"Holy sh*t, the one-star won! That Glacial Shard was vicious, no?"
"Yeah. Was there maybe a mistake in that guy's mana affinity test? How could a one-percent mana affinity student even cast spells like that?"
"Or maybe his Clown Box mana-bound artifact wasn't as simple as it looked on the surface?"
"Hahahaha, you dumbass. How could the ancient and mysterious Arcane Repository possibly make a mistake? It's obvious that the device used in his test malfunctioned!"
"Hmph, fools. I don't believe there's anything wrong. It's just that the three-star student didn't have much time to train. Given time, that trash would be left behind in progress. How about this? If that guy dares fight again in public, I'll shave my head bald!"
Such conversations echoed throughout the academy as those who watched the duel dispersed, relaying the information almost zealously to those who hadn't.
Their reactions were understandable.
After all, history happened right before their eyes.
Hal Fennec was the first one-star student to ever win a duel against someone of higher student status.
Meanwhile, the one who had made history now stood before a trio, a sitting old man flanked by two young assistants, his gaze sharp and confident.
"So… you've certainly done as you claimed, Hal Fennec," Deputy Headmaster Korvus began, peering into Hal's eyes as though trying to uncover some elusive secret.
"I will grant you your chance, as per our agreement. However, I can't help but wonder how you were able to cast such a skillful Glacial Shard spell…"
The mana blast was still within an explainable realm, but the swift and powerful Glacial Shard wasn't.
It was as though Hal had been training in wizardry for at least six months from how powerful his spells were.
The fact that he could cast more than two spells as someone who only had one-percent affinity to mana was also strange.
The craziest part?
When Hal suddenly mimicked Agon and began dual-casting spells.
Unbeknownst to Hal, the gazes directed his way were already far from friendly, and he was only moments away from being annihilated by Korvus, a top-percentile wizard of the Arcanum Imperium.
"Thank you for acknowledging my potential, Deputy Headmaster. As I told you, my mana-bound artifact isn't as simple as it was described by the Arcane Repository. While I'm still unwilling to disclose how my advantage works for my own safety, I can confidently claim that, given time, I would be a huge combat asset for the empire. I hope you understand that this is the only information I can share for now, considering I'm merely an inexperienced teen from a border village. I'll be honest and admit transparently that it's difficult for me to trust people from the cities…"
The trio's frown subtly and ever-so-slightly deepened.
He didn't directly answer their questions, which only made them suspect him more of being an undercover Fellkin.
After all, the bastards had more affinity to mana and spells than humans on average.
Hal's earlier display and words reeked of a mole from the malevolent race…
"Sigh… your answer puts us in quite a bind, young man…" Korvus merely sighed in response.
But then, something horrifying happened the next moment.
A huge magic circle suddenly lit up beneath Hal, from which a cage made of golden lights emerged, trapping him inside.
Hal's gaze instantly turned cold, ready to use a [Blink] charge to escape, though he doubted it would be of much use against someone like the Deputy Headmaster.
But things didn't end there.
Eye markings all over the room lit up in bright blue, and in the next moment, constricting roots shot toward him, holding him down.
Hal finally couldn't take it anymore.
"Deputy Headmaster, what's the meaning of this?" he demanded in a cold tone, heart racing with anxiety and anger.
"I'll apologize later if our suspicions turn out to be wrong," the deputy cryptically explained. "But for now... Show me your true self, Light of Truth!"
Performing a finger seal, a sudden, blinding flash of light erupted from the golden magic circle in front of Korvus, devouring the bewildered young man.
Hal thought he was about to die.
But nothing happened.
Once the light was gone, only four dumbfounded and confused individuals remained.
Korvus and his two assistants seemed even more bewildered than Hal.
They had been so sure that the real Hal Fennec was already dead, and that the young man in front of them was nothing more than a Fellkin in disguise, hoping to rise through the upper echelons of human society.
After all, infiltrations like this happened almost every other year, if not annually.
Silence ensued for a few moments before Hal spoke:
"So? What's the deal, Deputy Headmaster?"
The dumbfounded elder was dragged to reality by his words.
"I'll... be honest... I thought you were a Fellkin in disguise, and I believe you know how dangerous those bastards are. We couldn't let our guard down. I apologize..." Korvus explained, bowing apologetically in embarrassment.
But not for long.
Realization soon struck the trio—and struck them hard.
The young man in front of them, Hal Fennec, was a legitimately talented human youngster, perhaps another blessing for the Arcanum Imperium from the gods!
Who could dare claim that they could learn two spells and master them to such a degree in merely one month?
Ennya Kasai, for example, could still only cast fireballs, and while her spells look horrifying, it was all due to her mana-bound artifact, Ifrit's Core.
Could Hal Fennec be a spell comprehension genius?
That, or it truly was the Clown Box, as the young man had said, though they struggled to comprehend how something ancient and perhaps even divine like the Arcane Repository could fail to accurately describe an artifact that came from it.
Either way, their apology slightly appeased the growing anger and unexpected trauma in Hal's heart.
He had truly thought he would be finished off by the academy's higher-ups for showing unconventional talent that probably surpassed most of the youngsters from aristocratic families.
He believed it was due to politics and power struggles, or something like that…
Fortunately, it was all a misunderstanding.
"Ahem... I hope you can forgive us..." Korvus continued, rather uneasy at Hal's lack of reaction. "N-Now then, shall we talk about the chance we agreed on?"