Class of Shocks and Swarm Assault
The class was a blast—for Han Seongjin and Leo Grant. The sight of those two clashing left a massive shock on the cadets, especially the first-years.
Thwack! Bam! Pow!
"...He's not even landing a single hit? You're not seriously about to lose for real, are you?"
"Hey! Snap out of it! First-years! Our grades are all riding on you!"
Despite the cadets' desperate cheers, the sparring arena was a one-sided slaughter.
To the first-year cadets, Leo Grant was no lightweight name. Back in last semester's practical exam, he'd taken a demon beast's attack bare-handed—no armor—straight out of the woods like a monster himself. The follow-up punch that blew a hole clean through its chest was still legend among the cadets.
And that was just the start. In martial arts class, he'd counterattacked the instructor and left them sweating bullets—a true irregular talent.
Pure physical strength? Top of the first-years, no contest. So everyone figured this spar would end the same way.
Leo must've volunteered for this bout because of that experience too.
But now...
That same Leo was swinging at air against a guy who wasn't a monster or demon beast—just a man.
Whoosh! Swoosh! Thud!
"Guh!" Leo groaned as a fist smashed his nose mid-thrust. Seongjin instantly pulled back, retrieving his punch.
His movements were so fast it was hard to track with the eyes. Only a black afterimage lingered.
Cecile stared blankly. "No way... How is that even possible? And he didn't use any powers?"
"Yeah. Leo's not weak at all. The professor's just on another level."
Rakna narrowed his eyes at the fight. "The professor's using all sorts of tricks to keep Leo from closing the distance. Even if I were there without powers, I doubt it'd be different."
"That strong...?"
"...My mistake. I didn't realize the professor was this strong..."
Ethan's voice trembled faintly.
Leo's punches packed real power—unseeable speed, enough to pulverize rock. But Seongjin dodged them all like he could read the future, with the bare minimum movement, by a paper-thin margin.
And every time Seongjin's light jabs snapped Leo's head back, the cadets' hearts sank with it.
Even without powers, Seongjin's body was a perfected weapon. Who could call that weak?
The first-years who suggested the spar were regretting it to their bones.
Thud.
Finally, Leo's massive frame crashed to the ground in Seongjin's chokehold.
"""......"""
Silence.
One of the academy's top freshmen, Leo Grant, gasping for air before rolling his eyes back and going limp. The cadets realized it then—that man wasn't just strong in powers. His very existence was power.
Pinning Leo against the wall, choking him senseless—it went beyond overwhelming. It was terrifying.
Seongjin released his arm and shook out his hand. Not a drop of sweat, perfectly fine. The cadets gasped again.
"...Cadet Leo Grant, unconscious. Winner: Professor Han Seongjin."
At Reina's declaration, the arena fell into a stunned hush, like ice water poured over them.
Alice had long since collapsed in a soulless daze. Ethan hung his head, painfully aware of his reckless judgment.
Seongjin glanced indifferently at Leo, now comfortably laid out by Reina, then turned to the cadets.
"Alright, a promise is a promise. Cadet Leo didn't make my visor flicker once. So, that bet about 'everyone gets A+' and 'class exemption'? Consider it never happened."
Low groans rippled through the cadets. Their dream grades vanished like smoke on one word from Seongjin.
But no one dared protest. Against that monstrous power, survival instinct trumped anger.
Seongjin checked his watch, adding dryly, "We've got about 30 minutes till class ends. Time to start the real lesson."
"...Huh? Right now?"
Someone blurted in panic, but Seongjin tapped the floor with his shoe tip. "If not now, when? Everyone, gather here. Perfect spot—wide open, fully equipped."
The cadets' faces drained of color. Real lesson? What insane class now? They shuddered, fearing they'd end up like Leo, sprawled on the ground.
All but the passed-out Leo gathered, and Seongjin faced them.
He lightly rubbed his nape—and black shadows surged from his back.
Splurt!
Ten tentacles ripped through the air. Every cadet flinched at the nightmare sight.
They had to face those again?
"I planned today's class as spars with me anyway. Leo got some unintended preview."
"......"
"Today's lesson: group spar against me. All of you versus me."
Seongjin crooked a finger at them. "Come at me all at once. Class starts."
Whoosh! The tentacles charged. The cadets faced them with near-tearful faces.
Boom! Crash! Tentacles swept through the cadets like a storm.
Some screamed and tumbled. Others managed some response. And some handled it well.
Glancing around, I saw cadets not just dodging tentacles but countering, even attacking back.
Ethan, Rakna, Lien. As expected from the list.
Elite handling. They dodged blind spots, parried, rolled, leaped over—super active.
But none had broken through to me yet. I'd cranked the output higher than first class.
Even they were probably maxed out just defending.
"Hmm..."
Of course, list or not, not everyone's handling it well.
Boom!
"Ugh...!"
Blue-haired girl. Cecile Urnia, right? She tried freezing a tentacle, but the amped-up one didn't give her the chance. It pulled away before the chill spread.
She needs to speed up her power activation. Around one second.
That's still long. On a battlefield, one second is five headshots. Energy manipulators especially need speed—can't tank like body enhancers. Needs near-zero delay for real survivability.
Hard to give specific feedback. Never shot energy myself.
Maybe hire an energy superhuman later.
Shifting my gaze. One cadet had been nagging at me awhile.
Boom! Thud!
"Kyaaak!"
Squealing amid the tentacles: Alice Hayes.
Surprisingly tough. She'd passed out first class, so I focused extra on her for training.
Shlick! Shlrk!
Rippling liquid around her subtly deflected tentacle paths. They missed her every time.
Looking closer, she was just frantically fleeing. No way she was controlling that.
"Kyaaak!" Tripped over her own feet, face-planting on flat ground. Yet the liquid cushioned, protected, deflected.
...Water? They said energy manipulation.
Unexpected performance. Dodging my tentacles unscathed? Top-tier power, objectively.
Why'd she faint first class then?
Oh. Right—passed out before using it. Remembering her limp over Lien's shoulder, I chuckled despite myself.
Then—
Crackle!
Lightning from my side. I tilted my head to dodge, looking toward it.
Orange short-haired girl stood there.
Izuna Winchester.
Still salty about her white lightning getting shattered first class. Her eyes burned with sharp hostility.
Crackle, Zap!
Yellow bolts writhed like snakes around Izuna. Burning air and ozone stung my nose.
"Knew you'd dodge, Professor. But... how about this!"
With her shout, lightning bolts lanced from her fingertips, swarming from all sides.
I arched back, letting the first slip by. Dodged the next three by a hair, closing on Izuna.
Crackle! Currents swirled around her, and she blinked far away in an instant. First-class high-speed teleport. Solid power—most supers couldn't catch her.
I can.
Power coiled in calves and toes, ready to launch.
Then—
Zzzap!
Sound from behind. Whipping around, unbelievable sight: the missed bolts curved back toward me.
Homing missiles. Multiple ones. Hell yeah.
Grinning despite myself. Perfect for reaction training.
Gonna be fun. Goal: dodge 'em all.
Seeing a student grow? Teacher's pride.
Dodged the first by leaning back. Twisted for the second. Leaped over three and four.
The bolts grazed past, fanning out and vanishing.
Curves once only.
No pursuit. Bit of a letdown.
Whip! Spun and landed.
That instant—
"Izuna! I'll help!"
Ethan had broken my tentacle check, slicing at my side with his mana sword glowing blue.
Simultaneously, Rakna slashed from behind, blocking retreat.
Teamwork. Sharp coordination—hard to believe these were the guys cowed by my aura earlier.
Growth wasn't just Izuna.
Nice. Now it's a real class.
I whipped two recovered tentacles in a vortex, shoving them all back.
Boom! Crash!
"Kuh!"
"Ngh!"
As they reeled, Cecile appeared from the side.
Shooo...
Cold wave from her feet, frost surging to bind mine. Smart—kill mobility.
Not bad.
But I don't just have legs.
I stabbed two tentacles into the ground, launching airborne. The ice wave missed me, freezing poor Ethan's ankle instead.
"Hey! Cecile! Don't freeze me!"
"O-Oh! Sorry!"
Chaos. But that's real combat—friends, foes, terrain all mixed.
Amid it, Alice still ran screaming, eyes shut. Weirdly, whenever a tentacle targeted her, a puddle surged like a cushion, absorbing and shoving her safe.
What the hell is that. Instinctual defense? Hidden sense?
Closer look: something around her. Semitransparent...
Dolphin? Streamlined body, fins, snout—spot on.
What's its deal? Gotta ask later.
If the liquid's unrelated or she unconsciously controls the dolphin, she's Ethan-level talent.
Make her my assistant, keep her close.
Would be a riot.
Crackle! Lightning at my head again. One tentacle swatted it away.
Glancing down: Izuna. I spun midair, cracking a tentacle-whip at her feet.
"Eek!"
Boom!
Izuna leaped back. Massive crater where she'd stood.
I landed lightly, straightening my rumpled sleeve.
"Alright, Cadet Izuna. Dodged 'em all, like you said. Your move?"
"Whew, not enough, huh? You're crazy fast."
She fanned herself, exasperated. "Professor, the A+ is really gone? Such a shame~"
"No helping it. A promise is a promise."
"Hmm... How about just me gets the A+? Pretty please~"
She put a finger to her lips, hip cocked, hand behind back, head tilted seductively.
Sultry pose. My eyes flicked there involuntarily.
...Lien's face chilled for a sec nearby. Imagination, right?
I shrugged. "Sadly, fairness says no. And..."
Whoosh! Rakna's kick from behind—dodged by bending, counter-kicked with my heel.
"Distraction was good. Use the honey trap next time if it fits. It's strategy."
"Tch."
Izuna puffed her cheeks, stomped lightly.
Ignoring her, I tentacle-smashed sneaky Ethan, scanned the arena.
"15 minutes left. Anyone who flickers my visor in that time? I'll consider dialing it back!"
Despairing eyes lit with mad hope.
Especially Alice. "Intensity down" flipped her scream from "Kyaaak!" to "Uwaaa!"
Twenty-nine cadets—full throttle at me.
Watching them, the irritation from Iris drawing my blood yesterday washed away. I grinned genuinely.
Today's class? Pure reward.