Chapter 24: The Freshmen Competition
The vast arena roared with excitement as hundreds of first-year students were guided to their elemental divisions. Magical banners floated overhead, each bearing the glowing crest of a different elemental affinity: Earth, Fire, Water, Wind, Light, and Darkness.
Announcements flashed through mana-linked screens:
EARTH PLATFORM
Match 1: Jek vs. Nick
LIGHT PLATFORM
Match 2: Auline vs. Sel
FIRE PLATFORM
Match 3: Eira vs. Lynne
WATER PLATFORM
Match 4: Mike vs. Kalen
Mike leaned over the steel railing separating the prep zone from the platform view. His brow rose as he caught Jek's name at the top of the list.
"He really got the first match?"
"He took it," Auline replied from behind, arms crossed. Her uniform shimmered faintly with soft white mana. "Claimed it was destiny or something dramatic like that."
"Of course he did," Mike muttered.
Eira approached, scrolling through her panel as her name blinked in the third fire match. "I'm up not long after," she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Third in Fire. You're fourth, right?"
"Water platform," Mike confirmed. "Looks like they're spacing us apart."
"Guess we don't get to cheer for each other in person," Auline sighed. "I've got the second Light match. I'll probably be mid-spell when you fight."
Eira smiled. "It feels like just last week we were awkwardly doing our first mana control session."
"Because we were," Mike said flatly.
"True."
The three laughed softly. Around them, mana buzzed in the air as students stretched, visualized spells, or muttered nervously.
"Still," Mike added, eyes narrowing as the Earth platform activated, "Jek's got the spotlight now."
"Round one," Eira said with a quiet smile. "Let's see if he lives up to the noise."
Across the arena, the Earth Affinity Platform shimmered to life. A wide, circular battlefield formed of reinforced stone and etched with stabilizing mana glyphs hovered five meters above ground.
On one side, Jek entered with a confident roll of his shoulders, his green-brown aura already swirling with anticipation.
From the other tunnel stepped Nick Alton, a tall, composed figure with silver streaks in his brown uniform. Calm, calculating eyes took in the arena as he adjusted his gloves. Unlike Jek, who radiated raw muscle and instinct, Nick had the measured presence of a strategist.
Their names blinked across the air.
Match 1 – Begin!
Instructor Loreia's voice echoed like thunder as the magical barrier sealed the platform.
Jek wasted no time.
"Way of Nature!"
The platform trembled as a shockwave burst outward in a radial blast of earthy mana. Dust spiraled into the air.
Nick didn't even flinch.
"Mineral Shell."
A transparent crystalline armor encased his limbs. The shockwave hit, and Nick slid back an inch—unshaken.
"Not bad," he muttered. "But too predictable."
Nick raised both hands. "Earth Pulse Trap!"
Beneath Jek's boots, runic circles glowed—and detonated.
Boom!
Jek flipped mid-air and landed in a crouch. "Tch… traps?"
Spectators leaned in.
"He's laying pulse mines under Jek's feet!"
"Nick's known for terrain manipulation—he's controlling the platform!"
Jek charged again, mana surging through his legs. "Try this!"
"Earth Bind!"
Vines and soil erupted under Nick's feet—but they bounced harmlessly off his Mineral Shell.
Nick took a single step forward, eyes locked. "Stone Lock!"
A line of rocky pillars burst from the floor in a straight line toward Jek.
"Earth Shield!" Jek shouted, summoning a slab of dense rock just in time. The impact cracked it, but it held.
"He's testing me," Jek muttered. "Wants to tire me out before hitting hard."
Nick's expression didn't change. "You rely on force. But earth is about control."
He slammed his palm down. "Geo Seal Net!"
A network of mana nodes blinked into formation beneath Jek—then snapped upward like a bear trap.
Boom!
Jek was launched back.
Dust clouded the field.
"Is it over?" someone whispered.
But from within the smoke—movement.
Jek stood, chest rising and falling. Blood trickled from his brow, but his grin was fierce.
"You think that's enough?" he growled. "I've been through worse mana backfires in training."
Nick's eyes narrowed. "You're more durable than I expected."
Jek reached within himself. His mana trembled, resonating with the very stone beneath him.
Something… shifted.
DING!
[Skill Awakening Condition Met.]
[You have unlocked a new skill.]
New Skill: Stonebreaker Drive
Type: Active
Effect: Temporarily increases Strength and Earth Resonance. Normal attacks deal quake impact. Duration: 10 seconds.
Golden light flared around Jek as cracks formed beneath his feet—energy surging like a volcano primed to erupt.
Mike stood from his seat. "He awakened something…"
"Stonebreaker Drive!" Jek roared.
A violent pulse exploded from his body. The arena lights flickered.
Nick raised both arms. "Granite Wall!"
Thick plates of stone rose between them.
Jek didn't stop.
"Let's break it."
CRACK!
His punch shattered the wall into chunks.
Nick leaped back, stunned. "Impossible… that was reinforced!"
Jek was already on him.
"Second strike!"
A left hook coated in tremor force slammed into Nick's Mineral Shell.
BOOOM!
The shell splintered. Nick skidded across the ring, coughing.
But he raised his hand again.
"Earth Pulse—Triple Burst!"
Three trap rings flared beneath Jek.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Dust swallowed him.
But then—through the haze—he emerged.
Bruised. Breathing hard. But still moving.
"This is… tough," Jek admitted.
"You should've gone down," Nick rasped.
Jek clenched a fist. "Maybe. But my body's too stubborn."
He charged, last mana flaring.
Final blow.
"Stonebreaker Drive—Break Line!"
He launched into a spinning uppercut that cracked the platform itself. The impact sent Nick flying across the platform. His body rolled once… twice…
Then stopped.
The mana-monitor flashed red.
[Match Ended – Winner: Jek]
The silence was brief.
Then the arena erupted.
"HE DID IT!"
"HE AWAKENED A SKILL MID-BATTLE!"
"Stonebreaker Drive… that's a quake resonance skill!"
Mike slumped back, grinning. "Told you he wouldn't mess up."
From the sidelines, Auline smirked. "He punched the guy through a granite wall. He's not subtle."
Eira's expression was gentler, pride softening her eyes. "He looked like he really belonged up there."
Back on the field, Jek offered a hand to Nick.
Nick groaned and took it. "You brute."
"Better than being a statue," Jek joked, helping him up.
High above, the instructors and senior examiners began murmuring.
"That skill—Stonebreaker Drive—is a rare trigger."
"He has high Earth resonance and a combat lineage. Watch this one."
In the waiting zone, Jek rejoined the others.
Mike held out a water bottle. "You alive?"
"Barely," Jek wheezed, slumping on the bench. "But did you see that wall? Boom!"
"You made the crowd go nuts," Auline added.
Eira stepped beside him. "I'm proud of you."
Jek blinked. "Wait. Did Eira just say she's proud of me?"
"Don't get used to it," she huffed and turned away—but not before Mike saw the tiny smile on her lips.
Jek leaned back, eyes fluttering closed. "Wake me when the next mountain needs punching."