The Legendary Programming Mage

Boom!!

The thunderous sound of the ground splintering made nearly all the cadets turn their heads.

With a swift burst, both I and Ikenna lunged forward.

My mana control had advanced by leaps and bounds during the two days I trained with Beatrice.

And now, I was confident I was in no way inferior to the children who had been practicing mana for a year or more.

Agilely weaving past one examinee after another, I sprang into the air, vaulting over all of them.

During that training, she had taught me mana coating.

It was a fundamental technique of knights, but she had devised a version for mages, though according to her, no one except me had been able to master it.

Normally, when knights used mana in the form of aura, it fortified their inner body. Because of this, it was difficult for any trace of mana to manifest on them—except when they summoned their element.

For mages, they drew on mana to commune with the atmosphere. During that exchange, mana would seep out, forming something akin to an outer layer, though it usually wasn't stable.

Beatrice's technique, however, allowed both.

Strengthening the body while communing with mana.

It didn't exactly make me a knight, but my physical prowess was not lacking compared to theirs.

Plus, it just looked badass having an extra hue shimmer over your skin.

Shatter.

The moment I passed over twenty applicants and landed, web-like cracks appeared on the tunnel floor, but in an instant they sealed shut.

I bolted forward, my gaze locked on the people ahead.

Ikenna, whom I had lost sight of, suddenly reappeared in front of me.

He turned back to me and smirked. "Gay."

I couldn't help but grin as well and quickened my pace, letting "red flash" seep into the outer layer.

My speed instantly doubled, and the other applicants could only gape in awe as I left them behind.

『 User has activated Tier 9 spell: Distortion 』

Blink.

In a heartbeat, I vanished from sight and reappeared a few meters ahead. After one or two bursts, I blinked again.

After one more flicker, I reached Ikenna, who was using his light affinity to enhance his strides.

"Not bad, princess," Ikenna said, his tone teasing despite the strain in his breathing. "I thought you'd crumble after the first flash."

After a breath I answered, not sparing him a glance. "And I thought a prince like you would've stumbled on his robe by now."

"Ha!" He barked out a laugh. "Careful, or you'll make me think you're flirting."

Before I could snap back, the tunnel glowed crimson.

Tick! Tok!

(Red Light)

We froze instantly, as did the examinees behind us sprinting in groups.

Around us, the less disciplined faltered.

And as they collapsed to the ground or even twitched their muscles slightly, the walls fired.

Bullets ripped across the tunnel, cutting down dozens in seconds.

In an instant, the light shifted again.

Ring!!

(Green Light)

"You can sense it too, can't you?" Ikenna's voice rang out as we both continued our race.

I spared him a quick glance. "Yeah."

The interval between red and green was shorter.

Or rather, unpredictable.

If before one could calculate when red or green light would appear, now it seemed impossible.

The alternation of red and green only grew fiercer after that.

The flashes came faster, the pauses grew briefer.

This was no longer a test of speed, stamina, and courage, but of nerve as well.

Each stop was like a ticking time bomb.

Who would advance and who would falter?

Even the thought of that could make an otherwise composed person waver.

Miss the mark and die.

Even if it wasn't true death, it still meant their dreams of attending Apex were shattered.

Stress, pain, and burning lungs.

I felt them all.

I was a mage, after all, and unlike knights, I wasn't built for this shit.

But would I be called Allen Park, the legendary programmer, if I failed here?

No. The greatest aura farmer, and the one who drove a world into chaos, couldn't stop here.

I pushed harder, channeling mana through my body.

Haaaah…

My breath seared, legs screaming, but I kept my stride unbroken.

Haaaah…

Ding!

『 Allen Vanderbilt — 52 / 300 』

From a thousand participants, we were down to three hundred.

Tick! Tock!

(Red Light)

Everyone came to a halt like marionettes.

However, unlike before, I could now see an end to this.

A light at the end of the tunnel… literally.

Quincy was a distance away from me, around the top ten. Valentina was also among the top ten, and the rest of the faces I didn't recognize.

Even without turning back, the silence that lingered behind me was enough to tell the story.

In this round, not a single bullet was fired.

Beeeeep!

(Yellow Light)

"This is the last round, huh?"

Edo Ikenna, just a few steps ahead of me, muttered.

I inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. "No take backs, Edo."

"Right back at you, princess."

As the yellow light began flickering, the voice of Miss Evelyn rang out:

"Well done, all of you!"

She paused briefly and continued.

"The three hundred knights and mages standing here now have displayed your talent, speed, stamina, and control. But strength is one thing…"

Her voice lingered, like a knife on the skin. "…and perception is another. Now, tell me, can you distinguish between reality and illusion?"

The tunnel suddenly groaned.

Walls twisted and cracks spidered across the ground, platforms crumbled, and shadows spilled from the corners.

The once pristine tunnel became a ghostly ruin, its walls scarred and weathered as if centuries had passed in a heartbeat.

The air itself grew heavy, pressing down like an unseen weight.

Grrr! Grrr!

The sounds of monsters at the end of the tunnel echoed around us.

And the light began flickering like a horror film.

Sylvia's voice echoed once more, soft and merciless.

"In this jungle called Apex. We don't want weaklings, but the best of the best."

Her voice suddenly turned sinister.

"Now devour yourself, so only one will stand at the top. Only that one person will be the true Apex—and your god."