Chapter 435
Chapter Title: Supersense
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“Just a little more!”
Ar yelled from the edge of the cliff.
*Thump—!*
Barely getting a hand on the edge, Ar grunted as she hauled herself up.
Her aura was sealed, and her body was weighed down immensely.
That's why she had to squeeze out every last bit of strength to climb the towering cliff.
“Hah— Hah—”
Having reached the top, Ar collapsed onto her back, gasping for breath as she stared at the sky.
“Good work.”
Ar turned her head at the voice coming from her side.
Leo was sitting on a boulder, watching her.
“You cleared it faster than I thought.”
“Hehe. Don't underestimate me, Black Rab— Ugh?”
Ar clamped a hand over her mouth, a wave of nausea washing over her from the extreme exertion.
Watching Ar narrowly avoid a disaster, Leo said,
“It looks like Lunia and Driana just cleared it, too.”
“Hmph, so that means I'm first, right?”
Ar said smugly.
“Well, you were on your own. Lunia and Driana were working as a team.”
“What?!”
A competitive fire lit up in Ar's eyes at Leo's words.
Ar's goal was to follow in the Brave Hero's footsteps and become a great hero herself.
In that sense, Lunia and Driana were rivals with the same goal.
Of course, the paths they followed and their ultimate destinations were different.
But she felt a strong sense of rivalry toward Lunia and Driana, who wanted to become the successors to Luna and Dweno, Ar-on's companions.
Just as Ar shot to her feet to look down the cliff,
*Thump—!*
Two pairs of hands gripped the edge of the cliff at the same time.
Celia and Duran climbed up, growling at each other.
Eiran followed right behind them.
All three of them were panting heavily.
“Good work, everyone.”
As Leo said this with a smile, Duran scoffed and stood up, steadying his trembling legs.
“You're pretty cheerful for someone who was just waiting up here.”
*They're the very embodiment of competitiveness and grit.*
Leo looked up at the intense sun and said,
“What do you want to do? The instructors are waiting for us. Should we rest first?”
“Then let's rest for a bit—!”
Just as Eiran was about to reply with a bright smile,
“Why even ask? We have to go right now!”
Ar huffed, crossing her arms.
Celia also got to her feet, brushing back her sweat-soaked hair.
“Let's go, Leo.”
“What's there to ask, Leo Flove?”
Duran also looked as if there was no reason to wait.
Eiran's ears drooped at her teammates' reactions.
“We're leaving now.”
Nodding at her words, Leo pulled a magic scroll from his coat and tore it.
A warp portal materialized.
Leo stepped inside first, and the others followed.
“Ah! It's Leo!”
On the other side of the portal, Chelsea, who had arrived earlier, was waving with a bright expression.
Chen Xia, her hands tucked into the wide sleeves of her traditional Eastern continent attire, also spotted Leo and greeted him warmly.
But when they saw the two people following him, their reactions were completely different.
Chelsea stuck her tongue out at Celia and Duran, while Chen Xia couldn't hide her happy smile.
Soon after, Ar and Eiran arrived as well.
Chelsea spotted Eiran and immediately stuck to her side, chattering away happily.
Ar crossed her arms.
“From our school, there's Dion and the idiot tiger. From Seirun, there's Eiran. From Lumerne, there's Celia Jerdinger, Duran Moira, Chen Xia, Chelsea Llewellyn, and the Black Rabbit.”
After checking the headcount, Ar tilted her head.
“So, who's the next instructor?”
“Hmph. I'd wager it's Instructor Jamua from Lumerne.”
The tiger beastman, Bormann, said confidently.
“That disciplined physique! He was a man among men!”
“Didn't you say you hated human bodies because they look weak?”
“Seeing Li Jamua changed my mind! There is definitely something to learn from him! Isn't that right, students of Lumerne?”
“Senior Jamua... I wouldn't be too happy if he were the instructor.”
“I don't like it. He'd probably just make us do a ton of physical training. We just finished climbing a cliff.”
Chen Xia and Celia shook their heads.
“It doesn't matter who it is.”
Duran scoffed, his arms crossed.
“Seriously, why am I even here with all these knight-track students?”
Chelsea grumbled slightly.
Chelsea was the only pure mage.
Just then.
*Rustle—*
The sound of footsteps on grass was heard.
In that instant, Ar's ears twitched, and she sniffed the air.
“This sound of footsteps! This scent!”
Ar's eyes sparkled.
“It has to be him! Ar—!”
“You mean Sir Akan, the one you admire so much?”
Eiran quickly corrected her.
“Sir Akan!”
Ar charged frantically into the bushes.
“Gyaaaaaaah?!”
A moment later, a terrified scream echoed out.
Clinging to Ar-on's leg, Ar was panting heavily with a crazed look in her eyes.
“Hah! Hah! I respect you! Hah! You're so cool!”
“G-Get away from meeeee!”
Ar-on was horrified by the sight of the unhinged Ar.
The students who came running at the scream were dumbfounded by the scene.
Leo grabbed Ar's tail to pull her off.
But Ar only tightened her grip on Ar-on's leg with her arms and legs.
“W-What should we do?”
Eiran, who was also trying to pull Ar off, asked with a flustered expression. Leo sighed.
“Subdue her.”
“S-Subdue her? H-How? If I use too much force, she'll get hurt...!”
“Do it cleanly, without hurting her.”
“Cleanly, without hurting her?”
After a moment of thought, Eiran grabbed Ar's head and chin with both hands.
*Crack—!*
“Keuk?”
And then she twisted.
Her neck snapped to the side, Ar foamed at the mouth and passed out.
Leo handed her tail to Dion, who dragged the limp Ar aside.
Chelsea, peeking out from behind Leo, said to the bewildered-looking Eiran,
“Eiran, you're scary.”
“That was pretty brutal.”
“Hmph. She may have an innocent face, but she's Seirun's number two, after all. She shows no mercy.”
Duran's lips curled into a smirk.
“N-No, I just... I did what I saw in a novel...”
“Wow! That was amazing. Have you learned assassination techniques or something?”
Chen Xia even clapped her hands in admiration.
“I-I've never learned anything that scary!”
While Eiran protested with a tearful face at the Lumerne students who were deliberately teasing her,
Leo helped Ar-on up and approached the students.
Ar also regained consciousness.
She flinched and trembled at the sight of Ar-on but managed to restrain her urge to pounce on him.
As the instructor stood before them, the students' expressions grew tense.
Just a moment ago.
He may have looked a bit pathetic, but the instructor before them was the one the Dragon Lord himself had specially invited.
*Akan? I've never heard that name before.*
*Why did Ar do something so weird?*
*He doesn't seem very charismatic.*
*Why has Sir Ar-on revealed himself in this era? Could it be a miracle, like with Lady Luna and Sir Seirun...?*
*Sir Ar-on! Sir Ar-on! Sir Ar-on! Sir Ar-on!*
As they each watched Ar-on with curious eyes,
The nervous-looking Akan cleared his throat.
“Ahem. It's nice to meet you. My name is Akan. I'll be your instructor for a short while.”
“Instructor Akan.”
Bormann raised his hand.
Ar-on tensed up slightly as the tiger beastman, who was bigger and more imposing than him, called out.
“Yes?”
“Are you a graduate of Azonia Academy?”
“No.”
Ar-on shook his head, and Bormann nodded.
*Did Lord Azonia ever imagine a day would come when someone would ask Sir Ar-on if he was a graduate of the academy?*
Ar thought of the great warrior Azonia, the founder of her school and hailed as the Brave Hero's successor, and couldn't help but let out a dry laugh.
Next, Chelsea raised her hand.
Ar-on felt a little relieved when Chelsea, the smallest and youngest of the students, raised her hand.
“Yes.”
“Instructor, I'm a pure mage. Why am I here with students who use aura?”
“You're a mage, but I heard you're a close-combat type who fights on the front lines.”
“Yes.”
“I heard a lot about you from Leo. He said you're very agile?”
“Hehehe.”
Chelsea scratched the back of her head, a pleased smile on her face.
“The ability I'm about to teach you will definitely be helpful for you, too.”
“Even though it's an aura skill?”
“It is, but it can also be adapted for mana.”
Ar-on had observed the breathing techniques used by later generations and modified Supersense so that it could be used with mana, not just aura.
*Of course, it's not on the same level as the Supersense Ar-on himself uses.*
Just by stepping into the realm beyond extremely honed senses, the entire dynamic of a battle changes.
*That talent of his is truly innate.*
The development of aura studies had led to countless new applications that didn't exist during the Age of Calamity.
The Brave Hero's Breath was the culmination of that aura science and Ar-on's breathing techniques.
Even for Leo, it was impossible to instantly comprehend a technique, even if it was derived from his own.
But Ar-on had not only instantly understood the concepts of modern aura studies, he had also applied them to his own technique, Supersense, creating yet another new skill.
“And what is this technique?”
Bormann asked with interest.
“It's a technique called Supersense.”
“Supersense?”
Everyone looked puzzled at Ar-on's words.
“It's a skill that sharpens your senses beyond their absolute limits.”
“How is that any different from just using aura to heighten your senses?”
The students looked confused.
The concept of pushing one's senses to their limits already existed.
It was a basic skill everyone learned from the moment they started training with aura.
Ar-on tilted his head at their reaction.
“Hmm, well, it's about sharpening them even more than that. It's hard to explain with words. Hmm... okay. This should work.”
Ar-on looked at Leo.
“Leo. Can you use magic to block my sight, smell, and hearing?”
Leo nodded at his words.
While everyone looked on, confused by the sudden development,
Leo used magic to block all of Ar-on's combat-related senses except for touch.
In that state, Ar-on walked to the center of the clearing and said,
“All of you, try attacking me at once.”
“What?”
At his words, everyone except the three who knew Ar-on's true identity looked bewildered.
No matter how skilled a knight or warrior was, being attacked with their senses blocked like that was dangerous.
“Don't worry, just attack.”
At Ar-on's words, Bormann spoke up.
“In that case, I won't hold back.”
“I said, try attacking.”
“Ah, right, you can't hear.”
Bormann scratched his head, then lowered his stance.
*Fwoosh—!*
And without hesitation, he charged at Ar-on.
*Whoosh—!*
“...!”
Ar-on lightly leaped aside, dodging Bormann's attack.
“Hmm. Then how about this?”
Bormann began to throw a rapid flurry of punches.
Ar-on evaded every single one of Bormann's fists.
*Whuum—!*
With a fierce gust of wind, Bormann swung his arm.
*Tap—!*
Ar-on landed lightly on top of it.
Just then, Dion joined in.
*Whoosh—!*
Dion's sharp kick grazed past Ar-on by a hair's breadth.
*Grab—!*
“Kuh?”
Ar-on grabbed the tip of Dion's foot and pulled.
*Thud—!*
Losing his balance, Dion collapsed.
Ar-on smiled as he looked toward the other students.
“Are you just going to stand there?”
“Is he really someone with his sight, hearing, and smell blocked?”
Chelsea said, looking slightly horrified.
Just then, Ar, who had been standing still, crouched down.
*Boom—!*
And like a cannonball, she shot toward Ar-on at incredible speed.
*Fwhoosh—!*
*Smack—!*
*CRACK—! RUMBLE—!*
Ar's kick was stopped by Ar-on's palm.
The ground around Ar-on cracked.
But the ground where Ar-on stood remained firm.
Ar's eyes shone.
*As expected of Sir Ar-on!*
He completely dissipated the impact.
Ar-on grabbed Ar's ankle and tossed her upwards.
Eiran also drew her sword and unhesitatingly sent a sharp sword strike at Ar-on.
“Chelsea, attack.”
At Celia's words, Chelsea also used magic to close the distance to Ar-on.
With his senses blocked, he effortlessly defended against the attacks of the hero candidates.
*It's not just that his sight, smell, and sound are gone. The man's movements themselves are giving me goosebumps!*
Celia's eyes widened as she observed Ar-on's movements.
Every single movement was enough to give her chills.
He achieved maximum effect with minimum movement.
The path that anyone who walks the way of the warrior must pursue.
In her entire life, the only person whose skill had given Celia such goosebumps was her cousin, Leo.
*This man... is even greater than Leo!*
He was different from Leo.
If Leo felt like an unknowable depth,
then the instructor named Akan before her felt like an unknowable height.
As Celia barely managed to calm her shocked heart,
*Fwoosh—!*
Ar-on caught Celia's sword between his index and middle fingers and deflected it.
*Thump—!*
“Hah! Hah!”
“This guy! He's a total monster!”
Chelsea screamed, gasping for breath.
Ar, Eiran, Celia, Duran, Chen Xia, Dion, Bormann, and Chelsea.
Even with all eight of them attacking together, he hadn't moved a single step.
Despite them using aura and magic, Ar-on predicted and blocked or deflected every attack.
“How is it possible for him to read our movements even with his senses blocked?”
“Is this what Supersense is?”
Just as Dion and Bormann were catching their breath,
*Step— Step—*
“This is a bit tricky.”
Ar-on muttered, scratching his cheek.
“You can't do things by halves, can you?”
At Ar-on's words, Leo smiled and whispered,
“I'm just curious to see how close the current me has gotten to you.”
*Shing—!*
Leo drew his sword.
“Let's begin.”