Joint Practice (3)
The day of the joint practical training had finally arrived. We left the academy grounds and gathered in a cluster at the gate located outside.
“Whoa, so this is what a real gate looks like.”
“It feels different from the one we went to before.”
“Ah, there’s the academy emblem.”
“They must have stationed guards because of us.”
Since this was a path leading outside, it had taken nearly a week just to verify safety protocols. On top of that, the academy had deployed security personnel right up until the moment of our training in case anyone tried to interfere.
“Wow, they’re really going all out.”
“I guess they don’t want to repeat the mistakes from last time.”
More importantly, had Class C still not arrived? The appointed time was drawing near, yet not a single student from Class C had shown up.
-Looks like Class C is gathering somewhere else.
-Ah, there’s the professor now.
Just as Cheonma said, Class C was probably assembled in a different direction from us. This gate had two entrances, so they must have taken the other one.
“Is everyone here?”
“Yes!”
“Then let’s begin the briefing.”
Garein had arrived right on time. After confirming that no one was missing, he began giving us a detailed explanation of the upcoming practical.
“The Class C representative will arrive shortly. You will follow their instructions and clear the gate together.”
“Professor! What about our team?”
“After speaking with Professor Libra yesterday, we decided everyone will enter together.”
“What?! All of us at once?”
This was something I hadn’t expected.
“I will stay in the rear, but the representative will be in command. I’ll simply observe.”
“Um, but doesn’t the Class C representative lack information about us?”
“That’s something for them to handle.”
How irresponsible. The weight placed on the representative in this scenario had increased far too much.
‘I wasn’t worried about this, but the story’s already diverging quite a bit, huh?’
Originally the classes didn’t mix teams, and the fact that we were moving separately from each other… The deviation from the usual joint practical filled me with a quiet sense of tension. Who knew? This change might turn what should have been a safe event into something dangerous.
“Professor. Doesn’t this put too much responsibility on the representative?”
“That’s why we’re planning to award the representative extra points.”
A practical that didn’t match the name “joint” at all. Could this even be called joint? It felt more accurate to call it a competitive exercise.
“Once the Class C representative arrives, Zeon, you should follow Professor Libra.”
“…Understood.”
Thump.
“Good luck.”
“Do your best.”
“Fighting!”
“Go crush those Class C kids!”
“Dude, Zeon can dominate them just by standing there.”
“Haha~! I feel so reassured!”
The kids from Class A showered me with words of encouragement as I stepped forward as their representative. I see. Even if they’re harsh toward other classes, they still treat their own warmly.
“You guys focus on doing well. Don’t show any sloppy behavior in front of the Class C representative. You know this all counts toward your practical scores, right?”
“Of course. Don’t worry about us.”
“I don’t really have any complaints about Class C anyway.”
That was probably only true for Reglia and Mir. Just by glancing around, I could see plenty of kids avoiding my gaze. I really wondered if these guys weren’t making things uncomfortable for Karne.
-Zeon. You seem to be worrying unnecessarily.
-Oh my?
But my concerns turned out to be completely unfounded. In the distance, the figure of Karne walking alongside Libra was… strikingly different from the one I knew.
Instead of her usual timid, hunched posture, she stood tall with perfect posture. Her innocent eyes remained the same, but she now carried a charisma that drew everyone’s attention.
“You’re here.”
“Why do we have to come to you? We could’ve just met in the middle.”
“Then you should’ve won rock-paper-scissors. You’re the one who suggested this in the first place, Libra.”
“Ugh, I really lost this one.”
Libra gestured toward me. It meant I should follow her to Class C, so I walked over to her side, lightly tapped Karne on the shoulder, and said,
“Karne, your aura has changed a lot.”
“…….”
-Don’t talk to her right now. She’s busy maintaining the concept.
If I looked closely, I could see her eyes and body trembling slightly. So she was forcing herself to act like this after all.
-I’ll speak for Karne. The Class C kids have finished preparing to welcome you. Starting strong from the beginning will make it easier to control them.
-I’ve already finished preparing for that.
-Don’t worry, Granny. The kids on this side aren’t exactly pushovers either.
-Hmm. I don’t think there’s any need to worry.
Step.
“I am Karne, the representative of Class C who will be leading all of you.”
Karne stepped forward in front of the Class A students and gave a light nod. Perhaps because of her calm demeanor, just as someone who didn’t particularly like Class C was about to show a bit of hostility—
“Please follow my instructions carefully.”
Overwhelming Presence
Boom!
A chilling wave of mana erupted from her and spread outward. Most of the students froze in place, carefully gauging the situation. The only ones unaffected by Karne’s pressure were Kena, Reglia, and Mir.
“Class C isn’t to be underestimated, huh.”
“Tsk.”
“That’s impressive.”
Karne’s transformed appearance was so unfamiliar that I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Just what had happened to turn that innocent girl into this?
“…….”
She seemed quite surprised herself. Maybe because three people had remained completely free from her earlier display.
-Hehe. Still, this much is quite acceptable.
She was right. Those three were the ones who had to be considered outside the norm among the first-years from the start.
“Shall we get moving too?”
“Yes.”
Now that Karne had arrived, it was my turn to go. Just before I left Class A following behind Libra, I quietly waved at Karne, who was silently waving at me without a word. She had said that talking to me would make it hard to maintain that imposing presence, so she kept her mouth shut.
“Were you very surprised?”
“Pardon?”
“About Karne. I thought you’d be really shocked.”
“You’re right. I thought she was a completely different person.”
Libra seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood. On the way, she began singing Karne’s praises. How well she followed lessons, how exceptionally quick she was to learn, how outstanding her sense for handling mana made teaching her a joy. How adorable she looked receiving special tutoring surrounded by the other Class C students just to show that kind of presence during this joint practical, and so on.
“Ah, and you should stay a bit tense once we arrive.”
“Tense?”
“Our class kids can be quite mischievous.”
Well, that made sense. If they’d transformed Karne to this extent, they must have prepared something among themselves as well.
‘But what can you do about it?’
I had finished my preparations too. With help from Cheonma and Hoya, my preparations for the initial suppression were so perfect that the word “flawless” wouldn’t be an exaggeration. I wouldn’t bare my fangs first, but if they showed their teeth toward me…
‘I’ll show you something fun.’
Considering Class C’s atmosphere, I was almost certain they would carry out their prepared plan one hundred percent. The real question was whether Libra would stay quiet while I fully displayed what I had prepared. Still, when Karne had revealed her power earlier, Garein had simply watched in silence, so Libra would probably do the same.
Drip.
“We’ve arrived, dear.”
“It looks exactly like where we were gathered.”
“They’re just split into two, but both are identical entrances.”
“Oh, Professor Libra!”
The Class C students were generally more energetic than those in Class A. Libra waved at the kids who welcomed her, then immediately pulled me forward and introduced me to everyone.
“Alright, everyone pay attention! This is the representative from Class A, so make sure you listen to him well!”
“I’m Zeon, the Class A representative. I look forward to working with you all.”
I gave a light introduction in response to her words, but the reaction that came back was subtly different from what I had expected. I thought they would show dissatisfaction from the start or talk behind my back, but the Class C students simply treated me like I didn’t exist and ignored me completely.
“Hmm……”
They wouldn’t even spare me a glance, just chatting among themselves.
“Ah, what should we do about this gate?”
“Hey, just trust me. This hyung will carry the whole thing.”
“That’s hilarious. What are you even saying when your combat ability is so weak?”
So this was how they wanted to play it.
“Would you like me to do anything?”
“No, I’ll handle it.”
This part would probably factor into the representative’s evaluation as well—how well they commanded the team members. If I relied on the professor’s help from the beginning, it would definitely have a big impact on the score.
-Hehe. It’s starting.
-Still, please use it in moderation. If you sustain internal injuries, it might hinder the gate clearing.
At Hoya’s words, I gave a light nod and slowly began raising my energy. Even simply releasing my aura like this would be enough to pressure them. But it wasn’t sufficient. It would be difficult to completely control them with just that.
So I would take it one step further and manifest this energy in a new form.
Shhhhhh.
The energy gathered in one place. The location was my right leg. More precisely, even lower—past the thigh, past the calf, past the ankle. Below the top of the foot.
Shhhhhh.
I condensed the energy into the sole of my foot. Carefully making sure the energy wouldn’t explode, I slowly moved the foot where I had gathered it.
Thud.
One step. All I had done was take a single step forward.
Rumble rumble rumble.
However, the aftermath was far too enormous to be described with the word “just.”
“Kuhk!”
“Guh, guh!”
“M-my body feels so heavy.”
“Ugh!”
“Huk… I-I can’t breathe…!”
As expected, the effect was certain. The energy that spread through my step seized the surrounding space and pulled it downward. As if gravity had increased, everything around me bowed its head toward the ground with me at the center. The Class C students who had been ignoring me. The wind that had been blowing freely. The insects that had been crawling nearby. Even the mana that couldn’t be seen with the naked eye.
This was the single step that had brought the world to its knees.
Cheonma Gunlimbo
After taking that one step, I quietly raised a finger to my lips and threw a short phrase toward the Class C students.
“Silence.”