Unexpected Challenger

Time flies, and a month quickly passes. During that time, Raziel resolves two important matters, allowing him to breathe in relief, knowing his future is now far from the original path.

First, he prevented Eve's death.

A few days ago, she had approached him, explaining that her mother intended to send a scouting team to explore a medium-level monster zone beyond the empire's borders to gather information.

She was to be assigned as the leader of the team. However, Raziel grew suspicious, and after asking his father about the details, he strongly objected.

Eve was being sent to investigate the Deadmist Forest, where a Dungeon Break was imminent.

Mikael was furious with Raziel for meddling in his affairs. Luckily, Raziel remembered a low-level monster zone rich in Mederite ore, which wouldn't have been discovered for quite some time.

Mederite fetches a good price in the market, primarily used for crafting magical armor and enchanted staffs.

After a hard time convincing his father, Raziel managed to send Eve to the Eastern Snow Mountains. There, she would spend a month on the mission, eventually returning home with good news and more.

The second important matter was Clarice's mother finally being cured of her disease. It took a few days longer than Raziel expected, but Mariet eventually woke up from the coma, feeling much better.

Seeing Clarice happy, knowing her mother was no longer at risk of dying, Raziel felt a slight sense of relief. When Clarice tried to thank him, he quickly refused, saying this was just him fulfilling a deal.

And on the same day, Raziel finalized their contract. While doing so, he offered her another one, asking her to agree not to disclose any confidential information about the Harvesteads, including his ability to use two primary classes.

Clarice was confused by his proposal, and after reading the contract, she felt somewhat sad. It took her a little while to process everything, but in the end, she signed the contract.

Raziel gave her a generous amount of money and thanked Clarice for her services. The next day, she had already left after making breakfast. Raziel sighed, feeling the house a bit lonely.

While sitting on a wooden bench with a tired expression, Raziel ate a sandwich and reflected on the recent attention he had been receiving from the teachers.

He no longer arrived late, avoided trouble with others, and during the monthly exam, his grades skyrocketed, placing him among the top students in the class. Because of this, most teachers who had previously given up on him were now full of praise.

In the last class, his classmates had a friendly sparring session among themselves, and Raziel easily defeated those who had challenged him.

For someone who couldn't use a basic spell properly, such an evolution caught Valzivet's attention. He offered Raziel full praise in private, and after discovering that Raziel already had a second mana circle, the teacher was left dumbfounded.

Not every student who uses mana reaches the second circle in their second year; most only achieve it by their third year. Someone like Raziel, usually seen as a weak wizard, would have been expected to take even longer to reach that milestone.

"Now that my bad image is slowly improving, I don't know if it's good or not…" Raziel muttered to himself as he got up from the bench.

In the end, he didn't dwell on it and headed toward the training grounds, eager to spar with students from different primary classes and see if his improvement was significant enough for when he ventured into a monster zone.

As a wizard, he knew it was crucial to fight from a distance, using his spells to maintain an advantage. However, with his growing control over aura, Raziel longed to unleash his full power. Unfortunately, he couldn't afford to reveal his capabilities just yet.

Some very dangerous people would soon emerge, and Raziel knew all too well that he could become a target. Keeping some of his abilities hidden was essential for survival.

The good thing was that his adorable childhood friend would return soon, allowing him to finally spar with her without any concerns.

Last time they fought, Eve mentioned that if Raziel touched her even once, she would teach him useful aura techniques, such as repulsions and body enhancement.

Upon arriving at the training grounds, Raziel saw some students training alone, while others were engaged in combat with each other in designated areas.

He walked toward a group of people watching a fight between two students from different primary classes. Both of them held respectable rankings on the Pharefal Rank List.

One was an aura user from the second year, ranked 24th, while the other was a summoner, also from the second year, ranked 26th.

Each primary class has its own ranking list, but in comparison, even a lower-ranked summoner holds an advantage due to their ability to rely on summoned beings during battle.

In most duels, summoners typically use only Synchronization, a technique that makes the user glow with a faint white light, enhancing their physical abilities and granting them some of the powers of their summons.

Only specific classes, such as necromancers or spirit servants, are unable to use Synchronization.

As Raziel watched the fight with curiosity, he quickly noticed the aura user suffer a significant blow. Before he could react, the summoner rushed in like a bullet, delivering a powerful kick that sent the other fighter flying.

Most of the spectators were surprised by the ruthless strike from the summoner, who wore a proud expression as he declared, "Hmph! A low-ranking aura user is no match for me. Even without summoning my beast, I could easily defeat ten of you!"

The aura users around glared fiercely at the summoner, but no one spoke up. People generally considered aura users weaklings compared to those from the other two primary classes, as they had fewer renowned strong figures among their ranks.

"If anyone wants to challenge me, come on! I'm sure most of you can't defeat me," the summoner boasted, a smug grin spreading across his face.

A few people tried to challenge him, but none succeeded, which only led the summoner to taunt the other students even more.

Raziel calmly entered the fighting area, surprising some onlookers. The summoner recognized him and said with an evil grin, "What a surprise! I never thought a waste like you would have the courage to challenge me."

"Raziel Harvestead, 84th place in the second-year Pharefal Rank List among mana users. Shut up and let's fight," Raziel said with an expressionless face.

He didn't intend to fight this guy at first, but it was a good opportunity to gauge his strength.

"Haha, what a weakling. My name is Boban Laztec, 26th place in the second-year Pharefal Rank List among essence users. Don't cry later to your unfaithful fiancée after I beat you," Boban mocked, activating his Synchronization.

As both of them finished introducing themselves, Boban rushed forward at full speed, aiming a kick at Raziel's head. Raziel simply tilted to the side, evading the attack with ease.

Everyone watching couldn't believe their eyes as Raziel effortlessly dodged Boban's attack. Seizing the opportunity while Boban tried to process how he missed, Raziel delivered a low kick to his leg, causing him to lose his balance and tumble to the ground.

"<Goddess of Nature and Earth, grant me your blessing to use [Divinae Soil]!" Raziel pretended recite, activating a new spell he had created himself just days ago.< p>

Noticing the danger, Boban quickly got up from the ground and rushed towards Raziel again, aiming to knock him down. However, the spell activated almost instantly, summoning various pillars of dirt that resembled tentacles.

Some of the tentacles tangled around Boban, slamming him down onto the ground, while others lashed out like whips, striking him with force.

"AAAAAAHHHRG!" Boban screamed as the tentacles whipped around him, their relentless strikes adding to his frustration and humiliation.

"Damn... I think this spell is stronger than I thought," Raziel muttered, watching Boban scream like a little girl.

Other students, angered by Boban's earlier comments, felt no pity for him. Instead, they were astonished by Raziel's spell, whispering among themselves in disbelief.

Boban passed out seconds later, leaving Raziel momentarily stunned. He quickly canceled the spell, surprised by how swiftly he had won. The crowd erupted into a mix of cheers and gasps.

Raziel shrugged, ready to leave the fighting area, when someone familiar stepped in, causing his eyes to widen in surprise.

"My name is Kazenari Nozomi, 2nd place in the second-year Pharefal Rank List among aura users. I hope you can accept a spar with me," she announced with a 30-degree bow, her presence commanding the attention of everyone around.

At that moment, Raziel gulped, sensing that something very bad was about to happen.