"~Ngh..."
Kaen let out a slow breath.
"That one was close, huh... don't you think?"
Aeryn spoke with a wide smile, but her eyes were analyzing everything.
'So he really can defend from all directions at once. But does that wear him out more?'
She was still trying to fully understand how Kaen's abilities worked.
The regular students couldn't see or feel anything.
But as a Class 7 mage at her peak, she could clearly sense the mana flow around Kaen every time he used his ability.
The mana was different. It didn't flow like a regular spell. It was pushed out of his body in short bursts, like it was being compressed and released in tiny pressure points all around the space.
In that moment, it was as if dozens of silent explosions had gone off around him at once.
Invisible lines of mana, perfectly distributed, activated in an instant reaction.
No chanting. No flashy gestures.
Just pure pressure.
A pure repulsion field, focused in every direction.
Aeryn kept smiling, but her eyes observed with intensity.
'He releases mana like it's part of his own body... no channeling, no construction. It's like... a direct command to the world: back off.'
But why wasn't he affected by it? She wondered. Even fire mages suffered backlash if they misused their power.
'I'll have to check this with that old man later...'
"..."
On the other side, contrary to what Aeryn believed, Kaen felt a slight tingling run through his whole body — especially his left arm, where the pressure from the repulsion seemed to hit hardest. The strain from using repulsion in every direction at once was insane.
Using vectors to defend was one thing. Releasing a radial burst like that? A whole different story.
'Now she thinks I'm some kind of Pain...'
He looked at the tentacles again. They floated like serpents made of living shadow, gliding through the air with unsettling grace. Unpredictable, like a storm about to break.
'Four tentacles. Four directions. And unlike swords, they bend like wet whips.'
That's what made that kind of attack so hard to deal with. Each tentacle could move independently, and feinting was easy.
He sighed.....
'What do I do now?'
Give up? She wouldn't allow it. But he also couldn't keep wasting mana aimlessly. He needed his body in one piece. Going all out like Elena or Iris? Impossible.
He was Kaen. He had to store mana before using it. He didn't have the luxury of overspending.
And then... the answer came to him.
But before he could put the plan into action, Aeryn attacked again.
"Let's try one more time. Now from four different angles... and with more pressure."
'You've gotta be kidding me...'
"She's really not holding back on him."
"Serves that commoner right..."
Yenne, who had been watching the scene and listening to the whispers, knew Kaen was clearly holding back.
She had seen it with her own eyes — Kaen wasn't the defensive type.
What he was doing here wasn't even close to the brutality he used on the training dummies.
And during the practical test…
She remembered that day. Everything was about to fall apart.
But Kaen showed up, dropping down from above like time itself had slowed around him.
He landed between her and the creature, calm and precise, like he already knew exactly what to do.
He extended his hand... and then came the strike.
It was silent but powerful, like gravity itself had flipped in an invisible line. It was enough to take down the creature with a single direct blow to the chest.
She had never seen anything like it.
'Why isn't he going all out? Is it because of the side effects?'
But before she could dive deeper into her thoughts, reality snapped back into motion.
Aeryn launched direct attacks at Kaen.
'What if they actually hit me? Has this midget even thought about that?'
Three tentacles came from the front, spinning in erratic motions. The fourth, lagging behind, slithered low to the ground, silent like a snake ready to strike.
'Is the last one the real hit again?'
Despite everything, she was clearly holding back on him.
Her attack pattern was simple. Distract with some black tentacles, then strike with a surprise blow.
Great for training. But Kaen didn't want to learn from her.
SHLACK!!!
He blocked the first three with sharp snaps of directed repulsion, but while dealing with them, he missed the fourth tentacle…
For a brief second, everything seemed to freeze.
'Is it coming from above...? The left...? Is it still on the ground... or behind me?'
He didn't know. The space around him was too unstable to read.
He could use Radial Repulsion again, push everything away and protect himself — but that would drain even more mana and leave him more tired.
Kaen sighed internally.
'...ahh, screw it.'
And let it happen.
SHLACK!
The tentacle grabbed his ankles tightly and yanked him into the air in one swift move.
Kaen was lifted up, dangling upside down like a fish out of water.
The whole class gasped in unison.
"AAAAAAAAAAH!!"
"HE GOT CAUGHT?!"
"I THOUGHT HE WAS GONNA DEFEND!"
Aeryn gave a low whistle.
"Your defense is good... but you need to work on your peripheral vision, Kaen."
Hanging upside down, Kaen stayed silent for two seconds.
'You damn midget... lucky for you I'm not trying to turn this into a fight.'
Kaen just hung there, arms dangling, swaying slightly like he had already accepted his fate.
Aeryn laughed out loud, and some students joined in.
Even upside down, Kaen caught sight of Elena in the back, covering her mouth to hide a laugh.
Somehow, he felt like he was the only one being turned into a joke.
Aeryn stepped closer, looking up at him.
"If you ask nicely... maybe I'll let you go."
'Yeah... she definitely planned this whole moment.'
"Haaaah.... would you please let me down?"
With an exaggerated gesture, Aeryn dismissed the tentacle, and Kaen dropped flat on his back.
THUD!
"Ugh... Why'd you drop me on the ground?!"
"You asked me to let you go..."
"You couldn't have just placed me down gently?!"
Aeryn gave him a satisfied wink.
"Stop whining... at least you survived."
Kaen stayed lying on the ground, eyes fixed on the ceiling of the sky:
'Damn... I'm not even getting paid for this.'
Some students laughed.
"Alright everyone! That's it for today's magical combat class. Grab your stuff and let's head back."
"...."
".."
Everyone was already heading back to the academy, while Kaen remained lying on the ground.
He stared at the clouds lazily covering the blue sky.
"Hope it doesn't rain..."
That's when a silhouette appeared in front of him, blocking his view.
"Why not? You don't like the rain?"
A girl with straight, loose black hair looked down at him, arms crossed.
Yenne watched him as he kept staring at the sky.
"You got humiliated, you know that?"
"...Seems like it."
"How long do you plan to stay there?"
"Well... I figured that's not really your problem."
"You're pretty arrogant for a commoner."
"But my soul is noble..."
"What does that even mean? A-and your soul is not noble."
Kaen let out a quiet sigh, slowly turned, and got up, brushing the dust off his pants.
"Seriously... I should get some kind of award for putting up with all this."
He started walking back to the academy, stretching his arms lazily like the day was just beginning.
"That little midget is insane..."
If he hadn't given up, she probably would've dragged that test out until she was sure he'd 'learned the lesson.'
"..."
Yenne kept watching him walk away.
"Hmph! Hey, don't ignore me!"
She grumbled, running after him.
"What do you want with me?"
"What do you mean 'what'? We made a deal, remember?"
'A deal...?'
"Oh, right..."
He had promised to help Yenne improve her mana control after she offered the Vyralis Core.
'Damn... do I still have to do that today?'
"Well... a deal's a deal. But don't expect too much."
Yenne tried to hide it, but she looked a little pleased with his response.
She knew he wasn't the best at everything, but what mattered most was finding someone who actually understood what they were doing. And in that, she was sure Kaen stood out. His mana control was refined, and more than anyone else there, he seemed to know exactly how to make mana obey.
"So... what did you think?"
"Think of what?"
"Forget it..."
She wanted to ask what he thought of her performance during Aeryn's test, but at the last second, she thought it would sound too dumb.
Still, as if Kaen had read her mind, he answered:
"It was worse than I expected."
"What?! Seriously?!"
"Pfft!....nah, I'm just messing with you."
"You're such an idiot, you know that?"
She gave him a slightly annoyed look, which only made Kaen smile. He loved getting under her skin.
"When's the next alchemy class?"
"Hmm? Why the sudden question?"
"Just curious."
"It's in five days. Why?"
'Five days...'
"...."
Kaen remembered what was supposed to happen on that date. It would be the day some dark mages attacked the alchemy class out in the field, trying to kill the professor. A chaotic, suicidal mission.
But he knew the truth behind it was way more complicated.
He glanced at Yenne, who was still walking beside him, arms crossed and clearly annoyed.
'Looks like I really don't have a choice.'
When Kaen arrived in that world, his plan was simple: live his own way, pick his own problems, and solve them without getting too involved. No saving the world. No forced hero moments.
After all, Elena had gone back in time. She knew the events. She could handle the episodes... right?
But that's what bothered him.
This was Elena's first return — her second life after going back in time, and third overall. And he... he was in the body of 'Kaen,' the villain who, even without meaning to, was one of the main reasons the protagonists got stronger.
In the previous timeline, he was the chaos that made the others evolve.
But now, without that chaos... would they be ready?
Kaen knew Elena was strong. He knew she carried memories no one else had.
But she wouldn't be able to go through all those events alone.
Not this time.
And if he stayed out of it... everything would fall apart even faster than in Elena's first life.
Kaen let out a sigh.
Yenne glanced at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Got a problem or something?"
"We're starting training today."
"What? Today?"
"What, giving up already? That'd be great for me."
"Where are we doing it?"