The canteen doors burst open as Raze stormed in, panting heavily, his blonde hair damp with sweat and panic written all over his face. Grey barely spared him a glance, continuing his meal in silence, while the others at their tables turned to stare.
Arthur stood up immediately. "What happened, Raze?"
Instead of addressing the group, Raze strode straight to Grey's table, casting a shadow over him. Grey finally looked up, chewing, unimpressed by the interruption.
"Please, everyone! Scarlet, Grey, Arthur—we need to stop Vince before he gets himself killed!" Raze shouted.
Scarlet's breath hitched, and she shot to her feet, eyes wide with alarm. Grey, on the other hand, calmly swallowed his food.
"What do you mean?" Scarlet demanded.
"He... Vince is about to do something reckless—something that could cost him his life," Raze said desperately.
Grey sighed, irritation flickering in his eyes. "Just spit it out or get lost. You're interrupting my meal."
"Fine!" Raze snapped. "On my way here, I overheard a crowd gathering at the arena—the one meant for sparring students. When I asked what was going on, I found out Vince is about to fight a second-year named Dave or something."
"Dave?!" Scarlet exclaimed, stepping closer. "Are you serious?"
"You know him?" Raze asked.
Greg's expression darkened. "Dave is Vince's older brother. They've had bad blood since childhood. Vince was always seen as weak and useless, while Dave—he's a powerhouse."
"Not just any powerhouse," Scarlet added grimly. "Dave's a three-star mage with an exceptionally high metal affinity—his magic grade is Purple."
A heavy silence settled over the group. Even Grey's eyes widened slightly, his grip tightening on his spoon. Across the table, Vanica's utensil slipped from her fingers.
"The… the Purple grade?" she murmured in disbelief.
Magic wasn't just about a mage's star level; it was also ranked by color grades. Red was the weakest, followed by Yellow, Blue, Purple, and Gold—the rarest and most powerful. Each color was further divided into low, mid, and high tiers. A mid-grade user could typically defeat a low-grade one of the same rank, but exceptional skill could sometimes bridge the gap.
"What's Vince's magic grade?" Arthur asked, though he already dreaded the answer.
Scarlet's lips parted hesitantly. "L-Low Blue."
Raze groaned. "Okay! He is indeed cooked."
Scarlet didn't waste another second. "I'm stopping this now." She bolted for the door, Raze, Vanica, and Arthur hot on her heels.
Grey remained seated, picking up his spoon again. 'They can handle this, right? No need for me to go.'
Noir's voice echoed in his mind. "And you want to make friends?! At least pretend to care!"
'One step at a time, you annoying familiar. I'm not used to all this 'friendship' nonsense. They'll drag him back to his senses,' Grey thought, resuming his meal.
Meanwhile, Scarlet and the others sprinted through the academy halls, reaching the arena in under two minutes. A crowd of second-years had gathered, watching intently. First-years were still in the canteen, unaware of what was unfolding.
Pushing through the spectators, they finally reached the front. There, in the center of the ring, Vince and Dave stood on opposite sides of a circular arena with a white canvas beneath their feet. A magic-powered metal barrier surrounded them, ensuring no outside interference.
"Vince!" Scarlet shouted.
Vince turned at the sound of her voice, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.
"What the hell are you doing?" Scarlet demanded. "Get out of there!"
"Vince! Do you want to die?" Arthur added urgently.
"I thought you had common sense! Forfeit now before you get yourself killed!" Raze yelled.
"I can't." Vince's voice was barely above a whisper, but a single tear slipped down his cheek.
Scarlet's fury burned hotter. "What do you mean, you can't?!"
Vince kept his head down. He couldn't tell them. Couldn't tell them how Dave had cornered him, whispering threats about what he'd do to Scarlet—how he and three of his friends would 'have their fun' with her before killing her. How Raze and Arthur would be next.
Dave wasn't bluffing. Vince knew that much. And he wasn't about to let his monster of a brother follow through on his threats.
Dave smirked, his gaze flicking to Scarlet before running his tongue over his lips. "So, little bro… are we doing this, or are you chickening out?"
"Let's do this." Vince said.
"Vince you fool!" Scarlet shouted and was about to jump into the arena along with Raze and the others but the second-years yanked them back.
"No interruptions allowed during an official duel," one of them sneered, his palm igniting with flames. "If you can't handle it, leave. But if you interfere…"
Scarlet, gritting her teeth, hesitated. The message was clear.
"Good! Now let's duel." Dave smiled as a loud gong off to the side was rung signalling the start of the match.
For more updates on MSS, MS and future works, please remember to follow me up on my social media accounts below.
When news on MS or any other series comes out, you will be able to see it there first. Also, I'm open on any one of the social media accounts above for chats.
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Our mass release goals for this month guys!
500 Power stones= 2 extra chapters plus the normal release rate making it a total of 4 chapters to be released.
500 Golden tickets= 2 extra chapters plus the normal release rate making it a total of 4 chapters to be released.
Magic Castle= 5 chapters.
Spacecraft= 10 chapters.
Golden Gachapon= 15 chapters... We were unable to hit this mass release last month, so I'm hoping it will be hit this month.
Creation isn't easy guys, and you all aren't motivating someone 🤧 so please guys, let me feel your support. Thank you 😊✌️