Ray was, at the same time, both not surprised and genuinely so. He had already analyzed that Stelle's mana quality rivaled his, but he had never felt her aura, and thinking about it, neither could he feel it now, interestingly enough.
That could only mean one thing. Her control over her aura was so abnormally high that she could mask it so well to escape the senses of someone as skilled as Ray was. Even though his senses were slightly dulled due to his decrease in strength, it was still quite a difficult task to escape a dragon's senses.
'How interesting you are, Stelle.'
He had previously believed that her strength lay in her incredible mana quality, but it seemed that her true strength was in her aura. Did he misunderstand, perhaps?
Ray could not say that he was an expert in aura, his focus had been almost always on mana and demonic power. As Rex Draco, his use of aura was completely instinctual, limited to simply reinforcing his body. Therefore, he wasn't that knowledgeable about its inner mechanisms.
He remembered that Gideon was able to change direction midair with it and even fly, among other things.
'I wonder what she can do.'
As he was thinking that, it didn't take long for everyone to reach the next destination for the entrance exam.
It was a large arena with a circular stage at the center, illuminated by the sun. Several seats were placed around it, like a coloseum, it had been a while since he saw one of those.
The participants were ordered to sit in whatever seat they liked the most.
Ray chose one that he thought was the most convenient. With his particularly sharp senses, he didn't need to bother with distances and angles to be able to see and hear what was happening on the stage, so he chose a seat in one of the most distant seats. No one was sitting there, so he wouldn't be bothered.
Unfortunately, sitting in a place where no one was turned out to be quite eye-catching, so a certain girl who was looking for him after the end of the practical test easily spotted him.
She skillfully avoided the crowd around her and approached him.
"There you are. I was looking for you, Ray."
"Mara."
That's right. Mara Flamma, the talented mage that he had taught a thing or two during the test, was now sitting beside him.
"So, huh, confident for the next test?"
She seemed quite awkward.
Well, that was reasonable. Mara had just met him, and although she wanted to know him better, they had never talked outside of battle and test-related conversations. Therefore, she really didn't know what to say to him now, except things about the tests.
"I'm not that worried. The Combat Test, is relatively straightforward, you get an opponent, and you fight him. If that's it, there is no reason for me to worry."
Well, that was quite obvious, Ray was the strongest participant she had met today.
'Please, don't look at me like I'm doubting your strength. I was just trying to make conversation!'
"I-I suppose you have nothing to worry about, huh? Well, me too. For as long as I am not paired with you, I should have a pretty good chance to win, though winning or losing doesn't really matter, since the jury will be evaluating your skills, not the result of the battle."
"With your skills in magic and magecraft, you should be able to easily get a good evaluation."
He stated simply.
Mara blushed slightly, she was really weak to compliments, it seemed. Puffing her chest out with a smirk, she confidently said...
"Of course, I'm Mara Flamma, after all."
Ray side-eyed her, slightly intrigued by her.
He understood why he would be interested in her. After all, she was the first person he taught, and her talent gave him something to look forward to once she reached the pinnacle of her strength.
He was expecting her to simply be grateful to him for lending the points from the checkpoint and the tips he had given her, but that was it. He thought that he would simply see her progress from the sidelines.
He wasn't expecting her to seek him out, although she did say that she wanted him to witness her growth, but he hadn't taken that so seriously before.
'I guess it's not bad, at least I have someone to talk to.'
"It's starting."
Hearing this from Mara, Ray focused in the center of the arena, where a new professor stood.
She had long brown hair and a curvaceous figure and was dressed in a black suit adorned with a purple tie. Ray noticed some male participants and even some female ones switching their seats to sit closer to her.
"I'm Professor Eris, and I teach Individual and Team Combat, both theory and practical classes, in the Hero Course."
The participants listened eagerly. Either because of the fame of the Hero Course, the importance and relevance of combat classes, or the looks of Professor Eris.
"And I will be the supervisor for the Combat Test. The setting is quite simple. There are exactly two hundred and twelve of you, so you will be sorted into a hundred and six one-versus-one matches. Your skill, overall power, decision-making, and potential will be evaluated by me and some of the professors of other combat-related classes, like the combat class of the Security Course.
"Once I call your name, you will be sent to a separate room where you will enter a room with a capsule similar to the one you used during the Practical Test. Your match will be projected into the arena where I stand now, so the other participants and the professor can watch."
This meant that whatever the participants threw at each other, neither the building nor the spectators would be harmed, nor would the fighters, for that matter.
"Then why set up an arena? Couldn't they just send us all to a virtual space and make us watch in there?"
Mara commented. And she was kind of right, but not completely.
"Most probably, this arena is not used solely for the entrance exams, but it might also be used for other things, like gatherings or the classes themselves. Using the same technology as the practical test might be a little overkill for such a setting, as well as expensive."
"Huh. That makes sense, hadn't thought of that."
The professor then finished her explanation.
"Any questions?"
"I have!"
One of the participants raised their hand.
"How are the matches sorted? Will I meet someone much, much stronger than me?"
Some eyes darted around, looking at certain people, that they dimmed as "much, much stronger" than them. Most eyes were directed at Stelle, who seemed uninterested in everything and everyone. Some eyes were directed at Cù Sith and even Tiana. A few were looking at Arianne, interestingly, her group had their eyes set in Ray.
"Your overall strength was slightly evaluated by the professor in charge of the Practical Test. They are not experts in combat per se, but they can recognize results. So, while the matches are completely random, some particularly weak participants will be facing opponents that were evaluated as particularly weak as well. This is the same for the particularly strong."
Her gaze landed on some individuals. Mostly the same that Ray had deemed as interesting when he first arrived at the academy. Well, except for Zillah.
"So, while you might still face someone stronger than you, it's not like one of you will face one of the great talents of this year."
Simultaneously, several sighs of relief could be heard all around the arena as if everyone had agreed to do so at the same time.
"No more questions? Then let's get started."
She then took out her phone and scrolled through it for a few seconds before once again facing the audience.
"Participant number 140, Cù Sith. Please head to the room in my right."
She then took another look before once again calling out.
"Participant number 74, Tiana Bellator. Please head to the room in my left."
Two figures stood up. One of them had a wild look, with dark gray hair and fierce green eyes, wearing a serious expression while looking at his newest opponent, or rather prey.
The one Cù Sith was looking at was Tiana. With her tanned skin and contrasting white hair, the girl cheerfully looked at him with a big smile complementing her excited amber eyes.
She then unexpectedly shouted.
"Oh yes! I never fought a barbarian before! This is going to be so fun!"
Perhaps she was not prey, after all.
The battle hadn't started yet, and Cù was already feeling slightly tired. Just what kind of opponent did he get now?
'I was hoping to have a rematch.'
His eyes darted to a certain black-haired young man.
'Well, beggars can't be choosers. At least she should be strong, I might get some fun in this fight.'
********
Author's Note: This is the final stretch of the volume, it will mostly fight scenes so you will definitely have some fun.
Next Chapter: Cù Sith vs Tiana