Magic Academy Mayhem: A Class Full of Maniacs - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

On the Silva Continent, every Sequence mage possessed not only a different Sequence ability, but would also awaken corresponding Sequence Skills as their realm advanced.

Ten realms corresponded to twenty skills in total.

Under normal circumstances, the maximum number of skills one could awaken in each realm was two, though exceptions did exist.

And skills could be unleashed instantly as long as the appropriate amount of Magic Element was paid. There was no need to chant a long incantation the way one normally would when casting magic.

The method of awakening skills was completely random. Some people awakened one after taking a sip of water. Some awakened one after a nap. Others could only awaken one through high-intensity combat.

Cynthia had never expected that she would suddenly awaken a Sequence Skill.

But… what kind of Sequence Skill backlashed against its own master and killed them?

And even putting that aside, what in the world was that line of “*?%” under Mirror Image? Even she, the user, couldn’t know the skill’s exact details…

It was completely absurd.

Still, there was no point getting hung up on it now. She could just find a chance to test it later.

Cynthia gathered her thoughts and lifted her eyes to glance at how her teammates were doing.

At some point, Richter had already dealt with his puppet. He was currently leaning against the edge of the arena, watching the show.

Sangmo and Eli also had the upper hand at the moment.

Sangmo’s expression remained unchanged, but Eli’s fighting spirit had clearly been stirred up. Every attack he made was a killing move.

As for Vernel, she seemed to be using the puppet, which was in the same realm as her, to train her own skills.

Seeing this, Cynthia gave up on her initial idea of helping them and decided to wait and see before choosing whether to intervene.

If things stopped going smoothly, she could lend them a hand then.

With that thought in mind, Cynthia leaned back in the corner, her gaze never leaving the arena as she analyzed all three of her teammates’ combat habits and details.

For example, Eli’s Spirit Weapon, the Lunar Ring, was not particularly common. It was highly flexible, suited for both close combat and long-range attacks. But Eli was obviously accustomed to aggressive close-quarters fighting and rarely attacked from a distance.

Sangmo leaned more toward the traditional mage type, skilled at ranged control, summoning, and the like.

Vernel’s Spirit Weapon took the form of the Azure Feather Bow, also a ranged weapon, but… she seemed more interested in attempting close combat.

Time slowly dragged on.

Suddenly, Ghost’s voice rang out. “By the way, since you’re all freshmen, why did you choose to train on such a remote deserted island? It isn’t within the academy’s jurisdiction. Isn’t that a little too risky?”

Cynthia’s attention was drawn to Vernel, who had abandoned the long-range attacks she was good at and chosen close-quarters combat, which she was not.

As her gaze followed Vernel, she did not forget to reply, “It wasn’t voluntary. Our personal instructor doesn’t seem to have any concept of what a freshman is, so what can we do?

“Of course, it’s also possible he wants us low-Sequence students to grow quickly in a high-pressure environment.”

Through their contract, Ghost could see what was happening outside. That blue-haired, purple-eyed man might always be smiling, but he truly did not look like someone easy to deal with.

“Your whole team is low-Sequence?” it asked curiously.

Cynthia replied lazily, “Yeah. All five of the bottom-ranked Sequences, not one missing.”

Ghost was somewhat shocked.

Bottom-ranked?

But judging from their performances so far, they did not look like low-Sequence students at the bottom at all. For their age, their star levels were not low either.

Could it be the result of hard work after awakening?

Unfortunately, almost seventy percent of a Sequencer’s upper limit was set from the moment they awakened. Hard work afterward only accounted for about thirty percent of realm advancement.

As for the upper limit of low-level Sequences… being able to break through to the sixth rank in one’s lifetime was already the limit of limits, not to mention they belonged to the lowest-level Sequences.

Ghost did not pour cold water on them. Its thoughts drifted away, and it blurted out, “There are exceptions to everything. I believe you won’t be stopped by the limitations of your Sequences.”

Where had this guy’s mind wandered off to all by itself?

Cynthia lifted her eyelids slightly and could more or less guess what it was thinking. Her emotions did not fluctuate much; she merely gave a faint hum in response.

Ever since Ghost learned it would not be destroyed, it had turned into a chatterbox. It rambled far too much.

But it was precisely because of that that, without actively investigating, she had already figured out what its identity had been while alive, as well as the exact location of the deserted island they had been on earlier.

St. Novis Academy of Magic was located in Sky City, a city suspended in midair above the Empire’s core sea region. The four major faculties were situated at the heart of the city.
The twelve subsidiary floating islands surrounding it were also academy territory. They covered an enormous area, and each was responsible for a different region.

According to the Ghost, the island where it had died truly was not under the academy’s jurisdiction.

It was nothing more than one of the most remote abandoned islands among the countless islands in the sea beneath Sky City.

As for the Ghost itself, it had also been a student of the magic academy while alive.

But during the end-of-term break in its second year, it had gotten bored and chosen to venture onto a deserted island alone. What followed was the death story it had told them earlier in the cave.

There was no conspiracy. The cause of death had begun with simple “curiosity.” Perhaps that was also why it had not become a Vengeful Spirit, but a Ghost instead.

Of course, its own personality had probably played a part as well.

Cynthia leaned against the railing at the edge of the arena and said nothing more, waiting for the match to end.
Another half an hour passed.

Eli won first, followed by Vernel, and finally Sangmo.

Only when it was over did Cynthia withdraw her gaze.

She opened the Light Screen and glanced at the time. There were still ten hours left before the deadline Griffin had set.

Hopefully, this time, it was really over.

–

In the distance, Griffin took in their every movement.

He casually recited a spell, and everyone returned to the classroom.

Griffin reclined in the rotating magic chair behind the lectern, legs crossed as he looked over the five people below with an appraising gaze.

Even the false gentleness that had floated on the surface earlier was gone. His languid attitude made him impossible to read. “If someone didn’t know better, they’d think I’d asked you to fight some kind of one-on-one match. How wonderfully in sync you all were, only caring about yourselves.

“Are you going to do the same in future competitions? Only care about whether you win or lose, and ignore whether your companions live or die?”

Before entering the academy, Eli had never known what phrases like “reading the room” or “enduring in silence” even meant.

Earlier, when they had returned from the deserted island to the classroom and faced Griffin’s questioning, he had held himself back again and again, doing his best to remain silent like the others.

But now, with layers of dissatisfaction pressing down in his chest, he could no longer be bothered to maintain any superficial courtesy.

“Does it matter whether we helped or not?” Eli was in such a foul mood that he did not even bother controlling his expression. His brows were furrowed, and a mocking smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “It wasn’t a life-or-death duel. If someone can’t even handle an opponent of the same level, what’s the point of staying alive?”

When he was silent, he was a noble, aloof young lord. The moment he opened his mouth, he gained a hint of the unruly swagger of a delinquent villain.

“Besides, if we’re really going to trace where we learned to ignore whether our companions live or die… wasn’t that the first lesson you taught us, Teacher?”

The classroom fell into a brief silence because of his words.

Compared to Eli’s undisguised aggression, Richter looked especially languid.

He leaned back in his seat, elbow propped on the desk, chin resting in one hand.

A harmless, gentle smile hung on his face. “It seems Student Eli is still not quite clear-headed after his nightmare in the Illusion Realm. I hope Teacher can forgive him.”

When Eli heard that, his mood turned even shittier.

He had already disliked Richter to begin with, and now that dislike rose straight into loathing.

He was just about to snap, What business is it of yours? when this teammate, who was usually so smiling that he seemed unbearably fake, continued in an extremely casual tone:

“However, if Teacher wants to see a touching display of mutual support and heartwarming friendship, you can set the rules in advance. That way, we’ll be able to cooperate with the performance.

“But questioning whether we were right or wrong after we’ve already won… seems a little ridiculous, doesn’t it?”

Forget Eli-even Vernel and Sangmo had never expected this guy, who usually only smiled cheerfully at Cynthia, to stand so righteously on his teammates’ side this time.

“…”

In the time it took Cynthia to take a sip of water, the situation had already spiraled out of control.

She no longer held any expectations for these two kings of clapbacks. They could snap at whoever they wanted.

She was only the captain in name. Before her strength surpassed theirs, she did not possess any decisive authority.

But how would the teacher react after being challenged?

Anger, disbelief, indifference, or disdain?