Reincarnated as the Only Male in an All-Girls Magic Academy!
Chapter 41: Bonding.

Chapter 41: Bonding.

Lia’s blazing spear was inches from Ren’s chest.

In her mind, the battle was already over. No more games. No more dodging. The gap had been closed.

Her flames burned hotter than ever, and her muscles were pumped with explosive power from her rune.

Her eyes gleamed with fiery confidence as she lunged forward, ready to finally make Ren taste defeat...

Then Ren smiled.

Not a nervous smile. Not a playful grin.

It was the kind of smile that said: Gotcha.

"What—" Lia started.

But she didn’t finish.

Because in that same instant, Ren’s rune on his forearm pulsed with light. It shimmered with a subtle gray glow as his entire body twisted slightly, not to dodge, but to redirect.

Every ounce of momentum he had, every leftover force from his chain swings, was instantly transferred into one brutal yank.

The chain screamed.

The scythe whipped through the air like a red comet, rocketing toward them from the far end of the training hall. Lia’s eyes followed it for a quarter of a second, then she smirked.

Too slow.

She was already in range. Her spear was already aiming at Ren’s heart. That scythe would be a second too late.

She was sure of it!

And then, Ren’s eyes glowed.

They turned an eerie silver-gray.

And the world changed.

Lia’s entire body jerked to a halt.

Her momentum stopped cold. Not because of a barrier or an explosion. No, this was worse. Space itself had betrayed her. It was like she’d slammed into a block of invisible ice, or been caught inside jelly that turned to cement.

The fire coating her body flared uselessly, licking against unmoving air. She couldn’t lift her arms. Couldn’t move her legs. Even her heartbeat felt like it had slowed!

Her jaw dropped. "This... this is a weave?!"

She was trapped!

A full-body Space Lock. It had clamped down on her from all sides. It was extremely tight, dense and absolute. And it had happened in less than a second!

Meanwhile, Ren stared at her in wide-eyed awe, not at Lia, but at his own self. He could hardly believe what he’d just done.

Before breaking into the Adept Stage, this weave had been a tough one. He’d tried it dozens of times, but it never clicked.

He couldn’t maintain the mental grip, couldn’t control the threads long enough, couldn’t even finish the final groupings without everything falling apart like a bad knot.

But now?

Now it felt natural.

His uncommon-grade Chaos Mental Sea surged with refined clarity. His Mental Range which was an absurd 7.8 had opened the gates.

With one deep breath, he’d extended his senses to the absolute edge of his reach, then locked onto the Space Affinity Threads floating around the Loom.

Thousands of them; slippery, twitchy and chaotic danced before his eyes. But he wasn’t afraid.

He gathered them.

Compressed.

Twisted!

Then divided them into three core groups.

One by one, like sewing buttons onto invisible fabric, he grouped them; left, middle, right, then tied them together with a final burst of Willpower.

Boom!

The Space Lock activated.

Not just a theory. Not just a guess. Ren had officially casted his first real weave.

He was now a true Weaver. And Lia was now frozen in place.

The scythe was still flying toward her, its curved blade hissing with wind as it closed the final meters. She saw it. She knew she was about to lose. But inside her, unwillingness surged.

Not like this. Not again!

She clenched her jaw. Her body trembled. The spear in her hand flared brighter, and then, her second rune activated.

The mark on her back glowed crimson. Her entire body erupted into a blazing inferno. The air around her snapped and twisted from the heat.

Flames condensed and surged, not outwards, but inwards, funneled to the tip of her spear like a tidal wave being forced through a needle.

She roared.

"BREAK!"

With a savage growl, she thrust the tip of her spear forward. Not toward Ren, but toward the invisible prison of space around her.

And it cracked. The Space Lock shuddered, then shattered.

Boom!

Lia exploded forward, the pressure of the lock snapping behind her like a balloon bursting. She was drenched in sweat, her limbs trembling, her stamina hanging by a thread. But she didn’t care.

She’d broken it.

"Ren!!" she shouted, fire burning wild in her eyes as she pounced, her spear raised high.

She was about to make her move, already imagining the victory celebration in her head...

When she stopped again.

Frozen.

Her limbs locked. Her eyes widened in disbelief. She didn’t simply break out of the Space Lock. She merely broke out of the first one!

Because somehow, impossibly, there was another.

Ren had casted two space locks at the same time!

Her thoughts exploded in panic. ’No way. That was a Space Lock weave... and he casted it twice?! Two layers? Since when did he—’

And that’s when she saw the scythe.

It was right in front of her.

The blade barely touched her neck. It was like a whisper of cold steel brushing across her skin before zipping past and landing neatly back into Ren’s waiting hand.

He caught it in a reverse grip, stood up straight, and looked her in the eye.

"You lose," he said calmly.

Lia stood frozen in silence. Her flames fizzled out. Her spear fell. Her face twisted in disbelief, horror, and a bit of admiration.

Then she puffed her cheeks, stomped her foot, and screamed, "YOU CASTED TWO?! TWO?! What kind of monster does that?!"

Ren smiled and shrugged, twirling Bloodthirsty lazily at his side. "A true Weaver, apparently."

.....

Ren walked with his hands casually tucked behind his head, his weapon finally tucked away and no longer dragging behind him like a deadly leash.

His breathing had steadied long ago, but his mind still buzzed with thoughts. He was analyzing, calculating and breaking down the entire duel second by second like a movie stuck on slow motion.

Every move Lia made. Every counter he responded with. Every reaction she had to his traps and how she adjusted on the fly.

’She’s faster than I thought,’ he mused. ’Her decision-making speed is high. She adapted almost instantly when she realized long-range wouldn’t work.’

’And that explosive movement using the fireball detonation, that was brilliant. She’s a brawler at heart, not a tactician... but her instincts are insane.’

Still, he couldn’t help but feel a little proud as well. His calm had held. His kusarigama tactics, spacing, and redirection techniques had worked just as he’d imagined. His weaving, on the other hand...

He grinned to himself.

’Double weaving during a live fight... insane. Reckless. Utterly ridiculous. I should’ve failed. But it worked. All thanks to my Chaos Mental Sea’s special ability.’

That success was something he wouldn’t forget. It told him he’d finally crossed a threshold. He was a true weaver now, someone who could influence the battlefield with a flicker of thought.

But he wasn’t perfect.

He could’ve shortened the second lock’s casting time by at least half a second if he hadn’t gotten overwhelmed before compressing the threads.

He also realized he relied on his scythe too much for offense, ignoring the spiked end of the kusarigama during close-range struggles.

That versatility was his greatest strength, but he hadn’t used it fully.

’I need more routines. More mixed patterns. Predictability kills. Next time, I could lead with the spiked club to condition her into thinking I’m a close-range fighter... then yank with the scythe when her guard drops.’

While Ren was silently dissecting the battle like a surgeon with a laser scalpel, Lia stomped beside him like a tiny volcano with legs.

She didn’t say a word.

She didn’t need to.

The flames were gone, but her ears were red, and her arms were crossed so tightly it looked like she was trying to keep her own ribcage from escaping.

Her spear was back in its carrying case, bumping against her hip with every step as if it were just as annoyed as she was.

Ren glanced at her sideways, a slow smile forming on his lips. "Still mad I beat you?"

"I’m not mad," she said stiffly.

He smirked. "You’re furious."

"I said I’m not! I’m just... annoyed that I fell for that dumb weave trap!"

Ren laughed. It was soft at first, but it quickly became a full chuckle. "That’s what we’re calling genius strategy now? Dumb?"

Lia huffed, cheeks puffing up adorably. "I’ll beat you next time."

"You’ll try."

"I will."

Ren’s eyes twinkled. "Want me to buy you something to make up for the emotional damage?"

Her glare instantly disappeared, and her eyes sparkled like a child hearing the word "candy." "Really?"

"Sure. Name it."

"A storage pouch!" she said with zero hesitation, already perking up like a sunflower in sunlight.

Ren stopped walking.

His smile twitched.

"A storage pouch?" he repeated, deadpan.

She nodded eagerly. "Yup!"

"You mean the things that cost more than a small house?"

"They’re not that expensive..."

Ren raised a brow. "The smallest one costs 10,000 AP."

Lia grinned. "Then buy the second smallest. I want space for my clothes."

Ren looked like she had just asked him to donate a kidney. "You’re robbing me blind, Lia."

She giggled and waved her hands. "I’m kidding, I’m kidding! I spent most of my reward points on breakthrough potions, remember? I would be selfish to ask you to spend your bonus points on me!"

Ren’s expression softened.

Then he smiled.

"How about this," he said. "I’ll lend you the points. No interest. Pay me back whenever you want. As long as it’s within a year."

Lia blinked. "Wait, seriously?"

He nodded. "It’s not just about the pouch. Carrying weapons around in boxes is stupid. And we’re roommates now. You having one makes my life easier too."

She stared at him for a beat.

Then softly said, "Thank you, Ren."

But he wasn’t done. In his mind, there were three reasons this was a brilliant move.

First, it gave Lia something she clearly wanted, which naturally deepened their bond. She’d feel grateful and she’d remember who made her life more convenient.

This would obviously make the possibility of deepening their bond higher. Ren hadn’t forgotten his goal of adding her to his harem.

Second, it subtly erased any hints of jealousy she might’ve felt after his weaving performance.

Losing to Ren once was one thing, but losing repeatedly in every aspect was undoubtedly going to turn their relationship more competitive.

He wanted their relationship to be even closer than friends, to the point where she would feel proud for his success and encourage him to do even better.

That stage would obviously take some more time, but it wasn’t bad to begin sowing those seeds early on.

Now, she’d walk away with something tangible and useful and a favor to hold in her heart.

Third...

Well, third reason was simple.

He wanted her to like him. A lot.

So they went to the market, where Ren negotiated like a seasoned street merchant and eventually snagged them both matching storage pouches of elegant black leather designs with a swirling silver rune embroidered on the surface.

Each had space equivalent to a large wardrobe and even came with compartments. Lia was absolutely giddy.

"You’re so extra," she said, hugging hers.

"Efficient," Ren corrected.

Then she surprised him by tugging him toward a nearby stall.

"I’m getting you something."

"You don’t have to—"

"Shut up. I’m doing it anyway."

She browsed for a bit and finally picked out a thick, rune-covered book titled Rune Compatibility and Control: Volume I. It cost 3000 AP. Ren blinked. "This is... everything you had left."

Lia shrugged. "You lent me 10k. Least I can do is help you become a better Carver since you suck at carving."

Ren ran his hand over the book’s cover. His voice was soft. "Thanks."

She elbowed him. "Just don’t get cocky."

"Too late."

By the time they were heading home, weapons tucked neatly in their new pouches and the sun casting golden light through the clouds, the mood between them was warm and light.

Lia swung her arms, occasionally glancing at Ren with a soft smile that she didn’t bother hiding anymore.

Then it happened.

They reached the stairs of their dorm.

Lia, not paying attention because she was pretending to jab Ren with invisible spear attacks, caught her foot on the edge of a step.

Her balance vanished.

She yelped.

Ren’s hand shot out before he could even think.

One arm looped around her waist, pulling her in close. The other grabbed the stair railing.

Lia froze against his chest, her face practically buried in his collar. Her cheeks flushed like cherries.

"Gotcha," Ren thought, smirking.

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