The stadium buzzed with restless anticipation as the first-year participants were called forward.
Two groups had been formed for the event—Group A and Group B—each running the same challenge separately to ensure fairness and accommodate more participants.
Three mages per academy in each group—six per academy overall. In total fifty-four across both rounds of the event.
Alex stood among the Group B lineup.
He had been selected for his Ice affinity—closely related to the Water attribute—and his exceptional mana control.
The event grounds stretched before them: a massive artificial water basin shimmering under the stadium lights.
Floating platforms were arranged neatly along the starting line, hovering inches above the surface. They resembled elongated surfboards—sleek, polished, and faintly glowing along their edges.
Across the arena, the announcer's amplified voice echoed through the stands. "Mana Surfing Relay Race, Group A — take your positions!"
One by one, the twenty-seven participants of Group A stepped onto their assigned platforms.
Each academy had sent forward their best three first-years. They took their places along the starting line, boards bobbing subtly atop mana-infused waters.
The referee raised a crystalline flare high into the air. A sharp burst rang out as the flare detonated in a flash of light. "Begin!"
The platforms ignited. Mana surged outward in luminous streams beneath each mage's feet.
Some launched forward smoothly, carving clean paths across the water.
Others wobbled almost instantly.
One academy's first runner panicked at the sudden surge, overcompensating with excessive mana. His board tilted violently. Water sprayed in all directions.
The crowd erupted in laughter and cheers as he barely avoided flipping entirely.
"Too much output," Aurora giggled. "He's fighting the board instead of riding it."
Smooth gliders were already pulling ahead.
As expected, Blitz War Institute's first runner shot forward like a bolt of lightning, precise bursts propelling him in calculated intervals.
In contrast, Star Shine Academy's participant moved almost silently.
His platform skimmed the surface with minimal splash, maintaining balance through fine control rather than brute force.
"That's good mana regulation." Alex murmured.
"He's boring." Aurora replied instantly. "But competent."
Ahead, a surge of turbulent waves rippled outward.
Crimson Bastion Academy's first runner was brute-forcing his output.
Mana flared violently beneath his board, churning the water into chaotic currents that disrupted nearby competitors.
The platforms beside him wavered under the turbulence.
The crowd roared at the sudden clash of control and aggression.
Alex's gaze sharpened.
Beneath his calm exterior, his mind was already calculating.
'So that's how they can interfere indirectly.'
The first stretch of the course was the Stability Zone.
Most early rankings solidified here.
Blitz War Institute maintained their sharp lead, their runner carving forward with disciplined bursts of mana.
Crimson Bastion held close behind, raw output keeping them firmly competitive.
Star Shine Academy hovered in the middle of the pack—steady, but unremarkable.
The real test began as the first runners approached the glowing boundary ahead.
The water shifted.
The Interference Zone.
The moment the leading boards crossed into it, the sea reacted. Artificial currents spiraled violently, and illusory projections flickered across the surface—false waves, phantom obstacles, distorted depth perception.
One runner veered sharply to avoid a wave that didn't exist.
Another misjudged a current and spun sideways, barely managing to recover.
A third wasn't so lucky.
His platform flipped.
The crowd roared as he plunged into the water.
Alex's eyes tracked Star Shine's runner.
He maintained decent control, but turbulence from nearby competitors disrupted his rhythm.
By the time they reached the final exchange point, Star Shine Academy had slipped to fifth.
Waiting there was Elira Voss, a mage with Lightning affinity—and the fastest first-year in Star Shine Academy.
Her silver-blue hair snapped lightly as static flickered along her fingertips.
She caught the baton mid-motion.
Then she launched.
The Pressure Zone activated instantly.
Elira didn't slow.
She skimmed across the surface like a streak of lightning, overtaking one academy within seconds.
She nearly closed the gap to Crimson Bastion's final runner, but Blitz War's anchor was already too far ahead. He crossed the finish line first.
A flare shot into the sky.
"First place — Blitz War Institute!"
Moments later—
"Second place — Crimson Bastion Academy!"
Elira pushed one final surge.
Her board crackled as she crossed the line.
"Third place — Star Shine Academy!"
Cheers erupted from Star Shine's section of the stands.
Alex exhaled slowly. 'Now it's my turn.'
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆
The announcer's voice rang out once more. "Group B participants, take your positions!"
Alex walked toward his assigned platform.
As planned, he was the second runner—designated to tackle the Interference Zone.
He stepped onto the board.
He had practiced on hoverboards before, enough to stand steadily without wobbling. The key to controlling these boards wasn't force. It was sensitivity—feeling the mana beneath his feet and adjusting to it with the flow.
Group B began.
Alex watched from his platform as Star Shine's first runner launched cleanly into the Stability Zone.
By the first exchange, they were holding fourth—not ideal, but far from disastrous.
The baton arced through the air. Alex stepped forward and caught it smoothly. The moment his fingers wrapped around it, he moved.
Mana flowed down his legs and into the board. The platform surged ahead.
The Interference Zone greeted him instantly.
Currents twisted beneath the surface.
Waves rose without warning.
A crosscurrent slammed into his right side.
The next wave climbed high, threatening to crash over him.
He used it to his advantage as frost spread from his palm.
The wave solidified mid-arc.
Instead of breaking over him, it became a curved wall of ice. He skimmed along its edge, using it as cover against the turbulence behind.
Another surge struck from the left.
He froze only the upper portion, shaping it into a slanted barrier.
The chaotic wake from Leycross Academy's runner collided with the ice instead of him.
He advanced two positions.
Up ahead, the floating exchange pylon shimmered faintly. Just a few dozen meters more.
Then—
The sea distorted.
An illusory wall rose abruptly, jagged and towering, blocking the straight path. To the right, a narrow opening appeared—suggesting a forced turn.
Alex instinctively slowed. His eyes narrowed. 'It feels… off.'
Behind him, a runner from Greyfield School didn't hesitate. He veered sharply toward the apparent opening. "I've got it!" he shouted.
Aurora tilted her head.
"It's fake."
The Greyfield runner shot past Alex—
And nearly collided headfirst with empty air.
The illusion flickered at the last second—revealing empty water beyond.
He overcorrected violently, his board tilting sideways as a real current struck from below.
Water exploded upward as he barely regained balance.
Alex exhaled slowly.
Instead of reacting to the illusion, he focused downward.
A thin sheet of frost formed beneath his board, stabilizing the water just enough to cut through the turbulence.
The illusory wall passed harmlessly through him as he continued straight ahead.
The pylon came within reach.
Mira Lunet, a mage with Water affinity, stood ready. Her posture was relaxed—almost graceful.
Alex closed the final stretch and extended the baton.
She caught it in one fluid motion. Their eyes met briefly. "Nice setup," she said softly.
Then she moved.
The Pressure Zone activated instantly.
Wind resistance intensified.
The water grew heavy.
But for Mira—
It was like returning home. The water responded to her mana like a living companion.
Instead of fighting the resistance, she merged with it. Water lifted around her board in smooth arcs, reducing drag.
She flowed forward like a mermaid skimming the surface, overtaking one runner within seconds—then another.
The crowd rose as she challenged the leading academy's final runner.
Blitz War had once again secured a strong finish.
Now it was between Mira and Dawnspire's anchor.
The two surged side by side through the final stretch.
Neither yielded.
They crossed the finish line almost simultaneously.
"Second place — Star Shine Academy and Dawnspire Academy, tied!"
Cheers erupted from their section of the stadium.
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆
The cheers from the audience had barely settled when the staff began resetting the field.
The announcer's voice echoed once more. "The Newcomer's first Mage Division event concludes here!"
Across the arena floor, the terrain began to shift again.
The artificial sea drained rapidly, vanishing into hidden channels beneath the stadium.
In its place, slabs of stone rose from below. Walls thrust upward. Barricades locked into position. Elevated platforms unfolded like mechanical petals, reshaping the battlefield into a fractured war zone of narrow passages and layered terrain.
Dust settled.
The atmosphere changed.
"The tournament now shifts to the Knight Division's first event — Simulated Battlefield Trial!"
This would be a four-person team event, once again divided into two groups.
Unlike the Mage Division, this was a pure Knight trial—mana usage was strictly prohibited.