Strategy for the Expedition to the Strongest

Today is an explanation of the final match against the student council president, to whom we've owed quite a lot in various ways(?) while spending our first year at Swordma.

During our first year, we cleared many hardships and adversities.

Some of you succeeded in remaining in S-class, while others didn't get good results on the exams and were temporarily demoted to lower classes.

Among those, this is a mission that only appears to students who cleared their first year in S-class and rose to become the first-year representative.

First, here is an approximate spec for Hina Lionhart.

On top of that, she possesses the Lionheart family's unique powers Lion's Heart and Flame Mane, along with Hina's own Intuition.

No matter how hard a first-year tries, this is a spec that cannot be beaten. Whether you follow the regular route or an irregular one, victory is absolutely impossible.

That is why the quest's clear condition is simply to endure. Lasting three exchanges counts as clear. From five exchanges onward, additional rewards are given. And at ten exchanges, you can obtain the final reward.

Of course, ten exchanges is only barely possible if the Blessing of the Stars activates, so don't take fatal damage and waste more than three days. I recommend tapping out cleanly around five to seven exchanges.

The odds of not even reaching five are honestly high, but since we're players, overcoming probability is part of the skill.

Now then, the strategy to secure at least five exchanges even with an ambiguous spec. It begins now.

The day after dropping a nuclear bomb disguised as a declaration of war at the meat restaurant, what was the person in question—Hint—doing?

“Hint. Um… I’m not doubting you or anything, but you do have a plan, right?”

“Of course.”

Hint was diligently wandering around the West Forest, digging up herbs.

He had no knowledge of herbalism, but at times like this he felt infinite gratitude toward Swordma for modeling every single item. Some games really do just reuse the same models. If all the herbs looked identical, someone without the Herbalism skill ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like him would never have been able to find them.

What he needed were peony flowers, angelica flowers, and conio flowers. Other ingredients were necessary too, but he had to gather these first from the West Forest. Every one of them was a medicinal herb that helped with pain relief.

Thinking back to the excruciating pain he had felt in his arm when he blocked Fenrir’s strike last time, he needed at least some minimal painkillers. Of course, even though he knew what they looked like, he still had to check meticulously in case something else got mixed in, so his work speed was painfully slow.

Stelle, who had been watching him, squatted down beside him.

“These are pain-relief herbs, right? I’ll help too.”

“You know about herbs?”

“Of course. I’m from the countryside. The doctor’s office is too far away, so gathering herbs is just daily life for people like me.”

Once Stelle joined in, the pace picked up dramatically.

Of course those windows didn’t appear for Hint since he lacked the Herbalism skill, but they probably would have in the actual game.

When the herb gathering finished at a speed far beyond his imagination, Hint’s eyes widened.

“How about that? Pretty fast, right?”

“…It really is. If I had done it alone, it would have taken half a day.”

Stelle smiled, clearly satisfied by his reaction. In truth, ever since coming to the academy she had felt a slight sense of debt from always being the one helped, so she was genuinely happy to be useful for once.

Hint organized the herbs and placed them in the basket. Even though they were only plants, the basket felt noticeably heavy. It was much heavier than he had originally planned, but that was fine. The more the better—there was no downside to having extra.

While Hint was satisfied with the basket’s weight, Stelle spoke up first.

“Then, Hint. I have something I need to do for a bit. See you later?”

It was extremely rare for Stelle to have separate business. But since Hint also had somewhere to go, he considered it fortunate. He did notice her avoiding his eyes as if hiding something, but everyone had a private life.

Hint nodded.

“Yes, that’s fine. Shall we meet back at the cabin later?”

“Yeah, sounds good. Where are you headed, Hint?”

“I have some business at the academic building, so I’ll be heading there.”

“The academic building? Do you know someone there?”

Know someone…

This side knew her well, but that side didn’t know this side. Still, even a one-way relationship could be called knowing each other, couldn’t it?

Hint turned his gaze toward the academy.

“Yes. There happens to be someone I need to meet.”

Academy second-year. A-class Alchemy major.

Suzu Auriel was not pleased with how noisy the academic building had become lately.

“Hey, did you hear? That F-class kid apparently challenged the president to a duel.”

“They’ll be cleaning up one corpse…”

“But I heard he’s pretty handsome. Isolde said so.”

“That airhead? If even she says so, he must actually be good-looking.”

“Yeah. What was it… dull golden hair, half-closed eyes, and that he has a noble air despite looking like a commoner?”

See? They were chattering right next to her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠again. Suzu felt a deep murderous intent toward her A-class classmate who had forgotten they were in the middle of class.

These flower-brained idiots. Sometimes she genuinely couldn’t understand how they were in the same A-class as her.

The reason the building had grown so noisy was the news that a first-year F-class student had challenged the student council president. All day long, everywhere she went, that was the only topic.

Suzu, who preferred quiet and tranquility, found the excited atmosphere extremely unpleasant. The atmosphere she loved most was the one right before exams, when everyone was desperate, silent, and buried in their books.

Of course, the noise wasn’t the only thing bothering her—the content itself scratched at her nerves.

Who does that guy think he is, daring to challenge the president to a match, yeo.

Hina Lionhart.

The person the alchemist Suzu Auriel respected and admired more than anyone else. The academy, which used to be attacked by demons every year, had enjoyed peace for the last two years. There was even a rumor that it was because Hina Lionhart had annihilated an entire demon raid two years ago. That was how great she was.

For a worthless F-class nobody to dare reach out with filthy hands toward her star, her idol—and a boy at that.

Suzu’s fists trembled with rage.

The moment class ended, Suzu left the classroom and headed straight for her research lab. Even in the hallway, the students were still gossiping about the president and the new student’s ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠duel. The clamor made Suzu’s steps quicken even more.

I just want to rest in the lab, yeo.

The research labs granted only to students with outstanding grades in production majors (alchemists, blacksmiths, etc.) were Suzu’s sanctuary. A perfect resting place that no one else could enter, decorated solely for her, even blocking outside noise.

But as Suzu headed toward the research building, she soon noticed something was off.

What? Why are there so many people at the research wing, yeo?

The academy’s research wing was a place for the elite of the elite—labs for those who had already proven their ability and earned the academy’s recognition, along with the professors’ labs. Naturally, foot traffic was extremely low on any normal day. First-years obviously hadn’t been assigned labs yet, and even including all current students there were fewer than thirty people.

Yet for some reason, a huge crowd of students had gathered in the research wing. It looked like they were watching something.

Did some idiot blow up their lab or something, yeo?

Dismissing the thought as completely irrelevant to her, Suzu walked toward her own lab. She could hear people whispering as they looked at her, but she ignored them. What she needed most right now was rest in her paradise—the research lab.

Good. Just around this corner…

Her paradise awaited.

With swelling anticipation, Suzu turned the corner—only to find a completely unexpected person standing in front of her.

“Ah, I’ve been waiting for you.”

Dull golden hair. Half-closed eyes. By ordinary standards of beauty, yes, he had quite a delicate face. And most decisively, the red F-class brooch on his chest.

He matched the description the idiots had been chattering about in class exactly. The person at the center of the current uproar—Hint—stood before Suzu.

Suzu scanned the boy with her eyes. It was scholar’s instinct, or perhaps just her nature. Closely analyzing anything she saw for the first time was practically a habit for her.

Had he been rolling around in the grass until just now? There was a bit of dirt on his sleeves, and his whole body carried the unmistakable scent of the forest. And that basket reeking strongly of medicinal herbs.

In an instant, Suzu grasped the boy’s intention and her expression twisted.

“Nice to meet you, senior. My name is—”

“That’s enough. Go away, yeo. I don’t take personal compounding requests.”

Suzu coldly brushed past Hint.

It’s obvious he heard some rumor and came to ask me to make medicine for his match against the president. Hmph. Why would I ever do that for him, yeo.

In fact, Suzu was one of the people hoping the boy named Hint would suffer a crushing defeat. There was no reason to look kindly on someone who had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dared to challenge her idol without knowing his place. But even in the face of that cold rejection, Hint didn’t panic. Instead, he smiled.

“Even if I said I know what’s inside your research lab… would you still say that?”

Suzu’s footsteps halted.

“Wh-what exactly is inside the research lab, yeo.”

No matter how hard she tried to maintain her composure, she couldn’t suppress the tremble in her voice. Suzu cursed herself for the mistake, but it was already too late.

As Suzu stood frozen, unable to take even a single step, Hint whispered into her ear.

“If you really want to know… the entire one wall is covered with—”

“Uwaaaaaah?!”

“Hin—”

Thud!

In her panic, Suzu’s instinctive backspin elbow slammed cleanly into the side of Hint’s face. It was a ferocious strike at point-blank range, leaving no time for a parry.

Even though she was an alchemy student, the academy still required a minimum level of combat ability. Her strength stat, overwhelmingly higher than Hint’s, sent him flying into the opposite wall. With a tremendous crash, Hint was literally embedded into it.

The crowd that had gathered to watch the now-famous Hint screamed.

“Whoa?! He got stuck in the wall?!”

“Suzu, no matter how much you admire the president, that’s…!”

“A-class Suzu killed a freshman!!!”

All kinds of commotion erupted, but Suzu’s mind had gone completely white and their voices didn’t reach her.

Was she flustered because she had hit Hint?

That was only the process. Not the result.

I knocked out the president’s opponent, yeo…!

Hina Lionhart.

True to her personality of living and dying by battle, she valued fair duels more than anyone. Someone interfering in a sacred duel was utterly unforgivable. It was the thing Hina Lionhart hated most.

Cold sweat ran down Suzu’s cheek. She didn’t care if the boy died, but the mere imagination of the president hating her felt like it would tear her heart apart.

Ha. Suzu. Was it you? The one who knocked out my opponent.

It wasn’t like that, President! It was just an accident…!

Enough, Suzu. I’m disappointed. Don’t appear before me for a while.

The cold sweat now poured like a waterfall, enough to soak Suzu’s collar. No. She couldn’t let it end like this.

In order to prevent the confirmed future of ruin, Suzu first yanked Hint out of the wall where he was embedded.

“F-first, let’s go to my research lab…!”

Suzu dragged Hint into her research lab.