Chapter 1389: Crackling Rivals

A lot of eyes were on Moze as he stepped up for the challenge. He was, after all, one of the top students from Wilton Academy, recently invited to the prestigious Central Academy. Still, the attention he received was noticeably less than when Lee had taken the stage earlier.

The reason was simple, Wilton Academy had no standout names. Unlike the major academies, their students didn’t have reputations that stretched beyond their own walls. No rumors, no recorded feats, no legends in the making.

As a result, the crowd’s interest was mild at best. Conversations continued in the background, eyes wandered elsewhere, and the excitement had clearly dipped.

But Moze didn’t care.

He waited on stage with a confident smile, completely unfazed by the lack of attention. The ring of magic surrounding the small object on the platform lifted off the ground, and soon, streams of energy began to swirl around it like a protective dance.

Without hesitation, Moze moved.

Positioning himself in the exact same stance as before, he summoned his lightning magic. A wide stream of crackling energy shot to the side, painting the air with streaks of violet and blue.

It was a wide-range spell, not powerful enough to knock the target out directly. Others had tried similar strategies. Simply hitting the small floating orb wasn’t enough to bring it down. It required a concentrated surge of magical power, far more than a standard attack could deliver.

But Moze wasn’t relying on a single hit.

With one hand still guiding the wide stream, he shifted his other arm, swiping it horizontally. A bolt of concentrated lightning formed and launched straight forward, sharp and precise, like an arrow of pure energy.

It slammed directly into the orb’s center.

A sharp crack echoed through the air as the orb dropped from the sky, clattering to the floor.

For a moment, there was silence.

Students who hadn’t even been paying attention glanced down at the arena, startled. They had to do a double take. No one, not a single person, had taken out the object that fast.

“Haha! I knew it!” Moze cheered, grinning from ear to ear. “That thing moved fast, but I could tell it had a pattern when reacting to magic.”

What had seemed like an offhand comment earlier from one of the Wilton students now made perfect sense. It wasn’t just luck.

Unlike most students, the Wilton group had experienced real danger during a portal expedition. They had been pushed to the brink, and it had changed the way they thought.

In life-or-death situations, your brain scrambled for solutions. You couldn’t afford to panic; you had to adapt. You had to solve problems on instinct, or you’d be dead.

And on top of that, they had listened to Raze.

Countless hours of theoretical lessons echoed in their heads, his teachings, his breakdowns, his relentless push to expand their way of thinking.

“Be more open-minded as a mage,” he had said. “Use your fundamentals, understand your tools, and apply them in creative ways.”

That was exactly what Moze had done.

“Who is that? Anyone know him?” a student asked from the stands.

“No idea,” another replied. “But he just got the fastest time. He’s gotta be Wilton Academy’s top student, right?”

“Yeah, no kidding. That lightning magic was insane. The way he threw that spell, it was like he knew it would land.”

“I guess we’ve been underestimating Wilton Academy, huh?” one muttered.

“I suppose we’ll have to keep an eye on them after all,” Lee Roy said, watching with a thoughtful expression. He wasn’t disappointed. In fact, he was impressed. He could tell the magic Moze had used wasn’t as powerful as his own, but it was sharp, controlled, and well-timed. That counted for a lot.

As Moze walked down the steps to rejoin his group, his expression was smug. His grin couldn’t have stretched wider if he tried.

“I told you I’d do it! Hahaha!” Moze bent backward with laughter. “You all could’ve had your moment, but look at me now, I’ve got the spotlight!”

“Right, right,” Chiba nodded, indulging him. “But maybe this is a blessing in disguise. The more attention you get, the more likely they’ll target you in the group events. That’ll give us a chance to do all the real work while you’re dodging spells.”

“Wait, they’re gonna target me now?” Moze blinked.

“Of course,” Piba said, smirking. “Can’t you hear what everyone’s saying? ‘Top student of Wilton Academy’ this and that. Little do they know, you were taken down with ease by someone who’s not even here.”

That earned a nervous laugh from the others. The mood remained light, the victory filling them with confidence. No one else seemed eager to try and beat Moze’s record. If anything, it benefited the other academies to leave it be.

But just as the group prepared to leave the stage, a wave of gasps rippled through the nearby crowd.

The reason quickly became clear.

“Wait… is that Bones and Nannan?” someone asked, eyes wide.

“Yeah, it is! They’re from Central Academy. Top tier, both of them! I thought they were supposed to be training or prepping for the main event.”

“They’re here now. I heard they had a meeting or something. But looks like they’re free to enjoy the rest of the exhibition like the rest of us.”

Bones and Nannan.

Two of the most recognizable students from Central Academy.

Bones, a male student with skin so pale it almost looked like polished ivory. His body was thin, his frame frail, but no one was foolish enough to underestimate him. Despite appearances, he was one of Central Academy’s most powerful mages.

And then there was Nannan.

She wore a sleek white mask that covered the lower half of her face. Her hair was cut with straight bangs, hiding most of her forehead. Only her eyes were visible, sharp, vivid blue, gleaming like icy daggers. Her presence was quiet, but intense.

They weren’t the top students of Central Academy, that honor belonged to a select few others, but they were both extremely talented. Recognized. Respected. Feared.

“12 seconds, huh?” Bones said, glancing at the screen. “I saw it was lightning magic. Impressive.”

He cracked his knuckles.

“Well, I guess I should try it myself.”

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