[Twenty Minutes Ago]

  Instructor Reinhardt observed Ric curiously as the student made his request, his tone unwavering and confident.

  "Sir, I need three things from you," Ric declared.

  Reinhardt asked calmly "And what might those be?"

  "First, a watch."

  With a nod, Reinhardt signalled a council member to hand Ric a timepiece.

  "Second, I need a launcher capable of propelling me at least 200 meters forward."

  A murmur spread through the council. One member scoffed, about to object, but Reinhardt silenced him with a glance. "And the third?"

  Ric smirked. "I'll tell you once I return."

  Reinhardt chuckled, intrigued. "Do as you wish."

  With a quick bow of thanks, Ric turned and vanished into the nearby forest. The moment he was alone, he exhaled sharply. "That was a gamble... but it worked. Now, it's time to put my theory to the test."

  He flexed his fingers, recalling his training. Barrier Shot—a technique he had experimented with before—allowed him to propel a barrier outward with a burst of mana. But his second move, Barrier Stride, was still untested.

  "Instead of launching the barrier, I'll use it to launch myself," he murmured, forming a translucent barrier beneath his feet. "If I time the mana burst right, I should be able to propel myself forward like a cannonball. But..." He frowned. "I can only do this midair. If the barrier touches solid ground, the mana will disperse instead of reflecting."

  He clenched his fists. Only one way to find out.

  The next several minutes were filled with failed attempts. Either the barrier shattered too soon, or he miscalculated the rebound. But then—

  Boom!

  Ric shot forward, only to slam face-first into a tree.

  "Ugh... but it worked!" he grinned, rubbing his head. A glance at his watch made his stomach drop. "Fifteen minutes gone already?! No time to celebrate."

  Emerging from the woods, Ric skidded to a halt, his jaw tightening at the sight before him—a massive slingshot.

  "Wait… what?" He turned to Reinhardt, baffled. "Sir, I asked for a launcher. Why is this here?"

  Reinhardt smirked. "A full-fledged launcher would give you an unfair advantage. With this, you can launch yourself as far as you like—but you'll have to put in the effort."

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  Ric clenched his fists. "Tch! I figured they wouldn’t just hand me a launcher, but this is ridiculous." But there was no time to complain. He had to work with what he had.

  "Now, what is your third request?" Reinhardt asked.

  Ric hesitated, then spoke. "Where’s my friend, Yota? About similar age as me, Yellow hair, yellow eyes—clueless look on his face."

  Reinhardt’s gaze sharpened, and an orange Aura covered his eyes as he scanned the field. "Approximately 270 meters ahead at three o’clock."

  "Thanks, sir."

  Ric stepped onto the launch pad, gripping the thick elastic bands of the slingshot. He activated his Speed spell, barriers flickering beneath his feet for extra support. With a deep breath, he pulled the bands back as far as they would stretch, muscles tensing with the effort.

  "This should be enough."

  Releasing his grip, Ric shot into the air like an arrow, the wind whipping past his face. From his vantage point, he could see the chaos below—students battling for positions, others struggling with traps. But his eyes searched for only one person.

  Then—

  His heart clenched.

  Yota, dangling from the edge of a pillar, struggling to hold on—his fingers slipping with each passing second.

  Something inside Ric snapped.

  Desperation and fury twisted inside Ric like a raging storm as his eyes locked onto Yota’s struggling form. "No—he's going to fall! And that bastard—!" His gaze snapped to Tarha, who raised his weapon, a cruel smirk playing on his lips, ready to strike Yota’s fingers and send him plummeting. A white-hot rage erupted within Ric, setting his veins ablaze with mana.

  "I won’t make it in time—unless..."

  With a snarl, he activated Barrier Stride and Shield, unleashing an explosive burst of power that sent him rocketing downward like a meteor. The wind howled past him, the world distorting into streaks of motion. But he didn’t care. All that mattered was stopping Tarha—before it was too late.

  Whoosh!

  Crack!

  His shield crashed into Tarha’s jaw, sending him tumbling into the abyss below.

  [Back to the Present]

  Jimmy and Vivi froze, their blood seemed to turn to ice.

  Ric stood before them, his eyes glowing a deep, menacing red. A suffocating pressure filled the air, as though the very atmosphere had thickened with his presence. The air seemed heavy, it got harder to breath causing their vision to slightly blur.

  "M-Monster!" Vivi gasped, her hands trembling as she instinctively backed away.

  Jimmy clenched his fists, forcing himself to stand firm. "D-Don’t falter! Ready your magic while I distract him!"

  Vivi swallowed hard and began tracing arcane symbols, her voice unsteady as she chanted. Meanwhile, Jimmy let out a war cry, brandishing a dagger and lunging at Ric in desperation.

  "Too slow."

  Ric caught Jimmy’s wrist with an iron grip. The boy’s breath hitched as Ric leaned in, his voice a whisper of pure menace.

  "Don’t imagine for a moment that you can escape."

  Jimmy barely had time to react before Ric twisted his body, executing a flawless 360-degree spin. His foot arced through the air like a whip, slamming into Jimmy’s ribs with bone-crushing force.

  Thud!

  Ric vanished in a blur, reappearing before Vivi in the blink of an eye. Before she could even register his movement, his fist drove into her stomach with brutal force. Her breath hitched—her body curling inward as pain exploded through her core. A strangled gasp escaped her lips as she crumpled to the ground, her vision swimming in agony.

  Jimmy tried again, swinging wildly with his dagger. Without looking, Ric slammed a back-kick into his gut. The boy flew backwards, the air forced from his lungs as he hit the ground with a strangled groan.

  Ric loomed over them, his voice cold and final.

  "Time to face the consequences of your actions."

  What should be done to the traitors