The students who watched the battle scene between Group 8 in the waiting room were all speechless, awed, and excited.
"Wow, it turns out they said they were the strongest group in our class for a reason."
"Even though it's their first time fighting a Cyclops… excluding Knox, of course."
"That's right. Even though it wasn't Knox but Cindy who went out as the main combatant, still, what she showed just now was really amazing!"
"Cindy's last spell was amazing too. Did she already create an original black magic?"
Rick said, nudging Simon with his elbow.
"Simon, did you see Knox just now?"
"Yeah. Two summons moved at the same time. Moreover, those summons were Death Knights. Although I've never seen a Death Knight before, seeing it directly—and hearing the reactions of the students here—I know Death Knights are high-ranking summons…"
Simon shook his head in disbelief.
"It's really difficult to control multiple summons at the same time, but Knox makes it look so easy. And those summons were Death Knights."
Rick nodded and continued.
"Besides, that thing earlier—its movement was similar to Skeleton Dash. It's a technique that can be said to incorporate the Pitch-Black Discharge we learned in our martial arts class into summoned creatures."
"Really? I've only heard the name…" Simon said.
"Usually, it takes around the second semester before you can even try it in practice. But Knox used it in the first semester assignment. Well, as expected of Knox, I guess," Rick said.
Simon muttered softly, still staring at the training ground in a daze.
"…What can't he do?"
Rick shrugged and smiled.
"Well, first of all, even before this simulation, we already knew Knox was the strongest in our class. And there's a high chance he's also the strongest in our batch," Rick said.
Meanwhile, Meilyn was quietly staring at the monitor. She was lost in thought while checking the results of Group 8's battle.
As expected… that team is the most dangerous opponent, not only in the beginner black magic group assignment, Meilyn thought.
For Meilyn, who was aiming for first place in Class A,
Group 8, led by Knox—the strongest group—was the team she had to be the most wary of.
It's a shame that Knox didn't step forward himself, so she couldn't assess his abilities, Meilyn thought with a sigh.
But… I'll be the one laughing last.
With her resolve firm, Meilyn turned to her teammates and spoke.
"Guys, we cannot lose!"
At her voice, the three members of Group 7 silently nodded.
Meanwhile, there was another person who, like Meilyn, was keeping an eye on Knox.
"…Group 8's record already surpassed ours," said one of Hector's teammates.
"Hector, are you sure you're okay?" another teammate asked.
"It's not a matter of whether I'm okay or not. We cannot stay still like this," Hector said, gritting his teeth.
"Yeah, I understand," one of his teammates replied.
He was none other than Hector.
For him, who had been behind Knox in both the written test and the practical training, this assignment was a crucial one that had to be won.
This time, you win… Knox Aznable1!, Hector muttered in his mind.
With this, Hector's anger and hatred toward Knox deepened even further.
Then, while Group 8 was still surrounded by cheering students and receiving praise from all directions, Group 7 made their way toward them.
"Yo, Group 8, well done!" Rick called out, waving his hand.
"You guys are amazing," Cami said with a bright smile.
"Hmph. Not bad," Meilyn added, crossing her arms.
"Indeed. You guys can't imagine the expressions on the students' faces when they saw your performance," Simon said.
Hearing the familiar voices, the members of Group 8 turned toward Group 7.
"Ohhh, hello there! Hehe, not bad, right?" Cindy said smugly, lifting her chin like a proud cat showing off.
"Thank you, guys! You all did well too just now," Claudia replied with a polite smile.
"Mm… thank you," Merida said softly.
"Thank you for the praise, guys," Knox added with a relaxed smile. "But don't be surprised too soon, because this is just the 'opening scene'~."
Hearing that, everyone there—including the members of Group 7—opened their eyes wide.
Rick was the first to react. He spoke nervously, as if he had just heard something unbelievable.
"Huh? What do you mean by opening scene?"
Knox simply smiled.
"Well… it's just a little bit of an appetizer~," he said casually, raising one hand and making a gesture with his thumb and index finger.
A gesture meant to show just a little bit.
But somehow—
The distance between his thumb and index finger looked less like "a little" and more like the distance between the sky and the ground.
Seeing Knox's not-so-subtle smile combined with that ridiculous hand gesture, the surrounding students reacted in various ways.
Some froze.
Some rubbed their foreheads.
Some twitched at the corners of their mouths.
Group 7 was no exception.
Meilyn said nothing.
"…."
But the corner of her mouth twitched slightly as she clenched her fist so tightly that her hand began to tremble.
Simon stared at Knox for a moment before letting out a small sigh.
"…I don't even know how to comment on that."
Cindy burst out laughing beside Knox. "HAHA! See? Even Simon doesn't know what to say anymore!"
Claudia covered her mouth politely, trying to suppress a smile. "…Knox, you really shouldn't provoke people like that."
Merida glanced at Knox lazily before muttering in her usual quiet voice. "…He already did."
Meanwhile, Knox only chuckled softly, looking completely unbothered by the reactions around him.
Then, while Simon was still in the middle of his confusion about life, a familiar voice suddenly rang inside his head.
[Boy, this friend of yours… how should I put it…]
'Pier?' Simon replied in his mind.
[I thought Richard, your father, was already a monstrous genius. But… looking at this guy—Knox—even your father would be shocked.]
'Is Knox really that monstrous?' Simon asked inwardly.
[Calling him a monster would still be underestimating him.]
Pier paused for a moment before continuing.
[First, I don't think there has ever been a first-year student in Kizen's history who could summon and control a Death Knight—especially two Death Knights.]
…
Simon fell silent.
[Second, did you see the way he controlled those Death Knights?]
'Yeah… it was amazing', Simon admitted in his mind.
[More than amazing! The way he controlled them—it looked effortless! That level of control is already at least on par with a third-year student… or even a professional necromancer.]
Simon unconsciously glanced toward Knox, who was still chatting casually with Cindy and the others as if nothing extraordinary had happened.
Pier continued, his tone turning more serious.
[And that's not the most frightening part.]
'What do you mean?'
[Normally, when someone controls high-rank undead like Death Knights, they must concentrate almost entirely on maintaining the summoning and command link.]
[But that boy… he was issuing orders to his summons, analyzing the battlefield, guiding his teammates, and even casting support magic at the same time.]
Simon's eyes widened slightly.
Now that Pier mentioned it—
It was true...
Knox had been doing all of that so naturally that no one had even questioned it.
[That level of multitasking control… even among professional necromancers, it's rare.]
Pier let out a low chuckle.
[Boy, if this Knox Aznable keeps growing at this rate… the entire continent will eventually learn his name.]
Simon stared quietly at Knox again.
"Well, to be precise, his name is already famous in the Dark Alliance," said Simon to Pier in his mind.
[Huh?] said Pier.
'Huh? I never mentioned it to you? Before Knox was admitted to Kizen, he was already famous as a bounty hunter. Not only that, he is also very famous as a writer and author. His books have already resounded across the entire continent', said Simon in his mind to Pier.
[....Looks like I still underestimated him] said Pier.
Then Pier suddenly seemed to remember something.
[Now that I think about it...]
For a brief moment, a certain figure flashed across Pier's mind.
A man who once appeared in the Restricted Forest.
Jin.
The Eighth Legion Commander.
The calm posture.
The overwhelming control over undead.
The way he commanded his summons as if they were extensions of his own limbs.
For a split second, the image of Jin overlapped with Knox.
But almost immediately, Pier shook the thought away.
[No no, it's impossible.]
Simon tilted his head and asked, "Huh? What is impossible?"
[No... never mind] said Pier.
Simon frowned slightly, feeling that Pier had almost said something important.
But since Pier refused to continue, Simon could only let the matter go.
Meanwhile, not far from him, Knox was still laughing and chatting casually with Cindy and the others, as if completely unaware of the strange suspicion that had just crossed Pier's mind.