The Class Placement Exam (1)
Amon Caligus. I knew him just as well as I knew Yuri Clementine. He was the quintessential "strong against the weak, weak against the strong" type of character. Depending on the path he took, he would either fall into corruption or reform himself—a guy with two completely different routes and roles. If he fell, he became a third-rate villain with a matching storyline. But if he reformed and underwent an internal transformation, he became a reliable ally—a powerhouse tank boasting formidable defense. Of course, even after turning over a new leaf, his trademark grumbling remained unchanged.
"...He doesn't seem like an easy opponent," I said, toying with the hilt of the sword at my waist. Of all things, I had to face earth magic, which boasted high physical defense, with nothing but a sword. The matchup was terrible. If I were a mage, I might have been able to wriggle my way to a victory somehow, but as a swordsman, it was a different story.
"Hmm... Amon is simple-minded, so he's easily provoked and prone to letting his guard down. If you aim for an opening, you might stand a chance," Yuri advised, seemingly aware of how unfavorable the matchup was for me.
"I'll have to do my best," I replied.
"...Monstero. The ten cadets whose names have been called, step forward."
As the roll call ended, I stepped forward in accordance with the instructor's command. On my way, I saw the group that had just finished their exam returning to their seats. Eisel was among them. The other nine cadets kept a wide distance from her, as if they were terrified of her very presence.
"I hope you do well on your exam," Eisel murmured in a voice so quiet it was barely audible to anyone else as she passed by me, continuing on her way with an air of effortless grace.
"..."
Considering our previous encounter, it was clear that she had her eye on me for some reason. One thing was certain: the Eisel I had encountered countless times in the game was different from the Eisel standing before me now. How much of the game's information that I remembered was accurate, and how much of it was wrong? What kind of ordeal had she gone through to adopt such an attitude? Eisel's unpredictable behavior left my mind in a state of confusion.
Yet, I did not stop walking. I had to move forward. After all, with the sole exception of Eisel, everything was still proceeding exactly as I had anticipated.
The ten cadets, including myself, lined up before the instructor. Seeing that we were all in place, the instructor proceeded with the same explanation he had given to the previous group.
"This exam is a deathmatch where you will kill and be killed within a space created by illusion magic. As you have seen, dying inside does not mean actual death in the real world."
Meeting the instructor's stern gaze from so close, a subtle tension began to creep up on me. The massive, towering frame of Amon standing right beside me was more than enough to add to that tension.
"Therefore, do not be afraid, and show the absolute limit of your abilities. Once the exam begins, do not view each other as fellow academy cadets, but as enemies that must be slain. Whether you use your abilities to survive as long as possible or crush all your opponents, the instructors will be watching your every move to grade you. That is all."
Having finished the essential explanation, the instructor activated the magic circle prepared on the floor of the examination hall. Soon, a dimensional portal opened beneath our feet, swallowing all ten of us whole. Before long, my consciousness began to fade.
The moment I regained consciousness, I pushed myself up and found myself in a place lush with thick grass and towering trees.
Is the terrain a forest?
Looking up, I saw countless stars shining with their own brilliant light. The chirping of insects echoed around me, and the fragrant scent of grass tickled my nose. To think all of this was created by illusion magic... The environment was so vivid it was almost goosebump-inducing.
I suppose this is what it means to be a grand mage.
This illusion magic was none other than the work of the academy's principal, Juliut.
A cool breeze blew past, fluttering my hair.
I don't hear any loud noises yet.
It seemed battles hadn't broken out just yet. I figured everyone was waking up around the same time and assessing their situation. However, given the nature of the exam, there was a high probability that other cadets were not too far away. Should I start moving? In a situation like this, the one who moves first and spots the enemy first usually gains a massive advantage.
However...
I swiftly drew my sword and deflected an object flying straight toward me.
Clang!
An arrow made of ice shattered into fine powder upon colliding with my blade.
...So they were the one who spotted me first.
It was a near-silent ambush, but thanks to possessing the Superb Senses skill, I had managed to react just in the nick of time.
I looked in the direction from which the ice arrow had flown. Up in a tree, I spotted a cadet with a startled expression. A mage specializing in ice magic, perhaps? Their level didn't seem particularly high, making them the perfect opponent to start with.
And here I was worried I might run into Amon right off the bat.
I was in luck. Without even changing my stance, I dashed toward the guy, who was already preparing his next spell. He was perched high up in a tree, about the height of a three-story building, but for me, having reached level 10, it was a height I could easily reach with a single leap.
"Ice Arrow!"
Another ice arrow flew toward me as I closed the distance, but I deflected it effortlessly. Then, channeling mana through my body, I leaped lightly into the air.
"What kind of crazy..."
The guy looked utterly dumbfounded, clearly not expecting anyone to jump that high in a single bound. As he stood frozen on the branch with a blank stare, I prepared to cleave him mid-air. In that split second, several semi-transparent red circles appeared over his body. Instinctively, I slashed at his waist, where the largest of the red circles was located.
Slash!
"K-Kehh...!"
A pained groan escaped his lips, and his severed body instantly dissolved into ash and scattered. No blood was spilled. It was the effect of the illusion magic.
Those red circles just now...
Could they be the effect of the Weakness Detection skill?
I need to test this further.
The battle was more exhilarating than I had expected. Perhaps it was because I felt that my knowledge and efforts hadn't gone to waste. In the dark, eerie forest, a faint smile played on my lips as I gripped my sword.
Screeech!
Lowering my stance, I dashed forward at incredible speed and slashed through the enemy before me. Split in half before they could even scream, the opponent dissolved into ash and scattered in the wind, just like the others. The opponent I had just defeated wielded a greatsword.
I was dying to see how far my Ghost Swordsmanship could go without a Yodo, but... channeling any more mana would put too much strain on my body before the exam ended. Thus, I resolved to finish most of my battles as quickly as possible.
That made four.
After several battles, I had gained a much deeper understanding of Weakness Detection. As I had suspected, the red circles indicated the opponent's weaknesses. No matter how sturdy an object was, as long as my blade traced the red circle, it would be sliced through as smoothly as tofu.
But the most important thing...
Weaknesses weren't limited to the opponent's body or weapons. The maximum level effect of the Weakness Detection skill was far more potent than that.
Even magic has weaknesses.
This was where I found the key to dealing with Amon. Fortunately, I had realized this before running into him. I couldn't quite comprehend why red circles would appear on magic itself. In the game, the skill had never functioned this way.
Is it simply because the skill level is at its maximum? Or is it perhaps the influence of the blindfold?
Since it was a Legendary-grade item, it wouldn't be surprising if it had hidden effects. High-grade items often possessed such traits. In fact, the very fact that I could see right now had to be considered a hidden effect of the blindfold.
...Of course, expecting even more effects might be a bit greedy.
Just as I was contemplating whether to take a short break, I sensed a presence behind me. Judging by the heavy footsteps, whoever it was had a massive build.
"Who the hell are you?"
A voice called out as the figure spotted me.
Speak of the devil.
I turned around to face him.
"What's with you? Are you some kind of blind cripple? Can't you see?"
"..."
It was the foul-mouthed Amon Caligus.
He stood at a towering height of nearly two meters. On both of his arms, massive gauntlets made of solid rock caught my eye.
Amon's basic attack relied on striking with these gauntlets, created by the earth magic spell Earth Gauntlet. Depending on the situation, he would also employ other earth spells like Stone Wall or Stone Shower.
Earth magic boasted immense physical defense. On the other hand, my attacks carried absolutely no magical damage.
Amon smirked sneeringly at the sword in my hand. However, I couldn't help but smile back the moment I laid eyes on him. A vivid red circle was clearly visible on his rock gauntlets.
Whether he falls into corruption or reforms...
It would certainly be better if he turned over a new leaf. I slowly took a step toward him.
In the observation room where the instructors had gathered to watch the class placement exam, most eyes were glued to the broadcast screens. While grading was their primary task, the atmosphere was lively, filled with excitement as many interesting events unfolded before them.
"They've finally met."
"Cadet Amon Caligus has four kills, and Cadet Zeto has four as well. Since they're the only two left, the winner of this fight takes first place, right?"
From the instructors' perspective, Amon Caligus's stellar performance was well within expectations. With the heirs of the Four Elemental Families gathered in this year's class, they had assumed the results would be predictable. However, the emergence of the "out-of-spec genius," Eisel Ludwig, had left them utterly thrilled. And then came the cadet named Zeto.
He wasn't from a famous family, nor had he ever made a name for himself across the continent. He was a complete newcomer. But that wasn't the only thing that caught the instructors' attention.
"That Zeto kid. Where is he from?"
"His place of origin is listed as unknown. Actually, there are so many 'unknowns' on his documents. There's barely any information on him... How did he even get admitted?"
"With that dark hair... and the shape of his sword, I suspect he might be from the East."
At that moment, an instructor with a deep expertise in swordsmanship offered an intriguing insight.
"The East... Come to think of it, I happened to visit the East once. I heard that when they teach swordsmanship there, they sometimes intentionally blindfold themselves during training."
"What? So you're saying Zeto isn't actually blind?"
"That's probably not the case. They only train that way to hone their senses. I heard it has absolutely no practical application in real combat."
If nothing else, his word on swordsmanship carried weight. The instructors still found it difficult to readily accept Zeto's abilities.
"Then how do you explain a blind kid of that age dispelling magic with a sword...?"
"Reina, I'm telling you, that was just a fluke. You must have misseen it. How could anyone dispel magic with a sword...?"
Dispel. The act of interfering with an active spell to structurally dismantle it. Normally, dispelling was considered a type of magic used to nullify an opponent's spell. Yet, when Zeto had faced a mage cadet earlier, he had dispelled their magic using nothing but his sword. The other instructors dismissed it as a mere coincidence—all except Reina, who prided herself on her own dispelling skills.
"What the fuck?! What is this?!"
As the instructors were conversing, a sudden stream of profanity erupted from the broadcast screen. The source of the crude cursing was none other than Amon, who was currently locked in combat with Zeto.
"The gauntlet... disappeared...?"
The jaw of the instructor who had just been dismissing Reina's claims dropped. As seasoned veterans of countless battles, they had no choice but to accept what they were seeing this time. The gauntlet hadn't been physically shattered. The moment it came into contact with the sword, it simply vanished.
It had vanished. Amon's Earth Gauntlet—his earth magic.
It was undeniable that Zeto's sword had pierced the structural core of the Earth Gauntlet and dispelled it.
Reina glared triumphantly at the slack-jawed instructor and shouted, "I told you that kid is freakin' weird! He's breaking magic with a sword!!!"