The Academy was buzzing — everyone had already heard the rumors about the “battle of gods” that had taken place in the south.

  But right now, it was supposed to be an ordinary lesson on defensive magic.

  

  No one expected the instructor to suddenly change the rules.

  

  The teacher stood before the class and said:

  

  — Before, you learned how to create barriers.

  — Today — you will break them.

  

  The classroom erupted.

  

  — Break them?

  — But the barriers are reinforced with runes!

  — That’s impossible!

  

  The teacher took a glass case from storage. Inside lay spheres of different colors.

  

  — Each sphere is protected by Arcanum-level seals.

  — The color indicates its durability.

  

  He lifted a green sphere:

  

  — Training level. Medium protection.

  

  He placed it in front of the first pair.

  

  Then in front of the next — a blue sphere.

  

  In front of the third — a violet one.

  

  And finally…

  

  The teacher turned to me.

  

  And placed a black sphere on the desk.

  

  Heavy. Dense. As if absorbing light.

  

  The class exhaled loudly.

  

  — Black…

  — That’s a level even instructors can barely break…

  — Teacher, are you sure?..

  

  The teacher just shrugged:

  

  — For Zenhald — yes.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  

  What happened next, no one expected.

  

  I said calmly:

  

  — I don’t need a partner. I’ll do it myself.

  

  Elinia turned her head sharply:

  

  — What?

  

  I walked up to the sphere.

  

  I didn’t even feel resistance — the structure was too familiar after the battle.

  

  I snapped my fingers.

  

  The black sphere split into two perfectly clean halves.

  

  Silence.

  

  Such silence that even the dust froze in the air.

  

  Someone whispered:

  

  — That’s… impossible…

  — He… with a single snap?..

  

  Elinia looked at me not with fear — but with a cold, analytical, almost respectful evaluation.

  

  Her eyes trembled for the first time.

  

  — Give me the same sphere, — she said.

  

  The teacher threw up his hands:

  

  — There are no more black ones!

  — I can only give you a red — high level, but not maximum.

  

  Elinia lifted her chin:

  

  — Do it.

  

  And stood before the red sphere.

  

  The entire class tried — and all failed

  

  The other pairs fought their own battles:

  

  ?? Finn engulfed the sphere in fire — the rune extinguished the flames.

  ?? Lucille tried to tear space inside the structure — the sphere only vibrated.

  ? Siren and Tara used lightning — the barrier reflected the strike back.

  ??? Kyren created a pressure vortex — useless.

  ?? Edgar punched it with reinforced metal — zero effect.

  ??? Noy wove an illusion of destruction — the sphere didn’t even crack.

  

  The entire classroom was covered in:

  

  ice,

  dirt,

  fire,

  steam,

  sparks —

  

  but not a single sphere broke.

  

  The teacher’s gaze shifted from them to me… back to them… and back to me again.

  

  He didn’t understand how.

  

  Elinia tries

  

  Elinia closed her eyes.

  

  Her mana surged like a tide.

  

  The red sphere trembled… cracked… then restored itself.

  

  She bit her lip, focusing harder.

  

  Her hair lifted in a faint wind.

  

  The runes around the sphere began to glow.

  

  It trembled again.

  

  But did not shatter.

  

  She exhaled — slightly irritated, but proud:

  

  — Well-protected.

  — But I’ll break it.

  

  The class watched as if it were a duel between two legends:

  

  Zen — who shatters black spheres with a snap.

  Elinia — who breaks red ones through pure technique.

  

  But there was one person in the entire classroom doing nothing.

  

  Me.

  

  I sat calmly, not interfering, watching everyone.

  

  My gaze was cold.

  

  Precise.

  

  Calculating.

  

  The teacher looked at me with an expression that said:

  

  “I don’t understand who you are.

  And I don’t know what to do with you.”