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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Mock Battle Continues
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The mock battles continued.
Some sought to raise their ranks.
Others fought to defend theirs.
A fierce struggle ensued among the students.
Jerion Academy was a meritocracy.
Students with higher grades received greater support and benefits.
Moreover, this place was like a microcosm of the vast global society.
A place where the children of numerous high-ranking nobles and future renowned heroes spent their youth.
Making a name for oneself at Jerion Academy was synonymous with making a name for oneself across the entire world.
Thus, the students were even more desperate to climb the ranks.
It was a time when the students' passion burned so intensely that even the professors watched the mock battles with caution.
In this very moment, someone dashed across the arena.
Wham!
My fist landed precisely on my opponent's jaw.
"Ugh... you crazy bastard."
With a single blow, my opponent lost consciousness and crumbled weakly.
He had been dragged into a prolonged battle of attrition all day.
I had waited for him to tire himself out and seize the moment he faltered.
The students' gazes briefly converged on this spot.
"What rank was that?"
"Thirtieth."
"..."
All the disparaging voices had vanished.
Instead, an expression of wariness began to settle on their faces.
A relentless winning streak, unstoppable as a bamboo splitting.
Already seventeen students had fallen to my fists.
And all of them had been defeated in the same manner as Mirizen, who was the first to face me.
"Is he a brawler?"
"But he hardly used his fists in combat."
"Most of them lost due to exhaustion."
"He's deliberately hiding his true abilities."
"His durability is impressive too. He took several solid hits and still shrugged them off."
The students were slowly starting to grasp my true skill.
Which meant I was becoming a threat to them.
'I've managed to get this far by relying on endurance and prolonged battles.'
But there was a limit to everything.
As my rank climbed, so did the opponents' skill, and simply avoiding them was reaching its limit.
Just moments ago, I had allowed several effective blows.
'Good thing I have Iron Skin.'
Otherwise, some of those blows would have been truly dangerous.
'Now, for the mid-ranks.'
Only opponents against whom such tactics wouldn't work remained.
Moreover, even with Iron Skin, there were some who wouldn't be stopped.
CRASH!
At that moment, an ear-splitting crash followed.
I turned my head in that direction to see a green-haired man, his hair tied in a ponytail, rolling on the ground before Isabel.
Number 9, Zelrond Baxis.
"Ugh..."
Standing before him was a girl with honey-blonde hair fluttering in the air.
Wielding a crystal-shaped dagger and a longsword, it was Isabel Luna.
Unlike her usual self, she gazed down at Zelrond with cold eyes.
Isabel was famous for being ruthless in combat.
Normally a very bright and lovely girl, she would enter a state of intense focus, as if becoming a different person, once battle began.
But today, she felt even sharper than usual.
"Isabel, hasn't her skill improved?"
"She has been going to the training hall by herself lately."
"She's going to climb even higher."
The students also reacted with surprise at Isabel's skill.
Isabel had originally been among the top ranks.
However, after Lucas's death, she had lost all motivation, and her rank had steadily fallen.
But today, she revealed a markedly different side of herself.
Beyond her prime.
An even greater momentum emanated from her.
Isabel's head turned.
Her sun-like eyes met mine directly.
Within her eyes, a deep flame of fury flickered.
I clearly understood why she had regained her strength and become stronger.
It was as good as her saying she would definitely defeat me and get an apology for slandering Lucas.
'Burning brightly, isn't she?'
I couldn't be more grateful for such motivation.
It meant I had successfully become Isabel's life goal.
'Keep growing strong, Isabel.'
While you're at it, let that grudge grow even bigger.
As I caught my breath, I noticed the first-years engaging in a mock battle.
In the distance, there was a monstrously strong individual swinging a greatsword wildly.
Aisha Bizbell, the Greatsword Ironwoman.
A student who charged at her was struck by the greatsword and sent flying.
Yet, he managed to land, seemingly having barely avoided the full impact, and looked at Aisha with a weary expression.
But Aisha, her dark blue long hair billowing, wore an even more impassioned expression.
Normally diligent and hardworking, she would get that wild look in her eyes whenever she picked up a greatsword.
'I've been on the receiving end of that myself.'
I recalled the day I sparred with Aisha before the mock battles and let out a bitter laugh.
Just watching it made my side ache.
"Rank 29, Seron Parmia. Rank 30, Hanon Airey."
As I watched Aisha finally finish off her opponent with her greatsword, the assistant's voice called my name.
I shifted my gaze, and one of the girls who always badmouthed me stepped forward.
A burgundy ponytail and a headband pushing her hair back to reveal her forehead.
And she wore clothes a bit too large for her, as if deliberately trying to emphasize her cuteness.
One of the four girls who constantly slandered me, day in and day out: Seron Parmia.
The moment her eyes met mine, she scoffed.
"What are you looking at, you burnt sweet potato?"
Oh, really?
What kind of insult is "burnt sweet potato"?
She stepped onto the arena first.
"Seron, show him what for!"
"Teach that nasty guy a lesson!"
"You're dead, Seron!"
The voices from the stands were loud.
Seron wore a triumphant expression amidst their cheers.
"Don't think those cheap tricks will work on me. You'll die, sweet potato."
She warned me.
It was a warning that trying to wear her down and seize victory through attrition, as I had in previous matches, wouldn't work.
Furthermore, I knew the nickname attached to her.
'Seron, the Unlucky.'
She had no innate luck.
Not only did unlucky things happen to her during every mock battle, pushing her rank below her actual skill,
But for some unknown reason, misfortune constantly struck her, often landing her in the infirmary.
Whoosh!
Then, Seron drew two axes from her waist simultaneously.
Her auxiliary skills were genuine.
She definitely didn't have the skill to remain in the lower-mid ranks.
'Her stats were actually the strongest among the quartet.'
But as I said before, she was unlucky.
"Yeah, I know."
I picked up a piece of equipment from the weapon rack below the arena.
Seron's eyes slowly widened when she saw it.
What I picked up was one thing.
A shield.
I hadn't used a weapon until now.
When I picked up a shield at this moment, her eyes narrowed sharply.
It was a natural reaction, as all the data she had gathered on me would become meaningless.
"You think a shield will change anything?"
As she reacted with disbelief, I stepped onto the arena.
"Can't be helped, can it?"
I then casually raised the shield.
"Your forehead was just too shiny, hurting my eyes. I needed something to cover it."
Twitch!
I saw a vein pop on Seron's forehead.
"What about my forehead, you say?"
As expected of someone who uses cheap taunts, she fell for a cheap taunt easily.
Simple.
"Begin."
She's coming.
The moment I sensed it, my shield moved instinctively.
CLANG!
With a fierce clang, Seron's axe struck my shield.
Contrary to her appearance, Seron's axe, wielded with great strength, left a heavy impact.
"To Belle!"
Seron's eyes sparked with fire as she spoke Isabel's nickname.
"I hated you ever since you started talking nonsense!"
CLANG!
I blocked another axe swing with my shield.
Maintaining her axe-swinging posture, she twisted her body, continuously unleashing her auxiliary skills.
"Now I see clearly!"
Hiss!
Along with that, an ignition sound came from the tip of her axe.
At the same time, flames enveloped the shield.
Seron's unique trait: 'Ignited Axe'.
BOOOOM!
With an explosion, I took a step back.
Her Ignited Axe caused an explosion upon contact.
A faint smell of gunpowder tickled my nose.
The shock of the explosion, transmitted through the shield, made my arm tingle.
"Just become a burnt sweet potato!"
With a powerful push, Seron used her flexible body to unleash a relentless barrage of attacks.
Each time, I repeatedly blocked her axes with my shield.
My body was constantly being pushed back.
I realized Seron's intention.
She intended to push me completely out of the arena.
'Since mock battles have an out-of-bounds rule.'
It was a pretty good judgment.
But as I said before, Seron was unlucky.
Just before I stepped out of the arena, my foot took a step forward for the first time.
Seron's eyes immediately noticed the movement of my foot.
As expected of a master of auxiliary skills, her eyes were sharp.
But it didn't matter.
My shield, pushed forward at an unexpected moment, collided with Seron's axe.
CLANG!
The force applied to the axe and the force applied to the shield clashed simultaneously.
As a result, both the axe and the shield bounced off in different directions.
It was the result of their forces canceling each other out.
But Seron didn't have just one axe.
The auxiliary skill she wielded was twin axes.
The axe in her other hand swiftly lunged towards my unguarded body.
Seron's eyes already held the certainty of victory.
Just before her axe reached me, I extended my left arm towards the axe instead.
Seron's eyes widened.
Although the axes were magically treated by the academy so their blades wouldn't cause injury,
Her axes were imbued with her unique trait, 'Ignited Axe'.
It was a situation where her left arm could potentially be blown off.
Even with top-tier healers on standby, it was an outrageous act.
Grit!
But a match was a match. Seron, unconcerned, poured all her strength into the axe.
Her intention was to make me feel some real pain this time.
And her axe connected with my arm.
BOOOOOM!
An explosion ripped through the surroundings.
A direct hit.
The moment certainty of victory filled Seron's eyes.
Whoosh!
A hand shot out from the smoke and firmly grabbed Seron by the collar.
Seron's eyes bulged.
"Huh?!"
A dumbfounded reaction burst from her lips.
And no wonder, this was clearly the arm her Ignited Axe had struck.
Even if it hadn't been blown off, it should have at least been twisted out of shape.
But here it was, perfectly fine, grabbing her by the collar.
Seron's thoughts momentarily froze.
However, her body moved instinctively.
The axe she had swung instantly returned to her hand and lunged towards the arm gripping her collar.
BOOOOM!
Another explosion reverberated as the Ignited Axe activated.
Just when she thought it surely must have been shattered this time.
WHOOSH!
Her body was instantly lifted into the air and sent flying.
Horror filled Seron's eyes.
My arm was still perfectly fine.
Again, Seron was unlucky.
And no wonder, she met me in an early mock battle.
My trait, obtained from the Iron Empress: Iron Skin.
Iron Skin granted two effects.
Weakening of physical and slashing attacks. And fire immunity.
To pierce my Iron Skin, one would need more firepower than the dozens of Fire Essences I had used.
Seron's Ignited Axe wasn't even close.
The shield was merely a feint, intended to make Seron mistakenly believe her attacks would work.
And so, I slammed the perfectly fooled Seron straight down from mid-air.
CRASH!
Seron's legs and arms, slammed onto the bare ground, shot up stiffly into the air.
At the same time, her arms and legs slowly drooped downwards.
Her body trembled faintly.
"Hic... hiccup..."
A faint sound escaped her lips.
Her body quivered like a hunted small animal.
Seeing this, I lightly shook my left arm.
Even with Iron Skin, there wasn't absolutely no impact.
I had to use a trick against a skilled opponent sooner than expected, but it wasn't something good to do often.
Step-
I took a step towards Seron.
"Ugh, hic, ugh!"
Seron thrashed, trying to push herself up.
But having been slammed into the ground with full force, she couldn't get up on her own.
Perhaps due to the lighting, shadows fell across my face.
Seeing me slowly close in, Seron trembled with fear.
"D-don't, don't come!"
Having lost all her momentum from moments ago, she shrieked in terror.
I watched her for a moment, then grinned.
"I'll be right there."
Taste the burnt sweet potato.
And then, without mercy, I raised my fist.
"N-noooo!"
My descending fist landed squarely on Seron's face.
CRUNCH!
She shuddered once, then went limp.
Her daintily gathered, slender legs no longer held any strength.
"Rank 30, Hanon Airey, wins."
With the assistant's brief announcement, I raised my head.
The students, who hadn't expected Seron to be so utterly defeated, were struck dumb.
Especially the faces of the other three members of the quartet were a sight to behold.
I made eye contact with them.
It was a warning that they wouldn't be any different; if anything, their fate might be even worse.
See clearly just how terrifying a burnt sweet potato can be.