Duel Practice 4
"The result is the combat-major student Miel Norison’s victory. Well, there are no objections, I assume?"
After Miel and my one-on-one sparring match ended, Professor Blackwin announced the result.
As everyone had expected, it was my loss. And yet it was hardly a simple defeat.
Unlike the prediction that the upper-ranked cadet would crush me without mercy, we exchanged blows for quite some time, awkwardly enough, and the bout dragged on longer than expected.
In the end I was the one who went down first and was subdued, but I had landed one effective hit in the process.
An attack that, had it been outside a spar, would have dealt a far more serious blow than one might think.
Maybe Miel Norison had sensed that too, because even though he had clearly won, his expression was as shadowed as someone who had lost instead.
He gave off an atmosphere that fit the phrase "won, but also lost" perfectly, and the golden-and-blue mana that usually flowed around him had fallen away into a dark, ink-black haze.
"Both cadets worked hard. Now get off the stage. The other cadets’ sparring matches are waiting."
Sensing the heavy mood, Professor Blackwin hurriedly wrapped things up and sent both Miel Norison and me off the stage.
There was no real reason for us to keep talking after that, and Miel himself didn’t seem to have any lingering attachment to staying on stage, so he climbed down without a word.
"... Um, Miel... are you okay?"
"Hm... huh? Oh, uh... I’m fine, I’m fine, haha."
Miel Norison answered my question with an awkward laugh, as though that hadn’t been the scenario he’d imagined.
Compared to his usual bright, fearless, and overflowing-with-courage appearance, he looked deflated.
"More importantly... how did you do that? Is something like that even possible?"
Miel asked me with keen interest.
"Your movement... from the look of it, that was Mana Circulation, wasn’t it?"
"Yes..."
"But then how in the world did you use the Melitton family’s Mana Circulation?"
As I had said before, Mana Circulation was a mana application method that slowly spread mana throughout the body to artificially enhance physical ability.
Because it boosted the body’s raw physical capacity itself, it worked well and powerfully in just about any situation, and most people with support-type unique abilities had at least some grasp of it.
But concentrating mana in a single area was an entirely different matter. If mana was circulated through only one part of the body, the warm-up speed rose sharply, but the moment it crossed its threshold, it created a burden on the body and injured the caster badly.
And if you tried to shift mana that had already been circulated elsewhere, the unheated body couldn’t withstand the high-density mana and caused it to reflux.
It was the same principle behind why most of those afflicted with Mana Erosion coughed up blood and died.
"I have Mana Erosion, after all. My body was already covered in high-density mana, so I thought I could try it. It was a gamble."
"And you won that gamble... No wonder you’re a special admission student~"
Miel accepted my answer with unabashed admiration.
"Hey, but seriously, are you really okay? Nothing feels off in your body?"
"Yes, I’m fine. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with me."
Even though he was clearly in a terrible mood, Miel Norison put my well-being first.
It was obvious, even in my heart, that he was a good person.
If I had been the one surpassed in a required subject by someone who had started studying far later than I had, I probably would have felt absolutely awful, wouldn’t I?
When I thought about it that way, I could tell Miel Norison’s mental fortitude was truly solid. Just a little while ago he’d been trailing shadow and releasing heavy mana, but now he was the one checking whether my body was all right.
- Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!
"Paran!"
As we walked and talked at the edge of a distance where my anthropophobia hadn’t quite erupted into a full-blown fit, I heard a familiar voice from ahead of me and saw someone running toward me.
"Riae!"
"You didn’t trip and hurt yourself anywhere, did you?"
"No, I didn’t."
"That’s a relief."
Han Riae ran up to me at full speed and hugged me tightly, and she didn’t let go until lunchtime.
.
.
.
After Basic Combat Practice ended, lunchtime arrived.
Han Riae said she had something urgent to take care of today, so I had planned to eat alone. But...
"Lim Paran! Let’s eat together!"
the one I had sparred with in class, Miel Norison, suggested that we spend lunch together.
"Yes, that’s fine."
I hadn’t really thought about what to eat anyway, and since I was going to eat regardless, I accepted his offer with the thought that I might as well talk with Miel and get a little closer.
But I had heard that men generally didn’t talk much while eating, and sure enough Miel Norison tore through the bulgogi rice bowl served at lunch in a hurry, paid even for my meal, and vanished before I had time to say anything else.
- Let’s spar again next time!
That was the last thing he said before disappearing from my sight in an instant.
"Hm..."
By the time lunchtime was nearly over, I was trudging toward the training ground, where my afternoon major class would be held.
The same barren stretch of sand as always was waiting for me.
"The time is..."
Wednesday, 12:55 p.m.
Class started at one. There were still five minutes to spare.
Since there was no one around likely to trigger a fit anyway, I decided to try the Melitton family’s Mana Circulation again, the same one I had used during my spar with Miel.
- Woooong, woooong, woooong
A sensation both cold and red-hot surged from the top of my head to the tips of my toes, tickling my entire body.
Then I tried jumping once and exhaling, making the most of the mana within my body. Sure enough, I felt light and hot, and the pounding in my chest echoed through me again and again.
As I moved my body, I checked how the mana circulated and felt the sensitivity at my fingertips.
I gathered the mana I had stored, spread it through my arms and legs, and then across my entire body again, trying out the Melitton family’s Mana Circulation one more time.
I felt a little dizzy, and there was some heat... but well, it wasn’t bad yet. Not yet.
By then, one o’clock had arrived, and Professor Seres had arrived in the training ground at a leisurely pace.
"Professor--"
- Cough!
In that instant, a sudden pain stabbed through my upper abdomen, and a reddish liquid burst from my mouth.
Something bitter and hot, with a strong metallic taste...
"L-Lim Paran?!"
"Cough... ugh!"
Bright blood spilled from my mouth. Even as I kept coughing up blood, my consciousness continued to blur...
- Par... an!!!
Even as my mind went dim, the gray color of his hair and the orange eyes that gave off an alluring, mysterious aura remained etched in my head.
.
.
.
"What on earth were you thinking, doing something that dangerous repeatedly?"
"...."
I had briefly lost consciousness from coughing up blood, and Professor Seres had hurriedly made me drink a recovery potion to treat the internal injury.
"Even if there are no symptoms right away, remember that internal injuries can develop without your noticing."
"...Yes, sir."
After I had somewhat regained my senses, I was scolded for quite some time.
From what in the world I had done, to why I’d done it, to whether I had any sense at all... Honestly, if I had been the one teaching and saw my student suddenly vomiting blood and collapsing in front of me, I didn’t think I’d refrain from scolding him either, so I kept my mouth shut and took it in.
"If something like this ever happens and leaves a permanent scar, your growth will be delayed, and if you’re unlucky, you could even lose your life because of sudden, crippling pain at a critical moment. Always take care of your body."
"Yes..."
"And if I’m not in the training ground, wait quietly. Don’t make a professor worry about a cadet."
"Yes... I’m sorry..."
"Good. Now take this."
After Professor Seres’s advice and barrage of scolding ended, I was once again handed a weapon for sparring, just like always.
Today’s weapon was...
Hm?
Professor Seres had clearly said that the weapons would always change, but today, unlike the others, an axe I had used in sparring once before was waiting for me.
"And this time I’ll bring out a weapon different from yours, so respond accordingly."
With those words, Professor Seres drew his weapon.
A sword.
It had the same shape as the sword he’d drawn when we first sparred.
- Clang! Kugu-gugu-guk!
After that, we exchanged blows again and again.
I swung the axe wide to block the sword’s trajectory, and when a fast attack came, I quickly raised the axe to defend myself. Since the weapon I had used against Miel earlier was also an axe, I was able to wield it far more flexibly than before.
At the same time, I set my feet in a suitable position and moved within a limited range, letting anything I couldn’t block slide away and evade it instead.
The gaps and weaknesses I hadn’t been able to notice when I sparred with Professor Seres using an axe before seemed much clearer now.
My body, following instinct, made me grip the axe tightly; I took the attacks I could endure, and if I could, I spun the weapon in a broad arc to seek out an opening.
But...
- Clang!
As if to say the advantage had shifted long ago, the heavily swung sword knocked aside the axe, which looked far heavier and larger than before, and the axe slipped from my hand and rolled away across the ground.
- Thud!
"Ghhk..."
"Overall, you are improving, but at the same time you are not properly compensating for your shortcomings. Give up the habit of attacking while minimizing defense, and abandon the mindset of sacrificing flesh to gain bone."
"Ugh... yes..."
"Still, your growth is plainly visible. Continue striving while paying attention to covering your weak points."
Today, just like every other day, I was knocked flat by a single attack that Professor Seres had delivered with great concentration. And in that instant, after being hit several times, I received his advice.
It was true that my foundation was steadily building up and the frequency with which I got hit had dropped somewhat, but the amount of energy I had to pour into each sparring match had increased sharply in return.
It seemed hard to expect classes where I wouldn’t get hit anytime soon.
"How is it? Has your proficiency with the axe improved?"
"Huh? Ah... yes, I’ve definitely become more used to it than the other weapons..."
"Is that so... The reason I put an axe in your hands is because I think it may be the weapon that suits you best."
As I carefully rubbed the place where I’d been struck and retrieved the axe that had flown away, Professor Seres’s quietly spoken words brushed past my ears.
When I responded, Professor Seres continued.
"I made it clear during our sparring that I would keep changing weapons until I found one that fit you. Do you remember?"
"Yes."
"And this time, I judged that the axe suited you, so I put an axe in your hands."
An axe for me. That was what Professor Seres had clearly said.
He had also said from the start that the reason I had sparred with various weapons was to find the one most suited to me.
"I heard you landed a clean hit on an upper-ranked cadet, and that you used an axe in that spar. Is that right?"
"Yes..."
"That being the case, I’ve decided to raise your proficiency with the axe for now. From here on, you’ll be sparring with the axe, so keep that in mind."
Professor Seres pointed to the axe in my hand as he spoke, and after confirming my nod, he finished his explanation.
"So, how was your spar with Miel? Did you feel anything in particular?"
The professor looked at me as he asked for my thoughts. There was an atmosphere in his face that said he expected I would have felt something too.
What I felt...
I let my thoughts continue for a moment.
I had sparred against an opponent with a massive gap in strength from the very beginning. The reason was to gain something from fighting the owner of the combat method I had relied on the most.
And in the process, we had exchanged enough blows for me to identify gaps partway through and slip attacks in.
I had been losing most of the time, certainly, but I had never collapsed in one blow.
I was truly lacking, but somehow I had managed to reach the lower end of the spectrum.
Honestly, I had never imagined I would get this far. The advantages of Mana Erosion included easier mana perception and mana application, yes, but the greatest benefit was pure firepower through mana itself.
For that reason, the sensible course was to stay at range and pour out attacks from a distance, avoiding close combat.
But I had gone toe to toe with Miel using nothing but my basic physical ability, let alone magic.
Until just two weeks ago, my body had been so weak that I collapsed at the slightest run, and now I had reached a level where I could at least contest an upper-ranked cadet.
Of course, there were many things that had worked in my favor in that spar.
Miel hadn’t clearly gauged my level, and because of that he had minimized both his unique ability and mana application, keeping one hand behind his back as he pressed me until the middle of the match.
If even one of those had been used against me in advance during our spar, I would surely have been defeated without even being able to counterattack.
As for the clean hit I landed, I had lured him into lowering his guard by using something possible within ordinary common sense, then slipped the attack in during that split second. And even after that attack, I lost my balance and collapsed, losing immediately.
"Honestly speaking... if we sparred again, I think I might lose within a minute."
"Hm, I saw it too. You drew out a moment of carelessness and landed your attack. Well, it wasn’t bad, but next time that sort of strategy will never work."
The answer I had expected came back. Because it had all been a moment born from luck and luck alone, there wasn’t really anything else to say.
"But the reason you were able to draw out that moment of carelessness in the first place was because you endured using your physical ability to some extent. You should take some pride in that. After all, landing a clean hit on an upper-ranked cadet is something worthy of high praise."
I had been bracing myself to be thoroughly torn down, but what came back to a strangely deflated me was praise.
Even though it was a loss, it seemed to please him that I had managed to hold my own against an upper-ranked cadet for a while. The tower I had built from the beginning had managed to stand, however shakily, even against a massive storm.
Right after hearing that, I saw mana flowing out from Professor Seres.
Normally it was extremely restrained, showing only the faintest ripple, but now it was slipping out little by little and blooming in rounded waves.
His expression, too, was no longer the usual blank mask; it held a degree of feeling.
"However, it remains true that you only had luck on your side. The fact that you still need to grow does not change. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Then from now on, your sparring will be with the axe. Good work in today’s cadet sparring as well."
"...Th-thank you."
For a moment I stammered, startled by words I didn’t expect to hear from Professor Seres.
With that, the post-sparring comments ended, and for a while my spar with Miel and me was replayed in holographic form as we reviewed it.
From whether an attack of that trajectory was the correct choice in that situation, to posture correction.
He also scolded me sharply for relying on luck after showing me the clean hit that fortune had allowed, telling me never to lean on luck.
Before I knew it, the orange sunset that signaled the end of class had begun to appear.
"Hm... has the time already come to this? Today’s lesson ends here."
After saying that, Professor Seres looked at me and didn’t take his eyes off me.
It was a signal to tell him right away if there was anything I was curious about or any part I needed help with.
"I have dungeon practice on Monday and Tuesday, so I don’t think I’ll be able to attend class. I’m sorry."
"Dun... geon..."
The instant he heard my words, a heavy atmosphere crashed down, and mana that felt as though it could drag the mood into the depths spilled out from him.
More precisely, every time he heard the word "dungeon," I could feel mana carrying a gloomy atmosphere.
I wondered if he had some sort of grudge against dungeons, so I asked him about it, but...
- Nothing you need to know.
That was always the answer I got, and I never learned anything more.
"Pr... ofessor?"
"W-what?"
"Why are you spacing out..."
"Ah, it’s nothing. Don’t mind it."
Professor Seres, who usually turned away first, was standing there muttering blankly, so I asked him what was wrong, only for him to give the same answer as always and quickly vanish from my view.
I felt a slight sense of incongruity, but it didn’t really trouble me.
My head was full of the dungeon information I needed to study next.
.
.
.
"Here, take this."
"...?"
The night passed, and the next day came, along with the afternoon major class.
What was thrust into my hands then was an encyclopedia packed with dungeon information that I hadn’t even been able to find in the library, along with an artifact commonly used in dungeons.
"You said there’s dungeon practice, didn’t you? Since you’re a cadet I’m directly responsible for teaching, I’ll also cover dungeon lessons. You have no objection, do you?"
"...No, sir."
A class completely different from the ones so far was waiting for me.