Chapter 195: Proof 17
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 195: Proof 17
Death Heaven.
The primary antagonist group of Croaka.
Sepia had taken down the 10th-ranked Betzdo.
Joden and I had eliminated the 9th-ranked Katsudo.
The 8th-ranked Mordor had died even before Betzdo.
In the original Croaka storyline, Betzdo wasn't supposed to make his first appearance until several weeks after today. However, the plot had already diverged too much, and my advantage as a possessor who knew the future was gradually fading.
The only silver lining was that the top three members of Death Heaven were currently occupied with other matters, so they wouldn't show up until at least the second semester of the second year.
That meant the ones I needed to worry about right now were ranks 4, 5, 6, and 7.
This wasn't a game, so I didn't expect them to kindly come at me one by one starting from the weakest. Still, I really hoped rank 4 would stay away for the time being.
"Hmm."
Anyway.
"Are you seriously still frozen?"
I’d been spacing out on purpose, giving them a moment to process things out of politeness, but the people surrounding me were still staring at the golems with their mouths agape, looking utterly bewildered.
"It’s about time we get moving."
By the way, that guy over there... didn't he say something earlier when he was explaining the heat-sensing artifact?
‘He’s not going to call me cowardly, is he?’
Ah, right. Now I remember.
"You’re not going to call me cowardly, are you?"
"……"
The man who had been wearing a smug, confident expression while seeing through my doppelgangers earlier was gone. In his place was a man in total denial, his eyes darting frantically between his heat-sensing artifact and the massive golems.
The other students, seeing his expression, seemed to realize the golems were the real deal and looked completely despondent. Even if they didn't surrender, it was impossible for them to take down these golems with their current skill level.
If I just stood still, this exam would be over.
"Do you think you could beat me if the golems weren't here?"
I changed my mind.
The expressions of the people cowering before the massive golems shifted slightly. They looked puzzled, wondering why I was even speaking when I had already won.
It wasn't out of respect for their effort in analyzing my Innate Magic and preparing an artifact to neutralize it... well, maybe a little.
"If I win this exam without using the golems, hand that artifact over to me."
I had simply grown interested in that heat-sensing artifact.
"……"
Even if an artifact doesn't have much power, it still fetches a decent price. Naturally, everyone's eyes turned toward the artifact's owner.
"Of course, I'm not forcing you. It's your choice."
I meant it. While it was true I was interested in the artifact, it wasn't something I absolutely needed.
Hearing my words, the owner of the artifact looked conflicted.
"Make your choice quickly. Will you fight against three golems, or will you face me without them with the artifact on the line?"
Wagering the artifact didn't guarantee they would get into the club. But wagering it didn't mean they were guaranteed to lose it, either.
It was easy to guess what the man was thinking. He was probably remembering how he had repeatedly seen through my doppelgangers before the golems appeared.
Should he safely keep the artifact and give up on joining the club, or should he risk losing it for a chance to win?
"Is it okay if I use this artifact during the fight?"
"Of course."
"Then I'll bet the artifact."
I liked his personality. He was the type to bet boldly when the time came.
I reverted the three golems back into their bead forms and tucked them into my Pocket Dimension. With that, the situation returned to how it was before I summoned them.
Twenty students stood in a circle, surrounding me.
"Everyone, get it together! The situation is back in our favor. Everyone, hold your positions!"
At the man's shout, the morale of the students who had been terrified of the golems surged once more.
"Don't be afraid! Even if he makes doppelgangers or walls, I'll tell you which one is real!"
"I've been meaning to ask..."
"Ignore him! The mages' incantations are almost ready. Warriors, press him so the mages can land their spells!"
Students wielding various weapons—axes, swords, spears—charged at me from all sides.
"Did you really think you could beat me just by blocking my Innate Magic?"
My recent opponents were:
Katsudo, the 9th-ranked Necromancer of Death Heaven.
Johanna, ranked 2nd in the entire Academy.
And Professor Elicia, who was a dragon.
Every time I faced one of them, I had to expend every ounce of my stamina and strength until I was on the verge of collapse. But that was only because my opponents were all extraordinary; it wasn't because my own abilities were lacking.
The movements of the students swinging their weapons at me certainly weren't bad. However, they weren't so perfect and beautiful that they felt like art, unlike Johanna's.
Whish.
I pivoted my body slightly to dodge a sword.
Shuck.
I ducked my head to avoid a spear.
Swish.
I slammed my cane into the ground, using it as a brace to vault into the air as an arrow thudded into the floor beneath me.
The opponents' movements didn't end just because I dodged. They continued to attack me from all directions. Normally, dodging an attack creates an opening, and it's basic to exploit that opening to counterattack. However, they didn't give me time to breathe, interfering with me by attacking from different directions.
I broke this unpleasant rhythm with a single step.
‘Shadow Step.’
Until now, I had only been dodging, but this time was different. The moment a student lifted his arm to swing an axe, leaving his upper body exposed—
I lunged toward him instead.
I swung my cane faster than his axe could fall.
Thud!
The cane struck the axe-wielding student's head, and he collapsed to the floor. Another student lunged at me with a spear, aiming for that opening.
But with another step—
With a single Shadow Step, I moved behind the spearman. I swung my cane before he could notice me and turn around.
Thud!
The spearman, like the axeman before him, was struck in the head and collapsed.
Without stopping, another step.
Thud!
Every time I took a step, I moved into someone's blind spot. Every time I swung my cane, someone collapsed before they could even scream.
Before long, the ground around me was littered with fallen students, missed arrows, and the traces of Spirit Arts.
"……"
Looking around, only one or two warriors remained. Those holding bows had already lowered them, looks of despair on their faces as they realized they couldn't possibly hit me.
"The incantations are finished! Everyone, attack at once!"
As soon as the man holding the heat-sensing artifact finished speaking, the mages unleashed their spells. Perhaps because they had timed it together, the spells flying in from all directions arrived almost simultaneously, making them impossible to dodge.
Having used relatively long incantations, each spell carried visible, heavy power.
However, "almost simultaneously" meant—
‘They aren't perfectly simultaneous.’
I took a deep breath.
"Huu."
I pushed Shadow Step to its absolute limit.
The magic didn't end with a single blast; it kept coming. Dozens of spells rained down, creating a cacophony of noise and a cloud of smoke.
Boom! Bang! Crash! Kaboom!
A moment later, when the smoke cleared—
I was standing there, completely unscathed.
"H-How?"
Then, I charged again.
Running at full speed, I knocked out the mages one by one. A few of them tried to cast barriers, but my cane reached them faster than they could activate their magic.
With all the mages and most of the warriors already unconscious, the remaining spiritists, sorcerers, archers, and warriors were quickly taken down.
Now, only one person remained.
The man still clutching the heat-sensing artifact.
Realizing there was no hope, the man threw the artifact to the ground and charged at me, swinging a greatsword.
Whish.
But that was my doppelganger.
In the end, before he could lift his greatsword again, the man was struck by my cane and collapsed.
"Exam over! Student Loki wins!"
* * *
"The result of the match between Student Frederick and twenty-two other students! Student Frederick is the winner!"
Professor Idra's voice echoed through the auditorium.
Frederick's match had ended rather anticlimactically. But it seemed I was the only one who thought so. The second-floor gallery was still buzzing. Apparently, no one expected Frederick to win so easily.
It’s true that Frederick has almost no muscle and is weak in close combat.
‘But what does that matter? They can’t even get close to him.’
Frederick's sorcery was effective even against a dragon like Professor Elicia. There was no way ordinary students could withstand it. They struggled to even take a single step before eventually giving up on the exam.
And so, the long club entrance exams finally came to an end.
The day after the exams.
A weekend where there was no need to go to the Academy. Normally, I would have stayed in bed a little longer, but today I had promised to go to a dungeon with Clara.
"Hahahaha."
But when I woke up and checked the time, I was already three minutes late for our meeting.
I'm screwed.