The intense ocular radiance erupting from Eric’s eyes produced a flash so blinding it felt as if flames might burst forth at any moment.
It shot straight ahead in a perfectly linear line, precisely targeting Ludger.
“Huh.”
It was far too sudden, but Ludger managed to evade it by shifting his body through the shadows.
Still, there was no denying that he was caught off guard.
I’d heard he had Magic Eyes, but seeing something like that being fired directly from the eyes is a first for me.
Throughout human history, detailed records existed of mages who possessed Magic Eyes.
Many mages had classified them meticulously, and as a result, Magic Eyes were broadly divided into three categories.
The first was the Illusion-type.
Illusion-type Magic Eyes directly interfered with the opponent’s mind, disrupting perception and judgment.
A representative example was the Magic Eyes of Enchantment possessed by Headmaster Elisa Willow.
Because Elisa herself suppressed her Magic Eyes, their true power wasn’t apparent—but if she truly unleashed them, it would even be possible to dominate the minds of weak-willed members of the opposite sex.
Aside from the Magic Eyes of Enchantment, there were also Magic Eyes of Phantasm that induced dreams, as well as the Magic Eyes of the Seven Emotions, which stirred all manner of feelings within the target.
The second category was the Effect-type.
Like Illusion-type, Effect-type Magic Eyes acted directly upon the opponent.
However, unlike Illusion-type, which interfered with the mind, Effect-type interfered with the physical body.
The most famous example was the Magic Eyes of Petrification.
Simply by looking at the opponent, it could turn them to stone, rendering them unable to move.
There were also Magic Eyes of Stagnation, which halted the movement of objects.
While Petrification only affected living beings, this one could be applied even to inorganic matter, making it far more versatile.
In addition, there were others like the Magic Eyes of Puppetry, which forcibly controlled the opponent’s movements—this category, true to its name, was formidable.
And the third and final category is the Manifestation-type.
Manifestation-type Magic Eyes were far rarer than the types mentioned before.
The previously discussed Magic Eyes all shared the trait of interfering with the opponent’s body or mind.
That alone was already absurdly powerful, yet still somewhat understandable as “Magic Eyes.”
But Manifestation-type was different.
The eyes themselves interfered with the world.
In other words, they manifested phenomena according to the user’s will within the world they saw.
The Magic Eyes of Combustion, which burned whatever they gazed upon.
The Magic Eyes of Crushing Pressure, which imposed immense pressure on the surrounding space.
Even the Magic Eyes of Freezing, which froze everything within sight.
But emitting pure ocular radiance directly from the eyes like that—this was something even Ludger had never encountered before.
Still, judging by its form, he could infer that it belonged to the Manifestation-type.
A Manifestation-type, already rarer than rare among Magic Eyes.
No wonder Elisa had agonized over it.
“Eeeek?!”
The Special Class students watching from the stands were clearly shocked as well.
Who wouldn’t be, seeing a classmate shooting lasers from their eyes?
Ludger turned his head.
The ocular beam that had missed him struck the inner wall of the training ground, and the damage was severe enough that part of the magically reinforced wall was melting and sagging.
Had a person been hit, they might have vanished without a trace.
To fire something like that so recklessly... It showed how confident Eric was in his own ability, but it was impossible not to feel a chill.
Ludger examined Eric’s expression.
Eric wore a face that was half confusion, half liberation—having used the Magic Eyes he had long suppressed for the first time.
He looked at Ludger. There was a strange heat in his gaze.
Metaphorical, of course—but if he wished, he could probably release real heat just like before.
“May I continue?”
“You may go until you’re exhausted.”
The moment permission was granted, a reddish hue gathered in Eric’s pupils.
As Ludger watched, his first thought was that, for Magic Eyes, they were remarkably beautiful.
They resembled opals—gems that contained a multitude of colors.
But when intense ocular radiance erupted from the red core within those eyes, it was a different story entirely.
Once again, the ocular beam was released.
Ludger dashed sideways and evaded it.
So, what will you do? While you’re firing that beam, your vision should be restricted.
Eyes were organs that perceived the world by receiving visible light.
Emitting such an intense light source from one’s pupils meant that, at least for that moment, they would lose their function as visual organs.
Yet, astonishingly, Eric turned his head with perfect accuracy, tracking Ludger’s movement.
It wasn’t something that could be dismissed as coincidence—there was clear certainty in his motion, and Ludger realized that Eric’s vision wasn’t restricted at all.
Magic Eyes really are Magic Eyes, I suppose.
It didn’t seem that firing ocular radiance imposed any real limitation.
Moreover, the beam he was releasing now was different from before.
The ray was thinner, but its heat and power were far more compressed.
It wasn’t a single discharge either—it continued relentlessly, slicing at whatever it touched.
The defensive magic within the training ground activated.
A red line of ocular radiance swept across the bluish mana barrier in a single, fluid stroke.
But Eric still couldn’t keep up with Ludger.
Against someone who could leap across space itself, even keeping him within one’s field of view was difficult.
As Ludger ran across the training ground, his figure was swallowed by shadows and vanished as if it had been snuffed out.
Eric immediately ceased firing his ocular beam and began searching for him.
As if sensing something, Eric swiftly turned around.
At that moment, a massive hand formed of shadow that was reaching toward him came to an abrupt halt.
A different light now shimmered in Eric’s pupils.
“So it’s not just one ability.”
Even as the hand of Ater Nocturnus tried to seize Eric’s body, it couldn’t move, as if suppressed by something.
There was no denying that this was Eric’s doing.
There were no signs of spellcasting—meaning this too had to be the power of his Magic Eyes.
And what that meant was—
Eric didn’t possess just one Magic Eye ability.
“You noticed the ambush from behind quickly. Do you also have detection abilities? And judging by how you stopped it, you even possess an Effect-type.”
“...You’re incredible.”
Eric spoke in genuine admiration.
When he revealed his Magic Eyes, people usually reacted with shock or fear—but Ludger was nothing like that.
Instead, he calmly countered them, accurately and meticulously analyzing the abilities Eric possessed.
Because his tone was so flat, it was Eric who felt ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) unsettled instead.
“Eric Willow. I believe that’s not all.”
“...Then I’ll try to live up to your expectations.”
Though he said that, his expression was brimming with excitement.
It was only natural. Because of the danger posed by his Magic Eyes, he had always been forced to cover them with his hair and wear artifact glasses.
He knew how far outside the norm his abilities were—and how great a danger they could become.
That was why he shackled himself, avoiding interaction with others.
Not because he wanted to.
Because he had no choice, given the power of his Magic Eyes.
But now, for the first time, Eric was able to remove all his restraints and show his true self.
Eric’s gaze fixed on Ludger.
Ludger felt his body jolt and come to a halt.
“Stoppage? Or paralysis?”
No—neither.
Ludger felt his body undergoing petrification.
“The Magic Eyes of Petrification... You even have the pinnacle of Effect-type abilities?”
Among Effect-type Magic Eyes, Petrification was considered the highest tier.
It was an ability that existed only in legends and myths—on Earth, the only examples were Medusa and the Cockatrice.
For the one affected, simply feeling their body turn to stone was enough to induce panic.
But Ludger surged his mana, forcefully pushing the petrification away and dispelling it.
The Magic Eyes of Petrification assumed that the opponent was weaker than the user.
Against someone who possessed greater mana, the Magic Eyes of Petrification couldn’t exert their full power.
Perhaps because Eric knew this, he changed his approach.
As Eric’s eyes touched him, Ludger’s movements jerked and halted.
Of course, it lasted only an instant—Ludger broke free the moment he exerted force.
But in that fleeting instant, Eric completed a formula and activated a spell.
The spell’s manifestation was remarkably fast, because Eric was using source code.
“So it’s become widespread enough that most mages can use it now.”
It really drove home how much time had passed.
Watching the spells approaching, Ludger lightly raised his staff.
Magic manifested faster than Eric could finish constructing and firing his own.
Cube fragments gathered in midair, forming swords, which then shot out in all directions, intercepting every one of Eric’s spells.
It didn’t stop there—steel swords then fell vertically toward Eric.
Eric immediately halted the steel swords with his Magic Eyes, while simultaneously deploying defensive magic in preparation for Ludger’s next attack.
“Your responses are excellent. An average mage wouldn’t stand a chance against you.”
Unlike Carlo, who fought on instinct, Eric was thoroughly calculated.
And the abilities of Magic Eyes were notoriously difficult to counter.
Magic Eyes were deemed dangerous because, unlike magic, they didn’t require the drawing of formulas to activate.
Simply coming into the user’s field of vision was enough to land a decisive hit—there was hardly any ability more troublesome for mages to face.
That was precisely why Magic Eyes were regarded as so dangerous.
No matter what, as long as you were seen, you were within their effective range—making countermeasures nearly impossible.
And in Eric’s case, it wasn’t just one ability, but several overlapping ones.
This is practically a mutation.
And to think it manifested as a case of atavism.
Ludger understood even more clearly why Headmaster Elisa cherished Eric so deeply.
If Eric’s abilities were to become known outside, he would almost certainly become a target for mages.
Magic Eyes that possessed multiple abilities at once had immense research value.
To mages obsessed with magic, it wouldn’t be strange at all to gouge out his eyes while he was still alive.
They’re far too powerful for a child this young to possess. The Headmaster forcibly bringing Eric to Seorn wasn’t just to refine his abilities—it was also to protect him from external danger.
From her perspective, Eric wasn’t a stranger, but a cousin.
Naturally, she couldn’t help but be more concerned.
After several minutes passed—
In the end, Eric unleashed everything he had, yet still collapsed flat on the training ground.
“Good work.”
“Thank... you.”
Eric’s expression, however, was brighter than ever before, as if all the pent-up frustration he had carried for so long had finally been released.
Eric lowered his bangs again and fumbled as he put his artifact glasses back on.
In an instant, he returned to the appearance of an ordinary, studious boy and trudged back to the stands.
But no one there could look down on Eric anymore. At least, not among those present—now that they knew he was the owner of terrifying Magic Eyes.
“Well then, that leaves just one last student.”
At those words, the one who visibly flinched was Mina, who looked far younger than the others.
Mina’s face was filled with fear, as though she wanted to run away at any moment.
When Ludger snapped his fingers, Mina—who had been sitting in the stands—was transferred to the training ground.
That spatial magic again.
Mina’s shoulders drooped in resignation, her face utterly dejected.
“Are you worried about getting hurt?”
At Ludger’s question, Mina shook her head.
In a tiny, barely audible voice, she replied,
“Because... you might get hurt, Professor.”
“Huh.”
Even after witnessing all those battles, she was worried about him?
It was a statement that could only be described as arrogant.
And yet, Mina was completely sincere. Which left Ludger with nothing but a hollow chuckle.
She truly believed it.
Despite seeing Ludger subdue every other Special Class student without injury.
Despite knowing his overwhelming skill.
She was convinced that if she fought him, he would get hurt.
“As I said beforehand, if you truly don’t want to attend my class, then you’ll have to prove it here. The condition is simple. All you need to do is touch even a single hair on my body.”
“...Really?”
“Yes. Even if I get hurt, I won’t hold you responsible. And I’m far stronger than you think. So don’t do this halfway.”
Mina bit her lip, as if she’d realized something, then nodded.
She fixed Ludger with a far more resolute gaze.
“I’m going.”
She tried to sound spirited, but her voice was still small and fragile.
Yet the mana erupting from her body was entirely different.
“...!”
Watching from the stands, Hermoa felt goosebumps ripple across her entire body.
At the same time, she felt an oppressive pressure so heavy it made breathing difficult.
Because Hermoa sensed mana through touch, she could tell just how absurd the amount of mana Mina possessed was.
And also just how dangerous the magic Mina was about to unleash truly was.
Hermoa’s gaze lifted toward the sky.
And then she saw it.
A massive cubic block of metal, falling toward the center of the training ground.