The Steel-Armed Serpent Returns – Oliver Kneels in Apology
Oliver suddenly dropped to his knees and apologized to me, then spent the entire day teaching me the advanced forms of the Ferang School Dagger Technique that he hadn't gotten around to before.
Ferang School Dagger Technique
Ferang School Dagger Technique Lv7 → Lv8
Damn, if he'd taught me this from the start, how great would that have been? The Ferang School Dagger Technique proficiency, which had been stubbornly refusing to budge, shot up sharply. In just two days, I'd raised the dagger skill from level 4 to 8.
Once the lesson wrapped up, Oliver grinned like a man possessed, his face blank and dreamy. What the hell was up with this guy, old enough to know better? Anyway, time marched on, and the Grand Festival kicked off.
The festival name felt oddly familiar, even if the language was different.
"The 80th Grand Festival—"
The gnome headmaster Ballarnyar's voice, amplified by a megaphone spell, rang out crisp and clear.
"Begins—nowwww!"
Even without the amplification magic, his projection was impeccable. It was like watching some TV caster's opening line. Right on cue, dazzling fireworks exploded overhead. Despite the bright morning sun, the magical flames etched vivid patterns across the sky.
Boom boom boom!
It was loud and flashy. The sound of students' tuition fees going up in smoke.
The Grand Festival was a festival in name only. But this world was a savage place. With the academy's main courses being swordsmanship and magic—methods of fighting—no amount of packaging could hide that fact.
Sure, there were booths and events galore, but the main event was something else.
"And simultaneously, we declare the start of the Solarian—nowwww!"
The Solarian, a "warrior" selection tournament named after "Solarian."
The Solion Kingdom's name, "Solion," was an ancient term for the sun. Solarian harkened back to a pre-kingdom era ritual for choosing the "Sun Warriors" here. Nowadays, it selected the academy's top student—the strongest one. How that strength was measured? That was up for debate.
"Every year, the Solarian trials change. This time, for the 80th anniversary blockbuster, we've prepared something extra special and massive!"
The headmaster bellowed.
"Today's preliminaries, and the finals in a week. You won't want to miss either—it's going to be epic!"
I was in the faculty seats with Obern. Down below stood about a hundred students in matching robes—the Solarian entrants.
"Out of 132 applicants, only 24 will survive the prelims!"
Of course, failing didn't mean death. I scanned the students below. Naturally, my disciples were mixed in among them. Amaen waved subtly my way. Next to him, Prince Philly looked tense as hell, while Lania seemed utterly unfazed.
"Now, a grand send-off for our departing students—!"
Cheers erupted. Fireworks burst again, and the magic circles beneath the students and faculty seats glowed blue.
They could've walked to the test site, but Emerald School and Headmaster Ballarnyar opted to flex their power: a mass mid-range warp for over a hundred people. Costly and risky, but the headmaster's grand magic nailed it.
Flash!
It felt like being swept in a wave of mana. A queasy whoosh lingered briefly before everything brightened.
—That gnome's got a clean casting style.
Pellelian's assessment was straightforward. But to me, it was mind-blowing. A sucking sensation passed, and we'd jumped from Emerald School to the heart of a dense forest.
'Teleport magic—I wanna learn that too!'
—Forget it; it'd take you ages. And this is warp magic, anyway.
If even Pellelian, who'd praised my magic talent, said that, it must be brutally tough.
"Wahahaha, surprised, eh?"
Headmaster Ballarnyar laughed heartily.
"This is Tepperi Forest. Your prelims start right here!"
I eyed the kids. C'mon, act shocked! Thankfully, the trio pulled off their best surprised faces. Still, compared to Obern, their acting fell flat.
"Now for the prelim rules. The game is... treasure hunt!"
The headmaster raised a finger, and three gold coins floated in the air. A prepped illustration unfurled beside them, each coin marked 1, 2, or 3.
"These coins are hidden throughout Tepperi Forest. As you see, the numbers indicate points."
It was treasure hunting, but with a twist. Tally your coins' points; top 24 pass. Goal: snag as many high-value coins as possible. Not so easy on second thought. High-point coins were likely in tougher spots. And aside from "collect coins," no other rules. Meaning? You could raid other students for theirs.
'This could turn into a bloodbath!'
He didn't spell it out, but sharp kids would catch on quick. What a ruthless world.
Students buzzed; Obern slipped toward them. Amaen smartly sidled up to him. I hopped—from Obern's wrist to Amaen's, then Philly's.
For brutal rules, only a brutal plan: Master joins personally. Proxy play, live coaching op! All three had to pass, obviously. I'd plotted the most devious scheme ever.
But prelims were just entry; finals mattered more. Better not stand out too much—save the drama for later.
That's when the headmaster dropped the rewards.
"At game's end, your coins are yours to keep!"
"Woooah!"
Old news. For non-rich kids, gold coins weren't pocket change. They cheered the school's generosity.
"And the prelim 1st place gets a very special prize."
First-place award? News to me.
"A chance to enter the Mirror Room in the palace!"
Silence fell. What the hell was the Mirror Room? Whispers spread—everyone seemed to know, no cheers though.
'Philly! What's the Mirror Room?'
Philly replied hesitantly.
'A special space in the palace... with the Mirror of Essence.'
'Mirror of Essence?'
'It shows your true essence. Super special.'
I panicked. Even if they were like "those magic school trio," a mirror revealing desires could backfire! Amaen seeing his late mom and a happy family? Disaster.
But it wasn't that. Relief.
'It shows the target's true essence.'
'You tried it?'
'Nah, princes are banned.'
Why? 'Legend says it shows your future self. Not always, but young folks usually see their grown-up selves.'
'So...'
'Back when princes could enter, two did. Both saw themselves with crowns.'
Never happened before. They believed they were fated kings; blood feud ensued.
'What happened?'
'One became king. The other died.'
'So the mirror was wrong?'
'Dunno. Out of dozens of princes, only those two saw kingly futures.'
Most visions came true, apparently. Something swelled in me—scorching curiosity.
'I wanna see...'
'You, teacher? The mirror?'
'Why not! Make one of you 1st, sneak in!'
I'd always loved psych tests, MBTI quizzes. Back home, MBTI was huge; small talk started there. (Not that I had friends for small talk.) Mine was, obviously... well.
"I wanna see..."
Lania muttered it too. Makes sense—she'd wonder about her essence, family and name lost.
Hmm... Lania. Unlike Amaen and Philly, I'd kinda neglected her.
Alright! Slap! I climbed onto her hand.
Connection Crown Lv2
And told her:
'Lania!'
'Y-yes, yep.'
'Let's take 1st.'
She stared, then nodded firmly.
'Yes!'
Then the headmaster shouted:
"Time limit: dusk. Ready... set..."
Sparks flew from his raised hand.
Whoosh—boom!
"Begin!"
Students bolted into the forest. Alrighty, first come, first served~
Tepperi Forest was reasonably vast—about half the size of Akham Basin in the Great Forest. Crossing it took half a day; searching it fully? A day wasn't enough.
Amaen and Philly trekked through it.
Rules: just collect coins. Teaming up? Fine. Even dozens grouping wouldn't break rules—just inefficient.
Per the snake's strat, Amaen and Philly stuck together.
The woods were dim. Monster territory, so every rustle made Philly flinch closer to Amaen.
"A-Amaen."
"King Tree first."
The King Tree was a marked landmark. Coins wouldn't be scattered randomly.
No coins yet, but they headed for likely spots like giant trees.
"North, gotta find north..."
"We checked direction earlier."
Unlike tense Philly, Amaen stayed cool. About 30 minutes in, something beat expectations.
Rustle!
Definite presence. Even chill Amaen halted, hand raised for spellcasting.
"Oh, not a monster."
Two guys emerged from the brush. Blue badges on vests: 3rd years.
"Your Highness, first time meeting."
"Y-you bastards!"
Humans could be deadlier than beasts.
"Got many coins yet?"
"Zero. So scram!"
Philly barked. Might've worked on 1st years invoking royal authority.
"Haha, can't back down in Solarian."
"Time for His Highness to rest."
Pouches were for coins—lose it, and you're sunk.
Philly growled like cornered cat.
"Big bro put you up to this?"
"Heh."
2nd Prince's influence? Philly looked pissed.
"Last warning. Beat it."
"Hand over the pouch, or we take it."
"Fine, ignoring warnings."
Then 3rd years' faces twisted. Philly smirked.
"Betting on that mage kid?"
"Trust Amaen, but something more reliable."
"What the—"
Someone dropped from a tree—knee smashing one 3rd year's temple.
Crack!
He crumpled without a scream.
"Gah!"
The other yelped. The girl delivering the clean knee strike? Lania, 1st year's physical powerhouse, human weapon of the trio—now roundhouse to his jaw.
Snap!
Perfect hit.
'That's a hook kick!'
Lania's strike was masterful. Martine arts packed a punch.
"Hoo."
No strain on her face. Picking Lania was spot-on.
"Guys! Loot 'em!"
She yelled; Amaen and Philly swarmed, rifling pouches. Four 1-point coins.
'One each for them, two for Lania.'
Perfect divvy. Via Lania:
"I'll hide again. Act weak like before!"
"Wasn't acting weak..."
She vanished into tree shadows. Amaen and Philly resumed their feeble shuffle.
'3rd years'll target Philly at start.'
Predicted. Counter: hide with strongest Lania, ambush and steal coins. Evil genius plan.
Yes. The Steel-Armed Serpent had returned to Tepperi Forest.