The next morning, everyone gathered at the academy’s training ground.

  Kaji arrived on time, as always.

  The students greeted him, and he returned the gesture with a brief nod before his gaze settled on two figures.

  “Zeph. Kael,” he said. “Step inside.”

  The ground shimmered faintly as they entered the sparring area.

  Kaji folded his arms.

  “Kael,” he began calmly, “even with that powerful technique you showed yesterday, it’s still not enough.”

  Kael stiffened.

  “From what I observed,” Kaji continued, “your spell requires nearly four seconds to activate. Against a fast opponent, that delay is fatal.”

  He raised a hand slightly.

  “I’ve placed my protection on both of you. If the shield breaks—or can’t absorb another impact—I’ll end the match immediately.”

  Kael and Zeph both glanced down.

  A faint, transparent blue layer shimmered over their chests.

  “Go all out,” Kaji said.

  “Let’s see how you handle speed.”

  He stepped back.

  “Begin.”

  Zeph moved first.

  The moment Kaji’s voice faded, Zeph charged straight at Kael, lightning crackling faintly around his legs.

  Kael raised his hand, instinctively beginning to prepare a fire spell—

  —but Zeph was already there.

  BAM.

  A punch slammed into Kael’s face.

  Before Kael could react, Zeph had already retreated, skidding backward and vanishing into motion once more.

  He began circling Kael, fast—too fast.

  Kael clenched his teeth and started shaping the air again.

  Zeph darted in.

  Another punch.

  Then another.

  This time—

  “Divine Punch.”

  The impact hit harder, vibrating through Kael’s body despite the shield.

  Then another.

  And another.

  Kael staggered.

  I see it now, he realized.

  He’s exploiting the preparation window.

  Kael glanced down.

  The blue shield around his chest flickered.

  One or two more hits… and it’s done.

  His mind raced.

  Then I won’t give him an opening.

  Kael spread his mana outward—not forcefully, but wide.

  The wind around him twisted.

  Faster.

  Denser.

  A spiraling barrier formed around his body.

  “…Tornado Shield,” Kael muttered.

  The air screamed.

  Dust lifted. Grass bent outward.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Even outside the sparring ground, students felt the pressure.

  “Oh man,” Zeph said, grinning despite the wind.

  “This is cool.”

  Kael exhaled slowly.

  “My turn.”

  Inside the storm, Kael began preparing his fire spell again—

  —but this time, outside the tornado.

  Zeph dashed around him, weaving through the wind’s edge, watching carefully.

  Kael watched back.

  He’s circling… same rhythm…

  He released the fireball.

  The flame tore through the air.

  Zeph twisted at the last second.

  The fire clipped him—but only barely.

  The shield absorbed most of it.

  Kael frowned.

  Too slow. Still too slow.

  “I need something faster,” he muttered.

  “Something that reaches him instantly.”

  His eyes sharpened.

  “I have an idea.”

  Instead of forming fire, Kael focused his mana inward.

  Dust… particles… compressed.

  He imagined fine particles gathering, tightening into a small, bullet-like shape.

  Then he coated it with a dense layer of mana, hardening it.

  CRACK.

  The sudden strain shattered his concentration.

  The tornado destabilized.

  The wind collapsed.

  Kael’s eyes widened.

  I lost control—

  Too late.

  Zeph was already there.

  A punch landed squarely in Kael’s chest.

  The blue shield flared violently—

  —and shattered.

  “Stop.”

  “That’s enough,” Kaji said firmly.

  Zeph stepped back.

  “The winner is Zeph,” Kaji declared.

  Kael staggered, catching himself before he fell. His chest burned—not from pain, but from understanding.

  I tried to do too much, he thought.

  Too many thoughts. Too many structures.

  Speed had beaten complexity.

  For now.

  “What happened?” Kaji asked.

  “From what I saw, you lost control. Am I correct?”

  “Yes,” Kael replied quietly. “You’re right, teacher.”

  “It’s fine,” Kaji said.

  “You don’t need to be depressed. That was a powerful spell. Even handling that much power for that long is a feat on its own.”

  He looked at Kael steadily.

  “With practice, you’ll become incredible.”

  “Hey, Kael!” Zeph said, his eyes glowing with excitement.

  “That was awesome. It must’ve taken a ton of mana!”

  Kael shook his head slightly.

  Even though it was powerful… I only used half my mana.

  This method rewards efficiency—but it strains the mind more than the body or mana.

  “How did you create that fire spell?” Kany asked.

  “I’m a fire user too, but when I create fire, there’s no wind involved. When you do it, it looks like you’re concentrating air in one place.”

  “I do it because—” Kael started.

  “The air has oxygen and hydrogen,” he continued. “Oxygen is essential for fire, and hydrogen—”

  “Wait!” Kany interrupted.

  “What is oxi-gen anyway? And how do you know that?”

  Kael froze.

  If I tell them the truth, they’ll think I’m unstable… and I don’t want that.

  “It’s nothing,” Kael said quickly.

  “When I concentrate air, I call that stage ‘oxygen.’ It’s just a fancy name. It boosts my fire—that’s all.”

  Kany looked at him suspiciously.

  “Oh… is that it?” he said at last.

  “Then let me try.”

  Kany created a fireball—slightly smaller than Kael’s—and began concentrating air around it.

  The fire grew massive—nearly double its size.

  Then it faded.

  “That was incredible, Kael!” Kany said.

  “It worked. I don’t normally use Wind magic, so I lost control—but this could be something I work on in the future.”

  Kael felt relieved.

  For the next month, they trained relentlessly.

  Kael focused on maintaining multiple spells at once, slowly improving his mental endurance.

  One evening, Kaji gathered them.

  “We’ve received a mission,” he said.

  “There’s a village near Elar Lake that’s been suffering increased monster attacks. The monster type and origin are unknown.”

  He looked at them seriously.

  “That’s why I’ll be accompanying you.”

  “Listen carefully,” Kaji continued.

  “We’re heading to Silverbrook Village. It’ll take two days to reach it. Be prepared by tomorrow morning.”

  The next day, they set off by carriage.

  Kaji drove. The four of them sat inside.

  Zeph was visibly excited—it was their first real mission.

  Kael was excited too.

  But Aeris…

  Her expression didn’t change at all.

  It was as if she didn’t care.