THREE SECONDS RULE

-??? PoV-

After the ceremony, all the new students were dismissed to their dorms. Filing out of the auditorium, my eyes unconsciously looked for Tess, but she was nowhere in sight. Outside, the trees arched over the marble walkways, producing small showers of brightly-colored fall leaves. The students were all excitedly chatting to one another, getting to know their peers. As we walked deeper into the campus to where the dorms were, a few female students passed by Elijah and me, doing a double-take to look back at us and giggling with their friends.

Elijah sighed. "I feel like I become significantly less good-looking when I'm next to you." Elijah's shoulders hunched as we walked along side by side, Sylvie patting his head pityingly from her perch on top of mine.

"Well, even if most of the girls come after me, some of them will eventually have to settle for you, right, buddy?" I teased, giving him a playful wink.

"Screw you." He hit me in the stomach as we both laughed.

Suddenly, a large gathering of mana startled us both, as well as the students walking nearby. Something was happening at the end of the marble walkway. After exchanging a quick glance, Elijah and I shot off.

"I declare a duel between me, Zepes Indu, and Anos Voldigoad!"

"I accept the duel."

I realized what was going on from a good distance away and stopped running, shaking my head. It was a duel between students.

The dark skinned battle mage, Zepes Indu, and a scholar mage, Anos Voldigoad, were engaged in a confrontation. I observed the scene unfold from a distance, not wanting to intervene unless necessary.

"Anos... That name's kinda familiar," Elijah said, scratching his head.

Gears instantly clicked in my mind as I processed the situation. "Anos Voldigoad... That's the name of the student Uncle Vincent helped get into the academy."

"Mr. Vincent said he was skilled with fire magic, I think...?" Elijah nodded, recalling the information.

"They're already fighting, aren't they? Let's just go." I tried to nudge my friend to take a roundabout route and avoid the two dueling students.

"Come on," Elijah said. "We have nothing better to do anyway, just unpacking. Let's see how good they are. Look, the battle mage looks to be a second-level augmenter."

Zepes took out a magic sword named Zephrid that burned with intense flames. "Surprised? The Magic Sword Zephrid has been passed down through the Indu family for generations. Its blade was forged in ancient flame and has the power to increase my power tenfold. No matter how weak you think I am, you've no chance in hell of blowing out this flame!"

It's impressive that his family allowed him to bring such a valuable artifact to school, especially considering the fact that the storage ring could easily be stolen from him.

"Hmm. Is math a weakness of yours?" Anos, asked as Zepes closed the distance between them.

Zepes flew into a rage. "What are you trying to say...?!"

"Ten times zero is still zero, you know."

"Ooh, sick burn," Elijah remarked with a chuckle.

Zepes launched into an attack, but Anos effortlessly dodged, showcasing his agility.

I tried to see what their mana core stage was. Zepes looked to be at the dark-orange stage. But when I tried to assess Anos' mana core stage, I couldn't see it, meaning he was above light orange stage.

Anos and Zepes talked for a bit, and Anos sighed, causing the flames of Zephrid to go out. This seemed to surprise everyone, including Zepes.

"What...?!" Zepes exclaimed. "Y-You bastard... You blew out my flames again!?"

"Hey, did you see that!?" Elijah called out. "He just blew out the flames with a sigh!"

"Yeah... I don't how he did it thought," I replied.

My most likely guess would be that he amplified the gust of wind from his breath to extinguish the flames. But that's just a theory. (A/N: A FIC THEORY! ha... I want to kms...)

Anos proposed a handicap, declaring that he wouldn't take a single step and wouldn't use any spells, but he would defeat Zepes without moving. Zepes, initially mocking the idea, suddenly ended up coughing blood and collapsing.

"Did you hear it?"

Badump.

"The sound of my heartbeat."

The literal sound of his heartbeat was enough to cause harm to Zepes, showcasing Anos' overwhelming power.

"What the fuck..." Elijah muttered, wide-eyed.

At this point, the crowd were all pale-faced as they witnessed Anos' display of power. The duel practically ended with Zepes collapsing, and Anos remarked, "Hmm. This is troubling. If everyone's so weak, I'll end up killing people whenever my pulse quickens."

How the hell is that even possible? To completely overwhelm someone with the mere sound of a heartbeat would require an unfathomable amount and control of magic power. It wouldn't be a surprise if he was actually a white core mage.

"We should get out of here," Elijah suggested, and I nodded in agreement. It would be best to avoid making enemies with Anos, especially considering his overwhelming strength.

We turned and started walking away from the scene, leaving Anos and the fallen Zepes behind.

'I goddamn hope I don't become his enemy in the future,' I thought to myself as we headed towards the dorms.

—————

-Anos PoV-

I turned around to walk away when a voice called out from behind me.

"Hold it...right there..." Zepes tried to get up, but his wounds were too severe. With his body uncooperative, he crawled along the ground.

"You'll survive if you receive immediate treatment. I recommend you surrender." I glanced back at him, mildly curious about what he had to say.

"Ha. That's what I thought, you disgrace of a mage. Can't even finish of your enemies?"

"If you talk too much, you'll die."

"Kill me."

"I would, but there isn't much value in killing small fry like you."

Now, what was I to do?

"Ha! Can't do it? Go on, just try to make me surrender. I'd rather die than give in!"

What was he talking about?

"There isn't much point in making you surrender when you've already lost."

If I ordered him to surrender, he'd probably do so immediately...

"I know what you're thinking. You're gonna ignore me and run away like a coward. Do your worst—try it. You know you'll never get me to give up, right?! Ha ha ha! Bwa ha ha ha ha— Oof!"

I stepped on Zepes's head, pressing his face against the marble floor. "Good grief, how haughty. You want to bask in such puny superiority so badly? What a miserable fellow."

However, he had said something rather interesting.

"So you think I can't make you surrender?"

"It... It's true, isn't it? You scum...!"

Despite having his head stepped on, Zepes continued to argue back. He sure was enthusiastic for a petty underling.

"Hmm. An interesting idea. All right, I'm in. If I make you surrender, I win. If not, you win."

"Ha, you sure you should be talking so big? I'd rather die than surrender! No matter how much pain you inflict, I won't surrender... You're going to regret this! Ha ha ha ha!"

I brought my index finger before his forehead...

"Hah? What—"

...and flicked it.

"—are yooou—?!"

Zepes's entire body splattered across the marble road.

"Oh... I thought I was holding back enough, but I killed him anyway... I see."

Goodness. At this rate, it'd be my defeat. There was no helping it. I cut the tip of my index finger, letting a single drop of blood drip down.

"Ingall."

Zepes's body regenerated; he was resurrected in an unharmed state. I even modified his sword and armor to strengthen it a little.

The audience was left dumbfounded.

"Wha... What is that magic?! Zepes was dead!"

"He was brought back from the dead...?! I've never heard of a spell like it!"

What were they so shocked for? The audience was making a lot of fuss over something so trivial as Zepes coming back to life. If one couldn't perform such magic, death would mean actual death.

"Wha... I..." Zepes looked at me with a befuddled expression.

"Well? How did you like dying? Feel like surrendering yet?"

"N-No way... Who would ever surrender to y— Gah...!"

I flicked my finger again, killing him.

"Ha ha, oops. I accidentally killed you again. But it's fine; as long as I use Ingall within three seconds, there's no risk of permanent death. You may know it as...the three-second rule."

A deathly hush fell over the spectator seats.

Hmm. Had I, of all people, failed to land a joke?

The three-second rule had been a surefire quip in the Mythical Age... How could it have fallen flat? Standards of comedy must have changed in the past two thousand years. In fact, upon closer inspection, everyone looked mortally horrified. Was my joke really that terrible? I'd have to hold back on the jokes until I understood this era better.

Now, time to corner him gently. Enough not to cause any trauma, that is.

"You said you'd rather die than surrender, but did you think you'd only die once?"

Zepes didn't reply—he was too busy trembling.

"Now, let me ask you again: do you feel like surrendering yet?"

Despair flashed in Zepes's eyes, but he managed to squeak in a feeble voice, "S-Someone, hel— Aagh...!"

Figuring it would take one more push, I killed him again. Even so, the single drop of blood required for Ingall sure was bothersome.

When Zepes's body regenerated once more, he looked at me in pure terror.

"By the way, there's an intriguing philosophical dispute related to Ingall. If a person is brought back to life, are they the same person that died? Or are they a different person with the same personality, memories, and body? What's your take?"

Zepes's teeth chattered behind his trembling lips. His face was as pale as a sheet. "Y-You bastard... You're insane..."

"Hmm. Not interested in the debate, huh? It was a heavily discussed topic back in my day."

Well, if the standards of comedy had changed so much, I shouldn't be surprised if interests in philosophy differed as well.

"Oh well. I guess I'll try killing you one more time."

"Y-You... You talk about killing so easily..."

Even I chuckled heartily at that one.

"What's wrong? That's a rather drastic change of heart. It's not as though you'll die permanently," I said lightly, bringing my hand to Zepes's forehead.

"Wa... Wa... Wait, please..."

"Huh?*

Oh. Oops. My finger slipped, and I killed him again. How careless of me—it seemed I still wasn't used to this new body. He was just about to say something too. Well, I could just hear it after resurrecting him. "Ingall."

"Y-You jerk! I asked you to wait!"

"Ha ha, sorry. My finger slipped."

"Don't laugh at me, you bastard! Who kills with a slip of a finger?!"

"Oh? Still lively, I see. Let's do one more round, then." I brought my finger to Zepes's forehead once more.

He immediately shrank back, paling further. "W-Wait..."

"What now? There's no room for hesitation in the midst of battle."

"It's..." His expression was filled with humiliation, but his words were clear. "It's my loss. I give up."

Oh? What a letdown.

"Was that all it took to crush your will? How weak of you. Here I was prepared to kill you another ten thousand times." I was joking to express my lack of hostility, but for some reason Zepes trembled even harder.

Just as I was about to leave, a voice called out from the crowd. It was a voice all the new students had heard not too long ago, a voice many of them had probably fallen in love with. "Stop right there."

I turned to see the whole student council walking toward us. The students standing around the scene parted as if a king was walking through.

In the front, moving with calm but rapid strides, was the student council president, Tessia Eralith.

'Oh? What could she want with me?' I wondered as I turned to face the approaching student council.

"You. I believed I told you stop right there," She took a step forward, her eyes boring down on me. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I was simply engaged in a friendly consented duel with Zepes here."

Tessia's gaze remained stern. "Did you not pay attention to my speech about tensions between the scholar mages and battle mages? Yet here you are, causing conflict with a battle mage student on the first day!" She folded her arms tightly as her stern gaze bore down on me, her face filled with both anger and fear.

Hmm. She must be quite passionate about maintaining peace between scholar mages and battle mages. A commendable effort, I must say.

"Hmm. A fair point, I suppose I got carried away," I said as I walked away from the scene, leaving Zepes behind, still bewildered and shaken.

"Hold it, first-year." Clive Graves ran toward me, grabbing me by the arm as he tried to spin me back around. "Were you raised in a cave? Are these the manners your mother taught you growing up? Can you not even apologize for what you did?"

Holding firm, I stopped and looked at him over my shoulder. "Technically, yes, but I prefer you don't insult my mother."

A single magic-infused glare was enough to make not just Clive, but everyone else present, frozen in fear.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other matters to attend to," I stated calmly, pulling my arm free from Clive's grasp and continuing my stroll away from the confrontation.

I made it into the dorm building without any further interruptions, leaving the commotion behind. The academy boasted two male dorms and two female dorms. The two sets of residences were further separated into underclassmen and upperclassmen. Underclassmen—those students who were still taking their general education classes—were moved into the upperclassmen dorms after they'd finished their basic courses and formally decided what type of student they were going to be.

The underclassmen dorms were simple, to say the least. They were clean and well-kept, but lackluster in terms of furniture or decorations. There was a warm beige interior, with stairs up to the top floor, and each floor contained a narrow hallway lined with rooms.

Room 024. Here.

I unlocked the door by placing my palm on a round stone above the handle. It looked to be a simple artifact, used to read basic mana signatures.

The room wasn't nearly as luxurious as I had expected but had a very homey feel. Walking in, there were two closets to my right; to my left was a small bathroom crammed with two adjacent sinks, a shower, and toilet.

Two beds, separated by a nightstand, were side by side against the left-hand wall, while on the right side was a long drawer for folded clothes. The sleeping area was separated from the studying area by a wall that came up to our waist, with three elevated steps leading to an arrangement of desks and couches. The two desks were placed against opposite walls, so one would be seated facing away from the other student while studying. A long couch was positioned against the low wall, separating the desks from the beds. The far wall was made almost entirely of glass, which instantly drew me toward it. The view encompassed a big portion of the campus, which was currently a canvas of fall colors.

The other bed was empty, awaiting its occupant. It seemed I would be sharing this room with a roommate. I wonder who that might be.

I decided to make myself at home, and lay on the bed closest to the window, staring out at the scenery. The sun was beginning to set, casting a warm glow across the landscape.

In a few minutes, I had to go the dining hall for dinner. Although I had no particular need for sustenance, I figured it would be a good opportunity to observe the local cuisine and maybe make some acquaintances, or even better, new subordinates.

As I waited, I decided to meditate and check my source. I closed my eyes and peered into my abyss, trying to see the end of my power. I opened my eyes, finding my surroundings unchanged.

'As expected, only 10% of my power is accessible after my reincarnation. I should tread somewhat carefully until I regain my full strength,' I thought to myself, contemplating the limitations of my current state.

'On that note,' I pondered, 'would it be possible to summon that?'

I focused on casting the origin magic to summon the three-dimensional magic circle to appear before me. The intricate symbols began forming in the air, yet I failed to complete the summoning.

Interesting... I felt a connection to that, but the connection was very faint, like a distant echo. Was the failure a result of my diminished power, or perhaps a stronger connection was required?

Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. I sensed a somewhat strong presence behind it, a presence I sensed before.

"Come in, Director Goodsky," I opened the door, a calm smile on my face, acknowledging the person at the door.

Director Goodsky entered, her eyes scanning the room before settling on me. "Anos Voldigoad, correct?"

I nodded in response.

She studied me for a moment before speaking. "I came here to inform you that your supposed roommate requested to change rooms. Because the assigning of rooms is already complete, you'll be living alone for the time being."

"Is that so? And what's the true reason as to why you're here?"

She paused for a moment, her expression unreadable. "How did you know?"

I raised an eyebrow at the question with an obvious answer. "I doubt the director of the academy would personally handle such trivial matters. You could've simply ordered one of the faculty members to deliver the news."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she took a step closer. "You're quite perceptive, Anos Voldigoad. I came here because I wanted to offer you a proposition."

"Go on," I listened intently, curious about the proposition she had in mind.

"I want to offer you a position to be a part of a committee that is going to start this year: the disciplinary committee," Goodsky said, her gaze steady. "The disciplinary committee is responsible for maintaining order and handling issues related to student conduct. Your display of power earlier caught my attention. A incredibly strong person within the committee would dishearten students into misbehaving, reducing the number of incidents overall."

I considered her words for a moment. "Thanks for the offer, but I have no interest in joining the disciplinary committee."

"Are you so sure about that?" Goodsky asked, her tone taking on a more serious note. "Your use of the never seen before resurrection magic would put you under some unwanted attention, be it good or bad. Believe me, many nobles are already whispering about your abilities, and some might see them as a threat."

I chuckled softly. "Director, you have a point, but I can handle any attention that comes my way."

"You might be able to, but can you protect those close to you from the consequences of that attention?" Goodsky countered. "What were their names again? Gusta and Izabella Voldigoad?"