Calista's Assessment [3]

"...!"

Gasps escaped from the students' mouths as Eleanor rolled on the ground violently a few times.

Such reactions weren't seen for Mateo and Vinny.

Lami wondered why that was the case. Unable to find a reason, he replayed the fight in his mind.

Other than the fact that she was the princess.

'So that is why.'

Her attacks were not coherent, she had great output, but her control was, at best, decent. 

Combinations of her elements were almost non-existent. She didn't utilize spells either, simply shooting elemental magic.

She had immense potential but that was it.

At least for now. 

With sufficient training, she could reach new heights.

It wasn't to say she was weaker than other students, she probably wasn't. The committee didn't rank students solely for their potential.

"We just started and I am already bored. Let's get done with this. Can we?" Lami said, stretching groggily. 

He had no one to converse with. Lucian had claimed he would take a short nap, but with drool and mumbled gibberish, he looked more like he was hibernating

If Lami wasn't a refined gentleman, he would take a picture of this funny sight.

Snap!

And that's precisely what he did.

He wasn't a refined gentleman after all. How come a slum rat could be virtuous?

…

All of the fights, except for Lami's, were done.

While watching everything closely, he had noticed some noteworthy individuals.

The one who impressed him the most was Ylva Miller. She was a tall girl who, like Lami, didn't seem to possess elemental magic and fought with an imposing battle axe.

She was also ranked highly by the students since she was quite appealing to the eyes with her wheat blonde hair and ethereal, golden eyes which felt like the Sun.

A saying about the 'Queens of Class C' had begun circulating.

The so-called queens were Lumia, Seren, Eleanor, and Ivy. It hadn't even been a day, and they already had a cult-like following. 

Lami didn't know how the latter made it into the list, he didn't think she was comparable to the former four.

It wouldn't take long for their popularity to spread across the whole academy. The speed at which everything was happening already shocked Lami significantly.

Ivy Starglance, the girl Lami met in the Manual shop, also avoided the fight, stating her spells were not suited for the arena since they could destroy the training grounds.

He had also noted down a few more names, but he wasn't sure whether they were worth watching out for.

There were also some annoyances...

Namely, Elliot Anders. 

Lami didn't know his background, but the way he boasted around gave him an idea. 

Yes, that type.

The egotistical kind.

He felt like he heard his last name before. 

Ever since Lucian left, promising to return for Lami's fight, Elliot had been pestering him nonstop.

The more Lami ignored Elliot, the more insufferable he became. It started with harmless jabs about Lami being an Initiate but quickly escalated into blatant discrimination.

Lami simply shrugged him off; he had no time to deal with such small nuisances. He was busy closely observing Calista's movement patterns to create a strategy.

Noticing that he couldn't get into Lami's mind, Elliot left the arena, saying Lami would pay for it.

Pay for what? Lami had no idea. 

Not like he cared. 

It was his time.

Lami made his way down from the stands, replaying the previous fights in his mind. He had created a strategy that he hoped would work.

Being last was a blessing for someone as observant as him.

Lami summoned his katana as he entered the arena.

"Are you ready?" Calista asked with a tired look on her face; however, there was a glimmer of interest in her eyes.

Lami assumed it was because of his placement in the theoretical exam with not attending the practical. He could be seen as a weak person who had no self-confidence. 

Calista seemed to be trying to gauge Lami's strength.

Lami unsheathed his sword and nodded, taking a battle stance. 

He was holding the blood-red katana, which shone slightly under the lights. 

Vinny's eyes widened at the sight.

But he didn't have time to ponder about the sword—Lami had already started dashing at Calista.

'My illusion won't work on her. No need to even try,' Lami thought.

Swoosh!

He simply swung his sword at her, not stopping afterward. He knew where Calista would move to.

As Calista stepped back, Lami's sword came hurtling at her, piercing the air at great speed.

Seeing his body lean forward and his knees bend, Calista crouched without hesitation, intending to execute a sweeping kick aimed at Lami's feet.

But to her surprise Calista's attack met nothing, as Lami had already jumped with all his might, foreseeing her move.

Thud.

Landing softly on the ground, Lami tensed his muscles and brought his katana down for a final strike.

Xiuuuu!

His whistling sword parted the air, aiming directly at Calista's neck.

It wasn't a normal strike—no.

Lami poured everything he had into the devastating strike. It was filled with his killing intent.

He was limit-testing himself.

He was sure that he would at the very least graze Calista.

However...

Calista caught Lami's wrists with both hands. Her lips curled into a sadistic smile as she hurled Lami toward the stands without even moving from her spot.

"Ahh!"

A pained groan escaped Lami's lips as he rolled uncontrollably across the ground.

The fight was over.

"..."

The rest of the students remained completely silent, with Lami's ragged breaths being the only sound.

Not many understood what had truly occurred. The fight lasted no more than thirty seconds.

Then, soon after, murmurs began to ripple through the crowd, gradually growing into loud chatter.

But the stronger ones could clearly see how Lami had predicted Calista's moves and lured her into a corner to finish things off.

Although things hadn't turned out as he wanted, it was still a respectable feat.

"Attention!" Calista's voice cut through the loud chatter of the students, commanding their attention.

"Thanks to those who attended the assessment fights. As the name suggests, my goal was to evaluate 'my students' and help them progress further," she said, her voice tinged with satisfaction. She paused briefly, her gaze sweeping over the students before continuing.

"I wasn't able to partake in the practical test, so I opted for this method. It might've been boring for some and inspiring for others, but that's all for today. I'll see you all tomorrow."

Lami continued lying there—not because he was hurt, but because he was annoyed. 

'What was I thinking,' Lami thought. 'There was no way such attack would graze a Grandmaster even if it connected.'

That if was a big if. In the heat of a moment, he had gotten lost in his dreams.

He was so close but yet so far.

But it was expected, Calista deliberately created openings and put herself in tough positions to fully gauge her students.