Reborn as the Archmage's Rival
Chapter 24: Don’t Overthink It

Chapter 24: Don’t Overthink It

The silence didn’t last long.

As Ethan stepped off the dueling ring, the air exploded into chatter. Footsteps slapped the tile floor as several students rushed him at once—eyes wide, voices raised.

"Yo, what was that?!"

"Seriously—were you flying?"

"Never seen wind magic hit like that. Is that a new casting technique?"

"Where’d you learn that kind of output?!"

Ethan’s heart was still hammering. He wasn’t breathing heavily—his body felt strangely balanced, like Zephyr was still running under his skin—but his mind was already buckling under the pressure.

They were crowding him. Not hostile, not yet—but not exactly friendly either. Just curious. Suspicious.

Demanding.

Valen was the last to step forward, arms folded, her sharp eyes scanning him like a blade looking for the seam in armor.

"That wasn’t a typical Gale Rend," she said slowly, carefully. "Level 1 wind spells don’t produce that kind of lift or force."

Ethan felt the words tighten around his throat.

He swallowed, trying to think fast, trying to breathe normally. What could he even say? "Oh yeah, it’s a system ability. I fused a body-enhancement spell with a wind technique and now I’m halfway made of air."

Yeah. That would go over great.

Aiden and Kai flanked him instinctively, not saying a word, just being there. Not protective, exactly—but the presence helped.

"I... trained a little," Ethan managed, shrugging. "Maybe more than I let on."

"Where?" someone asked. "None of the instructors teach that style of movement. Is it a noble-only thing?"

There it was. The turn.

"I don’t know what that was," Lyon admitted, walking back into the circle. "But that wasn’t standard academy form."

Ethan looked around—dozens of eyes on him now. No malice, but no trust either.

Think, think, come on...

He straightened. Rolled his shoulders once. Let his voice drop a little—into the same tone he’d used back in the first class. The one Evan, the character, would’ve used.

"Some spells aren’t taught," he said, smoothly enough that it surprised even him. "They’re inherited."

The crowd paused.

Not because they believed him.

Because they didn’t know if they wanted to believe him.

Valen’s eyes narrowed just slightly. "Inherited, huh."

He tilted his head, added a slight smirk for good measure. "You want the training manual? You’ll have to talk to my ancestors."

Kai snorted.

The tension broke—just a little. A few chuckles. Some rolled eyes. And just like that, the questions started to fizzle.

It wasn’t a full retreat.

But it gave him space.

And Ethan wasted no time stepping into it.

He clapped his hands once, loud enough to get attention. "Alright! That’s enough gawking. I got lucky. Lyon’s a beast, and I had one decent shot. You wanna be impressed? Let’s see what the rest of you can do."

He turned, pointing at Kai. "You’re up. Let’s go, rockstar."

Kai blinked. "Wait, me?"

"You said you were going to train, right?" Ethan replied, already backing away from the ring. "Consider this your opening act."

Aiden chuckled under his breath. "Subtle, man."

"Shut up and get comfortable," Ethan muttered. "We’re shifting the spotlight."

It worked. Sort of.

People turned. The energy shifted.

And Kai, to his credit, rolled with it like a natural.

"Alright, alright," he said, stepping forward and tugging at his cuffs. "Guess I’ll put the crown back on."

Someone in the crowd asked, "Who’s fighting him?"

Valen lifted a brow and whistled toward her side of the room. "Nova."

A tall boy with sandy hair and emerald eyes stood from the bench he’d been lounging on. His sleeves were already rolled, revealing a tight mesh of pale blue tattoos down both arms—rune ink, enchanted into his skin.

"Finally," he muttered, stretching. "Been waiting to hit someone all morning."

Kai raised both eyebrows. "Charming. Let’s go, Mr. Morning Glory."

Nova stepped into the ring, and already Ethan could feel the tension resetting. Eyes were shifting now, excitement returning. The awe and suspicion from earlier? Fading—if only a little.

But Ethan?

He stepped back, folding his arms, heartbeat finally slowing.

That had been too close.

Still... he’d won.

And now someone else was holding the spotlight.

Kai stepped into the ring with the same energy he used to walk into the dorm kitchen in the morning—loose shoulders, half-smile, calm as still water.

His opponent, Nova, cracked his knuckles with a showier kind of confidence. His rune-marked arms pulsed with faint mana lines, glowing gently as he rolled his neck and nodded once.

"Try not to disappoint," Nova muttered.

Kai grinned. "I’m more of a long-form performance. Settle in."

The crowd tightened around the edge of the training circle, drawn in by the atmosphere. Someone behind Ethan whispered, "Kai? Really?" and someone else added, "He’s chill, but I didn’t think he was that good."

Ethan stayed silent.

Because he was watching.

And from the second Kai planted his feet—flat, wide, balanced—Ethan could tell: he was ready.

Valen, now acting as ring referee, raised her hand. "Same rules: first one out of the circle loses. Begin on my mark."

She glanced between them, then dropped her hand. "Start!"

Nova moved first.

He flicked his hands outward, releasing a pulse of charged air—not wind, but a directed blast of compressed mana. A movement spell, sharp and fast. He zipped across the ring in a blur, appearing at Kai’s side with a conjured spear of condensed force.

"Predictable," Kai said—and twisted his foot.

With a faint crunch, a ripple of energy moved under the tiles. It was subtle—most missed it—but Ethan saw the faint flicker of stone shifting just before Kai’s stance slid half a foot to the left, perfectly avoiding Nova’s strike.

He’s not just reacting, Ethan realized. He’s pre-setting his terrain.

Nova spun and came in again, this time with a wide arc. Kai raised his arms and braced, letting a thin wall of stone erupt up from the ground around his side like a jagged shell.

The spear clanged against it, and dust exploded outward.

"Using defense already?" Nova taunted.

Kai emerged through the dust, unbothered. "You’re mistaking defense for control."

With a stomp, another stone pulse slid forward. Nova jumped—but missed the mark.

A spire of stone burst from beneath him, tilted at an angle—not meant to hit, but to redirect. It slammed into his momentum mid-air, twisting his arc and sending him tumbling sideways.

Nova landed hard, rolled, and came up with a snarl. "Cute tricks."

Kai didn’t respond. He was already moving—flowing from one stance into another. It wasn’t elegant or acrobatic. It was efficient. Grounded. He stayed low, used the space beneath his feet like it belonged to him.

Ethan could feel it now—Kai’s mana wasn’t overwhelming. But it was deep. Like a slow tide pressing forward with purpose.

Nova surged again, now launching short mana darts mid-run. The glowing bolts sliced through the air toward Kai—but with a slight twist of his wrist, Kai raised a curved platform between them, catching most of the darts with splashes of light.

The last one grazed his shoulder. He barely flinched.

This time, Kai countered.

He lunged forward—not fast, but direct—as a ripple of raised stone rushed beneath his feet like a moving walkway. It propelled him forward faster than expected. Nova barely had time to block when Kai slammed his palm into the ground and detonated a burst of kinetic force beneath his opponent.

The floor buckled slightly, and Nova stumbled.

The crowd murmured.

"That’s not standard Earth shaping..."

"He’s weaving in momentum casting!"

Ethan grinned. That’s why the Director highlighted him. It’s not about flashy spells. It’s how he uses what everyone else overlooks.

Most students used Earth magic for defense. Barriers. Armor. Maybe a wall to stop a hit.

Kai?

Kai turned it into a dance floor.

Nova didn’t like it.

He grit his teeth and launched a flurry of force strikes, trying to break through—but Kai stopped reacting to the attacks directly.

He changed the field.

Small ridges and dips in the floor broke Nova’s momentum again and again. Stone ripples slowed his slides, tugged his boots, made it just a bit harder to land clean hits. Every time Nova lunged, Kai shifted.

He wasn’t trying to outpower him.

He was editing the battlefield.

One moment, a low wall to parry. The next, a pillar to vault over.

Then, with barely any windup, Kai exploded forward using a ramp of stone that curved like a skate rail—and body-checked Nova in the side.

Nova flew.

He hit the edge of the dueling ring, barely catching himself on one knee before rolling back in.

The crowd burst into cheers.

Kai backed up again, casual as ever, wiping dust off his hands. "Still think I’m just a joker?"

Nova growled but stood. "You’re better than I thought."

Kai smiled.

Then he stomped.

Hard.

A ring of pressure pushed outward as a fault line cracked through the floor beneath Nova. It didn’t break the ring—but it disrupted the tiles just enough to dislodge his balance.

Kai moved.

Three steps forward. A flick of his fingers.

The floor tilted.

Nova’s body skidded back, his footing compromised—and he passed just over the outer line.

The arena lit up. Red border. Match over.

Valen exhaled. "Match goes to Kai Thorne."

No one moved for a moment.

Then: applause.

Real applause.

Aiden clapped twice, impressed. Lyon let out a low whistle. Even some of Valen’s group gave small nods of acknowledgment.

Kai stepped back over the line, shaking out his arms. "Whew. Been a while since I stretched that much."

Ethan smirked. "That was stretching?"

"I didn’t even use the bigger stuff," Kai said, walking over and grabbing his towel. "Wanted to save a little mystery."

Nova walked past him, pausing just long enough to say, "Respect."

Kai nodded, calm as ever.

But Ethan saw it.

The slight gleam in his eye.

He liked being underestimated. He thrived in it.

And now?

Nobody in that room would overlook him again.

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