But there was one serious problem.

The thing in front of me was a tougher nut to crack than I’d expected.

The two casual fire spells I tossed while jumping underground vanished without a trace.

It felt like magic just… didn’t work on it.

Wondering if it was an elemental issue, I shaped a stone spear and flicked it over—same result.

It crumbled into sand before even touching the core. My head throbbed.

“Mmm… this is gonna be annoying.”

The urge to just ditch Estelle-senpai and everything hit hard.

—*WUUUUUM!!*

The golem, which had been still, began moving again.

Before I could react, a massive fist flew at me.

“Lunaris! Danger!”

Claire’s urgent shout came with a gust of wind magic that shoved me aside.

A BOOM erupted where I’d stood, followed by a storm of mana.

For a split second, it felt like my mana was being sucked out of my body—an eerie sensation.

I instinctively cloaked myself in mana, but Claire couldn’t.

“Cough, cough! W-What is this…?!”

“Claire, fall back.”

Claire staggered, her face pale.

Mana exhaustion.

I studied the golem’s core closely.

Layer upon layer of overlapping magic circles, hard to decipher.

But their function wasn’t hard to figure out.

Especially since the core structure was one I’d drawn before.

…Looks like I accidentally helped Estelle-senpai complete her magical golem. Unintentionally.

Suppressing the heat rising in my head, I analyzed its origin.

The key to those complex circles: mana absorption.

No wonder it’s called a magical golem.

Now I understood why its entire body was made of mana.

It was the natural enemy of both knights and mages.

A perfect magical weapon.

I didn’t know its weakness, but I knew how to fight it.

Simple, really.

Overwhelm it with superior magic.

There’s nothing magic can’t do. Something not working? Then you don’t have enough mana.

“Been a while.”

I inhaled deeply—*sssshh*—and began pulling up the mana inside me.

The lazy, sunken magic stirred into a vortex, wrapping around me.

It had been ages since I used magic the “normal” way.

Lately, I’d been relying on natural mana, so I rarely tapped my internal reserves.

Overusing it left my body heavy like soaked cotton, and I couldn’t sleep.

But now? I had to push.

A frost-white magic circle unfurled above my head.

The air froze.

A biting wind whipped around me—

Then a ferocious ice storm roared toward the golem.

Where the wind touched its body, mana particles scattered.

Still, the cold lingered, binding its feet.

“Not enough…”

I needed more power.

Upper-tier magic was draining, but insufficient.

I needed a decisive blow.

Truth be told, this was my limit with internal mana.

Forcing more would scatter it before the spell formed.

So… what if I layered natural mana on top of mine? Increase the total volume?

But in this state—already at my limit—could I use telekinesis to pull in natural mana and blend it?

Could I run two different calculations at once?

…There’s no reason I can’t. With my talent, probably. Maybe.

The problem: it’d take time. And the golem wouldn’t wait.

Reluctantly, I glanced up at the people gawking from above.

Finding usable ones wasn’t hard.

Personality and skill aside—pick those with high mana capacity, and you’re halfway there.

“You, you, and you. Come down.”

I pointed at a few. Murmurs followed.

They blinked, unsure if they were chosen. I sighed.

“I mean… the second-year top whose pride got cracked by me, the one itching to grip his sword, and Miriel—was it?—the redhead. Hurry up.”

“Who said my pride got cracked?!”

The miraculously still-masculine senpai (despite a certain beam) bristled, veins popping.

The other two came down without complaint. At least they listen.

Then someone I didn’t call leaped down the stairs.

“Kaizel-senpai, stay up and watch. I’ll go instead.”

Black hair, arrogantly smug face.

Edwin, right?

“I don’t remember calling you.”

He smirked as I frowned.

“Weren’t you gathering the aces here?”

“I was. You’re not one.”

“What?! Who here has better magic than me? …W-Well, except you!”

His awkward addendum made me snort.

Fair. He and that other guy are about the same.

Not wanting to argue, I cut to the chase.

“Distract the golem. About… three minutes?”

Miriel-senpai’s eyes gleamed.

“Got a plan?”

“Plan? Nah. Just…”

I trailed off, scribbling a new circle in the air.

With a light push, the mana around me swelled violently.

“Overwhelm it with overwhelming magic.”

The golem reacted first.

Sensing threat, it charged me.

“Miriel, enchant my sword.”

The sword-wielder dashed forward with a curt command.

The golem’s blue fist clashed head-on with the blade.

A screech like crushing metal—the sword began melting.

But only briefly. Red mana coiled over it.

“Hmph~ Didn’t think I’d take orders at the academy.”

Miriel-senpai pouted, drawing a circle.

“But fine—just this once, I’ll play along.”

From a distance, Edwin hurled earth spears in rapid succession.

“Your opponent’s here! Can’t even recognize a pureblood mage, huh?”

No real damage, but enough to draw its instinct-driven attention.

Good. They’re doing well. Three minutes should be plenty.

I closed my eyes, focusing.

Scraping every drop of internal mana.

At my limit, I pushed one step further.

Layering the telekinesis formula I’d used effortlessly since becoming an upper-tier mage.

Squeezing space, cautiously blending natural mana into the spell.

At first, the two manas repelled like water and oil.

But under telekinesis, they began to merge.

“…Hold on.”

I suppressed the surging fatigue, lethargy, and laziness.

Something boiled hot inside me.

My vision blurred, but I gritted my teeth and focused.

In the raging mana storm, I built the magic circles with precision.

They floated above, intertwining.

Blue and white mana particles rained like starlight.

Sweat rolled down my forehead.

Hair and clothes whipped wildly.

Suddenly—*snap*—something in my mind broke.

Hard to explain.

Like if I reached out, I could grab something…

I took a deep breath and raised my arm.

Circles unfolded in quadruple, quintuple layers around the golem, evenly spaced.

My vision went black.

A high-pitched ringing filled my ears.

Far away, a twinkling point of light.

I reached out carefully—

And grasped the star.

My vision flashed white.

—*KABOOOOOM!!*

A pillar of light slammed down onto the golem’s head.

I’d somehow cast a spell far beyond its mana absorption limit.

The golem’s form shuddered violently under the starlight beam.

Its core let out a hollow crack and shattered.

The blue mana forming its body dispersed like mist.

Like stardust, the underground space glittered brilliantly.

How much time passed?

The mana storm subsided, dust and light slowly settling.

The massive golem was gone.

Only scattered crystal shards on the floor hinted it had ever been there.

I collapsed beside them, gasping.

My body felt hollow—mana completely drained.

Head spinning, I flopped onto my back.

The ceiling swirled.

Hallucinations whispered in my ears.

Lying there, I couldn’t tell if this was real or a dream.

I should go to bed… but my body wouldn’t move.

Crushing lethargy pinned me down. Wow, I think I used a lifetime’s worth of motivation.

I’m never doing this again. Seriously.

Staring blankly at ceiling cracks, a shadow blocked my view.

I turned slightly—the first to charge the golem, the swordsman.

Face caked in dust and scratches, expression stoic.

But a faint smile tugged at his lips.

“…Of all the mages I’ve seen, you’re by far the best.”

He caught his breath and extended a calloused hand.

“Stronger than even the student council president.”

I stared at the hand, then sighed weakly.

“No strength… to grab… let me lie a bit longer…”

“Haha, got it. Leave the rest to us. Rest well. Great work, Lunaris Evermoon.”

*

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