Half an hour passed, yet not a single person managed to land even one hit on Derek. He moved between the fireballs like water slipping through fingers, danced around the wind blades, and weaved past the ice bullets with effortless grace. Even Art had joined the fray, though his attacks barely counted. After all, he hadn't even reached F-class yet.

Eventually, Henry reached the limit of his patience.

"Come on, Derek! Stop being so damn slippery and attack a little, will you?" he shouted in frustration.

"Yeah!" Emma chimed in. "You've been dodging nonstop from the start!"

"You want this spar to end quickly?" Derek asked casually, still bouncing around like a grasshopper.

Eva let out a low chuckle, launching more ice bullets as she spoke. "My junior sure is cocky."

"If we lose, then we lose. But at least attack! Right now, it feels like we're fighting empty air," Henry complained again.

"If that's what you want." The moment he said that, Derek blurred. His speed spiked so dramatically that everyone only saw a streak of light.

In the next instant, Emma doubled over, clutching her stomach. Eva followed — her feet left the ground as she was blown back several meters, tumbling like a leaf caught in a storm.

Henry was next. He instinctively crossed his elbows to defend, but a fist smashed in from the side, sending him crashing into the wall.

Art was last. His legs trembled visibly as he sensed Derek approaching. He braced himself for a devastating blow.

And right then...

He felt someone standing behind him.

The next moment, he felt a gentle palm settling on his shoulder instead.

"Relax a bit, Art. Don't focus on the outcome. Focus on learning. You'll get there soon."

"Huff…" Art exhaled. "So I get special treatment, huh? Is it because I'm ridiculously weak?" he asked with a tired smile.

"Nope. It's because you're not ready yet. Once you are, you won't get off this easy either," Derek replied.

"Hahaha. Deal."

Meanwhile, Isabella stood frozen exactly where she was.

'He wasn't even going all out until now?

And… did my eyes deceive me, or did he just use Lightning Pace?'

Her heart thumped wildly. Nothing made sense anymore.

But aside from Isabella, no one else seemed shocked by the outcome. Everyone present had already witnessed enough of Derek's abilities to know just how terrifying he could be.

Even Emma, though a little surprised to see Derek use Lightning Pace, wasn't particularly stunned. After all, she had already seen him wield a sword with frightening proficiency despite being a cultivator. Compared to that, mastering a high-class movement technique didn't seem unbelievable at all.

She slowly stood up and straightened her posture. "You seem much stronger than before. What had you been doing?" Emma asked as she walked closer.

"Nothing special. I've just been training a lot lately, that's all."

"Nothing special, huh?" Emma shot him a weary smile. "I don't know what kind of 'special' you've learned, but your definition is definitely different from ours."

"W-was that… Lightning Pace you just used?" Isabella finally snapped out of her daze and blurted out.

"Oh? You know about it too?" Derek asked, genuinely surprised.

"Why? Am I not supposed to?"

"No, it's not that. It's just… you're a mage. I thought the technique I used was meant only for cultivators."

"It's true we rely mostly on long-range attacks, so movement techniques aren't very useful for us in direct combat. But some techniques are still mandatory. In dangerous situations, we might need to retreat, escape the battlefield, or escort someone to safety."

"Oh, that makes sense… And yes, that was Lightning Pace. I learned it recently."

"You learned it recently?" Isabella's eyes widened. "And you've already perfected it to that level?"

"Yeah."

"And how long have you been practicing it?"

"Six m—" Derek started, but Isabella cut him off immediately.

"Six years? That fast?! Impossible!"

"Y-yeah… maybe a bit more than that..... Around that," Derek replied, inwardly relieved he hadn't finished saying what he was about to.

The others walked closer, brushing the dust off their clothes.

"I'm starting to think we shouldn't just aim for the top three — we should aim straight for first place," Henry said with a laugh.

This time, Isabella didn't find his words childish. The longer she watched Derek, the more her understanding of the world seemed to crumble.

"Yeah," Emma said with an amused smile. "At this rate, I think both my team ranking and my personal ranking are completely secured."

She couldn't help but think, 'I knew joining him was the right decision.'

"Let's spar one-on-one now," Eva suggested. "But Derek won't participate. He'll only join when it's a group sparring, and it will be all four of us against him." Her tone was serious.

"She has a point," Emma added playfully.

"Alright, alright. If that's what you want," Derek agreed.

He knew that even if he held back, none of them would stand a chance. That kind of overwhelming gap wouldn't motivate them; it would crush their morale. He had already stepped into a realm far beyond any student in the academy.

Soon, Emma and Eva began sparring on one side, while Henry and Art exchanged blows on the other. Derek stood near Isabella, silently observing everyone's movements so he could give them pointers at the end of the session.

And Isabella?

She stared at Derek as if he were an ancient rune she desperately wanted to decipher. She had come here intending to test and possibly warn the boy who had somehow convinced her best friend to switch teams. But after seeing everything with her own eyes, she found herself wanting to join this team as well.

Meanwhile, someone else was watching them from the shadow of a doorway. His presence was concealed entirely. He was wearing a vanishing cloak. Even if someone stood right beside him, they wouldn't notice his existence.

It was none other than Frederick Nelson.

His eyes were wide with disbelief. 'He's dangerous. I need to deal with him. If I don't, I'll lose the prestige of being in the top team. So that's why Emma changed parties… clever bitch! I'll deal with her after I'm done with this freak of nature.'

With that thought, he slipped away. He had seen enough. He had been tailing Emma to find out what she was up to, and now he was glad he did. Otherwise, he would have already lost his top position.

Or so he thought — blindly confident that he had just secured himself from a storm that was about to erupt.

The team continued practicing for a long time, only taking a short break for lunch. After lunch, Isabella didn't return.

Derek didn't get the chance to spar anymore for the rest of the day, but after every match, he would offer them pointers. Emma was astonished by the precision of his advice. Only someone with veteran battle experience, on the same level as some instructors of the academy, could give insights like that. But how is Derek able to do this? she wondered.

When training finally came to an end, everyone headed back to their rooms. Since Derek, Henry, and Art stayed close to one another, they walked together.

"Today was fun," Henry said.

"Yeah… but exhausting too," Art replied in a tired voice.

"We only have two more days left. Did you register our team for the test?" Henry asked.

"No. I'll do it tomorrow."

"Alright, but don't forget. If we miss the deadline, we won't be allowed to participate."

"Don't worry," Derek assured him. "I'll make sure to do it."

Soon, Henry and Art reached their rooms and went inside, leaving Derek alone in the corridor.

A silence fell. Heavy and a bit suffocating. Derek didn't walk toward his room and stood there silently.

Then suddenly....

"How long are you going to wait? Or were you planning to attack me once I was alone in my room?" Derek said, even though no one was visibly present.

A heavy silence descended again. Derek didn't say anything else and waited, but no one responded either.

Then he said calmly, "So you won't come out, huh?"

Derek waited a little longer again, unmoving. Then, in the next heartbeat, he disappeared from his spot and swung a powerful kick into what seemed like empty air.

But then...

BAM!

His leg struck something solid. A split second later.

THUD!

Something slammed into a wall with a heavy crash.

Derek stood still, eyes fixed on a specific spot in the corridor. He didn't move, didn't speak — just watched. Moments passed in tense silence before a wicked smile slowly curved across his lips.

And then he vanished again.

Meanwhile, outside the Raging Bulls House, deep footprints began appearing rapidly on the ground, as if someone invisible was sprinting away. The trail continued until it reached a deserted area.

There, the footsteps abruptly stopped.

A moment later, a figure materialized out of thin air.

It was Frederick.

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