Chapter 37
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Mana Hole Opening Conditions Have Been Met
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When Alice turned around to look at Tail, her expression was flushed with excitement.
Seeing her reddened cheeks and quickened breath, Tail could guess what had happened.
'Ah. So the spirit granted her request after all.'
At the same time, a warm breeze rustled around him.
It was a clear wind that lifted his spirits.
Seeing it, Alice hesitated before speaking.
"…Ren likes you."
"So the spirit's name is Ren."
"Yes. It's a wind spirit."
Her face was filled with pride and a strange sense of elation.
'Just as expected—a wind spirit.'
Tail felt relieved.
In the original story, she had asked the wind spirit first and succeeded, so he'd based his plan on that.
'Good thing nothing's changed.'
With that thought, Tail opened his mouth toward Alice.
"Then, Alice, you remember our deal?"
"Yes. If I succeed in borrowing the spirit's power, I use the spirit's power once."
She tilted her head.
"But can you really land an attack on the instructor with just one use of the spirit's power?"
"Of course."
Tail curled the corner of his mouth into a smirk.
"If things go according to my plan."
Tail slowly began explaining his plan.
The instructor who had become the 'attack target' for the entrance exam, Titina, was in an extremely good mood right now.
She strolled through the forest with her presence fully revealed.
Titina grinned.
Of course, patrolling the forest as the only instructor allowed to enter during today's entrance exam was nice enough.
But beyond that, being an instructor had reignited her interest after so long.
"Hum hum~ Hmmm~ Hum hum hum hum~"
She hummed a short tune.
By the way.
'I wonder if that kid's doing well.'
She really wanted to see him after he enrolled.
His name was Tail, right?
His eyes were different from the others.
Not particularly kind, not particularly cruel.
But there was definitely a faint flame burning in those eyes.
A fire that seemed like it would never go out, yet could blaze up and engulf everything if given the chance.
Unlike his youthful appearance, she had lived long enough and seen enough people to recognize it.
Guys with eyes like that did things properly when they committed.
If you just gave them the fuel to grow that flame, it would burn brighter and larger than anyone's.
'Maybe later, if I get the chance, I could teach him properly?'
Teaching a kid like that would be satisfying.
It was about time she took on a disciple anyway.
'Ah, but is no one really coming?'
Any normal person wouldn't come, but her body was itching, and she hoped at least one team would charge in.
"Kids these days have no spirit. No spirit at all."
She pouted as she spoke.
That was when it happened.
"Oh?"
Vitality lit up her expression.
She sensed presences nearby.
"Looks like one, two, three… hmm…"
She cutely tilted her head.
"Five of them?"
A thick smile spread across Titina's lips as she felt the killing intent growing stronger bit by bit.
"That's right. That's how it should be."
How could not even one team come charging at her?
Her eyes gleamed as she stretched her body.
In her hand was a hefty wooden sword.
"Come on, little ones."
At that moment.
Papapapapak!
Dozens of arrows flew in from the air.
"Oh."
Interest flickered in Titina's eyes.
"Such small-fry tricks!"
She swung her sword once.
Whoosh!
A powerful gust erupted from the blade, sending all the arrows scattering elsewhere.
"Heh. Surely this isn't the end?"
Titina's pink eyes flashed.
'As expected.'
Watching Titina deflect all the arrows with a single swing, Tail swallowed dryly.
It was a force so strong it made his entire body tingle.
'Their arrow skills are nowhere near enough to faze her.'
However. We have 'that plan.'
He had to do his part perfectly.
Tail urgently signaled Ray beside him.
At this rate, they'd run out of arrows and be done.
Catching Tail's glance, Ray nodded and immediately cast the buff.
It was the 'Body Strengthening' buff.
'We can't last long against Instructor Titina anyway.'
At most five minutes.
They had to end it within five minutes.
As Ray muttered, power surged through his body.
The body strengthening buff had taken effect.
And at the same time.
"Urk."
Tail nearly collapsed.
It felt like his body was being torn to shreds.
His muscles seemed to stretch and swell one by one.
'I have to adapt.'
Tail gritted his teeth and slowly stood.
He clenched his jaw against the sensation of his body shattering to pieces.
His whole body screamed, but ironically, he felt faster than ever.
'Whew. Here goes.'
Tail shot out of the forest toward Titina at full speed.
The distance closed in an instant.
Suddenly accelerating sensations made his stomach churn, unaccustomed as he was.
But he suppressed it all.
'Just once.'
Just one scratch would do.
With that thought, he swung his wooden sword fiercely.
The corner of Titina's mouth twitched up.
Arrows flew from behind her, and Tail swung from the front.
Yet Titina calmly swung her wooden sword.
Whoosh!
Her wooden sword pushed Tail's aside and sliced through all the arrows.
Pushed back, Tail stomped the ground and launched forward again.
Shuuuuk!
A speed too fast for the eyes to follow.
"Oh."
Watching Tail, now incredibly faster and stronger than before, Titina's eyes sparkled.
Boom!
Titina blocked Tail's sword with her bare hand.
Her eyes widened at the completely different power from yesterday.
"Looks like you got a body strengthening buff."
She instantly recognized it and blinked.
"About four minutes left…? Think you can do it?"
Tail forced his lips into a smile at her slightly taunting provocation.
"We'll…"
He gripped his sword tightly again.
"…find out in four minutes."
Tail leaped back, then charged forward once more.
"Hah. Hah."
Tail gasped for breath.
The pain in his body was worsening by the second.
It felt like his whole body had become a rag.
But.
'I can't collapse here.'
Tail bit his lip.
'About one minute left.'
This was do or die.
Tail readjusted his grip on the wooden sword.
'Right now, Instructor Titina thinks this is all just play.'
Fun and easy.
'That's why she won't suspect we're holding back our real power.'
Our trump card: the spirit.
'So I need to create an opening.'
Just one opening.
Tail gripped his sword in one hand and dashed forward at tremendous speed.
Titina showed strong interest as Tail charged.
His condition definitely didn't look normal.
However.
The flames flickering in his eyes burned even stronger than before.
"Yes. That unyielding spirit—I really like it."
She gripped her wooden sword tightly.
And upward-blocked Tail's descending strike.
Thwack!
Whiiish!
Tail's sword sliced through empty air and stabbed into the ground.
Without stopping, Tail pulled a wooden dagger from his bosom and hurled it at Titina.
But Titina casually turned her head to dodge.
Then her hand reached for the strap on Tail's wrist.
"Checkmate."
The team would fail, but whatever. She could add Tail to the enrollment list with her authority.
As she grabbed the strap on his wrist with that thought—
A smirk spread across Tail's face.
'He's… smiling?'
At the same time, an ominous energy surged from behind.
She quickly pulled back.
And at that instant.
Slash.
A dagger flying through the air sliced Titina's cloak.
Having done its job, the dagger clattered to the ground.
"Huh?"
Titina's eyes widened in surprise.
It was the same dagger Tail had thrown earlier.
That's right.
Tail hadn't thrown the dagger to hit Titina.
When Tail threw the dagger, the hidden Alice used the wind spirit's power to redirect it for a surprise attack from an unexpected angle.
'That's the power of the wind spirit Alice requested.'
Sensing faint spirit energy from the dagger, Titina burst into laughter.
"To think you'd hide the power of a wind spirit."
She looked extremely excited.
Saving something like this and using it at the perfect moment.
It was truly fascinating.
But regardless.
"Haa. Haa."
After five minutes, Tail's body was a wreck.
'Ugh, feels like I'm gonna die.'
It felt like his body was being shredded to bits.
He could barely twitch a finger.
'Screw it. I'll sleep first.'
As his vision blurred and collapsed, something suddenly appeared before his eyes.
Ding!
[You have shown indomitable will]
[You have shown unyielding reason]
[You have shown precise judgment]
At the same time, another window appeared.
[Mana Hole opening conditions have been met]
'…What?'
But before he could do anything, his eyelids slowly closed.
Blackout.