Chapter 35

Chapter 35

REAPER SCANS

Infinite Mage

Despite the fierce mental battle happening between the competitors, in the eyes of the spectators watching from afar, it simply looked like they were busy jumping off.

Im not teleporting until I start falling down.

Despite the edge of the cliff being one step in front of him, Shirone's body did not disappear with a flash. Seeing him so close to the edge, the hearts of those watching thumped loudly.

And their eyes widened.

He jumped off

Shirone jumped off the edge, as far as he could, and into the sky.

The weightlessness of floating. Strong winds shook his body and mountain birds flew in flocks, dozens of meters beneath his feet.

Shirone grit his teeth and focused on teleporting. At the critical point of the leap, his body finally jetted off with a flash.

Shirone was the last to get off the cliff, and as the people ahead started to get ready for the second round of teleportations, the rankings got overturned. The group that started first sagged to the rear.

Shirone made up for his late start But above all else, he was able to get ahead of Mark by a narrow margin.

Wha

Mark freaked out when Shirone suddenly popped up in front of him.

What the hell?!

How late did he start to overtake me in the first cycle of teleports?!

Of course, they were still on their first turn, so the chances of the rankings getting reversed still existed, but the fact that the first operation went down the drain ticked Mark off.

You weasel! Stop right there!

With a hair width of a difference, Shirone and Mark cast teleportation magic almost simultaneously.

* * *

10 minutes before the start of the promotion exam.

A girl headed towards the training ground with a gloomy face.

Maria Earlin.

She was the third daughter of the House of Earlin, which was a 3rd-class noble family. She was a 19-year-old talent who entered the Alpheas Magic Academy after waking up to her magic talent early.

Although she was now stuck in Class 7, it was not as if she never stood out from the beginning.

She entered the academy at the young age of 10 and has since then been fighting fiercely to rank up.

But when Maria entered Class 7 at the age of 15, she was so happy she felt like she could fly. But her happiness was short-lived as her fear of the competition grew.

Ironically, her best performance was in her first year of being promoted to Class 7. However, starting the following year, her grades gradually started to decline. This trend continued to the point that now she was even ignored by new students.

At some point, such competition felt meaningless. She realized competition was not something she desired.

Knowing it would only bring her suffering, she couldn't find a reason to push for the top-level classes. She knew that even if she were to get promoted, it would just be the start of a new competition with new people. Like a marathon that had no destination, she hated the continuous climb up the world pyramid knowing there was no end to it.

She didnt want to deal with the competition, She only wanted to learn magic for that was what she loved.

Haah, what am I doing right now?

She felt like she had missed all her opportunities to climb up. And coupled with the fact that she eventually realized she was the oldest in Class 7, she felt like everything she worked for went down the drain. This realization took everything from her. Even her love for magic.

But yet she still couldnt find it in herself to leave the academy. Was it because it was part of her life already? Or was it because she still had a little bit of that passion from before left inside her?

Haah

Maria, who entered the magic academy because she liked magic, sighed when she realized she was starting to not even know who she was.

To her, the promotion exam was none of her business. But to also study side by side with her younger classmates while the exam was happening did not sit well with her.

That was the only reason why she started heading to the training ground.

I think itll start soon.

As soon as she checked the time, an Illumination magic flashed near the peak of a mountain.

It was blue in color. And the moment that light flashed, she could hear the cheers of the students echo.

......

She couldnt continue walking. Tears flowed down her eyes.

I have no place there. I guess only the talented ones out of Class 7 are there.

Was this the end?

As soon as she realized that she didnt have the courage to even leave the academy, fear consumed her.

At that moment, a devils thought consumed her mind, leading her astray.

If Mark wins

He would never let the person who snitched on him about Shirones bullying go.

It felt like her heart was about to burst out of her chest and her field of vision turned dark.

No!

She knew that she had to stop Mark, but she knew that with her strength alone, there was nothing she could do.

She looked towards the location of the engine room of the Bridge That Cannot Be Crossed.

......

The leading group who were still in the game continued to fight their fear.

Whats going on?

They could hear the loud noises from the upperclassmen. This ruffled their currently sensitive feathers greatly.

Their shouts reached the ears of the leading group, but it affected no one.

In fact, it actually caused their blood to boil even hotter knowing that there were fewer competitors.

This is my chance! All of you, just keep dropping.

The leading group had advanced 270 meters, and considering they were from Class 7, that was pretty good.

And while all of this was happening, Shirone continued to protect his place as the first.

Mark and his team tried to take Shirones place multiple times, but to avail. Shirone bested them each time.

Mark gritted his teeth.

Who the hell is he?

Shirone had so far leaped 27 times, and each time, he teleported exactly 10 meters.

If compared to a pull-up, it was the same as someone doing a rep of 20 while maintaining the same pace.

Is he a machine?

He knew Shirones mental endurance was high, but he didn't think there would be this big of a difference.

And all of this was being analyzed by the instructors.

Ethella spoke out.

Oho, Shirone sure is a talent.

The weight behind her words was heavy since she was an influential figure who never really commented on anything.

Other instructors started joining in.

Well, Mark isnt too bad. He is still young, after all. His routine is being shaken up. From a minimum of 9.5 meters to a maximum of 11. Hes being inconsistent.

It was safe to say that his mind was shaken.

On the other hand, Shirones routine is consistent. Their speed is about the same, but the one with a higher chance of winning is Shirone.

In the midst of the compliments, Thadds expression wasnt so bright.

Talent

He glimpsed at Alpheas face, worried about him But his face showed nothing.

Suddenly, the students of Class 7 who did not participate in the exam approached Thadd.

Mr. Thadd, how is Shirones routine that stable? Ive never seen anything like it.

Leaping a set distance consistently did not seem like something a human could do.

Thadd couldnt help but agree.

Thats

Amy spoke.

Hes using Compulsion.

Sharelle nodded in agreement.

To be specific, hes using Repetitive Compulsion. When you objectify yourself, your mind becomes more stable and develops a characteristic inertia. Its impressive that hes able to activate it at will. After all, its an advanced-level Spirit Zone technique not taught in Class 7.

Since it was not something taught in Class 7, that meant Compulsion was a dangerous state of mind.

He must have learned it before coming here. Since it helps one endure pain Sometimes, becoming a machine is necessary

To take what we want.

Keeping that last thought to herself, Amy watched Shirone continue to widen his lead.

It seemed as though he was flying towards her.

Youd better come quickly Since I wont wait for you.

* * *

Shirone's stubbornness in keeping his lead annoyed Mark to no end.

Fuck! Why cant I pass him?!

Knowing things couldnt keep going like this, a female student, who was part of the operation team, flinched as Mark glared at her.

Is he telling me to do it here? Right now?

There was a way.

As long as they gave up on their goal of completing the exam, Mark would be able to overtake Shirone for a short while.

Then after that, drop out together.

Their plan was too obvious, but in their heads, it was better than doing nothing and ending it there.

My life is at stake, too.

With a boom, she teleported right in front of Shirone.

Shit!

As soon as Shirone hurriedly tried to brake, another member of the operation team flew towards him from the side.

Sorry. We have to make a living too.