Retest (2)
“Lightning Bolt!”
“You dodged it?”
“How the hell do you dodge lightning?!”
“You just watch carefully and dodge, that’s all.”
“Hup!”
“You blocked it?”
“Ugh…! As expected of Rank 3, holding off a greatsword with a one-handed blade…!”
The fight against the Rank 4s was actually pretty fun. Since it was still within the top ranks, the gap between us was only one spot, but the difference in skill was noticeable. Still, it was way better than the instant-kills the other students were suffering.
“Ugh… This isn’t working! Stop playing separately and let’s work together!”
“…I accept! Yesterday’s enemy is today’s ally!”
“I like that straightforward attitude! Let’s sync up!”
Look at them, even coordinating their attacks to take me on. ‘This should be interesting.’
Just as I’d hoped, the two Rank 4s moved close together, pressed their backs against each other, and glared in my direction.
‘The lightning mage is Kyle, and the greatsword guy is Leon, right?’
“Since you’re a greatsword user, swing big. I’ll cast magic through the openings you create.”
“Got it.”
“And one more thing.”
Kyle lightly tapped Leon’s greatsword with his index finger. In that instant—
"Crackle—!"
⟨ Lightning Enchant ⟩
“…What is this?”
“Your sword seems to have pretty good mana conductivity.”
“You noticed that at a glance?”
“Well, I am the Rank 4 of the Magic Department. Now, go!”
“Understood!”
Kyle had wrapped lightning around Leon’s greatsword. It was nothing more than his lightning magic coating a blade with high mana conductivity, but I couldn’t help but be impressed.
“Wow… Nice eye. And you put it into action right away, too.”
“That confidence of yours ends here!”
While I was genuinely admiring Kyle’s skill, Leon closed the distance in an instant and swung his greatsword upward at me. But there was a reason for my composure.
"Clang!"
⟨ Rock Sword ⟩
“!! A rock sword?!”
“Did you know lightning is weak against earth?”
“What are you—?”
“And I’m a magic swordsman.”
I instantly used earth magic to coat my blade with dirt and stone, then knocked Leon’s greatsword aside.
“Ugh…!”
“And while Kyle might have lightning resistance… you don’t, right?”
“What the hell are you talking about….”
“Aqua Cutter.”
“!!”
The moment I fired a blade of water from my left hand—the one wearing the gauntlet—Leon, realizing what I was planning, hurriedly slammed the lightning magic coating his sword into the ground. It was a good call, but even good decisions lead to unreasonable defeat in front of someone stronger.
“Venom Needle!”
The instant I kindly shouted the skill name and fired a needle from my gauntlet—
"Thunder Round."
With Kyle’s chant, swirling lightning erupted around Leon and completely blocked the paralyzing needle.
"Thunder Hound!"
Right after, a wolf-shaped lightning spell charged at me with terrifying speed. I immediately raised my gauntlet into a guard stance.
"Magic Shield."
I’d also installed a magic defense function into the gauntlet, after all.
“I can block both magic and swords.”
Leon tried to stab at me during that opening, but unfortunately, it was way too obvious.
“Your coordination is decent, but you’re still far from enough.”
“Tsk, damn it…!”
“Aren’t you a bit too strong…?”
Too strong? Yeah, I am. But.
“Even someone like me is only Rank 3, you bastards.”
“Ah.”
“Ah….”
This is a world where even I am Rank 3. It’s so fucking unfair and infuriating.
“…I’m suddenly pissed off.”
How dare they make me think about this dogshit reality.
“Playtime’s over.”
“…Why did you have to say that?!”
“Wait, I didn’t expect to get this mad either?!”
“I’ll kill you!!”
“Guhhhk!!”
“You crazy—! Leon!”
“Ugh…!”
Leon, who took a gauntlet punch straight to the solar plexus, smashed through a tree and flew off into the distance, retiring on the spot. Kyle was also slammed into the ground by a rock fist and retired as well.
The two of them had been taken out in the blink of an eye. Once I came back to my senses, I wondered if that had been okay, but…
“Whew… Still, it was a good match.”
Well, it was a match. Losing control of my strength a little shouldn’t be that big a deal. If there was a problem, it would be…
“…Who the hell do I fight now?”
I had no idea who to fight next. As you could tell from those two, the higher the rank, the bigger the gap between each number. Going after the Rank 5s from either the Knight or Magic Department would clearly be a noticeable step down in strength compared to those two. In the end, it would just be another worthless fight that didn’t help me at all.
“…Guess I’ll just wander around for now.”
Still, I had to at least look around. You never know.
“Halt right there! Ashen!”
“You crazy bitch! Get the hell away from meeeeeee!”
But fuck, Leona really crossed the line.
“Since you are clearly Rank 3, I am certain you can face me at my full power!!”
“Get lost! Our power levels are already different starting from aura, you idiot!”
A Swordmaster can perfectly manipulate aura and even create techniques with it. But I’m just a guy who’s decent with aura. There’s no way I can win against a Swordmaster.
“How the hell am I supposed to fight a Swordmaster?!”
“But you fought the Rank 4s, did you not?!”
“How did you even know that?!”
“I heard it!”
“Goddamn it!”
I only knew it was a large-scale fight, but since she’s Rank 2, I guess she even overheard the whole conversation. ‘This world really is fucking unfair…!’
No matter how big the gap between each rank is at the top, to beat Leona I’d need at least twenty of me.
“Hmph! If you will not stop, then I shall stop you by force!”
“Whoa! Don’t do it, you crazy bitch!”
“I am not a crazy bitch, I am Leona! Haaap— Six-fold Slash!!”
“Kyaaaaaaaaaah!”
The moment my heart dropped at her declaration of stopping me by force, that crazy woman immediately fired off aura blades.
“Kyaaahiiihohohoooooo!!”
I twisted my entire body, barely dodging all five of the devastating, merciless aura slashes that could cut through anything they touched. But the sixth and final one—
“Grrrrk!”
It grazed my left shoulder. Holy shit, it hurt like hell.
“Ohh! As expected of Ashen! You dodged them all!”
“Can’t you see I’m bleeding?! I got hit!”
“It did not cut you off!”
“You…!”
No, calm down. Calm down. That crazy woman is a monster holding Rank 2 at the academy in this fantasy world. It’s easier if I just think of her as a sword with no human heart. A sword in human form.
“Then I shall use a little more strength! Receive it!”
“Stop it already!”
But no matter how I look at it, this is just wrong, damn it.
“Someone save Rank 3 heeeeelp!!”
In a situation where I felt like I might actually cry, my desperate plea echoed through the forest. Just before Leona’s sword swung again—
“Haa… So noisy… What is it.”
“Ohh! Revia! Please save me!!”
Thankfully, I ran into the sharp-eyed Revia.
“So loud….”
Revia immediately raised her staff, preparing to cast a spell.
“Hey.”
Not just at Leona, but at me too.
“Wait, wait, wait! Stop!”
“Who keeps making all this noise….”
“This bitch?!”
She clearly didn’t remember me from last time either. Is forgetting people some kind of mage racial trait?
"Blazing Light."
Whether she remembered or not, Revia used the same spell she’d cast on me during the duel. The moment the massive surge of light magic flew toward us—
“Hup…!”
Leona instantly cut in front of me and raised her sword, blocking the light magic with her blade.
“I-I’m alive…!”
The spell was several times larger than the one during the duel. I’d thought I was done for this time, but since they were both Rank 2, Leona pulled off the insane feat of blocking light magic with a sword.
And thankfully, that…
“…Haa?”
“Whew! That was quite a powerful spell!”
Successfully drew Revia’s aggro.
Magic Department Rank 2 versus Knight Department Rank 2.
The fight had begun.
At that same moment, in front of a cave somewhere in the forest.
“…Why is someone like you here?”
Rui stared into the cave with a stunned expression. Deep inside, something was breathing roughly, its violet eyes glowing fiercely.
“Dark Spirit, Shane.”
Its identity was the one and only Dark Spirit left in the world. The last survivor of the Dark Spirits—Shane.
“Wait, is this my fault…?”
The reason Rui had come to this cave was simple. In the original story, not long after the protagonist Ella entered her second year, there had been rumors of a Dark Spirit that had become the Spirit King rampaging in an imperial forest, killing several imperial knights.
She had come to scout the area in advance before the incident could happen, but she never expected Shane to already be here.
“Um, well… that is….”
The Dark Spirit Shane was an extremely dangerous being. Although he hadn’t become the Spirit King yet, he was still powerful enough to kill Rui in an instant. She slowly began backing away.
[…Human.]
“!! Y-yes?!”
Shane blinked his one remaining eye at the terrified Rui and asked.
[Devour me.]
“…Excuse me?”
[And become stronger.]
He wanted her to eat him and grow stronger. Naturally, Rui thought she had misheard and looked confused. Shane continued speaking to her.
[In return, share your body with me.]
“What? Ah, that’s a bit….”
[In return, I will help you win love.]
“How exactly should I eat you? Do I need to cook you? Or maybe your hair… but you don’t have any. Oh, perhaps I should eat your core….”
[….]