“Why are you here? And how did you get in?”

  Sui pulled away from me and tried to look into my eyes.

  “Ha! And why wouldn’t a student of the Magic Academy be on the grounds of the Magic Academy?”

  With a dignified air, I pulled out the badge given to me by the rector and twirled it between my fingers.

  “So it was you! You’re the one who caused today’s commotion and nearly killed the teacher?”

  “Oh, don’t listen to those rumors, I barely scratched her…”

  “They said she had a charred hole this big in her stomach!”

  Sui spread her arms as wide as she could. I laughed and clasped her hands together.

  “If there really was such a hole, Madam Andu would already be in a grave. But if I’m not mistaken, her aura is heading our way right now and will be here soon. Shall we get out of here?”

  “Where to?”

  “To Tot. He really misses his sister.”

  Sui pulled her hands away from mine.

  “Aney, I can’t. I don’t know if my brother told you, but…”

  “He did. And I’ve already taken care of everything. You have nothing to fear anymore. Neither Burgun nor his family can harm you now.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, now let’s go!”

  We quickly made our way toward the academy gates.

  “Brat! Stop right there!”

  I turned around. A still-pale Teacher Andu was chasing after us.

  “We’ll talk later, Auntie! I’m busy right now!”

  I laughed and swept Sui into my arms.

  “Let’s get out of here!”

  Of course, no mage could match a warrior in physical strength and endurance, so Andu could only hurl curses at our backs. She wisely chose not to use magic to stop me.

  Once we passed through the academy gates, I leaped into the sky, stepping onto condensed aura discs high above the ground.

  Sui wrapped her arms around my neck and clung tightly to me.

  “So, you’re already a Battle Ancestor?”

  “Yep. And a third-circle mage, thanks to your notes.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, I practically memorized them all.”

  The girl in my arms smiled, though she still glanced nervously at the ground, which stretched far below us.

  “We’re here!” I said, setting her down on the grounds of their family estate.

  Tot and Mia weren’t here at the moment.

  “As far as I can tell, your brother is at the workshop. Do you want to see him?”

  “Give me half an hour, please.”

  Sui ran off to her room, while I jumped onto the stone cube that had crushed my teacher’s courtyard.

  Dark gray in color, incredibly dense, with unfamiliar runes etched into its surface… What did it mean? Revenge? Or some kind of warning?

  This boulder unsettled me. It carried a faint trace of the War God’s aura—the one who had left it here—and something else. Something very bad that I couldn’t quite discern.

  After walking around its surface and finding no cracks, I focused my vision and tried to peer inside.

  A uniform structure, no cavities. It seemed to be a solid piece of rock. But suddenly, I sensed something foreign within—the very thing I couldn’t distinguish before. I sharpened my focus and saw, at the very center of the boulder, a hand.

  A human left hand.

  The yellowed bones were perfectly intact, covered in green patterns, like molten lava flowing from a volcano. But how? How could bones have gotten inside?

  I was sure the rock was solid… Had it formed around the hand? Then just how old was it?

  “Aney!”

  I turned my head toward Sui, not managing to suppress my enhanced vision in time.

  Damn, it was rude to stare at her like this.

  “I’m coming!” I blinked a few times, returning my sight to normal, and jumped down.

  “Let’s walk. I haven’t strolled through the city in ages.” She took my arm.

  We found Tot at the workshop, overseeing the dismantling of old equipment. After a warm reunion, he immediately turned to me.

  “I’ve started the process! Soon, equipment for the foundry, forge, and metalworking will arrive. But we need blueprints and other project documentation to create at least some prototypes…”

  I pulled out several sheets of paper with designs I had drawn overnight. Tot examined them, nodding approvingly.

  “Good. But we also need an algorithm for how the puppets will use martial techniques.”

  I had an idea to program them with my own spear and step techniques, but I didn’t want that knowledge to become widely available. Tot seemed to understand my hesitation.

  “If you want to use secret techniques, I can engrave them myself to keep them confidential. But the output will be extremely slow—no more than three or four puppets per day. That is, if you trust me, of course.”

  “It’s fine, I trust you. We’ll make some with my techniques for our own use, and the rest will be for sale. Do you think it’ll be profitable?”

  “You even have to ask? Battle puppets of the sixth and seventh class cost a fortune. Of course, setting up entire factories and training craftsmen for just a few hundred wouldn’t be worthwhile, but if we produce thousands…”

  “Sounds perfect. In a few days, I’ll prepare a manuscript explaining my techniques, but engraving them is your job—I don’t understand that part.”

  “Deal.”

  “Alright, I’ll go check on Mia and the estate renovations. Sui, I’ll need your help tomorrow—it’s my first day of classes. I’ll come for you in the morning. See you!”

  “Classes?” Tot looked confused.

  “Sis will explain everything!”

  I jumped up and strode across the sky toward home.

  Mia, dressed in a work jumpsuit like a true foreman, was loudly giving orders to dozens of workers repairing the estate.

  In the middle of the courtyard stood our wagon, with a hungry livzi still harnessed to it.

  I pulled a few food bricks from my storage and fed it. The poor beast nearly cried with joy that someone had finally remembered it.

  “Alright, guys, that’s enough for today. Thanks for your hard work! See you tomorrow morning!” Mia clapped her hands loudly, then ran up to me.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “Good evening, sir! The restoration is going smoothly! There’s still a lot to fix, but our bedroom is ready, so we can stay here tonight.”

  “Our bedroom?”

  “Sirrrr! We’ve only finished one bedroom. Would you really make poor Mia sleep outside under the open skyyy?”

  “You little trickster! Alright, let’s go.” I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her inside.

  Incidentally, the bed in our newly renovated bedroom didn’t survive the night’s… activities.

  In the morning, as promised, I picked up Sui, and we headed to the academy.

  “Please show me where the library is,” I asked, eager to see what interested me the most.

  We stopped in front of a small building. Once we showed our badges, they let us inside.

  I was disappointed—there was no way such a tiny place could hold many books. But the moment I stepped in, my mood changed.

  Spatial magic must have been at work here because the library’s interior was likely larger than the arena where I took my entrance exam.

  Thanking Sui, who ran off to her classes, I started browsing the shelves, examining the tens of thousands of tomes on magic.

  After wasting a few hours searching, I found books on the basic magic of wood, metal, light, darkness, space, and time—the elements not covered in Sui’s notes, which I had been studying from.

  Gathering a hefty stack of books, I found a quiet spot with a table and a comfortable chair and sat down to work.

  After quickly and carefully reading the basics of wood magic, I pulled out paper and a stylus, then began modifying spell seals using my familiar method.

  An hour later, I finished wood magic and moved on to the next.

  During my work, I noticed an unfamiliar student approaching me. Not wanting to waste time, I set up an aura barrier to ensure no one would disturb me.

  Well, only the rector could break it. At first, I thought all elements up to the third circle were just as easy, but it wasn’t that simple. I stumbled badly on space and time. The theory behind these elements was difficult to grasp, and they were interconnected, constantly referencing each other.

  Because of that, the work I thought I’d finish in a day took me five. But the result was worth it—I reviewed fifteen sheets, each containing a magical seal reworked specifically for me, complete with descriptions and instructions on how best to carve it into bone. This must not fall into the wrong hands!

  I stashed the papers away, then gathered the hundreds of drafts I had scattered around. Even scraps weren’t safe for prying eyes. Just as I was about to leave, I remembered that I had promised Tot my techniques for creating puppets. I had to sit back down and work for a few more hours. Once I finally finished, I gathered my books and went to return them to the shelves.

  Between the cabinets, a petite blonde with long, pointed ears stopped me. An elf? I tried to walk past her, but she was persistent and simply blocked my way, spreading her arms.

  “Can you spare a minute?”

  Honestly, I was utterly exhausted after the past few days of work, and I had no patience for idle chatter. So my response wasn’t exactly friendly.

  “You shouldn’t stop someone three times your size like that. Do you have no sense of self-preservation?”

  “Sorry, but this can’t wait. My name is Irgen. I’m the captain of the academy’s student team. The rector informed me that you’re our new member.”

  “Yeah, that’s right.”

  “The rector also said you’re a third-circle mage.”

  “That’s correct too. Let’s cut to the chase—what do you want?”

  “You need to leave the team. We don’t need dead weight dragging us down! Our team consists of fifth- and sixth-circle mages!”

  “Take it up with the rector.”

  I turned and walked the other way, unwilling to argue. That didn’t work. I sensed her drawing a short staff and aiming it at my back. Damn it! I didn’t wait for the attack—I immediately lunged at her, grabbed her thin neck, and slammed her to the ground, knocking the breath out of her so she couldn’t cast a spell.

  “Listen to me, and listen very carefully!” I pressed my foot against her chest, keeping her from moving or breathing. Her weak ribs cracked under the pressure. “Normally, I just kill those who strike at me from behind. But since you’re also an academy student, today you get to live. Tomorrow morning, in the arena, I expect you and your entire damn team. I’ll take you all down by myself! And don’t even think about not showing up—if you don’t, you won’t have a place in this academy anymore! Do you understand?”

  For good measure, I broke her nose and left her unconscious on the floor. Some captain.

  I found Tot in the workshop, where the craftsmen were already conducting the trial runs of the new equipment.

  “Here.” I handed him a stack of papers.

  He examined each one carefully.

  “Got it. There won’t be any problems. And about the cores…”

  At that, I took out the storage left behind by the head of the alchemy guild. I transferred all the pills, alchemical ingredients, tools, and literature into my primary storage, then poured in ten thousand sixth-class and ten thousand seventh-class cores instead.

  “Here, twenty thousand.”

  Leaving Tot stunned, I went home. It was time for serious business—I had to carve fifteen new spells into my bones.

  At home, there was order and silence. The renovations were complete, and the estate gleamed with fresh finishes.

  “Tomorrow, we resume your training!” I startled Mia and locked myself in the bathroom.

  Lying in the water, I first conjured magic and rune circles, replenishing my mana to the maximum by absorbing a few sixth-class cores. I couldn’t take in any more, no matter how hard I tried. The level of a War God wasn’t something one could reach through sheer power infusion.

  For now, I had no idea how to achieve it. My only hope lay with the Raven when he returned. With a sigh, I started carving magical seals. I managed to fit seven of the fifteen onto my left wrist; the remaining eight I engraved onto the phalanges of my right-hand fingers.

  By morning, my arsenal contained twenty-seven spells, evenly spread across the first, second, and third circles.

  After kissing the still-sleeping Mia on the cheek, I headed to Sui’s house.

  “Where have you been all these days? And what’s this scandal with the academy team?!” she attacked me the moment I stepped inside.

  “Everything’s fine!” I scooped her up in my arms and leapt into the sky.

  “They say you have a match against the entire team today. Is that true?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you out of your mind?” She wouldn’t calm down. “There are ten of them, and you’re alone!”

  “Sui, listen to me. How many sixth-circle mages does it take to quickly kill a High-Tier Battle Ancestor?”

  She fell silent.

  “Hundreds.”

  “Exactly. If I’m not mistaken, a sixth-circle mage is roughly equivalent in strength to a seventh-class monster. I’ve fought thousands of those at once, and as you can see, I’m alive, while they are not.”

  “I understand, but here, you have to fight using only magic!”

  “That’s right. But they won’t even be able to scratch my skin with their magic.”

  I wasn’t lying. My aura armor could withstand any sixth-circle magical attack.

  “Really?”

  “Have I ever lied to you?”

  We landed near the academy gates and walked to the arena. Without even trying, I could sense from here that the place was packed. If hundreds of people had watched my exam, then today, the entire academy must have gathered.

  Stepping onto the arena, I confirmed it—the stands were full. Roman paced the field alone. My opponents had yet to arrive.

  “Apologies, Headmaster.”

  “For what? On the contrary, I haven’t seen a good show in a long time! Give them a spectacle!”

  Who the hell was he rooting for?! Laughing, the headmaster flew up to his seat in the stands.

  Ten young mages entered the field. Eight of the sixth circle and two of the fifth. Leading them was Irgen, her nose swollen and bruised. The sight was so ridiculous that I laughed. Couldn’t find a healing pill?

  “Headmaster, please announce the rules!” I called out as the mages lined up against me.

  “Fight with everything you’ve got. The only rule—no killing. Anen, please, don’t turn this into a massacre like at the royal tournaments. Show some mercy to these children!”

  “Children?” I pointed at the mages. “They’re only a year or two younger than me! But you’re right about one thing…”

  I unleashed my Battle Ancestor’s aura, triggering all the arena’s protective barriers, which immediately began to crack. The ten mages, despite raising mana shields, were simply blown back to the barrier and pinned against it.

  “…I can’t fight at full strength, or I might accidentally kill one of them.” I withdrew my aura. “Headmaster, please impose a restriction on me!”

  I was outright mocking my opponents.

  “Alright,” Roman was clearly amused. “You may only use magic!”

  “Fine! Any limit on the number of attacks?”

  “None.”

  “Understood.”

  I turned to Irgen and her team, who were just beginning to pick themselves up from the ground.

  “Hey, captain of failures, yesterday you said I was too weak. Is that just your opinion, or does the whole team think so?”

  The team shifted uncomfortably. It seemed they were starting to realize they were in deep trouble.

  “Anyone who doesn’t want to fight can surrender now and leave,” I continued, “but those who stay—I’ll pummel you slowly and enjoy every moment!”

  I grinned wickedly. Psychological pressure on a weaker opponent could save their life—I wasn’t a monster.

  Two fifth-circle members ran for the exit.

  “We surrender!”

  “Wow, Irgen, what an inspiring fighting spirit your team has!”

  I clapped my hands.

  “Anyone else?”

  “Just start already!” she growled through clenched teeth.

  “Alright. Yesterday, you complained that I was just a third-circle mage and too weak. Well then, I’ll take you all down using only a single basic first-circle spell—fireball! Attack!”

  I activated my magic, and after a large, bright red magic circle descended, the first fireball struck the nearest mage like a cannon shot. The impact sent him flying several meters back, where he began rolling on the ground, trying to extinguish the flames. Idiots—they only now thought to raise their mana shields. Too slow, far too slow!

  “Seven!” I started counting those still standing.

  These fools stood in a single line, probably planning to strike me all at once as if I were a stationary target. Holy hedgehogs, how stupid could they be? The moment the first fireball flew, I moved to flank them, immediately cutting off six of them from attacking me. They reacted by trying to turn, but it was too late.

  “Six!”

  My fireball took out another one, tearing a chunk of flesh from his shoulder—down to the bone—where his mana shield hadn’t covered him. The others tried to protect him with their shields, momentarily disrupting their formation. Another fireball shot straight into the gap, scorching the calves of two more mages.

  “Four!”

  The four who remained on their feet had already recovered. Three of them braced for full defense, completely ignoring their comrades writhing and screaming in pain on the ground before them, while one attempted an overhead attack.

  “Ice Coffin!” he shouted, finally forming an entire series of magic seals that merged into a three-dimensional sigil.

  Oh, nice. Fifth-circle magic? Ice began creeping up around me, trying to trap me. Good luck with that… Maybe this spell could hold down a lower-rank Battle Ancestor, but me?

  I moved again, shattering the ice coffin into shards and firing fireball after fireball at one of the mana shields. Targeted. At a single point. Instead of rotating their shields in sync to spread out the impact, they kept pouring their mana into the shield under attack, hoping to win through sheer mana exhaustion. What idiots…

  I waited until they had funneled all their mana into the shield I was bombarding—then shifted my attack to the neighboring one. The mage standing behind them tried to attack me again, this time using a sixth-circle spell—ice spikes sprouting from every direction. Well, let’s just say it had some effect—it made running across the arena trickier since I had to watch out for slipping. But go on, kid, don’t stop now.

  The mana shield I had focused on finally shattered, and I immediately launched several fireballs into the opening.

  “Zero!”