There was a practical evaluation in the morning.

A smirk crept onto her lips.

Gathering muscle, exerting force, such displays were ridiculous, just childish provocation.

Even while sleeping, her body constantly trained. What was so difficult about lifting a single steel bar?

“Our destructive twins are China’s strongest gym freaks!”

“Brat. We’re here to settle last time’s score. This time will be different!”

“Try lifting this, then!”

Deadlift.

“Hup!”

At maximum weight, the metal groaned.

The steel bar bent under the strain, unable to handle the weight. His thighs bulged, veins popped, and sweat dripped.

Trembling, yet still boasting shamelessly in front of a petite girl, his grin stretched wide, his yellowed teeth in full display.

Erniaan remained unfazed.

The moment her eyes opened, she understood the principles.

The center axis of gravity. The contraction and relaxation of muscle fibers. Torque and the principle of leverage.

They lifted using only their arms and back muscles.

It was inefficient.

That method only accumulated muscle fatigue and strained joints to their limits.

She immediately understood how she would do it differently.

‘Is this supposed to be difficult?’

Moreover, she had gained the Heavenly Demon’s Body.

With a body that moved precisely as she intended, what could possibly be frightening to her?

She activated her core. Ideation flowed.

Buzz!

Her body reacted.

Her diaphragm tightened. Her intra-abdominal pressure rose. Her spinal erector muscles locked firmly into place.

A sensation she had never felt before. Power surged through all her limbs.

Erniaan lifted the weight along the perfect trajectory.

Flawless hip drive.

She pushed her knees outward, clenched her glutes, and straightened her waist. Her latissimus dorsi tightened, and her gluteal muscles burned.

Not a bad feeling.

The power surged from the ground, traveled through her entire body, and transferred into the barbell.

A perfect deadlift.

Boom!

The barbell slammed against the floor.

For a moment, silence filled the room.

“No way!”

“How did that brat—?!”

“Next, the bench press!”

It didn’t matter what exercise it was, the principles remained the same.

“Hahaha! Well done! That’s my student!”

The professor was pleased, and she received a perfect score.

Up next was the magic department.

‘Why is he staring at me?’

The face glaring at her was familiar, the top student she had cheated off of before.

Academy exams were divided into three major categories: midterms, finals, and practical evaluations.

Practical evaluations were conducted monthly.

They were crucial for assessing academic performance, as well as real-world adaptability and reflexes.

How were magic skills evaluated?

Simple.

Simulations.

Perhaps that’s why it was the most popular test among first-year students.

The reason was obvious, it was entertaining to watch.

But this time, there was an additional factor.

Murmurs spread.

“A chance to witness the magic of the Grand Ten Thousand Tower.”

“I heard it’s impressive. Apparently, he can control shadows.”

“Haha. A first-year managing three Circles is already astonishing, but using unknown spell formulas?”

“Well, he is the disciple of the Omnigod.”

Arkeus.

Interest in him had reached even this training hall.

“No matter what happens, unlike the entrance exam, Arkeus will take first place this time.”

“No one can match him.”

“Of course. Even second-years can’t compete. No first-year would dare challenge him.”

The test paired two students against each other, and their scores were compared.

The reason for this competitive format?

To push students to their absolute limits.

All eyes turned upward and targets appeared.

At first, just one, but neither moved yet.

As the clock ticked, the two magic students analyzed their strategies.

The first to move was the male student.

“One Circle?”

“Not a bad build. Moving first to secure targets is smart.”

“Yeah, pre-multiplying them ensures a strong damage phase later.”

He calculated the spell formula, forming a precise blueprint.

As the incantation completed, a single Circle resonated with the surrounding mana.

Buzz!

Energy wasn’t created, only transformed.

Through the System and Skills, humanity had deepened its understanding of this process.

Using Circles, dispersed mana converted into heat and red flames condensed.

The fire twisted and swirled, shaping itself.

The atmosphere distorted, oxygen was sucked in, and just before the explosion, the spell took form.

“Fireball.”

Launch.

The projectile shot toward its target, fast and intense.

Upon impact, its surface scorched, leaving behind residual heat.

Boom!

A direct hit.

The target vanished.

However, new targets appeared.

Twice the number, one became two.

Now, the formula had to be adjusted.

Recalculating spatial coordinates.

Rapid Circle modification.

Factoring in thermodynamics and fluid dynamics for the optimal launch angle.

And then…

Boom!

‘So this is how it works.’

A battle for control over the targets.

Eventually, the female student handling two Circles emerged victorious.

But it was close.

Time passed, and finally… the last match arrived.

It was Erniaan’s turn.

Her opponent?

The prodigy magician, Arkeus.

The crowd buzzed with excitement.

“The freshman representative is up against Arkeus.”

“There were rumors that girl was just a nepotism pick.”

“Doesn’t seem like she’s a nepotism case. I heard she scored a perfect mark in the martial arts practical evaluation this morning.”

“…What? But she’s in the magic department.”

“Yeah, she’s a double major.”

A brief silence fell. Some were impressed, while others looked at her like she was insane.

Theory, calculations, complex formulas, and research, handling just one of these disciplines was overwhelming.

And yet, she was tackling both martial arts and magic at once?

She was either a genius, or completely insane.

Someone scoffed.

“Hmph. A double major? That’s impressive, but…”

“There’s no way she can excel in both.”

“Arkeus will win, as expected.”

Students nodded in agreement. It made sense.

Training in both martial arts and magic was possible. Possessing the talent and dedication to merge the two was praiseworthy.

However, becoming the best in both? Impossible.

If her martial arts achievements were high, then surely her magic must be lacking.

An unspoken bias had already taken root.

Tap, tap.

Her small frame made light sounds as her footsteps brushed the floor. Even with sunglasses on, she resembled a doll.

But, her body shape carried curves that did not seem to match her delicate frame. Each step up the stairs caused them to bounce lightly.

“El! You got this! Fight on!”

A bright and clear voice cut through the noise.

Handsome yet strangely beautiful, Jung Chaemin.

She was cheering for Erniaan.

However, Erniaan didn’t respond.

‘This will work. If this is how it’s done. Focus.’

As she was devising her strategy, the surrounding noise faded away.

One by one, unnecessary thoughts disappeared from her mind.

Jung Chaemin’s voice, the murmuring crowd, even the mechanical sounds of the simulator, all of it vanished.

Only these remained:

Distance.
Temperature.
Wind.
Angle.
Target.
Airflow and density.
Movement patterns.
Gravity.

And…

Circles and magic.

Even without a gun in her hands…

‘No matter the opponent, I can win.’

Because she was a sniper.

‘Setting up Circles takes time.’

If it were someone like Kim Chunbok, an A-rank certified Hunter?

He could generate seven Circles instantly and cast magic at a ridiculous speed.

But for students, that was impossible.

So I had prepared a strategy.

‘I am a sniper.’

With a short beep…

Beep!

The test had begun, and the simulator activated.

As soon as the target appeared, I opened my eyes.

Now, my eyes saw everything.

“What the hell? Her Circle manifestation speed is insane.”

“She completed a single Circle instantly.”

“This is pro-level.”

“So she didn’t get first place for free.”

Ideation.

It condensed, then took form through mana..

A black circle, with a rotating outline.

The background noise faded away.

All my senses converged onto the Circle.

This was my domain.

From this point forward, this was ‘my world.’

My consciousness poured into it.

‘Because I can control Ideation well, my manifestation speed is fast. But handling more than two Circles is beyond me.’

Managing multiple Circles required splitting focus, I haven't reached that level yet.

But based on what I observed, a single Circle was enough.

The Circle moved without warning directly toward the target.

Whoosh!

“…What?”

“Did I see that wrong? Why did she discard her Circle after forming it?”

“She didn’t discard it. Her score just increased by one.”

“That means she did discard it, idiot. Circles are needed to cast magic.”

“Is she out of her mind?”

The crowd murmured, their faces filled with disbelief.

And rightly so, since circles were the source of magic.

They were the framework for spellcasting.

To throw one away?

That was like discarding the very potential of magic itself.

Circles resonated with mana in the atmosphere, carrying countless possibilities, yet I had reduced it to nothing more than a disposable projectile.

However, this was intentional.

I can’t handle multiple Circles at once.

But since I can rapidly regenerate them using Ideation, Circles are meaningless to me.

“Is she seriously that stupid?”

“She’s planning to take the test by throwing away one Circle at a time?”

“Arkeus can generate three Circles even if it takes him some time. Once he starts casting three-Circle spells, she won’t stand a chance.”

“This is why dumb martial artists shouldn’t try magic.”

“I even heard she originally used guns.”

“So that’s why she’s throwing them one by one?”

“Ugh. At this rate, how is she going to score any points?”

“My point exactly.”

The crowd whispered.

Sneers. Ridicule. Contempt.

With my heightened senses, I could hear them all.

But I don’t care.

Because now, the real fight was beginning.

Arkeus’ Circles formed.

Three Circles.

He took his time, constructing a perfect spell.

A spell I haven't seen before.

But once I saw it, I understood.

‘Shadow magic?’

Shadows.

Dark spaces formed when light is blocked.

No mass, no substance, no energy.

They didn’t exist, humans had merely given a name to the absence of light.

In other words, shadows weren’t real.

But, This boy had made them real.

How?

‘He’s suffocating all wavelengths inside it. Erasing information. Blocking electromagnetic waves. Like an event horizon.’

I read the shifts in electromagnetic waves in the air.

The space where visible light should have reached was disappearing.

Light was not being reflected, and it wasn’t being refracted either.

If electromagnetic waves couldn’t reflect, humans would perceive it as black.

As if space itself was being distorted.

A structure where light entered but could never escape.

‘A spell that absorbs electromagnetic waves, isolates energy, and converts it.’

In other words, this magic wasn’t about manipulating shadows.

It was Light Absorption Magic.

Its core structure was a fusion of three Circles:

The first Circle handled Spatial Distortion. By manipulating the refractive index of the surrounding space, it concentrated light into a single focal point.

The second Circle functioned as a Mana Filter. It transformed mana into a particle state, forming a filter that trapped light.

The third Circle controlled Energy Stasis. By severing energy exchange with the surroundings, it maintained a state where light and mana were completely isolated.

As a result, these three Circles combined organically, trapping light.

Using mana as a medium to freeze energy flow and seal the space.

Then, through high-level calculations, the magic was freely controlled.

This spell’s name was—

“Abyss Cradle!”

Now that the target’s identity was clear, all that remained was the shot.

A spell sustained by capturing light within a three-Circle formation.

But a single Circle shattered that foundation.

The black Circle I had created tore through the air in utter silence, flying in a straight line.

Buzz!

The air trembled.

A single Circle infiltrated the intricate structure of the three-Circle spell and shook its foundation.

Like a row of falling dominoes, an inevitable collapse.

By disrupting the mana phase, it induced ‘Phase Instability’.

As a result, the mana filter that had trapped the light collapsed.

The harmony that once sealed the light distorted.

The result?

Flash!

A blinding burst of light.

The trapped light was released all at once.

For an instant, my vision was engulfed in radiance.

And then, the shadows vanished completely.

A meticulously constructed three-Circle spell, sniped down by a single Circle.

“…What?”

Disbelief.

The boy’s eyes wavered.

The surrounding spectators were just as bewildered.

“What just happened?”

“He was about to land his shots freely, so why did he cancel his spell?”

“No, Arkeus didn’t cancel it. The top student broke the spell.”

“Bullshit. That wasn’t just any magic, it was designed by the Grand Ten Thousand Tower. How the hell do you break a formula made by the Omnigod?”

“If I knew that, I wouldn’t be standing here, would I?”

A spell that only I could use, though, calling it a ‘spell’ was a stretch.

If I had to name it…

“Cancellation.”

And so the scoreboard updated.

The score?

1:0.

For now, I was winning.