Cursed Explorer of the Arcana

Minutes stretched as I waited, poisoning the air with my own mana while breathing deep to be in top condition for the upcoming battle. Sitting at the heart of the island, peacefully on the little lake, I almost felt the distant eyes pinned on me all the way from the arena…

Maybe I should've run rampant out there a little more. Mathematically speaking, only… uhm, only a maximum of sev- no, eight students can make it here. Just a glance is enough to tell there's no hiding here. Whoever comes, we'll battle, and battle until nothing remains.

"I guess I could try to blow up the entire place…" I contemplate the option with all this mana on hand. "The pressure might take me down as well, though. We're confined in here, and the shock has nowhere to travel."

I don't even need Savant to point out such tidbits anymore. Planting a few inscriptions around the place is also an option, but I don't want it. Mana is more important right now, and I don't want to ruin my arch villain moment by leaving this spot.

My title, combined with me sitting here, waiting for worthy challengers… I hope the Fist pays extra for the wow factor. Waiting is boring, but this time it's worth it.

The first thing that breaks my otherworldly peace is not footfalls or the usual ruckus, but the pins of my chest jingling sharply. And to my right in the distance, the same jingle replies. It's just my educated guess… but somebody might've just arrived.

This function seems to ensure we don't drag out the match too long. But the noise is really damn irritating and only after the third jingle I already want to hurl the damn thing into the Abyss.

"No need to get hasty… They will come." Humming to myself, I keep waiting. Not without any extra precautions, though.

Grabbing a few larger pebbles from the bottom of the lake, I begin drawing onto their surface. Impact and boom, nothing fancy. Meanwhile, I listen to the distant jingles exploring the area, soon joined by another guest from the west.

They are impatient. There's no point in running around anymore, to maneuver and hide. What was supposed to symbolize a war across the lands has now narrowed down to a single battlefield.

"I guess cautious is their methodology…" I grow slightly bored with the weight as the seconds pass, and they keep running around like poisoned rats. Playing with the tension stays exciting only for so long. "If it were me, I would've tried eliminating the few already present before others arrive."

But that's just me.

Soon, another jingle joins. This third one doesn't act like the rest, though. It proceeds straight, moving unbothered by the storm of nerves… Right towards the island's heart.

Valka? Glass gi- Oh, right, her name was Aurora. Could it be her?

Waiting for a short while bestows me with an answer, which is a firm no. It's a dude, a really handsome dude, carrying a hefty longsword and grinning like a maniac. The necklace he wears proudly over his red and gold uniform bearing the mark of Turan, clutching his powerful frame, signifies that my opponent might have substantial real experience.

[Warrior lvl 144]

And it also matches his red eyes and bright blonde hair… Strong and good-looking is a terrifying combination. He's already in my top five.

"You do not disappoint, Tyrant." He addresses me with a voice that matches his looks and a smile that could kill. "While everyone else runs and hides, you shine the brightest." He approaches unfalteringly and inhales deeply. "Ah, you smell of battle and pride… I love it."

Maybe I'll allow him to talk a little longer.

"So what is your name, brave and foolish knight?" I ask, since only an utter moron would approach this blatantly. I could have traps lying all around… Heck, the air itself is a massive trap all around.

The boy bows deeply, as it is formal and reserved for welcoming nobility. "My humble name is Gustavo Telemon, son of Duke Telemon, the Second Wardens of the north." He raised his gaze. "Fair master of magic, you have caught my eyes… I want your hand!"

Huh? He has a pair of his own, why would he…

My brows furrow, and my mood sours immediately. "If that was a proposal, then start digging your grave or try again very fucking fast!" My voice comes out as a growl. "I'm not cheap!"

He might be the very first, and top-shelf good, without a doubt, but not like this and not now. Most definitely not now.

The grin on his face doesn't fade for a moment. "Then, if I defeat you and earn your awe, will you-"

But someone decides to speak now instead of remaining silent. Forever or for ten seconds.

"Step away from my bestie before I tear your junk off and shove it down your throat!" A white warrior, even more intimidating and pesky, arrives with another jingle. "I'm not on board with handing her off just yet."

No, Valka, that's not how this works. Besides, wasn't it the other way around about a year ago, when I technically owned you? Let me and the good stuff sort this out.

"That's right!" Another female voice speaks up from behind my back. "I've already reserved her for today. Get your hands off my date!" Auroral giggles playfully.

"What a shitshow…" I sigh, feeling embarrassed for everyone present.

A bell echoes again, followed by a reverberating rumble as the rest of the out island crumbles. The dome separating us from the world also disappears, leaving the modest glade and only a few of us.

This already makes us four, but I hear two others lurking around the edge of our dome. Our pretty boy seems relaxed, Valka's body is coiled and ready to rumble, while the glassy girl has enough mana spread around her to raise an entire building.

Are we all just waiting for someone to make the opening move?

"Oh, Gods above, you sent me an even more beautiful rose. You must be a daughter of Krieg, no doubt." Gustav turns his head towards my friend and stumbles her way. "Such fierce eyes, a body made for war, and a presence making my legs weak."

My thoughts vanish with a snap, and my eyes narrow down with poison. I already know who's gonna make that first move… and also know who's gonna get hit.

Val innocently shrugs under my withering gaze. She came to the rescue and found a target on her back instead of appreciation. Why is it always her, always!?

At last, I rise to my full height on my modest disk of ice, looking down on all present, despite being the shortest. Their reactions are cute, twitching like I'm about to bring the heavens down on them at any moment…

I double-tap with my foot, and the inscription spanning the entire clearing begins to flow in reverse. Instead of sucking in the mana as it has done until now, it begins to disperse like an enhanced, supreme version of my Ethereal Stage.

Aurora's eyes widen, noticing the phenomenon almost too late. By the time she begins to raise her defenses, when the others recognize their instincts scream danger, I simply reach my hands out… and clench my fists. The electricity does the rest.

All that yapping ruined my final villain moment. It was supposed to be cool and formidable, and instead it was I who felt my cheeks burning in the end… Damn clowns all of them! I'm not done here, and neither is my stage desolate until I say so.

With a deafening crackle, power sparks spread through the clearing, burning blindingly in the shape of shattering glass. Like thirty storms with me in the center, arcs dance endlessly, dozens of times each second. The efficiency is through the roof in my mana zone, and each and every bolt kicks as hard as Valka's punches.

Pretty boy goes flying first, embraced by residual power, while Valka hits the ground. She's already familiar with my methods and has a lighting Class of her own, this much won't be enough.

Glassy girl, though… Her glass cocoon shrugs off the sparks effortlessly, but it's evident her mana suffers in this foreign, oversaturated area. But yeah, glass is a good insulator, I kinda forgot that part.

"Then the next one…" I mutter and, with a wave, send the storm to rest.

Not fire, not ice, not earth, not wind… Actually, yeah, it's been a while since I used that, and Val definitely won't like it. To make sure I don't sound too out of tune, I clear my throat and lick my lips while both girlies get and try to counterattack.

But with a simple pinch of the air, all sound goes mute, and I open my mouth.

"WAAAAA!"

Who am I kidding? I can't sing. Screaming at the top of my lungs, though… I hope the distant audience can hear me loud and clear. Not me, though. My ears are sharp, and no horrid howl will damage my hearing with a wind bubble around.

Each piece of glass cracks, and a moment later, Valka falls to her knees, blood trickling from her ears. It's not my voice, it's the volume. Seeing how outstandingly this approach works, I go above and beyond, screaming to my heart's content.

Until I run out of breath, that is.

"Shit…" I dry wheeze, feeling like life has just been pulled out of my lungs. This was the greatest damage I've taken since the start of this tournament.

Valka is sniffing the grass properly, courtesy of her enhanced hearing. Glassy girl, on the other hand, looks only slightly disoriented, huddled up in the safety of her glass palace. She's not happy, and with the glass crumbling down, each shard turns towards me with its pointy ends.

Quantity is meaningless against me on this very glade, and in a moment, she learns just that. Enough water rises from the lake to be called a juvenile tidal wave, freezing in a snap to block the shards. Then it melts just as fast and sweeps all the glass away, accompanied by countless muted explosions, like a low, beastly growl.

"Who's next?!" With the meadow's peace ruined, I stare up at the skies and laugh. "Hehehe… Are you entertained, huh? Is this what you want to see?"

On my stage, I'm invinci-

A chain of literal lightning slams into my side with a deafening roar and sends me skipping across the water. Despite the shield, I still feel its bite. The shock prevents me from catching myself properly, and soon I find myself sinking.

And at that moment, I can't help but be gripped by dread.

It is terrifying, being unable to control my muscles while surrounded by only water. The breath got knocked out of my and my lungs already feel like they're about to explode. It's dark, cold… and it's temporary.

A parasite of panic is only as strong as its host is weak. So what if I can't swim up? So what if I might suffocate in seconds? So what if that hit should've broken my arm? I'm so not out of tricks, and so very ready to play dirty if that's what they want.

My consciousness spreads through the water with a calming pulse, turning the surface into a mirror. But I don't emerge right away, and instead pull an air pocket below. Although blurry, I can see beams of devastating light and swarms of glass flying above. The periodic silhouettes dashing into battle, as well as the angles of spells, allow me to make an educated guess…

At least four. Two mages, one warrior, and perhaps the last one as well. Valka is the main target, Aurora is blasting cautiously, likely at the end of her reserves; however, the light mage is using obscene amounts of mana.

I don't want to wait this out. If the battlefield shifts, I'll lose my mana zone. Not to mention, fighting amongst obstacles isn't to my advantage, and that last hit must've damaged my shield hard. I'm no Valka to take hits in the dozens.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Swift and decisive… that's the only way I can win this.

I'm already back in control and armed with spears of ice in the dozens. The moment another blast of light arcs over the lake, I propel myself upwards almost as fast as my proper flight.

Before my head even breaks the surface, I have already launched my surprise attack, all aimed at Aurora. She is currently preoccupied with fending off the light mage by utilizing her glass as countless prisms, with her back towards me.

That one, the lunatic throwing mana out the window in the form of intense light, is surprisingly an elf. His bright golden hair and darker skin made me question whether he is the same species as Dad. Nevertheless, the ears don't lie.

My self-proclaimed rival is just barely fast enough to react and shift her transparent defenses to block my ice. That's fine, though. The ice shatters, the water melts unnaturally fast, and seeps into the ground.

The protective glass dome begins to sink, and sink really fast under my careful guidance. Sadly, that's all the attention I'm able to spare for the glassy girl, since Gustave is already on me.

Before, he was engaged with Valka in a ruthless melee, with a certain greenskin acting as the third wheel. How the Federation recruited an orc into their team is a mystery to me, but the simple fact that she can pummel my friend in a fistfight is all I need to know. Valka's electricity and those damned chains of hers allow her some breathing room, but things aren't looking great.

The mouthy charmer also turns out to be more capable than he first seemed. A mist of red grows around his body, turning his eyes deep crimson as well. Its fluctuations are strong and without a proper pattern.

"More!" He yells in ecstasy. "Let us fight like there's no tomorrow!"

Charging my way, he swings his massive sword – compensating for something perhaps. Trusting Premonition's ridiculous forecast, I evade wide, and wisely so. The slash almost cleaves the tiny lake in two. The mist around him shrinks, but begins swelling against a moment later.

The strike is laughably obvious, yet if I had dodged a second too late, it might've even cut through my shield. Stepping on the water once more, I advance instead of stepping back. Such massive weapons are severely disadvantaged at close range, and despite my looks, I'm not exactly unarmed.

"Yes! Come!" And this lunatic is somehow looking forward to it.

With a ridiculously powerful leap, he crosses the distance between us while not even touching the water. He raises his sword to swing, and the red mist swirls around his weapon once more. But I act faster. The water reaches up and grabs both his ankles, pulling him below like a kraken. His swing turns into a flail.

But once again, I'm interrupted.

A beam of light as thick as a tree cuts through the water between us. The elf likely anticipated our clash and missed by just a hair's breadth. The lake boils, and Gustave frees himself before chasing after me with a wild grin.

Once again, his sword sails above the water, causing the lake to revolt and churn. Since electroction worked wonders the last time, I gather my dwindling mana in the air and create a similar discharge.

The mist eats it, shrinks, then grows thicker, as if devouring my spell. Left without any other options, I sink into the lake once again. The water is scalding, likely eating into my shield and still making my blood boil, so I emerge just as fast. Only to witness trees falling to the ground in the dozens…

The raging lake's surface reflects intense light in the distance behind my back. There are, in fact, two sources of intense brightness I notice, even though Solaire should be by his lonesome. That damned light mage has all those targets yet keeps sending an entire day's worth of sunshine my way over and over again.

Like a ragdoll, the water grips my waist and hurls me out of harm's way. My flight is smooth, and I catch a nearby tree's branch, just at the edge of the clearing. My rhythm is ruined, and I'm being pressured constantly. However, I think I've just discovered Gustave's little secret.

He still comes after me – maybe already rabid at this point – but I don't fight back in any shape or form. His sword lacks that certain ominous aura, so I just step back. He strikes again, and again, and again, but I only dodge, relying on perception to compensate for my lack of speed and power.

Step by step, we grow distant from the heart of the battle, which makes evading the rare few beams of light slightly more difficult. But it's worth it.

"Fight back! C'mon!" He bears his teeth while keeping up his aggression. "Don't be a coward!"

A piss-weak attempt at taunting me to go against my own interests. Both the mist and crimson light from his eyes are already fading, withering like the fighting around him. What my eyes perceive is no mana, or blood, or any other type of matter swirling around Gustav… No, it's simply the spirit and the flames of battle.

In short, he's a dedicated battle yunkie whom I don't ever want to meet on a large battlefield.

"Fight me!" Gustave stops finally and yells in frustration instead of excitement.

I purse my lips and answer. "No."

Recognizing he won't get the juice he needs out of me, the boy turns on his heels and begins rushing back towards the meadow. It's his only option to make good use of his Blessing, however… Turning his back on me…

A thrust of my hand sends lightning biting into his back. The handsome noble falls to his knees, struggling to even keep himself upright, and unable to swing when I walk up to him.

"You're not good enough for Val." I stare down at him and share my verdict. Reaching out my hand, flames, cyan, and devastating drip down from my fingers and eliminate the Turan scion. "Only four more to go." My pins jingle again. " Okay, okay, shut the fuck up!"

With that tantrum, I tear them off my chest and hurl them all into the greenery. But they keep singing with their merry, beautiful tone even after… Even when I no longer wear them.

"Uh… this will be nasty." I crack my neck, up for no good as usual.

My magic creates a new cursed marriage between soft dirt and a generous spark of eternity. I shan't bestow it a name, despite the brave task it's been given, because this will be the first and the last time we see each other.

"I don't need these anymore, so go and mess with them!" I plaster the blob of dirt with the shiny pins I've been faithfully gathering for an hour now. "Off you go!"

With the simple commands of Fly and Random Pattern, I've basically created a quick, rudimentary decoy. With that done, I dash in the opposite direction, going wide around the meadow to take care of the most bothersome opponent.

Even through all the foliage, each blast of light is almost blinding. Worse yet, there seems to be no end to them, almost as if the elf boy has infinite mana. Flashes and rumble… just the usual clamor I'm getting sick of.

Only once back at the edge ot the clearing do I discover the bizarre musical chair of a battle going on among the four participants. Aurora prefers to fight the elf, the elf mostly aims for the slower orc, and the orc can overpower Val, while my friend is basically untouchable by the glassy girl.

It's almost fascinating.

While catching my breath and observing every intricacy of the light magic, I discover something even more curious. Namely, the intricate prisms of glass made up of countless triangles, scattering the light. I'm already aware that light is just energy without anything solid, sort of like electricity… But it also scatters and changes color.

From the other end of the clearing, a distant jingle draws much of the attention. It's time.

I dash out of the bush and cross the distance in an instant, although not before being noticed by both the ord and… my white orc. Warriors of their kind have instincts sharp enough to sometimes be considered foresight or some odd sixth sense, so it's no wonder they both pivot to meet me.

"Wait for your turn! I'm here for the sparkly boy!" I yell loud enough for all eyes to fall on me.

Val remains cautious – she knows me, she knows things are never as easy as they seem – however, the orc comes at me with passion, right at the same time the elf points his finger my way. Light gathers, and a wall of green muscles approaches.

What I'm doing right now is a little stupid… on purpose, though, but still stupid. It's just that I also wanted to try it. Bending light, that is…

Mana trance skins my mind into a deep state of absolute concentration, and I gather moisture in the air behind the green one. I shape the droplets super-fine and stretch each of them with wind magic until they appear like ethereal lenses. In the dozens, within a fraction of a second.

Calculating the angles puts more strain on my mind than the actual magic, and I still fall short before the miniature Solaire erupts my way. Light travels in an instant, faster than thought, and almost too fast for me to admire my handiwork.

Light scatters and breaks; however, it's not a complete dud. I do manage to redirect most of the searing brilliance right into the nasty green creature's back. It staggers but refuses to fall. So I slap it, with some extra explosiveness in my palm.

Its face snaps sideways, and the orc falls to the ground. Looks like the shield wasn't quite enough…

Capitalizing on the chaos, Valka slams her fist into the thorns of glass surrounding Aurora, and she keeps pushing her advantage. I also rush forward to continue my offensive and shorten the distance.

The elf drags his hand across the air, and small feathers of light gather from the shining essence of daylight. They might look like feathers, but I don't want those things anywhere near me. Reaching out for the lake, I pull a small building's worth of water ashore and drown everything in my way. Elf, feathers, Valka… everything.

For good measure, a deadly discharge joins the water, just in case, before I take to the air.

When the water recedes, only a cocoon of light and a crystal dome are left behind. And of course, Valka, she's more resilient than either of those two. When the cocoon unfurls, the elf raises his arms towards the skies, and his eyes go completely black. Whatever he's planning, I don't like it.

Valka comes to the same conclusion, which is a blessing since I don't know how much longer I can sustain this battle. The white beast rushes with muscles coiled and ready to crush mountains, while I come down like heavenly fire. And that's when the skies above brighten.

The clouds above us crack, like fractured glass, before arranging themselves and covering us all in light. I have just enough presence of mind to raise the ground around me and hide under the dirt like a rat, away from the sunlight.

But it's useless. All I'm doing is making the oven to cook inside instead of the open fire.

The cracked mirror overhead concentrates the light even further, and I realize I might have only seconds left. Forced to work with what I have, mana focus comes into play again, causing my head to feel like it's about to explode. I use water again, this time freezing it instead before reheating and perfecting every surface.

Now, my ice is as clear as glass, but when the light meets it… The rays split. Red, purple, yellow, blue, and whatever colors the rainbow is supposed to have. Why? How? I have no clue. I always believed rainbows were some quirky, magical phenomenon, like mushroom rains.

Is it the angle? Light bends, and bounces, and what we see through the water is also a little odd, but… Light is only light. It's particles, it can't… It can't be something else as well, can it? All these colors make up white, differentiated only by… Not weight, I don't think light weighs anything, nor energy, because it doesn't depend on mana output…

Each of them comes out at different angles, meaning they bend differently. Each has its own will, its own weight in the world.

I also notice how colors ripple and overlap in patterns on walls, deviating from their original path as light is not a straight blade. It's like electricity… Polarized glimmers suggest it is a wave, not a line.

[The general Skill [Savant ] has reached lvl 133.]

No, no, no! Not now! Terrible timing!

[The general Skill [Savant ] has reached lvl 134.]

My ice prism lasts only for so long before beginning to melt under the intense heat. However, these moments are more than enough for Val to bash that arrogant face in. This isn't teamwork like that. Our interests merely aligned, and we happened to work together seamlessly.

Right away, the sky above restores itself, and I flop down on the ground like a sack of potatoes. That was ridiculous. I don't know who this chocolate knife-eared bastard is, but I can confidently say he'd likely beat me all alone.

"Not over yet…" I mumble and push myself up.

Val is also stumbling over the unconscious body, covered in sweat and skin as red as a well-cooked crab. And that redness isn't going away. Her endurance is ridiculous, but that mana of hers does have a certain limit.

I raise and hand and point at her. "Good one, but this one is mine." And light appears at the tip of my finger.

"No fucking way…" She chuckles to herself and accepts her fate. Light cannot be evaded.

[The general Skill [Savant ] has reached lvl 135.]

Both a wave and a particle, which shouldn't be, yet still travels in waves and packets called photons. And I knew it was related to lightning and magnetism, I fucking knew it. Photons and energy and speed, and what-

"ARgh!" I grasp my temples in agony. "Not yet!"

Because, although these two are down, there's still one figure standing in front of me… Shards of glass hover at Aurora's side as she takes in the smoldering remnants of the radiant clash.

"You're crazy, and not in a good way." She whispers and rolls up her sleeves. "I wanted to become a sculptor, you know. This isn't how it was meant to be, but I'm happy I came across you of all people."

Her voice only makes my head hurt more and more, but I still realize why she's keep yapping.

"You're out of mana." I grin viciously.

"And so are you." She mirrors my facade.

Well, I do have a fireball or two in me, but otherwise… yeah, pretty much.

I exhale and clench my teeth, raising my hands as Bennett has taught me once. I've been practicing close combat every now and then, but not without magic. This might be a first, actually.

With a sharp battle cry, we rush at each other. I punch, she kicks, we stumble and fumble… Our technique is sloppy and without any flair, but we fight like our lives depend on it. My head is killing me, which is the only thing holding back my superior attributes from grasping a quick victory.

We're mages, our combat is supposed to be flashy and glorious… But we're tired, exhausted even, and left without another choice. It's a little anticlimactic for sure – even I had a large boom and endless awesomeness in mind – but, in the end, this fits our tournament better.

It's all about endurance… To see who's the last one still standing in the end.

My fist meets Aurora's cheek for the seventh time, and the girl loses her balance. I jump at he opportunity and pin her to the ground, punching left then right, and left and right… Thinking is tiring, and so is punching, but I'll do a proper job if I've come this far already.

When my arms finally feel like falling off and I stop for a moment, she's already unconscious.

"You're lucky it was me and not Valka."

I want to just lie down and remain unmoving until everything stops hurting, but there's one more thing to do. And so I rise to my feet yet again, standing alone on the entire island and looking just as worn and torn as any of the losers.

"Satisfied?" I glance towards the sky and ask.

Right away, the loud echo of a fingersnap reaches my ears, and in that very moment, the waters of the isle are replaced by the stands of the colosseum.

"We have a winner!" The commentator announces, and the crowd erupts.

There's no way they'll get an interview out of me.