Chapter 84 Silvia and Barrier Magic

After a thorough exploration of the university, the expedition finally reached its conclusion in the beautiful courtyard. Suzuka spent the day wandering through the various departments and buildings, soaking up knowledge and admiring the impressive architecture of the university. As they emerged from the final lecture hall, they found themselves standing at the edge of a spacious courtyard, surrounded by stately buildings and lush greenery.

The courtyard was a delightful surprise, a tranquil oasis in the midst of the bustling university. It was adorned with vibrant flowers, neatly trimmed bushes, and towering trees, providing a serene environment for students and faculty to gather and relax. In the center of the courtyard was a majestic fountain, its crystal clear waters bubbling and glistening in the sun. The members of the expedition paused to take in the beauty of their surroundings, basking in the peaceful ambiance of the courtyard.

As Suzuka stood in the university courtyard, Professor Jennifer Wong, a renowned master of combat and feared authority figure, approached her with a steely gaze. Without preamble, she cut to the chase, her voice low and menacing, "So, you're the gravity magic user, the one called Helen, the adventurer. You certainly look capable and strong. I hope you attend my lessons."

 She paused for a moment, sizing up Suzuka, before adding, "You look strong and capable, perhaps we'll have a friendly match soon. But make no mistake, I won't go easy on you." With that, she turned and strode off, leaving Suzuka in no doubt as to the importance of the lessons and the intimidating nature of her professor.

As the day drew to a close and the sun began to set, the group of students began to disperse, each heading off in their own direction. After submitting her papers with her chosen study options, Suzuka made her way back to Mystic Oasis, the cozy and welcoming inn to spend the night.

As she walked through the campus, the air was filled with the chatter and laughter of other students, who were also winding down after a busy day. The sky was a beautiful shade of pink and orange, signaling the arrival of dusk, and the soft breeze carried the sweet scent of flowers and freshly cut grass.

Finally, Suzuka arrived at Mystic Oasis Inn. As she made her way to her room, she took in the serene surroundings, grateful for the comfortable accommodations and the opportunity to rest after a long day.

After settling into her room and getting ready for bed, Suzuka drifted off to sleep, feeling content with her choices and looking forward to the new day.

As the sun rose on a new day, Suzuka prepared for her first class at Magic Box University. After a restful night at the Mystic Oasis Inn, she rose early and began her journey to the university.

The crisp morning air was invigorating, and Suzuka enjoyed the peaceful walk to the campus. Finally, she arrived at the university, feeling excited and a little nervous.

Suzuka's first class of the day was magic box power control. She was eager to learn and further develop her skills in this area. As she entered the practical training classroom, she was greeted by the sight of other eager students, all keen to begin their magical education. Right away she noticed the young man and his buddies also the young woman they bullied.

They circled around her, cackling with delight. All the onlookers in the training room squirmed with discomfort, doing their best to look away from the spectacle of cruelty and pretending not to notice what was happening. The bullies didn't care, relishing the power they held over the victim. With Professor Lorraine Silva still nowhere in sight, there was plenty of time for the torment to continue.

As Suzuka surveyed the scene, a thought crossed her mind, "Ughh... why do I have to deal with these losers so early in the morning? And to make things worse, the only spots left for practice targets are next to those pathetic ass-wipes. How annoying."

The classroom was spacious and bright, with large windows allowing natural light to flood in. The walls were reinforced with steel plates. Suzuka couldn't resist leaning against the wall, as she positioned herself right next to the only remaining spot - next to the poor, defenseless girl and her group of tormentors. She was feeling annoyed as she had to listen to how they talked smack at the young woman and wait for the class to begin.

The situation took a turn for the worse, and the main man of the group cruelly wielded his power as a fire mage. He started to toy with a small fireball the size of an apple, tossing it back and forth like a trained monkey. 

He commanded the young woman to block his attacks, threatening to burn her if she failed. Despite her weak magic barrier skills as a mere one-star mage, the man continued to hurl fireballs at her, causing her to cry out in pain.

 The rest of the group cruelly mocked her suffering, laughing and goading the man to continue. He eagerly obliged, launching fireball after fireball at the defenseless woman, relishing in her agony. "You're our punching bag now, we will train you well," he taunted, "and I've got plenty more fireballs where those came from. Hang in there, sweetheart, this is only the beginning!"

The man halted his fiery assault briefly to issue a warning, "Well done, you useless wretch! You managed to deflect those feeble fireballs! Let's test your mettle with a larger one, shall we? You'd best block it unless you enjoy pain!" The man conjured a fireball, comparable in size to a watermelon, at least ten times bigger than previous ones, and launched it mercilessly at the hapless young woman.

The defenseless girl was trapped, hemmed in by her tormentors who cruelly denied her any chance of escape. She wasted the last remnants of her mana on her feeble attempt to defend herself from the incoming fireball. Her cries of agony only served to fuel her assailant's delight, as she struggled in vain to resist the blow.

 Though she managed to hold out for a brief moment, it was all for naught; the sheer force of the fireball knocked her down to the ground, leaving her helpless and defenseless. Incredibly, she somehow managed to deflect the attack, but at a great cost to herself. As she collapsed onto the hard floors, gasping for air and writhing in pain, she whimpered and pleaded for the torture to end.

The young woman's feeble attempt to block the fireball deflected it instead. Suzuka saw it coming toward her and instead of being afraid, she was enraged. "These useless idiots," she spat as she readied herself. When the fireball came towards her, she backhanded it with a fierce blow and snuffed out its flames without a second thought.

Suzuka was mad, she started to walk toward the group while shouting, "Ow, ow, ow, ow!  Enough is enough, I had it with this stupid charade. If you clowns want to do circus acts go find a place somewhere else. Or I will take that fireball and shove it up ur arss!" 

The main man walked up front and said, "Hoho! Do you dare to approach me with a gloat like that? Do you not know who I am?"

Suzuka walked up to him and grabbed him by the shirt then pulled him closer and said, "I give a flying fuck who you are, chump. Your fireball hit me, what are you gonna do about it, huh?"

The professors entered the room interrupting the quarrel, the two seasoned experts in the field of the magic box power control and combat, Lorraine Silva and Jennifer Wong. 

The professors took notice right away at the commotion, "What is going on here? What happened?" Silva asked. 

Suzuka let go of the man and he rushed to the professor, "This was just an accident, we were just helping a fellow student with her training in barrier magic, and one of my fireballs, by mistake, purely by accident, got deflected and hit her. Now, she demands compensation in gold for the damage, but it was just a tiny fireball. It was harmless, just for training purposes. You can ask Silvia herself, she will agree with me," He looked at Silvia with a fierce look and asked, "Isn't that RIGHT, Silvia?!"    

The young woman stood passively and nodded, "Yes, that is correct." 

Professor Silva looked at the young man and said, "Well, it is very praiseworthy of you to help other students to practice but it would be most appreciated if you could leave that job to us, teachers, Sterling Whitaker."

"Of course, it was nothing but a friendly gesture, nothing more. Now, could you kindly tell this woman to back off? Clearly, we did nothing wrong here, unless she wants to get hurt."

"And for you, Helen, don't ever go around extorting students for money on such petty things, in training accidents happen. From where I stand, I don't see any damage done to you. There are some rules you need to follow, is that clear?!"  

Suzuka affirmed, "Yeah, crystal clear. The damage is more mental than physical. Hearing his voice caused me more pain than the pathetic fireball he conjured. It was so wimpy that I put it out with a yawn out of sheer boredom. His annoying voice was the closest thing that comes to cause any real damage so far, pathetic."

The young man lost his cool and composed act, "You dare to mock me?! The Sterling Whitaker, the son of the headmaster of this university?!"

Suzuka said mockingly with a grin, "Oh! Sorry! I didn't know you were a daddy's boy, I should probably apologize to him for how pathetic his son turned out. Even with magic box power you can't cast a proper spell, only farts."

The man snapped, he was never ridiculed by others in his life, only he was allowed to do so, "That's it! I demand a dual, surely you won't coward and agree since you talk so big!"  

"I agree," Suzuka said without hesitation.

Professor Wong said, "Okay, I don't see why not. We had duals planned for today anyway. We will go with the basic rules. You will use wooden swords, no box powers. First to give up, or unconscious lose, is that alright?"

But the man was not satisfied with the rules, "No, no, no give up. The only rule we need is: the first one unconscious lose. Let's not go easy here, it won't be much of a training if she gives up before the fight even begins."

"Well? Is that acceptable for you Helen?" Professor Wong asked.

Suzuka shrugged and said, "Yeah, whatever. The sooner I'm done with this clown the better."

Professor Wong casually said, "Okay, go to the combat room and you can begin on my signal."  

Suzuka and Sterling swaggered into the combat room, ready to fight. Sterling wasted time gloating about his sword skills, bragging about the trainers who had taught him how to wield a blade with deadly precision. His tone was dripping with smug self-satisfaction as if he thought he was better than everyone else in the room. 

The professor signaled for the dual to commence. With a smug expression, Sterling launched himself toward Suzuka, eager to strike. Despite his wide swing, Suzuka remained motionless, and with a swift move, she disarmed him by grabbing his sword from his hands. Then, she struck his face with her fist while still holding onto his sword. Though her hit wasn't forceful enough, Sterling crumbled to the ground, whimpering with tears in his eyes.

He started to shout, "I gave up, I give up. You win!"

Professor Wong walked closer and said, "That was a short match, it's already over, oh well, let's get back to..." 

But she was interrupted by Suzuka, "Match over? No, the match is still on. He is still conscious, remember the rules professor? No giving up, and we need to follow the rules, you said it yourself, right?"