Michael stared at the slightly charred figure unconscious on the center platform and couldn't help but cringe. The lightning attack was so quick that even if the guy had not been in the middle of casting, it would have been difficult to stop.

This was why maintaining a shield was essential, even if it reduced your attacking prowess. Otherwise one could end up incapacitated in a single moment.

He felt the disparity between the two opponents was rather surprising since the red-headed teen was not a seeded combatant.

"He's pretty strong…" Rudy commented, no longer wearing the same bored expression.

Michael nodded silently as he watched the figure leave the platform.

It stood to reason that the second-year students were stronger than them, they had an extra year of education after all. And since it was clear Quinn had only been teaching them combat magic and not the martial techniques, the disparity would be even wider in that area.

Soon it was rather obvious they were behind in combat spell application. The second-year battles were flashy and did not last very long. It wasn't like the first fight where there was a large disparity between combatants, but because each attack launched was devestating.

A single misstep was all it took to be struck and rendered unconscious.

It was at this point that Michael began to question their current curriculum. While the martial techniques Quinn had taught them were definitely impressive, was it truly the right path to take?

By focusing on their physical might, was the gap between their peers not just widening?

After seeing the battles of the second-years, Michael had his doubts. If they had focused completely on combat spells, wouldn't they have been close to their level?

He mulled over this topic for a while, unable to come up with a proper conclusion. In the end, there were benefits and drawbacks of such a technique—but his heart wanted to think they were on the right path.

If anything, having an alternative solution in a situation where he was unable to cast a spell or project mana out of his body was only beneficial. After all, it could be the difference between life and death in the future.

The matches between the second-years were concluded even faster than the first-years. But as they moved to the third and fourth-years, Michael felt his blood begin to turn cold.

The older students were not only far more adept with their spell usage, but they also knew far more spells.

Even behind the shields placed around each platform, Michael could feel the intensity of the attacks. It wasn't just him, practically everyone in the first-year area looked pale—besides Rudy of course who seemed enamored with the display.

"Dude that's so cool!" He exclaimed, watching one of the final fights of the fourth-years down below.

Transparent wind blades whipped through the air menacingly as they targeted a black-haired youth with a tall, almost gaunt physique. The guy showed no signs of being pushed back as he deftly parried the blows with a shield tethered to his arm.

It was brilliant. By reducing the size of the shield spell and making it portable, he was able to compact the shield, increasing its density—while also freeing up his mana to launch counterattacks.

Of course it also required the guy to be adapt at sensing the transparent attacks and successfully parrying them, which was only more impressive in the long run.

Seemingly having enough of the current status quo, the black-haired youth muttered an incantation before making a hand seal. The sight was rather foreign, Michael had never seen any spell that had required a specific hand movement before.

But all he could do was watch on in stunned awe as a brilliant explosion shook the ground in the arena. The only thing he had seen was a green magic circle appear below the man's opponent before a firestorm erupted in an instant.

"HOLY SHIT!"

"W-what the hell was that!?"

A cacophony of exclamations rang out from the first-year group in the crowd, completely enamored by the sight. No one could blame them, this was probably the first time they had seen a fight between fourth-years.

Rudy was probably the most effected, now standing upright in his chair, his gaze focused on the center platform with sparkling eyes.

"I want that spell…" he muttered, unable to hide his desire.

Michael on the other hand felt kind of worried. Such an explosion at close range would no doubt cause severe injury, or possibly even death.

Considering its activation was so quick, he doubted that the other student would have been able to mount a decent defense in time before succumbing to the explosion. Once the smoke cleared, he wouldn't be surprised if there was only pieces of burnt flesh remaining.

But Quinn appeared onto the platform a moment later, waving her hand and dispersing the smoke with a single movement. She called an end to the match, giving the victory to the black-haired youth who had cast the devastating spell.

Yet Michael's gaze was focused on the defeated opponent, his eyes widening in surprise. The teen had no visible injuries, despite some of his robe being burnt away in the subsequent explosion.

"Huh? He defended that?" Michael asked in wonder.

If that were the case, then why did Quinn put an end to the match so quick? Couldn't the guy still fight?

"No, he would have died." Melody interjected solemnly. "The fourth years are given a life-saving artifact to wear around their necks. Once it detects a spell would cause life threatening damage, it activates a shield at the last possible moment," she explained.

"But the moment it activates, it means the student loses."

"There was such a thing?" Michael muttered in disbelief.

This was the first time he'd heard about life-saving artifacts specifically, but it made a lot of sense. Fourth-year students were a huge investment, they could not afford to be crippled or killed for a mere tournament, even if it was a long-standing tradition.

If anything, it was good to hear that the academy valued them enough to waste such a precious artifact on their behalf.

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