One by one, the noble students stepped forward to attack the battle dummy, each hoping to impress the instructors and cement their place in the academy.

  A red-haired noble swung his great sword with all his might. [Damage: 245]

  A twin-tailed girl wielding twin daggers unleashed a flurry of slashes. [Damage: 302]

  A bespectacled mage chanted a long incantation before launching a fireball. [Damage: 389]

  The crowd gasped and murmured as the scores climbed higher and higher. Then came the highlight of the day—a blue-haired noble, known as the prodigy of the year, stepped up. Clad in elegant robes, he raised a single hand, conjuring a massive surge of magical energy.

  "Behold, the magic of House Astralis!" he declared, sending forth a blinding beam of pure energy.

  The battle dummy trembled from the impact before displaying the result: [Damage: 567]

  The audience erupted into cheers and awed whispers. "Incredible!" "As expected from the Astralis heir!" "There's no way anyone can top that!"

  Hitomi, watching from the sidelines, stretched her arms. "Alright, my turn! Let's see what this Kagetsu energy can do!" She stepped forward confidently, cracking her knuckles. "Since my magic is locked, I'll just go with pure strength."

  She focused, channeling Kagetsu to enhance her physical prowess. A dark blue aura crackled around her fist as she wound up her punch, convinced that the 100-Seal Barrier would keep things in check.

  "Here we go!"

  Just as her fist was about to make contact with the dummy, something felt... off. A strange sensation crept up her spine. In that instant, she realized—

  If I hit this thing at full force... this entire exam ground might cease to exist.

  With sheer panic, she pulled back her punch at the very last second, diverting all her strength into stopping herself. The sudden redirection of energy caused a massive shockwave, triggering a deafening explosion that sent her flying backward. Dust filled the air as candidates screamed and ducked for cover.

  When the smoke cleared, Hitomi lay sprawled on the ground, dazed and utterly drained. "What... just happened?"

  The lead instructor, an elderly mage, sighed and shook his head. "Tsk, tsk. Another candidate with poor mana control. This is why we emphasize focus during casting."

  He turned to his assistant. "Mark her score as zero."

  Hitomi sat up, blinking. "Wait, what?"

  Meanwhile, a passing instructor in golden robes had been observing the scene carefully. His eyes narrowed as he glanced at the dummy, then at the ground where the explosion had stopped.

  "Strange... The blast never even reached the dummy. It dispersed completely before impact... as if it was forcefully stopped." His lips curled into a curious smirk. "Interesting... very interesting."