Chapter 109: University Screening [6]

Amon stood on the side of the testing area and watched the students continue fighting in the various circles.

His first two matches had happened almost back to back, but his third match was taking considerably longer to begin.

’Guess I’ll just wait.’

Amon crossed his arms and watched another student get knocked out before an instructor quickly stepped into the circle and recorded the result.

While waiting, his thoughts slowly drifted toward something completely unrelated to the screening.

...His Foster Family.

Amon frowned slightly. ’...What should I do about them?’

He had been thinking about going to the capital city after entering the Royal University, and naturally, he wanted Ambrosia and Sidney to come with him.

Even though it was somewhat selfish of him, Amon didn’t want to leave his foster mother and sister behind.

The thought of leaving them alone in their current situation didn’t sit well with him.

’They probably won’t agree anyway.’

Ambrosia had already refused to leave her home because she didn’t want to be with her parents in the capital city.

While Sidney would probably complain about having to move somewhere completely unfamiliar.

Still, Amon couldn’t shake the feeling that leaving them alone was a bad idea.

There was always a chance they would do something stupid.

More importantly, Amon was wary of the possibility that some man might try to take advantage of their situation while he was away.

He knew there were plenty of people who wouldn’t hesitate to approach a vulnerable family.

There was no personal agenda of his own in those thoughts.

Amon sighed and shook his head. ’I’ll deal with it later.’

There was no point worrying about something that hadn’t happened yet.

Just as he was about to move toward one of the nearby benches, his name was suddenly announced.

"Student Amon Arcadia, please enter Circle One."

Amon stopped and looked toward the arena. ’Finally.’

He walked toward Circle One and stepped inside. His opponent was already waiting for him.

Amon immediately recognized the red-haired boy standing across from him.

’Kael Draven.’

Kael was grinning from ear to ear while holding a staff that looked more like a crude club than an actual magical weapon.

His eyes were filled with obvious hostility. "I’m going to kill you."

Amon tilted his head. ’This guy really hasn’t gotten over it.’

Kael raised his crude staff and pointed it toward him. "Take a weapon."

Amon glanced toward the weapon rack outside the arena.

"You should take one so you don’t start whining later about how this wasn’t a fair fight." Kael continued in a mocking tone.

Instead of answering, Amon raised both hands and casually placed them inside his pockets.

Kael’s grin disappeared. "What are you doing?"

Amon shrugged. "Nothing."

Kael’s face twitched.

The fact that Amon wasn’t even bothering to take him seriously seemed to irritate him more than anything.

The referee stepped between them and raised his hand. "Prepare yourselves."

Kael immediately lowered his stance.

Amon remained completely relaxed, his hands still buried inside his pockets.

"Begin!"

The moment the referee gave the signal, flames erupted around Kael.

He swung his staff forward, and a stream of fire shot toward Amon with enough force to scorch the ground beneath it.

Amon simply stepped to the side.

The fire passed beside his body and exploded against the barrier behind him.

Kael didn’t hesitate as he swung his staff again.

A large fireball appeared above him and shot toward Amon.

Amon ducked underneath it and continued walking forward.

Another fireball came from the side, and he leaned backward, allowing it to pass directly over his face.

The heat brushed against his hair, but his expression didn’t change.

Kael gritted his teeth. "Stop running!"

Amon glanced at him and replied calmly. "I’m not running."

Kael suddenly slammed the end of his staff against the ground.

Several flames erupted beneath Amon’s feet.

Amon jumped backward as the ground where he had been standing was engulfed in fire.

’He’s got a lot of firepower.’

Kael continued attacking without giving him time to settle.

Flames spread across the arena, forcing Amon to keep moving.

Amon stepped between the attacks with his hands still inside his pockets.

Whenever Kael fired a spell toward him, Amon simply moved his body enough to avoid it.

A fire spear came from the front, and Amon just tilted his head.

Kael’s expression became increasingly frustrated. "Stand still!"

Amon smiled slightly. "Why don’t I just lay down so you can attack me?"

Kael’s face reddened. "You bastard!"

He raised his staff and poured even more mana into his next spell.

The flames around him intensified as several burning projectiles formed in the air.

Amon watched them gather. ’So much anger in these young blood tch tch.’

Though his behaviour wasn’t exactly surprising.

Kael had already threatened to ruin his life outside the screening simply because Amon had ignored him.

Now he was probably furious that his attacks weren’t even forcing Amon to take his hands out of his pockets.

The projectiles suddenly shot forward, and Amon used Spatial Steps.

His body vanished from the spot, and the fireballs collided with each other and exploded.

Kael looked around in confusion. "Where did you--"

Amon appeared directly above him as his foot landed against Kael’s face.

BAM!

Kael staggered sideways.

Amon had already disappeared again before Kael could retaliate.

The spectators around the arena gasped, and Kael touched his face with one hand.

"You..."

Amon appeared several meters away with his hands still inside his pockets.

Kael’s anger finally reached its limit.

"Fine!"

He slammed his staff into the ground.

A massive circle of fire spread outward from his position.

The flames covered almost the entire arena, leaving only a few safe spaces between the burning patches.

Amon looked around. ’Area of effect attack, huh.’

Kael grinned. "Let’s see you dodge this!"

The flames suddenly surged upward.

Amon released his mana as Frost immediately spread beneath his feet.

A layer of ice covered the ground, and wherever the flames approached, the temperature dropped sharply.

Steam filled the arena as fire and frost collided.

Kael tried to increase the intensity of his flames, but Amon kept spreading the frost farther.

The flames were gradually being pushed back.

Kael’s expression became furious as he charged toward Amon through the steam.

"You think you can beat me with tricks!?"

Amon raised an eyebrow.

He created a small wave of frost that spread across the ground.

The wave wasn’t powerful enough to hurt Kael.

Instead, it simply formed a line of small frozen flowers directly in front of him.

Kael stopped for half a second. "What the hell is that?"

Amon shrugged. "Flowers."

Kael’s eye twitched. "You think this is funny?"

Amon smiled.

"Have you ever heard Shakespearean language?" He asked randomly, tilting his head. "Have you ever heard thou motherawhore?"

"Fuck you!!" Kael roared and swung his staff toward him.

Amon stepped backward, allowing the crude club to pass inches from his chest.

Kael followed with another swing, and Amon leaned to the side, avoiding it.

Kael kept attacking, but his movements were becoming slower.

His breathing grew heavier as the mana he had spent on his area attacks began catching up with him.

Amon noticed immediately. ’He’s running low.’

Kael raised his staff again, but the flames around him were considerably weaker now.

Amon finally decided to end the match.

He walked toward Kael.

The red-haired boy gritted his teeth and tightened his grip around the staff.

"Don’t think you’ve won yet!" He swung the crude club toward Amon’s head.

Amon shifted his body to the side, and the club passed harmlessly beside him.

Before Kael could recover, Amon stepped inside his guard.

His leg rose, and his upper body moved back to balance his body.

BAM!

His kick struck the side of Kael’s neck.

Kael’s eyes widened before his body went limp. He collapsed onto the ground.

The referee immediately stepped forward.

"Match over!" The magical barrier disappeared. "Winner, Amon Arcadia."

Amon lowered his leg and casually walked out of the arena.

His hands never left his pockets.

---

The Combat Test ended some time later.

The students were gathered together once again as the large screen came to life.

The same teacher who had introduced the previous tests appeared on it. "Congratulations to everyone who successfully completed the Combat Test."

The teacher smiled as several students around the field began discussing their matches.

"Your performances will now be evaluated by the instructors, and you will receive your grades based on your combat ability, adaptability, battle instincts, and overall performance."

The screen changed again.

The teacher’s expression became slightly more serious. "However, there is one final test remaining."

The students immediately became quiet.

"The Potential Test."

Those three words appeared across the massive screen.

"This test will determine your potential and help the academy evaluate how far you may be able to progress in the future."

Amon looked at the screen with renewed interest. ’At last, this is going to end.’

The teacher continued speaking. "Please follow your instructors to the final testing grounds. Once the Potential Test begins, you will receive the final evaluation of your screening."

Amon stretched his arms and slowly joined the crowd.

’Well, I already know my potential, so there would be no surprise there...’

...There will be none, right?