Part 27 – New Grouping
"Damn it, this Is all your fault!"
Me: "My fault? Who was the one who mocked me in front of everyone first?"
Agnes (formerly Hardy Melodia): "Who called me a clumsy redhead?"
Me: "And who called me a pervert?"
Agnes: "Pervert."
Me: "Redhead."
She summoned fire In her hand, ready to attack. I conjured a whirlwind In mine.
Then—clapping.
I turned. Joe Hyper leaned against the door, smirking, applauding.
Joe Hyper: "Bravo. Keep going, just like little children."
Agnes: "Teacher, it's all Tam's fault!"
Me: "Ha! No way. Teacher, she seduced me!" I pointed at Agnes.
Joe Hyper: "Perfect. Just like children, blaming each other. Anyway, Tam, after today's lesson, go see the Headmaster. He wants you, baby boy."
Agnes laughed.
Joe Hyper: "And you—stop laughing, clumsy redhead."
This time, I laughed.
The Second Bell
We moved to the magic training grounds, where Instructor Ziar taught.
To our surprise, all four instructors were present: Marin, Ziar, Joe Hyper, and Karsh (Nikolai Markov).
The question burned In everyone's mind. I asked it aloud.
Me: "Excuse me, Instructor Ziar. Why are all the teachers gathered here?"
Ziar: "Good question. Today, we're forming new groups."
Selif: "But teacher, weren't we already grouped before?"
Ziar: "That was only to measure your magic levels and categorize your abilities. This is different."
Selif: "Different how?"
Ziar: "You'll be paired into teams of two until the end of the semester—for tournaments and research, both inside the Academy and beyond the walls. Each pair will be matched by their magic."
He snapped his fingers. Suddenly, a monstrous creature appeared in the arena—a mutated maw, one ton in weight, six meters tall, pink from head to torso, with a single massive tooth.
Everyone froze in shock.
"Gross!"
Ziar: "Gross or not, miss, you'll fight. What will you do when surrounded by blood and severed bodies on the battlefield?"
Joe Hyper: "And remember—each pair must fight without chatter. No excuses."
The First Group
Marin began reading names.
Marin: "Den Hyper and Rose Tarin."
A perfect match. They stepped into the arena.
Joe Hyper: "You must defeat the maw in under ten minutes."
Rose Tarin: "But teacher, according to my calculations, ten minutes is too short. Thirty minutes Is required."
Joe Hyper: "Forget your nonsense and fight, General Manuel the Great."
Rose Tarin: "Even an ant knows the greatest need of humanity is knowledge, Pope Netai the Great."
Joe Hyper: "Knowledge makes humans doubt their existence and their world, General Torge."
Rose Tarin: "Only fools who know nothing of life fail to understand knowledge, ancestor Flor."
The honest reaction from me, Den, the students, and the teachers: "…"
Joe Hyper: "You—"
Ziar smacked him on the head.
Ziar: "You idiot. You said no talking, then you start reciting poetry? Shut up. Now, Den and Rose Tarin, get in the arena and fight!"
---
Den and Rose stepped into the arena. The mutated maw roared, its massive pink body towering over them.
Joe Hyper: "You have ten minutes. Defeat it."
Rose Tarin: "Teacher, according to my calculations, ten minutes is insufficient. Thirty minutes Is required."
Joe Hyper: "Forget your nonsense and fight, General Manuel the Great."
Rose Tarin: "Even an ant knows the greatest need of humanity is knowledge, Pope Netai the Great."
Joe Hyper: "Knowledge only makes humans doubt their existence, General Torge."
Rose Tarin: "Only fools who know nothing of life fail to understand knowledge, ancestor Flor."
The students, Den, and even the teachers stared In disbelief.
Joe Hyper: "You—"
Ziar smacked him on the head.
Ziar: "Idiot. You said no talking, then you start reciting poetry? Shut up. Den, Rose—fight!"
The Battle
Den charged forward, lightning sparking around his fists. He struck the maw's leg, forcing it to stumble.
Rose adjusted her glasses, muttering calculations, then unleashed a precise blast of magic at its single tooth. The creature shrieked.
Den: "See? Brute force works!"
Rose: "No, precision does. Without calculations, your attack would have been wasted."
The maw swung its massive arm, knocking Den back. Rose barely dodged, her hair flying.
Den rose, furious. "I'll crush it!" He gathered more mana, lightning surging.
Rose sighed. "Fine. Let's combine."
Together, they launched a synchronized strike—lightning and knowledge-guided magic. The maw collapsed, defeated in under ten minutes.
The arena erupted In cheers.
Ziar: "Good. That's how you fight. Next group!"
Marin read the next names.
Marin: "Henry Flor and Adriana Flor."
The crowd gasped. The prince and princess—siblings—were about to face the mutated maw.
After Den was healed by the physicians, he returned to sit beside us and watch the remaining fights.
The next pair was William Jordan and Denrys Falkeon.
As the battle began, William whispered something to Denrys. I could feel Henry's jealousy radiating.
Denrys placed her hand on the ground, summoning a massive spiral of vines that wrapped around the maw, immobilizing it.
William leapt high, aiming to strike—but his plan was flawed. His blows had no effect. The maw slammed its head into him, knocking him out of the arena. Then, tearing apart the vines, it left Denrys unconscious as well.
(It was actually a good plan, but William was of the knightly lineage of the Church. Their power came from the light and honor of the Gods of Light, channeled through their swords. Without sword and armor, they were powerless.)
Marin: "Next—Adriana Flor and Estio Afrina."
Estio attacked, Adriana too—but neither had any effect. Both were struck hard and collapsed unconscious.
Adriana's strength, like William's, was tied to her sword. Without it, she was powerless. Estio's water magic, instead of harming the maw, actually healed It.
The next pair: Henry Flor and Nikola Zarna.
Henry: "Excuse me, teacher. May I make a request?"
Ziar: "What request?"
Henry: "Since Nikola and I know nothing of each other's magic, wouldn't it be better not to fight until you explain why our powers are paired?"
Ziar: "A good request—but no. You must fight."
Henry and the other students were stunned.
Finally, it was my turn.
The teacher's voice rang out:
Marin: "The last pair—Tam Breach and Agnes Melodia."
The one I hated most.
End of Part 27