Chapter 4 Chapter 4

The Dark Mage

The entire arena fell silent, scorpion stood across from me with a smile that felt wrong.

It wasn't confidence, it wasn't arrogance, It was the smile of someone who enjoyed watching people suffer. Dark mist curled around his feet like living shadows.

Even the instructors looked uncomfortable. The moment I stepped onto the stage, my instincts screamed danger.

Then the system flashed. [Warning.] [Dangerous Enemy Detected.] [Dark Mana Detected.]

[Threat Level: Extremely High.]

My eyes narrowed immediately, Scorpion chuckled.

"So you're Rowan Ashford." His yellow eyes scanned me from head to toe.

"The little cripple everyone's talking about." The crowd immediately became restless.

Thousands of eyes focused on us. I could feel Lucas watching from the stands. He was praying that Scorpion would kill me.

The instructor swallowed nervously. "Both participants are ready?"

Scorpion grinned. "I'm always ready." I didn't answer.

The instructor raised his hand.

"Begin!" BOOM! The arena floor exploded. Scorpion vanished.

My eyes widened.

He was really fast, Far faster than anyone I'd fought before.

A dark blur appeared beside me.

CRACK! Something slammed into my ribs.

Pain exploded through my body, I flew across the arena and smashed into the stone wall.

The crowd gasped. Blood filled my mouth instantly.

What the hell? He was stronger than the Shadowfang Wolf, much stronger...

Scorpion laughed. "Is this the genius everyone's praising?"

The crowd became nervous. Many students had expected me to dominate.

Instead, I had been sent flying with a single strike.

I pushed myself up. My ribs screamed in pain. The system immediately appeared.

[Host Injured.] [Three Ribs Cracked.] [Recommend Immediate Healing.]

Not good. Scorpion attacked again. Dark mana gathered around his hands.

The air became colder. Then dozens of black spikes erupted from the ground.

I activated Shadow Step. WHOOSH! My body disappeared.

The spikes missed me by inches. The crowd erupted.

"There!" "He moved again!" I appeared behind Scorpion and threw a punch.

Scorpion blocked effortlessly. BOOM!

A shockwave burst between us. Then his knee slammed into my stomach.

The world blurred. I nearly collapsed. The difference in experience was obvious.

This wasn't some arrogant academy student.

This man had killed people, many people.I could see it in his eyes.

Scorpion smiled. "You have talent." His expression darkened.

"But talent means nothing before power." Dark energy exploded around him.

The sky above the arena suddenly became darker.

The instructors stood up. One of them shouted."That's forbidden magic!"

The crowd panicked. Scorpion laughed louder. His body became surrounded by black flames.

The system flashed repeatedly. [Dark Mana Corruption Detected.]

[Danger Increasing.] [Danger Increasing.]

I clenched my fists, If I lost here...

I would die. Scorpion lunged forward. This time I reacted instantly.

Shadow Step. WHOOSH! I appeared to his left. Then his right. Then behind him.

My fist slammed into his back. BOOM!

Finally. A direct hit. The crowd cheered. But Scorpion didn't move.Not even an inch. My eyes widened.

His smile returned. "Too weak." Then his fist struck my chest.

CRACK! Something broke. I felt it. Pain exploded through every nerve.

Blood sprayed from my mouth.The crowd screamed.

I crashed across the arena. Everything became blurry.

The instructor looked ready to stop the match. Then Scorpion pointed at him.

Dark mana surged. "Interfere." His smile widened. "And you die first."

The instructor froze, fear instantly appeared in his eyes.

Scorpion wasn't bluffing. This man was insane. Far above the arena, hidden among the crowd, a silver-haired girl watched silently.

Aria Nightshade. Her crimson eyes never left me.

She had been sent here to observe the strongest talents, to decide who lived, and who died.

Originally she hadn't cared about me, But now...Curiosity appeared in her eyes.

"He survived that?" Meanwhile another person watched from the shadows.

A handsome man wearing ordinary student clothes. Nobody noticed him, nobody recognized him.

But if they had, the entire academy would have panicked.

Lucian Veyl. Leader of the Eclipse Order.

His golden eyes remained fixed on me, Interesting, very interesting.

The Arcane Heir System., After all these years...

Have I finally found you? Back on the stage... I struggled to breathe.

Blood covered my uniform, My vision shook. The system appeared again.

[Host Health Critical.] [Arcane Devour Available.] [Would you like to activate Mana Extraction?]

I froze, Mana Extraction? A new ability? Scorpion slowly approached.

His footsteps sounded loud across the arena. The crowd watched helplessly.

Many already believed the match was over.

Scorpion raised his hand, Dark energy gathered around his palm.

A killing blow. He intended to end everything. I looked at the system.

Then nodded. "Activate." Everything changed. BOOM!

A wave of blue energy exploded from my body.

The arena shook suddenly, Scorpion stopped looking really amused, for the first time he found a worthy opponent like me, his smile disappeared immediately.

The system flashed. [Arcane Devour Activated.] [Absorbing Ambient Mana.]

[Absorbing Enemy Mana.] Blue streams of energy suddenly appeared throughout the arena.

The crowd gasped. Mana. Pure mana.

Thousands of glowing particles rushed toward me. Scorpion's eyes widened.

His dark aura began weakening. "What?" I stood slowly.

Strength surged through my body. The cracked ribs began healing.

The bleeding stopped, the audience watched in complete disbelief.My wounds were disappearing.

The system continued. [Healing Complete.] [Power Increased.]

[Tier Two Apprentice Mage → Peak Tier Two.]

Scorpion's expression darkened. "No." Dark mana exploded around him.

"No!" He charged. I charged too. BOOM!

Our fists collided. The entire arena shook. The crowd screamed.

Stone cracked under our feet, Scorpion was pushed backward, Shock filled his face, I disappeared with my new shadow step powers.

WHOOSH! I appeared behind him. My fist slammed into his back.

CRACK! his bones broke, Scorpion screamed.

The crowd erupted. Rowan! Rowan! Rowan!

Students who mocked me earlier were now cheering.

The weakest student in the academy was fighting a dark mage head-on.

Scorpion staggered. Blood dripped from his mouth. But he wasn't finished.

Dark symbols appeared across his skin. The air suddenly became heavy. The instructors panicked.

One of them shouted. "Everyone evacuate!" A horrifying pressure descended over the arena.

Scorpion laughed. "If I can't win..." His eyes became completely black.

"Then everyone dies with me." The crowd screamed.

Students rushed toward the exits, dark energy erupted from his body, why the sky darkened.

Even Lucian's eyes narrowed slightly, scorpion had gone insane.

The system flashed red. [Extreme Danger.] [Kill Target Immediately.]

I gritted my teeth. Then rushed forward, Scorpion launched dozens of dark spears, I dodged instantly.

One pierced my shoulder, another slashed my leg.Pain exploded through me.

But I didn't stop, I couldn't. One mistake, and thousands would die.

The distance closed, scorpion roared. I grabbed his arm.

Arcane Devour activated instantly, blue energy erupted.

Scorpion froze, then screamed, A horrible scream. The crowd stared in horror.

Dark mana poured from his body, his strength, his vitality, and his energy, everything flowed into me.

"No!" Scorpion struggled violently. "Stop!"

The system continued. [Absorbing Mana.] [Absorbing Vitality.]

[Absorbing Skill Fragments.] His body weakened rapidly.

His skin became pale. His dark aura disappeared.

And Within seconds, He collapsed. The arena became silent.

Scorpion lay motionless. Defeated. The dark mage who terrified everyone, had lost to me.

Then the system flashed. [Target Successfully Devoured.]

[Skill Acquired.] [Dark Resistance.] [Tier Increased.]

[Tier Two Apprentice Mage → Tier Three Apprentice Mage.]

The crowd exploded. Cheers echoed throughout the academy.

Students stood from their seats. Professors looked shocked.

Even the instructors couldn't hide their disbelief.

I had won, against impossible odds, against a dark mage and against death itself, but in the stands...

Lucas Ashford looked like he had seen a ghost, His face was pale while his hands trembled.

That wasn't Rowan, that couldn't be Rowan.The cousin he bullied couldn't do this, the weak cripple couldn't become this powerful overnight.

Fear slowly appeared in his eyes. Who are you? Who the hell are you?

Meanwhile...Aria Nightshade smiled for the first time.

Interesting, very interesting, Instead of killing him...

Perhaps I should watch him a little longer. And hidden among the students...

Lucian Veyl stared at me, a faint smile appeared on his face.

After years of searching, his target had finally appeared.

The Arcane Heir System, the key to immortality and the the key to unlimited power.

The key to everything, soon, Rowan Ashford, very soon.

The tournament continued, and after defeating Scorpion...

Nobody could stop me, one by one, my remaining opponents fell, some surrendered, others fought really hard, but still lost.

Hours later...The instructor stepped onto the stage. His voice sounded throughout the arena.

"The finalists have been decided!" Thunderous cheers erupted.

My body ached.Even with the system's healing, exhaustion remained.

I looked toward the opposite entrance. A familiar presence walked forward.

With Brown hair, cold eyes and hatred burning on his face.

It was Lucas Ashford, my cousin, the crowd immediately became excited, Family versus family.

Rival versus rival, The final battle, Lucas stepped onto the stage.

Then slowly drew his weapon. His eyes never left mine, for a moment...

Neither of us spoke, then Lucas smiled, It wasn't a friendly smile.

It was the smile of someone who had already made a decision.

"I'm going to kill you today." The crowd thought it was trash talk.

Only I knew he meant every wor, Then suddenly...The system flashed.

A message appeared. One that made my blood run cold.

[Hidden Threat Detected.] [Multiple Assassins Have Entered The Academy.]

[Primary Target: Rowan Ashford.] At the exact same moment...

High above the arena... A pair of crimson eyes opened in the darkness.