Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...

A faint but steady sound could be heard in the surrounding area, gusts of wind were quickly gathering around Lina. As seconds passed, the atmosphere grew more turbulent, as if a hurricane were about to descend upon them, students' hair and clothes rustling in the increasing accumulation of power.

SLAAASH SLAAASH SLAAASH

As if from a sword's slash, three crescent-shaped wind blades moved towards Luis, the wind vibrating as they passed and producing terrifying sounds.

Luis, fully focused on the incoming attack, leaped into the air, contorting slightly. The wind blades passed through him without even grazing him in the slightest. Upon landing with his right foot, he quickly darted to the side and drew the bow hanging on his back. With impeccable footwork, he began dodging the continuing wind blades while shooting arrows from different angles to attack Lina.

"Tchhh... you're annoying," Lina said, her brow furrowed. Luis's arrows skated through the wind blades, reaching her directly. This caused her to divide her focus on defending her body by using layers of wind, greatly diminishing her offensive power.

Wizards were quite physically weak compared to warriors; however, as a standard countermeasure, they usually covered their bodies with layers of some element or conjured protective spells. This could only be achieved in phase 2, so newly initiated phase 1 wizards had no defense against physical attacks.

Luis maintained a distance of approximately 10 meters for adequate offense and defense. At close range, arrows would lose power, and at too far a range, they would lose accuracy. Therefore, this range was his comfort zone. As an archer, which was a specialization of the warrior's path, his strength lay in the ability to dodge and avoid attacks while wearing down the enemy. His offensive power was average, and he had no defenses, but what better defense than avoiding damage altogether? This was a well-known saying among agile and fast warriors.

"Damn dwarf, stop moving so much," Luis's arrows had left scratches and cuts on Lina's arms and legs. Archers were quite a nuisance for wizards because arrows were faster than spells and their agility was inhuman. Lina continued to throw wind blades while pondering a countermeasure.

"I see you're losing patience, little one," a malicious and mocking smile formed on Luis's face.

Lina kept her anger in check and continued to throw wind blades while her resistance gradually drained. However, the wind swirling around her never stopped.

"She's planning something, but I don't know what..." Luis was in a deep dilemma. He didn't think this girl would simply throw wind blades like crazy while wearing herself out. The wind swirling around her was suspicious. So he didn't know whether to continue wearing her down or launch a lethal attack when he saw the opportunity.

"Lina, now!" Without even finishing his provocation, Luis was surprised by Lina's onslaught. In the blink of an eye, she was 5 meters away from him and closing in fast.

"She won't give me time to dodge," he thought to himself as he assumed a position and went into the third and final great defense, "the parry." A technique extremely difficult to master but highly practiced among agile warrior types; evasion was the first defense, deflection the second, and the parry the third and definitive. In high phases, it was rumored to be capable of returning incoming damage as well.

BOOOOOOOOOOM

An explosion of wind shook the improvised arena, and a cloud of dust rose instantly. The audience fell silent, their eyes wide open, while visibility was almost nil, and the present students didn't know what was happening. A figure flew through the air and crashed into a tree.

All eyes focused on the small figure. His hair was disheveled, and their clothes torn in some places. He sat with their back against the tree, looking at their hands with disappointment.

"You were a worthy opponent, damn dwarf."

"...," Luis stood up, his clothes dirty and bruises visible on his body.

"Haha... she's a monster," Kaller said aloud, watching the situation intently.

"What was that? Isn't he supposed to be a wizard?" said a student, foolishly smiling at the exciting battle.

"Wasn't that a warrior's charge?" some students who didn't know Lina said in unison.

"It was more like an explosion of wind."

"But she's a widely known wind mage. How did she do that?"

Confusion slowly appeared on the students' faces as a group of girls ran towards Lina, excitedly shouting about her victory. They brushed the dust off her and escorted her back to school to tend to her minor injuries.

"It was a charge."

Quickly, the rest of the students looked at Kaller. Most of them didn't know him, but among the crowd were some of his classmates who knew about his relationship with Lina, so they listened attentively to his explanation.

"She was gathering wind around her while throwing wind blades to distract Luis from her hidden goal. Her grandfather is a highly qualified warrior, so it's natural that she knows some attacks from that path. The wind swirling around her used it as a very thick defense layer while accelerating her movement at the same time. The result was simple, but the execution is only possible for someone who understands and masters their ability very well."

The students nodded in approval as they thought about the infinite possibilities. The mentality of the youth was very closed, and they pigeonholed themselves into the classic style of fighting from one path. Lina simply emulated the attack of another path with her own abilities; a charge from a phase 2 warrior would be much more powerful than hers, so using it against one would be suicide. But if it were an archer, assassin, or other similar specializations, it would be quite effective, especially combined with the surprise factor of being performed by a wizard.

"Come on, Luis, it's normal that you lost; you don't have experience." With a pat on his back, Kaller followed Luis to the infirmary to be treated.

"Kaller, what would you have done?" The walk back was quiet and uneventful. The crowd had dispersed, and several others had begun sparring, feeling excited and ecstatic about the recent fight.

"I would have attacked instantly, even if I suffered some losses from the wind blades. Her defense layer wouldn't hold for long, and being so close, she wouldn't have any time to conjure wind blades, so it would have been my victory."

"I see... I misjudged the situation."

"Lina isn't stupid; she would have abandoned her defense and focused all her power on attacking me relentlessly while maintaining distance."

"Uh, she looks unbeatable from the way you describe it."

"She isn't; it's just the difference between someone who has experience and someone who doesn't. There are many ways and countermeasures against her tactics. This exam will help you make better judgments. Don't feel bad; you did quite well for a rookie."

"Thank you," feeling a bit better, Luis smiled at his elder's usual indifferent face.

"Don't feel bad; if that parry had worked, it would have been your victory. It was a good attempt."

"That ability is too advanced for me; it was just a stupid attempt."

"Only by facing adversity can one continue to advance. Just look at how humanity has resisted against a clearly superior enemy. Don't give up and keep training that ability; if it's not now, it will work at some point in the future."

With evident embarrassment, Luis looked away and entered the infirmary to tend to his wounds. Watching through the window, Kaller walked away briskly from the classroom. This man had never shown his strength, but Luis believed that if it weren't for his damn ability, he could be at the top of the new generation.

"I'll defeat her next time; I don't want to fall behind," Luis thought as he replayed the battle in his mind. This experience would be beneficial for his future growth. The ultimate goal he aimed for was a being of immense power and audacity, the shape-shifter Rash, commander in charge of enemy intelligence.

Time passed without haste, and the appointed hour arrived. Huge airships filled the sky and descended gently around the school's surroundings. Human technology had advanced by leaps and bounds in recent decades. Dozens of heavily armed soldiers descended from the ships and formed orderly lines. The initial preparations for the exam had begun.

8:00 AM, Amazon, near the border with Central America.

"GREETINGS, SOLDIERS," General Riskgood said in his usual loud tone that characterized him.

In a treeless and open area, hundreds of students stood motionless in rows, with the general's voice reaching even the farthest ones. Each was silent, looking at the imposing figure of the man. The presentation of the exam was made in just a few minutes, and the basic rules were explained, so it began, and the first instructions were given: to gather with their assigned team, designate a leader, and start the first task, which was to set up their camp for five people.

Friction among the students didn't take long to appear. The final exam for the first year consisted of a regional test, which meant that all first-year students from military schools in South America had to attend. The disparity in beliefs, customs, and temperaments caused the youths to clash frequently. Some with little patience exploded quickly, and fights broke out. However, the military personnel in charge only watched the situation and didn't interfere; the groups had to fend for themselves and be self-sufficient. Much of the grade depended on teamwork.

"Greetings, Star Team, my name is Tania Schmidt," said a young woman with short, blue hair, wearing a big smile and radiating a fresh and joyful air.

"Star Team?" said a small, tender-looking young man with brown hair.

"Aww! You're so cute, little one," Tania said as she approached Luis and ruffled his hair.

"Ignore her; she just likes to invent silly nicknames," replied a dark-skinned young man with long, dark hair tied in a ponytail.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Kaller," the group's gazes directed upward due to his imposing height.

"I'm Bruno Santos," the dark-haired young man replied, a little shorter than Kaller.

"Luis Gonzales," said the small boy, fixing his hair.

"Lina Airgood," replied a blond, sullen-looking girl. Against all odds, she had ended up in the same group as Luis, feeling somewhat irritated and not having spoken to him since the sparring they had in the morning.

"Airgood? Like the Reaper?" said the pair of youths who had met.

"It's my grandfather," Lina mentioned casually.

A sepulchral silence fell over the area, and the pair of youths were left speechless, feeling immense pressure weighing on their shoulders and making it difficult for them to speak. "The Reaper" was the seventh world force at present.