She knows I'm manaless, is she trying to kill me?!
The moment I charge—
The world glitched.
The familiar translucent blue window snapped open in front of my vision, so sudden it almost made me trip.
「Notification」
My steps slowed, not physically, but mentally— as the words burned themselves into my sight.
「New Quest Acquired」
Objective:
Survive the duel without attacking or being attacked.
Effect:
Temporary Agility Increase: +40%
(Perception and body responsiveness enhanced)
Duration: Until duel ends.
Reward:
Mana Extraction — 10 mana
(Target's estimated mana capacity: 1130)
[Penalty: ???]
"…What?" I muttered.
Survive without doing anything?
What kind of bullshit quest is that?!
Before I could even process it—
Heat surged beneath me.
"Hahahaha!" Hana's laughter rang out, sharp and unhinged, "I'm gonna kill you!!"
A fireball formed directly below my feet.
I jumped back on instinct.
The explosion shattered the stone where I'd been standing, shards skidding across the floor as heat washed over my legs.
Then—
Mana spiked.
And behind Hana, five fireballs bloomed into existence, hovering in a perfect arc, it was shaking like it was waiting to be released.
「A "perfect arc" means achieving an ideal curved path. Let me see,,, like a circle but cut the circle, yessir…」
She pointed her wand straight at me.
"One. Two. Three."
She flicked her wrist.
The fireballs launched.
At first— I panicked.
Then I realized something was wrong.
No.
Something was right.
Everything was… slow.
The world.
Me, I was fast.
My thoughts were clear. Too clear.
My body moved before fear could catch up.
I took a single step back.
The first fireball slammed into the floor in front of me, detonating with a violent crack.
I shifted left— three clean steps.
The second and third fireballs exploded where I should have been standing, flames licking empty air.
My heart was racing, but my body felt light.
Weightless.
The fourth fireball came in fast— I tilted my head, just slightly.
It passed so close I felt the heat brush my cheek before detonating behind me.
"…What the hell," I whispered.
This was insane—
No, this was— Amazing.
I grinned despite myself and charged forward, feet slamming against the floor as the distance between Hana and me vanished in seconds.
I was fast.
Too fast.
Then—
Another window snapped open.
「Warning」
Remember. If you hit your opponent,
or are hit by your opponent,
the quest will immediately fail.
Penalty will be immediately applied.
I stopped.
My foot hit the ground mid-step.
My body screamed at me to move— But my brain locked up, so I stopped.
Penalty…?
Shit I forgo—
"REX!!!" Luna's voice screamed from the back of the classroom.
"DODGE!!!"
I snapped my head up.
Four steps ahead.
Hana stood there, smirking.
Her eyes glowed.
The last fireball was already flying.
"What are you freezing for?" she sneered.
"Dumbass."
My body moved on pure instinct.
I dropped.
The fireball roared overhead, close enough that the heat scorched the tips of my hair before it detonated behind me in a violent explosion.
Hana clicked her tongue. "Tch."
I slammed my hands against the ground, heart pounding so hard it hurt— no, actually my hand only hurts…
I cleared my throat, "that would've killed me." I whispered.
No exaggeration.
Killed.
I rolled to the side as molten cracks spread across the floor, heat warping the air.
Hana laughed again.
Loud.
Thrilled.
"Run all you want!" she shouted. "You can't fight back! You can't touch me!"
Oh, she wasn't wrong.
I pushed myself up, breathing hard, eyes flicking back to the quest window still hovering in my vision.
Survive without doing anything.
"…You've gotta be kidding me," I muttered.
The duel had barely started— and what the fuck, I couldn't even do anything.
I straightened up and tapped my chin, thinking.
If I can't hit her… and I can't get hit…
Then fine.
I'd make her come to me.
I curled my lip in disgust.
"Yuck," I said loudly. "I don't even have mana… and you can't even hit me?"
For half a second—
Silence.
Her eye slightly twitched, then Hana burst out laughing.
"Hahaha!" She stopped abruptly and looked straight at me, eyes glowing.
"I'm just playing with you. Now I'll get serious."
'Wait, what? The fuck!?'
I shrugged exaggeratedly. "Yeah, sure. I'm positive you wouldn't even land one hit if you tried."
Her eye twitched again.
Once.
Twice.
Then the barrier hummed.
Not loudly— no, it was worse than that. A low, constant vibration that pressed against my bones, like the air itself was alive and watching.
Runes crawled along the hexagonal walls of the Duel Regulation System, rearranging themselves in real time. Each symbol pulsed with meaning— trajectory control, lethal threshold suppression, spectator safety, combat isolation.
The mana thickened inside the arena, denser than anywhere else in the classroom. It weighed on my skin, crawled into my lungs. For someone with mana, it probably felt empowering.
For me?
It felt like standing at the bottom of the ocean, pretending I could breathe.
Across from me, Hana stood relaxed— she probably calmed down.
Fire gathered around her wand again, but this time it didn't swell outward.
It compressed.
The flames twisted, stretched, sharpened— heat folding in on itself until the fire screamed, taking form.
A spear.
The moment Hana thrust her wand forward— The air exploded.
A shockwave blasted outward, ripping through the classroom. My clothes snapped violently, dust and loose mana scattering like a storm. Hana's red hair flew back, strands lifting into the air as if gravity had momentarily forgotten her.
She laughed.
Not crazed.
Not unhinged.
Just… thrilled.
"HAHA!"
Fire roared.
For a split second, framed by blazing orange light and swirling mana, she looked… cute.
Like, stupidly cute.
The fire spear lunged toward me, tearing through the space between us with a shrill scream. Heat washed over my face before my brain even caught up.
I jumped sideways.
"Ohwah!"
Barely dodging it as it tore past my shoulder and exploded. The hexagonal barrier flared bright white, absorbing the impact as molten cracks spread across its surface before sealing themselves shut.
I looked at her, she looked at me.
Yea, nevermind she looks disgustingly ugly as fuck.
I straightened up anyway.
Forced my shoulders back.
"Haha… easy," I said, voice casual. "You know… I'm not even trying yet."
Hana's smile vanished.
Her eye twitched again— harder.
"…I fucking hate you, Rex Knox," she said slowly.
I smirked back.
"Me too."
***
(Rex's Mom– Elira Knox)
Elira Knox lay sideways on the couch, one leg draped over the armrest, the other lazily kicking the air. The room was dark except for the television— its flickering light washing her face in shifting blues and whites.
An old drama played, but she wasn't watching.
"Hmmm…" she hummed, eyes unfocused. "I wonder if my baby, my son, Rex, is doing well at the academy?"
She reached blindly into a crinkling bag of chips, opened it with a soft pop, and peeked inside like it had personally offended her.
"He doesn't even have mana," she continued casually, popping a chip into her mouth. "But I'm sure he'll adapt. He always does."
Crunch.
"Oh well," she added with a bright, unapologetic smile. "It was the academy's fault for accepting that letter in the first place."
She giggled.
"Tehe~"
Another chip followed. Then another.
Her expression suddenly soured.
"Bleegh… this tastes awful," she muttered, staring accusingly at the chip between her fingers. "I miss my lovely son's cooking…"
Elira sighed, sinking deeper into the couch, the playful light in her eyes softening, just a little.
"Should I drive there and drag him back home…?" she murmured.
She jolted up.
"No— wait!" she scolded herself, wagging a finger in the air. "What are you doing, Elira Knox? Your son is definitely having the time of his life at the academy."
She nodded, fully convincing herself.
Satisfied, she grabbed the remote and happily switched channels.
Unaware.
Completely, utterly unaware.
That at that very moment, her manaless son stood in A-Class, locked in combat with a noble Mad girl,
And that his name is already spreading like wildfire through the academy halls.
The television changed scenes.
Elira smiled.
***
The clash echoed through the classroom.
Mana rippled across the hexagonal arena floor as Hana's spell circle flared crimson, heat warping the air around her. Sparks snapped violently as she thrust her wand forward, teeth clenched, eyes burning.
"Stop dodging!" Hana snapped. "Fight back properly!"
"I am fighting back," I replied flatly, sliding sideways as the floor beneath my feet cracked where her spell landed. "You're just mad you missed."
"Say that again."
Another burst of fire screamed past my shoulder.
Iris and Luna leaned forward. This wasn't part of the fight earlier anymore— this was pride.
I took the wand in my pocket and lazily raised it, half-heartedly deflecting the next spell. I wasn't even using mana— just enough movement to avoid getting roasted.
"See, Hana?" I laughed, a grin spreading across my face as my feet glided across the floor.
Moving like this… it was absurdly easy now. +40% agility. Is op. "Is that really all you've got?"
That's when I felt it.
A gaze.
Not the sharp, judging kind Hana gave me.
This one was… amused.
I glanced up.
At the very back of the class, half-hidden in the shadow cast by the upper tier, a woman sat with one leg crossed over the other, elbow resting on the desk, chin propped casually on her palm.
She was smiling.
Softly.
Her hair was short, brushing just past her jaw, dark strands framing a face that carried a calm confidence only time could give. Not youthful excitement. Not nervous admiration.
Experience.
Her eyes followed the exchange below like she was watching a play unfold just for her.
And she was enjoying it.
When Hana unleashed another heated spell, the woman let out a quiet chuckle, shoulders lifting slightly as if genuinely entertained.
That's when her gaze shifted.
Straight to me.
Our eyes met.
For a split second, the noise of the class faded, the crackle of mana, Hana's shouting, all of it dulled under the weight of that look.
Her lips curved just a little more.
Not impressed, not surprised.
Interested.
I felt something cold slide down my spine.
She tilted her head, studying me openly now, eyes slow and deliberate, like she was peeling back a banana layers I didn't know I had.
Then, very deliberately, she mouthed two words.
Oh my.
"Hah!"
Hana's spell exploded near my feet, snapping me back into reality as I jumped away just in time.
"Are you even taking this seriously?!" Hana barked.
I steadied myself, heart still beating a little faster than it should've been.
"…Yeah," I muttered.
But my eyes flicked back once more.
The woman had leaned back in her seat now, arms crossed loosely, smile still there, but sharper.
Satisfied.
Like she'd just found something interesting in a room full of noise.
I wonder who that is.