has their protective gear on, right? Be careful not to damage the magic circle. Only up to 3rd-Class spells are allowed. Now then—”
Piiiip—!
The whistle blew.
At the same time, both mages unleashed their magic.
[Fulgetra]
Nia cast first.
Her strength was her rapid casting speed, and she completed her spell faster than Manus.
Aiden coated his shield in mana, standing firm against the incoming magic.
As Nia’s spell soared through the air, Manus finished his own spell and released it.
Meanwhile, Santo Leo and his guardian ally charged forward.
Elena circled the outer edge of the arena, aiming for the opposing mage.
“Ugh—”
Boom!
Santo Leo swung his sword.
His initial target had been Aiden’s shield, but he had to alter his swing.
[Fulgetra]
[Ventus]
The blade of wind precisely targeted his chest, perfectly canceling out Nia’s magic with the same elemental spell.
“This is insane…”
Aiden muttered under his breath, unable to help but chuckle.
He wasn’t about to let this opportunity slip by.
He quickly got into position and charged.
[Actus]
Clang—!
Santo Leo’s sword clashed against Aiden’s.
In the meantime, B-Team’s guardian, Katarina, moved to block Elena.
Despite her timid nature and small frame, Katarina wielded a massive tower shield.
Her strengths were her swift movements and her ability to cover a vast area with her shield.
“There’s no opening to get through—!”
Elena’s daggers flew through the air with precision.
There were many different styles of warriors.
Elena was a ranger type, skilled at mid-range harassment.
Her unique fighting style was coming into full play.
Warriors like her were the natural enemy of mages.
“Heave-ho!”
A long, thick wire was attached to her dagger, which embedded itself into the arena floor.
Using the wire, Elena swung in a wide arc.
Her movements resembled the maneuver gear from a certain famous manga.
She ran along the arena walls, evading the guardian’s defense zone.
It was her signature movement, a skill she had honed to perfection.
This movement style was similar to those used by the people living near the Viltide and other large water bodies across the continent.
“Huh?!”
“Hey, could you defend properly?!”
Nia shouted in frustration as she prepared another spell.
Her casting speed remained overwhelmingly fast.
A shield of flower petals formed in front of her, blocking the attacks, and in the blink of an eye, her next spell was ready.
This was why she didn’t need to use double casting.
Thanks to her special bloodline, there was almost no delay between her spells.
[Ignio]
Boom!
At point-blank range, she unleashed her spell, forcing Elena to retreat.
The safety barrier around the arena crackled slightly.
If that had landed, Elena would have been knocked out of the match.
She heaved a sigh of relief, using her maneuver gear to reposition herself once more.
But Elena’s real specialty wasn’t stealth or movement—it was archery.
“Alright, let’s see how you handle this.”
“Katarina! Can you block it?!”
“I-I’ll try!”
Elena smirked, pulling out her bow and arrow mid-air.
The tribes that lived in the forests of Syta developed their unique movement techniques to travel through the towering coniferous trees.
Weapons like swords and spears were too cumbersome, as their prey was quick and the spaces too narrow.
This led to the evolution of their archery skills.
Nothing could beat a bow and arrow when it came to chasing down prey or monsters between trees.
Bzzzt—
Mana crackled at the tip of Elena’s arrow.
“Did you know? The monsters we hunt—”
[Boherne]
Wham!
A straight shot flew through the air, striking Katarina’s shield.
Normally, the arrow would either bounce off the shield or embed itself in it without much effect.
After all, the guardian’s shield was also imbued with mana, meaning the arrow’s mana should have been neutralized.
“Ugh—?!”
But the force of Elena’s shot caused a powerful shockwave, knocking Katarina off balance.
The impact even reached Nia, who had been standing behind her.
For mages, stability and an uninterrupted casting environment were vital.
But that was only the ideal situation, after all.
Who would leave a mage alone in the heat of battle or when fighting monsters?
Nia had experienced countless battles already.
Standing still to cast spells? That was a mistake only beginners made.
‘Tch, double casting gives me a headache.’
Truth be told, she was impressed.
Manus was casting nearly as fast as she was, and on top of that, he could double cast.
That guy’s a monster.
Still, as a senior, she couldn’t let herself be looked down upon.
“Hmph, you’re not the only one who can do that!”
[Necto]
[Glacias]
With a burst of elegant double casting, Nia unleashed a barrage of spells.
Fast and precise attacks.
Mana chains, generated from the icy walls of the arena, ensnared Elena.
Meanwhile, ice spears shot toward Aiden, who was still managing to block Santo Leo’s relentless attacks.
As expected from such a prestigious family.
Santo Leo’s swordsmanship was putting Manus in a difficult position.
Since when was longsword fighting this hard to fend off?
‘He’s not just swinging randomly. He’s carefully measuring the distance.’
It was reminiscent of the combat style of Professor Jennifer.
Magic alone wasn’t enough to counter his strikes.
Even as a Caesar, there were limits to how much he could overcome with magic alone.
They say a true master can defeat an opponent with a single strike.
The aura emanating from Santo Leo resembled that of a true master, as Manus had heard in countless stories.
In that case, he needed to create more distance.
Relying on the artifact’s power felt like a blow to his pride, but—
‘I need to get used to using artifacts too.’
“Shouldn’t you be pulling out that by now?!”
Without answering, Manus thrust his fist forward.
Boom!
The shockwave struck Santo Leo square in the chest.
As he staggered back, Manus immediately followed up with another spell.
[Fulgetra]
Crackle—!
A flash of lightning struck Santo Leo’s safety barrier dead-on.
But strangely enough, Santo Leo’s safety barrier was unharmed.
Manus saw it clearly.
In that split second, Santo Leo had brought his sword to his chest, absorbing the damage with mana.
“As expected of the top third-year.”
“You’re not bad yourself.”
Manus checked the remaining mana in the artifact.
The Memorize Ring allowed for about five more uses of 3rd-Class spells.
That should be more than enough.
He trusted in the strength of his skills.
All the power he had built up until now.
It was part of this world’s accumulated strength.
‘You’re worth keeping an eye on.’
With Caesar’s Mindset backing him up, alongside a few passive abilities, and his natural talent as a Caesar—
If martial arts could be considered a form of magic—
“Here I come.”
Boom!
Mana surged through his body as he charged forward.
He focused on Santo Leo’s sword range as he threw out a punch.
How would a fight between a martial artist and a swordsman unfold?
Professor Jennifer had once said,
‘If you allow the sword to enter your space, you lose. Otherwise, you win.’
And if you had allies on the battlefield, you should use them to your full advantage.
“Tch, he’s tricky.”
Manus was not the type to insist on a head-to-head battle.
In fact, he tended to avoid such fights, preferring to use his wits.
A cunning, sly strategy was exactly what the true spirit within him called for.
Santo Leo struggled to land a solid hit on Manus, who was skillfully weaving just outside of his sword’s reach.
“What the—? Why does he keep circling—?”
“Please continue providing cover.”
On top of everything else, Manus was smart enough to use Aiden as a shield, constantly revolving around him.
This was a feat only possible through martial magic.
Manus expertly employed techniques that allowed him to strike the air and manipulate space.
But that wasn’t all.
Whenever he hid behind Aiden to cast his spells, Nia and Katarina’s positioning was continuously disrupted.
It was an infuriating, relentless strategy.
“Hey—! Why don’t you fight properly?!”
“I am fighting properly.”
“Do you really have the luxury to be concerned with me?”
The guardian’s shield continued to crack.
Arrows shot from unseen angles, targeting weak points.
And magic spells continued to fly in.
Magic?
When Nia whipped her head around, she saw a lightning spell headed straight for her.
The timing was perfect, catching her while Katarina was struggling with that cursed shock arrow.
“Damn it—!”
[Aegis]
[Altus]
Crack!
A magical barrier of flower petals blocked the lightning.
The timing was so precise that she had no choice but to focus all her energy on defense.
And the opening that created?
Elena had no trouble exploiting it.
A chilling sensation touched Nia’s neck.
She didn’t even need to look to know what it was.
“Haa…”
“Junior, you’re really good, huh?”
“This feels like cheating, doesn’t it?”
Elena giggled softly.
And she wasn’t wrong.
This is what it meant to face a monster.
“Hoo… that kid’s something else.”
Professor Kaiser, who had been watching the entire battle, nodded in approval.
The daughter of the Abrel family was indeed impressive.
Santo Leo was fending off both a top-tier mage and a guardian at once.
But the standout, without a doubt, was Caesar.
He was someone who knew how to control the battlefield, a true conqueror.
–TL Notes–
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