Hall of Struggle
This place is bustling with a lively crowd, as numerous students from Claris participate in the rank battle, with matches taking place simultaneously in eight different arenas.
– “Hey, over there, are those the two war heroes? Have you seen their faces?”
– “Shh, they’ll hear you! They’re people I admire!”
– “So, Caeran Hiss is here to watch, huh?”
– “I guess so. This is the only notable matchup in the morning…”
In the coliseum where the rank battle between Caeran Hiss and Lev Denec is held, two war heroes are seated in the special seats.
With her green hair crossed and arms folded, Scarlet whispered to Dustin.
“Umberto, still no word from him today?”
“Yeah. He should have arrived by now.”
It’s not a wartime situation, so it’s not like all ten are congregated together; however, this time, three individuals, including Umberto, had planned to attend the academy.
But they had been out of contact for several days.
“Sigh, who is he helping now?”
Thinking that, Scarlet soon diverted her attention to the gray-haired boy ahead.
“By the way, that little rat isn’t ordinary, huh?”
“Maybe.”
These two had the duty of scouting a successor, that is, a hero, to be in charge of purification at the sanctuary directly assigned by the royal family.
Besides well-known geniuses like Caeran, Melissa, Aveline, and Lily, there are rare instances where an unlikely student can rise from the bottom.
Dustin himself was one such case.
The duel they had decided to watch first was, of course, Lev Denec.
“A fight between rank B and rank S…”
Dustin had researched Lev Denec and found he had a record of defeating upperclassmen of the Marksman class.
Though overshadowed by Caeran, he also had significant attention-worthy value.
Most importantly, the two had witnessed Lev Denec’s performance firsthand…
At that moment, a man approached the two.
“Oh, I found you here.”
“Sir Rezilus… or should I call you Guild Master now?”
“Haha, I suppose so?”
Rizilus, who once served as the head of the first knights of the royal family, had a white complexion without a single scar, with only deep lines etched in his forehead, giving off a refined gentleman feel with his slicked-back hair.
His impression was serious rather than approachable; he was someone Scarlet had felt uncomfortable around during her time as the royal magician.
‘Ugh. To see this man here.’
She had heard that he retired from the knights and created his own guild, Crow Pay, but she was unaware of his intentions.
As the three exchanged awkward greetings, an announcement came from a speaker made of magical items.
– “We will now begin the rank battle for the first-year students, Group A-4.”
“It seems they’re starting,” Rezilus commented, and everyone turned their focus forward.
*
“Rank B, Lev Denec, and rank S, Caeran Hiss, please come forward.”
As Vice Instructor Bella signaled with an expression that seemed to say, “You again…,” we stood opposite each other.
– Waaah!
– Caeran! Show us!
‘Why am I getting nervous?’
After all, it was the starting match of the rank battle, so it looked like more people than expected were keen to watch our duel.
– Oooooh!
– Fighting!!! Show us the dignity of rank S!
The cheers were on a different level from the shouts one might hear in games or novels.
It felt genuinely real.
Well, most of them were likely here to witness the self-righteous character, who would be humiliated by Caeran.
Caeran gently smiled and extended his hand for a handshake.
“I see you again. I thought you’d reject my invitation in the end.”
“Why would I miss an opportunity for a free promotion?”
With my naturally provocative response, Caeran just smiled back at me.
Yeah, I hope that smile will be his last this time.
‘This is just the beginning.’
Controlling him could be seen as the first step in my academy life.
Whether it’s this guy or any other, the third and fourth years are in a league of their own… in this amazing academy where demon creatures showing up and betrayals are an everyday affair.
– Waaaaah!
As the cheering continued, Bella began explaining the rules.
“The detailed rules of the rank battle, as well as the judgment of victories and disqualifications, will be determined according to the academy’s regulations.”
Unlike the ruckus from the crowd, the rank battle proceeded with somber seriousness.
Rumor had it that if the MC came out and tried to trigger dirty talk, they would end up humiliating the nobles—some outdated thinking.
The fanfic writer was stringent about such needless setups and authenticity.
“If both are ready, please put on your protective gear.”
At Bella’s instruction, we equipped the duel protective gear.
‘No gray ash or demon transformation, we have to fight without them.’
As I steadied my mind, an announcement echoed.
– “Now beginning the match for Group A-4.”
With that, Bella began the countdown.
“30 seconds until start.”
– Swoosh…
Caeran unknowingly adjusted his stance.
Naturally, the point of the rank battle wasn’t to kill each other from the get-go.
However, I could certainly sense an intent to kill from that smiling face of his.
He probably sees me as a thorn in his side.
– Ding!
—————————————————
[Caeran Hiss]
▶[Average Status]
: 4.1
▶[Specialization]
Sword Proficiency (7)
Circle Magic (5)
▶[Unique Traits]
Elasticity (Lv.5) (Detailed info not available)
Spirit (Lv.2) (Detailed info not available)
Massacre (Lv.2) (Detailed info not available)
Immunity (Lv.2) (Detailed info not available)
Fortuitous (Lv.None) (Detailed info not available)
Copy (Lv.None) (Detailed info not available)
Battle Recovery (Lv.2) (Detailed info not available)
Absolute Growth (Lv.2) (Detailed info not available)
—————————————————
‘Wow, he’s growing.’
From the perspective of magic, this kid had improved even more than before.
And to suppress that insane growth, I must successfully latch onto him.
—————————————————
[Registered General Techniques: 5]
—————————————————
▶[Copy: Fireball (Proficient)][Lv.Max] (Active) (Basic Technique) (Infected!)
: 1st Circle Magic – Maximal version of the Fireball.
High magic consumption but allows complete manipulation of fireballs.
(*Changes to blue flame!)
Exp: (Max)
Difficulty of acquisition: Normal
[*Skill levels will constantly decrease]
[*As skill levels drop, parasite worms will form in the body.]
[*When a specified skill ceases, it will transition to the next skill.]
—————————————————
The key is how will he steal this [Copy: Fireball].
‘Huh…’
Let’s recall what happened in the fanfic.
In his rank battle with Edwin,
He initially had the upper hand but was pushed back midway when Edwin’s perseverance and unique traits manifested.
Just as the battle seemed to lean toward Edwin’s favor, he used Copy.
Even if the most heartless writer devised a system that allowed unlimited usage of Copy, that wouldn’t be the case.
The trigger would definitely be when he’s backed into a corner or when the ‘massacre mode’ is active.
At that moment, Caeran’s portrayal in the narration tends to be filled with middle-school angst-like thoughts such as,
‘There’s no other way…?’ or ‘Alright, shall we start from now?’
‘Typical self-insert stuff…’
Anyway, to induce that situation, I need to recreate a setting as similar to Edwin’s match as possible.
I need to excite him to the max.
– 10 seconds.
Caeran is melee-oriented.
His stance is calm, but he has the energy of someone who could spring into action at any moment.
On the other hand, I’m ranged, and he is likely anticipating my first strike.
– 5 seconds.
To avoid it, I doubt he would charge straight forward.
Even if he takes a slightly roundabout route, he’ll be confident in his agility and try to chase after me.
– 1 second.
But I’m not lacking in agility either.
Thanks to the blessing of the Spirit King, my speed is boosted.
Above all, at this point, Caeran still has no ‘real combat experience.’
That is his weakness.
– Begin!
– Pavap!
As the starting sound echoed, his new form vanished.
I didn’t panic.
– Whoosh!
Calmly, I deployed [Wind Archery – Second Form: Wind Barrier].
– Ding!
[Wind Power 25 used! 135/160]
I had practiced just this in the training room for several days.
*
Victory requires strategy.
However, that concept meant nothing to genius Caeran.
‘The skill difference is definitely there~.’
He believes victory will naturally fall into his hands.
Instead of pondering such unproductive thoughts, it was more crucial for him to think about how to torment the opponent for as long as possible.
Since there were so many eyes watching, he pondered if he should ease up a bit, but ultimately, he didn’t want to show any mercy to me.
His priority was simply to beat me senseless and squish that uninspired face of mine.
– Start!
– Tap tap tap!
Caeran lunged forward, and he charged at me in an instant.
– Peeing!
And as expected, the arrows flew toward him.
They were far too slow… for him.
– Clang clang clang!
Caeran dodged some and deflected others, minimizing his movements.
Then, he quickly closed the distance, preparing for a head-on confrontation with Lev Denec.
In a melee fight against a ranged character, it’s quite simple.
Typically, marksmen would initiate the attack as soon as the battle starts, and Lev Denec would do the same.
‘…?’
But that was really all there was to it.
I expected him to show at least some grappling techniques like he displayed against Galeon, but there was none of that.
– Clang!
As the distance diminished, he didn’t use rapid-fire or multiple shots either.
‘Huh? Is he underestimating me?’
When Caeran evaded every one of my bolts and closed in on Lev, he declared, ‘You… just die.’
Using his speed, he unleashed a flurry of strikes with the dual swords he held.
– Clang!
The strikes… rained down.
Left, down, right… his movements confined Lev, closing in on him.
– Clang clang!
Like a dance, it was swift, precise, and controlled.
– Waaaaah!!
– How fast is he!?
But contrary to the audience’s cheers, Caeran’s successive strikes were not causing any significant damage.
‘Just some fancy tricks…?’
The reason was evident: the swords were meant for sparring, and he was surrounded by an inexplicable transparent barrier.
‘So he was relying on this, huh?’
A smirk escaped my lips at the shoddy display.
When Caeran paused his flurry, creating a momentary distance, Lev retaliated.
– Peeing!
“!”
In a split second, a bolt struck Caeran.
– Ping!
The arrow that could’ve been a clean hit was blocked by Caeran’s sword gripped in his left hand.
“Sorry, but a technique like yours won’t work on me.”
“Too bad.”
“What?”
Maybe it was due to Lev’s nonchalant expression, but Caeran’s body began to heat up.
– Clang! Clang!
His movements grew increasingly frantic.
– Chak! Crack!
The protective barrier was magical.
So, it was bound to have limits in its mana, and while he aimed to become a marksman, he was still in melee range.
If he pressed on, I was certain a flaw would emerge.
It’s said that once a marksman engages in close combat with a melee fighter, the fight is already decided.
– Bang! Crash!
As Lev struggled to even focus on aiming or retaliating, Caeran savagely began to rain blows.
– Clang clang!
His previously calculated strikes became increasingly violent.
After dozens of exchanges, it finally happened.
– Thud!!
Caeran felt a thrilling sensation of striking home.
‘So, this was the spot, huh?’
A clean hit registered on Lev’s body.
– Thud! Clang!
‘Getting this close renders those quarreling bolts useless, eh?’
Lev Denec could do nothing now.
His mysterious barrier seemed fully broken, and he was merely attempting to avoid the hits and take them as lightly as possible.
Yet, whether he was aware of the crisis or not, his expression remained emotionless, and he stifled any groans, further igniting Caeran’s rage.
– Gooooo…
My blood boiled. I felt exhilarated.
The only thing in my sights was Lev Denec.
The inherited ability ‘Massacre’ was tightening around him more and more.
As if it craved slaughter.
That’s when it happened.
– Tap!
“!!”
It seemed Lev stumbled, and with a small “uh” sound, his vital area opened up completely.
Caeran wouldn’t let that chance slip.
He concentrated every nerve into one place.
‘It’s over, isn’t it??’
– Whoosh!!
– Clang!
“?!”
– Cha cha cha cha cha!!
But his strike was wholly absorbed by the multiple layers of Lev’s last barrier.
“?”
And in that moment, a shadow fell above Caeran’s head.
– Thud!!!!
With a heavy, dull noise, the red-haired new form collapsed.
– Thud.
He tumbled. Flopped. The world turned upside down.
– …
A cold, hard sensation hit his cheek. A pounding headache.
– UWAAAAAAAH!
– What’s going on!!
Voices of the audience echoed from all sides.
Confused sounds mixed together.
‘Ugh…’
Caeran instinctively stood up from the ground.
“…Ugh.”
Lev Denec strutted just a bit away, clutching his crossbow as if it were a club, showcasing how ridiculous this was.
While Caeran had been thinking only of the trajectory of the bolts during the battle, he had swung with his full force to the side of Caeran’s head.
‘That crazy bastard…!’
I had let my guard down.
From the very beginning, he had no intention of shooting arrows or being evaluated as a marksman.
His stumbling act and the opening he created were snags solely to perform a counterattack.
“This bastard is so infuriating…?”
With Caeran’s accelerating momentum, it delivered an immense impact.
His head throbbed.
His vision blurred slightly.
However, Lev Denec must’ve also taken quite a bit of damage.
“Hah. Hah.”
He seemed even more exhausted than myself.
While his movements appeared decent, the issue lay in his stamina and strength, which were overwhelmingly inadequate compared to his opponent.
Moreover, if it came down to it, Caeran could also use magic.
But I didn’t wish to win like this.
– WOAOAOOO!!!
For just a brief moment, his misstep had been on display to a multitude of spectators, and to eradicate those ridiculous emotions within me,
I needed to ensure that Lev felt the wall of despair.
In that case, I would reverse his tactics.
– Stagger.
Caeran feigned a stumble, pretending he hadn’t yet fully recovered.
– Waaaaah!
The audience erupted with cheers.
I was giving him a chance to deliver a finishing blow.
‘Come on, show me your techniques, trash.’
After all, he had elasticity, immunity, and the capabilities given by the god… whether it be magic, swordsmanship, or whatever he had seen.
One lapse in focus would be enough.
I needed to entice his ultimate technique, copy it, steal his weapon, and retaliate with his stolen moves.
Just then,
– Flare!
His crossbow ignited in blue flames.
– Twist!
“Ugh…!”
With all that excitement and a pounding headache still plaguing him, the cool voice echoed in Caeran’s mind.
– The blue… the blue… Wind Archery… Wind Archery… is being used.
Information About Lev Denec that Scarlet had heard from Selena flashed across Caeran’s mind.
A sly grin crept onto his face.
‘Is this my feast…?’
Now, the real game was beginning.
