The afternoon sun hung high above the Royal Arcane Academy.
After the morning's mana control test, the news had already spread across the entire first-year campus.
"Lucien Blackwood almost shattered the measurement crystal."
For most students, that result was shocking.
The crystal used in the academy was designed to withstand the mana output of second-year students.
A first-year almost cracking it was unheard of.
Lucien, however, had already forgotten about the incident.
He sat quietly beneath a tall maple tree near the academy courtyard, reading a thick spell theory book.
To other students, it looked like simple studying.
But in reality—
Lucien was stabilizing the Mana Compression technique he had learned.
His mana core pulsed slowly like a calm heartbeat.
Dense.
Stable.
Powerful.
"Hey."
A voice interrupted his thoughts.
Lucien slowly looked up.
Three students stood in front of him.
Their robes were clearly more expensive than most academy uniforms.
Nobles.
The one in the center stepped forward confidently.
Tall.
Blond hair.
Sharp features.
Lucien recognized him instantly.
Victor Ravencrest.
In the original novel, Victor had been one of Lucien's followers.
A minor noble who admired Lucien's talent.
But that relationship had eventually ended badly when Lucien fell into villainy.
Now Victor looked at him with a slightly challenging smile.
"So you're Lucien Blackwood."
Lucien closed his book calmly.
"Yes."
Victor crossed his arms.
"I saw your performance this morning."
"Pretty impressive."
His tone suggested something else.
Lucien remained silent.
Victor continued.
"But rumors travel fast in this academy."
"And some people are saying the Blackwood heir might actually be the strongest freshman."
Several nearby students stopped walking to listen.
Victor's smile widened slightly.
"I don't like rumors."
"I prefer proof."
Lucien understood immediately.
A challenge.
Classic academy politics.
Noble students often competed to establish dominance early in the school year.
Victor pointed toward the training arena.
"How about a friendly duel?"
Murmurs spread through the courtyard.
"Victor Ravencrest challenged Lucien?"
"This will be interesting…"
Lucien studied Victor quietly.
Victor was not weak.
In fact, he ranked within the top ten among first-year students.
But compared to Lucien's current strength…
The difference was enormous.
Lucien sighed slightly.
"Fine."
The simple answer surprised Victor for a moment.
He had expected more resistance.
But then Victor smiled again.
"Good."
Within minutes, a small crowd gathered in the training arena.
Word spread quickly whenever noble students fought.
Professor Kael had not yet arrived, but informal duels were allowed as long as they remained controlled.
Lucien stepped into the center of the arena.
Victor stood opposite him.
The afternoon wind blew across the stone field.
Victor stretched his fingers confidently.
"First rule."
"No lethal spells."
"Second rule."
"Surrender if you cannot continue."
Lucien nodded casually.
"Of course."
Victor raised his hand.
A swirl of wind mana gathered around his arm.
Several students gasped.
"Wind magic already?"
"He's serious."
Victor smirked.
"I won't hold back."
Lucien simply stood still.
Victor's mana surged forward.
"Wind Lance!"
Three sharp blades of compressed wind shot toward Lucien.
Fast.
Precise.
For an average first-year student, it would be difficult to dodge.
But Lucien didn't move.
At the last moment—
He raised his hand slightly.
Mana condensed instantly.
Denser than before.
He released a small burst.
BOOM
The wind lances shattered in mid-air.
The impact wave scattered across the arena floor.
Victor's confident expression froze.
Lucien lowered his hand calmly.
"That's it?"
The crowd murmured loudly.
Victor frowned.
"Don't get arrogant."
He gathered more mana.
Stronger this time.
Wind currents began circling around him.
Lucien could see the technique clearly.
A second-tier wind spell.
For a freshman, that was impressive.
Victor shouted.
"Cyclone Strike!"
A spinning column of wind shot forward.
The attack tore across the arena floor.
Dust flew everywhere.
Some students stepped back in shock.
Lucien watched it calmly.
Then he moved.
Just one step forward.
Mana compressed in his palm.
Then—
He punched.
BOOM
A concentrated mana shockwave exploded outward.
The cyclone shattered instantly.
The remaining force slammed into Victor's chest.
Victor stumbled backward several meters.
He barely managed to stay on his feet.
Silence filled the arena.
Everyone stared.
Lucien stood exactly where he had started.
He had not even used a proper spell.
Just raw mana compression.
Victor's breathing became heavy.
He looked shocked.
"Impossible…"
Lucien tilted his head slightly.
"You're done."
Victor clenched his fists.
But he understood the truth.
The gap between them was obvious.
After a moment, he exhaled.
"…I surrender."
The crowd erupted into whispers.
"That was too fast."
"Lucien didn't even cast a real spell."
"He crushed him…"
Lucien turned to leave the arena.
But suddenly—
He felt a familiar gaze again.
Lucien glanced toward the edge of the crowd.
Adrian Vale stood there quietly.
Watching everything.
Their eyes met once more.
Adrian looked thoughtful.
More thoughtful than before.
Lucien smiled faintly.
Then he walked away.
Behind him, the first rumor of the new school year had already begun spreading.
"The strongest freshman…"
"Lucien Blackwood."
But Lucien himself knew something important.
This was only the beginning.
If he wanted to survive the future…
He needed to become far stronger than the villain ever was.
And somewhere deep within the academy—
Fate was already preparing the next challenge.