A Mocking Greeting Turns Deadly
The Blue Team’s Fourteenth Squad approached the target—the First-Grade Third Training Ground—stealthily, without a sound. No need to announce their position with loud boasting. That would only give the defenders time to ready themselves. It was the most basic common sense.
*Don’t get careless, now.*
I muttered under my breath, already scanning the area through my Nature Realm.
“Junior, you don’t need to worry. As long as you stay right beside a Third-Ranked mage like me, no one will touch you. One of my spells and even the strongest juniors are done for…”
That was the height of common sense… yet right in front of us, the Second-Grade senior Marcus was shamelessly cornering a First-Grade female student.
Philipps swallowed his curses and trailed silently behind them.
*Why are the strong ones always this thickheaded?*
He hadn’t the courage to confront Marcus. Just a few weeks ago, when he had only barely reached Second Rank, the gap between himself and the Third-Ranked Marcus was enormous. And Marcus wasn’t some ordinary Third-Ranker. He could open special spaces where his power exploded. He called it the Death Duel Arena—or something like that. The name was Ogra, but the power behind it was undeniable.
In short, Philipps had no choice but to watch the humiliating scene in silence.
*If I had a special ability of my own, I’d have long since dealt with that arrogant fool…*
Then, from up ahead, frantic footsteps rang out.
“Someone’s coming! Everyone, hold positions!”
The lead Marcus slowly raised his hand, signaling his seven squad members to stop.
After a brief silence, a boy came sprinting toward them, chest heaving.
“Stop right there! Reveal your identity or I’ll attack immediately!”
“I’m stopping! I’m stopping—kyaaa!”
The boy tried to halt, but Marcus’s warning sent him tumbling forward.
A mocking “fuh” echoed from behind, but he ignored it, pushing himself up.
“Ugh… I came running to avoid an ambush and ended up face-planting. How embarrassing.”
His slit eyes—half-open, half-closed—gleamed with that familiar, breezy charm, a single tear-mark dotting his right cheek. Philipps knew exactly who this was.
Always floating on that effortless, lazy aura—it had to be Shion Frelia.
“I’ll say it once more. Reveal your identity now, or I attack.”
Marcus formed a magic circle in the air and aimed it at Shion.
“I’m Shion Frelia of the First-Grade First Squad.”
“…” Now he was asking? Philipps nearly choked.
“Ah, I’m actually Shion Frelia of the Blue Team’s Thirty-Fourth Squad. I was being chased by the Red Team earlier, so I lost track of direction. That’s why I ended up here.”
Shion broke in with a light chuckle.
The way he deliberately poked at Marcus’s pride made the senior’s fists clench, but something odd caught his eye.
“Thirty-Fourth Squad? Their territory should be far from here. Why are you standing right in front of us?”
“An enemy used a magic scroll on me. When I opened my eyes, I was transported to a completely wrong spot. I was just wandering around trying to figure out where I was when I ran into the Red Team defending the Third Training Ground… and then you guys.”
Shion’s claim hung in the air.
—Fwoosh!
“Eek!”
Marcus loosed a fireball toward Shion, who leaped back in shock.
“What are you doing?!”
“Unverified allies are more dangerous than enemies. You could be a spy planted by another squad, so be careful.”
“You mean… you don’t trust me?”
“Correct.”
“Hmm… then…” Shion’s eyes sparkled with mischief as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a glass bottle of bright red liquid. “This is a recovery potion from the supply crate. If I were truly the enemy, I wouldn’t be offering it to you, would I? If you still trust me after this, I’d be grateful.”
Everyone stared at the potion in his hand.
“Here, take it.”
Shion tossed the potion straight to Marcus, who caught it mid-air.
Marcus stared at the bottle, deep in thought. Was this boy truly on our side? Even if not, why would he hand over a rare item from a supply crate… to us?
—Thud!
“Guh…!”
The sound of something deeply piercing the ground echoed.
Marcus, still staring, whipped around in alarm and began circulating mana to ready a spell—only for it to be too late.
“Dead…?”
Shion lay crumpled on the ground, motionless.
For a moment Marcus’s mind reeled in confusion, but he quickly cooled, observing the “Shion” corpse with cold calculation.
“Sniped. Everyone, take cover behind the nearby buildings!”
An arrow protruded from his back—aimed straight for the heart.
*Why? Who shot him?* The question was still forming when Philipps, hidden among the buildings, spoke up.
“Now that I think about it, that guy said he was being chased by the Red Team guarding the Third Training Ground earlier, right?”
“…There’s a sniper positioned near the Third Training Ground. Elina, use your scouting magic.”
“Ye-yes!”
Elina, hidden and trembling, nodded vigorously.
She took a deep breath, placed both hands on the ground, and began channeling mana.
“…Nothing. There’s no one else around us.”
“Is that true?”
“Absolutely! This time I swear it’s accurate!”
Marcus ground his teeth. The situation was worse than he expected.
If Elina’s scouting spell detected no sniper, the assassin had to be outside its range. And yet he’d fired with pinpoint accuracy at a heart from that distance. That meant the shooter was no ordinary expert.
“…Is it Ayle?”
The name of his classmate flashed through Marcus’s mind—the monster rumored to rule the rival academy.
Of course, with that kind of power, long-range sniping would be child’s play.
Now the Third Training Ground itself was guarded by such a monster. What a headache.
“What do we do?” Philipps asked cautiously.
Marcus sighed deeply before addressing the group.
“We’ll take out the sniper first, then begin occupying the Third Training Ground. Leaving him alive means we’ll lose one or two of our own.”
“But how do we even know where he is…?”
“Watch closely.”
Marcus pointed at the “dead” Shion.
“Looking at the angle of the arrow, the sniper should be somewhere northeast of us. Of course, the sniper will move his aim once he realizes we’re on to him, but he’s probably still too far away to reach us in time.”
“Northeast… that’s the opposite direction from the training ground.”
Elina’s soft murmur made Marcus nod.
“Placing a sniper so far from the target point is a crude but effective tactic. Good thing we spotted it early. Everyone, lower your stance and move northeast. Elina, keep scouting at intervals.”
With that, the Blue Team’s Fourteenth Squad began their cautious advance toward the northeast, where the sniper lurked. Moments later, only the “dead” Shion remained in the abandoned training ground.
—Boom~
The moment the squad vanished, Shion’s body dissolved into countless swirling maple leaves.
* * *
Through my Nature Realm, I confirmed the Blue Team had moved far from the Third Training Ground and chuckled.
*I never expected this plan to actually work.*
By spinning the cube and sharpening my mind for a full month following Charlotte’s advice, I had evolved beyond simply controlling my clones. I could now separate them and operate them from a distance.
Just a moment ago, I had sent out a clone to stage the prank, using it to lure the Blue Team away from the target.
*Good thing the pain my clone feels doesn’t transmit to me.*
A moment ago, I had used Tao Power to manipulate the arrow hidden in the clone’s back pocket, driving it straight into the clone’s own body.
If the pain had reached me as well, I wouldn’t have been able to pull off that suicide-by-clone trick so easily.
Even in this Matrix world, pain is still pain.
*Then the only ones left… are the Green and Yellow Teams, right? But wait.*
I sensed an enemy approaching through my Nature Realm. And now that I looked again, one of the Green Team members looked… familiar.
That aura… Chloe?
“*If the opponent is indeed Lady Chloe, I doubt my clone could lure her in. Then…*”
To complete my plan, I needed to draw both the Green and Yellow Teams into the same location. The Yellow Team could be handled, but luring Chloe’s Green Team with a clone would be nearly impossible.
Her friend was Charlotte and Shina—people who looked weak. But Chloe was an authentic Third-Ranked swordswoman. And a lightning mage who commanded elementals, no less.
A clone wouldn’t be able to withstand her speed.
*I’ll have to personally lure the Green Team. It’s risky, but necessary.*
I stood up from my resting chair and summoned an identical clone beside me.
The moment our hands touched, my vision split into two.
Still unaccustomed to processing two streams of information, it felt like I was doing the mental math of one plus one equals three all by myself.
But I wasn’t helpless. After a month of training, I could comfortably handle up to two clones at once.
“*Take care, then.*”
“Haha, I’ll do my best.”
I waved at my clone and, the instant we separated, turned our attention toward the enemy.
In a way, it was like talking to myself. The only drawback was that my mouth was itching to speak, but it was better than being alone.
*Or… have I finally gone mad?*
*As long as it’s fun, it’s fine.*
After walking for a while, the clone suddenly encountered the Yellow Team.
I controlled the clone in a blur—wall-running, kicking off the air with Tao Power, countering with Medium Counter—while it dodged, struck, and fled without a scratch.
Meanwhile, my main body advanced calmly, unchanged.
*I’ve really grown a lot.*
While the clone lured the Yellow Team into the vast open space, the Green Team finally appeared before my main body.
Chloe met my eyes, but she quickly looked away, pretending not to notice and desperately avoiding my gaze.
“Who are you? Enemy or ally?”
A stern female student—leader of the Green Team—pointed her sword at me.
*Ah, I know this guy. Trese Midler? A Second-Grade tank-type character.*
Of course I hadn’t used him. His performance had been garbage.
“Then you must be the enemy. Did your instructors ever tell you to greet allies with such carefree, laid-back expressions in real combat?”
“…You insolent—”
“Speaking of which, Lady Chloe! What a coincidence to meet you here! How was your breakfast?”
I cut her off with a bright laugh and waved at Chloe.
At the same moment, the entire Green Team turned to look at the silent Chloe.
“*Ah, damn it, it really is him!*”
Chloe’s face flushed bright red in an instant. Then she glared at me and drew her sword with a furious swing.
And then.
—Kwarrung!
She closed the distance in the blink of an eye, lightning crackling along her blade as she swung it with terrifying force.
“You’re quite energetic, aren’t you?”
I watched the lightning-charged blade rushing toward me with a faint smile, shifting my hand to the scabbard.
“Watch your head~!”
—Pak-chang!
I countered her lightning strike with Medium Counter.