William's mind raced, a whirlwind of calculations and desperate improvisations. He glanced at the ethereal display projected by EMMA, the numbers stark and unforgiving. Mana remaining: 60 units. The previous analysis, a complex calculation involving Yegun's movements, attack patterns, and William's own defensive capabilities, had consumed a significant chunk of his reserves – 20 units, a costly expenditure, but a necessary one. He couldn't afford another full analysis, not at this stage. He had to rely on instinct, on training, and on a healthy dose of luck.

  He was a novice at magic. He'd only successfully cast one spell, the Light spell, and that had taken days of frustrating practice. He couldn't control the flow of mana with the finesse and precision of an experienced mage like Julia. He couldn't finely tune the output, couldn't modulate the intensity, couldn't shape the energy into complex forms. His control was crude, blunt, like trying to sculpt a masterpiece with a sledgehammer. But he could monitor it using EMMA.

  That was EMMA's greatest strength, at least for now. It gave him a level of awareness, a quantitative understanding of his own magical reserves, that was unheard of for a beginner. He could see, in real-time, the depletion of his mana, the cost of each action, the dwindling resources available to him. It was like having a fuel gauge for his magic, a constant reminder of his limitations, a warning against reckless expenditure.

  He'd been practicing the Light spell diligently, repeating the runes, the incantation, the visualization, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of times. He'd used EMMA to monitor the mana expenditure, to understand the precise cost of the spell, to optimize his technique. He knew, with absolute certainty, that a basic Light spell, the kind that produced a gentle, candle-like glow, consumed approximately 2 units of mana per minute of sustained illumination. His mind racing a million miles an hour, what if he pumped 5 units, or 10 units, or all the units of mana available to him in one go using the light spell? William hypothesised that the additional mana would either cause the stone to shine more brightly, or it may not be able to hold all the additional mana and explode. Both outcomes were acceptable in the surprise attack he needed to disrupt Yegun’s rhythm and give him a fighting chance.

  His plan, born of desperation and a flash of insight, hinged on this hypothesis. William had no way to be 100% certain it would work, but it was a risk he was willing to take, as the alternative was to fail the trial. He would use the Light spell, not as a source of illumination, but as a weapon. He would overload the spell, pump all his remaining mana into it, creating a burst of intense light, a blinding flash designed to disorient Yegun, to create an opening, to buy himself those precious few remaining minutes. It might not even be able to blind Yegun, the rock might be as dim as when he first cast the light spell, but there was no way Yegun would be able to anticipate this move, so at the very least it could disrupt his attacks, create the opening he was after.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  But the execution was tricky, fraught with risk. He needed to get close to Yegun, close enough for the flash to be effective, but without exposing himself to a fatal blow. Yegun was still hasted, moving at an incredible speed, his sword a blur of motion. A direct approach was suicidal. He needed a distraction, a feint, something to draw Yegun's attention, to make him commit, to create the opportunity he needed.

  The scattered stones on the training yard floor gave him an idea, a desperate, almost comical ploy, but one that might just work. He would pretend to be defeated, to be out of options, to resort to a pathetic, last-ditch effort: throwing rocks. It was so ridiculous, so unexpected, that Yegun would just brush it off as the desperation of a madman and then rush in for the kill. This final rush from Yegun may just give William the opening he craved.

  William, ignoring the throbbing pain in his leg and shoulder, the exhaustion that weighed down his limbs, forced himself to move. He scrambled backward, away from Yegun's relentless assault, rolling across the packed earth, his movements clumsy but desperate. He scooped up a handful of loose stones, pebbles really, their rough surfaces digging into his palm.

  Yegun, seeing William's frantic movements, his desperate grab for the stones, paused for a fraction of a second, his expression shifting from focused aggression to something akin to bemused contempt. He lowered his sword slightly, his posture relaxing, a flicker of amusement crossing his lips. "Really?" he thought, his internal monologue a mixture of disbelief and condescension. "Rocks? Is this the best he can do? Pathetic. Still, he does not surrender despite the odds, I have to give him credit for that." He'd seen novices panic before, seen them resort to desperate, foolish measures in the face of overwhelming odds. This was nothing new. It was, if anything, a sign of his impending victory.

  He prepared to finish the fight. He'd toyed with the novice long enough. It was time to end this charade, to deliver the decisive blow, to demonstrate the futility of William's resistance. He would close the distance, strike quickly and cleanly, and put an end to this embarrassing spectacle.

  William, his back to the ground, his body aching, his lungs burning, raised his hand, the stones clutched tightly in his grasp. He took a deep breath, steadied himself, and threw.

  The stones arced through the air, a pathetic volley, a desperate gesture of defiance. They were poorly aimed, lacking any real force, their trajectory easily predictable. Yegun didn't even bother to dodge. He simply shifted his weight slightly, allowing most of the stones to fly harmlessly past him, his eyes fixed on William, a smirk playing on his lips. Two of the stones, however, were on a collision course with his body. With a flick of his wrist, he used the flat of his short sword to deflect them, sending them spinning harmlessly away, the blunt steel meeting the stone with a dull thwack.

  "Now," Yegun thought, his mind focused, his body poised for action. "Time to end this."