Senior-Junior Exchange Match (7)

With that, it's one point for me, senior.

Even though he had put on that bold front, Hint was drenched in cold sweat. The stage was completely covered in ice, and snow was even falling from the sky, yet none of it could cool the sweat pouring from him.

'Is this the kind of speed she has...!'

Hint glanced down at the empty bottle that had just slipped from his pocket and was now rolling across the floor. It was an epic-grade item—Fenrir's Breath.

In the game, it was a one-time consumable you could only receive if Fenrir acknowledged you. It possessed destructive power on par with or exceeding the advanced magic spell Blizzard. Considering that advanced magic was typically only taught to third-years except in special cases, even the president should have taken significant damage from a direct hit—

“Haha, hahaha! You really caught me off guard!”

—Or so he thought. A cloud of dust exploded from where Hina had swung her sword, and she leaped back onto the stage, completely unscathed. Not a single sign of damage. The countless ice shards clinging to the flat of her massive greatsword showed that she had reflexively twisted her blade mid-attack to block the spell.

Well, to be honest, he had expected as much. Still, seeing it in person was shocking. Hint grimaced as he watched her stride across the completely frozen floor without the slightest difficulty. He had hoped freezing the ground with Fenrir's Breath would at least hinder her mobility, but it seemed far less effective than anticipated.

“Alright, time for round two!”

Whatever had her so excited, Hina grinned ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as she took her stance. Her shoulders rose slightly. The tip of her greatsword aimed precisely at her opponent’s heart as she transformed her entire body into a living bow and launched herself forward—an advanced greatsword technique.

It made sense. The higher the class, the more techniques became second nature to the body. He recognized quite a few familiar moves. If he wanted to, he could probably Parry it, but it was still too early. He felt a little sorry for Hina, who had clearly accepted this bet-match because she wanted to see his Parry, but he couldn’t afford to give up an arm starting from the second round.

His choice against the thrust that closed in at terrifying speed was—

“Ugh?!”

—to do absolutely nothing.

Even though he hadn’t moved at all, the senior’s attack never reached him. Before the sword could even touch his body, Hina was blasted backward by a shockwave. He felt one of the talismans hidden in his chest crumble to dust.

It was one of the two hidden pieces he had commissioned from the Iron Sword Mercenary King, Elde, in exchange for information about his father’s enemy.

It looked like a high-performance hidden piece that could nullify any attack once while equipped, but because it reacted to literally any attack, it would break even from the slightest graze. That was why most people didn’t bother carrying it. Even if you tried to save it for a boss fight, you’d have to reach the boss without taking a single hit, and anyone capable of that was probably a veteran who didn’t need the item in the first place.

However, in a situation with no other interference—where the spar was essentially a boss fight from the very first moment—the story changed. In fact, it was considered an essential item in Reply to the Strongest.

The president, once again sent flying, now looked genuinely irritated.

“I heard rumors you’ve been running around the academy lately. So this is what you’ve ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been preparing?”

“When facing the academy’s guardian, this much preparation is only natural.”

It wasn’t an exaggeration. Hina Lionhart’s current strength was such that, excluding the especially powerful Four Fiends among the academy’s guardians, she could fight on equal footing with most of them. She wasn’t called the academy’s guardian for nothing, and it wasn’t a coincidence that the number of demon invasions had dropped drastically in the nearly two years since she rose to prominence as a first-year.

Apparently satisfied with the answer, Hina grinned and raised her sword.

“You’ll need at least eight more of those prepared.”

A domineering aura that could steal the breath from anyone’s lungs surged violently from her body. An overwhelming pressure bore down on Hint. And within that crushing pressure, he smiled.

“Don’t worry. I’ve prepared over a hundred.”

The remaining eight rounds continued in the same pattern.

Hina attacked. Hint responded using one of his mysterious methods. Excluding the Breath and talisman he had already used, he had three more tricks left.

“What the hell was that movement, you brat?”

“Hehe. That was just my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠afterimage, senior.”

“Hah, you cocky little—!”

The second hidden piece he had received from the Iron Sword Mercenary King, Elde.

It had an effect similar to a talisman that could dodge an opponent’s attack once. If it had been the real Blessing of Evasion, it would have been an epic-grade blessing that improved all evasion actions, but since this was a one-time consumable, it vanished immediately.

Seven rounds remaining. Two methods left.

“What?! Wait! This defensive magic… its precision…! Shion!!!!”

“Kuaaaack! You’re dead after this is over!”

The defensive magic Hint had asked Vice President Shion for before the match began shattered, blocking two of Hina’s strikes at once.

Five rounds remaining. One method left.

“Hah. Ice that can block my sword? Now this is a surprise.”

“I have good friends, that’s all.”

The hidden effect of the Blessing of the Ice Wolf, Story of Ice and Snow, had deflected Hina’s blade. When the field was classified as ‘ice,’ it could block one fatal blow. As expected of a legendary blessing, it even came with the excellent effect of stopping a ‘critical strike.’

Four rounds remaining.

From this point on, there was no longer any way to stop the academy’s strongest without taking any damage. Hint reached into his pocket and pulled out a potion. The one Suzu had completed just the day before. The potion shimmered with a brilliant rainbow hue, clearly announcing that it belonged to the realm of epic items.

He recalled the warning Suzu had given him when she handed it over.

‘It’s an incredible painkiller. Its effectiveness far surpasses anything on the market, but there’s one thing you absolutely must remember.’

It was an elixir the original protagonist could only create after reaching third year by specializing in herbalism and alchemy.

The game had a system called ‘injury.’ During battle, there was a chance to suffer fractures, sprains, blindness, and countless other ailments, all of which caused a sharp drop in stats. The Elixir of Swift Battle, as its name suggested, erased the demerits caused by those injuries. Of course, if you had a fracture, you still couldn’t use that limb, but it prevented the stat drop that normally accompanied such conditions. It was an essential late-game potion.

But naturally, it had its drawbacks.

‘No matter how much the pain is suppressed, your body will honestly accumulate damage. Once the pain exceeds its limit, your brain will forcibly shut down… in other words, you’ll faint. And since you won’t feel pain, you’ll be able to move freely. Excessive damage could leave you with permanent disabilities.’

‘Hehe. Thank you for your concern.’

‘Concern?! Who would worry about a blackmailer like you! I’m simply fulfilling my duty as a scholar and alchemist! Now go show everyone what this potion can do and beat the president to a pulp!’

In the end, it only ignored injuries. If your HP reached zero, it was still game over. And if you forgot about the overwhelming pain-nullifying effect and pushed your body too far, you really could end up with permanent disabilities.

It was terrifying. To say otherwise would be a lie.

But defeating Hina Lionhart here was the fastest way to return Stelle to S-class and steer the original story back on track.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, senior.”

Having steeled his resolve, Hint downed the potion in one gulp.

“Now then… come at me.”

The Audetium, which had been shaking as if it might collapse from the heat and cheers at the beginning, had grown considerably quieter now that five rounds had passed. It was only natural. What the audience had wanted was a fair, honorable duel between an unknown F-class freshman and the student council president.

Of course, neither of the parties involved had ever called it a duel—it had only ever been a bet-match to them—but the rumor that had spread across the academy as a “duel” could no longer be stopped.

Whether the F-class boy showed an unexpected side or the president they admired and praised ended the boy in a single strike. No one on stage had promised such a match, yet the students in the stands, who had arbitrarily built up their expectations and fantasies, felt only displeasure at how differently things were unfolding.

The student council president kept drawing her sword and charging, only for the freshman to survive each round using mysterious unidentified items. An endless repetition of that pattern.

Anyone with those kinds of items could probably last five rounds in that position. The students’ gazes toward Hint gradually turned hostile.

“What the hell? All that talk about a duel, and it’s just a product demonstration for his items?”

Once one person voiced their criticism, it spread through the stands in an instant.

“He must be some rich kid with no talent but plenty of money~.”

“Hah, I bet even second place was bought with money.”

Completely baseless insults meant only to tear someone down. Boos erupted from the audience.

Amid the jeering, the student council president moved once again.

The sixth round was even more powerful than before. She wasn’t even using thirty percent of her full strength, yet less than ten percent of the entire student body could follow her movements. In a single step, all the ice on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the floor shattered. As she cut through the scattering shards, Hina’s greatsword roared.

It was no longer one of the standard greatsword techniques she had used until now. This was Hina Lionhart’s own original sword art. The mere act of swinging the greatsword caused the air itself to tremble, releasing a roar that sounded exactly like a lion’s cry.

And for the first time today, Hint swung his arm. A human’s fragile arm met the sword head-on. At the same moment—

—KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!

A high-pitched noise that was hard to believe came from a human arm clashing with a greatsword rang out. A clear sound that blew away both the lion’s roar and the audience’s boos swept across the Audetium. The jeering from moments ago vanished, and silence once again fell over the grand arena.

The one who broke the silence was the student council president’s laughter.

“Hahahaha!! Hahahahahaha!!!! I’ve been waiting for this! This is what I’ve been waiting for!”

She looked genuinely delighted, joyful, happy. As she threw her head back and laughed with her entire body, the Audetium, which had been frozen, began to stir once more. The lower-ranked students couldn’t understand the situation at all, but among the upper ranks, only those with a deep interest in combat realized what had just happened and were left stunned.

“He didn’t just block, deflect, or dodge the president’s strike—he—”

“He parried it?! Wait, was that a Parry? Against the president’s attack?!”

Hot astonishment erupted, completely different from the cold boos earlier. And right now, the boy who had grown the hottest in the entire Audetium grit his teeth and raised his right arm—the one that had just knocked away Hina’s attack.

“Three rounds left, senior.”