16. I Agreed to Play by the Rules, So I Summoned Hell to Prove a Point

"WHAT IS THIS?!"

Exousia’s voice rang out, vibrating against the pristine glass of the large window.

She stood frozen just inside the doorway. Her jaw was entirely unhinged as she stared at the gleaming mahogany desk, the imported silk rugs, and the spotless, temperature-controlled environment.

Arion walked right past her, completely unfazed. He had already discovered this hidden luxury suite behind the moldy seventh-floor door on his first day.

He threw himself onto the plush velvet couch in the corner, immediately sinking into the cushions he already knew were annoyingly comfortable. He bounced once, testing the springs, before kicking his boots up onto the pristine glass coffee table.

"Ah, I missed this spot," Arion sighed, crossing his arms behind his head. He looked over at his teacher. "Did you get more snacks, or did you already eat all the cookies?"

Behind the massive desk, Teacher Sophia physically shrank.

She pulled her shoulders up to her ears, sliding down in her expensive leather chair. She was only twenty-one years old , and she was currently failing to exert any authority over a student who was a full year older than her.

"You are a junior teacher with just one student!" Exousia accused, pointing a trembling finger at a beautifully carved, dust-free bookshelf. "How is your office nicer than my family's summer estate?! Are you embezzling Academy funds?!"

"I—I value a clean workspace!" Sophia stammered, sweating profusely. "It is a necessary environment for... focused lesson planning!"

"Fascinating!" Sebastian declared.

He maintained a strict three-foot distance from Arion's couch as he leaned over to inspect the desk.

"The structural integrity of this woodgrain is exquisite! Is this imported timber, Teacher Sophia?"

"I have already documented the exact dimensions and estimated market value of the furniture," Kara stated.

Her pale, whirlpool eyes were unblinking. "The data is ready for an audit."

"Please do not audit my sanctuary," Sophia begged, burying her face in her hands.

Arion stretched his legs out, making himself completely at home.

"Take a seat, Squad Leader," Arion told Exousia, flashing a sarcastic grin. "You're going to pop a blood vessel before the trial even starts, and I don't want to carry you."

"I will not sit on embezzled furniture!" Exousia snapped, crossing her arms tightly. "And get your dirty boots off that table! Have you no basic manners, commoner?!"

"Alright, alright, everyone just please be quiet," Sophia groaned.

She rubbed her temples and forced herself to sit back up. She pulled a thin, stamped file from her desk drawer.

"Since Kara actually forced you into a four-person squad... your disciplinary assessment has been officially scheduled for tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow?" Arion scoffed, sitting up slightly. "Good. Let's get it over with.”

"It won't be that easy," Sophia said flatly.

She opened the file. "The trial will take place in the Eastern Labyrinth. Your objective is simple: navigate the shifting architecture, reach the central core room, and retrieve the stamped token."

"Standard labyrinth navigation," Exousia said, her noble pride returning. "We simply need to map the elemental shifts and conserve our mana. It will be a trivial exercise for a proper squad."

"It would be," Sophia said.

Her expression turned incredibly serious. She looked directly at Arion.

"If the theory professor hadn't practically demanded this trial himself. Arion, he is trying to get you thrown out. You need to understand exactly why he was so furious today."

Arion rolled his eyes, dropping his feet back to the floor and leaning forward.

"Let me guess," Arion challenged. "Because I didn't waste thirty seconds drawing circles on the floor?"

"Because to him, you did something worse," Sophia explained.

She tried to sound incredibly grave and authoritative. It was hard to pull off when Arion was looking at her like she was explaining basic math to a toddler.

"Arion, magic is not just energy in this world. It is a divine loan."

The room grew quiet. Even Sebastian stopped inspecting the woodgrain to listen.

"We are humans," Sophia continued. "We do not own the elements. We borrow the power of the Gods. The twelve-word incantations, the geometric bases you draw... that is the paperwork. It is a contract. You are petitioning the heavens, saying, 'Please, God of Fire, lend me a fraction of your flame.'"

Sophia pointed a pen at Arion.

"When you bypass the chant, when you don't draw a circle... you aren't asking for permission," she said heavily.

"You are absorbing raw mana into your own biological pathways and manifesting the power yourself. You aren't borrowing from the Gods. You are acting like one."

Arion stared at her. His deadpan expression slowly morphed into one of absolute, pure disbelief.

He let out a short, incredulous laugh.

"Wait," Arion said, throwing his hands up. "Hold on. You're telling me this entire society of 'elites' is just a glorified fan club? You literally sit around begging for scraps of mana, and because I just grab it myself, I'm the bad guy?"

"You are a heretic because it is the highest form of blasphemy!" Exousia interjected.

Her eyes were wide with genuine shock. "To claim dominion over the elements without a divine petition is to mock the Gods and the entire foundation of noble society!"

"It's called efficiency, little girl!" Arion shot back, standing up from the couch. "Why would I fill out a permission slip to the heavens when the fire is right there?!"

"Because if you do it out in the world, in front of orthodox nobles," Sophia interrupted loudly, "they won't just file a complaint, Arion. They will jump you in the street. They will try to execute you on the spot!"

Arion crossed his arms, wholly unimpressed by the threat.

"Let them try," Arion scoffed.

"Statistically," Kara stated from the shadows, her voice completely devoid of emotion, "your survival rate outside the Academy walls if you display this heresy against a coordinated group of high-tier mages is currently zero point four percent."

"That is exactly why you agreed to my terms!" Exousia said proudly, pointing her finger at his chest.

"You will not use your chantless brute magic in the labyrinth! You will follow proper, traditional procedures, and I will ensure you do not get yourself killed by your own reckless arrogance!"

Arion looked at the furious noble girl, the hyperactive blonde heir taking frantic notes, the emotionless auditor, and his stressed-out junior teacher.

He let out a sharp, exasperated breath.

"Fine," Arion said, a dangerous smirk forming on his face. "You want me to do the chanting? I'll do the chanting."

Exousia blinked, slightly unnerved by his sudden shift in tone.

Arion didn't move from his relaxed position on the plush couch. He casually raised his right hand, pointing a single finger toward the ceiling.

He didn't hesitate. He didn't stutter. His voice rang out with absolute, terrifying authority.

"Sto ónoma tou archégonou theoú tis fotiás, kyriarcho tis apérantis téfras, kaló tin kólassi gia na svísei ti dimiourgía!" (In the name of the primordial god of fire, ruler of endless ash, I summon hell to extinguish creation!)

Nineteen words. Spoken with flawless, rapid-fire pronunciation.

Exousia’s eyes widened in sheer horror. The color completely drained from her face.

"Nineteen words?!" Exousia shrieked, stumbling backward. "What kind of geometric base requires nineteen words?!”

Behind the desk, Teacher Sophia was paler than the noble girl.

"I... I don't even recognize that dialect," Sophia stammered, her voice trembling. "Where did you even learn it like that?!"

Sebastian whipped out a second notebook, vibrating with manic excitement.

Kara didn't blink. "Calculating structural annihilation..."

The air in the room instantly superheated. A terrifying, blinding crimson magic circle—way more complex than the standard academy shapes—expanded rapidly across the ceiling. It hummed with enough raw mana to vaporize the entire building. The sheer pressure made the glass coffee table crack.

Exousia threw her arms over her head, bracing for the inevitable explosion.

Arion snapped his fingers.

The massive magic circle instantly collapsed inward. It shrank at lightning speed, pulling all that devastating heat and pressure down until it gathered at the very tip of his extended finger.

Poof.

A tiny, perfectly controlled, completely harmless little flame flickered on Arion’s fingertip. It was no bigger than a matchstick.

Dead silence filled the room.

Sophia peeked slowly over the edge of her desk. Exousia lowered her arms, her whole body shaking as she stared at the tiny fire.

Arion casually blew the little flame out. A single wisp of smoke curled into the air.

He looked at the trembling black-haired noble girl, his smirk widening into a grin full of cocky confidence.

"Nineteen words. I just squeezed all that flashy mana down into a matchstick," Arion stated casually, kicking his boots back onto the cracked glass table. "Is that traditional enough for you, Squad Leader?"

Exousia opened her mouth. She closed it. Her brain completely short-circuited.

"Tomorrow," Arion declared, leaning back against the cushions. "I’ll play by your rules.”