Peil's Warning
A grand spell had transformed the entire area into a barrier. Beyond the wall lay a lush forest, incongruously dense with leaves so thick that every ray of light filtering through was a vivid emerald.
'A forest inside a cave...'
Of course, this environment was merely Peil mimicking the Fairy Forest stage from the 6th-rank Gate [Guarding the World Tree] by channeling mana through the crystal cave's ley lines.
Thud. Thud.
The reason was simple.
'The World Tree's fruit.'
A single sapling planted at the forest's center.
No other plants grew around the tree, which was even shorter than Zien.
'Incredible.'
Zien gazed at the fruit on the sapling.
The red fruit, ripened over a hundred years by absorbing the cave's mana, was a spirit medicine surpassing even elixirs. Eating it would surely elevate Zien's mana to 3rd-rank levels.
That was a realm surpassing even top-ranking cadets—a height unreachable even in dreams for a cripple plagued by residual mana. Above all, the greatest benefit was that it could even awaken one's magic tool.
'In my case, it's more like reclaiming it, so awakening is a distant concept.'
Zien's hand, reaching for the fruit, paused. His eyes were fixed on the inscription carved into the tree.
[Advice for Juniors (Must Watch!) — Peil]
'Right. That guy... he left something like this.'
Zien placed his hand on the tree instead of the fruit.
He then infused a bit of mana.
Shiiik—
A mana message.
An outdated mana technique rarely used nowadays due to technological advances.
The letters glowed, forming a hologram.
The figure was a blue-haired young man from his past life—a comrade.
"Evan! You really not doing it? Should I go solo? Oh, you've already used it? Ahem! Uh, this is kinda embarrassing..."
It was Peil Elquenes.
"Peil."
He knew it was just a recording, but Zien called out his comrade's name unconsciously.
"Hey. I'm Peil Elquenes, a genius aiming for 7th-rank Saber in my twenties."
Peil winked playfully at Zien.
"The guy next to me is a genius on my level, but as you can see, he's shy. Man, a hundred years... what an insanely long time."
The World Tree seed took a hundred years to ripen into fruit. Peil's face showed his awe at that weight.
"How's the world a hundred years from now?"
Peil asked with a smile.
"Peaceful."
Zien answered calmly.
Of course, he had plenty he wanted to say.
Not grand tales, but trivial things—like how many items fit in the mage tower's latest pocket space, or what posterity called Peil. But Zien held back, postponing the stories.
"Anyway, this fruit's a proper 6th-rank Gate reward, so chew it thoroughly. It's a gift for my junior."
Peil continued, then eyed Zien suspiciously.
"I prepared a gift for once, so your lot didn't go extinct, right?"
Peil's signature playful joke.
But soon, seriousness crept into his blue eyes. He made his first plea to the junior who would view this message someday.
"Don't get greedy—safety first. Above all, protect your comrades and ladies with your life. And finally..."
Peil grinned at Zien.
"Take good care of the future."
The mana dispersed, and the hologram faded. Zien reached out again.
Pluck.
As he picked the fruit, the barrier lost its purpose and dissolved.
Whoosh.
The entrance wall blocking their path vanished, and the lush forest reverted to the cave's original form.
Zien leaned against the withered tree and closed his eyes. The barren scene was hidden behind his eyelids, replaced by a nostalgic one.
"Leave it to me."
An emergency meeting convened only when disciplinary issues arose.
This year alone, it had happened three times. Among the dozen or so professors summoned by the fuming Selphis were Romina and Karsen.
"Celia!"
Selphis was far more agitated than usual.
Pacing restlessly, he slammed down a newspaper.
"A school not even twenty years old with no history whatsoever!"
The other professors sweated profusely at Selphis's frenzied state, and Romina finally understood why he was nicknamed the "Raging Bull."
"I-it's just one student, sir. It doesn't mean much—"
"Doesn't mean much? It's a blatant ploy, plain as day!"
Selphis scowled.
His usually jovial, uncle-like face now resembled a demon's. Romina, facing it head-on, gulped audibly.
"There's only one way now!"
Selphis glared fiercely.
His rage stemmed from the articles flooding the news since yesterday.
Arcana, with over a century of history, and Celia, a newcomer yet producer of exceptional Sabers, had always been rivals. Especially after Selphis—on bad terms with Celia's principal—became principal, the rivalry intensified.
"We beat Celia!"
Selphis's words were hyperbolic, but the professors agreed.
With an event boasting 10% expected viewership, a Celia student had declared war on an Arcana one. The fate of the perennial rivals hung on this pre-event showdown.
"If we..."
Selphis breathed heavily, raggedly.
The rest was predictable. Riding high on ratings, reporters would churn out sensational headlines like [Arcana's Defeat!] or [Celia Academy Claims Supremacy!]
"If... just if... we lose the event."
Selphis's eyes turned icy.
Imagining the blow to their external image—and hating Celia more than anyone—this event felt like an 8th-rank Gate catastrophe to him.
"Arcana will be branded losers. Losers defeated by Celia..."
'Damn!'
'We're doomed.'
'We have to win!'
The professors screamed silently in their minds.
Dealing with Selphis in this mood was worse than resigning. But if they crushed Celia?
"Yes! We win! Right, Karsen?"
Romina, fists clenched, looked to Karsen.
"Use formal speech in official settings."
Karsen prodded Romina's forehead with his index finger.
The acting professor, who had been watching quietly, glanced around cautiously before speaking up.
"But Celia's participant has quite the reputation..."
Lucia Elquenes.
Despite being a mere first-year, she bore three titles: Celia's genius, emperor, hero's successor.
"...Ahem!"
Selphis cleared his throat.
The four Sabers who sealed the 8th-rank Gate [Demon King's Demoniac Castle] had been honored as heroes by the government. Two hailed from the Elquenes family. Lucia was a genius revered in that lineage as a revival of their ancestors.
"...Hold on. So, Professor Jerome, you're saying our Zien loses?"
Selphis scowled deeply, and the acting professor averted his eyes.
"No! On second thought, looking at recent grades, he could definitely..."
The acting professor's words were a lie.
The one seriously pondering was Karsen.
'No matter how strong Zien's gotten, his opponent is Lucia. A genius with hero's blood.'
With a prestigious house like Elquenes, who knew what elixirs and early training investments they'd made?
'Swordsmanship might give an edge.'
Lucia's weapon was a sword.
Karsen always prided himself that no student could beat Zien in swordsmanship.
'But her magic tool...'
Lucia's magic tool wasn't a sword.
The tool that earned her the title emperor was...
"It's complicated. With 99 participants forming teams of three, calculating win rates is meaningless."
Romina nodded at Karsen's words.
"True. After all, it's an event modeled after a game."
Selphis bit his lip, then shouted "Exactly!"
"Right! That low-rank student—Crimson? How about pulling him now and swapping in a One-Number? That'd boost our power!"
Karsen was skeptical of Selphis's idea.
"If it's Chris..."
Like Selphis, Karsen didn't rate Chris highly. He was incomparable to Isabel or Zien and lagged behind other top-100 students, in Karsen's view.
'Would Zien want to swap members?'
Karsen figured Zien would refuse.
But the acting professor enthusiastically agreed with Selphis.
"Exactly! In this do-or-die situation where we need every 1% win rate boost, sending out a low-ranker makes no sense."
Satisfied, Selphis stroked his mustache.
"Heh heh, even I think so! As principal, I'll generously award SP Points, so let's slot a One-Number in for Crimson. If there's a professor who can talk to our Zien nicely..."
Five seconds of silence.
The professors eyed each other, dodging the hot potato.
No one stepped up, so Selphis clicked his tongue.
"Fine! I'll do it. I'll handle it!"
An awkward staff room.
Zien and Selphis sat across a table, facing each other.
"Replace Chris. That's what you're saying?"
Zien's response was surprisingly straightforward.
Selphis, unlike before, nodded with a kindly face.
"Het het! We see eye to eye!"
Selphis's evaluation of Zien kept hitting new highs.
Mage tower incident. Battle Survival recruitment. Bluma's endorsement. Even his grades—everything about Zien charmed Selphis.
'Easier to convince than I thought?'
Selphis stroked his mustache and opened the newspaper.
"Right, right. Wouldn't it be best to field the strongest team possible?"
From TV to internet streams, unimaginable numbers would watch the Battle Survival event across all media. Citizens, prospective students picking academies, guild and government reps among them.
'If we lose to Celia in such a tournament...'
Selphis broke into a cold sweat at the mere thought.
"Celia's fielding their top—Lucia—plus all One-Numbers. So, Chris at 90-something is..."
Chris was weak? Zien almost laughed.
If Isabel was a genius of talent, Chris was a genius of effort. He devoted two-thirds of his day to training.
'He's not talentless either.'
His cheat-like magic tool Eye.
Chris was the perfect wildcard for Battle Survival. But Zien didn't bother explaining in detail to Selphis. Actions over words. This was a golden opportunity.
"I can see why you'd think that. Chris is only ranked 97th, after all."
"Het het! Knew you'd get it. Got a One-Number in mind for the team?"
Selphis asked with a pleased smile.
"How about giving Chris a chance first?"
Selphis rummaged through his memories.
The day Zien awakened to his past life. When Selphis tried expelling him, he gave Zien a chance. Not the fondest memory, but Selphis romanticized it in his head.
'Heh heh, that's right.'
Selphis looked at Zien more leniently.
"What kind of chance? Name it."
"A duel would be good. If Chris loses, we'll drop him from the party."
"Opponent and rules?"
"Both using magic tools, against a martial artist type around 40th rank. That should be fair."
"Het het! That student's magic tool isn't combat-oriented, though?"
"That handicap's fine."
At a glance, the "magic tools allowed" rule seemed hugely disadvantageous to Chris.
The gap between combat and support magic tools was stark in battle. A Saber like Zien with a sword magic tool versus one like Aria with a pen—the winner was predetermined. But Zien had no doubt in Chris's victory.
"Sounds like you're confident."
Selphis chuckled heartily.
'No student wielding a combat magic tool loses a duel to a 90-something ranker. Time to pick from the One-Number list.'
As the talk wrapped up, Selphis stood.
"So, who's the opponent?"
Zien smiled faintly at Selphis's back.
"Who do you think?"
There stood Chris. Thanks to the presence-concealing artifact Wind Sprite, Selphis hadn't noticed him.
"C'mon~ You knew. Picking 40th rank was for him, right?"
The guy who'd relentlessly bullied Chris, even bringing his gang.
"Daven. Daven Storm."
The debut test of strength had turned into a revenge match.