Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Midterm Exam (3)
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Rumble!
Once a serene forest, now the roar of a single beast echoed through it.
"You're holding up pretty well. But just enduring won't do you any good."
The dense trees had mostly been shattered by now.
Where lightning had streaked across the ground, black scorch marks spread out.
"Hand over the coin already. Don't waste any more of my time."
"Haha..."
Crackle!
Static electricity he couldn't fully block coursed through his body, churning his insides.
'...This is troublesome.'
Darian was far stronger than he'd imagined.
An exceptional battle sense that couldn't be measured by stats alone.
Above all, the most frustrating was the unbridgeable gap between Darian and him.
That unique mobility and acceleration keeping the distance no matter what.
That was why he'd been unable to counterattack even once, just taking hits.
To close the gap, he had no time to build propulsion.
Darian, the meticulous hunter, wouldn't give him time to gather aura.
"Hoo..."
Running away wasn't an option either.
No matter how fast he fled, he couldn't outrun lightning.
As expected of Class A's top student.
"Hmm? Giving up already? Don't take it too hard. It's just bad luck you drew me. You're strong enough."
Sizzle...!
Like a predator cornering its prey with no room for error.
Judging no more variables remained, Darian began chanting his spell.
'Guess I have to roll the dice.'
In a mage-knight matchup, 'distance' always played the biggest role.
The mage always wanted to maintain it for a one-sided advantage.
The knight aimed to breach it and settle things up close.
"Devour him, Thunder Dragon."
"Devour him, Thunder Dragon."
⟨ Thunder Dragon ⟩
Groooowl!
A dragon approached, prickling his skin.
Even in a situation demanding immediate evasion, he simply stood still.
If he just dodged like before, damage would accumulate bit by bit.
That would only hasten defeat.
A technique that had always failed before, but one that had to succeed now.
"..."
He gripped his sword tighter and steadied his breath.
Swish,
Closing his eyes, he began erasing his senses one by one.
...
Ignoring even the forest's tiniest sounds.
Forgetting the fresh grass scent brushing his nose.
Finally, ignoring the approaching magic, he gently shut his eyes.
-"What do you think aura is, Rowen?"
Serin's voice began to echo in his mind.
-"I... think it's a powerful tool. One that aids my will."
-"Hmm... A tool. Not wrong."
Serin and he stood not in the training grounds, but in a quiet spot away from the academy.
It was her drastic measure after seeing his swordsmanship plateau.
-"But Rowen, I see it differently. Aura isn't that simple a power."
Shing...!
Finishing her words, Serin smoothly drew the sword at her waist.
After a brief breath, she closed her eyes and infused aura into the blade.
Fwaaah!
Blood-red aura flowed along the sword, gradually expanding.
Crack, craaack!
The sword aura grew endlessly, soon surpassing Serin's height.
The ordinary iron sword couldn't withstand her vast aura and began cracking.
Snap!
Even as the blade shattered into pieces.
The refined sword aura danced like a living thing from the hilt she held.
-"..."
Serin remained unmoved, eyes softly closed, unfazed by it all.
She simply continued expanding the sword aura.
Grrrrrind...!
The sword aura, now unbelievably massive, suddenly converged to a single point.
In that instant, Serin's gaze turned skyward as she thrust her sword.
-"Hoo..."
Neither fast nor slow.
A precise, perfect strike.
The sword stroke pointing at some target held him transfixed.
Craaaack!
The superhuman's transcendent strike reached the sky.
That will was enough to make even nature kneel.
Clouds filling the heavens split into two.
-"Possibility. The power to realize all your will."
-"Yes..."
-"Too grand for just a tool, no? And tools have the drawback of needing to be held."
Serin explained with a relaxed smile.
That beautiful, majestic sight refused to fade from his mind.
-"Ahaha, no need to dwell too deeply now. It's a realm far beyond you yet, Rowen."
-"...Understood."
-"But don't set limits on yourself. You tend to suppress possibilities chasing definite answers."
As the split sky slowly mended, he snapped out of his daze.
Serin sheathed her thrust sword, but noticing it had shattered, gave an awkward smile.
-"Ahem...! Anyway, remember this strike, Rowen. And maybe your master's greatness too...!"
Possibility.
Serin's strike meshed with his current plight, making its meaning clear.
He'd been trapped by the sword's nature, thinking he couldn't close the distance.
No matter how sharp, a sword that doesn't reach is useless.
Shaking off those thoughts, self-reflecting, he realized how foolish they'd been.
'Don't set limits on yourself.'
He shed the notion of needing to close the distance.
Discarded the sword's limitations.
Left only the single intent: to cleave Darian.
Groooowl!
When he opened his eyes, Darian's spell was nearly upon him.
Even in this hopeless moment.
Slash!
He merely swung his sword like Serin had.
Crackle, sizzle!
The ruined forest crackled with massive static.
The mighty serpent failed to become a true dragon, its head severed.
A boy's perfect slash cleaved its body, reaching even its master.
"Kuh!"
Darian's mind reeled in confusion at the incomprehensible scene.
Damn it, where did it all go wrong?
He'd never underestimated the blue-haired guy there.
Even as a Class D student, he'd given no openings, fighting at full effort.
And as if proving his judgment right, the sharp counterattacks midway.
But his physical abilities lagged behind his swordsmanship.
So he'd planned to whittle him down with perfect distance control.
'I thought I'd sealed all variables...'
The moment victory seemed certain, a chill ran through him.
Sizzle, crackle!
In that split second.
Despite accelerating to widen the gap and forming lightning armor.
A massive sword mark scarred his mana barrier.
"Hah, hah..."
Perhaps the price of that power.
The blue-haired student panted, looking exhausted.
"...Fine, I acknowledge you. You're... not someone I can take under my wing."
"Huu..."
"But right now, I'm still one step ahead."
Groowl, groooowl...
Yet his eyes burned undimmed.
'Soon, he might stand as my equal.'
Those with unwavering will, forging themselves relentlessly.
He didn't care about good or evil, but such souls always marked history.
This man before him felt like a symbol of a new era.
'No, maybe I'll be looking up to him.'
Just a month after enrolling.
A Class D student inflicting this damage was absurd.
"Still too early, though."
He wasn't ready to admit it yet.
Darian began chanting a spell at the weary Rowen.
"I'd love to team up, but I can't allow more variables."
The chant complete, the magic circle flared as Darian's lightning struck.
Rumble!
Ugh...
Having cleaved Darian's Thunder Dragon, Rowen had no time to rejoice before agony hit.
Peering into a forbidden realm?
The backlash made his joints creak, muscles scream.
At least no major injury; he could still move.
"Hah, hah..."
To make matters worse, he hadn't fully breached Darian's mana barrier.
Darian had minimized damage with lightning armor in that brief moment.
Serin's 'perfect slash' would have secured victory.
But at his level, imitating it was satisfaction enough.
'Still, I have a shot.'
If he expelled the lingering currents while Darian recovered.
He could breach the rattled Darian's distance and force a melee.
Boom, rumble!
Whew... Thought it'd be easier.
He'd wanted to conserve stamina for the Deception Devil.
But life rarely goes as planned.
Dropping out now would ruin everything, so he'd go all out against Darian.
Just as Darian finished chanting, lightning about to strike.
"Fireball!"
A familiar voice, soccer-ball-sized flames assaulted Darian.
...Why are you here?
The typical third-rate villain who'd made him grimace.
After losing their duel, he'd gone quiet, forgotten...
Dores stood there, arms crossed with an obnoxious grin.
"Kuhahaha! Hey, commoner! See my fireball?"
"..."
"After barely losing to you, I trained relentlessly, ready to die!"
Yeah, stronger than entrance exam, sure...
But Darian wouldn't fall to that.
Crackle, sizzle!
"Haa... Now even trash like this shows up."
Lightning deflected the incoming flames.
Not unscathed; scorch marks on his uniform hem.
"Commoner! If he's tough for you, he ain't ordinary. Good, let's team up this once!"
Tat-tat-tat!
"That loss taught me: a great mage needs a vanguard. Rowen! You're on vanguard duty!"
"..."
Groowl, groooowl!
"...Commoner? No reply?"
"Haa... Damn it."
"Wh-what? Where'd he go?!"
"Perfect. Needed someone to vent on."
"..."
Dores appeared like a rival aiding the shonen protagonist.
But reality wasn't so kind.
"F-Fireball! Fireball!"
Boom! Bang!
"Hm, my bad call. Team up against Rowen? I owe him too."
"Don't you say that before attacking?"
"...Didn't expect that bastard to run!"
Boom, rumble!
"Damn! D-don't come closer! Stay back!!!"
Sizzle!
"Kaaaaah!"
And so, pitiful screams echoed through the exam forest.