The Academy's Competition (VII)

The cheers of the crowd filled the air as I walked off the arena stage.

My victory over Agnar had secured another point for Silverleaf Academy, but the adrenaline that had kept me upright began to fade as I entered the quieter hallway leading to the resting area.

Thump...

A sharp, dull ache jolted through my chest.

Thump... thump...!

My breathing grew shallow and erratic.

The world blurred for a second, and I stumbled, catching myself against the cold stone wall.

"Ugh..."

 I gritted my teeth, trying to steady my trembling legs.

Immediately, I ran to the outside of the arena, more precisely the forest, where no one could see me.

I hadn't warned my classmates or Vivian, but I couldn't let anyone see me in this condition.

Regarding their battles, I have already explained most of the abilities of the Beastkin representatives, so Vivian should know how to match them up.

Reaching the forest, the trees stretched high above, their canopies casting a cool shade.

The damp earth beneath my boots crunched softly as I leaned heavily against a tree.

Thump!

Another sharp pain shot through my chest, and a bitter metallic taste flooded my mouth.

"Damn it..."

And before I could suppress it, I coughed violently.

Spurt!

A mouthful of blood splattered onto the cold dirt floor, staining it crimson. My vision swayed, and my legs felt weak.

My "constitution" or, the way my mana veins are tangled with each other, despite granting me a huge speed in the way mana manifests, comes with a huge cost.

After all, I'm not really blessed like Lucas will be in the future.

The cost of me using mana like this is something similar to losing my lifespan, it's not really my lifespan, but my soul power.

And that's the main reason my [Spirit] attribute is Rank S, it's something that came with this cursed "constitution".

"Haaah..."

So, I'm not really terminally ill, but I need to restore my soul power from while to while, and just this month, I had already used more than three times the necessary use for a month.

And if that happens, I'll need to start using Aura, which can complicate things for me, since my disposition is "Violet".

I know that someday it will be revealed, but I need to make sure that I don't turn into one of the targets of the Dark Order.

At least, not now.

"Gaagh!"

Splurt!

"Ugh... fucking hell."

This time, the liquid that erupted from my mouth was dark and viscous, like tar which could be called the impurities of my body.

This meant that my body had been strengthened once again, but unfortunately, none of my attributes had leveled up.

"You're so reckless."

Suddenly, a voice cut through the silence.

I glanced up to see Eleonora stepping out from behind a tree, her cold, piercing gaze fixed on the puddle of blood and impurities at my feet.

I didn't respond immediately, taking a moment to wipe the last traces of blood from my lips.

"You know what happens if you keep this up, don't you?" she said in a low voice but still sharp as a dagger.

I met her gaze without flinching.

"Our constitution wasn't designed to handle this level of mana output. If you keep pushing it, you'll destroy your mana veins." she continued, stepping closer to me.

"Permanently."

"Hah..."

I let out a bitter laugh.

This woman... 

She was so annoying.

The only reason she wanted me as her disciple was to study this cursed condition.

Because she had it too.

She gave it the name...

Twin Heart Mana Body.

The reason she named it this is that the constitution allows the user to create an additional heart on their body.

This grants them the ability to store mana in both of their "hearts," effectively doubling their output.

Moreover, the constitution provides additional benefits, such as a five times faster input and output ability.

Overall, this means the user can achieve up to ten times the normal mana power.

However, one would need something similar to a Dragon's Heart to fuse it with their body.

When she first asked me to be her disciple, I was actually ecstatic, however, as soon as I realized something I immediately refused.

The one who oversees the student's applications is the headmistress herself, and I was rejected because they didn't see 'talent' in me.

It was pretty dramatic, but yeah, after all at that time, my dream had been shattered by her herself, so I didn't care about being polite anymore.

I had a lot of friends during that time, and the bad rumors of the nobility disrespecting the commoners in the Royal Academy simply disgusted me.

No way, I would accept her offer.

But, she left a mysterious phrase before she left, saying something like...

'You will need me.'

And something bad really happened, the first time I had this problem, I vomited a pool of blood a few times and my mana got in distress.

Thankfully, I was able to solve it, but then she appeared in front of me as if teasing me.

'I told you. You're going to need me in the future.'

Which I replied coldly.

"Hey, are you even listening to me?" She brought her hands to her waist, looking at me while she tilted her head slightly to the left.

Her words made my thoughts break, so, I turned to face her and replied.

"I know about my condition, I don't need you to tell me about it."

"Do you?"

She pressed, stepping even closer, her brows knitting together.

"Because if you did, you wouldn't be burning your soul power like this."

"Back off."

I scoffed at her, but she continued on...

"Lose your mana, and lose everything that makes you... you."

Her words landed like a blow, and before I realized it, my back was pressed against the tree, her hand slamming against the bark beside my head.

"I just need to find Lich Orb... or a Dragon Heart," I muttered slightly, meeting her eyes.

I knew that there was one last Dragon Heart on the Luxuria's Commerce Store. And I had been saving my money for that.

The amount of money I owned was nowhere near it, but... I couldn't simply let myself die.

Not until my classmates had graduated safely, and got their dream job.

"Hah! And you think you have enough money to afford that?"

She raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a cold smirk.

"I've seen what you were doing in the few months. Even if you sell many high-ranking demon beasts's cores, or even named demon beasts, it will take at least 10 to 15 years for you to gather enough money."

That's how expensive the Dragon's Heart was; the Lich Orb was much cheaper, but it could only serve as a mana storage item and not as a heart, so it wasn't worth it for me to buy.

"That's none of your business."

I tried to push her back, but surprisingly, she didn't budge at all.

Her ocean eyes gazed back at me, and her lips parted slightly. In that moment, I knew exactly what she was about to do...

"Be my dis—"

"—no."

I interrupted her words directly.

"I have no plans to join your academy, or even become your disciple, besides, why would I accept such an irresponsible person as their Master?" I laughed.

"You constantly let demons attack your academy, and let the students be the ones solving that, not to mention, that even the professors don't do anyth..."

My words paused slightly as I stopped speaking.

Now that I noticed, she didn't act to stop the demons, and the professors also didn't, only appearing at the last moment.

'Don't tell me...'

"Y-you... are using demons to improve the abilities of your students?!"

My eyes widened upon the realization; how come I didn't think of that?

She was silent upon hearing my words.

"Only by experiencing a fight that they could potentially die, they can improve their abilities, and even if they were in true danger, one of the professors or even I would immediately act to save them."

"Why do you think the students improve so fast in our academy? It's mainly because of the demon constantly attacking it."

"Hah..."

I let out a chuckle.

This bitch.

As I thought, she really treats everyone as pawns.

"Mhm, don't worry," she said softly, her eyes locking onto mine with an unfamiliar warmth that felt strangely comforting.

"If you truly become my disciple, I won't treat you like that. On the contrary, I'll spoil you as if you were my own son."

"......"

There was a few seconds of silence before I replied to her.

"No."

"Ah... this makes it... five times already?" she sighed.

"But like I've said before..."

"You'll need me."

She disappeared into mist, leaving me entirely alone in the forest.

I didn't say anything, there was nothing to say.

Instead, I walked back to the arena where I could see Mia fighting against a tigress, and surprisingly, Mia was being pushed back by her.

"How's the score?"

I asked Derek who was watching the battle.

"Four-to-four, if Mia wins this match, we're going to pass to the next round." His gaze switched to me before going towards the stage once again.

Besides me, Vivian tapped my shoulder.

"Where were you?"

"I just went to take a breather."

"Mhm... sure."

Her hands brushed against my back, as her eyes turned into the arena.

Our academy was depending on Mia right at that moment.

Crack!

The tip of Mia's staff slammed against the tigress's claws, creating a shockwave that rippled through the air.

The impact forced both of them back, but Mia used the momentum to flip gracefully, landing in a crouch.

"Agh..." she winced in pain.

The force of the tigress's attack had nearly dislocated her shoulder.

"You're stronger than you look."

The tigress admitted as her orange eyes narrowed slightly.

"And you're slower than I thought."

Mia shot back, a smirk tugging at her lips, and this time, she decided to switch her tactics.

『 Fire Series: Barrage Barrier! (✦ 3rd-level Spell ✦)』

She twirled her staff, the crystal at its tip glowing brighter. Sparks of fiery red energy crackled around her, forming a protective barrier.

The tigress lunged again, swinging her claws at the barrier.

Clang!

Her claws bounced off the shield, but the impact sent a ripple of hot energy shooting up her arm.

The barrier was made of condensed flames after all.

"Grrr..."

The tigress growled in frustration.

"Running out of steam, huh?" Mia taunted as her smirk widened.

The tigress's eyes flashed.

She slammed her fists into the ground, causing the earth to tremble.

Thram!

The ground beneath Mia cracked and buckled, sending her sprawling.

Thud!

"Damn it!" Mia hissed, scrambling to her feet.

The tigress saw her opening and charged.

Swish!

At the last second, Mia spun her staff, slamming it into the ground.

『 Fire Series: Fire Nova! (✦ 4th-level Spell ✦)』

A burst of hot energy erupted from the crystal, spreading outward in a wave.

Crack! Crack!

The tigress's legs were caught on fire, halting her mid-charge.

The crowd erupted in cheers as Mia seized the moment.

She channeled the last of her energy into her staff, the red crystal glowing so brightly it almost hurt to look at.

『 Fire Series: Firelance Impact! (✦ 5th-level Spell ✦)』

With a loud cry, Mia hurled a massive lance of fire directly at the tigress.

BOOM!

The attack struck the tigress square in the chest, sending her flying backward, making her hit the ground hard, the air knocked out from her lungs.

The tigress's body had landed outside the arena...

It was at that moment, that the announcer's voice rang out.

"The winner of the final match... is Mia, from the Silverleaf Academy!"

She did it.

For a split second, there was silence—then the crowd erupted.

"YEEEAAAAH!"

The applause and cheers rolled like thunder, shaking the very ground.

Some spectators leaped to their feet, clapping and whistling, while others pounded the air with fists of celebration.

"And with that, I proudly announce the three academies moving to the next round: The Holy Academy, the Eternum Royal Academy, and... surprisingly, the Silverleaf Academy!"

"OOOOOOOHHH!"

The cheers increased even more.

Mia staggered off the stage, her legs wobbling beneath her.

Her hair clung to her face, damp with sweat, and her breathing was labored, but her grin outshone it all—a smile filled with pride.

"That's our girl!"

One of our classmates yelled, their voices barely audible over the chaos.

Cheers erupted among our group.

"Hah.. she did it..." Vivian let out a relieved sigh, clapping enthusiastically.

Finally reaching our station, Mia's eyes scanned the crowd as she limped toward us as her grin gradually widened.

"Mia, that was amazing!" Derek called out as she got closer.

But Mia wasn't listening.

Her gaze locked onto me, and suddenly, she broke into a full sprint.

"Mia?"

I called out, confused as to why she was approaching me.

And before I could react, she launched herself into the air.

Puff!

Her arms wrapped tightly around my neck, her body colliding with mine as her legs dangled off the ground.

I stumbled back, barely staying upright, as her soft, large breasts pressed against my chest, making my face flush crimson.

"You were amazi—"

I started, but my words caught in my throat as Mia leaned in, and her lips immediately found mine, pressing against them with a huge intensity.

Muah!

The world seemed to freeze.

"W-what...?"

Gasps rippled through our classmates, followed by stunned silence.

Derek's jaw dropped comically, his eyes bulging as if they might pop out of his head.

"Wha—she—WHAT?!"

"Oh. My. God."

The rest of our team, already high on adrenaline and joy, erupted in laughter and cheers.

"GO MIA!" one of them yelled.

When Mia finally pulled back, her cheeks were as pink as her grin was radiant. Her eyes sparkled with pure happiness, her hands still resting on my shoulders.

"We're going to the next round!"

She exclaimed, bouncing in place like a child who'd just won the biggest prize.

I blinked, trying to process what had just happened, but soon, my expression broke into a faint smile.

"Hah... since you won, I'll let you have this one."

Hearing my words, she looked at me with a wide grin, sticking out her tongue.

We had passed the first phase of the competition.

Now, we were no longer...

The Weakest Academy.