The Teaching Assistant Exam (2)
The two figures appeared in the arena. Elaine, who had been assigned as both supervisor and referee this time, gazed at them. 'Weld the adventurer and... Kim Taegi, was it?'
At first glance, the man called Weld was clearly a martial artist. There was no other reason for that kind of bulked-up physique. Just then—
Just as the surrounding adventurers said, Taegi certainly looked like a wizard at first glance. However—
'Considering those movements from earlier...'
The idea that he was a wizard simply didn't fit. Elaine shifted her gaze to Taegi for a moment. He was already wearing the Gauge Suit and letting out a long yawn. She looked him up and down.
'I can't tell.'
Weld looked like an obvious martial artist to anyone, but she couldn't figure out Taegi's actual profession. He had quite a bit of lean muscle for a wizard. Yet he wasn't as purely muscular as Weld, so calling him a martial artist didn't feel right either. And he wasn't even holding a battle staff—there was no magic wand in sight.
'Well, I'll find out once it starts.'
She turned back to the two men. Slowly, she opened her mouth.
“Before the match begins, I’ll explain the rules once more. The purpose of this match is solely to evaluate the participants’ capabilities. Of course, winning will grant additional points, but that doesn’t guarantee a pass, so keep that in mind.”
Both men nodded at her words. At the same time, she continued.
“Then I’ll assume you both understand. Let the match begin.”
The moment the match started, Weld kicked off the ground and charged straight at me. I let out a dry chuckle as I watched him.
'What the hell did this guy even hear?'
Hadn’t I made it perfectly clear? The purpose of this match was solely to evaluate the participants’ capabilities. Yet here he was, rushing in mindlessly like he was determined to win no matter what.
“Die!”
He bared his teeth and threw a straight punch. To an ordinary person, the speed would have seemed impressive. But—
'It's slow.'
From my perspective, it was slow enough that I could yawn in the middle of it. Part of me wanted to knock him out like last time, but—
'If I do that, I might not get the proper score.'
Since this match was about showcasing capability rather than simply winning, it would be better to demonstrate some of my power here.
I deflected his fist using my open palm. Weld’s expression twisted in surprise. But he wasn’t done yet.
—Whoosh!
He unleashed his mana. A shallow wave of power burst from his body. An average person would have felt at least some pressure. But I simply brushed it off. The quality of our mana was on completely different levels.
'It's not a good idea to spew mana so crudely like that.'
Thinking that, I pondered how best to cook this guy.
'Hmm. Showing just two techniques while adjusting my strength should be enough to pass me.'
That much would let the supervisor gauge my capability. With that thought, I began considering which skills to use.
Taegi stood there, lost in thought while facing him. Weld felt his blood boil at the sight of that relaxed demeanor.
'He's taking me lightly?'
In terms of adventurer rank, Weld was a B-rank. That put him in the upper tier of the adventurer guild. Not only that, he received a fair amount of respect. Yet this guy was thinking about something else while facing him. It wounded his pride.
'I don't know what the hell he's thinking about.'
It looked like he needed to land a solid hit. Weld kicked off the ground. This time, his speed was on a completely different level.
“Huh?!”
Taegi’s eyes widened in apparent surprise. It seemed he hadn’t expected Weld’s speed to be this fast. With a triumphant expression, Weld swung his fist.
—Whoosh!
But contrary to his expectations, Taegi narrowly dodged the punch. If nothing else, his evasion was top-notch.
“Keep dodging then!”
This time he threw both fists in rapid succession. Each strike cut through the air. It wasn’t a single attack but multiple ones. Taegi had barely dodged even one before, so at least one should have connected by now. But—
“What?”
He had dodged them all. With an utterly relaxed expression, no less. Then, in a genuinely shocked voice, he said,
“Crazy. I didn’t think you’d be this slow.”
“What did you say?”
“No, I just didn’t expect you to be this slow even after reinforcing your body.”
What kind of nonsense was this? A wizard—of all people—calling a fellow martial artist’s attacks slow. People had called his attacks weak before. But no one had ever called them slow. A martial artist’s strikes were supposed to be faster than most.
“Hmm. Well, I suppose showing this much movement is enough.”
Taegi stroked his chin and nodded. At the same time—
“Guess I should show you an attack now too.”
He slowly released his mana.
—Whoosh!
Blue mana poured out from him. It was the same type and color as Weld’s own. Yet something was different. Even though he was releasing only a small amount, it completely shredded Weld’s mana apart.
—Vrrrr.
Dense mana rippled around him. A basic martial artist spell activated. The spell’s characters appeared before his eyes.
Basic martial artist technique. Delivers a powerful blow by concentrating mana into the fist.
The moment the characters appeared before his eyes—
—Vrrrrrr!
Mana gathered in his hand as if it had been waiting for this moment. A deep blue light burst forth. He slowly drew his arm back, then extended it in an unhurried motion.
—Whoosh!
The fist moved incredibly slowly. Yet Weld’s own body seemed to move in slow motion too. The motion was completely free of wasted movement. It was clean. Perfect, even. One could say his movements were worthy of reverence.
While Weld was lost in that thought—
—Kwaaaaaang!
Before he knew it, the fist was right in front of him. If this hit him, he would die. No matter how much the Gauge Suit could absorb, there was a limit. 'I’m dead.'
The moment that thought crossed his mind, a cloud of dust engulfed him. If he had taken that hit, he definitely would have died. But—
“Huh?”
Contrary to his expectations, his gauge remained completely unchanged. What? Why was his gauge still full? No—more importantly, why was he still alive?
As Weld stood there in confusion, Taegi spoke in a rather strained voice.
“Controlling my strength is a real pain.”
Yet his face looked utterly relaxed, completely at odds with his words. Weld swallowed hard at the sight.
Gulp!
Crazy. That was him holding back?
It was only a basic spell, yet the gap between them was overwhelming. Weld glanced behind him. The ground had been shattered by the aftershock.
“Then I suppose that’s enough for showing my martial artist capabilities.”
Taegi flicked his wrist as if to say he wasn’t finished yet. Weld’s eyes widened.
'That wasn’t the end?'
Wait—hadn’t he just said he wasn’t a martial artist? After displaying that kind of power, he claimed he wasn’t one. At this point, what the hell was the guy in front of him?
He wanted to shout surrender right then and there, but perhaps out of sheer terror, no voice came out. His legs were shaking violently.
—Whoosh.
Regardless, Taegi continued releasing his mana. Unlike before, it wasn’t ferocious. This time it felt somehow gentle. Yet there was one common point: the quality of the mana was incredibly dense.
'What the hell is he trying to do this time?!'
While Weld screamed internally—
Amplifies the density and quantity of released mana.
Even more mana poured out. The air felt heavier, as if the mana itself was pressing down on the atmosphere. Was he the only one feeling this?
“What kind of mana is…!”
Even Supervisor Elaine clenched her teeth. Taegi ignored the reactions around him and continued the spell.
Instantly casts a pre-recorded spell without incantation.
The stored spell activated without a chant. Characters lined up and merged into mana. A complex circuit appeared. Lines of mana intertwined and tangled together. Then—
—Kaaaaak!
A blue bird made of mana appeared. It flapped its wings as if it were alive.
'Did he create life?'
No. That was impossible. Creating life with magic didn’t make sense. 'That’s something only a god could do.'
But if it wasn’t life, then what was it? The bird flapped its wings up and down on its own. It moved without any command from Taegi. Weld was at a loss for words as he stared at the bird before him. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like a real living creature.
“Then shall we test its power?”
At that moment, the corner of Taegi’s mouth curled up. It seemed he intended to attack using the bird.
'Hoo. Stay calm.'
It was certainly breathtakingly beautiful. It looked like a mythical monster—almost like a phoenix. But no matter how impressive it was, it was still a spell he had created. So all Weld had to do was dodge it somehow.
Just as he was thinking that—
“Go.”
The blue bird flew straight toward him. It was a straightforward attack, ridiculously easy to avoid. The problem was that its speed was on another level. Before he could even register the bird’s movement—
—Kwaaaaaaaaaaang!!!
Taegi’s attack reached its target. The next instant, Weld let out a horrific scream.
“Gaaaaaaaaah!”
A massive cloud of dust rose in the arena. Taegi snapped his fingers. The word Storm appeared before his eyes, and—
—Whiiiiiiiiiir!
The dust was blown far away. The cloud that had filled the arena vanished into the distance. At the same time—
'At least he didn’t piss himself like last time.'
There lay Weld, unconscious in the middle of the arena.