Introduction

The classroom fell silent as the imposing figure strode in. His muscular frame and piercing gaze commanded attention, an aura of power radiating from his very presence.

"Good morning, everyone. From today onwards, I'll be your homeroom teacher. Call me Mr. Roy," the man announced, his voice calm yet authoritative.

In the corner of the room, Aray Kenzie observed silently, hoping for an uneventful day. Little did he know, fate had other plans.

Mr. Roy's voice grew more intense as he continued, "Do you know what this class is? It's a gathering of fools who haven't yet learned to harness their true potential. You're not weak; you just don't understand how to use your abilities properly."

His sharp gaze swept across the room, instilling a mix of fear and awe in the students. "Starting today, I'll guide you to become stronger. Remember this well: the strong always stand above the weak. And the weak will always be crushed. Don't allow yourself to be weak, even if it seems right. Train, learn, until you become the strongest."

Amidst the now-quiet crowd, a boy named Alden Striker stood up, anger evident on his face. Alden was no ordinary student. He came from a noble family with a long tradition of magic and high-class mage lineage. Despite this, Alden always felt pressured by the high standards expected of him. His family held significant influence in the kingdom, and he couldn't bear to disappoint them. Every defeat was considered a disgrace, and any weakness was a sign of ruin.

For Alden, power was everything, and he was raised with the mentality that the strong would always prevail. That's why when Mr. Roy mentioned the word "weak," Alden couldn't contain his anger. The word struck at his ego, making him feel insulted.

"Bastard! Don't you dare call me weak!" Alden shouted in rage. As someone always trying to prove himself, he couldn't accept such an insult, even from a teacher.

Mr. Roy looked at him with a thin smile. "You want to challenge me?" he asked, his tone provocative. He could sense Alden's massive ego, and truthfully, Mr. Roy was enjoying it.

Alden nodded without hesitation. "With pleasure!" He was ready to fight, ready to show that he wasn't as weak as others might think.

The entire class was suddenly filled with tension. Students began to fidget, the once calm atmosphere turning heated.

In the corner of the room, Aray remained calm. He wasn't interested in joining the chaos. However, a boy with a mysterious aura next to him started talking, "Hey, you. I see you're just sitting there quietly. Aren't you interested in all this?"

Aray merely glanced at him without interest. "Don't talk to me."

He felt that the man next to him was the type of human who was very annoying—like a poison that slowly seeped into his blood, disturbing the peace he wanted to maintain. In his opinion, avoiding interaction with such people was the best choice.

The boy smiled, seemingly unbothered by Aray's cold attitude. "Hm, seems like you hate troublesome things like this, right? Am I correct?"

Aray didn't answer directly, just shrugging. "Who knows," he mumbled.

The boy chuckled, then extended his hand. "Ryan Alvarado. Nice to meet you. Your name?"

Aray looked at Ryan's hand for a moment, then said without returning the handshake, "Aray."

Meanwhile, Mr. Roy slammed his hand on the desk, drawing everyone's attention. "Rather than causing a ruckus like this, a practice match seems like a good idea for the first day. Choose someone as your opponent. If you win, you can fight me to your heart's content."

Alden, who had been angry earlier, raised his chin confidently. "Fine! No matter who my opponent is, I won't lose!"

Mr. Roy nodded. "Then choose."

Alden looked around, searching for prey. He eyed all the students sharply until finally, his gaze fell on Aray. Without hesitation, he pointed.

"You! Fight me!" he said challengingly.

Aray let out a soft snort. Damn, is my luck always this bad?

"Nah, pass," Aray said flatly, without looking at his opponent. "Choose someone else."

Alden laughed mockingly. "Are you scared? As they say, the weak always run from a fight."

Aray smiled thinly, finally deciding to indulge the provocation. "Weak? Empty vessels make the most noise. Alright, I want to know just how empty this vessel is."

The entire class fell silent, waiting with anticipation. Mr. Roy smiled in satisfaction. "In that case, I'll create an arena."

Mr. Roy raised his hand, uttering a spell in a calm yet powerful tone.

"[Creation: Battlefield]!"

The classroom began to change. Magical particles spread through the air, creating an arena in an instant. A Colosseum-shaped arena appeared before the eyes of all students, amazing them with the wonder of magic that seemed real.

In this school, not just anyone could create an arena. Although the arena magic [Creation: Battlefield] sounded simple, in reality, it was high-level magic that could only be accessed by experienced mages. The process of creating an arena involved not only spells and mana control but also the use of special magical tools known as Catalyst Gems.

Catalyst Gems were magic stones designed specifically to store and amplify mana. These tools could only be possessed by high-level mages or those recognized as experts in space and time magic. Mr. Roy used this tool to create an arena capable of withstanding great power, even if used in battles between students.

As Mr. Roy raised his hand and recited the [Creation: Battlefield] spell, he also touched the Catalyst Gem hanging around his neck. The magic stone glowed briefly before emitting light that filled the room. With the help of this tool, Mr. Roy was able to create a large arena easily and with precision. A virtual world began to form, creating the illusion of a solid and seemingly real Colosseum arena.

Tools like the Catalyst Gem were very expensive and only owned by those with authority in the magic system. Even among nobles like Alden, this tool was rare. High-level mages used this tool to assist them in controlling spells that required complex energy control, such as creating arenas or manipulating space.

Mr. Roy, as a teacher and former battlefield mage, had full control over this tool, allowing him to create an arena that was not only safe to use but also limited the impact of magic used by his students, so they wouldn't fatally harm each other. This magic also monitored the mana power released by each participant, ensuring safety in every duel that took place.

The virtual technology in this school also functioned to broadcast the fights inside the arena to students and teachers. This system used magic networks and advanced technology for mobilization, limiting, and recording the abilities and potential of the students. Data collected during the fights would be entered into the school database for further analysis. In this way, each student's progress could be monitored, and learning strategies could be tailored to the needs of each individual.

In the broadcast displayed in the classroom, the students saw a gentle breeze and fine dust brush Aray's face as he stood in the center of the arena, facing his opponent. The boy smiled arrogantly, raising his chin once again. "It's not good if we fight without knowing each other. My name—"

"Shut up. Let's just get on with it," Aray cut in coldly, waving his hand, showing that he wasn't interested.

The boy flinched but then said, "Don't be arrogant. You won't be able to defeat me, a nobleman!"

Aray just shook his head slightly, shrugging indifferently. "Nonsense. What's so special about being a nobleman's son."

The fight began. Alden immediately moved his hand, uttering a spell,

"[Wind Blaze]."

A windstorm appeared in the middle of the arena. The sky darkened, wind swirled fiercely, lifting sand and destroying parts of the arena. A large tornado formed, ready to destroy anything in its path. Students and teachers watched with wide eyes, amazed by the power Alden displayed.

Alden smiled broadly, full of confidence. "How about that? Do you surrender now?"

Aray stared blankly, feeling bored with the fight. "Pathetic," he said softly.

The storm that had initially shaken the arena began to change. The fierce wind and fine dust became increasingly heavy, creating a perfect visual curtain to hide Aray's movements. The students and teachers didn't realize that behind the chaos of the storm, Aray was moving towards Alden.

Calmly, Aray began to focus mana in his body. His footsteps were barely visible as he moved as fast as lightning, appearing in front of his opponent without a sound. In an instant, he placed his hand on the boy's face and uttered a spell,

"[Death]."

Alden's expression changed immediately. Initially full of confidence, his face was now filled with bewilderment and fear. His eyes widened as he realized how quickly Aray had moved, and his mouth opened wide, as if words were stuck in his throat. He couldn't believe that in a matter of seconds, his position had been reversed. His body seemed to freeze, unable to react as black mana spread, stopping several functions in his body. Alden fell unconscious, with his eyes turning white. The sound of his collapse echoed throughout the arena.

Aray glanced down at him, unimpressed. "Now that's weak."

The Death magic spell was one of the deadliest techniques in Aray's repertoire. When activated, this spell had the power to erase any life it touched in an instant. The black energy spreading from Aray's hand was a manifestation of death itself—capable of destroying living cells and damaging organ systems instantly. In a flash, anyone affected by it would feel darkness enveloping them, as if their life was being snatched away by an invisible hand.

However, in the fight against Alden, Aray chose to lower the effect of his spell. Instead of killing, he only shut down the functions of several of his opponent's body organs, ensuring that Alden would faint and not suffer fatal injuries.

The Colosseum arena slowly disappeared, particles of mana flying into the air, and the classroom returned to its original form. Aray sat back in his chair calmly, sighing softly as if feeling this situation was very annoying. He glanced around the class, seeing other students still shocked and whispering to each other.

Huh, too much drama for a day that's just begun, he thought as he leaned back in his chair, his face showing a bored expression. He stared blankly at the classroom ceiling, as if he wanted to say, Ah... I'm starting to regret this.

Casually, Aray brushed off the dust on his uniform, seeming unconcerned with the admiring gazes directed at him. He felt slightly bothered by the commotion caused, as if all the attention was nothing more than a disturbance hindering his plan to enjoy a quiet class hour.

Whispers could be heard from all over the class, some students seen whispering to each other with wide eyes, while others looked at Aray with a sense of awe and wonder.

"What was that? It was so fast," whispered one student.

"I didn't even know what happened!" added another student, while some were still staring at Alden lying on the floor with curiosity.

"And he was fighting a nobleman. I heard that nobleman was quite skilled too," said another student, directing his gaze to Aray.

In fact, the students truly couldn't see what had happened due to the storm created by Alden covering the entire broadcast screen. However, they couldn't contain their admiration and wonder when looking at Alden, someone from one of the great Magus families in the kingdom, lying with a pitiful expression in the middle of the classroom just seconds after the fight began.

"Hey, what did you actually do? You defeated him so quickly!" Ryan looked at Aray admiringly with sparkling eyes from his seat.

Aray clicked his tongue softly, turning his face away.

Mr. Roy walked closer, his steps calm and confident amidst the chaotic classroom atmosphere. Some students were still whispering loudly, talking about the fight that had just taken place. Expressions of admiration and fear still radiated on their faces, while some others seemed to be trying to understand what had just happened.

With a small smile, Mr. Roy raised his hand slightly, and as if there was a power influencing the room, all sounds suddenly disappeared. In an instant, the class became silent. All eyes were on Mr. Roy, waiting for his words.

"Not bad. What's your name?" he asked in a calm tone, but there was firmness in his voice that made the students not dare to make even the slightest noise.

The classroom atmosphere, which had been noisy before, became tense, as if every student felt the importance of this moment. There was only the sound of the clock hands vibrating in the silence, while all attention was focused on the child with the indifferent expression, waiting for his answer.

Aray looked at him lazily, then answered briefly, "Aray Kenzie."