{I'm really running on a timer… it's probably showing that I'm a bit rushed as I'm being predicted every time.}

I sighed before coating the sword I had with a thin coating of mana.

"Fine, I'm gonna be a bit serious."

I declared so while quickly making the remaining wind blades to form into a big wind blade, and I grabbed it with my left hand…

"Now, let me show you… the power of wind magic."

I chuckled as I immediately made 10 fireballs and made it touch the wind blade that was on my left hand. It didn't change, it was still invisible, but somehow, it's smoking. {Or it's making something in the air hot enough that it's smoking}

"... You hypocrite."

He teleported in front of me, and knowing that, I immediately did a horizontal slash with the sword on my left hand, but he teleported a bit farther on purpose and almost got hit, but I took a step as I did a stab with the sword on my right hand, thinly coated in mana to make it sharper.

Unfortunately, he just teleported away moments before getting hit…

"Not gonna tel-!?"

"Stop tempting fate."

I teleported behind him and threw the wind blade that was on my left hand and he dodged it, but I then did a kick, which he somehow dodged and I made a wind blade on the air in which I made above him, as it started to lower down, he teleported to distance himself, but as I felt that he would do that, I controlled the wind blade I threw on the ground just earlier and tried to pierce his left hand with it, but he noticed that and somehow parried it with his daggers…

"..."

Silence, we looked at each other, intent on winning this friendly match we created. His gaze towards me changed to seriousness as I looked at him with clear intent that I want to win…

"Hey, want to make a bet?"

I asked while I summoned 5 wind blades. He looked at me, a bit confused, but fortunately, he was willing to hear me out.

"Eh, sure."

He just said as he immediately dashed towards me, I also did the same and used a wind spell "speed up" and accelerated faster than usual, I almost caught up to him as I did a diagonal slash, but-

*Clang*

Two daggers in both of his hands blocked it, knowing that, I immediately did a backflip kick to try and distance him away from me, but he avoided it by taking a small hop backwards. And he then immediately did a small hop forwards to try and hit me with a counterattack, but I already noticed what he's gonna do and before I got hit, I immediately teleported to the ground and did a slide kick, but he teleported to my side, in which he tried to kick me away from the ground, I then, predicting he would try to do that, immediately shot one of the wind blades at him, and he, knowing that getting hit will result in him getting combo-ed, he avoided it, not hitting me in the process and as I quickly stood up, I immediately side stepped as I avoided a slash coming from him using his dagger, using his dagger in his left hand, it multiplied into 20 and he threw 18 of them at me, in which I made a barrier to protect myself.

After that, I shot the remaining 4 wind blades at him, but he quickly avoided that while closing towards me, and as he tried to attack me with both of his daggers, I also did a slash, causing both of our weapons to clash and as we both know being close to a swordsman or someone who uses a dagger was a bad idea, we both did a back jump at the same time, creating distance between me and him.

"Hahahahaha… really… really fun…"

I laughed quietly while looking at Reid with satisfaction, we both did so many attacks, yet neither of us got hit, as if we both knew what each other would do.

–Current concentration is 95%. Time left is 172 seconds…

I dashed at him, stacking another Speed up as the first one already wore off, I quickly did a horizontal slash, and he avoided that by teleporting above me and immediately tried to hit me in the air, but I avoided him by moving to the left and I tried to counterattack, but daggers appeared in front of me, blocking my vision for a moment as they all pointed at me, and flied off towards me, I immediately teleported to get away from the daggers and I immediately did a spin slash, noticing that Reid might appear behind me, and as I was close to finish the spin slash, I immediately made a barrier and barely blocked a dagger slash targeting my neck, but since I did blocked it, I immediately did a kick, in which was somehow dodged by Reid moving to the right, I then made wind blades appear and a dome to trap me and him, all of the wind blade are aiming to me.

"Hahaha, do you think it will work?"

He said so as he teleported away, and knowing that, I immediately turned the wind blades around and made them shoot out and scatter in all directions. As Reid reappeared, he immediately teleported in front of me and since I planned that, I grabbed him and threw him above me, I then teleported above him and kicked him downwards on his stomach.

"Well…"

I stabbed the sword that was on my right hand close to the ground that was close to his ears as I make sure that he won't get away as my shoes are still holding him to the ground.

"I won, huh."

I smirked while saying that, I looked at him and he looked at me with an irritated expression, as well as somehow happiness… Probably because fighting me is what he is happy about, I left for at least a month, after all.

"... Unfortunate. I even did my best training and had a strategy against you, but Atleus… you really are good at fighting. Next time we meet, I will win, kay?"

He smiled as he teleported in front of me, he grabbed my sword and gave it to me without saying anything else, he then waved.

"Hehehe… next time nya."

I also waved to gesture bye as I got teleported back to the academy.

_Unfortunate, but since you won, I won't do the remaining seconds, fine with that?_

{Not at all. As those are over a hundred seconds, at least it was over 2 minutes, and that's a lot of time nya!}

_Ahaha… bye._

*Tzzt*

She sounded a little annoyed as she hung up.

–... We really pissed her off by using her just as a teleportation device, instead of a great mage, didn't we?

That's a given, otherwise, her being annoyed at me wouldn't have happened. {... I'm kinda sorry, but not really…}

Okay, I should probably read some books till it's morning.

"... Or I wish I could."

I summoned Cheating machinations and used 12 gears to block a laser beam from almost killing me. Sorry, I can feel mana, so, trying to do that, killing me somewhere from an unknown direction wouldn't cut it.

–Using my knowledge and where it came from, it should be floor 2… somewhere.

Nah, I doubt that will be the case, they're probably using a mana platform to gain height, so after that, they would probably raise up and…

As I touched the wall of Campus before teleporting at the top. I made 5 wind blades and feeling the presence of the one who did it, I immediately shot them all at it, and blood spluttered, obviously, but it wasn't red… it's more pink than red…

{... That's strange.}

I glanced around, noticing this strange thing, and my arm got hit by sharp strings…

"... Oh, I got caught in a trap, ah, whatever should I do?"

I said sarcastically as I just use the gears floating around me to destroys the strings before turning around and hitting someone from very far away-

I kicked the one behind me with my left leg as I changed Cheating machinations to a bow, I made the blade spin like a propeller behind me to stop someone from hitting me from behind. I then quickly made a magic arrow, costing me 4% of my concentration, but as soon as I made it, immediately pulled the mana bowstring and let go of it, seeing the arrow fly at a speed towards the unknown…

5 seconds later…

"And hit nya."

I said so while I dropped down the roof, entering the window for the library and just casually grabbing a book, as if the earlier incident didn't happened. Forget puppets or strings, as that's something I won't consider as psychological problems.

–How did you know the word psychological?...

I won't tell. I don't have a reason too…

I sighed as I carefully read the book that was on my hands. {... I'm a clone, but that doesn't mean I'm a spitting image of that person, rather, it means I'm just based on them, rather strange thinking, I gotta say… the one who created me isn't here, all of the clones had different personalities, although we have one thing in common, something I don't know yet, but it would probably be made clear in the oncoming future. We also had different abilities, and I'm one of the weakest, comparing me to Leon or Lea would be a crime, the redeeming factor I had is just being able to change to four races, or five, but the numbers doesn't matter, flying still sucks, being a cat beastman is my best mode, demon mode is just me when I'm focused on magic, and human mode is not something I would like to use, and being a cat beastman would still be better for my combat style.}

… {There's also a difference on how our minds work, although, you can say that there are similarities, that also means that we're all different… but look at me, thinking of just the word puppet sends me to an emotional discord… I should try my best as if this didn't happen…}

–Are you… gonna flip the page or what? You should be finished reading it, right?

{... I forgot that.} Yeah.

I flipped the page and focused on reading the book.

28800 seconds later.

"Hmm…"

Flipping pages, I was still flipping pages, reading the book… and done.

Hmm, I should use Speed up for now, but alter it so that it uses fire attribute… how about… a small circle appeared in front of my imagination, in which I put a fire attribute converter as well as adding a seperate fire magic circle bigger than the magic circle that is using the base of speed up. I put it over the fire attribute converter magic circle, making a 3 layer magic circle.

"Tier 2 magic spell constructional magic crest done… This one is incredibly simple. Considering it's using circles instead of magic crest… but…"

I added a small fire attribute crest on the middle which is empty as a modification and now, all of the magic circles connected throughout with red mana lines.

–It's strange that this one is still efficient.

Not really, magic circles are always efficient anyway, it's just that magic crests connected with another magic crest is more powerful, but since this one doesn't really need power, it's a speed up spell, I just made it with magic circles and a small fire attribute crest so that it will classify as a true fire attribute magic spell.

–Anyway, you're running late, it should be at least 2 minutes before you're late.

That's an ample amount of time, considering I did use 3 minutes to make sure if the magic circles connects properly and was rotated the right way.

I jumped off the window and immediately used the new magic spell… eh, I call it Fire circle install for now, I may change it later.

–... Are you just into installs or something?

Maybe. I don't know, maybe it's cause it has a timer that I like it? I'm sure that fire circle install gives out at least 15 seconds at the cost of 1% of concentration, fitting for a normal install spell.

"Hey!"

A fire circle appeared around me, one meter in radius and I'm inside it, I immediately run, quicker than before as I immediately opened the big door, I also found out that someone apparently blocked the windows with barriers, I mean I can break it, but it's supposed to stop fire at most, for some reason, so, I can't when I'm hiding the fact that I'm not a fire specialist.

Anyway, before the time was over, I entered the class on time, as always, I'm one second before late.