As the countdown ended, Arlo's eyes went dark for a second, just as when he entered, and he found himself at the entrance of the forest.
But this time, the atmosphere was not as calm as when he entered the forest.
"That damned rabbit!"
"Which one of you is it? Show yourselves."
"Such a despicable person does not deserve to be in the magic school. I demand that he be caught and expelled from the magic school."
"Me too."
"Count me in."
"Guys, this is just a competition, calm down."
"Shut up! Or are you the rabbit?"
"…"
Arlo looked at the chaos around him, unable to decide what to say.
The only good thing about these events was probably the unity of the two schools.
As for the issue of them cursing the rabbit together.
This rabbit looked like a bad person. Therefore, he probably deserved to be cursed.
"Alright, silence!"
Although the head of the Tolkar Magic School called for silence, it was not the same as before this time. The students were still saying things as if they had a deep resentment inside, but finally, a soft but ice-cold voice echoed in the area.
"If you don't shut up right now, I will burn all of you to your bones."
"…"
Here, the students were forced to make a choice, and the desire to curse the rabbit fell far behind the fear of death, causing everyone to fall silent.
When the muscular man saw that everyone was silent, he continued to speak.
"Alright. We have reached the end of this competition, and now I will announce the winners. The winners should come and receive their rewards."
He cut straight to the chase without any words of encouragement, attempt to inquire about the situation, or anything else. It seemed that the problems of these young students meant nothing in the eyes of these men.
"In 10th place: Lona Varu, Tolkar Magic School, Score: 314."
A beautiful girl slowly went to receive her prize while everyone remained silent and watched her.
"In 9th place: Beltar Tuma, Koltare Magic School, Score: 328."
"In 8th place: Tenra Barık, Koltare Magic School, Score: 350."
…
The names were read one by one, and the students sequentially went, received their rewards, and returned. As the champion slowly approached, those present began to get excited.
…
"In 2nd place: Roer Tusta, Tolkar Magic School, Score: 520."
A handsome man walked forward for the second place, his body looking filled with pride, but he seemed not to understand the reason for not being first due to the slightly surprised expression on his face.
…
"And in 1st place is…"
The muscular man paused for the first time, and a slightly surprised expression formed on his face. This situation attracted the attention of everyone there, and curiosity peaked.
"In 1st place: Arlo Klser, Koltare Magic School, Score: 2426."
After the score was read, a great silence fell over the entire field, and at the same time, a huge cloud of anger slowly began to rise.
"That rabbit…"
But before anyone could say anything, a loud shout echoed in the area.
"What? Me? How did I get first place?"
All eyes turned to him with this shout, and Arlo seemed completely oblivious to the situation.
"I only killed 6 monsters. Also, I defeated 2 students. Oh right, 3. I took down one more at the last moment, but how did I get first place?"
The silence became even more terrifying, but Arlo continued to speak without stopping.
"The people I defeated weren't that strong either. One 6th-Level Apprentice Mage, one 7th-Level Apprentice Mage, and one masked 4th-Level Apprentice Mage that I defeated at the last moment. Which of them could have given me so many points?"
"…"
"Wait, wait, did you say a masked man?"
"Yes, a man leaning against a tree from exhaustion at the last second. His back was so exposed that I couldn't help but attack. He also had a mask on his face, but since his back was turned, I couldn't tell what kind of mask it was."
As the looks of the people around became complicated, Arlo spoke again.
"But that man isn't important. He was only a 4th-Level Apprentice Mage. It's a miracle that he survived without being eliminated until then. He probably just hid somewhere. How many people can a 4th-Level Apprentice Mage defeat?"
"…"
"Moreover, the lowest level here is 4th-Level Apprentice Mage. You would have to be an idiot to be defeated by such a person."
"…"
"So, that man is probably not that important. Even if he defeated one or two people who are even worse than idiots, that would be the most he could do. Unless some people worse than idiots went to him and chose to die, how many points could he have?"
"…"
"Go take your prize now."
As the faces of the people around him grew redder with every word, one of them finally couldn't bear it and pushed Arlo to take his reward.
Arlo frowned as he looked at the man who spoke to him.
"Brother, are you okay? Your face looks a little red."
"…"
"It must be the heat."
"But summer is long over. Did I upset you because of what I just said? Right, I went a little too far. Everyone went through the same paths. Even if he was a 4th-Level Apprentice Mage, he must be a strong-minded man since he had the courage to participate in this competition. Even if he hunted one or two weak men or monsters, it would be a great gain for him."
"…"
"Just go now!"
Finally, the man couldn't restrain himself and shouted, and Arlo shrugged, thinking he should stop here.
"Okay."
Arlo slowly headed to where the muscular man and the woman called the Flame Witch were and stood in front of them. The muscular man gave him a look, then handed him a small bag.
This bag was the spatial bag he had mentioned earlier, but it was considered one of the lowest grades. The space inside was only about the size of a small cabinet.
"Thank you, sir."
Arlo respectfully greeted both of them and was about to turn around when a voice, audible only to him, echoed in his mind.
"You passed from a 4th-Level Apprentice Mage to a 7th-Level very quickly. You were 4th-Level when the competition started. You look like a talented child."
He froze at these words echoing in his mind, then slowly turned his head and looked at the Flame Witch, the most impressive woman he had ever seen, with her mischievous smile and beautiful face.
Although the feeling he was experiencing right now was more like dread than attraction.
"Arlo Klser, you are an interesting boy. I will remember that name."
She spoke this time in a way that everyone could hear, and the muscular man next to her looked surprised, his eyes darting between the two of them. He was probably wondering what was so interesting about someone who won by luck.
Arlo gulped and showed an expression somewhere between crying and smiling.
"Thank you, ma'am."
Then he turned around and joined the group with hasty steps. Watching his flustered expression, the Flame Witch's smile spontaneously grew.
'An amusing and interesting brat. Look how funny his running is.'
…
"Brother, do you know who this Flame Witch is? Why is everyone so afraid of her?"
As the competition ended and everyone returned to the Magic Schools, Arlo approached someone who seemed knowledgeable. Since that woman knew his weakness, Arlo needed to find out who she was.
"You don't know her?"
"I don't have many friends."
"That is the Flame Witch, Sarah Elsa. She is one of the greatest geniuses of Koltare Magic School this century. Besides her extraordinary aptitude for fire abilities, she is only 35 years old and is said to have reached the Peak True Mage level."
Arlo couldn't help but be astonished when he heard this.
To understand what kind of feat this was, one first needed to understand the levels of Magic. Apprentice Mages were at the bottom of the Magic system and were considered a preparatory phase for becoming a mage. Therefore, talent only determined your speed here. Apart from that, given enough time, anyone could become a Peak Apprentice Mage.
For example, Arlo had been here for a little over a year and was a 7th-Level Apprentice Mage. This was a good speed, but only considered good. It was far from being a genius.
When you became a True Mage, things changed.
After becoming a True Mage, effort alone was not enough to advance. Talent and an understanding of the world now came into play.
Yes, mages could be seen as scientists trying to research the truth of the world, and the closer a person got to it, the more their power increased, but this was not an easy task.
Just as one needed to study for years to become a professor in his previous life, the situation was even more intense here.
When a person became a True Mage, their body changed and they lived much longer than ordinary people. For example, even a new True Mage could live for 200-250 years if they lived a normal life without doing anything. It should be known that this number increases as the levels progress.
In this case, becoming a Peak True Mage before the age of 100 was considered a great talent. Looking at the ratio, this was logical. Because for someone with a lifespan of 300 years, 100 years was like the 30s of his previous life. A professor in his 30s was very rare.
And Sarah, who was a Peak True Mage at only 35 years old, was...
She was an anomaly.
She was like the geniuses in his previous life who got master's degrees at 8-10 years old.
After all, 35 years was truly a childhood age for someone with a lifespan of 300 years.
"If she's such a genius, shouldn't everyone admire her? Why is everyone afraid of her?"
The man checked his surroundings and spoke quietly.
"Because of her attitude. The Flame Witch is a bit of a crazy woman."
Arlo was surprised. What could she have possibly done to be so feared?
"I heard that she tied a group of bandits to planks and spun them over a large fire for hours just because they pissed her off. Those who saw it say the people from the bandit group were completely black when she let them go. Whether they lived or not is questionable."
"…"
Arlo felt a shiver run through his entire body and tried hard not to cry.
'How did I catch the attention of a person who makes a human barbecue?'