The people around them clenched their teeth in frustration, their eyes full of envy.

  The Godfall Battlefield pass was a treasure countless people could only dream of obtaining. Yet Allen and Evelyn tossed it back and forth like a piece of trash, a sheer waste of something priceless.

  At that moment, a cool and gentle voice suddenly rose from the crowd, instantly cutting through the surrounding whispers.

  "Allen, since neither of you seems to want this token, how about giving it to me? I would not mind taking it."

  Allen followed the sound of the voice and saw a woman in a silver-white long dress slowly step out from the crowd.

  Her features were delicate, and compared with Evelyn, each had her own charm. Her skin was fair, carrying an ethereal and refined air that made people lose themselves just looking at her.

  She walked up to Allen, the corner of her lips lifting into a faint smile. A hint of cunning glimmered in her eyes as she said,

  "Allen, what do you think of my proposal? Or do you want me to fight you in a resource battle and win this token?"

  Allen remained calm at her words, but the surrounding crowd instantly erupted, whispers rising one after another.

  "It is Leah! She actually wants to fight Allen in a resource battle?" an apprentice said in shock.

  "No way. This is clearly bullying the weak. Allen is only a First-tier Intermediate Mage."

  "Leah has long been a Ninth-tier Intermediate Mage and is just one step away from becoming a Senior Mage!"

  "Although our academy does not forbid people of the same major rank from initiating resource battles, there has never been a precedent for a higher level challenging a lower level. This completely disregards status!"

  "Leah must really be desperate to advance to Senior Mage. For the sake of entering the Godfall Battlefield, she is even willing to throw away her pride."

  Listening to the discussions around him, Allen gradually came to understand the rules of a resource battle.

  Although the Radiant Magic Academy strictly forbade private fights, it had established an arena specifically to resolve personal grudges or disputes over resources. A resource battle was one such form.

  In a world of magic where the strong preyed on the weak, seizing resources was the norm. The academy did not want its apprentices to become flowers raised in a greenhouse. It arranged field trials to temper their strength and also tacitly permitted fair duels in the arena.

  A so-called resource battle applied only to reward items issued by the academy. If someone believed that the holder did not deserve to possess an item, they could initiate a challenge. The victor of the duel would gain ownership of the item.

  By convention, resource battles usually occurred between those of the same level, or when a lower level challenged a higher level to prove themselves.

  A situation like Leah, a Ninth-tier Intermediate Mage challenging a First-tier Intermediate Mage, was almost unheard of.

  But this time, for the sake of seizing the token in Allen's hand, Leah took the initiative to challenge Allen, who had only just stepped into the rank of Intermediate Mage. This action left everyone present astonished.

  "Once a resource battle is initiated, it cannot be refused. Allen is in trouble now. He has just advanced to Intermediate Mage and his strength has not yet stabilized, yet he is holding such a rare item. He probably will not be able to keep it in the end."

  "Exactly. He might as well hand the token over to Leah directly. At least he could gain a favor and avoid being defeated in public and losing face."

  Voices of agreement rose all around, and most people believed that Allen was bound to lose.

  Allen lowered his head and looked at the token in his hand, just about to speak, when Evelyn suddenly stepped forward. She took the token from his hand, lifted her gaze to meet Leah's, and said,

  "Leah, Allen has already given the token to me. If you want to start a resource battle, then fight me. What kind of skill is it to bully Allen, who has only just advanced to Intermediate Mage?"

  Looking at the token in Evelyn's hand, Leah's expression remained calm. A cold smile curved her lips.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "Evelyn, this is not something a verbal gift can settle. The academy clearly awarded the token to Allen. If the holder could simply give it away to avoid a resource battle, what meaning would this rule even have?"

  She paused, her tone carrying a hint of amusement."Besides, Allen may not necessarily lose."

  "As long as he can win three consecutive resource battles, this Godfall Battlefield token will naturally belong to him. After that, he can give it to you, and no one will have any grounds to object."

  Leah deliberately mentioned three battles, firmly convinced that Allen would not even make it through the first one against her.

  Evelyn frowned deeply and turned to look at Augustine, her eyes filled with inquiry.

  Augustine, however, seemed pleased to see this. He had never wanted a genius to become a flower raised in a greenhouse. This kind of restrained resource battle was precisely an excellent opportunity to temper Allen's practical combat ability.

  After all, the academy's arena did not account for life or death, while a resource battle had clear limitations.

  Killing blows were forbidden. The match would end as soon as one side admitted defeat or lost the ability to fight. It would allow Allen to experience a real duel while ensuring his safety and helping him grow quickly.

  "Within the same rank, anyone may initiate a resource battle. Just follow the rules," the headmaster said.

  Watching from the side, Allen immediately understood the headmaster's intention and no longer bothered to refuse.

  He took the token back from Evelyn's hand, his tone calm."All right. It is just a resource battle. I accept."

  Evelyn's expression changed instantly, and she said anxiously,"You are not her opponent at all. You have only just advanced!"

  She knew well the gap in strength between the two of them, and her heart was full of worry.

  Allen smiled at Evelyn and was about to speak to reassure her, but Leah in front of him hurriedly spoke first, afraid he might change his mind.

  "Allen, then we will meet at the arena three days from now."

  With that, she did not linger. She turned and quickly left the front of the Holy Demon Prison Tower, her retreating figure full of confidence and determination.

  In her view, this token was already in her pocket. All she needed to do was easily defeat Allen three days later to claim it.

  Allen also turned and left the Holy Demon Prison Tower.

  Inside the Eleanor Estate.

  "Eleanor Mentor, Evelyn."

  Allen took a deep breath and decided to stop pretending. He spoke frankly,"I will stop putting on an act. I am laying it all out."

  "I advanced from Magic Apprentice to Intermediate Mage in just five days."

  Although Augustine had promised to conceal Allen's true talent in front of everyone, facing the mentor and Evelyn who spent their days with him, this kind of concealment could not last long and was no longer necessary.

  "I did not mean to hide it from you. The main reason is that the speed was simply too outrageous. Even I felt it was unreal. I thought there was some kind of illusion in my mana circuits. I was afraid that if I said it out loud, you would worry, so I never dared to mention it."

  Allen's tone was sincere. Without having to deliberately suppress his aura or pretend to be clumsy, he felt much more at ease.

  But neither Eleanor nor Evelyn heard another word of what he said after that.

  The two of them stood frozen in place, the unbelievable number five days echoing again and again in their minds.

  "Five days?" Evelyn was the first to recover, her voice trembling.

  "Then the rumor you mentioned before, about someone advancing from Magic Apprentice to Junior Mage in half an hour, that would not happen to be you, would it?"

  She had thought it was just a rumor at the time, after all, it went against every record in the magical tomes.

  Allen nodded with a trace of embarrassment and answered softly,"It was me. I was flipping through basic magic texts at the time and accidentally opened the initial circuit. It was even faster than I had expected."

  Evelyn and Eleanor exchanged a look and saw deep shock in each other's eyes.

  "What kind of heaven defying magical talent is this."

  It had taken Evelyn half a year to advance from Magic Apprentice to Junior Mage, which was already considered top level in the academy. Yet Allen had been thousands of times faster.

  Eleanor held her forehead and laughed in disbelief."Just what kind of apprentice did I take in."

  She suddenly felt that her previous hands off approach with Allen had, by pure accident, actually protected this exceptionally gifted boy.

  ...

  At the same time, in another part of the grounds, Leah had her own private residence.

  Her mentor had gone out recently, and most of the other apprentices in the courtyard were also away on trial missions. At this moment, only she remained.

  Leah returned alone to her room, carefully locked the door, and then set up three layers of soundproof magic arrays on the doors and windows, making sure no one could spy on what was happening inside.

  She sat at her dressing table and slowly pulled out a black bone chain hidden against her chest, the chain made of tiny finger bones strung together.

  She gently placed the bone chain on the table, and faint magic gathered around her fingertips.

  After a moment, the bone chain suddenly emitted a green ghostly glow, and blurry Demon Tribe runes appeared.

  A cold female voice rang directly in Leah's mind, carrying clear reproach.

  "Why did you rashly initiate a resource battle with that boy? This increases our risk of exposure."

  "It is just a token. It is not worth the risk. As long as you diligently collect intelligence from the human academy."

  "I will report upward and have you enter the Godfall Battlefield through the Demon Tribe's secret teleportation array."

  The voice paused, its tone impatient."That boy's talent may be high, but he is not worth our direct involvement."

  Leah let out a breath and explained,"I am not interested in the token. That one called Allen has something strange about him."

  "Yet he can climb to the top of the tower without any hindrance and does not even feel the slightest pressure. That is simply unbelievable."

  "What I am worried about is not his talent, but that he may possess a special means to counter us Night Demons, or that there is a power within him that stands opposed to the Night Demons."

  "This battle with him is the perfect chance to test his true nature. If this person truly can restrain the Night Demons, leaving him alive will surely become a great threat. He must be eliminated early to prevent future trouble."

  A flash of ruthlessness passed through her eyes, and the ghostly light on the bone chain dimmed slightly in response.