NOVEL NEXT Chapter 28: GLANCE AT POTENTIAL
Evelis's robes swept like shadows as he stepped beyond the barrier.
And for just an instant, Eran eyes glanced not at Evelis, not at Miyu, but at Selene.
Her emerald gaze caught his, and something unspoken flickered. She had that same stillness, that unmovable face… yet deep in her stare lingered a weight.
Don't fall too quick, it seemed to say. If you shatter now, everything will be for nothing.
Eran smirked faintly, lowering his gaze, but his chest was still tight with the memory of her voice in the dark, her trembling body under his hands. The way she whispered his name still lingered like a brand.
The system hummed alive in his skull, its cold script cutting through his thoughts:
[ MANA SURGE STAT : 8000/10000 ]
NOTICE: Stabilization remains bound to foreign source. Surging beyond this threshold risks exposure.
His lips curved. Exposure, huh?
Across the chamber, Selene still lingered, her eyes darting to him longer than anyone else might notice. Watching, weighing.
But then Nyssa's hand brushed lightly at her sleeve, her warm voice cutting in like spring through frost.
"Don't worry about your students, Selene. You have me here."
A tugged smile played across her lips one soft enough to disarm, yet sharp enough to sting.
Selene's gaze broke away.
And within the barrie glow, Eran tilted his head down, system pulsing again as he scanned the rattling death-marches before him.
{SCAN. }
[ SYSTEM INITIALING.... COMPLETE ]
[Unit: Necromantic Skeleton x6]
[Mana: 4000/4000 each]
[Weakness: Surged disruption / fracture nodes (neck, knee, chest core)]
A long sigh left him, quiet, hidden beneath the growls of the risen.
Six corpses with mana bound into their bones. Something I could shatter with a flick… if I wanted to. But no. Not here. Not yet. Let them see me small, pathetic, desperate.
The dead advanced, their sockets flaring with green light.
And then her voice cut through.
"You."
Miyu.
Her tone was sharp as a blade, eyes snapping toward him, lips tight.
"I've been watching you."
He blinked at her, feigning confusion. "…What?"
"You hide something." Her glare did not waver. "Don't think I haven't noticed. that mana that surged through you and made a wild spark wasn't just from professor. You mask yourself. And don't..." she jabbed a finger at him, furious color already rising in her cheeks.. "don't think I'll shield you now."
She turned sharply, hair whipping over her shoulder, face angled away with a violent little hmph.
The other boy beside them snorted, but it was hollow his stance was already trembling as the skeletons crept closer, claws dragging sparks across the ground.
Eran lowered his eyes, smirk ghosting at the corner of his lips.
Hide, is it?
The system purred, countdown flickering faintly in the edge of his vision.
[WHISPER OF of SUGGESTION: READY...]
TARGET: Miyu
Countdown: {...Active (01:59)}
He flexed his fingers once, letting the tension coil, letting the storm circle under his calm face.
The skeletons snarled louder.
And then lurched forward, their bones creaking like grinding stone. Six shadows, six hollow eyes burning with necrotic flame.
The first boy, his face sharp with arrogance, mana already flaring, stepped out in front. His hand glowed, veins of blue light crawling up his arm as his core surged into his palm.
"Watch," he muttered under his breath, grin spreading wide. Mana condensed, snapping, sparking. Then fwoosh! — an armor-blade formed around his arm, its edges etched in radiant script, humming with power.
Gasps rang across the other nobles.
"Is that… a full-arm manifest?"
"Hah! He's showing off already."
"Typical noble's son always first to jump."
The boy straightened, basking in the awe. His smirk grew wider and his chest puffed.
"Easy prey."
With a roar, he charged the nearest skeleton, swinging with all the grace of a tavern drunkard.
The skeleton nearest growled, its jawbone cracking as if mocking. With a wide sweep, the boy slashed. Mana screamed across the air SLRAAASH!!
The blade connected...
A crack, the skeleton's arm went spinning off into the dust.
Gasps spread through the watching students.
"Did you see that?!"
"He… he actually broke it!"
"He's actually holding against Evelis's summons !"
The boy spun halfway around to throw Miyu a smug grin. "See that? One down."
But Eran only tilted his head, standing a step back, letting his lips twitch into the faintest smirk. The system purred quietly:
SCAN / OBSERVATION!
[ Target Mana: 4000/10000 ]
[ Current State: 3100/10000 ]
[ Output Drain: Reckless ]
[ Efficiency: Poor ]
Eran's lips tugged at the corner. He's burning half his tank in one swing. Idiot.
And just as the boy whirled to flash another grin back at Miyu , the skeleton lunged.
Its head swiveled with a creak, hollow sockets burning. It lunged its other arm locking around his glowing blade-arm.
"EH..WHAT—?!"
CRRRK!
The bones snapped his shimmering mana construct like a glass, sparks scattering into the air. The recoil sent him sprawling back into the dirt.
SILENCE
And Then snickers. One noble girl slapped her hand over her mouth but failed.
"Pfft.. did you see his face?"
"Half his mana gone, and all for a bones handshake!"
"Hahaha... 'This'll be over quick' he said
Miyu's lips twitched, her pride battling her composure, "Hmph. If you're done embarrassing yourself, step aside."
Eran? He simply folded his arms, smirk hidden beneath lowered eyes.
Showboating without thought. Now everyone sees the truth , he's nothing more than fodder for Evelis's pets.
The barrier buzzed faintly with their laughter. As he scrambled up, face redder than his mana glow, sputtering, "I... It slipped!"
The skeletons hissed, stepping closer, bone-claws dragging sparks again as they snarled, their jagged teeth clattering as they lunged at the boy still fumbling with his broken mana blade.
But before they could reach him...
FWUUUM!
Miyu stepped forward, her palm opening gracefully. A wide blossom of violet mana flared into existence at her feet, blooming outward like a cursed flower. The chamber pulsed. A humming ripple carved itself into the air before the skeletons, spinning into a circuit-shaped mirror that glowed with unearthly light.
The two nearest skeletons screeched as their bones rattled violently.
Then... VROOOOOOMMM!!
A shockwave ripped through them. Bones were hurled skyward like they'd been caught in a gust of furious wind. Skulls flipped, femurs spun like tossed sticks, ribs scattered across the barrier. By the time the ripple dimmed, two skeletons had crumbled to dust.
The others turned their hollow sockets toward the remains of their fallen partners, as if confused.
The nobles outside gawked.
"What… what was that?"
"Did she just turn them to powder?"
"Impossible. That was a grade C strength!"
Even Eran blinked, his mask slipping for the barest second. That wasn't just raw mana. She… folded the field itself around them.
The boy, still trembling in place, stared back at Miyu as if she'd grown horns. His hands shook so badly he nearly dropped his remaining mana sparks. "H-how… what..what was that…?"
Miyu, eyes closed in calm focus, didn't even spare him a glance. One hand still raised, her voice cut smooth and cold:
"Step aside. You'll only get in my way."
The chamber went dead silent, until a ripple of whispers swept the nobles outside. Shock. Admiration. A touch of fear.
Eran couldn't help but let the corner of his lips curl. She really doesn't play small, does she? His lips curled into a deeper smirk, hidden beneath his calm façade. After all… it seems I really do have a great noble by my side.
Around the barrier, the chamber still buzzed in stunned awe. Whispers tangled like fireflies:
"Unbelievable…"
"That's Velmeirion blood, no doubt about it!"
"Did you see the resonance flare? That's beyond ordinary!."
Evelis' crimson-gold eyes lingered, then shifted toward Selene. His voice carried both amusement and weight.
"You really do have a fine student there, Professor."
Selene's head tilted with quiet grace, her lips tugging upward in the faintest smile. "She is the top of my class. Did you expect less?"
The crowd's whispers grew louder, prideful cheers swelling among the nobles as the name Velmeirion rippled through their voices.
For a brief instant, Evelis' expression darkened at the mention, his gaze sharp as though trying to read something beyond what was seen. But with a flicker of his robe, he snapped the thought away, turning back to Selene.
On the opposite side, Nyssa's soft laughter threaded into the air. She adjusted her glasses, eyes narrowing in approval.
"A promising talent indeed," she said, her faint smile tugging wider. "That's more than potential... it's bloodline in bloom."
The nobles nodded, still murmuring, their gazes caught between Miyu's still form in the barrier… and the boy who had yet to show his hand.