[Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]

    Chapter 30

    “Y-You... this... bastard...”

    Zaik''s voice trembled as he struggled to speak.

    Every time he moved his mouth, his loosened teeth clattered uncomfortably.

    Air seeped through the gaps, making it difficult for him to form words properly.

    When was the last time he had suffered such injuries?

    Zaik Baldur.

    A prodigious mage from the esteemed Baldur Count’s family.

    A 3rd Circle Earth Meister on the verge of reaching the 4th Circle, and the proud owner of a C-rank Mana Suit.

    Though winning the tournament was out of the question due to competitors like Princess Violet, a 4th Circle mage, and Lioness, Zaik had still been hailed as one of the academy’s brightest talents. He was expected to make it to the semifinals without issue.

    For someone accustomed to a smooth, unchallenged path, this situation was entirely foreign.

    “You didn’t seriously leave your Mana Suit behind, thinking yesterday’s agreement was enough to protect you, did you?”

    Of course not.

    The Mana Suit was Zaik’s most treasured possession, something he would never leave behind.

    He had simply been caught off guard, panicked by the unexpected pain, and failed to respond in time.

    “Or... are you just planning to kneel and give up?”

    Kaylen’s cold smile accompanied the taunt, snapping Zaik out of his daze.

    Zaik locked eyes with him.

    From Kaylen, he felt a presence he couldn’t quite define—something unnervingly oppressive.

    While its exact nature was unclear, one thing was unmistakable:

    ‘That bastard... he’s looking at me like I’m a bug.’

    It wasn’t the disgusted look one gives something filthy.

    Rather, it was an apathetic gaze, like seeing a stray pebble on the roadside or an insignificant fly buzzing by.

    “...You damn brat.”

    Gritting his teeth, Zaik rolled up his left sleeve, revealing a bracelet embedded deep into his arm.

    The brown bracelet had a bright blue gemstone at its center.

    When he pressed the gem, a hum began to resonate.

    Whirrrrr.

    The gemstone lit up, and the Mana Suit began enveloping Zaik’s body.

    The suit was a deep earthy brown, resembling full-plate armor forged from steel.

    Kaylen, arms crossed, watched the process unfold impassively.

    “It takes about ten seconds to fully equip,” he noted.

    Even in Zaik’s half-prone state, the suit automatically adjusted and fitted itself onto him.

    Once the suit was fully activated, Zaik pushed himself to his feet.

    [Circle Reload...]

    A mechanical voice echoed from the Mana Suit, its tone harsh and metallic, likely enhanced through magical mechanisms.

    [Stone Skin.]

    Rumble.

    The ground beneath the arena cracked open, and a mass of earth surged upward.

    In mere moments, the soil fused with Zaik’s Mana Suit, layering it with an additional armor of hardened dirt.

    Despite being made of earth, the new layer looked as solid as iron.

    [Kaylen, I swear, I won’t let you live!]

    Zaik, now in a defensive stance, growled with fury.

    [Circle Reload. Earth Hand.]

    Rumble!No?v(el)B\\jnn

    The entire arena began to quake and crack open.

    From the fractures emerged five enormous hands made of earth.

    Standing at about three meters tall, the massive hands loomed over Kaylen, even making his towering frame seem small.

    Surrounding him on all sides, the hands moved with intent, poised to crush him like an insect.

    Kaylen watched them descend with an intrigued expression.

    "This... feels close to a 5th Circle spell. No, it’s a little short, isn’t it?"

    Though Zaik was only a 3rd Circle mage, his focus on a single element as an Earth Meister, combined with the amplification from his Mana Suit, had made his power overwhelming.

    Even when compared to the mages Kaylen had encountered in his past life, Zaik’s raw strength held its own.

    “Earth Shield.”

    Kaylen conjured a defensive barrier of the same element to counter.

    Boom! Boom!

    The force behind the Earth Hands was far beyond anything Kaylen had faced in the earlier rounds of the tournament.

    After just two or three strikes, the protective shield was on the verge of shattering.

    Even the impacts bleeding through the shield were enough to make Kaylen feel the strain.

    [Gravity Field.]

    Zaik cast yet another spell.

    A field of heightened gravity enveloped Kaylen, pressing down on him with immense force.

    Kaylen could feel his body grow heavy under the spell.

    "It’s been a while since I’ve felt this kind of restraint."

    Trapped by the Earth Hands and crushed under the amplified gravity, Kaylen found himself immobilized.

    Yet, instead of panicking, he smiled.

    It had been a long time since his body experienced such physical limitations.

    “Flash.”

    Flash!

    In an instant, Kaylen disappeared from the Earth Hands’ grasp and reappeared right beside Zaik.

    “Strength.”

    With the activation of a strength-enhancing spell, Kaylen’s body radiated an ominous energy.

    Zaik’s expression twisted in disbelief.

    He thought to himself, “Is he planning to punch my Mana Suit? This indestructible armor?”

    “He’s insane!”

    That thought didn’t last long.

    BOOM!

    “Wha... what...?”

    But then...

    “Flash.”

    Blink. Blink.

    Even in mid-fall, Kaylen used his Blink Spell.

    It wasn’t to escape back into the sky.

    Instead, Kaylen used the spell to close the distance between them.

    Positioning himself directly above Zaik, Kaylen began to descend rapidly, now targeting Zaik from above.

    The tables had turned.

    ''Has he lost his mind?''

    Zaik thought as he watched Kaylen deliberately close the distance between them. It should’ve been a mistake on Kaylen’s part—proximity favored Zaik.

    Without hesitation, Zaik summoned Earth Hands from every direction and hurled boulders at his descending opponent.

    ‘I’ll crush him where he stands!’

    But then, Kaylen’s calm voice rang clearly in Zaik’s ears.

    “Gravity Field.”

    [What...?!]

    The very idea was absurd—applying yet another layer of gravity while one was already in effect?

    Zaik''s body instantly became even heavier. His own Gravity Field compounded by Kaylen’s spell intensified the gravitational force beyond reason.

    And, as if mocking Zaik’s strategy, Kaylen’s descent accelerated, now plummeting like a meteor.

    Even mid-fall, Kaylen continued casting a flurry of spells:

    “Strength. Haste. Earth Shield. Stone Skin...”

    Each spell was a protective enhancement.

    Empowered by these layers of magic, Kaylen transformed into an unstoppable force, tearing through Zaik’s summoned Earth Hands as if they were nothing.

    Boom! Boom!

    Zaik’s eyes widened in disbelief as he witnessed the impossible.

    [What kind of wizard...?! This doesn’t make sense!]

    To Zaik, it was insanity. Wizards weren’t supposed to use their bodies like this. Even with auxiliary spells, how could a magic caster charge headfirst into a fight like a warrior?

    [E-Earth...]

    Zaik tried to conjure a spell to counter Kaylen’s charge, but it was too late.

    Kaylen’s speed was unmatched. Zaik had no time to react.

    Desperation filled his mind as he clung to his only hope—his defensive magic.

    ‘He’s just a wizard! There’s no way his physical attack can surpass my defensive spells. No way!’

    After all, his barriers had endured the bombardment from Kaylen’s earlier magic. Surely, they could hold once more.

    But...

    CRACK!

    Zaik’s Earth Shield shattered upon impact.

    CRUNCH!

    The Stone Skin, his secondary defense, cracked and broke apart.

    [Guh—! Agh—!]

    The C-rank Mana Suit absorbed much of the damage, but it wasn’t enough to shield Zaik from the internal shock. The impact sent waves of pain through his body, and he collapsed to the ground.

    Thud!

    "You''re tough, I’ll give you that," Kaylen remarked casually as he landed with a crash nearby.

    Dust settled, revealing Kaylen rising to his feet with ease.

    He dusted himself off and walked toward Zaik, his expression one of mild interest.

    Zaik, trembling on the ground, stared up at him in horror.

    [M-monster...]

    Zaik couldn''t comprehend it.

    A human had just fallen from the sky, and not just any fall—one in which two Gravity Fields had been stacked on top of each other. How could Kaylen remain unharmed?

    Was this really a human?

    "Let''s do a bit more durability testing, senior."

    Kaylen smiled as he flexed his right hand, the one that had crushed Zaik’s Earth Hands, Earth Shield, and Stone Skin.

    Zaik thought that once Kaylen was in his Mana Suit, he''d easily tear him apart. But now, facing Kaylen''s strength, fear crept in like never before.

    Boom!

    Another blow landed on the Mana Suit.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    Kaylen''s fist slammed the same spot repeatedly, without any signs of wear or damage to the Mana Suit.

    "Not even a scratch."

    Even though the Mana Suit remained intact, the same couldn’t be said for Zaik within it.

    With each strike, the shockwaves reverberated throughout his body. The Mana Suit was meant to absorb such impacts, but Kaylen''s blows were something else.

    Zaik felt his bones creaking as if his entire body would shatter. He was coughing up blood and bile.

    At this rate, I’ll die. I can’t hold on any longer.

    "Should I hit harder?"

    At the sound of Kaylen’s chilling words, Zaik’s resolve finally broke.

    [Mana Suit... Deactivate.]

    The Mana Suit began to retract on its own, transforming from a full suit of armor into a simple bracelet.

    Kaylen watched with a cold expression as the suit dissipated.

    "What’s this? Put it back on."

    Zaik gasped weakly, his body almost crumbling from the damage.

    "Ha... Ha... Please..."

    Kaylen stared at him for a moment, his frustration growing. He had hoped to continue testing the suit’s durability, but with the user in such a state, there was no point.

    “You’ve always been this way, haven’t you? No guts at all.”

    Before Zaik could fully admit defeat, Kaylen grabbed him by the collar, lifting him off the ground.

    Kaylen glanced around briefly, then his gaze locked on the face of a man, pale with fear. His lips curled into a wide grin.

    "Oh, there you are."

    With a swift motion, Kaylen hurled Zaik’s body across the arena, sending him flying far beyond the battlefield into the spectator area.

    Landing near the front row, a man in a fine suit stood there—Ruhos, the house steward of the Baldur family.

    “Ruhos, weren’t you supposed to be keeping the sanctity of the royal family?”

    Kaylen’s voice was soft, but it echoed clearly in Ruhos'' ears.

    “This is my answer,” Kaylen added with a smile.

    [Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]