This shot was quick, precise—and ruthless!
The uniquely modified, powerful pistol fired like a handheld cannon, exploiting the brief moment when the Mana Spirit was suspended midair and unable to evade, hitting it squarely in the shoulder.
The immense impact disrupted the Mana Spirit's momentum, causing it to narrowly miss Linen and crash heavily onto the ground.
It wasn't until Linen had calmly raised his right hand, fired, and landed a clean hit on the Mana Spirit that the supervising instructor realized the boy had brought a gun into the trial.
"Isn't this against the rules? What's the point of such cheap tricks?"
Another instructor watching on the sidelines couldn't help muttering.
Most Arcana Mages looked down on weapons like firearms, considering themselves basically walking cannons.
His complaint, however, was met with silence. Strictly speaking, the teacher had a point—but no one was shameless enough to step forward and reprimand Linen.
In theory, trial participants were only allowed to use their own power—but the headmaster had shamelessly set the final boss as the so-called "ultimate prize" of the selection round. Compared to Sorgana's blatant disregard for fairness, Linen bringing in a simple weapon was practically saintly.
Of course, the main reason nobody intervened was because none of them thought Linen's single shot would affect the outcome.
Mana Spirits were exceptionally rare magical beasts—rarity meant difficulty and strength. While Linen's shot was indeed powerful enough to break through the defenses of a Tier 4 Mana Spirit, it was still far from physically destroying such a formidable creature.
Yet after firing that single shot, Linen calmly holstered his weapon, turned around, and headed for the exit.
"Idiot! Never turn your back on an enemy during combat!" the instructor shouted urgently.
But Linen paused, glancing slightly over his shoulder.
"Combat? Why do I feel like…"
The Mana Spirit, which had crashed heavily to the ground, had already staggered to its feet. Countless thorny vines surged forth from its arms, slithering like serpents toward Linen!
Yet, at the moment the first vine was about to touch Linen's ankle, every vine froze as if time itself had halted—then withered rapidly, crumbling to dust.
The enormous Mana Spirit's chaotic mana shell finally dissipated, revealing its true form—a wolf-type magical beast—which promptly collapsed lifelessly onto the ground.
"The fight's already over."
Linen's calm voice arrived belatedly in the instructors' ears.
A deathly silence instantly enveloped the entire trial arena.
For privacy and suspense, only a handful of elite Eden Academy instructors oversaw the trials, with no other observers present.
Yet at this moment, these elite teachers were utterly dumbstruck.
That Mana Spirit had been captured personally by the headmaster herself. It could unleash Fourth-Ring Arcana, possessed extraordinary speed, and had the protection of elementalized wooden armor. Even without any restraints, none of the instructors felt confident they could guarantee a solo victory.
And yet Linen's entire battle with it could be summarized in one sentence:
The Mana Spirit stood up, Linen fired, and it was instantly defeated.
There truly was nothing more to say.
"It's…it's really dead?!"
The instructor who had just been mocking Linen for bringing a weapon had his jaw hanging open wide enough to swallow an egg whole.
If someone had told him yesterday that a single bullet could instantly kill a Mana Spirit that even he would struggle to defeat, he'd have called that person insane.
But now, witnessing it himself, he wondered if he was the insane one.
"There must be something special about that gun!"
Realization dawning quickly, he stared sharply at Linen.
Linen didn't deny it. Instead, he nodded politely and took out the pitch-black gun again, presenting it clearly to the two instructors.
Unlike any ordinary firearm they knew, this weapon was practically a work of art. Its dark barrel was inlaid with gleaming silver-grey branches of the World Tree, the barrel mouth still radiating an oppressive aura from having fired recently.
"You're right. This pistol is an Arcana Artifact my mother gifted me—I call it [Ebony]. Also, I overheard the conversation between you two earlier. Don't worry; I wouldn't deliberately break the rules or put you in a difficult spot. While students aren't permitted ordinary weapons in trials, Arcana Artifacts are recognized as part of an Arcana Mage's power, isn't that correct?"
After calmly explaining, Linen put [Ebony] back into his coat.
The examiners were left completely speechless. Arcana Artifacts could have countless bizarre abilities, and Linen just happened to possess one perfectly suited for countering Mana Spirits—meaning the creature had simply been unlucky.
But an Arcana Artifact capable of instantly killing a Tier 4 Mana Spirit…
Several pairs of eyes stared at Linen with barely disguised greed. For such a powerful weapon to be casually carried by a student, openly and without concern, seemed a massive waste. Perhaps they could offer a trade of sorts…
Suddenly, one instructor, recalling something, cautiously asked:
"Wait a moment, student—you mentioned your mother gave you that weapon. Would you mind telling us her name?"
"Of course not. Her name is Tivira Norton—is something the matter?"
Tivira Norton—the Empress herself?!
Suddenly everything made perfect sense. No wonder Linen could possess such a terrifying Arcana Artifact at such a young age and show absolutely no concern about hiding it.
This was a gift from the Empress herself. Anyone who dared covet it would die at least ten thousand times over!
"No…nothing else. You may go now."
The instructor who previously expressed concern quietly gave Linen a thumbs-up, while the instructor who'd voiced doubts earlier breathed a sigh of relief.
"You scared me. For a moment, I thought the Empire had developed firearms that powerful—but if it's an Arcana Artifact, then it's not strange."
"Indeed. But making an Arcana Artifact in the form of a firearm—what utter blasphemy against the very root of magic itself!"
Listening quietly to their conversation, Linen's mouth twitched slightly.
In reality, the pistol itself was indeed an Arcana Artifact—but its special properties were merely self-adaptive ammunition and enhanced power. It wasn't powerful enough to instantly kill a Mana Spirit.
The true source of its overwhelming power was the ammunition it held—another Arcana Artifact: the [Terminal Bullet].
This special bullet not only pierced magical defenses but also distorted the victim's mana circuits upon impact—absolutely devastating to Arcana Mages and similarly effective against the already chaotic mana of Mana Spirits.
This had been Miss Teresia's ultimate trump card against corrupted Arcana Mages.
It was undoubtedly good stuff—but now it belonged to Linen!
However, it had clear drawbacks—the first being difficulty in actually hitting anything.
Because of Arcana's dominance, firearm research in this world was pitifully weak. Firearms lacked power, accuracy, and effective range. Rather than the "Arcana Mage Slayer" title being due to these special bullets, it was largely due to Teresia's personal strength.
Her superior physical ability, calmness, meticulous planning, and unwavering convictions were her strongest weapons—all difficult traits to cultivate quickly, which was why Linen rarely used [Terminal Bullets].
Yet after receiving gifts from his dear Empress mother, these problems had become far less severe.
The Arcana Artifact [Ebony], a pistol enhancing bullet power through the user's mana, along with its sister pistol, [Ivory], which enhanced firing speed.
Linen had been pleasantly surprised. Receiving these two weapons was like receiving a pillow just as he was falling asleep.
The Terminal Bullet's second drawback was its rarity and near impossibility of reproduction—after all, its original form had been crafted by Teresia herself from the ashes of her own father and fellow villagers corrupted into Mana Spirits. For now, Linen had no way to replicate that.
Oh well. Enjoy it while it lasts. Miss Teresia, your father proved extremely useful!
"Still, to think that woman would actually create these things for me—I always thought she never paid me any attention."
When Quinn handed Linen the weapons, he'd been genuinely surprised, because while a certain Artifact master serving the Empress had crafted them, the true original designer had been Linen himself.
Although there were slight differences, Linen easily recognized them. When he'd first transmigrated—bored and learning how pathetic firearm technology was here—he'd sketched weapon designs from a certain famous game of his past life, fixing problems like single-shot limitations and terrible accuracy.
After being forcibly banished to the Academy, he assumed those whimsical sketches had been thrown out as rubbish. Who'd have imagined they'd actually be made real and returned to his hands?
It made sense, though—while this world placed little emphasis on "technology," that was only because Arcana could accomplish everything science had in his previous life.
Speaking of which, Elena had a talent for crafting Artifacts and had successfully become a registered Artificer. Though guns might still be beyond her, smaller inventions were well within her reach.
Someone here looked down on firearms, didn't they?
When Elena became strong enough, Linen would definitely sketch her some "Eastern Wind Delivery Service" missile concepts to have fun with.
Watching Linen exit the arena, an instructor suddenly slapped his forehead:
"Wait, by regulation, since this candidate passed the final trial, shouldn't he automatically receive the Spring Cup's honor and prize? Then what's the point of continuing the tournament?"
"You're paid as a teacher, why worry about the Headmaster's problems? Lady Sorgana always has a way—why meddle?"
"True enough."
Though notorious for recklessness, Headmaster Sorgana was trusted by the Empress herself, indicating she certainly had ways to handle unexpected crises. He'd worried for nothing.
The instructor shook his head wryly.
But in fact, Headmaster Sorgana had no backup plan at all.
"What now, Gust? Quick, think of something! I only prepared one set of the Spring Cup's prizes and guardian beast—now that brat's claimed victory already, how can we keep holding the event?!" wailed the voice from the crystal ball.
"Don't try to shift blame now—you're the Headmaster!" Gust rubbed his temples. "However, Linen isn't unreasonable. If you explain the situation clearly, maybe he'll delay officially claiming the title."
"Then…the prize is quite valuable…can we maybe…"
"Don't even think about it!" Gust's forehead veins bulged. "You promised an ultimate prize, right? As Headmaster, fulfill your own promises!"
"Why are you so angry? Fine, fine, I'll speak properly with that student!"
Before Gust could reply, the crystal ball's glow quickly faded, leaving him to sigh helplessly.
Honestly, Linen wasn't unreasonable—in fact, he was extremely reasonable.
Thus, this extremely guilty Headmaster, if nothing else, was probably about to lose a huge amount of money.
He hoped that when he next saw her, at least her panties would remain.
...
Meanwhile, at the registration area, hearing the loud bang inside followed by sudden silence, the observing students buzzed with speculation.
"Is it already over? I thought he might at least hold out a few rounds—why'd he go down so quickly?"
"Tsk, what a fast man."
This was the majority sentiment.
Past Spring Cup bosses were strong, but a Tier 4 Mana Spirit specialized in countering Arcana Mages was unprecedented. Without special preparations, a freshman had zero chance. It was merely about survival duration.
Clearly, Linen had been instantly defeated. Everyone felt somewhat disappointed.
Vanya shook her head coldly:
"Not even knowing his own limits, yet thinking such stupidity could surprise me. I overestimated him, a mere freshman. Seems my judgment has slipped."
She turned, glancing sideways:
"Speaking of which, young master Farao—you lost to this fool, didn't you? Hmph, nobles truly are pathetic."
The other Golden Court elites shared similar sentiments. Only Farao quietly frowned, convinced that things weren't that simple, and didn't respond.
The man who defeated him—Farao instinctively believed that Linen wouldn't lose so easily here!
"Hey, you bastards, stop spouting nonsense! That guy will come out any moment—what if that Norton bastard actually wins?!"
Listening to all this cynical chatter around her, Hysteria gritted her teeth angrily.
Her words immediately provoked a wave of dismissive rebuttals:
"Oh, he'll come out, sure—probably carried out flat on his back."
"Don't joke around! A freshman defeating a Tier-4 Mana Spirit? If he wins, I'll eat this trial card right here and now!"
"Haha, where did this brainless freshman pop out from… Wait a second, weren't you just standing together with that guy? You wouldn't actually have feelings for him, would you?"
Hysteria instantly lost her composure in the barrage of mockery:
"Ahhh! I'm going to crush all you worthless trash!"
Suddenly, a gentle hand rested on her shoulder.
"Calm down, Hysteria. Isn't getting upset exactly what those people want?"
Though Elena's face betrayed her own nervousness, her voice remained calm, as if the comments around her had no impact.
Still, hearing Elena's words, Hysteria hesitated a bit.
"Elena… I admit those nobodies are annoying, but do you seriously think that jerk could actually win? That's a Tier-4 Mana Spirit—a Tier-4!"
Eden Academy's courses had already introduced magical creature studies, and among the creatures listed as absolutely to be avoided by novice mages, Mana Spirits were right at the top.
"I don't know either, but I trust him. He willingly swapped trials with you before entering. Linen must have been confident he could handle it."
Elena answered simply.
At that very moment, the gates to the trial chamber slowly lifted, and Linen—standing upright, not carried out as some had predicted—walked calmly out. Wherever he passed, the noisy students involuntarily fell silent, all eyes fixed on the trial card dangling at his waist.
That originally dim card now glowed brightly with arcane energy. The emblem could only mean one thing—he had passed the trial!
He actually defeated the Mana Spirit singlehandedly?
And it took so little time—almost an instant kill?!
"Holy shit, such a fast man!"
The exact same words as earlier, but this time their meaning was entirely different!
Vanya stared hard at Linen, disbelief filling her eyes.
"Impossible! Besides that monster, there's actually someone else who can solo-clear the final boss?!"
Just then, a scornful chuckle sounded beside her. Turning toward Farao, she found him with an unsurprised look, scoffing faintly:
"Hmph. Isn't that to be expected?"
"After all, he's the man who defeated me."
Vanya looked as though she'd swallowed a fly.
No, seriously—stop acting so pretentious!
Under everyone's gaze, Linen ignored the countless eyes fixed upon him and headed straight to Elena and Hysteria, casually waving his glowing trial card in front of them.
"Easy enough. You two should've passed yours by now too, right?"
Elena nodded quickly. Hysteria wanted to nod as well, but suddenly remembered she hadn't even done her trial yet!
Linen immediately gave a dramatically surprised expression.
"Hm? What's going on, Your Highness? Could it be you couldn't even pass such an easy trial? Or are you planning on giving up on the Spring Cup and handing the championship to someone else? Well, it's fine either way, really."
Hysteria was so angry she almost cracked her teeth from clenching.
This completely confirmed it—that bastard absolutely intended to humiliate her when swapping cards!
She'd actually felt worried for him earlier, even touched by his actions. Disgusting!
She'd totally fallen into his trap!
But would she admit she was dragging down her team?
Impossible. A daughter of the Flame Rose Empire never admitted defeat!
She'd already shown him her underwear—just saying a few words wasn't a big deal, right?
Clenching her fists tightly, face twisting with stress and sweat forming at her temples, Hysteria still stubbornly retorted:
"What nonsense. A task like that—I'll complete it easily..."
Linen was just about to enjoy another round of rejection rewards by teasing the nearly crying princess when suddenly, slow but distinct applause sounded clearly in the air.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Everyone turned toward the sound. The blonde-haired girl who'd previously left in her carriage had somehow returned without notice and was now calmly observing the trio, clearly having done so for a while.
"As expected of you, Prince Linen. A trial of that level could never trouble you, could it?"
"Novie?"
Linen wore an ambiguous expression.
"Ah, so you do remember me," said Novie, eyes briefly lighting up. "But here at the academy, do you prefer I call you Linen like they do, or should I use the way I used to address you?"
Tilting her head slightly, Novie parted her soft, glossy lips to gently speak a single teasing word:
"Onii-chan?"