Flames crackled in my ears as silence greeted my words. Some of the students had overheard what I’d said, but only a small portion of them smiled or laughed. The rest were stony faced, as was the staff member in front of me.

I'd called myself Crijik.

Part of it was an inside joke. The other part was calculated to make sure I benefited as best I could. William and I had talked through my decision thoroughly. It wasn't guaranteed that people would accept every challenge I sent, especially if my opponents were afraid of losing too many points and had easier options. So even after a few matches were over and people had determined my skill level, I'd need a reason for people to continue challenging me. Our solution was simple. I had to give my persona a name and it had to be something that would make people want to fight me.

The Divines were the foundation of the lives of countless people in this world. The truth was, I wasn’t trying to insult them. Nor did I see the need to. I'd seen the good the churches did on their behalf.

Nobody cared if somebody insulted the divines but taking their name or harming their image for personal gain was extremely divisive. Some would chase the offender out of the city. Others would want to fight them.

I was hoping for the latter.

My back straightened as I felt a dozen eyes boring into it. I could hear the whispers starting, most mocking me. Condescension laced their tones, and their words brushed against my ears. The air had turned frosty, and a chill ran over my arms. I wasn't sure if it was because somebody was angry at me or because they’d started to cast an ice-element spell. Possibly both.

"I thought that was a joke when someone said that name had been approved." The staff member waved me through the doors of the foyer out into the Dome proper. “Let us know when you want to change your persona.”

His last statement wasn't a suggestion, it was a fact. Naming myself Crijik was like throwing myself to the wolves. People would fight me out of spite and honour.

That was exactly what I wanted.

The passage led me further into the Dome. Today, I’d scheduled a fight with one of the targets that William had marked as easy pickings.

Hassin Fre: 20 points. Rank 140.

William’s dossier was written out like a military report. He’d had one on all of his opponents. It was a common practice amongst the noble households, and somewhere out there students and strangers had created and read dossiers about me.

Hassin’s in particular was filled with key facts.

Each class in my year was numbered from one to ten. One had the students with the highest skills, and ten signified a lack of talent or grades. Hassin was in the third class, meaning he wasn't a rising star, but neither was he a weakling. It was a bragging feat in any household.

His specialty was fire magic. It was one of the elements I was most familiar with, and the reason that I'd picked him over the other options. He was also the only one that would fight me quickly. Apparently, he had aspirations to rise in the rankings as well, and so he was accepting any challengers that approached.

It was a statement that made me hesitate. Accepting all challenges meant he was confident. I was still struggling to win against Amanda. There were no easy matches with her. Or with Berlia.

Fighting an opponent whose skills were unknown would be even tougher.

I pressed my hand against the door of one of the arenas and a symbol glowed bright. Underneath my feet was a solid dirt floor, accompanied by a gust of hot air. This arena had been customised for the use of earth and fire magic.

"You’re Crijik?” A voice broke me out of my thoughts. “I can't believe that was a real name.”

In front of me was a teenage boy draped in red robes.

He studied me curiously. I couldn't see any signs that my persona name had insulted him, or that it made him angry. Instead, I could feel a calm aura emanating from him.

This was a person that was confident in his own abilities.

Well, so was I.

"It's not my real name." I responded. “You're Hassin?”

Unlike the others I'd seen, his robes were simple and unadorned. He had a single black glove on one hand and his hair was bright blonde. Almond eyes watched my every movement as I made my way to the centre of the arena.

“The one and only.” He grinned.

His hands stretched out and he slapped them against his chest rapidly, each touch bringing out a puff of flames. He wasn't just posturing. The movements activated a skill that caused wisps of flames to circle around his body protectively. Coiling like snakes, the mana slithered through his clothes and across his fingers. Finally, they ended up facing me from his hand, three tendrils of flames that hissed and spit into the air.

A pulse of curiosity ran through me, and I activated [Mana Communication]. I could tell instantly why Hassin was accepting all new challengers. The mana within his spell was attuned with his thoughts, mimicking his intentions as a result.

Excitement, test, fight, nervousness.

Their thoughts ran through me, as though I could hear the mana whispering into my mind and heart. This was a new skill that Hassin was hoping to try out. He was accepting new challenges so that he could level it and practice using the skill.

That was fine with me.

My fingers tapped the side of my leg and the earth shifted underneath me in response. I swept my gaze over the arena. My eyes saw a field of dirt, but my mind saw an entire battlefield that could be controlled in an instant. I'd only need to activate [Mana Sense] to see it properly.

"Please refrain from attacking each other until the duel has begun.” A dry voice called out from beside me.

I spun around at the words, and so did Hassin. There was a man standing beside us that both of us had missed. He wasn't an adult, not yet, but he was old enough to be on the cusp of graduating. He wore a white and blue uniform with intricate golden patterns that I'd only see a few times before. It was the uniform of the third-year students. Delicate blue hair swam over his shoulders in a braid, and he gazed at us with gentle azul eyes.

His steps were too quiet for it to be normal. I hadn't even heard him approaching us.

"I didn't realise that students could be observers.” I said. For some reason it felt like I'd seen him before.

Every match and practice session in the arena had to be overseen by a member of staff. Generally, these people were known as observers.

I've never seen a student one, normally the sessions I booked were overseen by my earth magic professor, Tago.

"Things tend to get busy this time of year and the academy gives us ranking points for making sure that you first years don't kill each other by accident.” He smiled. “Well, I also like to see if there are any hidden gems.”

"I'm glad you came to my match then.” Hassin puffed out his chest proudly.

I shook my head but didn't say anything. I didn't doubt my fighting abilities, but Koshima was home to some of the most talented magicians-in-training in the world. I also couldn't use my metal magic to fight unless it was an emergency. After all, there were only two metal magicians within the first-year cohort. Ouros and I. It would be too easy to identify me.

For that same reason I couldn't use earth creation.

A face appeared in front of me, and I blinked in surprise, taking a step back as the third year student approached me.

“I can't see your eyes unless I turn off my skill." The boy gazed at me curiously. “Or anything else about you. That's an interesting mask you've got there.”

"I hope that's not going to be a problem." I said.

"No, I'm just curious." He smiled.

He moved towards the wall of the arena room, well out of our reach, and gestured at both of us to move into position. The outline of the room itself is simple. The arena was shaped like a rectangle, and there was around twenty meters of distance between the two of us.

If I was fighting Amanda or William, my first move would be to try and entomb them or throw earthen spears out from underneath them.

I was going to be a little bit more straightforward with Hassin. It would be better to take it easy while I didn't know his techniques or weaknesses.

"The fight begins in three…”

The observer raised his hand and both of us tensed as he counted down. At his side he had placed his hand on the wall, activating the symbols that would protect the fighters from any damage they took.

“Two…”

I threw my hand up in front of me and felt the ground stir at my command. Within my chest an endless ocean of golden mana roiled and writhed, eager to release into the outer world and subjugate it under its whims.

Hassin curled his arms inwards, and the snake-like flames spread out into a fan of fire that mimicked his every gesture.

“One…”

I activated my [Mana Sense] skill and the sight of orange and red mana blazed to life as my vision of the magical world overlapped with the physical. Red mana flowed from Hassin’s pores into the flames around him, powering them directly. Every movement of mana that my opponent enacted was visible before my eyes.

"Begin!" The observer's voice boomed through the room.

The moment his voice hit the air my body was already in motion, a flick of my wrist sending a solid block of dirt out of the ground and straight toward Hassin’s head. Less than a second passed between compacting the earth and throwing it at my opponent.

However, I knew from experience that the attack wouldn't be enough.

Amanda would fly into the air, and William would continue pushing through after dodging the attack. I wasn't sure what abilities my opponent had, but I needed to be in a position to react to his counterattack.

Golden mana surged through my veins as I took control of the ground around Hassin, dirt rising in a tornado of mana and earth that swept across my opponent. For anybody else, purposefully obscuring vision of the opponent would be a terrible idea, but with my [Mana Sense] activated I could see his every move.

Right now, he was laying on the floor, looking up at the roof of the arena.

"Match over! Crijik wins!” The observer's voice boomed through the room.

My shoes hooked into the dirt, and I almost fell over in surprise.

What?

I relinquished control over the arena, the dirt flying back down into the ground. I could see what my mana sense had shown me. Hassin was lying on the ground, his flames dying down around him and an expression of surprise on his face.

My initial dirt brick had socked him square in the jaw, knocking him over and activating the symbols that absorbed the damage he'd received.

“Holy Fue you acted fast.” Hassin finally found his voice, pushing himself off the ground and facing me with wide eyes. “What did you hit me with?”

I gestured with my finger toward the side of his head, and he turned around to find himself facing my dirt brick. My surprise was larger than his. It hadn't even been stone or metal, and every other opponent I’d faced had considered this kind of attack a minor inconvenience.

Hassin tore his eyes away from the brick and gazed at me with his mouth slightly ajar. Clearly neither of us had expected the match to go the way it had. Normally they lasted at least a few minutes.

"I want a rematch.” Hassin spoke immediately.

"I accept." I responded. "On the condition that we do it right now.”

Hassin nodded and I grinned. There was no reason to say no to another quick fight. Especially since he would still have points for me to take.

"Well then, we'll begin the second match immediately if everyone is comfortable with that." The observer stroked his chin with a smile on his face.

I could tell he was enjoying his duties. To a Koshima veteran a fight between two first years probably looked like a squabble between children.

Hassin and I moved to our positions, both of us eyeing each other warily. He knew what I was capable of now, but I hadn't gleaned any information about him. That put me at a disadvantage for the next fight.

"The match begins in three…”

I wanted to gauge how strong my fellow first years were. So, I would make the fight go for longer, but I would also have to hide the fact that I’m extending it on purpose.

This time I’d use a different strategy.

"Two…”

The dirt underneath my opponent shifted once again under my command. Like a landmine eager to explode, it grouped together and buzzed with excitement.

“One…”

The mana around Hassin gathered at the tips of his fingers, heatwaves burning in the air. I could see the air shimmering in front of him as the anger and ferocity of his flames gnashed against reality.

"Begin!"

With a slight movement of my hand a brick of earth flew from the ground underneath my opponent toward his jaw. This time he was prepared for it, moving out of the way and dodging the attack. He smiled and looked at me—

Only for the dirt brick to explode and wrap around his head. My fingers spread open as I manipulated the dirt across his face, covering his mouth and eyes. In a split second his attitude shifted from confident to panicked, and his eyes widened underneath their earthen prison.

[Stone Grasp].

The spell had trouble taking effect with so little stone within the dirt, but it worked well enough for my intentions. The dirt tightened around Hassin’s head, and I willed it to move back, forcing his head to fly back and slam against the back wall of the arena. I made sure the back of his skull bore the full brunt of the attack.

He was stunned as his body broke against the wall, and before he could react, I forced the ground underneath him to harden in preparation for my next attack.

The dirt gripped him tightly once again, forcing his head forward and smashing it into the ground. Repeatedly.

A voice crashed over the arena as a mark appeared over my opponent’s head.

"Match over!”