Chapter 45: Boring and Shameless

On the sixth morning of the Fael Academy Tournament, the individual semifinals commenced as scheduled.

The final four stood proudly on stage. The crowd roared—some chanting "Brother Thunder," others cheering for "Beauty Sis." Meanwhile, Flanx and Kyle stood there, utterly ignored.

The Fire Magic class members felt the awkwardness *deeply*.

It wasn't that their classmates *wouldn't* cheer—it was just that the entire stadium was overwhelmingly pro-Thunder and Sis. With only about thirty Fire Magic students, shouting back was pointless. Better to save their breath.

The semifinals followed a points system. Each competitor would face the other three, earning one point per win, zero for a loss. The top three would advance—with the *first-place* prize being a **spatial pouch**, making the difference between third and fourth *massive*.

On paper, advancing seemed easy. The four were evenly matched—especially Sis and Flanx, where victory could swing either way. But one misstep, and the top three would slip away.

*Except for Thunder.* The other three were tense; he, however, looked utterly relaxed.

With no need for draws, Headmaster Laurent let them choose their own matchups.

"Flanx." Sis curled a finger at the pretty boy. "We'll fight sooner or later. Why not now?"

"If the lovely Miss Sis requests it, how could I refuse?" Flanx replied with infuriating elegance.

"You beat Erick yesterday. Today, *I* avenge him!" Sis gritted her teeth.

"By all means." The two strode toward a separate arena.

Left alone, Kyle swallowed hard under Thunder's *intense* gaze. "Uh… should we start too?"

"Hey, Kyle." Thunder grinned. "Mind if I ask you something?"

"…What?"

"Are you gonna cast spells at me later?"

"*Obviously?!*" Kyle nearly choked. *What kind of dumb question is that?*

"How many spells do you know?" Thunder pressed.

Kyle's eye twitched. *This guy isn't just annoying—he's* shameless*!* Probing for intel *right before the match*?

If he answered, Thunder would probably ask, *"What spells exactly?"*

"I'm a proud junior Fire Mage. I've mastered **three spells**," Kyle said stiffly.

"Which three?"

*Called it.* Kyle's patience frayed. "*All three are Fireball.* Happy now?"

"Yep." Thunder nodded. "One more question—"

"**JUST FIGHT ME ALREADY!**"

"—Do you have any hidden scrolls? Planning to ambush me?"

"**REF!**" Kyle screamed. "He's **psyching me out!**"

"No more chatter." The referee hurriedly cast protective shields. Kyle clenched his jaw, seething.

"Kyle, *seriously*—don't waste spells on me. You've seen me dodge." Thunder smirked. "If you burn all your mana, you'll lose. Why not just **punch it out**? Way more fun."

*Why don't YOU go brawl with the warriors then?!* Kyle ignored him, silently fuming.

The referee signaled the start.

Unlike past opponents, Kyle *backed away*, putting distance between them before launching his first **Fireball**.

Previous fighters had closed in to exploit Thunder's "no spells" weakness—but now, knowing about his scrolls, Kyle wasn't *that* stupid.

*So what if he has scrolls?* They were limited. He'd used three yesterday. Kyle refused to believe Thunder had *many* left.

Meanwhile, Kyle could cast **twenty-plus** spells. Hitting Thunder *three times* would secure victory.

A blazing fireball shot forth.

"I *told* you not to cast." Thunder sidestepped effortlessly.

Kyle stayed silent, focusing. His **Fireballs** came rapid-fire, forcing Thunder into constant evasion.

But Kyle wasn't stationary—he **weaved**, dodging Thunder's two scroll attacks, which only grazed his shield.

*Screw this.* Thunder stopped wasting scrolls—*Maria paid for these.*

Seeing Thunder "run dry," Kyle grinned. *Just as predicted.*

Then—

A **larger** fireball erupted, its elemental pulse far fiercer.

Thunder noticed immediately. *So the earlier ones were just setup.*

He **leaped back**, but the fireball **exploded midair**, scattering smaller flames in all directions.

"**LIAR!**" Thunder yelled. "You said you only knew **Fireball**—that was **Exploding Fireball!**"

**Will Kyle's sneak attack land—or has Thunder already seen through his tricks?**