Dark Magus Returns

Chapter 1409: “Unmatched”

For a brief moment, the scoreboard displaying Wilton Academy’s score had vanished.

Everyone in the arena had seen the result, if only for a short time. But as the event assessors worked to confirm the data, they had taken it down, sparking a wave of uncertainty among the crowd.

There had been no official statement yet, no word on whether the results were genuine, or if there had been foul play involved. No confirmation, no denial. Just silence.

Which was exactly why the Central Academy students were so confused.

They had accomplished a historic first. They expected a thunderous reaction, applause, at the very least some respect. Instead, they were met with awkward glances and murmurings.

"Did something happen?" Nannan asked, turning to the Central Academy professor who stood beside them. Like Panla and the others, he was serving as their representative for the event.

"I think it’s best we wait until the official announcement is made," the professor replied, though his voice lacked conviction.

The students exchanged uncertain looks. Nothing made sense. Had they missed something?

As the final ten minutes of the event ticked down, students from the other academies began emerging from their portals. Unlike the Central Academy group, these teams were handing in their collected powerstones to their teachers, who in turn passed them to the event assessor.

The assessor dropped each set of stones into a transparent container by his side, an enchanted one that automatically counted and logged the stones by group.

Time passed. Then, the last few seconds vanished from the clock. The first event had officially come to an end.

"Haha! Would you look at that?" Ponzo laughed from the Central Academy’s side. "Wilton’s students didn’t even make it out in time! I guess losing their best performers broke them. Looks like they couldn’t handle even a low-tier dimension."

The others around him nodded in agreement, smug and satisfied.

"I suppose we’ll just have to wait for them to finally show up before the results can be announced," Nannan commented, arms crossed. "I wonder how long they’re going to take."

But then, something unexpected happened.

The assessor lifted his hand, magic swirling around him as it amplified his voice across the arena.

"We will now announce the full results of the first event of the Magical Exchange!" he called out clearly.

The crowd blinked in surprise.

What about Wilton? They hadn’t come out yet. Why was the announcement being made?

Before anyone could ask, the assessor raised both hands, casting another spell. A large magical display flared to life behind him and across the arena’s many viewing screens.

The results were in.

And just like that, the murmurs stopped. The crowd stared.

The scoreboard was crystal clear.

Wilton Academy sat at the top.

Their completion time was listed beside their name, undeniable, unchallenged, and... real.

It confirmed what many had suspected: there was no foul play. Nothing suspicious. The results were legitimate. The Wilton students had completed the task in record time and walked away before anyone else had even come close.

The reaction from the other academies was a mix of shock and disbelief.

Mouths hung open.

Some couldn’t blink.

Others covered their mouths, unable to hide their expressions of pure astonishment.

"That... that can’t be right," Bones stammered. "How is that even possible? No one can finish a dungeon event in ten minutes!"

"They must have defeated the dimensional boss," Rupert said, his tone serious. "That’s the only way. And they must have done it early, finished the whole thing and left before the rest of us were even halfway through."

The truth was sinking in fast.

The incredible feat the Central Academy thought they had accomplished, it was already outshined. Their triumph paled in comparison to what Wilton Academy had achieved.

Kayzel, eyes narrowed, turned to Ponzo.

"That’s gotta be fake, right?" Ponzo asked. "They had to use some kind of trick. There’s no way that’s real."

"It might be," Rupert said. "But if that’s the case, then they’ve had over an hour to find something, and they haven’t. Which means nothing’s been proven. No evidence. No violations. The result stands."

All they could do now... was stare at the screen.

The first event of the Magical Exchange was over, and the unexpected victor had rewritten every expectation.

In the guest viewing booth, the academy principals were rising to leave. The event was done, but none of them could walk away without commenting on what they had just witnessed.

"I told you all you’d be surprised by the results," Wilton Junior said, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "I’ll admit, even I didn’t expect things to go this

He paused for a moment before continuing, his tone turning thoughtful.

"I think it’s time we start seeing things a little differently. The Central Academy may still lead in many areas, but just like in the past, when some nations began to surpass others in various fields, the same is happening now with academies.

"After all, wasn’t that the point of the Magical Exchange? To learn from each other. To grow together as equals?"

Wilton’s words held truth. That had been the spirit of the Exchange when it was first proposed.

But over time, the event had evolved, twisted into a showcase for the Central Academy. It had become a stage to prove why they were the best, why all families should send their children there, why their prestige was unmatched.

But now?

That illusion had been cracked.

"Well," Ibarin, the Central Academy Headmaster, said as he stood up, "it certainly was a surprise. It’ll be interesting to see how the next few days play out."

One by one, the other principals followed suit and began filing out of the booth.

But as Ibarin stepped past the others and moved toward the exit, the smile on his face disappeared.

’What trick did they use...?’ he thought, his fists clenched tightly behind his back. ’How were they able to do something like that? I’ll get to the bottom of this. No one gets away with stealing the spotlight from my academy.’

’The Central Academy is mine. And an attack on it... is an attack on me.’

****

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