The second round of combat test was about to begin.
Han Jihoon stood in the center of the training dome, facing his next opponent. Across from him stood a tall, wiry student from Class 1D, someone Jihoon didn't recognize. His ability was registered simply as "Mana Bombs." Jihoon had brushed it off when he saw the matchup list. He figured he could teleport out of any blast range easily enough.
He was wrong.
The fight started with the referee's call. Instantly, dozens—no, hundreds—of glowing orbs shimmered into existence around the arena, hovering mid-air like landmines suspended by invisible threads.
"What the hell...?" Jihoon muttered, backing up slowly. The bombs weren't just randomly placed—they were strategically positioned, cutting off escape routes, cornering him like prey in a cage of mana.
His opponent said nothing. He simply watched with an eerie calm as the trap closed in.
Jihoon clenched his fists. I can't blink out. Too risky. Too many bombs. He looked for gaps, paths, an angle but the walls were closing in.
Then it hit him.
The second condition he'd added to his teleportation.
If something dangerous is about to hit me… I teleport away. Or it teleports away from me.
A grin crept across Jihoon's face.
He dashed forward.
The crowd gasped as Jihoon ran into the minefield. The other student blinked in confusion.
A bomb sparked.
And then—pop—it vanished.
Jihoon didn't stop.
He charged through the field, and every time a bomb activated near him, it either flickered out of existence or he found himself suddenly shifted inches to the side.
Three bombs failed to touch him. On the fourth, his body teleported backward.
It worked.
Jihoon picked up speed. His opponent panicked and began pushing the bombs forward with mana, trying to guide them into Jihoon's path.
But it didn't matter.
Every time danger got close, Jihoon slipped through, unscathed.
In a blink, Jihoon was in front of him.
He grabbed his opponent by the collar, and with a sharp twist, teleported them both to the wall of the arena.
Before his opponent could react, Jihoon drove a mana-charged fist into his stomach.
Boom.
And another. Boom.
And another.
The student's body slumped, unconscious.
The referee called it. The crowd was stunned.
Jihoon didn't gloat. He stepped away from the knocked-out student and quietly returned to the waiting area, wiping sweat off his brow. He'd burned through a lot of mana in short bursts, and his heartbeat hadn't slowed yet.
"So i was correct there is no cool down when i am using the second condition"
As he sat down, he glanced around the room, his senses still alert.
The Nethrak was gone.
Jihoon frowned. That's unusual...
But he said nothing and simply watched the remaining matches.
Later that day, the last two matches of the exam caught everyone's attention. The final two members of the school's Top 3 were taking the stage.
First up was Shin Nayoung, the infamous girl from Class 1A with a terrifying ability: Luck Manipulation.
Her opponent? One of the school's most elite teachers, known for her high-speed combat—rumored to be one of the fastest in the country.
It seemed unfair at first. The teacher held back, clearly not using even 30% of her power.
But Nayoung was patient. She kept moving, dodging, buying time.
Then, slowly… the teacher started slipping. Her kicks missed. She stumbled mid-spin. Even her teleport feinted in the wrong direction.
Jihoon narrowed his eyes. She's draining her luck.
The crowd murmured as the elite teacher an idol to many tripped and nearly fell flat.
Embarrassment flashed in the teacher's eyes.
In an instant, her expression changed.
She vanished and reappeared in front of Nayoung, moving much faster than before.
Nayoung was knocked off her feet, skidding across the floor.
Everyone stared in shock. The teacher had lost control.
The referee intervened immediately, declaring the match a win for Nayoung. Using more than 30% of her power had violated the agreed limits.
Nayoung sat up, dusted off her clothes, and smirked.
The Last Match
The final fight featured a student whose name most had only heard whispered: Yoo Ha-Jin, the third of the Top 3.
His ability?
"Air."
It sounded unimpressive until you saw it in action.
His opponent, another teacher, launched a flurry of attacks. Sword strikes, mana blasts, high-speed dashes.
Every single attack passed through him.
Ha-Jin's Level 2 ability let him convert his entire body skin, clothes, even weapons into air.
Blades passed through him.
Spells dissolved inside him.
He didn't just defend. He walked through attacks like wind over water.
Jihoon watched in shock,
If Ha-Jin wanted to, he could touch someone and turn them into air. That's what the rumors said, But he won't do that of course.
In under five minutes, the teacher gave up.
And just like that, Ha-Jin became an untouchable legend.
That night, Jihoon returned home, the image of the air manipulation still burned into his mind. He wanted that ability. Maybe not now. Maybe not soon. But someday.
He stepped into his room and felt it immediately.
The Nethrak was back.
Jihoon turned toward the shadowy corner where the being always stood.
"Where were you?" he asked.
The creature tilted its monstrous head slightly, its voice low and amused.
"I found something interesting…
Another one like you."