It really was light magic

As the brief, charged confrontation between Princess Lilith and Victoria came to an end, the first-year students' attention was soon drawn to another figure.

A woman in a dark blue professor's robe walked slowly onto the raised platform at the front of the Martial Arena.

She looked to be in her thirties. Her long chestnut hair was meticulously gathered into a bun, and though her face was not stunningly beautiful, its well-defined features conveyed sharpness and competence.

Rimless glasses rested on her nose. Behind the lenses, her light brown eyes were calm, and as her gaze swept over the new students below, it held no trace of emotion-only scrutiny and assessment.

Grace Quinn, the chief professor for first-year students at Glory Kael Magic Academy, was also the head examiner and final arbiter of this placement assessment.

At the Academy, she was known for a teaching style so rigorous it bordered on harsh, and for her absolute belief that strength came first.

In her eyes, there was no distinction between nobles and commoners, no consideration of family or background. Only mana, skill, willpower, and performance in combat mattered.

Results spoke for everything.

"Silence."

Grace's voice was not loud, but it carried a peculiar penetrating authority, reaching every corner of the Martial Arena with perfect clarity.

The lingering buzz of conversation vanished in an instant. A pin could have been heard dropping.

"The placement assessment will now begin."

She was concise, wasting no words:

"You have already been informed of the rules. Matches will proceed in the order of the posted roster. Victory is not the only criterion. Mana use, tactical thinking, adaptability, and strength of will are all part of the assessment."

"First pair, step forward."

The brisk opening immediately brought everyone's focus back to the assessment itself.

Tension, anticipation, and unease spread among the new students.

The rules had long since been announced: the new students would fight in pairs while several instructors, including Professor Quinn, observed and scored them.

Final class placements would depend not only on victory or defeat, but even more on their overall performance during the match.

That meant even a defeated student could still enter the top class, Class A, provided they demonstrated sufficient potential, skill, or tenacity.

Conversely, someone who won through luck or performed poorly might only qualify for Class B, Class C, or even the lowest, Class D.

This was a trial in which no one could afford to hold back.

For those limited places in Class A, for better instructors, resources, and future prospects, every new student who stepped onto the arena had to give their all.

The first pair consisted of two female students.

One was the daughter of a count, specializing in the relatively rare wood magic.

Less than a minute into the fight, she seized on a tiny opening in her opponent's defenses. Several tough vines burst from the ground and instantly bound the other girl's legs. A precise Leaf Blade Spell followed, grazing past her opponent's neck and forcing her to surrender on the spot.

Clean and decisive, with precise mana control and a clear tactical purpose.

Professor Quinn nodded slightly. After exchanging a few quiet words with the instructors beside her, she announced directly, "The winner will enter Class A."

Swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

The second pair of new students fully embodied the inexperience that came with being newcomers.

Their mana levels were comparable, and both knew only the most basic Fireball Spell and Water Arrow Spell. Their fight looked rather like two fumbling amateurs trading blows.

A fireball from one, a water arrow from the other. They went back and forth, burning through mana rapidly without landing a decisive blow.

In the end, one student, relying on slightly better stamina, knocked the other off the arena with a crooked shock wave just as their mana was nearly exhausted.

Though the student had won, the fight had dragged on, their tactics were one-dimensional, and their mana use was inefficient.

Professor Quinn announced without expression, "The winner, Class C. The loser, Class D."

She offered no explanation, but the result spoke for itself.

The next several matches varied greatly in quality.

Some students stood out like the count's daughter in the first match, while others delivered mediocre performances that barely passed muster.

Upper-year students and instructors murmured in the stands as new names were mentioned and evaluated.

Finally, when the names for the sixth match were read out, a faint stir ran through the Martial Arena.

"Sixth pair: Sylvia Lorraine versus Angela White."

Sylvia drew a deep breath. Under Victoria's encouraging gaze, she lightly patted her cheeks as though to rally herself, then walked onto the spacious stone arena with slightly awkward but determined steps.

Once she took her place, most of the new students focused on the girl with silky, long pink hair and delicate, lovely features, whose face showed obvious apprehension.

Little was known about her. The new students had heard only one rumor: this girl named Sylvia apparently had close ties to the Church of Light.

That alone was significant information.

It meant the girl might possess powerful light mana.

Light and wood were both rare attributes, but among mages of the same level, Light Element Magic was generally more troublesome because of its two properties: isolation and enhancement.

Sylvia's opponent, Angela White, was a girl from a viscount's family who specialized in wind magic. She, too, was studying Sylvia closely.

Seeing how visibly nervous and uneasy her opponent was, almost at a loss for what to do, Angela inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

Judging by that reaction, her opponent seemed to have little confidence in her own strength.

In other words, she was not as powerful as Angela had imagined.

But Angela did not let her guard down. She knew very well that her performance in this match would directly affect her placement.

She drew a deep breath and pulled a finely crafted short-wand magic device from her waist. A blue-green gem was set into its tip.

It was a Splitting Gem her family had prepared for her, capable of dividing her single-target wind blade spell into two, greatly increasing its coverage and making it harder to read.

"Both sides, prepare." On the raised platform, Professor Grace Quinn's voice remained perfectly calm.

Sylvia folded her hands over her chest and gently closed her eyes, seemingly praying, or perhaps gathering her focus.

Angela gripped her magic wand tightly as faint blue-green currents began to swirl around her.

"Begin."

The instant the command fell, Angela moved.

She had no intention of testing her opponent. Her first attack used her full strength!

"Wind Blade!"

With a sharp cry, she whipped her wand through the air, pouring mana into it.

A dark blue-green Wind Blade, half a person's height and edged with a cold gleam, formed in an instant and shot through the air with a howl!

At the same time, the Splitting Gem at the wand's tip blazed with blue-green light. The enormous wind blade split in midair into two somewhat smaller but faster blades, their trajectories more treacherous. One high and one low, they closed in on Sylvia from two angles with a shriek of tearing air!

Angela clearly intended to end the fight quickly. She had used her magic device's gem from the outset, trying to overwhelm this opponent who still seemed uncomfortable in the arena.

The two wind blades were almost upon her, yet Sylvia only stumbled half a step backward, failing to make any proper attempt to defend or dodge.

I've won! The thought flashed through Angela's mind, and a hint of relief even appeared on her face.

Yet in the instant before the two wind blades touched Sylvia's body-

Hum!

A soft, pure, yet incredibly solid milky-white glow appeared out of nowhere before Sylvia. It rapidly spread into a Wall of Light, faint sacred runes flowing across its surface!

Thud! Thud!

The two vicious wind blades slammed into the light wall with dull impacts.

Ripples spread across its surface, but the wall remained rock-solid, not budging an inch.

The wind blades' tearing force was easily neutralized, dispersing into chaotic currents that stirred Sylvia's long pink hair and skirt.

"L-Light Element Magic! It really is a light attribute!"

A new student below the arena cried out involuntarily.

"And it's an instant-cast defensive spell! What incredible mana control!"

Astonished whispers swept through the Martial Arena.

It also confirmed something else.

If Sylvia could use Light Element Magic, she could not merely be someone on the Church's fringes. She surely held a more significant position.

The relief on Angela's face froze, replaced by shock and wariness.

The situation she had feared most had come to pass.

It really was Light Element Magic!

Angela gritted her teeth, a glint of resolve flashing in her eyes.

She decided to take a gamble!

"Hurricane Pierce!"

With a sharp cry, she thrust her wand forward!

A blue-green cone of wind no thicker than an arm shot out, radiating an intensely dangerous aura!

This was the beginner wind spell with the greatest single-point penetrating power. She sacrificed coverage for maximum armor-piercing force, aiming straight at the center of the light wall!

She poured every last bit of her mana into this attack!

The wind cone collided violently with the light wall!

There was no tremendous crash, only a piercing screech like metal scraping against metal!

The milky-white wall fluctuated violently, its surface runes racing and flickering.

Sylvia remained where she stood, though fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

Three seconds, five seconds, ten seconds...

The light wall never broke.

The blue-green wind cone grew dimmer and dimmer, until it finally dissipated into the air.

Though the milky-white wall had also dimmed considerably, it still stood stubbornly in place.

"Thump."

With her mana completely exhausted, Angela's legs gave way, and she dropped to one knee. Barely supporting herself with her wand, she panted heavily, her face deathly pale and her forehead covered in sweat.

She looked up at her opponent, her eyes filled with frustration, but also a trace of relief-she had done everything she could.

Sylvia slowly lowered her hands, and the light wall dissolved into scattered motes of light.

She was breathing a little hard, and her bangs clung to her skin with sweat. She looked somewhat disheveled, but otherwise unharmed.

On the raised platform, Professor Grace Quinn exchanged a quick glance with the instructors beside her and nodded slightly.

"The match is decided."

She announced calmly, "Sylvia Lorraine wins. Overall assessment: Class A."

There were no cheers, only subdued gasps of amazement and whispered conversations.

Sylvia seemed deeply unaccustomed to being the center of attention. She bowed shyly toward the raised platform, then hurried off the arena like a startled fawn, her head lowered. She went straight back to Victoria and grabbed her friend's arm, only then letting out a breath of relief.

"Nicely done." Victoria gave her a thumbs-up.

Sylvia chuckled, then raised both hands before her chest in an encouraging gesture as she looked at Victoria.

"You're up next, Victoria. Make sure you're careful!"

"Yes, I will."

With that, Victoria turned her gaze toward the other side of the arena.

The stir Sylvia had caused had yet to fully subside, but everyone's attention was already firmly fixed on the next match.

The two names listed for the seventh pair were enough to set the blood of anyone following the assessment racing.

"Seventh pair."

Professor Grace Quinn's voice rang out again, as calm as ever, though it seemed to carry a faint, almost imperceptible note of anticipation.

"Victoria Cecil versus Lilith Kahn."