Chapter 63: Race

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Quickly, Fang started to focus the energy to his feet, and in what seemed like a blink, appeared in front of Mart. It should be at least a 30% increase in speed, he thought.

On the other side, Mart looked in disbelief – even magicians attuned to the wind couldn’t move as fast as his opponent just did. A small bit of doubt rose up, only to be discarded as he hastily backed up, conjuring up a wall of rock, studded with spikes in front of him.

Fang’s advance didn’t stop though, and energy covered his shoulders as he rushed viciously at Mart.

The bystanders couldn’t see through the thick cloud of dust, and some of the students called out in alarm, yet Mii wasn’t one of them. After all, it was just two months ago that Fang defeated William in an unexpected victory; she held complete trust that he’d come out unscathed.

Mart sneered at the dashing figure, and watched arrogantly as the glowing figure grew closer and closer. There wasn’t a chance that a person could break through a wall of stone like his.

Bang!

One person skidded across the uneven ground while the other stood proudly. But that person wasn’t Mart – it was Fang!

Shock filled the surrounding crowd as they couldn’t believe their eyes. How strong would a person have to be to break through a wall, and a magical one at that?

Coughing, the crawling figure struggled to get up from the ground when suddenly, gravel flew into his mouth.

In front of him, a boot met his eyes as Fang stared at him.

“I’ve said that there’s nothing between me and Scarlett, but, do you still think so?”

Mart’s face instantly paled, obviously, the opposite party absolutely wasn’t weak. Like some sick joke, it was only two moves within a small time that utterly defeated him.

This was the first time Tracy had seen Fang display his strength, and it left her almost speechless. “Fang, you’re so strong – I didn’t expect you could take down one of the top students in our class.”

A small sweat broke out as she found out how powerful he was.

Fang smiled lightly, “He was a bit negligent, that’s all.”

She looked strangely at him, as she wondered why he chose to attend that institute with his current strength.

As she turned her attention to the present, determined to ask some questions, Fang had already grabbed Mii’s hand and left the entrance quite swiftly.

Regarding the result of the match, Fang was satisfied. Although he knew that the Meteor techniques were extremely strong, it was a single risky hit for success. However, since all his abilities were enhanced now, he felt a lot more confidence in his strength; he should be able to contend against those that had infused their energy with elements.

If he were to fight William again, Fang was sure that without using Meteor Shower, he could solidly defeat him!

---

Scarlett’s words had left a constant pressure on Fang, who sighed. To avoid fights like the one with Mart, he waited a lot farther out from the institute for Mii before heading off to the city, and stayed discrete during the following weeks. As the days passed by, the interest mostly died down.

With this, the semester came to a close.

---

After the morning classes had ended, a familiar figure entered the room.

“Students, this weekend’s break has been canceled.”

Cancelled?

Loud voices filled the room in an uproar! Although the students were diligent in their practice, they still looked forward to the few days they could relax and forget about the difficult studies at the college.

Hershal waved his hand to stop the clamoring, and smiled slightly. “I believe everyone wouldn’t have any complaints though; the institute has come across quite a stroke of fortune. The federation has agreed upon letting the students from the institute into the energy fields for the next two months, and to save time, we’ll be taking the weekend to travel to the destination!”

As his voice fell, the class grew really excited.

Throughout the land, there were natural energy rich places that the towers constructed tried to mimic with the rare materials. However, it couldn’t compare to the constant, dense air that spread through the vast area – it was like being bathed in energy medicine continually. Of course, because of these properties, the areas were highly valued by the country.

These fields were usually protected, and trespassing into one regardless of status was deemed to be a serious crime. Since the country had claimed the known areas, they were occupied by the military and the average person would never set foot in the fields.

Once again though, the teacher waved his hand for silence. “We will not be heading to the fields alone though, we’ll also be coming with the magic academy near the city. I hope everyone can treat them courteously, and get along.”

The magic academy?

Surprised fluttered across the faces in the class, as the two famous institutes around Minuet City were indeed the Garden College and the magic academy, but the relationship between the two wasn’t good at all. The students from magic academy in the past had always looked down at the students from Garden College, and the hostility had grown to the point where the students would struggle to carry out a courteous conversation to each other.

There was bound to be tension!

---

From Garden College, the distance to the energy fields was about three hundred kilometers through a winding set of roads. It was remote, yet not far enough to warrant an escort of wind masters for the students.

As dew rolled off vibrant leaves in the chilly morning, a cleared area was slowly growing in size as students arrived in groups.

Shortly as the area seemed to have settled down, an elderly man walked up a platform and faced the crowd. “We will be heading towards the fields by foot as a group. However, if you feel confident that you have the strength, you can go ahead and race towards the fields. Those that manage to arrive within the first fifty will receive a scholarship as a reward.”

Scholarship?

Fang’s eyes shone brightly.

Hearing that there was a sum of money offered, he immediately grew excited. Although he currently had Valeria’s support behind him to afford the costs of precious, rare medicines, he didn’t want to rely too heavily for everything – it just didn’t feel right to him.

With the last set of words, some members of the crowd eagerly started to rush off.

Fang turned to Blue in a somewhat sorry manner. “Blue, I want to achieve the scholarship so…”

Before he could finish, Blue stared at him, ill-humoredly. “So you want to head off first without me right? You shouldn’t be arrogant, don’t think I’m so weak I can’t catch up to you! I’m also interested in the scholarship; let’s see who can get one first!”

A few seconds later, Blue had already set by a distance of twenty meters.

Fang sighed. He seemed to have set off his roommate once again, and shrugging in helplessness, he started to run after him.

---

This competition was all about endurance rather than speed, and the difference in how much energy people had was clearly shown after a couple of moments.

From behind was Fang’s class – though they had the effort, they were placed in that class for having the lowest strengths in the year. The main point was to keep a steady pace, and consume just enough to reach the destination in time, else the sudden loss of energy would leave them stranded far behind.

In front of that class were the regular classes in first year from Garden College. Their levels of energy were better, but not outstanding.

Then, leading second was the top class in Garden College, closely followed by the students from the magic academy. The use of magic definitely was different from how the energy was used by the other students, putting them ahead.

However, in first were the few excellent students from each institute.

The peace was disturbed quickly enough by two distant figures that closed the distance frighteningly fast.

“I haven’t seen those two before, are they from Garden College?”

“Look at their emblems; they’re from the lowest class.”

“Those people are really stupid, spending all their energy now. They’ll have no chance to even arrive at the finish at that rate!”

Although the majority of voices were unfriendly, filled with jeers, not everyone seemed to view them in a despising manner.

In seeing Fang, they soon realized that it wasn’t an accident, but an actual threat to the race!

William was one of the few that knew it wasn’t a fluke. The memories of that fated competition came up to mind, where he had been defeated from the high amounts of energy that Fang had in store even at a lower rank.

However, once he looked again, he was puzzled. Who was the figure next to him? He shuddered to think that there could be someone else as strong as Fang in that class…

“Fang!”

An intimate, bright voice rang out as a slender girl separated from the crowd and came towards him.

“Mii?” Startled, Fang faced her.

Although magicians were strong, they were generally not very strong physically, therefore, he didn’t expect to see Mii up here so far in the front.

Instantly, he realized that she was probably pushing herself for the scholarship, and worriedly asked, “Are you sure you’ll be fine at this pace Mii?”

She returned the question with a smile, “Yes, I’m pretty confident I can maintain this speed for the entire journey.”

Still, his doubts weren’t fully cleared, but before he could talk, Blue interrupted, “Fang, you’re worried about nothing, take a look under her feet.”

Fang turned to look, and surprise spread across his face as every step seemed to bounce right off the ground, leaving behind no dust as she moved forwards.

Blue curiously said, “Mii, you’re using the alleviate magic? Not very many people study this.”

“You’re right,” Mii replied in astonishment. Both sides of magic and non-magic users didn’t pay attention to each other’s techniques, so she was quite shocked to hear Blue identify what she was using.

Alleviate magic was a category of magic that could reduce the weight of anything, and didn’t use a lot of power. It wasn’t easy to grasp, and the applications of it was looked as being limited, since wind magic could accomplish the same type of acceleration without as much effort.

However, there was a deeper application that most people weren’t aware of that classified it from being far from useless. It could be superimposed upon other magic, and the consumption was low, so once mastered with other speed magic, it was unparalleled.

“At the current rate that I’m casting the magic, I’ll reach the fields just in time before it depletes.”

The group started to head forward again as Fang looked peculiarly at Blue. Even though he had thoroughly studied the laws of energy that was present throughout the world, he knew little about the actual magic that magicians could employ.

Blue noticed the stare, and was quite pleased.

As they started to pull ahead, someone swiftly found out who the figures were.

“That guy definitely isn’t from our school, but how come he’s with Mii?”

“Isn’t that guy the same one that meets her every week in front of the academy?”

“His name is… Fang? The person that Scarlett liked?”

“Really? There must be a mistake, there’s no way he could be related with Scarlett and Mii at the same time.”

“No, I’m absolutely sure. It’s the same guy from Tracy’s birthday party!”

Hostility filled the air, but the students didn’t make a move as everyone continued to trek through the roads. After all, there’s no chance he could keep up his speed for even a hundred kilometers, he’d be completely exhausted by then!

However, Fang wasn’t there to show off – his only goal was to place in the top fifty and get that scholarship.

Subtly, the energy around quietly changed. As each foot hit the ground, the ground seemed to shake mysteriously around Fang.

Other people didn’t notice the minor change, but Blue quickly discovered the odd steps that Fang took.

It was too strange. Each step seemed to be the same distance, accurate within a centimeter. No matter if the ground was filled with gravel or grass, uphill or downhill, straight or curved, the distance was the same! His breathing was also perfectly synchronized with steps he took. His legs also were synchronized, and the height that his feet came up was exactly the same too.

Though everyone had their movement patterns, there’d be a definite change in how they’d step across varying terrain, and with the change, consume more energy than what’s exactly needed. Even if it is a single step, there would be countless steps across two hundred kilometers!

She remembered the exact words her father had said, a stable rhythm was a signal of mastery over energy, as it’d allow maximum use of one’s endurance.

Staring at Fang, she realized that this extremely abnormal rhythm persisted for each footstep, each inhale, each exhale, the relaxation and tensing of his muscles all unified.

This fellow actually knew the principles of the invariable road? Where does he learn all these things from?!

---

Graceful as a swallow, Mii seemed to glide lightly across the terrain, while Fang moved as if he was flying.

A hundred kilometers had already passed, and unsurprisingly, Fang hadn’t fallen behind. However, to the magic academy students, what was shocking was that the breathing Fang had was incredibly stable.

How could this guy not be weary at all this far?

Fang wasn’t the only source of discussion – his roommate also stood out as they seemed to be taking a leisurely stroll across the road.

Regarding Blue, even Fang was surprised. “Blue, I didn’t know that you had so much endurance!”

“Don’t you remember what I said earlier?”

Fang lightly coughed, “Don’t be angry, it looks like we’ll both get that scholarship!”

---

With the mark of another hundred kilometers, the race only had a hundred kilometers remaining. Gradually, various people had stopped entirely, taking a breather and temporary resting until they could continue again.

Blue, Mii, and Fang still kept their speed, not slowing down at all.

The glaring sunlight broke through the winding branches of a forest as the air grew warmer and warmer. For the stretch of a hundred kilometers, the numbers from a hundred had trimmed down a couple of dozens in their surroundings, most falling back.

There was no way though to know if they were within the top fifty or not, and so, the group continued onwards.

About forty kilometers were remaining, when suddenly, Fang turned to the two. “I’m going to head on ahead, good luck!”

By then, Mii seemed to be exhausted, sweating heavily and unable to go on, while Blue stayed behind as well.

Right now, she was a student from the lowest class, and even running near the front was quite remarkable. However, if she were to continue with Fang, there’s no doubt that her attempts to stay low key would be ruined.

---

One by one, Fang passed many students, until he estimated that there were about 20 kilometers remaining to the end.

Not far from him was a student that upon noticing Fang, stared maliciously at him, his eyes full of hostility.

Seeing those eyes, Fang was slightly surprised; though he definitely wasn’t liked by the majority of the magic academy students, the feeling he got from the opposite party was bitter hatred.

As they made eye contact, the male student smirked and slowly flicked up a middle finger at him.

This insulting gesture slightly enraged Fang.

He was just going about for a fair contest of pure speed – nothing happened at all, but the other person insults his family so brazenly?

Instead of attacking the other student, Fang concentrated and increased his speed higher, surpassing the student within seconds. The student gazed at the shrinking figure, before shaking his head and speeding towards Fang.

Soon enough, the man caught up to Fang and closely trailed behind, pushing each other to their limits as only ten kilometers remained before the entrance to the fields.

---

Standing at the site, two elderly aged men stared at each other.

“Angus, I’m so sorry that not even a single person from your institute seems to be able to reach the top fifty, judging from the current results!” The elder was the same one that announced the competition earlier; the director of the magic academy.

Hearing the boastful claim coming out from the directory, Angus coughed loudly. “You don’t have the qualifications to despise Garden College, our institute have brought out some of the most talented people in history, more famous than anyone from your academy!”

“Some may have in the past, but Angus, do you naively believe that there’ll be more of those people in the present?”

“There might be one already.”

“Oh really? Let’s make a bet then, a hundred gold coins. If someone from your institute managed to enter the top fifty, I’ll give you a hundred, but if you lost, you’ll only have to give me ten. Doesn’t that sound fair?”

“Do you think I need pity? If I lose, I’ll gladly pay a hundred!”

“It seems I’ll make a heavy profit today.”

“More like a heavy loss, you can’t back out of this bet!”

“That’ll be impossible, I already know I’ve won with the talentless capabilities of your institute!”

While the two men were shouted angrily, another competition took place just closely outside the fields.

Nine kilometers, eight kilometers, seven kilometers… five kilometers – an abrupt gust of wind rose up below the male student’s feet as he accelerated swiftly at an unexpected speed.

No wonder his endurance was good; he was a specialist in the wind element!

Although it was the last vestiges of his energy, he was confident that he could arrive before Fang as the entrance grew closer and closer.

You think you could be faster than someone who specialized in wind?

There’s no chance at all.

At the time, a rapid sound of footsteps rang behind him, and as he looked behind, he saw that Fang was only a couple of meters away from him.

Is that Shadow Step?

He could use Shadow Step?

Seeing Fang closing the distance rapidly, the student tried to pull out more energy, but helpless, he didn’t have any left to spare. By the time a wisp of energy had reappeared in his body, Fang was only a meter away from the entrance.

“17th place, Fang from Garden College!”

Although Angus vaguely recalled that a student named Fang had defeated someone of multiple levels higher than him, he hadn’t paid much attention to the matter. However, just now, it wasn’t one of the prefects from the top classes, but him that managed to hit the top fifty!

Laughing, Angus looked at the dumbfounded man. “It seems I’ve won a hundred gold coins, thanks, you’re really a generous person!”

In shock, the director froze in place, thinking franticly. From his knowledge, Garden College had no students in the first year that unlocked the wind element as their affinity, and was not close to the strengths that the students at his academy were able to achieve. It was the reason why he could make the bet, but unexpectedly, someone made it in the top fifty, and not just that, the top twenty!

Moreover, that person didn’t contain wind affinity!

Who was this fellow?

With an unwilling heart, the elderly man handled over a hundred coins to Angus – never could he have expected that someone could reach the top twenty, and from that, be from the basic class.

But how could he have known that Fang had utilized compressed energy in that burst of speed!

Though the result left Fang quite drained of energy, he managed to beat the other student in speed, and on that, someone who had borrowed the power of the wind.

Limping forward, the wind student was depressed; he sent the guy a middle finger confident in his ability to win, only to be defeated shamefully!

“18th place, Bris!”

From the announcement, Fang kept in the mind the other’s name, he didn’t remember anyone with this name before, but he could never forget the malice that the other side showed.

Spitting viciously to the side, Bris gloomily looked at Fang before walking away.

Sighing, Fang put aside his thoughts and firmly recalled the position he obtained. At best, he thought he could reach within the thirties to forties, but it was a welcome surprise to realize that he reached 17th place.

---

People arrived one after another, but as the fiftieth person came through, Mii and Blue were nowhere in sight. Only after the 71st person did they arrived, respectively placing 72nd and 73rd, missing the line for the scholarship by a bit.

Mii appeared a bit disconsolate. “Sorry, Fang, I couldn’t manage to reach the top fifty.”

Fang patted her shoulders. “It’s alright, Mii, you tried your best.”

“Did you reach the top fifty?”

“Yeah.”

“Really?” Her face lit up.

He smiled at her. “I hit 17th place!”

“Wow!”

“That’s pretty decent.” In surprise, Fang looked at Blue.

“It’s a pity that you couldn’t hold out for the last section Blue, otherwise you would’ve definitely gained a scholarship as well.”

Do I look like I need your comforting?

Blue snorted, if she took it seriously, she’d no doubt reach first, beating the top student by at least two hours!