Magic Beast Practical Combat (1)

A week had passed since then.

"Already the end of March, huh."

I gazed at the forest landscape, which ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had grown noticeably warmer. The late winter, overflowing only with the chirps of grasshoppers, seemed to have completely faded away. In the mornings, sparrows would tweet away, and by late morning, the fairly chilly weather would warm up under the sunlight. With no humidity and this kind of sunshine, it felt like the pleasant start of spring.

When I went out hunting, I could spot animals I hadn't seen before.

"Guess things are finally on track."

And it wasn't just the weather that had changed. My growth had been remarkably steep. I lit a flame in my hand.

Fwoosh—

The lantern-like flicker that had seemed ready to blow out at any moment now properly resembled a flame. Living in the wild meant I needed fire constantly, so my proficiency had shot up even without dedicated practice. Drawing and casting the ignition spell had sped up, and with firepower reaching D rank, the output was higher too.

Satisfied with the change, I tried another spell.

Shaaaah— Whiiiir—

Water conjured from thin air met the wind, instantly turning into a shower of rain over the forest. This one was still weak. There weren't many situations calling for it. Still, being able to whip up cool water and wind anytime was a nice perk.

Now magic was on a clear path forward. To advance to the advanced stage, I'd need to max mana affinity at 20. A pointless investment with nothing but losses.

"Vitality's coming along nicely, though."

On the other hand, vitality was growing on its own. Just a week ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ago, it was at 9, but trekking back and forth to the academy daily had bumped it to 12. That put me above average folk, on par with a sturdy knight apprentice. A bit more, and I'd match the bottom rung of Artina Academy's Knight Faculty. Now I was thinking of pumping vitality and strength, or maybe endurance to boost toughness and combat stamina.

Intellect improved magic ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠efficiency, but even after mulling it over, basic spells weren't worth it, so I shelved it.

"Endurance is the real bottleneck... That's what's holding me back most."

I opened the noble basic swordsmanship manual, the Rollant Primer. Unlike a week ago, it was now well-thumbed. I'd read it over and over, mimicked the forms, practiced with a wooden sword I'd carved myself—but it was tough. It felt like the book was telling me to level endurance first. Lately, I'd been taking it slow.

My real weapon was the sniper rifle anyway. The sword was just for close-range defense if something got too near.

"The true deal's the anti-materiel sniper."

I glanced at the sniper rifle propped beside me. Its badass design felt everyday now after a week of use. The sharp muzzle made for great bayoneting—deep stabs when thrusting. It felt rough, but unique weapons never broke, whether hammered or furnace-heated.

I was using it appropriately.

"Checked the next evolution conditions again, too."

Ah, those were impossible.

That was the problem with this game. After getting the Demon Butcher title by killing 10, the requirement suddenly jumped to 50. Mana was doable with steady input, but intermediate mana stones meant raiding a dungeon. And karma would take forever too.

Sure, the returns would be huge—like buying a kilo or two of meat at Cosco you couldn't even finish. In a slow-growth game like this, it was fast progress, though. Nightmare difficulty's choices were made that way.

"Whew..."

On this hazy morning, I sat on a tree stump, staring at dew-kissed leaves. To my left hung jerky drying out, with a lunchbox I'd prepped below it. Personally, I'd spent the uneventful week productively. But that was ending now. Time to dive back into the original story's storm.

"There was an announcement yesterday, right."

—"Tomorrow is the practical magic beast combat day. Make sure you're prepared."

Practical magic beast combat. The day Act 1, Scene 2 began.

Per the original, students fought captured magic beasts in an artificial wilderness, teamed in fours. And naturally, shit hit the fan. One beast the player and Siel faced connected to a demon—a disaster.

Even that sounded bad, but remember: original was easier. My world was double the hell—Nightmare mode. From prior experience, a high-level demon heavy on defense appeared. No good way to beat it. Back when I played as a knight, the goal was surviving with god-tier movement and parries. Once the academy noticed the demon, we won. Drag it out till exam end.

The professors would freak—"How'd the signal not go off?!"—and rush in. But too late; demon's gone. Their playbook was always the same. No real counter, so frustrating for them too.

"Frustrating for me too."

My old knight char had killer moves and parries to hold the demon. Now as a sniper? How to survive? Reality wasn't the game. Low endurance meant I couldn't even learn one sword form, let alone game-like dodges. No parries, no fancy footwork—just a pure DPS sniper to bulldoze through.

"Gotta kill it after all..."

Surviving was out. Decision: take down the demon. The enclosed test site raised exposure risks, so I grabbed my remaining silver for black camo and a mask.

"Time to head out."

With that, I stood, bit off some jerky, and headed to the academy.

The Magic Tower's 21st floor, shaped like a vast plain via illusion magic. Hundreds of mages in uniforms and robes awaited Professor Mason. I joined the line roughly.

That's when Professor Mason teleported in.

"Greetings. As announced five days ago or yesterday, today is practical magic beast combat."

Mason, no mic handy, used a megaphone to explain calmly.

"You're in a vast space now—the Magic Tower's largest, holding thousands. Think of it as a pocket dimension laced with illusion magic."

Like the 30th floor's backrooms with varied environments. Chaotic, patterned spaces. For exams, teams per room.

"You'll form random four-man teams and scatter to spaces. Each has a pre-evolution variant between low- and mid-grade magic beasts. Find and eliminate it—that ends the practical and your evaluation. All recorded; Magic Faculty professors grade."

Vmmm—!

Mason distributed basic protection amulets via telekinesis.

"Full team wipe is zero. Beasts teleport on wipe—no worries. If defeat looms, forfeit wisely. Observe."

Fwoosh—!

Mason reached skyward. The bright noon sky darkened instantly. Finger up again, the plain became a remote ocean island.

"Like this—locations fully ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠random, teammates revealed on arrival. Also random. No whining about bad teammates. It's relative grading."

Even if teammates sucked, do your part. Profs grade anyway. Better forfeit than zero.

"Then, practical magic beast combat begins now."

Mason's echoing voice kicked off Act 1, Scene 2. I closed my eyes, then opened them slowly. Siel and other teammates appeared. The location?

"W..."

"Whew..."

A flesh-cutting wind, nothing but white—a snowy wasteland.