End of the Second Day
Rohan, gas mask firmly in place, gripped his sword and pistol.
The blade, glowing with incandescent heat, asserted its presence boldly amid the green smoke.
Rohan charged, swinging his sword with a ferocity that evoked a wild beast.
Instructor Ed swiftly drew the hand axe from his belt.
If Noah's massive axe was a longsword, the instructor's was a dagger—compact in size, but weapons revealed their true potential based on the wielder.
Clang!Ka-clang!
Sparks flew spectacularly each time the axe's single edge parried the blade.
He even split incoming bullets like chopping firewood.
The air around Instructor Ed, now wielding his weapon, turned utterly lethal. His usual laid-back demeanor had vanished completely.
His downward axe strikes were noticeably faster—a blatant tell.
It hinted at just how many times he'd brought that axe down and lived to tell the tale.
'His weapon reach gives him the advantage, but conditions aren't right to exploit it.'
No more dancing around. Time to close in. Push through that menace, and a path would open.
Rohan lunged forward with a massive step, unleashing flames like crashing waves.
Second Sword
Dawn Falling Sun
Whoosh! Mana transformed into roaring flames, surging with intense heat.
The instructor's single-edged axe flashed wildly, cleaving through the scorching wave.
Still, the distance had narrowed decisively.
Rohan's radiant blade clashed against the instructor's hand axe—ka-gag!—metal screeching as they locked in a test of strength.
"Instructor. You haven't given the final explanation yet."
"…"
"Not gonna tell me?"
"…"
As Rohan spoke through his gas mask, the instructor's expression grew inscrutable.
They grappled on, his mind racing.
'Trying to bait me into talking? Not a contact poison seeping through the skin, then. That points more to Scatter Mana Poison… damn, kids these days are scary.'
Scatter Mana Poison disrupted mana flow, and time was the best antidote.
It had no direct lethality. Its true power emerged in what came after.
'If this is Scatter Mana Poison, the cadets watching from afar have nothing to worry about.'
But he gave Rohan no answer. Ed had already inhaled the green smoke once and held his breath.
It wasn't slow reaction. As an instructor, this was inevitable—he had to breathe it in.
Now he waited to see if the poison took effect.
If this smoke was as toxic as it looked, he'd release his mana restrictions and neutralize it before any cadets got hurt.
'Mana's flowing fine… still quiet. Scatter Mana Poison is slow, but not this slow…'
Instructor Ed focused on his body's sensations, axe swinging relentlessly.
Chaeng!Thwack!Bang!Bang!
Even as he tried to pull away, Rohan summoned mana without restraint, doggedly pursuing.
His trajectories were infuriatingly persistent.
"Hoo."
As time passed, the instructor created distance first and resumed breathing.
Judgment made.
"Not poison. Just colored smoke grenades. Got all cautious for nothing… wasted mana just showing off moves."
Instructor Ed spoke with conviction.
"Figured you'd spot it sooner."
Rohan roughly yanked off the now-useless gas mask.
He kicked the falling mask toward the instructor, who cleaved it in half with an axe swing. It tumbled across the ground.
"Can't judge a situation on a whim when you're an instructor."
A spark of excitement ignited in the instructor's bored eyes.
Click!
Rohan ejected the empty magazine from his pistol, swapped in one loaded with special rounds, and regripped his sword.
Ed watched, lips curling into a grin.
'Crazy bastard.'
Not instructor-appropriate, but pure admiration.
Hard to believe a cadet could rattle his brain like this.
"Cadet Rohan. You've got my head spinning—in a good way."
"Knew you'd hate the hassle."
"Spot on. Hate hassle. But plotting moves in combat? The thrill outweighs it."
Grip tightening on his hand axe.
Eyes locked on the sword blade and gun barrel's aim.
'This year's freshmen have already lapped the sophomores.'
The average was sky-high. And the standouts among them shone brilliantly.
All the instructors acknowledged this freshman class.
'And this Rohan guy's something else.'
Not like Ichinose Yui or Noah Frozenheart, geniuses thriving under top training and support.
Hard to pin down, but this guy was different—really different.
—This smoke okay?
—Stay back, just in case...
—They're fighting inside, right?
The cadets, spooked by Rohan's green smoke, had widened their distance even more.
Lethal clashes of metal and gunfire echoed from within.
Flickers of flame pierced the haze sporadically.
No one knew what was happening inside.
A gust scattered the smoke, revealing the two fighters to the cadets' eyes.
The melee raged on.
Kaang! Rohan parried a downward axe strike, sweat pouring from him.
"Instructor. Know what ricochet is?"
"'Do you know the Way?' Come on…"
Of course he did. His gaze inevitably flicked to the pistol.
The freshly loaded magazine nagged at him.
The gun, firing wildly before, now lay silent.
In that instant, Rohan twisted his blade into a thrust.
They both stepped back, and Ed caught Rohan's battered state.
'…Got too worked up against a cadet.'
No deep wounds, of course. But blood dripped steadily from cuts all over Rohan's body.
It was within practical exam limits, but Ed felt uneasy.
"I'm a genius at ricochet shots. I can see exactly where the bullet'll bounce."
"What, you an elf or something?"
"Nah, just talented."
"Hoo."
Ricochet: a bullet striking a surface and rebounding at an angle.
In his old world, it was dismissed as a mere phenomenon, low utility.
Here, special ammo, mana, and talent combined for dramatic ricochets.
"Let me show you."
Bang!
Rohan fired in an absurd direction.
The instructor's attention wavered for a split second. Rohan exploited it, thrusting his radiant blade.
Shing!
The instructor twisted away, dodging by a paper's thickness.
The stray bullet, predictably, didn't return.
"Truth is, I can't do fancy ricochets."
"Lies every time you open your mouth. Impressive."
Even mid-conversation, attacks came swift and relentless.
His chatter never broke focus.
"Actually, I can."
No regret for the missed thrust.
Up close, Rohan aimed the pistol at the ground and fired again.
Bang!
The bullet merely cratered the floor.
Ed chuckled at his instinctive glance down, foot twitching up.
Grinning, he evaded the incoming sharp blade.
'Falling for a cadet's trick? Infuriating.'
Rohan's feints were the kind you saw coming but couldn't ignore.
'What to do with this kid.'
Normally, hand over the bell now. Refuse, and no one gets it.
Yet Ed wanted more confirmation.
Clashing with Rohan stirred a nostalgic ache.
Reminiscent of pre-academy days.
"Cadet Rohan. Let's keep going."
Finishing his words, he kicked the flat of the sword. Pursued the retreating Rohan.
Split honest bullets mid-flight. Felt off.
Boom! The round exploded. Ed shielded his face with one hand, minimizing the blast.
He grimaced at the vibrating gunpowder stench.
'Mana explosion round… Knew I'd cleave it?'
Dodging would have wasted Rohan's mana.
He used it anyway.
Already read that his opponent was the type to slash, not evade.
'No wonder the trajectory felt perfect.'
Ed grinned, kicking off the ground. Stayed glued, melee unbroken.
Shifted axe style—hooked Rohan's sword, forcing his guard open.
Ed's kick buried deep into the exposed abdomen.
Rohan held back vomit, eyes bloodshot, enduring.
Another kick incoming.
Countered instantly. Rohan swung the pistol like a club, smashing Ed's knee.
No more than a brief halt.
Instructor rotated the hooked axe, grabbing with his other hand.
Dodged a torso shot, then axed down.
Wounds accumulated on Rohan's body.
Yet his responses accelerated.
Soon, no new cuts.
'Adapting to my moves fast.'
Ed thrilled at the cadet's growth and rare fun, but toed the line carefully.
Gear up more, and the kid was in real danger. Instructor fail.
'Time to hand over the bell.'
As he pondered creating an opening with regret—
Rohan's hand discarded the pistol, ignoring the axe blade to press in.
His hand slashed deep, blood streaming, but he stuck to the shoulder.
Movement restricted. They tangled, raw strength clashing.
Axe and sword interlocked—no give, no motion.
"Gonna poke my eyes with your fingers?"
Why ditch the trusty pistol?
Ed's curiosity overrode regret, eyes alight—
Then widened in shock.
"A gift for you, Instructor."
A single bullet in Rohan's hand. A special round Ed knew well.
Mana poured into it like violet fury. Intent clear: overload and detonate.
"Dangerous—!"
That much mana at this range? Bad for both.
Rohan's fingers might go flying.
'No time to gauge if it's a bluff.'
To Ed, Rohan seemed the type to just do it.
Had to stop him.
Instinct flared with mana surge.
That sharp sense caught another gaze.
'Who's that?'
Far off, atop a building—an unknown figure targeting them. No killing intent, but irritating eyes.
Distracted by Rohan's bullet and mana flood, detection lagged slightly.
To counter that mystery now, release restrictions. Shove Rohan off by force.
Free the axe with full mana, and it'd shred Rohan's muscles deep.
But that wasn't feasible.
Instructor options were limited.
'Heh, that part calculated too?'
Ed let out a wry chuckle at the psychological bind.
Rare experience.
Pick!
The attack came from elsewhere.
A bullet severed the string at his waist, knocking the bell free.
'Ricochet from that range…?'
The instructor stared blankly at Rohan.
Rohan relaxed, sheathing his sword. Ed followed suit.
Rohan scooped the fallen bell.
Bowed gratefully to Ed. Pocketed the special round meant for detonation.
"Don't worry, Instructor. Never planned to blow it up."
"…"
"Might've back then… but after that one word, I'm holding back on the reckless stuff."
The second day of the exam ended.