150 – End of the Second Day

Rohan, masked, brandishing a sword and pistol.

The blade, heated to a brilliant glow, asserted its presence clearly within the green haze.

The sight of Rohan charging, sword swinging, was ferocious enough to evoke the image of a wild beast.

Instructor Ed swiftly drew the hand axe from his waist.

Where Noah’s immense axe was a longsword, the instructor’s was a dagger. A humble size, yet weapons display wildly varying performance depending on who wields them.

*Clang!* *Crash!*

Each time the axe’s single edge deflected the blade, sparks erupted in a dazzling display.

Even incoming bullets were cleaved asunder with axe blows, like splitting firewood.

Instructor Ed’s demeanor, gripping his weapon, was brutal. The usual relaxed air had vanished without a trace.

The movement of his axe striking downwards was conspicuously fast.

A rudimentary indication of just how many times Instructor Ed had lived through an axe’s descent.

‘There aren’t any opportunities to capitalize on weapon reach.’

Time to stop circling and engage. Bore through. He needed to push through that brutality to find a path forward.

Rohan took a large step, igniting a wave of flames.

[Dual Sword – Dawnfall Duskrise]

*Whoosh!* Mana transformed into flames, brimming with heat and surging forward.

The instructor’s single-edged axe flashed violently, cleaving through the searing wave.

Still, the distance closed undeniably.

Rohan’s radiance and the instructor’s hand axe— *clack-clack!*— continued their struggle of strength, emitting a metallic din.

“Instructor. You still haven’t given me the final explanation.”

“…”

“Aren’t you going to tell me?”

“…”

As Rohan spoke, masked, the instructor’s expression became peculiar.

He continued the grapple, his thoughts racing.

‘To prompt conversation? Or is it a transdermal poison, seeping into the skin? If so, it’s more likely a power-scattering toxin… Honestly, these kids these days are terrifying.’

A power-scattering toxin, disrupting the flow of mana, is best countered by time.

It possesses no lethal force. The true efficacy of a power-scattering toxin reveals itself in the user’s subsequent actions.

‘If this is a power-scattering toxin, the students watching nearby have nothing to fear.’

But Rohan receives no answer. Ed has already inhaled the green smoke once, and is now holding his breath.

It’s not a matter of a delayed response. It is simply the fate of an instructor to be forced to inhale the smoke at times.

Waiting to see if the toxin takes effect.

If this smoke possesses toxicity as potent as its appearance suggests, he will have to release his mana restriction and deal with it to prevent casualties among the surrounding students.

‘Mana is flowing smoothly… still quiet. Even if power-scattering toxins are slow, they shouldn’t be *this* slow…’

Instructor Ed focused on his body’s senses and continued to swing his axe.

Clang! Thwack! Bang! Bang!

Even as he attempted to disengage, Rohan relentlessly pursued him, drawing on his mana without restraint.

His trajectory was exceedingly bothersome.

“Hoo.”

As time passed, the instructor created some distance first. And resumed his breath.

The assessment was complete.

“It wasn’t a toxin. Just colored smoke. I needlessly panicked… showing off moves and wasting mana, eh?”

Instructor Ed said with conviction.

“I thought you’d realize it sooner.”

Rohan roughly ripped off the now-useless gas mask.

He kicked the falling mask, sending it flying towards the instructor. The mask was split in two by the instructor’s axe and tumbled to the ground.

“An instructor can’t just make snap judgments based on appearances, you know.”

The boredom that had lingered in the instructor’s eyes began to fade, replaced by a growing excitement.

Click!

Rohan ejected the empty magazine from his pistol, replacing it with one loaded with special rounds, then re-gripped his sword.

Ed watched Rohan, the corners of his lips tilting upwards.

‘Mad lad.’

Not something an instructor should say about a student. But it was genuine praise.

He still found it hard to believe that someone who could so thoroughly scramble his brain was just a student.

“Student Rohan. The instructor’s head is buzzing, which means I’m in a very good mood.”

“I figured you wouldn’t abide anything troublesome.”

“You’re right. I loathe trouble. Even so, anticipating variables in combat? The enjoyment outweighs the hassle.”

The grip of the instructor tightened around his hand axe.

He kept his focus on the directions the blade and gun barrel pointed.

‘This year’s first-years have already surpassed the second-years by a significant margin.’

The average is high, incredibly so. And the talents who stand out from that high average, they shine brilliantly.

All the instructors acknowledge it about this year’s first-years.

‘On top of that, this Rohan fellow is certainly…unique.’

It’s not like Ichinose Yui or Noah Frozenheart, where you get the feeling of a prodigy receiving great education and support, thriving in full bloom!

It’s hard to explain precisely, but this kid is definitely different.

— Is this smoke alright?

— Let’s fall back, just in case…

— Are they fighting inside?

The cadets, horrified by the green smoke Rohan unleashed, were increasing the distance even further.

Inside, the chilling clang of metal and the sound of gunfire.

Sporadic flashes of fire.

Only questions filled their minds about the internal situation.

The smoke cleared with a gust of wind, revealing the two figures to the cadets.

The chaotic melee continued unabated.

*Kaaang!* Rohan, having blocked the descending axe, was dripping with sweat.

“Instructor. Are you familiar with Ricochet?”

“More like, ‘Do you know the way?’…”

Of course, he knew. As a result, the instructor’s gaze couldn’t ignore his sidearm, shifting to the pistol.

The recently reloaded magazine was a concern.

The pistol he had used so wildly was now silent.

In a split second, Rohan twisted his blade and thrust.

That allowed each of them to step back, and Ed caught sight of Rohan’s appearance.

‘…I got too worked up against a student.’

Of course, there were no deep wounds. But blood was dripping steadily from various places on Rohan’s body.

This would pass muster for the practical exam, I reckon, but it still sat wrong with Ed himself.

“I’m uncanny at deflection calculations. Can see exactly where a bullet’ll ricochet the moment I fire.”

“You some kind of elf, boy?”

“Just a prodigy, sir.”

“Hoh.”

Deflection, pure and simple, was when a bullet in flight struck something and bounced, changing its angle. Back in the world he knew, it was largely dismissed as an impractical phenomenon.

But this world had figures who combined special ammunition, magic, and talent to execute deflection shots worthy of the stage.

“Allow me to demonstrate.”

*Taang!*

Rohan opened fire in an utterly unexpected direction.

The instructor’s gaze and awareness flickered, just for a moment. Rohan seized the opening, unleashing Radiance.

*Shiing!*

The instructor twisted, narrowly avoiding Rohan’s blade by a hair’s breadth.

The bullet, predictably, didn’t return.

“Truth is, I can’t pull off tricky stuff like deflection.”

“Every word out of your mouth’s a lie. Remarkable.”

Even amidst the conversation, he continued to launch swift, relentless attacks.

Chattering away like that, and his focus doesn’t waver.

“Actually, I can do it.”

Not a trace of regret that the thrust missed its mark.

Rohan, pressed close, pointed the muzzle down at the floor and squeezed the trigger once more.

*Tang!*

The bullet only succeeded in boring a hole in the innocent floor.

Ed couldn’t help but chuckle, realizing he’d instinctively lifted his foot in response to the shot.

A grin playing on his lips, he evaded the sharp blade that followed.

‘That I let a cadet trick me… it’s maddening.’

What Rohan displayed was a maneuver that, in combat, you couldn’t help but fall for, despite knowing it.

When he talked like that, there was no ignoring him.

‘What to do with this cadet…’

“By rights, I should award the badge now. If not here, then no student will claim it.”

Yet, Instructor Ed wanted to observe Rohan further.

Clashing with Rohan evoked a strangely nostalgic feeling.

To the point where it stirred memories of a life before the academy.

“Cadet Rohan. Let’s continue.”

With that, he kicked the flat of the sword. He pursued Rohan as he was forced back.

He split the incoming bullet with his axe cleanly. The feeling was…odd.

*Bang!* The bullet exploded. The instructor shielded his face with one hand, minimizing the blast.

Ed grimaced at the lingering smell of gunpowder.

‘A Mana-Detonation round… He must have been certain I’d cleave it.’

If he’d evaded it, it would have been a waste of Mana for Rohan.

And yet, he used it.

He must have already deduced that the instructor he faced was the type to cut down bullets rather than dodge them.

‘I wondered why they were coming in at such a favorable trajectory.’

Ed’s lips curved upward, and he launched off the ground. He kept the fight close, not letting up his assault on Rohan.

He changed the way he wielded the axe. Using it like a hook, he snagged Rohan’s sword, forcing his body open.

Ed’s foot buried itself deep into Rohan’s exposed abdomen.

Rohan didn’t vomit, holding out with only bloodshot eyes.

Another kick came flying in.

He reacted instantly. Rohan swung his pistol like a bludgeon, striking Ed’s knee.

It did little more than impede his movement.

The instructor, rotating the axe that was caught on the blade, switched the weapon to his other hand.

He dodged the bullet aimed for his torso and swung the axe.

One by one, wounds began to appear on Rohan’s body.

Even so, Rohan’s reactions grew faster and faster.

At some point, the wounds stopped increasing.

‘He’s adapting to my movements quickly.’

Ed was thrilled by the cadet’s growth and the long-absent feeling of excitement, but he was walking a precarious line.

Any higher gear and the cadet would be in real danger. Instructor disqualified.

‘It’s probably time to award the badge.’

With a tinge of regret, Edgar contemplated subtly yielding an opening, when Rohan’s hand, having discarded the pistol, disregarded the axe blade and forced its way in.

Though his hand was deeply lacerated, blood streaming, he clung tightly to Edgar’s shoulder.

But movement was restricted. Locked together, they clashed in a contest of brute strength.

The instructor’s axe and sword were entwined, and unless someone conceded, creating an opening, movement was a struggle.

“Planning to gouge my eyes out with your fingers, perhaps?”

Why abandon the perfectly good pistol?

The question, eclipsing even his regret, sparked a lively interest in Edgar’s eyes.

That interest swiftly morphed into astonishment.

“A gift for you, Instructor.”

In Rohan’s hand sat a single bullet. A specialized round, well-known to the instructor.

As if to demonstrate, Rohan’s mana coalesced around the bullet. His intent was clear: to overload it with mana and detonate it.

“A dangerous gamble…!”

Detonating a mana-saturated bullet from this close? It would spell disaster for both of them.

Rohan’s fingers might well be obliterated.

‘No time to assess if it’s a bluff.’

From Edgar’s perspective, Rohan simply acted without hesitation.

He had to stop him.

The instructor’s intuition, amplified by his mana, flared.

That keen sense seized upon another presence.

‘Who is that?’

Far in the distance, atop a building, an unknown figure was targeting them. Him. Not radiating murderous intent, but a disturbing presence nonetheless.

His focus had been drawn to Rohan’s special bullet and the surge of mana, causing him to notice the other threat a fraction too late.

Responding to the unknown assailant required breaking free of the constraint. He needed to force Rohan back.

Releasing the mana limiter and forcibly yanking the axe would tear deeply into Rohan’s muscles.

But that wasn’t an option.

An instructor’s profession left him with limited choices.

‘Ah, could it be… they anticipated even this?’

Edgar chuckled wryly at the psychological bind he found himself in.

It had been a long time since he’d experienced something like this.

*Ping!*

The attack came from a completely different direction.

A bullet snapped the thread at his waist, shooting down the bell.

‘A ricochet from that distance…?’

The Instructor stared blankly at Rohan.

Rohan relaxed, retracting his sword, and the Instructor also released his stance.

Rohan picked up the fallen bell.

He bowed his head in thanks to Ed. The special magic-fueled explosive he’d intended to detonate remained tucked in his pocket.

“Instructor. No need to worry. I wasn’t planning on detonating it in the first place.”

“…”

“In the past, I would have just blown it up… but after a certain word, I’m trying to refrain from reckless actions.”

The second day of the exam concluded.