Helios was born into a family of rangers.
Beyond Labyrinthos, there were numerous dungeons of varying sizes scattered across the world. Rangers explored these dungeons, hunting monsters and searching for treasure.
Helios’ parents had inherited the ranger techniques passed down through generations, leading expeditions into dungeons. They also played leadership roles, overseeing other rangers.
From a young age, Helios was trained by his parents, destined to become a leader among rangers like them.
However, he felt that the traditional ranger path had no future.
The key players in dungeon exploration were now magicians. Exploring without magic would only lead to obsolescence.
Yet, the adults around him seemed indifferent to this reality. They spent their days chasing get-rich-quick schemes, content with fleeting success. Watching them, Helios felt deeply disappointed.
Then one day, while scouting a dungeon, he found a discarded magazine left behind by a magician.
Inside… was an article about Labyrinthos’ depths, written by Professor Kaisel Valencia.
At first, he could barely understand the content.
But as he read Kaisel’s writings, he noticed a stark contrast between the professor and the adults around him.
A relentless drive to reach greater heights rather than settling for the present.
The confidence to overcome any obstacle without fear.
And an arrogance that dictated everything must go according to his will…
Helios became completely enthralled by the academy professor he had never even met.
He wanted to learn from him.
Fueled by that desire, Helios devoured the magazine and sought out related books.
His goal was clear: enter the academy, become Professor Kaisel’s student, and become a magician whom no one could look down upon.
With that dream in mind, Helios worked tirelessly—until he finally entered the academy with top marks.
I can’t lose.
Helios bit his lip as he stared at Eriol.
The top scorer of the entrance exam. Professor Kaisel’s nephew.
If he couldn’t defeat that guy, becoming Kaisel’s top student would be impossible.
This was his chance to take Eriol down and earn Kaisel’s recognition.
“……”
Eriol stood before him, silently putting on his protective gear.
Despite his calm expression, Helios was confident in his victory.
He’s definitely going to go for a quick attack.
Earlier, Helios had taunted Eriol.
Even if he could use powerful magic, it would be useless in real combat if the casting speed was too slow.
Eriol must have taken that comment to heart and would try to attack quickly.
Especially after seeing Senia Artian launch her fire attack so swiftly.
These guys had clearly been practicing rapid spellcasting.
But casting magic quickly meant less time to construct the spell formula.
There was no way Eriol could conjure a massive fireball like the one he used against the golem earlier.
And that meant… I can dodge it.
I just need to do what Senia did.
If Eriol launches a fast fire attack, I’ll move even faster to avoid it.
Helios was confident he could match Senia’s agility.
Of course, I won’t rely on hand-to-hand combat like she did.
While dodging Eriol’s magic, he would continuously fire off lightning spells.
Even if Eriol counterattacked with fire, as long as Helios maintained enough distance, he could avoid everything.
He would overwhelm Eriol in a one-sided assault and end the match decisively.
That was Helios’ strategy.
I’ll show the professors what a real magic duel looks like—not some rookie-level fight.
With that determination, Helios prepared to cast his magic.
“Once you’re ready… begin!”
At Professor Horizon’s command, Eriol swiftly raised his right hand.
As expected, he’s going for a quick attack.
Helios smirked, pleased that his prediction was correct.
He had already shifted his weight, preparing to dodge to the right.
Come on!
Fwoosh!
A fist-sized fireball shot from Eriol’s hand.
Just as he thought, Eriol couldn’t conjure a massive fireball in a quick attack.
It seemed fast, but in the end, it could only travel in a straight line.
Since Helios had already started moving right, the fireball would miss and explode harmlessly in the air.
And now…!
Helios raised his hand toward Eriol, ready to unleash his lightning spell.
But in that instant—
“…?!”
He failed to construct the spell.
Because he was too stunned by what he saw.
The fireball, which should have traveled straight and exploded in empty space—was following him.
“A homing spell?!”
“A freshman just cast a homing projectile?!”
“No way! How is that even possible?!”
“They don’t teach that in the first semester of first year!”
As the professors erupted in shock, Klein clenched his fist in excitement.
So this was the ace up your sleeve!
A while ago, Eriol had borrowed some magic books from Klein.
Since freshmen had limited access to practical magic studies, Eriol had asked to borrow Klein’s personal collection.
Skeptical, Klein lent him the books—only for Eriol to self-study his way into a completely new realm.
No one expected him to use homing magic!
Freshmen typically learned two ways to cast projectile magic: throwing and shooting.
These were the only methods taught in class because anything more complex was too difficult.
But Eriol had mastered a technique that no one had taught him.
He realized the limitations of throwing and shooting and sought a new method.
Throwing involves launching a spell in a fixed direction.
Shooting involves firing a spell at a single target.
Both methods have a critical flaw: the magic can only travel in a straight line.
(Gravity does cause a slight arc, but ultimately, the spell still moves in one direction.)
That’s why Senia had been able to dodge earlier—by simply moving faster than the spell.
There were multiple ways to counter this limitation, and one of them was homing magic.
Homing spells track their target even if they move.
Instead of traveling in a straight line, they continuously adjust their trajectory.
Unlike throwing or shooting, which are over the moment the spell is cast, homing spells require incredibly complex formulas to keep recalculating their path.
They were far beyond the level of a first-year student.
You can’t just memorize the spell formula and expect it to work. He actually understands homing magic!
Eriol truly was a genius.
Overcome with excitement, Klein clenched his fists even tighter.
“Ugh…!”
Helios gritted his teeth and kept moving.
He continued to evade, but the homing spell relentlessly pursued him.
Watching him, I let out a small sigh of relief.
‘Good, the homing is working properly.’
I hadn’t originally intended to master homing magic for the mock battle.
I had figured that simply throwing or shooting magic at a golem wouldn’t be enough to take first place. Just launching a massive fireball wouldn’t cut it.
That’s why I decided to practice homing magic. I believed that to capture the judges’ attention, I needed to showcase a spell different from the others.
That was also why I had trained against Senia, practicing magic that targeted moving objects.
‘And when I heard from Professor Klein that the final ranking would be determined in a mock battle… I doubled down on homing magic.’
I was lucky to have access to a proper book on practical combat magic.
Thanks to that, I was able to understand homing magic more precisely.
‘Studying the theory in Professor Klein’s book and practicing against Senia… that’s how I managed to master it.’
Feeling grateful, I focused on the surrounding elements once more.
Then… I launched another homing fireball.
“……!”
Now, there were two.
Helios was cornered as fire came at him from both sides.
“Ugh…!”
The moment he bit his lip with a tense expression—
Both fireballs struck him almost simultaneously.
“Whoa…!”
Boom!
With the explosion, the audience gasped in awe.
The flames erupted, engulfing Helios.
If he hadn’t been protected by defensive magic, he would have suffered full-body burns.
“Excellent!”
“Eriol Valencia wins!”
Cheers erupted from the audience.
But I didn’t relax just yet.
Because—
“……!”
Crackle!
A burst of electricity swept across the battle arena floor.
As he dodged the homing fireballs, Helios had been calculating their power.
Even if he took a direct hit, he wouldn’t be rendered completely incapacitated.
Once he was sure of that, Helios focused and constructed his spell.
Feigning an attempt to escape while forming a spell was no easy feat.
But his concentration allowed him to pull it off.
Then, using the moment the fireballs struck and he was engulfed in flames—he unleashed the most powerful lightning magic he could muster.
‘This should completely catch him off guard!’
Lightning magic was faster than most other spells.
With Eriol’s physical capabilities, there was no way he could dodge it.
It was also more powerful than the relatively small homing fireballs. A perfect chance for a comeback.
“Ugh…”
Feeling the heat of the flames, Helios lifted his head.
“……?”
But Eriol—who should have been struck down by the lightning spell—was nowhere to be seen.
He couldn’t have been vaporized by the lightning. Something was off.
‘Where did he go?’
Helios frantically looked around.
And then—he noticed the spectators were all looking upward.
‘No way…!’
Helios also looked up.
Far above, out of the lightning’s reach—
‘Elemental Gale Magic, harnessing the wind element!’
Eriol was floating in midair, his hair fluttering in the wind.
He looked down at Helios, raising his right hand.
‘He sensed the lightning and took to the sky!’
Helios had expected Eriol to evade, so he had spread his attack over a wide area.
But it was useless if Eriol flew above it.
‘I lost.’
Accepting his defeat, Helios closed his eyes.
At that moment, from the sky—
A massive fireball came crashing down.
“Woooaaahh…!”
A flawless victory for Eriol.
The countless students watching erupted in excitement.
Among them, Cain clapped with a smile.
‘I can’t deny it.’
If this had been a simple victory through brute force, the reaction wouldn’t have been this strong.
But Eriol’s win was the result of skill and strategy.
He had cornered Helios with the advanced technique of ‘homing,’ anticipated the counterattack, swiftly ascended, and finished the match with a powerful spell.
With such a brilliant display, it was only natural for the audience to cheer.
‘That guy… he’s got talent in dueling too?’
As a member of the Trigger family, an assassination clan, Cain could see it clearly.
Eriol wasn’t just gifted in magic. He had a natural talent for practical combat, strategizing, and overpowering opponents.
‘Maybe I should’ve tried a little harder too.’
Feeling regret over not making it into the top four for the mock battle, Cain continued clapping.
Then—
A strange sensation brushed against the back of his neck.
“……!”
He quickly turned around.
Near the far wall, where no one else stood…
A tall man stood silently.
‘He wasn’t one of the professors who came to watch today!’
How long had he been standing there?
With his arms crossed, Professor Kaisel was staring directly at them.
