The workshop was almost empty. The rhythmic tapping of Maria's delicate tools against metal echoed through the room.
Maria sat at the workbench, tightening the last silver screw of her new gear. Instead of a single, thin bracelet, she had crafted a pair of matte-silver bracers this time—designed to strap snugly to her forearms and vanish beneath her sleeves.
Sarah, sitting next to her polishing crystals, asked curiously:
"How are these different from the last one? They look the same."
Maria strapped the wristband. The coldness of the metal felt good.
"Same outside. Different inside."
She pointed to the engraved lines on the silver.
"In Varon's lab, we used 'Multi-Layered Circuits' and 'Temporary Storage Crystals' to stabilize the shadow flow. I applied the same logic here."
Maria clenched her fist. A weak blue light shone on the wristband, but this time it didn't flicker. It was steady and dense.
"The previous bracelet was like a glass of water. One fireball and it was empty. Or held an aura for max 5 minutes."
She looked into Sarah's eyes and smiled with satisfaction.
"But these two I made... by using 'Rotary Mana Flow' and preventing heat waste, quadrupled the efficiency. Now I can use the 'Mana Edge' technique 20 times without passing out."
Sarah grinned.
"Varon's forbidden knowledge... in your hands. If he finds out you're fighting Damian with his formulas, he'll have a stroke."
Maria pulled down her sleeve.
"Yeah, his face would be priceless."
Maria bent down and picked up her boots. The heels looked slightly thicker, and veins of matte silver were etched into their soles.
Sarah asked with surprise:
"Do boots need enhancers too?"
Maria smirked and put them in her bag without further explanation.
"This one is a 'Trade Secret', Sarah. A little surprise for the moment everyone thinks I'm trapped."
***
The training hall smelled of sweat, leather, and exertion.
Maria sat on a bench, downing water from her flask after a heavy set of squats.
A few meters away, a group of Class B first-years stood, sneering at her.
"Look… the mana-less girl is straining to build muscle."
"Thinks she's gonna win with her fists? This is a magic tournament, not a street brawl."
Maria tuned them out. She was used to it.
But suddenly, a massive shadow loomed over the group.
Brook.
He had changed over the past few months. His body fat had melted away, replaced by dense, sculpted muscle. He wasn't just big anymore; he was formidable.
Brook threw his towel over his shoulder and towered over the group.
"Care to repeat that?"
The boys, terrified, stammered:
"Nothing, Brook… we were just saying she's weak…"
Brook scowled. His voice boomed through the hall.
"She put me in the dirt. In front of everyone. If she's weak, then what am I? A joke?"
The boys fell silent.
"Show some respect. No one has the right to badmouth an opponent who took me down. Get lost and train."
The group scrambled away.
Brook approached Maria.
Maria lowered her flask and looked up at him.
Brook stood before her. His gaze was no longer disdainful; it was the look of one warrior to another.
"Don't think I'm taking your side. I just hate it when a bunch of rookies run their mouths about fighting."
Maria nodded.
"Thanks."
Brook clenched his fists.
"Don't think because you won once, you'll always win. I'm not that slow idiot anymore either. I worked on my weaknesses. Improved my balance."
Maria gave a crooked smile.
"Good. Defeating a strong opponent is more enjoyable than hitting a punching bag."
Brook smirked and walked away.
A cold mutual respect had formed between them.
***
Nero was sleeping on Sarah's bed, snoring.
Maria sat at her desk, wearing gloves and a mask.
Meticulously, she filled several small, hollow metal spheres with chemical powders.
Peeking from her bed, Sarah asked curiously,
"What are those? They smell like gunpowder and sulfur."
Surprised, Maria paused her work. She pulled down her mask slightly and asked,
"You know about gunpowder?"
Sarah smiled, speaking matter-of-factly.
"Of course. In industrialized nations like my homeland, Xenia, they use it in weapons called pistols… Though against a mage's mana shield, they're nothing more than toys. That's why no one bothers with them here in Alverin."
Maria smirked.
So, firearms actually existed in this world, just rendered obsolete by magic.
She carefully sealed the cap on one of the spheres.
Then, she wrapped a thin strip of paper around the seam.
It was a tiny pre-written scroll, etched with faint silver ink.
She had secretly scavenged it from the academy workshop's scrap bin.
"What are they supposed to do?" Sarah asked, a hint of worry in her voice. "Explode?"
Maria stowed the metal spheres into a small pouch attached to her belt.
"Not exactly. With just a pulse of mana, these paper strips generate a small burst of wind to scatter the contents. I call them 'life insurance'."
She looked at Sarah and winked.
"These are for the moments when neither brute force nor a mana edge will cut it. For when you have to change the 'rules of the game'."
She offered no further explanation.
***
Maria was walking to History class. The hallway was empty, and the morning light cast long shadows.
Suddenly, she felt the heaviness of a gaze on the back of her neck. A feeling that made her hair stand on end.
She halted and lifted her gaze.
A window on the third floor of the opposite building was open. That was the administrative section and observation rooms.
Someone was standing there.
Varon.
He was suspended and had no right to teach, but he still had the right to be in his office (under supervision) to complete his reports and handle administrative tasks.
Varon held the window sill and looked down at Maria.
Maria expected a frown, anger, or shouting.
But Varon... was smiling.
An ominous, cold, and meaningful smile. A smile that said: I see you. I know what you're doing with the knowledge I gave you.
As if he had plans in his head that went beyond being expelled or not.
Maria shivered but didn't look away.
She unconsciously placed her hand on her wrist, where she had strapped her new wristbands (wristbands made with Varon's own engineering).
She whispered under her breath:
"Thanks for the lessons, Master. I promise to use them against you."
Varon, as if hearing her voice, nodded and drew the curtain.
Maria continued her way, but didn't take her hand off the wristband, squeezing it tighter.
Even in broad daylight, that man's shadow was over her head.
***
A large crowd had gathered around the bulletin board. The draw chart for the tournament had been announced.
Maria pushed through the crowd to see her name.
The chart was divided into two main branches: Group A (Left) and Group B (Right).
The winners of each group would meet in the finals.
Maria ran her finger down the list.
Group A:
Maria Alessandra vs...
Brook Ironwood vs...
She was in the left group.
She moved her gaze to the right. Group B.
Her eyes widened.
Damian Von Taurus vs Arthur Valerion
Both Academy giants were in the right group. That meant they would clash in the semi-finals before the final, weakening each other.
Air left Maria's lungs slowly.
Got lucky. Won't face either of them until the final.
But when she looked at her own group again, she frowned.
Her path to the final wasn't easy either. Brook was there, and a few talented Class A mages.
She turned and saw Julian Vane standing in a corner, looking at her with a smirk. He mouthed:
"Your path is clear, Strategist. Now let's see how far you go."
Maria clenched her fist.
The game had begun.