Wham!
It wasn’t a big deal to take down the Lich Knight casually, but let’s be real: even if it’s an upperclass monster, it’s not something first-years should be messing with.
Duh!
Didn’t I say? You need to be at least in the graduating class to even think about fighting it.
Ding!
It’s only natural that the first-years, just starting to crawl, wouldn’t leave a scratch no matter how hard they tried.
Bam!
The only damage was thanks to the future Sword Master managing to get a nick in, but that was instantly repaired by the armor’s auto-repair feature, turning it back to zero.
“Looks like you’d just die if you faced it in reality.”
“We’re so far from that….”
You’d think they’d take pride in being in the upper classes, but the insane monster selection by Reina had them all feeling deflated.
Ouch!
Preparing a test for the new sprouts to experience the bitter taste of reality? Seriously, Reina is one cruel person.
Zing!
And just like that, it was Lilith’s turn again.
“Isn’t this a bit extreme, even if holy power works well against monsters?”
She expressed her anxieties, but there was really no need.
Whoosh!
Holy power? It’s not just for show. There’s a reason Reina put her at the end of the line.
Magic and holy power have a huge gap in compatibility that makes discussing differences pointless.
Thwack!
With a flick, the holy arrow shot out.
Five strands of luminous arrows pierced straight into the Lich Knight’s abdomen.
Boom!
The impact burst with a bright light before fading away, leaving behind a hole big enough for a finger to fit through.
It didn’t penetrate all the way through, but just making a hole was significant enough.
Zap!
Plus, since it was made by holy power, the armor didn’t auto-repair, which means actual damage was done.
“…So this is a Saintess.”
“No wonder holy power is so revered.”
Was it because they witnessed that incident? The way the group looked at Lilith changed.
Of course, it was their first time seeing the power of a Saintess… Not being able to even scratch a monster while she could deliver a meaningful blow must’ve looked quite impressive.
“My sword couldn’t even leave a mark…”
The future Sword Master, seemingly quite shaken, was trembling with the sword grip.
Rattle!
Looks like I’ll need to keep a close watch on this one before they cause any trouble.
Bam!
Anyway, it seems like Lilith was taken aback, cautiously opening her mouth.
“…Uh, Professor, isn’t this a bit unfair?”
“What do you mean? That’s just your skill and ability.”
Feeling uneasy about benefiting from holy power, was she?
But Reina was right.
When a monster charges at you, no one thinks, “Oh, if I use my special holy power, it’ll be unfair, so I’ll just let myself die instead.”
And no matter how much holy power one has, without putting in the effort in training, piercing through was out of the question.
Even if the outcome came from holy power, it was still a result of some hard work. So, I sneakily approached her and gave a thumbs-up.
“What? That’s annoying!”
Even compliments only made her more riled up.
“Alright, Lilith’s done… Who’s next?”
With Lilith’s turn done, Professor Reina glanced between her and Seria.
What should I do? They say it’s better to strike first, but the result will be the same either way. Should I go first?
Perhaps pondering for too long, Seria started to walk towards the Lich Knight.
Standing in front of it, she hesitated, then looked at Reina and asked.
“Are we going to discard this once the test is over?”
“Yeah. Our Saintess made a hole so that it can’t even be repaired, so no recycling here.”
“…Then let me shoot once lightly.”
Whoosh!
In an instant, she activated three spells at once, blasting off the Lich Knight’s right arm.
Thud!
As the arm disintegrated, the heavy greatsword it held dropped to the ground with a thud.
Thawk!
“…”
Silence.
The unexpected turn of events caught even Reina off guard.
But I knew—she had surpassed the level of graduation students long ago.
Her skills had gotten to a point where she could handle a Lich Knight like it was a piece of cake.
Her rapid growth was somewhat abnormal, but I decided not to dwell on it. I wouldn’t find an answer anyway.
Clatter!
Breaking the silence was Seria herself.
“Shall I continue?”
“…No, that’s enough. Come on in.”
Reina seemed to have many things she wanted to say, but decided to let it go for now.
Probably will call her in for a chat after the test is over.
Whoosh!
Next came my turn.
Being last was pretty nerve-wracking, and I’m sorry that I have nothing to show.
Standing in front of the Lich Knight, it looked quite miserable. The hole in its belly was untouched by any recovery magic, and one arm was irreparably destroyed.
Still, it didn’t make it any weaker, so nothing would change.
I pulled out my dagger, took a light step forward, and swung it gently.
Scrape!
The irritating noise echoed, but of course, not a scratch appeared on the Lich Knight’s armor.
Even poking it didn’t give me hope that I could damage it.
Clang!
Yeah… If I could pull off some miracle here, that would be even weirder.
Clearly, I couldn’t just rely on dodging and parrying. I needed to find a way to attack quickly.
With that thought, I sheathed my sword and turned back, only to find Reina looking at me in disbelief.
It seemed I didn’t even attempt properly before returning.
“What are you doing?”
“It’s over.”
“Helping with the capture doesn’t earn you extra points.”
Oh no!
That meant I wouldn’t get any score for finishing like this.
But what could I do? Continuing wouldn’t change anything.
“I don’t care.”
“What do you think you’re doing… Ah, I get it. That’s what you meant? Hehe… do as you please.”
Guessing she understood some hidden intention behind my actions, she watched me with a pleased smile, but didn’t elaborate.
“Rudion?”
With Seria giving me the same puzzled look as Reina, I struggled to find words and just attempted to ignore it.
“Rudion. Thank you.”
She did that too. Yeah… not sure what she interpreted, but if she’s happy, that’s what matters.
Zoom!
And just like that, the practical exam came to an end. Reina put the Lich Knight back into the magic stone and checked the time, telling us to go have lunch.
After lunch, the next practical exam, a duel, will conclude the midterm exams.
Well, I didn’t put in any effort, so I don’t feel much about it. Just a sense of passing time.
“Rudion-nim!”
While pondering what to eat at the student cafeteria, a voice I hadn’t heard in a while called out to me.
“Oh, long time no see, Frank. How have you been?”
“Thanks to you, every day is delightful!”
The guy who broke my room’s wall, Frank, was indeed grinning from ear to ear.
He looked more haggard than before, but if he was happy, so be it.
Since Seria was next to me and had never seen him before, I made a brief introduction.
“This is my next-door roommate from the dormitory. He’s in the lower classes, though.”
“I’m in the intermediate class now!”
“What? You leveled up?”
“Yes, indeed!”
Looks like the lower class has already completed their exams.
Wait, so the guy who was just a minor character in the original story is now in the intermediate class? Amazing. Guess he had some talent after all.
As I was thinking that, Frank suddenly pulled something out and handed it to me.
Aha!
A small iron plate embedded with a magic stone that had a peculiar pattern, and a hammer the size of a hand axe.
“What is this?”
“Didn’t I clearly say! I’ll support you by providing all the results I’ve made for free!”
Looks like he’s keeping his promise. He must’ve achieved quite a bit during his time.
Having built two magic tools already is pretty impressive, so I offered some praise, and he started explaining excitedly about what he made.
“The Reflector A-01 Type and the Striker A-01 Type! The Reflector takes advantage of the side effects that occur during the impact of magical energy, inspired by your combat style, Rudion-nim….”
In a nutshell, it was a one-handed weapon + one-handed shield combo.
The shield disrupts and nullifies low-level magical attacks, while the hammer fires the compressed magical energy at the point of impact…
But despite his grand description, the appearance was quite shabby, making the performance seem less than stellar.
However, considering he’s only been crafting for a month or two, it’s pretty remarkable.
Clap!
This guy definitely has talent in this area.
“I used this to achieve the highest score! Well, at least according to lower class standards…”
“Whatever the case, you’ve leveled up to intermediate class, so that’s good… Wait a second.”
You scored the highest? What does that make the protagonist then?
At that moment, my messenger dinged, providing me with an update on the protagonist’s situation.
[Artes: I’m headed to treatment since I broke my arm. Where are you right now?]
Holy cow!
Looks like Artes got his butt kicked. For how hard he tried, his performance was pretty lame.
“It was truly dangerous. If I hadn’t gotten lucky at the end and avoided an attack, I could have lost.”
“Well, going with the flow is part of the game, so think positively.”
“It’s an honor to hear that! I’ll try even harder!”
Good. Work harder so you can create weapons that no man can resist.
But hey, if the stuff he made can already break an arm, is it really okay to just give it to me like this?
“It’s okay, I’m keeping the prototypes anyway.”
Oh, so that’s how it is? Well, since the lower class has completed all their exams, they probably won’t be needed. Guess taking them is fine.
“Oh shoot, I didn’t realize I was holding you up! I’ll get going! Enjoy your meal!”
Frank suddenly realized and dashed off.
Watching him leave, Seria spoke up.
“Rudion, can I borrow that Reflector A-01 Type for a bit?”
Huh?
She used its full name even? Could’ve just called it the Reflector.
Her meticulousness made her come off a bit nerdy.
I asked her why she wanted it, and she replied:
“I want to look at the magic stone’s inscription a bit more closely.”
Having a rough idea of what she wanted to do, I lent it to her gladly.
It’s not like I was giving it to her to use. Seria wouldn’t be borrowing it for that purpose anyway.
Besides, this tool which merely bounces off low-level magic wouldn’t hold much value for anyone above the lower class.
But it was certain that through this item, she would learn a technique, and that skill would take the already strong Seria to another level.
I mean, I was the one in this body, but judging by the growth rate, it’d be believable if she said she was the reincarnated one.
“Are you really Seria?”
“Why are you asking that out of the blue while we’re eating?”
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