Chance!
Now’s the time!
These two words were all that remained in Irina’s mind.
Seizing this fleeting moment of hesitation, this once-in-a-lifetime opening—this was what Leo had taught her, the core idea of her entire battle.
She didn’t hesitate at all.
Instead of retreating before the pressure of the puppet’s charge, she advanced, sliding nimbly a step diagonally forward.
The crowd in the stands collectively held their breath.
Is she insane? Charging right into the puppet’s attack range?
Yet, because the puppet’s left leg joint had been damaged, its powerful charge veered off course, and its heavy metallic body grazed the hem of Irina’s clothes, then crashed hard into the empty ground behind her.
“Boom—”
A thunderous crash echoed through the entire training arena, as if the whole place trembled.
The mana-powered puppet—the iron behemoth that had left countless freshmen helpless—now lay toppled on the ground in an utterly undignified posture.
The entire arena fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone stared, eyes wide, at the petite figure standing in the arena and the enormous fallen beast beside her, their minds struggling to process the massive gap between expectation and reality.
Just… like that? It fell?
Knocked down by a Wind Blade?
You’ve got to be kidding!
On the main podium, the old mage sitting beside the Vice Dean slapped his thigh.
“Beautiful!”
He exclaimed excitedly, “This girl’s battle sense is terrifying! She never intended to fight the puppet head-on from the start! Her goal was clear all along—to cripple its mobility!”
“She used the lowest-tier, least mana-consuming, and fastest-casting [Wind Blade], aiming at the weakest joints with unrivaled precision. The moment her target lost balance, she immediately seized the opportunity…”
Before he finished, Irina had already given her answer with her actions.
The instant the puppet crashed to the ground, her previously empty left hand conjured a fist-sized, violently burning fireball in her palm.
[Fireball].
Another low-tier spell.
But this time, no one dared to underestimate it.
“Go!”
Irina called out softly. The fireball flew from her hand, tracing a trail of orange-red light through the air.
Its target wasn’t the puppet’s thick chest plate, nor its hard head.
It was a barely noticeable groove at the back of the puppet’s neck.
—The auxiliary energy interface.
Another fatal weak point Leo had told her about!
“Boom!”
The fireball struck with perfect accuracy!
The explosion wasn’t particularly powerful, barely a tenth as strong as Christine’s [Explosive Fireball].
But the effect was deadly.
The mana-powered puppet, which had been struggling to get up, suddenly froze. Its single eye, glowing red, flickered violently a few times before dimming completely.
It stopped moving.
The battle was over.
Inside the arena, that eerie silence lasted for a full three seconds.
Then…
“Waaa—!”
Applause and cheers erupted like a volcano, ten times more intense than when Christine had fought!
“Holy crap! You can win like this?!”
“This… This is textbook combat!”
“Amazing! How did she think to attack the joints? And that spot on the back of the neck!”
“Victory for the scraping tactics! I declare, from today on, Wind Blade is my favorite spell!”
“Irina! I want to have your babies!”
The students in the stands went wild.
If Christine’s victory was a crushing show of absolute genius that left everyone in awe and reverence,
Then Irina’s victory was an ultimate counterattack staged by a mere mortal with wit and skill, a triumph that shocked and resonated with all!
She proved to everyone that in magical combat, there was more than earth-shattering destruction.
Technique was also a part of strength!
Irina stood in the center of the arena, her chest heaving, sweat soaking the bangs on her forehead.
Her mana was nearly exhausted, and her entire body felt drained from the intense focus.
Yet her face radiated a dazzling, unprecedented confidence.
She’d done it!
She’d held her ground and flawlessly executed the tactics Leo had laid out for her!
Amidst the thunderous cheers of the crowd, she stepped down from the testing platform.
Countless gazes followed her—curious, admiring, adoring.
But in Irina’s eyes, there was only one person.
She moved through the crowd, looking straight for the figure sitting in the corner.
Leo was lounging in his seat, and when he saw her glance his way, he lazily gave her a thumbs-up.
Not bad, Miss Protagonist.
Leo whistled in his heart.
Good thing I gave you that VIP one-on-one training! That was a perfect display of detail.
Knowing she had little mana left and couldn’t burst out more power, she targeted the weak spots, getting the biggest result for the least cost.
That level of understanding—truly worthy of a chosen heroine… even if her fate is a little skewed at the moment.
Irina read his lips and hand sign, and her smile grew even sweeter.
At this moment, the instructor in the center of the arena, his voice tinged with excitement and admiration, loudly announced her score.
“Irina! Battle assessment—Outstanding!”
“Boom!”
The crowd erupted once more.
Outstanding!
The highest possible grade, same as Christine!
This meant her name would be firmly among the top three in the freshman rankings!
On the other side of the crowd, Christine watched Irina surrounded by admirers, her golden eyes flickering with complex emotions.
Surprise, confusion, but above all—a thrill called “excitement.”
For the first time, she felt a powerful interest in a commoner.
This girl named Irina was unlike anyone she had ever met.
Interesting.
Far too interesting.
A battle-hungry smile tugged at the corners of Christine’s mouth.
“Silence!”
The instructor was forced to use an amplification spell again before the excited crowd calmed somewhat.
He cleared his throat, looked down at the list in his hand, and read the next name.
His voice faltered for a moment, as if uncertain.
“Next, Leo!”
This name was like a stone tossed into the calm surface of a lake, instantly sending ripples through the crowd.
Within the arena, the din that had just subsided returned in a new form.
This time, it was countless whispered conversations.
“Leo? That Leo?”
“Which one?”
“Who else! The deposed Fourth Prince! I heard he was exiled to Blackwood Town, that godforsaken place!”
“Isn’t he that talentless loser? Why is he even here for the entrance exam?”
“My god, to actually see this legendary figure here…”
“Shh! Keep your voice down! Even if he’s been stripped of his title…”
The discussions among the noble students were especially heated, their eyes on Leo filled with disdain, pity, and a gloating anticipation of drama.
Under the gaze of thousands, Leo slowly rose from his seat in the corner.
He stretched lazily, working out his stiff neck with a crisp crack.
Why did it have to be him next? He was planning to take a nap after Irina finished.
He yawned, completely ignoring the hostile glances and gossip around him.
Inside, he felt nothing at all.
A loser?
Does that stop me from enjoying life as a lord?
Still, he figured coming in last might cause some trouble, so being completely passive wasn’t a good idea either.
Leo strolled out, hands in his pockets, sauntering toward the center of the arena.
He looked less like someone about to face a serious evaluation and more like someone strolling through his own back garden.
Irina watched him, worried.
Leo sensed her gaze, winked at her, and mouthed a few words.
“Just enjoy the show.”
Irina: “….”
Fine, she really shouldn’t worry about this guy.
Leo stepped onto the testing platform and took his place.
He even found time to wave to the stands with a friendly smile.
Then, he snapped his fingers.
“Vmmm—”
The magic circle in front of him lit up, and another brand new Tier-3 mana puppet slowly rose.