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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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“Michelle.”
“What?”
“I hope Professor Adrian wins.”
Charlotte said this while clasping her hands together, as if in prayer.
The girl didn’t ask if he would win.
She just expressed her hope that he would.
She instinctively sensed that the odds weren’t very high.
Rachel.
Michelle vaguely knew how powerful her magic was.
Although she was in charge of intermediate-level students, she was a professor who didn’t take on advanced-level students due to her personality.
In other words, regardless of the level of students she taught, she was a magician with exceptionally outstanding skills.
Although Michelle and the other failing class students had achieved victory, it became meaningless once the professor’s participation was confirmed.
Everyone would doubt and refuse to acknowledge the illusory score that wasn’t based on an actual magical competition.
Therefore, the outcome of the match between the failing class and the intermediate class would be determined by this current battle between the professors of both sides.
‘Please win.’
Though she didn’t clasp her hands like Charlotte, Michelle found herself holding her breath.
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With a rough, grating sound, a couple of magic formulas began to appear around Rachel.
Adrian observed these formulas for a moment.
The lines were thick, and the sound of the formulas being drawn was jarringly harsh.
‘So it’s explosion-type magic.’
Simultaneously, a couple of formulas were copied like walls in quick succession.
Kwaaang—!
The formulas, connected like bricks, instantly trapped Adrian and produced a fierce roar.
‘The power is impressive as well.’
The speed at which the formulas were drawn wasn’t slow.
The lines were clear, and without any distortion.
Such precision would result in a fatal blow that would make it impossible for anyone trapped inside to remain unscathed.
It was truly at the level of stating, “This is how explosion magic should be used.”
It was on a completely different level from explosions that merely attempt to cause massive blasts and scatter dust and noise around.
Her explosion magic was ‘learned explosion.’
Yes, even explosion-type magic could be refined to such a degree of precision.
If the failing class students had originally competed as representatives, they would have been overwhelmed by the explosion before they could even perceive these aspects.
Well, even so.
The one standing before her was none other than Adrian, also known as Jekkiel.
Adrian retreated to the very edge of the explosion’s boundary.
Kwang—!
The hem of his clothes was burned.
Kwang—!
His shoes were completely covered in dirt.
Just as he was about to dodge in the same direction again.
Kwaaang—!
He couldn’t completely avoid the last one.
Blood dripped from his left ear, which hadn’t fully escaped the explosion.
Rachel, irritated by Adrian who had been merely dodging all around the inside of the box without taking any other action, stopped drawing formulas and snapped:
“You’re just dodging. And not even doing it properly.”
Where had the nervous Rachel from earlier gone?
Somehow, she had regained her confidence.
Adrian just stared at Rachel.
While observing an opponent’s formulas was interesting, listening to what they said was quite entertaining as well.
“Mr. Adrian, do you know that the behavior a professor shows in a magic competition is also a form of lecture?”
“I do.”
“Is this how someone who knows that should act? My students will learn that this is what explosion-type magic is like by watching my magic.”
Indeed, it was precise enough for students to observe and learn from.
Adrian nodded.
“But shouldn’t you be aware that your attitude is a bit shameful? Moving passively like teaching material used in lectures, just taking hits.”
Pfft, Rachel sneered.
“Or perhaps you should be grateful to even be used as teaching material. How unfortunate. It seems I won’t have to keep the promise I made to you, Mr. Adrian.”
Given the flow of the competition so far, it was understandable for her to say this.
However, after hearing all this, Adrian stroked his chin and gave an answer quite different from Rachel’s expectations.
“2.55 seconds.”
She had been precise, but slow.
She was quite disappointing.
Adrian mumbled.
A hint of confusion appeared on Rachel’s face.
“Did you hear what I said?”
“I did.”
“Then what’s with this sudden nonsense?”
He acted as if he had lost his mind.
But Adrian’s expression remained serious.
“Don’t you think a 2.55-second explosion lecture is a bit disappointing to teach students?”
Only then did Adrian raise his head to face Rachel directly.
“I think it would be a better education to show an explosion that enters the 1-second range.”
“1-second range?”
“Yes. It’s entirely possible, isn’t it? Handling acceleration magic circles is even part of the intermediate class curriculum.”
“That’s impossible.”
“On the contrary, an explosion in the 2-second range is closer to impossible. It’s the kind of showy magic you’d see in plays performed at academy festivals.”
Rachel’s face instantly crumpled.
“What… are you saying? A failing class that doesn’t even handle acceleration magic circles is talking about acceleration? Are you mocking me?”
“I’m trying to figure out which to despise. The professor who intends to teach this kind of thing, or the intermediate class students who would learn from it… It’s a difficult dilemma.”
“……”
Rachel began to draw magic circles again, veins popping on her forehead.
“Save that talk for after you survive.”
“I will survive. Because a 2-second range explosion can never bring me down.”
“You keep making me lose control. I might end up killing you.”
“You’ve already failed to do so. You’ve been drawing formulas with the safety mechanisms removed all this time.”
Rachel’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
The lines forming the explosion magic formula were extremely thick.
What did it mean for the lines to be thick?
It means that when one large line was drawn, it became difficult to observe the small, detailed lines that adhere to its sides.
Yet, he had read it.
He had read that she had erased the lines acting as safety mechanisms and exponentially increased the explosion?
‘I underestimated him too much.’
Ha, Rachel sneered, finding it ridiculous.
Adrian, who willingly avoided even formulas with safety mechanisms removed.
He wasn’t telling Rachel to “stop because it’s unfair to be too strong” or anything of the sort.
He was saying that she couldn’t defeat him with such meager efforts, so she should show something stronger.
That’s what he was saying.
Even in this situation, he was making Rachel impatient and provoking her.
“I won’t attack in this match.”
“…What did you say?”
“Show me the ultimate explosion once. If it’s an explosion I can’t avoid, it will be exemplary for the students, and you, Ms. Rachel, will be able to win.”
And he added one more thing.
“You can forfeit if you’d like. Then I’ll demonstrate such an explosion, and teach them.”
“…Shut up.”
Although all the conversation was clearly audible to the students sitting in the stands, this response from Rachel was already suppressing a lot of anger.
Rachel’s teeth clenched.
Her body trembled.
“I said shut up. You’ll regret it. That arrogance.”
“I’ll be cheering for you.”
Haah…
Tick, Rachel heard something snap in her head.
She bit down hard on her molars.
She realized once again that exchanging words would lead nowhere.
She would show him with explosions.
One.
From one to two. From two to four. She drew the formulas.
-…..?
-W-wait a minute. Isn’t this too dangerous?
The students watching the match began to stir.
The number of formulas increased exponentially, but no two formulas were identical.
It was like looking at a garden of formulas.
There were no two identical flowers planted in this garden.
Each was a different type of explosion.
It took only 2 seconds and 55 to send mana through all these circuits.
Rachel glanced over the formulas she had drawn.
Explosion formulas covering the arena like a garden.
Forest Explosion, the highest-level explosion type.
This was its manifestation.
-T-this is dangerous even for us watching!
-Shouldn’t someone go and stop this?
-It’s too late to stop it now! We need to run away!
Screams erupted from everywhere.
The students watching from the stands all stood up at once.
Even those who didn’t fully understand, knew:
This was far too dangerous, and far too impressive.
Therefore, if this exploded, it would be a catastrophe.
Even for the spectating students.
It felt exactly like having a blade pressed against one’s throat.
A chill ran through their entire bodies, and their hearts instinctively screamed at them to run away.
“Principal! This cannot be allowed! It seems Rachel has lost her temper!”
Professor Heinz, in charge of the advanced level, shouted towards Violet.
However, Violet’s eyes remained fixed on Adrian, and she simply murmured, clasping her hands in front of her chest:
“No.”
If there was a reason why everyone here was moving in confusion yet still hesitating, it was because of Adrian.
He was calm.
Far too calm, and as if things were just beginning, he shrugged his shoulders.
“Failing class kids, sit back down.”
A cool and composed voice.
Adrian muttered thus.
Simultaneously, over a thousand eyes turned towards Adrian as if entranced.
Although he had specifically mentioned only the failing class, other students had also focused their attention on him at some point.
They were captivated by the curiosity about why he remained so calm, and what he would do next.
That was what he was about to show them.
Tak—
As he snapped his fingers, magic unfolded.
“I will now begin the lecture. Today, I will teach you.”
But it wasn’t the creation of an impressive shield or anything of the sort.
Just a single blackboard made of blue mana.
That was all he had created.
“How a magician can respond in an explosive disaster situation.”
Grin, Adrian smiled as if to show off.
“Don’t worry. It’s really easy.”
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[in the Magic Arena. straight up “jorking it”. and by “it”, haha, well. let’s just say. My peanits . Adrian straight up giving a lecture while fucking up Rachel lmao]