Chapter 14

“Every mage possesses a unique space where their will can be projected through mana. We call this a mana field.”

“The mana field has a unique nature. When two different mana fields come into contact, they repel each other. That’s what you all just experienced.”

Professor Winslet explained, but not many students were actually listening.

Most of them were too busy gasping for air, dizzy, or struggling with nausea to pay attention.

Shannon was one of the few who managed to stay composed. In fact, among the first-years, she was the only one.

“A mage’s mana field is centered around themselves and can expand or contract depending on the situation. Generally, the more accomplished the mage, the larger and stronger their mana field is.”

Fwoooosh!

Another wave of mana surged through the room.

Stifled groans burst out from all directions.

Professor Winslet said the mana fields repelled one another. But “repel” was a generous way to put it. In truth, compared to Winslet’s power, the students’ mana fields were like eggshells beneath a cushion.

Those who lost their physical balance likely just had their fields shattered.

But for Shannon, this much was nothing. She had once been called a prodigy even among the top-tier mages in Karaf, the homeland of magic.

“Anyone who falls is disqualified. That means you’re unfit to receive my instruction, so walk out on your own two feet. If you can’t, I’ll remove you myself.”

Despite the warning, many students couldn’t stay upright.

Some were forcibly thrown out of the auditorium by Professor Winslet’s magic.

“Aaah!”

A scream echoed from the distance.

Professor Winslet didn’t bat an eye.

“The telekinesis I just demonstrated is one of many phenomena a mage can create using mana. Others include ignition, freezing, and discharge. But remember, these are only possible within one’s own mana field.”

“In short, if you face a mage with overwhelming power and your mana field is suppressed, then at that moment, you’re no different from an ordinary person. Can someone who can’t even produce a flicker of flame still be called a mage?”

“So let me ask. In this room, how many of you can truly call yourselves mages right now? Who among you dares claim the right to take up my time?”

At Professor Winslet’s words, Shannon looked around.

She checked how many had remained and couldn’t help feeling a little smug.

Not even three minutes into the test, and already half the students had been eliminated.

The mana fields of the students gathered in this auditorium were like tiny candle flames facing a hurricane named Winslet.

Among them, Shannon burned the brightest, like a fierce and blazing torch.

“Stand up.”

The professor ordered.

He was raising the difficulty of the test.

After giving them a brief moment to collect themselves, Professor Winslet swept his arm through the air.

Like waving away cigarette smoke. An effortless gesture.

But the result was anything but light.

Clatter!

All the chairs the students had been sitting on were flung sideways.

A thousand chairs scattered in the direction of the professor’s sweeping arm, like they had been swept up in a tsunami.

Anyone who hadn’t managed to stand up in time was naturally eliminated.

“Aaagh!”

Another group of students was hurled out of the auditorium by Professor Winslet’s magic.

Even while freely wielding telekinesis, the professor kept unrelenting pressure on the students’ mana fields.

It was an unyielding display, worthy of a 7th-class mage.

After that, Professor Winslet continued to shake the entire hall like an earthquake, shattered windows with powerful shockwaves, and tested the students’ focus with thunderous roars.

But with each trial she passed, Shannon could feel her heart pounding faster.

She had no choice but to admit it—

That man’s skill was the real deal.

And she was certain—

There was no one else here who could stand proudly before him and still call themselves a mage.

I’m the only one worthy of passing this test.

That’s what she believed.

But then—

…When is this going to end?

At some point, Shannon began to sense that something was going wrong.

Just how far does he plan to take this?

The pressure increased in real-time.

There was no sense of moderation.

Even Shannon’s legs began to tremble, and sweat started to bead in her clenched fists.

It wasn’t that she wanted to ignore it—

But this wasn’t a test that ordinary academy students could possibly endure.

Shannon scanned the state of the auditorium.

More than ninety percent of the students had already been wiped out.

Only the senior students in the very back rows were barely holding on,

And the rest true survivors were now only a scant few.

Shannon glared at Professor Winslet.

Could he really be planning to fail all the students under the pretense of a skill test?

Did he have no intention of teaching them at all?

Just as those doubts crossed her mind—

“You’re holding out quite well.”

Professor Winslet said those words, stepped down from the podium and began walking toward Shannon.

The moment she saw that, Shannon’s heart sank.

Why is he coming this way?!

A mana field existed in the shape of a sphere—

And the closer to its center, the higher the density and output.

Then who in this auditorium was under the greatest pressure from Professor Winslet’s mana field?

It was Shannon, seated right in the front row.

And when the professor stood right in front of her,

She felt her head involuntarily bow downward.

It felt as though several times normal gravity was crushing her.

Shannon clenched her teeth and tried to endure it,

But even in that state, the pressure doubled, then tripled.

He still had more power left?

This was crazy.

Forcing her head back up, Shannon locked eyes with Professor Winslet.

Cold, emotionless eyes.

And within them was a cruel gleam utterly devoid of hesitation.

At that moment, Shannon realized it instinctively.

He had come over to her on purpose.

To make sure she failed.

Cold sweat trickled down her forehead.

A cry welled up from deep inside, rising all the way to her throat.

…Bad guy! Why just me?!

***

When I saw Shannon’s name on the course registration list,

I hesitated for a long time.

What should I do with her?

In the original story, Shannon was obsessed with killing Winter Winslet.

That much was beyond doubt.

In year three of Candela of Judgment’s main storyline. Right before the “Winslet Subjugation Arc”—

The Candela Knights headed to the magic city of Karaf to request help from the mages.

However, the secluded mage society maintained a lukewarm stance when it came to restraining a genius mage who had left their mark on Karaf. Even if that person was a criminal in the eyes of the kingdom. In the end, even the highest governing body of Karaf, the “Third Grand Library”, formally rejected the Candela Knights’ request.

Amidst all this, the only mage from Karaf who joined the Candela Knights was Shannon Quinlivan.

She said the reason she joined the mission was to subjugate Winter Winslet. She went so far as to sever ties with her fellow mages. She had a personal grudge.

– The only thing I care about is Winter Winslet’s death. I’ll cooperate until he’s dead. So don’t bother pretending we’re friends.

Shannon was, without a doubt, the key to the Winter Winslet boss fight.

She lived up to her reputation.

Not only was she powerful by default, but every single spell she used either blocked or countered one of Winter Winslet’s signature moves.

This clearly showed how much obsession and fixation Shannon had poured into preparing for a battle against Winter Winslet.

That’s why Shannon was a threat to me.

If things played out according to the original timeline, two years from now, she’d become one of my most troublesome enemies who was second only to the protagonist of the original game.

If I wanted to nip that in the bud, now was the time.

But……

If I were going to solve things that way, I would’ve started by going after the game’s protagonist first.

I have my own way of doing things.

Even if that way is… a pathetic tactic that involves trash-talking a girl who just became an adult.

“Is this really all you’ve got? So much for not being trash. What an empty boast.”

“Don’t… make me laugh!”

In the original game, Shannon Quinlivan was a cold-hearted character who looked down on others.

Unless a mage was clearly superior to her, she dismissed them all as useless trash. She was a textbook example of someone with a broken personality.

That’s why, in order to formally recruit Shannon as a party member, you had to go through a long process. From fighting alongside her in several events, saving each other’s lives, and eventually earning her recognition.

But I didn’t need to do any of that.

Because I’m Winter Winslet. Obviously.

A proper lesson to put her in her place.

Showing her the overwhelming difference in skill as a mage was the fastest and easiest way to earn Shannon Quinlivan’s respect.

“They say you’re a 5th-class mage, at least on paper. Is this really all you’ve got? Pathetic. Your limits are showing.”

“Grrgh!”

“Honestly, I’m starting to wonder if you even got that 5th-class rank fairly. If you’ve been part of a school since you were young, your family must be quite influential. Did they bribe the examiners with money or something?”

“That’s a ridiculous insult…!”

I knew full well that this wasn’t true.

Karaf’s standards for mage evaluation were notoriously strict.

Shannon seemed like she wanted to say the same. Her cheeks flushed red with anger as she stepped forward to protest. But the moment I saw that, I raised the output of my mana field by one level.

Faced with the intensified pressure, Shannon fell silent.

“Do you think glaring like that will improve your magic? You’d be better off praying I go easy on you.”

Even as I kept trying to shake her focus, Shannon barely managed to maintain the balance of her mana field.

I’ll give her that. She definitely has some skill.

To think she could endure this much against me, even as I unleashed my S-rank mana without holding back.

You could call her a natural-born genius. Purely in terms of skill, she was probably far beyond any of the upperclassmen in this hall.

But her opponent was me.

Shannon only grows into Winter Winslet’s natural enemy after honing that genius over the next two years.

Right now, to me, she was just a rookie.

As the power struggle dragged on, Shannon’s mana field kept wearing down, bit by bit.

And once her dwindling mana field had been reduced to just a single handspan in thickness, I decided it was time to wrap this test up.

If Shannon’s mana field shrank any further, it would start putting a strain on her body.

In other words, it was a doctor’s stop.

I slammed the desk in front of Shannon with a loud bang.

“Kyah!?”

Thud!

Her scream came even faster than the sound of my hand hitting the desk.

When I looked over, Shannon had thrown both arms up to shield her face.

Did she seriously think I was going to hit her?

Well, either way, the distraction worked.

Shannon lost her last ounce of control over her mana field.

Now fully exposed to my pressure, she turned pale.

“Remember this. This is your limit. For now.”

I gave her shoulder a light push, and Shannon fell flat on her butt.

At that moment, I withdrew the mana field that had been pressing down on the entire hall.

“You fail, Shannon Quinlivan.”

Her face twisted in a mixture of anger and frustration.

Just the reaction I wanted.