Lilina held Wu Yan as she stepped onto the stage. Surprisingly, the girl opposite her was one of the two Intermediate Mages from the last match.

Seeing Lilina—or rather, Wu Yan—the girl gave a bitter smile. "Is it... really a Dark Beast?"

"Little Dark? I suppose so..."

Lilina herself couldn’t quite believe it. Wu Yan was vastly different from the Dark Beasts she’d heard about.

"Even though I know I have no chance," the girl said, "I won’t give up..."

She took a defensive stance and summoned her Contract Beast.

"Well, I’ll give it my all too!"

Feeling the girl’s fighting spirit, Lilina focused as well.

"Begin!"

"Go! (Pikachu)"

Both began chanting spells, but Lilina was clearly much faster.

The opposing Contract Beast let out a howl and lunged forward.

Wu Yan was now in a dilemma.

What spell should he use?

He recalled when he was learning magic...

"Gurgle!"

So many spells! What should I learn?

Wu Yan flipped the book to a page.

Fireball Spell? A Level 1 spell? So lame! How could such a weak spell highlight my excellent aura? No way I’m learning that!

Blinding Spell? A Level 2 spell? What’s the point of just blinding others? No way!

Someone as awesome as me should naturally learn show-off spells. An all-screen instant kill would be even better...

Facepalm! (*/ω＼*)

Why didn’t I learn even one small-area spell? Even one would have been good!

Now I’m in trouble. I only cared about showing off.

"Gurgle!"

The only spell I can use now is the Level 1 Warming Spell...

Wu Yan felt like digging a hole to hide. He never thought the first spell he learned would be for keeping food warm.

No wonder he’d seen the Magic Array of this spell on cafeteria tables...

As the Contract Beast lunged at Wu Yan, he was about to cast a spell, but unexpectedly...

The Contract Beast froze stiff like the Mandala Snake, stopping its approach. It then seemed restless and uneasy.

No way... Could I really have a domineering aura? (Or turtle aura?)

What is this?

On Lilina’s side, Coline and Scottia both fell into deep thought simultaneously.

Last time too...

Can a Dark Beast also scare other Monster Beasts? Or... is it special...

Wu Yan got angry and advanced towards the Contract Beast.

"Gurgle!"

"Come on, lunge at me! Why are you being as hesitant as that snake? I’m right here! Hurry up and lunge!"

Unexpectedly, seeing Wu Yan advance, the Contract Beast started retreating. The irritation in its eyes grew even stronger.

"Gurgle!"

"Why are you retreating? Hurry up and bite me!"

Wu Yan advanced another step forward.

"Roar!"

The Contract Beast took a step back.

"Gurgle!"

Wu Yan advanced another step forward.

"Roar!"

The Contract Beast took a step back.

...

This comical scene played out before everyone.

"Whose Contract Beast is that? So funny—it’s actually scared into retreating by a Dark Beast!"

"Watch your words! The owner of that Contract Beast is from the Student Council!"

"Student Council..."

Upon hearing "Student Council," that student immediately fell silent. Then he whispered:

"Does the Student Council accept people like this?"

"I don’t know. Maybe there’s another reason!"

...

"Fireball Spell!"

Finally, Lilina’s shout interrupted this awkward scene.

Magical energy condensed at the tip of her Staff of Sorcery, forming a fireball with a two-decimeter radius. Its heat scorched the air—far beyond normal power, as Lilina poured extra energy into it. With her cry, the fireball shot towards the girl.

At that moment, the girl had only chanted about three-quarters of her spell. Clearly, she had lost.

A water curtain appeared out of nowhere before her, blocking the fireball. Where they touched, a sizzling sound erupted. But the fireball was no match—it extinguished instantly on contact. The water curtain remained, glowing faintly blue under the sunlight.

Hmm, not bad. Such fast chanting speed, plus that special Dark Beast... she’s a promising talent...

Coline nodded in satisfaction.

"Lilina wins!"

"I... won?"

Lilina never thought she’d win against an Intermediate Mage, especially without Wu Yan’s help.

Hearing the result, Wu Yan couldn’t be bothered with the standoff. He cast Levitation Spell on himself, floated to Lilina’s feet, then extended two tentacles. Hooking onto her shoulders, he pulled himself back into her arms.

"Little Dark, I won! Great!"

"Congratulations!"

The girl actually walked over to Lilina. "Congratulations!" she said, though dejection still lingered in her eyes.

She never thought she’d lose not just because of her Contract Beast, but because of herself—to a mere Junior Mage...

"Huh?"