A-Class

My body floated weightlessly in a pure white void.

A reward map, huh.

I drifted around through the sky for a bit and opened the Swordsmanship Forum.

Having failed her abduction, the sub-manager was wailing and airing her grievances.

Instead of comfort, the overwhelming consensus was that she had it coming — which suggested her usual reputation was already pretty infamous.

While I was still getting thoroughly dragged in the gallery, a system window blocked my view.

My left hand began to glow.

Ohhh.

The constellation of Sagittarius etched itself across the back of my hand. I didn't actually know what the constellation looked like, but the system said it was Sagittarius, so it had to be right.

Anyway.

Time to learn how to use this ability.

"Hmm."

I was a little suspicious, but I accepted for now. Was she really going to try to kill me the way the sub-manager had?

When I opened my eyes, a vast grassland stretched out before me.

I turned my head and saw a woman approaching with a greatsword in hand. Red ponytail, eyes as blue as the sea. She gave off the vibe of a lively older sister… though there was one rather unusual detail.

She wasn't wearing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a top at all — just bandages wrapped roughly around the important parts. I froze in place from sheer fluster.

Grinning, she walked up and casually threw an arm over my shoulder.

Squish.

Thanks to that, something soft and round pressed right against my cheek.

She snatched my left wrist, checked the Star Scar, then—

—slapped my wrist straight against the underside of her chest.

Fwoosh!

Something hot flared from the back of my hand, but that wasn't the important part right now.

She set my hand down with a look of genuine curiosity.

So she'd just been rubbing my hand under her chest to run an experiment. She's unhinged.

I wanted to say something, but talking to her about it probably wouldn't accomplish anything. Better to just listen quietly to the explanation.

With a serious expression, she showed me the Star Scar branded under her chest.

She began channeling her Aura to cover the Star Scar. Colorless Aura gradually settled into it, and then—

Vwooom!

Blue Aura poured ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out and swept over the entire area.

A moment later she withdrew the blue Aura and winked at me.

She laughed brightly and threw up a V-sign.

…What exactly did a greatsword mean to this woman?

After that, she taught me how to use the Star Scar.

Following her instructions, the Star Scar began to shine brightly.

Ohh…

Blue light streamed from the scar and gathered into the shape of an arrow. And then—

BOOM!

The arrow shot out like an explosion and buried itself somewhere in the grassland.

Not bad.

Fighting with only a sword clearly had its limits. My innate ability just added mass to my Aura, after all. Simply having a long-range attack was already huge growth.

The question occurred to me. She could have taught me this with a few lines in the gallery — was a duel really necessary?

So there wasn't much of a reason after all.

Ah shit wait a secon—

SPLAT!

Before I could even feel pain, my head was completely obliterated.

"Mm."

When I came to, I was lying in front of the Tower. The Star Scar was still intact on the back of my hand, and nothing else about my body seemed off. Getting out without incident was a good thing, sure, but…

Kinda anticlimactic.

For having ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gone into a hidden stage, the whole thing had been short on thrills. I was half-wishing some strong monster would just show up when—

WEEEE-OOO! WEEEE-OOO!

Sirens blared across the entire city.

With the alert, the whole area instantly became pandemonium.

"Out of the way!"

"Wait, there's someone down here! Stop stepping on them!"

Everyone was desperate to get into a shelter first. Why is everyone freaking out so much?

Monsters never came near the Tower anyway. Before they could, they'd get beaten to death by Kwon Do-hwa, the leader of the Hwasan Guild. I moved at a leisurely pace behind the crowd, until—

…Wait a second.

Right now, I was an illegal resident. Sneaking into a shelter wouldn't be a problem in itself, but…

I'd definitely get caught.

I had a Mithril Sword at my hip. To enter a shelter I'd have to surrender the blade, and a middle-schooler carrying an expensive Mithril Sword? That would raise every red flag imaginable. After that, it was only a matter of time before they figured out I was a sword prodigy.

…I should head home.

Decision made, I immediately ran for my house. I'd always waited out alerts at home before, so as long as a monster didn't find me, I'd be fine.

"What's with that person?"

"A middle-school girl going the opposite direction from the shelters…?"

"Hey, student! That way is dangerous!"

Pushing against the flow of people heading for the shelters, I could feel countless eyes on me. Good thing I wore a hoodie again today. I kept my face well covered under the hood and kept running.

A few minutes like that and I was almost out of the city center when—

Shhhh…

My Aura twitched as if reacting to something.

What.

A strangely hair-raising sensation made me scan my surroundings—

KRAAAASH!

Something massive slammed down from the sky and punched straight through my left shoulder.

"Ghh…!"

Clutching my shoulder, I looked around.

"Kyaaaaak—!"

A monstrous lifeform with the body of a lion fused to an eagle — a Lesser Griffin. It was soaring through the sky with a chunk of my flesh still in its beak.

Of all places, it had to be here?

It was an A-class monster. If I fought it head-on, I was as good as dead.

"…Hoo."

The situation was mind-numbingly hopeless, but I couldn't throw away hope. I'd already scraped past death more times than I could count.

Do what I can.

I drew my sword and checked my shoulder. An entire chunk of flesh had been torn away, blood pouring freely.

I need to stop the bleeding.

I was doing my best to stem the blood while keeping my eyes on the Lesser Griffin when—

"Kiiik—!"

It set itself for another dive. From the way it moved, it was aiming for my head.

Aura.

I flooded my sword with as much Aura as I could and prepared to meet the attack. The distance closed in an instant—

"—Kyaek!"

It suddenly veered sideways and raked its claws across my leg as it passed.

"Ugh!"

Blood sprayed from my leg and strength drained out of me by the second.

…This is ridiculous.

Speed, destructive power, and intelligence too. This thing was on a completely different level from any monster I'd faced before.

I can't fight it head-on.

At the very least, I needed cover to hide behind.

Thud!

I smashed through the door of a nearby commercial building and went inside. A Lesser Griffin's body wouldn't fit through here.

It'd be nice if it just gave up and left, but…

These things never fled until they took a wound.

…Can I even wound it?

I was still trying to figure out how to survive when—

BOOOOM!

A shock like an earthquake rocked the entire building.

"Cough, cough!"

Concrete dust billowed up and blinded me. Was it trying to bring the whole building down on my head?

I have to hurry.

My sword couldn't hurt it. I needed a way to harass it from a distance…

…I just got one, didn't I.

I looked down at the Sagittarius Star Scar on the back of my left hand. This might work.

Vwooom…!

I focused my mind on the Star Scar and blue light poured out. That light shaped itself into an arrow, and I aimed it at the Lesser Griffin visible through the window.

Fire.

BOOM!

The arrow exploded outward and scored a direct hit on its head. But—

"Kiiiik—!"

The impact only seemed to enrage it further. It wheeled around and charged straight at the building I was in. Not even a scratch on its head.

What the hell…!

There was no stopping it. All I could do was wait for it to slam into the building.

CRUUUNCH!

A massive impact shook the structure.

"Ghh…!"

I checked the outer wall — huge cracks spiderwebbed across it in several places. One more hit like that and the whole building would come down. There was no time to ask the gallery.

I have to drive it off somehow.

To do that, I had to draw more power out of the Star Scar.

…She said she used the Star Scar to reinforce her Aura, right?

I remembered what the greatsword maniac had shown me — layering the Star Scar's properties over her Aura to give it something like a color. I already had a color of my own, so I hadn't paid much attention at the time.

But what if it works in reverse?

If I layered Aura over the Star Scar, maybe I could amp up the scar's power.

It might not be exact, but…

Right now I had to try something — anything.

Thrum, thrumthrumthrum!

I hurriedly forced Aura into the Star Scar. Contrary to my hopes, the two energies rejected each other and threatened to detonate.

"Hh…!"

I barely managed to suppress the explosion and settle the energy. One wrong move and my blood vessels would have blown open.

…So it doesn't work.

Rather than enveloping the Star Scar, my Aura felt like it was being swallowed. In terms of raw force, the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Star Scar seemed stronger.

To overlay them, my Aura has to be stronger than the Star Scar.

And I knew exactly how to make my Aura stronger. That phenomenon from my Inner World — the formless mist. The ability that piled massive mass onto my Aura. The moment I called it up—

Shhhh…

—I poured the mist into my Aura at high speed. The ability activated.

"Kyaaaaak—!"

The creature, already set to charge again, let out a scream.

Faster.

Desperate, I moved the mass-laden Aura.

Slip…!

The formless mist coiled around the back of my hand and seeped into the Sagittarius Star Scar.

Crack, crackcrackcrack!

The energies shoved against each other in violent rejection — and then—

Got it.

The endlessly clashing forces compressed into the shape of a small arrow. A blue-green arrow brimming with fierce light. I loosed it at the Lesser Griffin—

KRAKAKAKABOOM!

A violent explosion tore open the sky, and black mist billowed outward.

I can't see.

There was no sound from the griffin. Had the impact driven it off?

"…."

The second the mist cleared, I looked out the window. Tense, I scanned every direction — and then I found something in the street right in front of the building.

"…."

The Lesser Griffin lay sprawled in the road, its head blown open.

"…Huh?"

Even seeing it with my own two eyes, I could barely process it. I'd killed an A-class monster? And in one shot, by blowing its head off?

Holy shit!

I did a mental victory cartwheel and opened the Swordsmanship Forum. This was front-page material!