"Don't even think about it!" I grinned, activating the special trick I had prepared beforehand at that very moment.
>ZWOOOOPPPP!<
The ground melted, shifted, and quaked all at the same time.
The sudden movement of the stage caused great astonishment for everyone, especially the target.
This offset Legris' stance, entirely ruining his focus. His body wobbled as he fell. Nearing the ground as a result of the imbalance of the earth, he quickly pulled himself together and regained his posture, but by the time he achieved this, the terrible mix of three Basic spells, now at the Intermediate Stage was already before him.
In less than a second... it would hit!
'What are you going to do now... Sir Legris?' My mind rang.
That very instant, in the blink of an eye, just as I expected, Legris used his second hand to counter the destructive whirlwind before him. He released a mana wave of superior quality, nullifying the spell. It was most likely a powerful mana disturbance spell, since anti-magic didn't exist.
>FWOOOOOSHHHH<
In an instant, my spell slowed down and dissipated after a couple of seconds. Though he succeeded in stopping my spell, as he did with the others before mine, it was clear which one gave him the most trouble.
"Good grief... this kid. Just what are you?" Legris Damien grinned, looking at me with greater interest.
I shrugged, asking him how long I had spent on my exam.
"Well, let's see..." He muttered, not sure himself, since he was caught up with the excitement that he forgot to count.
However, an exam as important as this was bound to have a timer, so by using a spell, he revealed a giant ticking clock that floated midair. It was large enough for everyone to see, so we all raised our heads to see what it said.
"This is..." He muttered in surprise.
Everyone in the room had the very same expression. Absolute astonishment.
"Two minutes, five seconds... that's amazing!" Legris remarked, looking at me with amazement.
However, my expression instantly dissuaded him from flattering me with his words. That was because the elapsed time was a disappointment to me.
"I wanted to be done in exactly two minutes. It appears I need more practice..." I muttered to myself.
There was a need to analyze the combination from scratch and figure out a loophole that I could exploit to quicken the effective use of the spell.
"I'd say this is plenty impressive, Jared. You cast intermediate magic at such a young age!" Legris interrupted my thoughts.
He must have sensed my dissatisfaction with the results and attempted to smoothen things. His efforts were in vain, though, since I was never going to settle for less.
"I just cast three Basic Spells and merged them to give that result. It can't be qualified as intermediate magic, per se." I responded.
Legris wanted to argue with my logic, but this wasn't the appropriate place to further discuss such matters since we had a massive audience watching.
"D-did you see that?!"
"This is crazy... no, impossible!"
"How can this... is he really an entrant?"
Many speculations coupled with loud murmurs echoed across the hall as the student who once looked down on me began to stare in amazement and awe.
Of course, I couldn't avoid the suspicious gazes of some who simply couldn't accept the results and thought I had used some form of trick to cheat.
Those who thought along that line were bound to be brain-dead since everyone had already been informed about the strict monitoring of our exams. Besides, no mere trick would be enough to trick someone of Legris' caliber.
'In the end, it's just plain envy, eh?' I reasoned.
Legris Damien saw how rowdy the hall had gotten due to my spectacular display and quickly took action to restore order.
"A-ahem."
As soon as Legris cleared his throat, everyone fell silent, hearing the sound reverberate across the hall. No one dared to speak the moment a Senior Lecturer like our examiner signaled the end of the murmurs.
Now turning to look at me, Legris smiled and told me what he had said to the others who had their turn before mine.
"Jared Leonard. The second phase of your exam has been concluded. You may leave this hall and head to the door straight to your right. You will undergo the third part of your exam there."
I nodded, bowing slightly as I left for the door that awaited me exactly as Jared declared. As I moved away from the stage, I turned back to grin at Legris.
"I told you, didn't I? That you couldn't handle it casually. Looks like I was right."
Legris shrugged, still giving me an amused look. He wanted to respond, but he held back for some reason. Still, it may have been petty, but I felt good impressing someone of his caliber and rubbing it in his face.
"When next we meet, I promise to show you something more interesting."
Upon saying this, I left for the door. Legris remained silent, which was a pity. I was hoping for a cool comeback. Opening the door that led to what appeared to be a long hallway, I began making my way into it.
Suddenly, I felt a sharp sensation reverberate within my head. It felt as though a strange sensation was invading my inner senses, but I couldn't do anything to stop it.
~I'll be looking forward to it, then.~ Legris' voice sounded in my head.
My eyes bulged instantly. He used Mind Magic to communicate telepathically with me, an impressive feat.
I didn't know if what he established was a one-way channel, or whether I could respond to his message, but I still have my response within my thoughts.
'Good. Till we next meet!'
Grinning widely in anticipation and excitement, I made my way down the hallway, shutting the door behind me.
**********************************
As Legris Damien summoned the long scroll to call upon the next examinee, his mind still trailed back to the one he just tested.
'That boy... Jared. Who is he, exactly?'
