Back at the training arena, the air trembled with a strange pressure.
A brilliant ray of light shot upward from the center of the arena, piercing through the sky like a divine pillar connecting heaven and earth. The light was so bright that many students instinctively shielded their eyes.
The wind around the arena began to swirl violently as if reacting to the sudden surge of energy.
Flick stared at the phenomenon in disbelief.
"What… what is that?!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with confusion.
Professor Hexio narrowed his sharp eyes. Even someone as experienced as him had never witnessed something like this before.
"I've never seen anything like this…" he muttered quietly."Is it a spell? Or perhaps an enchantment…?"
But even he wasn't certain.
His gaze remained fixed on the glowing pillar of light. Deep inside, he was still trying to understand what exactly had happened to Ryusei.
As the beam of light continued to rise into the sky, murmurs spread throughout the spectators.
Suddenly—
Someone pointed toward the light.
"Wait!!"
"What is that??!"
"Look! There's something inside the light!"
More and more students began to notice it.
Inside the pillar of light…
A silhouette slowly appeared.
The figure stood motionless within the glowing column, its outline barely visible through the overwhelming brilliance.
The atmosphere instantly turned tense.
Flick clenched his fists.
Without hesitation, he raised his hand toward the light.
"Fire Art: Flame Bullet Barrage"
Flames erupted from the tip of his fingers, launching dozens of blazing projectiles into the sky. The fiery bullets streaked through the air like comets, heading directly toward the mysterious figure within the beam of light.
But the moment the flames approached—
The ray of light suddenly responded.
Countless streaks of pure white light shot outward from the pillar like divine arrows.
The fire blasts and beams of light collided violently in midair.
BOOOOOM!!!
The explosion shook the entire arena.
Shockwaves spread outward, sending dust and debris flying across the battlefield.
But the attacks didn't stop.
More flames.More light.
Each collision created another massive explosion.
BOOM!BOOM!BOOOOOM!
Panic quickly spread among the spectators.
Students began rushing away from the arena in fear.
Some shouted.
Others screamed.
The once orderly training ground had turned into chaos.
Up in the spectator stands, Kayosha leaned over the railing with worry etched across her face.
"What's happening down there?!" she shouted anxiously.
Beside her, Kasai was equally shaken.
"I don't know!" he replied."Ryusei suddenly screamed and then that ray of light appeared—"
Before he could finish—
BOOM!!
Another massive explosion interrupted him, causing both of them to flinch.
Kayosha clenched her fists.
Her heart pounded violently.
Ryusei… please be safe…
Back in the arena—
The final explosion finally erupted.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The blinding pillar of light suddenly vanished.
Smoke slowly filled the battlefield as dust clouds drifted across the ruined arena floor.
For several seconds, the entire arena fell silent.
Then slowly…
The smoke began to clear.
And what everyone saw left them completely speechless.
Standing calmly in the center of the arena…
Was Ryusei.
But something about him was different.
The boy who was once mocked as the weakest Elementalist in the academy now stood tall with an unfamiliar presence surrounding him.
In his hand—
He held a pure white sword made entirely of light.
The blade glowed softly, emitting a radiant aura that illuminated the ground beneath his feet.
Kasai's jaw dropped.
"K-K-Kayosha!!!" he stuttered.
"W-What is going on?! Why is Ryusei holding a sword?!"
His voice trembled with disbelief.
Kayosha stared at Ryusei, equally stunned.
"I… I have no idea…" she whispered, speechless at what he's seeing.
Across the arena, Flick's eyes widened.
"I thought… he couldn't even chant a single spell…" he muttered.
For years, Ryusei had been known as the F-Rank failure who couldn't cast magic.
Yet now he stood there holding a weapon made of pure energy.
Flick's pride flared up.
"It's not the time to hesitate," he thought angrily.
"It's time I finish off this F-Rank loser."
But as those thoughts crossed his mind—
Ryusei began walking toward him.
Slow.
Calm.
Each step echoed across the quiet arena.
Flick quickly snapped out of his thoughts.
"Fire Art: Flame Bullet Barrage"
Another storm of fiery blasts erupted from his fingers and raced toward Ryusei.
But this time—
Ryusei simply raised his sword.
CLANG!
A single swing.
The first fire blast was sliced apart like paper.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Every single projectile was effortlessly deflected.
Ryusei continued walking forward as if nothing had happened.
Flick felt a chill run down his spine.
"That's… impossible…"
Those same spells had nearly defeated Ryusei earlier.
Yet now—
They were completely useless.
Panicking, Flick cast the spell again.
"Fire Art: Flame Bullet Barrage"
Once more, flames rained down upon Ryusei.
Once more—
Every attack was deflected.
Flick's breathing became heavy.
Sweat dripped down his face.
His confidence began to crumble.
Ryusei… the boy everyone laughed at…
Was overpowering him.
"Stay away!!!"
Flick shouted in fear.
"Stay away from me!!"
But Ryusei didn't stop walking.
The distance between them grew smaller and smaller.
Desperation filled Flick's heart.
He clenched his hands together and began gathering a massive amount of energy.
A swirling sphere of fiery magic began forming in his palm.
The pressure in the air grew suffocating.
Professor Hexio immediately sensed it.
His eyes widened.
"That boy…" he muttered.
"He's trying to kill him."
The killing intent radiating from Flick was unmistakable.
Professor Hexio stepped forward, ready to intervene and stop the match.
But before he could move—
Ryusei vanished.
For a split second, no one saw him move.
And then—
BAM!!
Ryusei slammed Flick's head into the ground with terrifying force.
The arena floor cracked from the impact.
Flick instantly lost consciousness.
Professor Hexio froze.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
"That speed…"
Even he hadn't seen Ryusei move.
By the time he realized it—
The fight was already over.
Professor Hex looked down at Ryusei with new eyes.
"Not only his strength…"
"His speed…"
"Even his swordsmanship…"
He had completely underestimated the boy.
A new sense of respect formed within him.
After a brief moment, Professor Hexio stepped forward and raised his hand.
"Flick is unable to continue."
He looked at Ryusei.
"The winner of this Shototsu match…"
"Is Ryusei Ryugu."
The spectators erupted with shocked murmurs.
The F-Rank loser had won.
Later in the cafeteria, Ryusei sat with Kasai and Kayosha as they celebrated his victory.
But suddenly—
A familiar voice spoke from behind him.
"I see my little brother finally won a Shototsu."
Ryusei immediately turned around.
"Yuki!!!"
He jumped up and hugged her tightly.
Yuki Ryugu, his white-haired elder sister, smiled warmly.
"Congratulations, Ryusei. I'm really proud of you."
She was a B-Rank Elementalist and the Student Council Vice President.
Soon after, two more familiar faces appeared.
Shizen Ryugu, Ryusei's older brother and the Student Council President.
And Shadow Kageryu, his brother's best friend and the Treasurer.
All of them were B-Rank Elementalists.
For the first time in years, Ryusei felt surrounded by people who truly believed in him.
But far away…
Inside the teachers' lounge…
The faculty debated Ryusei's match late into the night.
The mysterious ray of light.
His sudden increase in power.
The unknown sword.
And the biggest question of all—
What was Ryusei's Elemental Art?
After hours of discussion, the principal finally made a decision.
The next morning, students gathered around the bulletin board to see their rankings.
Kayosha and Kasai had both advanced to E-Rank.
You see in this world, Elementalist are graded by ranks, the stronger the Elementalist, the higher their ranks are, the higher their ranks are, the more high grade quest they are able to do or yet have more assets to the kingdom.
The Ranks are divided by the following
SSS-Rank is the highest then it's SS-Rank, Then S-Rank
These three are the highest tiers an Elementalist could achieve with years of hard work
Only a few so far in history had ever reached this ranks up until the present. It only said that an S-Rank Elementalist would only appear once every 10 to 20 years.
While the following ranks below are commonly achieved by the majority of Elementalist eventually.
A-Rank is the highest which are the Gadians. The guardians of the kingdom., Then B-Rank which is are the elite combat focused Elementalist, Then C-Rank Elementalist who primary focus on combat.
Then all the way down to F-Rank which is the lowest. The Elementalist in both E-Rank and F-Rank are non-combat focused Elementalist. They're the daily workers that work in the kingdom like farmers and chefs or students in the academy who yet unlocked their full potential.
But Ryusei couldn't find his name anywhere.
Not in C-Rank.
Not in D-Rank.
Not even in E-Rank. where majority of students were promoted too
Confused and nervous, he approached Professor Hexio during class.
"Professor… I still haven't received my results."
The classroom fell silent.
Everyone looked at him.
Professor Hexio stared at him for a moment before answering.
"Ryusei Ryugu."
He paused.
"Your rank…"
"...is F-Rank."
The classroom exploded with shock.
Kayosha and Kasai immediately jumped to their feet.
"WHAT?!"
Their voices echoed through the room.
Because everyone knew the truth.
The boy who had just displayed power that shocked the entire academy…
Had just been ranked as the lowest rank possible.
And deep inside the academy—
Some teachers were already beginning to wonder.
Had they just made the biggest mistake in academy history?