"Cursed? What do you mean she’s cursed?" Marty asked.
"I don’t know." Daniel shrugged.
Marty immediately turned to Shobin. "Shobin, aren’t you supposed to be the exceptional nerd around here? Explain the curse thing."
Shobin let out a tired sigh. "Fine. And stop calling me a nerd."
"Fine, fine. Out with it already."
"I have a habit of reading through the forums on the academy website." Shobin said, brushing a hand through his hair. "There were quite a few discussions about her, mostly from Class B students."
He glanced toward Ravena. "Apparently, anyone who gets within a certain distance of her starts feeling nauseous or sick. Some experience weakness, debuffs, and other negative effects."
"Oh. So that’s why everyone keeps their distance." Marty nodded knowingly.
"I’m not finished."
Marty closed his mouth.
"It’s not only because of the area around her. Her personality doesn’t exactly help either." Shobin paused, searching for a gentler way to put it.
Marty leaned closer. "What?"
"The student who wrote one of the posts described her as..." Shobin cleared his throat. "A complete bitch."
Marty blinked. "A what now?"
By then, Ravena had already climbed onto the stage.
Her opponent was a girl wielding two short blades. The moment she realized who she was facing, whatever confidence she’d brought with her vanished.
The referee checked the girl’s VSB before approaching Ravena. The instant he entered her proximity, something changed.
His shoulders sagged, the sharpness in his eyes dulled, and his steps suddenly looked heavier.
Daniel pointed toward him. "See that?"
Marty frowned. "He looks half-dead just standing near her. Is it really strong enough to affect a referee?"
The referee hurriedly checked Ravena’s VSB before retreating several steps. "Ravena Voss, Class B, versus Lena Hart, Class A!"
He raised one hand from what was now a noticeably safer distance.
"Begin!"
Neither girl moved.
Lena tightened her grip around her blades, but every instinct in her body was screaming at her not to close the distance.
She grimaced. "Why the hell did I have to get matched against you?"
Ravena’s expression didn’t change. Bored, detached, and somewhat irritated. "Then stop standing there shaking like a useless little bitch and move. I don’t have all day to babysit your sorry ass."
Lena’s face twisted. "Shut up!" Mana flared around her legs and blades, and she shot forward. But the moment she crossed into Ravena’s range, everything went wrong.
Her momentum died.
It wasn’t gradual; it was like something yanked the strength straight out of her body. Her speed collapsed, her breathing turned heavy, and even the mana coating on her weapons began to sputter out like a dying flame.
Ravena exhaled softly, almost annoyed. She stepped forward and caught one of Lena’s blades with her bare hand.
Black mana spilled across her skin. It was not just dark; it was dense, viscous, almost like ink alive under her flesh, curling and flowing in slow, unnatural waves.
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
"What the hell is that?"
"Her mana is black?"
"That’s not normal, right?"
"If it were illegal, the referee would’ve stopped it already... I think."
Even the instructors in the upper stands shifted slightly.
Matilda’s calm gaze sharpened, and Simon narrowed his eyes.
Zac stared at the black energy wrapping Ravena’s hand. "Why is her mana black?"
[Nothing miraculous. She has simply reached a level of synchronization with her mana where it begins to reflect her nature.]
"Explain in a way that I can really understand."
[Well, it’s not my problem that your understanding of mana is still at ’I swing it and hope it works.’]
Zac ignored the jab.
[Most people on this planet think controlling mana is the end goal. It isn’t. It’s the beginning.]
"And the difference is?"
[Depth. When control, compatibility, and efficiency reach a certain threshold, mana stops being just energy. It starts becoming an extension of the user.]
Zac’s eyes stayed on Ravena. "Matilda showed green mana before."
[Correct. The green-haired instructor.]
"She said she was forcing it for demonstration."
[Half true. That is simply the natural color her mana has evolved into.]
"So she actually has green mana."
[Yes. She’s called the Green Witch. Try not to act surprised when obvious things are obvious.]
"Noted."
Zac’s gaze shifted back.
"Then why is Ravena’s black?"
[Because she is saturated with curse-type energy. Her awakened ability, combined with poison and debuff affinity, has heavily influenced her mana’s expression.]
"So it reflects her personality too?"
[When did I say it didn’t?]
Zac clicked his tongue softly.
[But don’t confuse reflection with morality. Black mana doesn’t make someone evil. It just means their nature is... heavier.]
On the stage, Lena tried to push back.
But her body betrayed her. The accumulated debuffs crushed her movements until her knee hit the stone. Her breath came out broken, and her fading mana flickered uselessly around her blades.
Ravena looked down at her. "Is that all you’ve got? Pathetic."
Lena gritted her teeth. "Shut up..."
Ravena tilted her head slightly. "Seriously. Go get an education, find a husband, live a quiet little life. You’re not built for this."
Her boot slammed into Lena’s chest, and Lena hit the ground hard.
The referee immediately raised his hand and called it from a very safe distance. "Winner, Ravena Voss!"
Ravena glanced at him, then held out her hand with a lazy smile. "Aren’t you going to raise it?"
The referee took another step back. "No! I’m good."
Ravena clicked her tongue and turned away. As she walked off, the crowd instinctively parted.
No one stopped her, spoke to her, or even tried.
Ravena didn’t care; with hands in her pockets, she left the arena like she owned the place.
Zac watched her go. "That aura... that’s not mana coating."
[Correct. That is curse energy leaking from her awakened ability.]
The system paused. [And she is barely holding it back.]
Up in the stands, Matilda watched her disappear. "Murphy... I didn’t know you had a student like that."
Her eyes lingered on the stage. "That level of mana expression... and curse density..."
Murphy gave a strained smile. "Honestly? Neither did I."
Matilda turned slightly. "You didn’t know?"
"I didn’t," he sighed. "She’s... difficult."
He rubbed his neck. "Most students avoid her because of the curse zone. And Ravena herself doesn’t exactly help. She pushes everyone away, acts like she doesn’t care, and honestly... she doesn’t try to be liked."
His expression darkened slightly. "Getting her into this tournament was already a miracle. She’s one of the academy’s... problem children."
"Problem or not," Simon said quietly, "mana that evolves this quickly is rare. Extremely rare."
His gaze stayed on the empty stage. "If she learns to control that curse energy properly, she’ll become a monster in combat. And a valuable support asset."
Matilda and Murphy both nodded.
Down below, the remaining matches continued.
By the end of the day, forty-three students had been eliminated, and only forty-four remained.
Matilda stepped forward with the microphone. "That concludes the first day of matches. The tournament continues tomorrow with the second round."
She scanned the exhausted crowd. "Go home. Rest. Try not to die before tomorrow."
The students slowly began to leave the arena.
***
The second day of the tournament began with slightly more people in the stands.
A few academy workers had returned, joined by students from several support departments. Some wore uniforms bearing the emblem of the academy kitchens, marking them as trainee Mana Chefs, while a handful of research students occupied the middle rows with notebooks already open.
Marty noticed the difference the moment he entered. "Would you look at that? Our loyal fan base is growing."
"Not ours. Mine." Adrian brushed a hand through his hair with practiced elegance. "Word must have leaked that I’m participating. Naturally, they’ve come to bask in my magnificence."
Shobin didn’t even look up from his VSB. "I heard news about Ravena’s black mana spread around the academy yesterday. That’s probably why more students showed up."
Marty immediately turned to Adrian. "See? Not you."
Adrian looked away as though the conversation had ceased to deserve his attention.
On the arena floor, the remaining forty-four students gathered while the referees prepared the draws for the second round.
"Check this out." Shobin lifted his VSB. "There are already discussions about the tournament on the academy forums."
"Really?" Marty leaned over immediately. "What are they saying?"
"Pretty much everything that happened yesterday, only slightly exaggerated. Apparently, nothing escaped people’s attention."
Daniel’s curiosity got the better of him. "Anything about us?"
Shobin scrolled down. "It says, ’Class A’s notorious troublemaker ended his match without much trouble.’"
Everyone turned toward Zac.
His brows drew together. "Why are you all looking at me? I’m not the only one who finished a match that quickly."
"True," Marty conceded. "But you’re the only notorious troublemaker here."
"Oh, shut up."
Shobin continued scrolling. "A nerdy-looking student stunned the arena with unexpected martial arts prowess and secured an overwhelming victory.’"
Marty’s head snapped toward him. "Now you’re making that up."
"I’m not." Shobin held out the VSB. "It’s right here."
Marty squinted at the screen. "...Damn. They really called you nerdy."
Shobin quietly pulled the VSB back. "They also mentioned Kelly’s mana blast and Ravena Voss, the Hexed Rose."
Adrian stepped closer. "And me?"
Shobin scrolled. Then scrolled again. "No."
Adrian froze. "What?"
"There’s nothing about you."
"How?"
For perhaps the first time that morning, genuine disbelief cracked through his composure.
Then enlightenment struck. "Of course. They must have decided my prestigious name shouldn’t be lumped together with you commoners."
Marty stared at him. "Does your narcissism have an off switch, or did they forget to install one?"
Across the group, Ravena stood alone.
No one had gathered near her. Even among forty-four students, an empty circle remained around her as naturally as if someone had drawn another boundary line on the arena floor.
Ravena didn’t seem bothered in the slightest.
Kelly watched her quietly. "That must feel awful."
Marty blinked. "What does?"
"Being alone like that." Her gaze stayed on Ravena. "Look at how everyone avoids her."
"Don’t dwell on it, Kelly." Daniel adjusted the spear across his back. "You can’t entirely blame them. Her curse affects anyone who gets too close."
He gave her a light nudge. "Focus on today’s matches."
Kelly nodded. "Okay."
Zac remained silent.
His gaze lingered on Ravena for several seconds before he finally looked away.
[Why were you staring at her? Don’t tell me the gothic look got you too. You already have enough romantic problems to start a small support group.]
"That’s not it."
[How disappointing.]
"I was thinking about what would happen if I fought her. Yesterday, that girl could barely move after getting close."
[Did your tiny brain already forget what Divine Aura does?]
Zac paused. "Right, I totally forgot. It nullifies all negative statuses and debuffs."
The system gave an almost audible scoff. [A passive curse aura leaking out of her body won’t do a damn thing to you.]
"Everyone, pay attention." Murphy stepped forward, drawing the students’ attention.
"As a reminder, today’s round will consist of twenty-two matches. Unlike yesterday, there will be no free passes. Every student who advances today will earn it through combat."
He gestured toward the instructors beside him. "And just like yesterday, Sir Simon will continue assisting with the evaluations."
Simon stepped forward, his gaze sweeping across the remaining students.
"I saw a lot of waste yesterday. Too much mana poured into the wrong places. Too much coating with no purpose. Too many people hardening their arms while their feet moved like wet clay."
A few students quietly straightened. "All those shortcomings were laid bare yesterday. I expect to see improvement today."
His expression remained utterly unforgiving. "But if you’re going to repeat the same mistakes, then lose quickly and stop wasting everyone’s time."
Matilda released a soft sigh before taking over. "What Sir Simon means is that he hopes you’ll all do your best."
"No. I meant what I said."
Marty leaned toward Daniel. "I don’t think he was hugged enough as a child."
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