Chapter 21: The Chief

"Is that really Mage Hand?"
"Mage Hand can be used like that?"
"Damn... damn... if anyone ever tells me Mage Hand is just a support spell again, I’ll lose it..."
"I’m saving up points to exchange for Mage Hand now..."
...
Howell lost in utter confusion. After being carried off the stage, he quickly regained consciousness, but his face was still blank with disbelief.
He might not understand what happened, but the surrounding audience saw everything clearly. From beginning to end, Byrne just stood there. When Howell attacked, Byrne merely lifted his hand, and three Mage Hands appeared—one struck Howell’s abdomen, another his sword-wielding wrist, and the third hit the back of his head. Howell collapsed instantly.
Byrne’s performance not only stunned the students but even caused the dignitaries in the stands to exchange looks of amazement.
Mage Hand—a cantrip, a zero-circle spell!
Byrne’s actions perfectly illustrated what it meant to be a true spellcaster in battle: even the simplest spells, when used skillfully, could unleash devastating power!
Hearing the excited chatter around him, Byrne nodded inwardly. "It seems the effect is good. After the match, I should easily earn a few thousand points in commission."
"Thirty sets are still too few. That’s not enough by far. After I get back, I need to put up more—at least cover three-quarters of the share..."
"So strong! Is this kid really just newly promoted to Arcanist? That level of control, even some Arcanists who’ve been promoted for years might not possess it!" The referee glanced at Byrne, inwardly admitting that the world of geniuses was truly beyond ordinary comprehension.
"Byrne Iolum, will you continue... hmm?"
The referee suddenly paused, then turned away and nodded repeatedly, as if communicating with someone.
Sending Message? Or some other spell?
Not bad—a real-world magical walkie-talkie!
The referee turned to Byrne. "Byrne, the Headmaster says your strength far exceeds your peers, but appointing you as chief outright wouldn’t be appropriate. If you can withstand twenty challenges from your classmates, the title of Chief will be yours."
"Twenty matches?"
Byrne considered for a moment. He thought it was for the best; otherwise, the ranking tournament would drag on for days.
"Alright, no problem!"
Byrne decided without hesitation.
The referee then loudly announced the temporary change in the tournament rules, causing another uproar in the arena.
They were all young and hot-blooded—there were bound to be those discontented with the Headmaster’s ‘special treatment’ of Byrne. Seeing him steal the limelight, many were eager to challenge him.
Everyone rushed to teach Byrne a lesson.
Byrne was amused. So many who didn’t fear death!
If they didn’t taste a little suffering, how would they know why the flowers are so red?
Soon, the first challenger took the stage, preparing to introduce himself, but Byrne interrupted impatiently.
"Let’s start quickly. I’m in a hurry. Pick your spellcasting distance, if you care."
Byrne’s brusqueness made the challenger flush with anger. Not waiting for the referee’s signal, he charged at Byrne, weapon in hand.
Byrne: ...
Once again, the pale blue Mage Hand appeared. This challenger had some skill; though anger clouded his mind, his body was tough enough to endure.
He charged straight through the attacks!
"Idiot..."
Byrne sneered. Mage Hand appeared at the challenger’s feet, grabbed his ankle, and tripped him.
Then seven or eight Mage Hands appeared, raining blows on the challenger’s head. The fellow was remarkably resilient—he tried to get up twice, enduring the punches, but was knocked down each time. At last, he had no choice but to admit defeat loudly.
Referee: ...
Watching the first challenger limp off with a swollen face, the passionate crowd’s fervor cooled significantly.
"Next—hurry up..."
Byrne called out.
Referee: →_→
Provoked by Byrne, the crowd’s fighting spirit flared up again.
Feeling his classmates’ ‘enthusiasm,’ Byrne mused, "Ah, youth—so full of passion, undaunted by setbacks!"
Referee: (ー_ー)!!
Soon another challenger took the stage, immediately distancing himself from Byrne.
He began circling, closing in quickly while using his weapon to disrupt any Mage Hands that appeared along the way.
"Hey!"
A sudden shout startled not only the challenger but even the referee. "Watch me disarm you bare-handed!"
Two spectral Mage Hands joined together, clamping down on the challenger’s longsword.
The challenger was dumbfounded, as was the audience...
Byrne’s use of Mage Hand once again shattered everyone’s understanding.
Bare-handed against a blade, indeed!
With his weapon restrained, the challenger was toppled by Mage Hand, then the outcome was inevitable.
This challenger was more pragmatic; after failing to get up, he admitted defeat loudly and slunk off once the Mage Hands vanished.
"Next..."
Byrne stoked the fire again, and the next challenger was a burly fellow wielding a greatsword. Byrne couldn't help but marvel—only in a magical world would a first-year student be this muscular. Truly, magic at work...
The burly man swung his greatsword; the force from gravity and momentum was beyond what a Mage Hand could block. But this posed no problem for Byrne.
Trip the legs first, then, as the sword fell, employ an ‘enhanced bare-handed disarm’ with six Mage Hands clamping down on the greatsword.
The muscleman: =͟͟͞͞(꒪ᗜ꒪‧̣̥̇)
Audience: Σ(っ°Д°;)っ
Then came the familiar routine—a flurry of punches from Mage Hand. Given the man’s formidable ‘muscle armor,’ Byrne summoned extra Mage Hands for special attention.
"Damn... we were tricked..."
"He can control more than eight Mage Hands at once..."
"He never said eight was the limit..."
...
Hearing the noisy audience, Byrne shouted, "Isn’t there a single spellcaster? Why are they all warriors? This is Giles Academy, not a school for fighters!"
"Pfft..."
"Hahaha..."
Many military bigwigs in the stands burst out laughing, some even winking at the Headmaster.
Headmaster: ...
Referee: (ー_ー)!!
The referee wiped away a bead of sweat, thinking, "This guy really thrives on stirring things up..."
Spurred by Byrne’s jeers, another challenger soon stepped up.
He chose to keep his distance, and at the referee’s signal, began chanting a spell. Amid the cheers, a pale blue Mage Hand appeared behind the spellcaster’s head and knocked him out cold.
The cheers froze instantly, and the arena fell silent...
Byrne almost felt like a villain at this point. With a sigh, he lamented, "These kids, are their brains missing a string...?"
His tone and demeanor irritated not just the first-years, but even older students.
Referee: Could you please say less...
Two more approached—one with a greatsword, one with a bow—both fell easily to Byrne.
As the students below discussed tactics, Byrne had Mage Hand bring over a chair, and sat down grandly.
Referee: (ーー゛)
First-years: (ꐦ°᷄д°᷅)
Then four more eager ‘warriors’ volunteered; one even mastered mobile spellcasting, but all ended up tripped and pinned.
At last, the crowd fell silent. No one came forward for a long while. Byrne counted on his fingers.
Eleven, was it?
Byrne realized this was going too slowly, so he spoke up, "Referee! There are nine left—how about they all come together? That’ll be faster."
Referee: Σ(°△°|||)︴
At that moment, the Headmaster’s voice rang out, "Agreed. Proceed as he requests!"
"Yes, sir!"
The referee announced the new rules, causing another stir.
Quickly, nine challengers were chosen.
"Swordsman, shield-bearer, archer, and spellcaster—a proper team..."
One military leader’s eyes lit up, instantly recognizing the squad’s formation. "That’s a military team combat setup. Impressive—didn’t expect such talent among this year’s freshmen."
Seeing the nine challengers’ coordination, even the audience thought Byrne might finally be in trouble.
"Let’s see him act arrogant now..."
"Will he finally be humbled..."
...
Everyone waited for a good show. Even the referee doubted Byrne’s odds against this lineup.
This wasn’t a competition team—it was a real combat formation. Yet Byrne seemed distracted, mumbling about fighting ten at once...
Had he lost his mind? Did he forget there were only nine?
His opponents were ready, but he hadn’t even gathered his wits...
"Hey... hey... are you ready?"
"Me? Any time..."
Byrne gave a confident thumbs-up and smiled. He was well aware of the situation. So it’s a group fight? He’d seen plenty before.
They’re treating me as a boss monster? I’ll show you what true hardship feels like!
"Match... begin!"
At the referee’s signal, two arrows whistled toward Byrne.
Byrne’s lips curled up. "Let me show you my absolute defense!"
"What?"
"Impossible..."
"Must be fake..."
A pale blue apparition manifested around Byrne—a gigantic Mage Hand!
The sheer visual impact shocked everyone.
It wasn’t just mind-blowing; it was world-shattering.
The nine challengers on the other side were so stunned they forgot to attack.
Staring at the arrows embedded three inches deep, Byrne frowned. "Still too weak. If I want to extend the body, I’ll have to wait. Without boosting the strength, even a giant robot would just be a fragile showpiece!"
"Sigh... No, I really need to get a computing tool—the calculations are overwhelming..."
After a moment’s thought, Byrne focused ahead and grinned. "Sorry, everyone. I’m done playing..."
Suddenly, over a dozen giant Mage Hands appeared at once.
Seeing the massive fists coming, the challengers lost all will to resist. Forget about coordination—they were scattered in moments.
"We’ve lost..."
Any keen observer could see Byrne’s victory was inevitable; it was only a matter of time before the challengers were thrown from the stage.
When the shield-bearer was knocked out, the archers surrendered, igniting a chain reaction. The rest soon followed, exchanging helpless smiles.
No one would mock them now; this was an unbridgeable gap in strength.
With the last challenger’s surrender, the referee officially declared Byrne the victor!
He was now the first-year Chief!
For the next five years, perhaps no one would be able to shake his position!
While the students were in awe, the academy’s leadership and representatives saw much more.
They immediately began congratulating Count Iolum, and many considered how to adjust their relations with his family.
As for the uproar gigantic Mage Hand caused—Byrne had anticipated it. The more famous Mage Hand became, the more points he’d earn.
Just as he was about to leave, Byrne suddenly thought of something and turned to ask the referee, "Teacher, may I challenge the Chiefs of other years?"
The referee was stunned by Byrne’s sudden question. Lower-year Chiefs challenging upper-year students wasn’t unheard of, but it was usually just for friendly matches to gauge the gap.
But to immediately challenge an upper-year Chief—this was a first. And given Byrne’s current performance, his chances of winning were high.
The title of Chief meant being the top of the year. If a higher-year Chief lost to a lower-year, could they still claim the title?
Would the lower-year Chief be counted as lower-year or upper-year?
The academy’s system of titles would be a joke, undermining its authority!
Byrne’s words were heard by the audience, who all looked toward the second-year Chief.
That Chief’s face darkened—he was an innocent bystander, caught in the crossfire.
The referee couldn’t give a definitive answer to such a special request and hurried to consult the higher-ups.
Byrne, knowing the referee needed to check, added, "Teacher, could you also ask if I defeat the upper-year Chief, will I get their rewards too?"
Referee: Σ(っ°Д°;)っ
So that’s what he was after—the rewards!
"No!"
A voice, tinged with irritation, rang in Byrne’s ear. This time, he didn’t need the referee to relay the answer; it was clearly the Headmaster himself.
If you want a show, you should pay for it! Since there was no benefit, Byrne had no intention of going through with it. He promptly turned and left, giving no one a chance to stop him, and hurried out of the arena.
In the days that followed, with Byrne having secured the Chief’s spot in advance, everyone else could only compete for second place. Perhaps Byrne’s ‘performance’ was too stunning, but attendance at the first-year matches dwindled to almost nothing.
Usually, the end of the ranking tournament was a time for students to celebrate, but this year, no one was in the mood. Instead, everyone became studious; the library and laboratories were packed daily, so much so that there weren’t enough labs to go around, causing disputes and requiring the enforcement team to be stationed at the Mage Tower.
Although Byrne had locked in the Chief’s position, the first-year tournament wasn’t over, so he couldn’t yet use his Chief privileges, such as redeeming Nether Scrolls, but his points were rising rapidly. Byrne sold the gigantic Mage Hand spell model to the Tower Spirit and named it Giant’s Hand.
Perhaps because the Giant’s Hand spell model was more complex, the Tower Spirit classified it as a second-circle spell and paid over a thousand points, which delighted Byrne.
But as Byrne’s identity became public, more and more people approached him under various pretexts. At first, he politely declined, but later he bluntly warned that any further pestering would be met with rudeness.
Still, that didn’t stop people with ulterior motives from seeking him out—sometimes with seduction... ahem. As an upstanding youth, Byrne maintained, “Women only slow down my spellcasting.”
Inwardly: A bunch of idiots! Do they even know how old I am? Save that trick for after I graduate! Damn...
He couldn’t resort to violence, except to scare off some petty nobles. Beating up minor nobles was fine, but targeting major houses or the top ten was another matter entirely.
If he did, he wouldn’t just be hitting a person, but insulting a great family. Unless he had the Headmaster’s strength, he still had to be diplomatic. When it became unbearable, Byrne could only hide away in the Mage Tower’s laboratory.
But labs required a fee—the bigger the lab, the higher the cost. Byrne, accustomed to freeloading off the Mage Tower, was unwilling to pay.
Even so, he found that all the nearby apartments had been rented out in the past few days.
He wasn’t surprised, having expected his identity couldn’t be hidden for long—just not this soon.
The Academy was small; once his identity was known, it was simple to find his room.
Fortunately, Byrne had found a good spot in the Academy just yesterday.
When he vanished again, it was three days before anyone realized.
...