The Comprehensive Evaluation
The Comprehensive Ability Evaluation was held only once a year. It was an exam where combat majors gathered to clash in a tournament-style bracket, with grades determined by their final rankings and combat scores. Since it was held publicly at the Eloise Empire's finest academy, a massive crowd always gathered to watch. Scouts from the imperial family and high-ranking noble houses also attended, prompting everyone to prepare with everything they had. It meant this exam didn't just affect their grades—it shaped their entire future.
Naturally, I was aiming for first place. Which was why I was currently at the training grounds. And of all people, I was with Lutera...
"Hound, what's with that look on your face?"
"It's nothing, sir."
Despite what I had done to him in the past, Lutera showed the magnanimity of a truly big-hearted protagonist by letting bygones be bygones. Had our duel during the entrance ceremony completely reshaped his mindset? I decided to ask him a question.
"How are things going with Lady Seri Verdia?"
Lutera paused mid-swing, halting his sword.
"...Well. To be honest, I don't even know anymore."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I don't understand why I fell in love with Seri Verdia in the first place."
What is this guy talking about now?
"Love is usually reasonless, isn't it? You just find yourself falling before you even realize it." Just like how I fell for Mikaris.
"No, it's a much more fundamental issue than that. Well, if even I can't put it into words, how could you possibly understand?"
Was there something going on that I didn't know about? Well, they could figure it out themselves. All I needed to do was live happily ever after with Mikaris, Ronia, and Line. The only problem was that to pull off a harem like that, I needed to reach the status of a Grand Duke. To achieve that, I first had to secure a title... reach the 5-Star level, then push to 7-Star, and then slay a dragon. Though I had no idea if slaying a dragon was actually possible yet.
As I continued to swing my sword for a while longer—
Coins have been sponsored!
"What the...?"
"What's wrong all of a sudden?"
"No, it's nothing."
Coins had been donated. Did this mean... someone was actually reading this novel right now? I reached out toward the Special Shop floating in the air to check my current balance.
It had increased. By exactly 100 coins. I had assumed I was simply trapped inside a discontinued novel. But someone was reading it and donating. Was the author writing a remake and publishing it? Or was it some god-like entity trying to reel in more people like me?
What on earth is their goal? My mere existence has already twisted the plot far beyond recognition.
Just then, Lutera tapped me on the shoulder.
"What are you so lost in thought about? The instructor is here."
"Ah."
I decided to shelve the issue for later. Dwelling on it now wouldn't yield any answers anyway. The sweat-drenched training grounds quickly filled with combat majors lining up in neat rows. Once he confirmed everyone was assembled, the instructor roared in a booming voice.
"Listen up, you lot! You all know the Comprehensive Ability Evaluation is just around the corner!"
"Yes, sir!"
"From now on, all classes will focus entirely on sparring. We will be conducting joint sessions with the Magic and Archery Departments as well!"
I raised my hand to ask a question.
"Does that mean the Magic Department will be participating in our duels, sir?"
"Indeed. Magic is the natural counter to swordsmanship. While swordsmanship might have a higher floor, magic has a vastly higher ceiling."
Maybe you guys are just weak? The first Emperor of Eloise was literally a Sword Saint.
The instructor continued to bellow.
"The magic students will be arriving shortly. Even just watching them will be highly educational, so analyze their movements and learn!"
"Understood, sir!"
The students certainly knew how to answer in unison. Perhaps it was because the instructor was a former Knight Commander. True to his word, it wasn't long before the magic students began filing in. Among them were Ronia and Mikaris. The moment Ronia spotted me, she smiled brightly and waved, while Mikaris simply stared in my direction.
Is she still too shy to wave? As I waved back at them, Lutera spoke up.
"You're quite popular, Hound."
"Well, it's all thanks to the publicity I got from beating you to a pulp, young master."
"Ha, look at you running your mouth. Whatever. Just so you know, I've gotten far stronger than you think since the Dungeon Practice. I'll get my revenge one day."
What was that? Had he already reached the 5-Star realm? But he was only seventeen. If things went according to the original novel, he shouldn't have reached that level for another two years.
"I take it you've added another star to your heart."
"Indeed. I have reached the 5-Star realm."
"Is that true?"
"Why would I lie about something like this?"
This was genuinely surprising. Had my presence accelerated Lutera's growth rate, pushing the original protagonist to develop faster? Ever since I arrived in this world, the pace of the plot had shifted into overdrive.
"I look forward to seeing it, then."
"Yeah, keep your eyes peeled."
After a brief discussion between the magic professor and the combat instructor, the first matchup was decided.
"We will now announce the first duel. Lady Merian versus Young Master Edelian."
Murmurs immediately rippled through the crowd. The incident from the entrance ceremony was still fresh in everyone's minds. What a cruel twist of fate.
Mikaris...
Lutera and Mikaris stepped onto the raised platform. Lutera spoke first.
"Lady Mikaris, I want to apologize for what happened back then."
Apologizing now, of all times? Did he think he could just wash his hands of his actions and play the good guy? I absolutely loathed people of his sort.
Mikaris, however, didn't seem particularly bothered.
"There is no need for you to apologize, young master. Furthermore, please refrain from addressing me by my first name. I have already decided who is permitted to call me that."
Lutera smirked, one corner of his mouth curling up into a thoroughly rotten sneer. A truly repulsive expression.
"Fine. I suppose none of that matters now anyway. Let us have a good match, Lady Merian."
"..."
Mikaris's eyes darkened like a fading sunset. Perhaps she still hadn't pulled out the dagger lodged in her heart. Just then, the short mage I had seen before stepped forward and cast a blue barrier.
Some kind of protective shield?
Once the blue barrier completely enveloped the platform, the combat instructor called out.
"Are both of you ready?"
Lutera and Mikaris nodded.
"Begin!"
Whoosh! The instant the signal was given, Lutera flared his Aura and closed the distance.
"Lightning Strike!"
Crackle! Countless bolts of violet lightning rained down around Mikaris. It was a solid tactical choice, very typical of her. But...
Lutera, who had reached the 5-Star realm, effortlessly sliced through the curtain of lightning as he pressed forward.
"Using a spell like this... quite impressive, Lady Merian!"
Mikaris began drawing a massive magic circle, far larger than her usual ones. What on earth is she casting that takes this long? At this rate, her lightning barrier is going to get breached, and she'll lose.
Just as Lutera tore through the final layer of the lightning barrier and closed in completely, Mikaris's magic circle flared to completion.
"...Lightning Apocalypse."
Kaa-boom! A colossal beam of violet light, resembling a railgun blast, completely swallowed Lutera. The watching students erupted into a frenzy of whispers.
"Whoa, is he going to be okay after that?"
"Come on, he's Young Master Edelian."
"I had no idea she could cast a spell like that."
As the swirling dust settled, Lutera came into view, his shirt completely shredded.
Ugh, my eyes. Seriously, put some clothes on.
Contrary to my disgust, the female magic students reacted with wild enthusiasm.
"Kyaaa!"
"Oh my goodness!"
"I can't believe we're seeing him bare-chested..."
"..."
Well, Lutera was considered one of the top beauties in this world, so I suppose their reaction was inevitable. Shifting my gaze back to the platform, I saw Lutera standing perfectly fine despite taking that massive lightning spell head-on.
"Haha! If it were anyone else, they might have died."
"I only used it because it was you, young master."
A brief silence fell over the arena...
"Lightning Maximum!"
Violet electricity enveloped Mikaris as she began to float into the air. Crack-boom! With a single wave of her hand, a massive surge of lightning snaked across the ground, racing toward Lutera.
Is she at the 4-Circle level now? Mikaris's growth rate is incredibly fast too.
She was seventeen, a year older than my current body. Though mentally, I was much older. Still, reaching the 4-Circle level at seventeen proved that Mikaris was an exceptionally talented mage.
At that moment, the momentum shifted entirely in Mikaris's favor. As she unleashed a relentless barrage of lightning, Lutera was forced entirely onto the defensive, doing nothing but dodging. No matter how powerful a 5-Star swordsman was, they couldn't easily block such a fierce magical onslaught. But...
If the fight dragged on like this, Mikaris would ultimately lose. Her mana pool was limited, whereas Lutera, with his 5-Star physical conditioning, possessed stamina second only to mine.
And just as expected, the match reached its conclusion.
"I forfeit."
The victor was Lutera. Mikaris had surrendered due to mana depletion.
"You fought well, Student Mikaris. You just need to work on a few of your weak points."
"Thank you."
I'd noticed this for a while, but Mikaris's tone was incredibly stiff—practically stone-cold. Perhaps she only showed her true, soft self to me. Thinking about it that way brought a smug smile to my face. And so, the joint sparring between the Magic and Combat Departments continued.
Immediately after the duels concluded, I handed a pristine white handkerchief to Mikaris.
"You did well, Lady Mika."
"I did sweat quite a bit. As expected of my personal knight, you're very attentive."
"Of course. Whose knight do you think I am?"
Before wiping her sweat, Mikaris brought the handkerchief to her nose and took a sniff.
"My lady?"
"...It smells like you."
"Does it bother you? Should I get you a different one?"
"No. I like this one."
Just then, Ronia reached up and gently wiped the beads of sweat forming on my forehead.
"You've sweated a lot too, Lord Hound."
"Ah, thank you, Lady Ronia."
I felt a sudden wave of motherly warmth from her... It wasn't a bad feeling at all.
Seeing this, Mikaris's eyes instantly cast a dark shadow. She was incredibly jealous over the smallest things. Would she ever actually tolerate a harem...? Perhaps my dream was destined to remain an impossible fantasy...
"I should head out first. I have some business to attend to."
"What kind of business?"
"Well, I'm trying to decide on some shopping."
"Are you going into town? Can we come with you?"
"I'd love to look around with you as well."
I offered them a gentle smile.
"Oh, I'm just going to look at some weapons and armor. Just seeing if there's anything useful."
"Is that so? Well, if you say so..."
I placed my right hand over my left breast and bowed deeply.
"Then, my ladies, please head inside."
"Get some rest, Lord Hound~"
"See you later."
Ronia and Mikaris walked away.
I should wash up first and do some thinking.
The donated coins... there were too many questions surrounding them.
Is the novel I transmigrated into currently being serialized? Or is some Constellation-like entity from web novels sponsoring me? But if the donations are coming to me, does that mean the story is being told from my perspective?
Third-person versus first-person. Seri Verdia's perspective versus my own. I couldn't make heads or tails of how any of this worked.
Throb. The sudden influx of questions and information brought on a sharp migraine.
"Sigh, I need to understand what's actually going on here."
But no matter how much I agonized over it, there was nothing I could do or find out right now. Well, a win is a win. I began browsing the shop for packages I could buy with my 100 coins.
I scrolled rapidly, my eyes scanning the screen at full capacity. And what I found was... absolutely nothing. It seemed getting both cost-efficiency and high performance for a mere 100 coins was too much to ask. I wondered if I should save up to buy the Path of the Archmage... but since I planned to slay a dragon and implant its Dragon Heart later anyway, I figured I could skip that option.
"..." I collapsed backward onto my bed with a heavy sigh. "Whew..." I opened the Special Shop interface again and resumed scrolling. Then, one particular package caught my eye.
It wasn't an ability, but an item. My current sword wasn't bad, but... I would have to replace it eventually anyway. After all, my goal was to become the strongest existence in this world. Without a second thought, I spent my 100 coins to purchase the Storm Sword Aeterna.
◈ Wind Attribute
◈ Generates destructive gales and pure white aura
The moment the purchase went through, a violent gale erupted inside my room, tossing the furniture into a chaotic mess. The noise was deafening—a sharp, piercing shriek of wind that shattered the window panes.
Thud! The sword plunged straight into the floorboards, embedding itself deeply.
"Ah..." They really could have warned me first.