The bell rang once more, signaling the end of the test.
The teacher’s voice, now tinged with a note of genuine approval, cut through the silence. "First group, return! Your ti is..."
The screen flashed:
First Group Record: 8 minutes 55 seconds
A murmur went through the class.
"A record of 8 minutes 55 seconds from 10 minutes is good for a rookie cadet group," the teacher announced. "Elric Vales’ ability to hold his own against the Ogre’s attacks all while drawing the attention to him with his physic abilities was exceptional. A textbook demonstration of a Tanker holding the line. Class, take note: aggression and control must be balanced with defense."
Kael couldn’t help but smile, a genuine sense of admiration for the performance. They were cohesive, they were efficient, and they demonstrated excellent control of the battlefield.
The massive training hall buzzed with the muted anxiety and electric anticipation of the trials. The second group had just concluded, their performance a mix of competence and struggle.
Damon Reid, the Tanker, was the anchor of the group. With a sweat-slicked brow and the steady, heavy breathing of a man who had absorbed a significant beating, he trudged off the main platform. His ti, 10 minutes and 5 seconds, was respectable but not stellar. "Damon Reid did well; he has good potential," a voice murmured from the instructors’ stand, "but it took them a long ti because his group mbers’ attack powers were too weak." A solid foundation, perhaps, but a weak superstructure.
A montary hush fell, then the announcer’s voice bood, slicing through the air like a keen blade. "Next up, the fourth group! Leading them is... Lucian Crowe!"
A veritable tidal wave of noise erupted. "Kyaaa!" The collective scream was a high-pitched, almost painful sound, echoing off the stone walls and steel rafters. Lucian Crowe, the very ntion of his na, elicited a reaction that bordered on hysteria. He was a Long Range Damage Dealer, but clearly, his skill wasn’t the only thing that made him popular.
In the viewing gallery, Kael Vi-rel, a figure of composed intensity, leaned forward, a flicker of genuine annoyance crossing his features. "Lucian Crowe is a character that is very popular, but to think they scream this much," he muttered, his voice barely audible above the din. His eyes narrowed as he watched the crowd. "What the hell do they see in him? Is it because of his face? Rubbish."
Lucian Crowe stepped onto the platform, a figure of striking, almost effortless grace. The attention he drew didn’t seem to faze him; if anything, he seed to thrive on the energy. The training hall’s primary obstacle was conjured: a hulking Ogre, its skin thick and mossy, its massive club dragging along the ground.
The fight began with a predictable flurry of ranged attacks from Crowe’s teammates, most of which bounced off the Ogre’s tough hide, rely irritating it. The creature roared and charged. Crowe didn’t retreat. Instead, he raised both hands, palms facing the enraged beast.
A brilliant cyan light began to gather in his right hand, coalescing rapidly into a focused, piercing beam a standard Arcane Ray. Simultaneously, in his left hand, an entirely different energy manifested: a swirling vortex of deep purple, crackling with raw, chaotic power a specialized Mana Storm.
The sheer feat of controlling two distinct and complex spells at once was breathtaking.
"Double Casting," Kael breathed, his previous disdain lting away, replaced by sharp, cold realization. The two spells fired almost instantaneously. The Arcane Ray struck the Ogre’s chest, boring a smoking hole into its tough armor. Before the beast could even register the pain, the Mana Storm hit the wound, exploding the area outward in a blinding, concussive blast. The Ogre, unbalanced and critically wounded, collapsed with a ground-shaking thud.
The hall, for a single, stunned mont, was silent, only to erupt again in a cacophony ten tis louder than before. Lucian Crowe stood amidst the fading magical residue, unruffled, having delivered a masterful solo blow. His group’s ti was record-breaking.
Kael’s internal monologue raged, the words tumbling out in a barely perceptible whisper. "So he finally got it. The magic he specializes in, Double Casting... to think he has reached that level. Don’t tell he can now replicate magic now." The possibility alone sent a chill of professional respect and competitive alarm through him. "Lucian Crowe. The ti has finally co."
The gravity of Lucian’s demonstration settled over Kael Vi-rel like a heavy cloak. "Later on, he could beco a strong enemy. I an, a very strong one at that," he conceded, the statent a testant to the raw potential he had just witnessed.
For months, Kael had been executing a delicate, calculated maneuver. "I have been working on to make him one of my allies, but I haven’t seen it succeed, so I don’t know if it is going to be possible." He had always sought to manage threats by turning them into assets.
The thought of an alliance with such power was intoxicating. "If that skill is not of an enemy, but it is that of an ally or friend, then it will be amazing. I could have trendous result in disguise." Lucian Crowe was a piece on the board too valuable to ignore, too dangerous to leave unchecked.
The ethical and strategic crossroads were sharply defined. "Will I be able to sway him to my side?" Kael questioned himself, his voice taut with internal conflict. "Or should I just kill him right now, right here, before things turn too bad and get out of my control, just like the Bento situation?" The mory of a past failure, of power that had spiraled beyond his grasp, was a sharp spur.
Suddenly, the world outside his own head intruded. "Kael Vi-rel! Kael Vi-rel!"
Kael blinked, shaking off the deep abstraction of his thoughts. "Huh, what is it? Our ti?" he asked, his focus snapping back to the present.
Selene Whitmore, his teammate, who had been patiently standing nearby, simply looked at him, speechless at his sudden imrsion and equally sudden reergence.
"Uh-huh, yeah, it is our turn, right?" Kael pressed, a sharp, purposeful energy now animating him. Selene simply nodded.
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