My Magical System

Marco moved the instant the referee's voice faded.

The flame hovering above his palm expanded violently. With a simple flick of his wrist, half a dozen blazing fireballs shot toward Eman like cannon shells.

There was no chant, nor lengthy incantation. Not even a magic circle. It was as if fire itself favored him.

And everything happened in an instant.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The explosions erupted across the courtyard one after another, sending pillars of fire soaring into the sky. Intense heat swept across the arena, forcing many spectators to instinctively shield their faces. Even from the veranda overlooking the courtyard, the Emperor could feel the scorching temperature.

"So this is the power of a summoned hero…" he murmured.

The Imperial Knight Captain narrowed his eyes.

"Chantless casting…"

Ordinary mages required several seconds, sometimes even minutes, to complete powerful spells. The stronger the spell, the longer the chant.

Heroes, however, completely ignored that limitation.

Their Divine Blessings allowed them to cast spells almost as naturally as breathing.

It was an unfair advantage.

Marco smiled confidently as he continued his assault. His hands became nothing more than blurs.

Every wave of his arm produced another barrage of flames.

Fire Spears.

Fire Arrows.

Exploding Fire Balls.

Each spell flowed seamlessly into the next without the slightest pause. It was as though the battlefield itself had become his playground.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

The entire courtyard trembled continuously. The high-level defensive barriers surrounding the arena shimmered every time an explosion struck them. Ripples spread across the invisible barrier like waves on water.

If those barriers had not existed, everyone present knew exactly what would have happened. Half the palace courtyard would have been reduced to ashes.

The Emperor silently watched the relentless bombardment.

"Those barriers were a wise investment."

The Knight Captain nodded.

"Without them, the damage would have been catastrophic."

Meanwhile…

Eman continued moving. He couldn't attack. He simply dodged.

Every blazing projectile narrowly missed him. And sometimes he sidestepped. Sometimes he leaned backward by mere centimeters.

Sometimes he sprinted across the battlefield just before another explosion consumed the ground where he had been standing.

From the audience's perspective, he looked completely overwhelmed.

"He can't even fight back!"

"He's only running!"

"Marco has complete control of the battle!"

The other heroes gradually became convinced that the outcome had already been decided. Even the princess and the other spectators also thought so.

Everywhere they looked, there was only Fire, Smoke, and Explosions.

The arena resembled an active volcano. Even experienced palace knights found themselves sweating under the intense heat.

Marco laughed.

"So this is the famous academy's level?"

To Mina and Princess Liya, who both came from the same academy, they couldn't agree to what Marco said. After all, in the academy, there were people who were truly talented, and Eman wasn't even in the list of strongest students in the academy.

However, seeing Marco's chantless and powerful fire magic, they couldn't help but agree that heroes are truly on a different standard. That was the power of individuals favored by heaven.

Another volley of fire erupted from both of his hands.

"Hehe! Take this and this!"

Hundreds of smaller fireballs filled the air before raining downward like blazing meteors.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

The explosions merged together into one deafening roar. Dust and smoke completely swallowed Eman.

Many spectators could no longer see him.

"I think it's over."

"There is no way anyone survived that."

"I can't even see the academy student anymore."

Several heroes folded their arms with relaxed expressions. One of them shook his head.

"The difference is simply too great."

Another hero sighed.

"This world's magic really is lacking."

"No wonder they had to summon us."

"If this is their level of strength…then they never stood a chance against even low level demons."

Several heroes silently agreed.

Although Marco enjoyed showing off, none of them doubted his strength.

His Divine Blessings were genuine. He possessed an overwhelming affinity with the Fire Element. Combined with chantless casting, his combat ability far surpassed ordinary mages.

What's more terrifying about them as heroes, they almost never ran out of mana due to their divine blessing known as Supreme Mana Regeneration and Higher Mana Pool.

One hero quietly remarked, "The difference in power is overwhelming."

Another nodded.

"That's exactly why we're called heroes. We are the heavens' chosen."

"There is no way the heavens would send useless saviors."

Those words earned murmurs of agreement from the surrounding spectators. Even many palace guards unconsciously nodded.

The heroes possessed powers beyond common sense.

Their existence alone inspired hope.

Meanwhile…

Princess Liya folded her arms while watching the battle.

A playful grin slowly appeared on her face. She glanced sideways at Mina. Her older-sister figure looked noticeably anxious.

Mina's eyes never left the battlefield. She tightly clasped both hands together. Her heart pounded with every explosion.

Although she believed in Eman, the overwhelming display before her eyes was enough to shake anyone's confidence.

Princess Liya leaned closer.

"Still believe he'll win?" Mina remained silent.

Her lips pressed together. She simply continued staring at the smoke-covered arena. Seeing that expression, Liya smiled even wider.

"It seems your confidence is wavering, Big sis."

"…"

Mina still refused to answer.

Deep inside, she wanted to trust Eman completely.

Yet even she had to admit, the hero's display of power was terrifying.

Meanwhile, the Emperor rested one hand on the railing.

"It appears the duel will end sooner than expected."

The Knight Captain slowly nodded.

"Unless the young commander has another trick prepared…"

The emperor smiled silently then shook slightly. "Do you know why I trusted that kid so much?" He said.

The Knight Captain looked confused for a second.

Without waiting for his reply, the emperor said, "You'll find out soon."

The battlefield suddenly became strangely quiet. Marco lowered both arms. The smoke slowly drifted across the ruined courtyard.

He smiled confidently.

"Don't you think it's over. It's just a warm up."

There was no response. No movement. Just silence. The spectators stared toward the center of the arena.

Many believed Eman had finally collapsed. The referee also looked toward the smoke, waiting for it to clear enough to confirm the result.

Then…

A calm voice echoed through the courtyard.

"Stop."

The single word instantly silenced everyone.

Marco frowned.

"…What?"

The referee suddenly raised his hand.

"Stop!" He said again. His voice echoed across the courtyard. "The duel is over!"

Everyone turned toward him in confusion.

"The winner…"

He pointed toward one side of the arena.

"…Is the academy student!"

"…What?"

Everyone looked dumbfounded, wondering if they heard it wrong. Every spectator froze.

Marco's smile disappeared. He wondered if the referee was joking. Stopping the match while he was still about to enjoy was one thing, but saying he lost was unforgivable.

"What did you just say?"

The referee swallowed.

"The winner…"

"…is the Academy Student."

Confused murmurs erupted everywhere.

"What?"

"Did I hear that correctly?"

"How?"

"That's impossible!"

Princess Liya's playful smile vanished. Her eyes widened in disbelief. She also believed the referee made a mistake.

"Huh…?"

Even Mina blinked in surprise. Not because Eman had won, but because she hadn't seen how.

The Emperor straightened slightly, his smile deepened.

The Imperial Knight Captain, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes.

He hadn't understood what had just happened, but seeing the emperor's smile, he wondered if he missed something.

Even the summoned heroes wore stunned expressions. They had watched Marco dominate the battle from beginning to end.

The opponent never launched a single attack. He had done nothing except evade. So how had the referee declared Marco lost?

As the smoke slowly dispersed, all eyes turned toward the center of the ruined courtyard, waiting to uncover the answer hidden beneath the haze.

Then as the dust slowly settled, a lone figure gradually became visible. Eman stood quietly at the center of the courtyard. His posture was completely relaxed. His academy uniform remained neat. Not a single burn mark. Not even a scratch or the slightest sign of injury could be found on his body.

It was as though the devastating bombardment had never touched him.

Marco frowned.

"What kind of joke is this? I didn't lose, I was the one attacking the whole time!" Marco glared at the referee.

The referee calmly looked at him.

"Hero Marco."

Marco frowned deeper.

"What?"

The referee slowly raised one finger.

"Look at your body."

Confused, Marco lowered his head.

And then…

"…What?"

His expression instantly froze.

Small holes as big as coins covered his clothes from head to toe.

His sleeve, chest, pants, even his nipples area were riddled with countless punctures.

Although there wasn't a single drop of blood, the exposed skin beneath those holes had become noticeably swollen, as though countless invisible impacts had struck him simultaneously.

Marco instinctively touched one of the swollen spots.

Just then, pain shot through his body. His pupils immediately contracted.

"When…?"

His breathing stopped.

"When did I get hit?"

The surrounding spectators finally saw it as well.

Gasps echoed one after another.

"His clothes…"

"They're full of holes!"

"What happened?"

"When was he attacked?"

"I didn't see his opponent cast a single spell!"

Even the other Heroes lost their composure. Every one of them replayed the battle in their minds. Marco had maintained complete offensive pressure from beginning to end. His opponent had appeared completely overwhelmed.

So how? How had Marco been struck dozens of times without noticing?

And more terrifying…

No one seems to notice it.

The tiny holes in Marco's clothes could just as easily have been holes through his body if the attacker intended to kill him.

For the first time since arriving in this world, the summoned Heroes were at a loss.

Eman calmly walked in front of Marco and extended his hand.

"Good match," he said calmly.

Seeing it, the emperor fought the urge to jump in excitement. Well, he needed to maintain his image.

The Imperial Knight Captain still could not understand what had just happened. But one thing for sure… this young commander was truly a monster. A terrifying one.