Chapter 9: The Tournament of Shadows
The Royal Magic Academy's tournament was the most anticipated event of the year.
Nobles, prodigies, and students from across the kingdoms crowded the stands. Everyone whispered about the mysterious "weak commoner" who had survived impossible situations without ever being noticed.
Shadow walked into the arena as Cid Vale, a quiet, unremarkable student. His dark hair fell into his eyes, and his posture was slouched, as if exhausted from study.
No one paid him attention. Exactly as he wanted.
Opening Match
The first round began. Students unleashed blazing spells, swords that gleamed with light, and elemental duels that shook the stands.
Shadow's opponent was a noble girl wielding fire magic she smiled arrogantly. "This'll be easy."
He raised his hand lazily. "Do your worst."
Her fireball flew at him like a comet. The crowd gasped.
Shadow yawned and moved but not fast enough for the eye to notice. The fireball passed harmlessly through an illusion of him he had left behind. When he reappeared, she was frozen mid-motion, her spell broken before she could cast another.
The audience murmured. Did he just dodge that?
Shadow waved his hand, sending her crashing gently but firmly into the sand.
"Done," he said softly.
The Rising Suspicion
Elaria watched from the stands, her brow furrowed. "He's… too calm. Too precise."
Beside her, her ex-boyfriend glared. "That commoner… there's no way he's this strong. He's hiding something."
Shadow heard the whispers but didn't react. His attention was elsewhere analyzing the patterns of the entire tournament. He noticed weak points in every student, every formation, every possible trap the academy masters might set.
To everyone else, he was just a background character.
To Shadow, the arena was a battlefield waiting to be choreographed.
Manipulating the Shadows
By the third round, Shadow had already eliminated five of the top-ranked students without anyone realizing he was serious.
He moved in and out of the shadows, striking unseen, neutralizing attacks, redirecting mana flows, and ensuring the innocent spectators were never harmed.
The arena looked chaotic, but every move was calculated.
All according to plan, Shadow thought. Let them think they are winning.
The Princess Enters the Fight
In the quarterfinals, Elaria herself stepped into the arena.
Shadow observed quietly from the back. She was fast, skilled, and powerful, but she lacked experience dealing with the unseen.
Her opponent was cunning, attempting to corner her. She fought valiantly, but one misstep would have meant defeat.
Shadow smirked faintly. Not on my watch.
A shadow blade flitted through the air, invisible to everyone but him, subtly redirecting her opponent's movements, keeping the fight fair yet making it appear that she was overpowering them with skill alone.
The Tournament Finale
By the final round, all eyes were on Shadow the mysterious commoner who no one could fully see or understand.
He faced the academy's strongest elite a tall, silver-haired mage wielding dual elemental swords. The crowd held their breath.
Shadow yawned. He allowed the opponent to strike first, each move faster and deadlier than the last. He dodged casually, creating illusions, redirecting mana, and erasing mistakes in real-time.
The elite finally realized too late: his attacks were everywhere and nowhere at once.
Shadow smiled faintly. "I am Atomic."
With a single strike of combined shadow and void mana, the elite was disarmed, rendered unconscious, and left on the arena floor unharmed but utterly defeated.
The audience gasped.
The professors whispered. "Impossible… how can a background student be this strong?"
Elaria blinked, stunned. "He… he's not just strong. He's something else entirely."
Shadow stepped back, bowing slightly. To everyone else, he looked like a humble, weak student.
But the truth was clear: the battlefield was his to control.
The Aftermath
That night, the academy buzzed with rumors.
Who was the commoner who had dominated the tournament without even revealing his full strength?
Shadow sat quietly in his dorm room, watching the moonlight reflect off his blade.
Lyra's voice echoed through his crystal. "Master, the southern empire is mobilizing more forces. They've begun noticing the pattern of our strikes."
Shadow smirked. "Good. Let them come. I've only just begun to play."
He looked toward the horizon. "The world believes I am nothing… a background character.
Soon, they will see Atomic Shadow.
And it will be too late to stop me."