Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Standing on the floating earthen platform, Professor Mathilda Whitaker had a strange look on her face as she gazed at the scene being played out in the crystal ball in her hands.

She had had her eyes on the copper-red-haired youth named Merlin Mathias from the very beginning.

The fact that she didn't know about the participation of this rogue Magus until a day before the First Trial was quite surprising to her.

What was even more astonishing was the fact that it was none other than Headmaster Blackwood who had told her to put the youth's name in for the tournament.

Merlin Mathias was a completely unknown individual. He had not participated in any preliminary rounds, nor had he undergone the usual background checks to qualify for the tournament.

However, none of that mattered.

One word from the Headmaster was enough to vouch for his legitimacy.

But that's what made the Magus known as Merlin Mathias all the more intriguing in Professor Whitaker's eyes.

Just who are you?

She refused to believe Merlin was just any random nobody. He had a relation with the Headmaster, after all.

Not many people had even seen a Mana Core Magus in their lives, let alone have one vouch for them for such a prestigious and grand event.

The elderly professor's brows furrowed. She had witnessed Merlin cast an illusion spell on himself and scare away the sirens, effectively giving the participants, who had fallen for the mind hex, a second chance.

Then, she saw the coppery-red-haired youth casually stroll through the labyrinth like he was taking a walk through his own backyard.

Every crab-centaur that appeared before him… walked past him without even noticing him. Professor Whitaker was quite surprised at the level of concealment magic the youth had cast on himself.

And not just that, Merlin was nonchalantly going around collecting magical keys as if they were candies in a market stall. He wasn't even infusing mana into the key to teleport back to the surface after obtaining it.

It seemed that he was… overseeing the First Trial instead of participating in it.

What is... happening? Professor Whitaker was dumbfounded by this strange development.

Suddenly, her eyes narrowed, and she turned her head to the side. A couple of moments later, the space near the lakeshore trembled and twisted, forming a portal.

And then… a blond elf drenched in water jumped out of it with a copper key in hand.

After confirming the identity of the participant, Professor Whitaker's lips curled into a proud smile.

"Well done, Daneli," she murmured before shifting her attention back to the crystal ball.

***

"Woah! It's Daneli!"

"He's the first to clear the trial!"

"Daneli of Saratoga!"

"Daneli! Daneli!"

"Daneli! Daneli!"

The moment the blond elf set his feet on the banks of Marian Lake, the students from Saratoga Castle leapt from the bleachers and rushed toward him, cheering in excitement.

Without hesitation, they lifted him up and tossed him into the air—again and again—celebrating his success with unrestrained joy.

Daneli, on the other hand, wore a blank, unamused expression on his face as he was tossed up and down, clearly unbothered by the celebration… or perhaps just wishing it would end.

I hate this, he thought, annoyed.

Meanwhile, in a section of the bleachers occupied by the elves from Baja, a strange tension hung in the air. They were unsure of how to feel.

On the one hand, they were proud that a person from Baja was the first to clear the trial. On the other hand, they found it weird that the very person wasn't representing Baja, but Saratoga instead.

Only Atiel Ambermind, Daneli's twin sister, broke the stillness with a bright smile as she watched her brother being tossed into the air.

"He's clearly loving it," she said with a giggle.

***

Adam swam through the maze with ease, passing by the crab-centaurs completely unnoticed.

He was a master at illusions, after all. Even with a weak spell, it was incredibly easy for him to conceal himself from all the others' senses.

Almost thirty minutes had passed since the participants had entered the lake. By now, the alteration spell they had been using was beginning to show signs of wearing off.

The participants needed to find the magical key before the effects of the spell completely wore off. But with the maze shifting every minute, and the crab-centaurs chasing after them with ruthless fury, things were starting to get very difficult for them.

Adam had come across several familiar faces while he traversed the maze. He witnessed his students cleverly fending off the underwater creatures and using the terrain to their advantage.

Eleiney has used a divination spell to locate the nearest magical key and was the first of Adam's students to teleport away.

Aiden and Arthur were having a lot of difficulty finding the keys. Every time they came across one, the maze would abruptly shift, or they would be attacked by the crab-centaurs.

They were quite unlucky, to say the least…

And that is why Adam secretly placed a key near each of them, making them think they had luckily 'stumbled' upon them.

That was the reason why he had been collecting keys. He didn't want any of his friends—or students—to be left behind. He wanted them to experience the wonders of the Grand Magus Tournament for as long as it lasted.

He saw Qamara Feno successfully find a key and teleport away. But before that, she had even managed to help several of the students from Saratoga find the key.

The youth even saw Lisa fight off a bunch of crab-centaurs and make it out of the Lake.

And then there was Edward…

The fool had completely disregarded the task of finding the key and was instead frantically scouring through the maze, looking for his lover.

Seeing such a scene, Adam's expression darkened with visible anger.

This stupid bastard! Just what the hell is he thinking?

He had two keys with him at the moment—one for Edward and the other for himself.

But he was going to teach his best friend a valuable lesson before handing him the key.

***

Edward rapidly swam through the maze, carefully memorizing the layout to make his search easier when the labyrinth shifted again.

Damn it, Lisa, where are you?!

As he vaulted over a coral barrier, a sudden jolt ran through him, his senses flaring with the warning of incoming danger.

And before he could even react, a brutal strike slammed into his face, sending him reeling backward. Blood burst from his mouth and nose, dyeing the water around him in a deep crimson.

Edward grimaced in pain as he adjusted his body in the water.

That wasn't a crab-centaur! He thought, alarmed.

He turned towards the coral barrier, and there, sitting casually atop it, was a youth with coppery-red hair, staring down at him with open disdain.

Edward did not like that look on the stranger's face.

He glared at him with hostility. But right at that moment, the stranger's voice rang inside his head, causing him to become even more furious.

'The greatest genius of Daybreak? What a fuckin' disappointment!'