“Looks like this should be enough.”
I scanned my eyes across the outdoor training ground, which was exclusive to the students of Kalon Academy. The battlefield where I would soon fight was impeccably arranged, unlike usual.
Having received permission from Principal Merlin to break things, I figured it wouldn’t matter if I made some modifications.
After all, I could just reverse it with my skill.
I checked out the students arriving one by one in comfortable attire. Was it something like gym clothes? Unlike the uniforms that didn’t seem very practical, these outfits looked spacious and elastic.
I bet those materials would be great for making tracksuits.
Or short-sleeve shirts.
After this was over, I should ask Principal Merlin about the fabrics of those clothes that resemble athletic wear. I could already tell it would cost a pretty penny, but money was something I had in abundance now.
As long as I didn’t go crazy and indulge myself, money flowed like a bottomless pit. How expensive could those materials be? They couldn’t be more than mithril, could they?
Especially since they were mass-produced goods, it wouldn’t be pricey anyway.
…But did this world even have factories?
Considering most of the wearers were noble offspring, a craftsman might have put in the effort stitch by stitch.
As those thoughts crossed my mind, I dutifully familiarized myself with the training ground.
Understanding the terrain before battle is basic knowledge.
I had never used this training ground before, and Lewis and the others must have practiced here during combat training, so the difference in terrain awareness would surely be stark. I needed to prepare diligently to bridge that gap.
Even though I could warp the terrain with my skill if something went wrong… too much twisting would be quite a task to restore.
“Johann! Fight hard!”
“Johann! You got this!”
“I’m counting on you!”
From far away, I heard Millia and Karina cheering. It seemed Millia wanted to watch us fight, while Karina was playing the role of a medic just in case.
It was ridiculous to think of a saint being used just like this, but hey, you gotta make good connections. In the end, nothing is as important as connections.
Ah, Principal Merlin just came to watch too.
Seeing him munching popcorn with Millia, they looked like a grandfather and granddaughter duo.
“It’s about to start, so I should stop paying attention to the stands.”
If I messed up and lost, Millia would be disappointed, after all.
[Contractor, looks like everyone’s here?]
At Rue’s voice, I turned my gaze back to the four students standing at a distance.
Lewis, Viola, Shuri, Elisa.
The four were stretching in different poses.
Well, should I say three?
Elisa was twisting her body while covering her chest with her arms.
What’s she doing?
Did her zipper come undone or something?
“Elisa! Is something wrong?!”
“Oh, um, no!”
Why’s her face turning red? I scratched my head, unable to comprehend the situation. It can’t be because of her chest, right…
Oh.
My gaze naturally fell upon Elisa’s chest.
Compared to Karina’s assets, she held her own, even with her loose clothing not hiding her stature at all.
But the more she tried to cover it, the more it seemed to peek out like a slime, becoming even more provocative.
[Contractor, aren’t you staring a bit too much?]
As Rue’s warning came, I barely tore my eyes away and stared into space.
But it couldn’t be helped. Anyone would lock their gaze on something that jiggled like slime, right? For some reason, I felt eyes boring into the side of my face.
…I better not look over there.
“Are we all ready?!”
“Yes! I’m ready!”
“I am too!”
“Me too!”
“Um, I’m ready as well…”
Then let’s begin.
I grasped the shovel that was slung over my back and elongated it. The familiar vibration ran through my hand, and the blue-bladed end glimmered under the sunlight.
“The victory conditions are simple! You need to either force me to declare my defeat or incapacitate me! Conversely, if three or more of you fall, it’s game over for you!”
It would be ideal to take them all down, but considering that even Lewis couldn’t guarantee victory in a 1v1 against me, he would be the front line in this fight.
Even if Viola supported him, if the frontline fails, the backline won’t be able to accomplish much. I took a deep breath as I did some stretching.
Fighting against monster cards and now going against people—it’s been a while.
“Now! Let’s start!”
No sooner had I finished speaking than Lewis leaped forward, closing the distance. The space between us was about 200 meters. It wasn’t close, but this was a fantasy world.
In a world where mana and aura literally exist, 200 meters is…
“Crafting.”
I dashed forward and pulled up a wall made of stone. Like a maze rising from the ground, numerous stone walls appeared before me in a spectacular fashion.
Raising my rank even halfway would lead to this.
I’m really curious what would happen when I reach S rank.
I created a makeshift maze and jumped up onto the walls.
“This is…”
“Those walls aren’t that sturdy, if you swing your sword, they’ll break.”
I shifted my gaze from the little maze created in the middle of the training ground to look back at Lewis. The key to this mock battle was to incapacitate the main firepower—the magician.
Normally, getting through Lewis would be quite the challenge.
But it had little to do with me now.
I extended my hand to gather the power of the Phoenix.
Under my control, the gathered energy became a sphere the size of a soccer ball, glowing like a tiny sun.
“That’s…”
“If I can’t block it, it’s game over.”
I hurled the blazing sphere towards the backline. The fireball flew at a moderate speed—not too fast, not too slow—towards the group of magicians.
“I’ll block it with a shield!”
The first to act was Elisa. She attempted to create a barrier to block my sphere. The violet barrier was quite sturdy.
But could it stop my fireball?
This is an orb infused with the power of the Phoenix. If you think it’s like an ordinary fireball…
Oops.
“Good choice attacking while I was distracted, but…”
Lewis’s sword released a torrent of aura as it sliced through the air toward me at an angle.
Quick. Not as fast as the executor I met before, but fast enough.
I turned my body to evade the strike and fell into the maze.
The complex arrangement of walls welcomed me.
My maze that I designed.
I knew the way through it.
Since it was a maze created with my powers. I snuck to an ideal position and waited for Lewis’s next move.
Spotting me through the gaps, Lewis, wearing a perplexed expression, considered his options before slashing the surrounding walls with his aura-clad sword and making his way inside. He must think that to catch me, he has to enter the maze somehow.
He would definitely try to grab me as quickly as possible.
“Crafting.”
I expanded the maze. As I stepped back, the maze doubled in size. Of course, he could charge straight through by breaking the walls, but how easy would that be?
I alternated my gaze between the crumbling walls and the striking fireballs.
Shall we start? I walked along the top of the walls and dropped down over Lewis, who had entered the maze.
————————
‘A maze…’
Caught off guard by an unexpected tactic, Lewis stared at the maze with a stiff expression.
These walls, seeming random and disconnected, and the haphazardly linked corridors showed gaps between them, looked viciously poised to engulf him.
‘Should I go up on the walls?’
I wasn’t sure if it was a good judgment call or not. If I went up, something likely awaited me up there.
There was a chance I might get retired in an instant if I climbed carelessly.
Lewis set that choice aside.
‘For now, securing space is crucial.’
He knew well how Johann fought.
Tactics that control space and pressure the opponent.
Once caught, there’s no turning back.
Lewis clenched his teeth and sharpened his senses. Only then could he safely navigate through this maze and face Johann in combat.
‘If I’m pushed back like this, I might not be able to do anything.’
It was tough.
Really tough.
I had never faced someone who fights like this before.
‘It’s fortunate this is a mock battle; otherwise, if this was a real enemy, I’d be doomed by now—’
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Lewis instinctively looked up at the sounds coming from above.
Something was approaching.
His heart began to race in sync with the ominous noises. Maybe it was because the sounds were coming from above, or perhaps it was the maze itself.
Either way, it was clear that something was about to happen.
‘Stay composed. Keep your mind cool. Heart burning bright. Keep your mind cool. Heart burning bright…’
He closed his eyes and focused on his senses.
Knowing Johann’s fighting style, he recalled that he could attack from anywhere and cloaked his body with aura. He had to trust in the defense aura provided.
‘He wouldn’t possibly unleash a killing blow.’
With the sounds overhead, Lewis swung his sword instinctively.
“Good judgment. If you had just blindly tried to slash through the maze, you would’ve fallen into a trap by now.”
“I’ve fought alongside you before.”
Lewis swung his sword with all his might, deflecting Johann’s body away.
Johann’s form flew toward the wall. If it continued in that direction, it would hit and sustain damage. Johann seemed to anticipate this and opened his mouth.
“Dismantle. Crafting.”
The wall meant to halt his flight instantly disappeared, only to rise again.
In the astonishing sight, Lewis momentarily lost his focus and gaped at the wall.
‘What the hell is that?’
“Now the real beginning starts. Brace yourself.”
At the voice that echoed from somewhere, Lewis swallowed hard.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.