Report
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 26
The Superior Mage Selection Tournament spans a total of one week, divided into two days of preliminary rounds and five days of main competition.
During the preliminaries, instead of direct combat, participants are ranked by measuring their magical power. A specially treated mana stone is used to gauge the power of their magic, ensuring the process is non-confrontational. Due to the lack of battles, the preliminaries typically don’t draw much of an audience.
Only a handful of observers—nobles scouting for talent or representatives from magic guilds—bother to attend.
As a result, the atmosphere in the group waiting rooms was relatively calm.
Clack.
“So the 10th participant has finally arrived.”
“Do you know who he is? I’ve never seen him before.”
“Neither have I. He looks like a second-year student.”
Ignoring the chatter around him, Kaylen scanned the waiting room.
There were a total of nine students already present.
Seven of them were seated neatly on the waiting room chairs, while the remaining two occupied a large sofa at the back of the room.
“Another glass.”
“Yes, Lord Lioness.”
A female mage, dressed in a robe, poured wine for the man on the sofa. Despite being a fellow participant, her demeanor was akin to that of a servant. She carried out her duties with a dazed expression, her gaze fixed entirely on him.
It wasn’t surprising, considering the man on the sofa. His looks went beyond mere handsomeness.
With his noble air and refined features, Lioness was a strikingly beautiful youth. His scarlet hair, tied in a long braid behind him, gave him an almost androgynous appearance. At a glance, one might easily mistake him for a woman.
“I didn’t think any human could rival the beauty of the Bormian Elves, but here we are.”
Kaylen silently admired the scene. The way Lioness sipped his wine was like watching a painting come to life.
“Lioness, is it? The name sounds familiar.”
Lioness de Oblaine.
The third son of the Duke of Oblaine, a man renowned not only for his lineage but also for his genius.
Yet, while he was gifted with talent, his personality was infamous for being temperamental.
Most rumors surrounding Lioness, however, centered on his extraordinary appearance.
It was said that his beauty was so captivating that people couldn’t look away.
Initially, Kaylen had dismissed such stories as exaggerated, but now he realized that no rumor could fully capture the extent of Lioness’s allure.
However, Kaylen’s interest wasn’t in Lioness’s beauty.
“The House of Oblaine.”
The Oblaine family was the foremost noble house in the Kingdom of Bormian, closely tied to the royal family.
It was the family of the current queen and maternal relatives of the second prince, making it a core pillar of the Second Prince’s faction.
The House of Oblaine stood in fierce competition with the First Prince’s faction, led by Princess Violet.
Lioness was a prominent scion of this influential house.
"A Vast Difference Between Him and Kaylen"
Kaylen walked toward one of the remaining seats in the waiting room.
The previous night, after returning to the academy, he had scoured the library searching for spells that could enable him to use 4th-circle magic. During this search, he stumbled upon an unusual book:
[Neglected Hybrid Magic Spells].
Having a bit of time before the tournament began, he wanted to read through the book once more.
***
Lioness's ruby-like eyes flicked toward Kaylen as he sat down and opened the book.
To be precise, his gaze focused on the book Kaylen was holding.
For a fleeting moment, a hint of curiosity flashed across Lioness's refined face as he read the title.
“Interesting. I’ve never seen him before. And I know every 3rd-year student.”
“Ah, him? He’s a 2nd-year student, so that might be why you don’t recognize him,” someone nearby explained.
“Who is he?”
“Kaylen… Kaylen Starn, I think? That’s the name I remember.”
“Ah, so it’s him.”
Upon hearing the name, Lioness called over one of the mages waiting nearby. The mage had already been watching Kaylen intently.
“Zaik. The Starn family is tied to your house, correct?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Go talk to him.”
“As you command.”
Adjusting his glasses, Zaik rose from his seat and strode toward Kaylen.
“You. Are you Kaylen?”
Seated and engrossed in his book, Kaylen simply nodded.
Zaik, emboldened, pointed at himself with a sense of self-importance.
“I am Zaik Baldur.”
He emphasized the name Baldur, clearly expecting it to resonate with Kaylen. Given Lioness's earlier comment about the Starn family's connection to the Baldur house, Zaik likely assumed Kaylen would understand the weight of his words.
However, Kaylen's expression remained indifferent.
“I have no memory of this.”
Though fragments of past memories sometimes resurfaced in Kaylen’s mind when prompted, this time, there was nothing.
“What happened to this body before I inherited it? I’ll have to investigate the Starn family after this tournament.”
While Kaylen silently resolved to look into the matter, Zaik grew increasingly irritated by his lack of reaction.
“You dare act so stiffly even after I introduce myself? Is the Starn family refusing to acknowledge Baldur?”
“I have no ties to my family.”
“What nonsense is that? Have you forgotten the basic etiquette of nobility?”
Zaik’s voice rose, his finger jabbing toward Kaylen in indignation.
Unfazed, Kaylen shrugged. “Let’s skip the formalities and get to the point.”
Zaik’s face flushed with anger, a mix of red and purple.
“You insolent wretch! Were it not for our house, your family wouldn’t even exist!”
His hand shot upward, poised to strike. At that moment—
Knock, Knock—
The door to the waiting room opened as an academy staff member entered and began giving instructions.
“Group D, we will now begin the preliminary magic evaluation. Please step outside.”
“Tch.”
Zaik lowered his hand, reluctantly backing away.
Lioness, who had been observing the interaction, downed the remainder of his wine in a single gulp. With an air of disinterest, he stood and walked toward the exit.
Step. Step.
As he neared the door, Lioness paused, glancing back at Kaylen.
“You know who I am, don’t you? Let me ask: what is your relationship with the princess?”
“That’s a difficult question to answer, and I won’t be providing one.”
“...You insolent wretch!”
Murderous intent radiated from Zaik and the other mages aligned with the Second Prince’s faction.
Lioness raised a hand, signaling them to stop.
“So you’re not willing to answer. No matter.”
He turned away from Kaylen, addressing the other mages in the room.
“Go all out. Activate your mana suits, use your full power, and ensure that he doesn’t make it past the preliminaries.”
“Yes, sir!” they responded in unison.
Lioness looked at Kaylen once more.
“Kaylen, I’ll see you again. By then, I expect an answer.”
“And if you still refuse to talk, I’ll lodge a formal complaint about your absences. Expulsion wouldn’t be out of the question.”
Becoming a Superior Mage would protect Kaylen from repercussions regarding his attendance, but until that happened, Lioness had leverage. While the princess had shielded Kaylen from typical complaints by other mages, a formal grievance from the son of a ducal family like Lioness carried far more weight.
Having said his piece, Lioness exited the room, with Zaik scrambling to follow. Before stepping through the door, Zaik turned back, glaring at Kaylen.
“I won’t forget what happened today, you bastard.”
“Feel free.”
“You little—!”
Zaik ground his teeth in frustration before storming out. The remaining mages exchanged uneasy glances before following suit, leaving the waiting room one by one.
“Well then, let’s see what this is all about,” Kaylen murmured to himself, casually rising and heading outside.
The threats from Lioness meant nothing to him.
***
The Superior Mage Tournament’s preliminary evaluation involved a specialized mana stone. Participants’ magic would be measured based on the power they unleashed upon the stone, which assigned scores accordingly.
The scoring was predictable for most competitors:
- Standard 3rd-circle mages scored below 50 points.
- 3rd-circle Meisters typically hit 70 points.
- Those equipped with mana suits, operating at full capacity, could achieve 90 points.
Given these established benchmarks, participants generally had a sense of their ranking even before competing. Unless a mage was in a heated battle for a critical position, most didn’t bother exerting themselves fully during the preliminaries.
After all, the real challenge lay in the finals—there was no need to waste energy so early in the competition.
With the conclusion of the preliminary evaluations for Groups A through C, it was now Group D's turn.
The spectators were taken aback as soon as the evaluations began.
“...What’s wrong with them?”
Group D stood out immediately.
Unlike other groups, where participants reserved their energy, the mages in Group D were giving it their all.
“Huff... Huff... Fireball!”
The first up was a standard 3rd-circle mage. Typically, such mages scored below 50 points, with most averaging in the 30s. Yet here they were, casting spells with such intensity that they were foaming at the mouth from exertion.
[45 points.]
[51 points.]
[47 points.]
Thanks to their relentless efforts, the three ordinary mages scored well above their usual average.
“Next, Kaylen!”
But before Kaylen could step forward, Lioness intervened.
“Hold on. Let him go last.”
“But—”
“He was the last to arrive, so let him be the last to compete,” Lioness said with an air of authority, leaving no room for debate.
“Ah, understood...”
The staff, unwilling to oppose someone of Lioness’s stature, reluctantly nodded.
“Now, let the Meisters take the stage,” Lioness commanded.
The first Meisters to step forward were those without mana suits.
“Circle. Reload.”
Unlike ordinary mages, the Meisters didn’t cast their spells immediately. Instead, they performed a mana circle reload, amplifying the elemental power of their magic—a feat ordinary mages couldn’t achieve.
“Fireball.”
Once the reload was complete, they cast their spells. While the Fireball appeared similar to those of standard mages in shape, its size was more than twice as large.
Kaylen watched their demonstrations with curiosity.
“Focusing on a single element really enhances its power. At that level, their spells might rival those of a mid-tier 4th-circle mage from the past,” he mused.
Boom!
The resulting explosion was leagues beyond the earlier displays.
The Meister, now drenched in sweat, awaited his score.
[75 points.]
[78 points.]
[78 points.]
The Meisters consistently scored in the mid-to-high 70s, showcasing the peak of their capabilities.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
“Activate mana suits.”
The two Meisters who owned personal mana suits took it a step further, preparing to unleash their enhanced power.
Mana suits, expensive weapons powered by mana stones, were primarily designed for breaking dungeon cores. Yet, here they were being used in the preliminary round of a competition.
Shiiiiing—
As the mana suits activated, the mages' hands and arms became encased in steel, resembling the armor of knights. The color of the suits varied based on the user’s elemental affinity.
"C-rank mana suits typically look like this," Kaylen noted to himself.
From B-rank and above, the suits would transform the user’s body to resemble elemental spirits aligned with the four primary elements. However, C-rank mana suits merely resembled metallic armor in different hues. Despite their simplistic appearance, their power was undeniable.
Vrrrrrm—
Boom!
[94 points.]
[93 points.]
When the two suited Meisters stepped aside, Lioness made his way to the center of the stage. All eyes turned to him, and murmurs of awe echoed across the arena.
“That’s Lord Lioness...”
“He’s truly stunning.”
“A Meister of Flames, isn’t he?”
Lioness stopped at the very center of the stage. Gradually, flames began to engulf his hair, spreading across his body.
Fwoooosh—
The heat radiating from him was immense, causing the ground beneath him to melt. Alarmed, one of the judges hastily shouted, his face pale:
“S-Stop! 100 points! It’s 100 points!”
“Hmph.”
At the judge’s frantic plea, Lioness absorbed the flames in an instant, his body returning to normal.
As he passed Kaylen on his way back, he muttered softly:
“Let’s see what you can do. Not that it’ll be more than a 3rd-circle spell.”
“Now, the last participant… Kaylen Stern.”
“Yes.”
Kaylen stepped into the arena at the judge’s call. Tucking the book, [Neglected Hybrid Magic Spells], into his robe, he extended his hand.
“Lightning Bolt.”
A 4th-circle spell, Lightning Bolt, sparked to life.
The long-neglected magic of thunder revealed its might.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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