Chapter 31: The Water Class's Plan

In the afternoon team competition, the Thunder Class was finally matched against the Water Class—Thunder Class versus Water Class, Section One.

When the referee announced the matchup, the three members of Water Class Section One turned pale. Water magic wasn't known for its offensive power among all elemental magics. They had hoped to get lucky and face the Fire Class, where they could exploit elemental advantages. But now, they were up against the Thunder Class.

Water conducts electricity! This matchup clearly favored the Thunder Class.

And let's not forget, the top-ranked mage of the magic department was on the opposing team. Sure, there was that good-for-nothing Meng Ge dragging them down, but this wasn't a best-of-three match. With just Bicui alone, she could probably take them all out.

As usual, they discussed the order of participants.

"I'll go first!" Bicui said coldly, her pretty face stern. She had mostly recovered at the mentor's place, but the moment she saw Thunder's face, she couldn't help but feel the urge to smack him.

Her mood was already terrible, and the discomfort of her period only made her more irritable.

"I'll go second!" Erik glanced at his sister, then at Thunder.

"You two go ahead, I'll cover!" Thunder said, earning simultaneous eye rolls from both Erik and Bicui.

"Fine, I'll go first then," Thunder volunteered.

"Get lost!" Bicui's foot lashed out.

After reporting their order to the referee, the match began. A water-element mage from the opposing team stepped forward, hesitating and constantly looking back at his teammates as if seeking courage.

"Go! We can win!" his teammates cheered. The water mage immediately puffed up with confidence, striding forward boldly.

The battle started quickly. Though Thunder and Erik knew Bicui was in a bad mood, they hadn't expected it to be this bad. Logically, against a water mage, the best strategy was to maintain distance and use the powerful Lightning Strike to defeat the opponent. A beginner water mage only knew one offensive spell—Water Arrow—which wasn't particularly strong, certainly not as potent as Lightning Strike. At a distance, Water Arrows posed no threat to Bicui.

But instead of keeping her distance, Bicui closed in, staying within ten meters and bombarding her opponent with rapid-fire Palm Lightning, chasing him around like a madwoman.

Thunder could see the sheer fury on her face!

After a while, Thunder noticed something odd—Bicui's opponent wasn't even fighting back. Instead, during her brief pauses, he was frantically waving his hands, doing something.

Erik frowned.

"Damn, these guys are playing dirty."

"What?" Thunder asked.

"Notice anything? Sis has hit him three times, but his magic shield isn't broken."

"I was wondering about that. Maybe she's holding back to torture him?" Thunder had counted—Bicui had indeed landed three hits.

"You don't know Sis. If she could kill an opponent in one strike, she'd never waste a second." Erik shook his head.

"Then… is the referee cheating?" Thunder suddenly realized—today's referee was a teacher from the Water Class.

"No." Erik shook his head again. "Teachers wouldn't stoop to something so petty. Besides, the principal is watching. He wouldn't dare. The magic shields are definitely the same strength."

"Then why? Why isn't his shield broken after three hits?"

"See how he keeps using his magic whenever Sis stops attacking?"

Thunder nodded. He'd noticed that.

"He's repairing his shield! Dragging the fight out to drain Sis's magic! What a sneaky plan!" Since the opponent was a water mage, he could naturally repair the water-based shield cast by the teacher.

"So… they're planning to wear her out and take her down with their second fighter?"

"Exactly. No matter how strong Sis is, she's still a beginner mage. Her magic reserves are limited. Once she's drained, she loses."

"But there's still you," Thunder said, looking at Erik.

"And if their second fighter uses the same tactic? Drains my magic, then their third fighter takes me down?"

"And then there's…" Thunder pointed at himself.

Erik rolled his eyes. "You've already been written off."

True. With a plan like this, the opponents had clearly dismissed Thunder's combat ability. Thunder felt a pang of failure—pathetic, really.

"I'll teach you to stall!" Just as they were talking, Bicui's furious voice rang out, followed by gasps from the audience.

Thunder and Erik whipped their heads toward the stage. This was no longer a mage duel—Bicui had closed the distance and was now pummeling the poor water mage into the ground with her fists and feet.

The water mage was too stunned to even fight back. Under the relentless assault, his magic shield shattered with a crisp *crack*.

"Number eight wins!" The referee's expression was sour. After all, it was his student who had just been humiliated in such an undignified manner.

"Why didn't you fight back? She was right in front of you! Why not cast a spell? You idiot!" The defeated mage returned to his team, only to be met with scorn.

"I forgot!" The water mage sniffled. "I was too focused on repairing my shield!"

This was the downside of mages with no real combat experience. Faced with a furious woman beating him up, he completely blanked on using magic.

"Watch me. She shouldn't have much magic left." The second water mage stepped forward, brimming with confidence.

Though the original plan had failed, his teammate had at least drained some of Bicui's energy. He was sure he could take her down.

As soon as the match started, just as Thunder and Erik had predicted, the water mage didn't defend—he attacked first.

A gleaming Water Arrow shot toward Bicui at high speed. Shockingly, she didn't move.

The water mage grinned. *She really is out of magic!* Just as he prepared to fire another arrow, a net of lightning descended from above.

Bicui had taken the hit on purpose—just to land a perfect Paralysis Net on her opponent.

*How does she still have enough magic for a second-tier spell?!* The water mage couldn't comprehend it. As his body stiffened, moving sluggishly, he saw Bicui's terrifying grin as she cracked her knuckles and advanced.

**Will she show him mercy?**