152 – The Last Drop -2-

Two buildings, separated by a distance.

Positioning that compensated for each other’s blind spots.

Jooyeon glanced at that area, nodded slightly, and spoke to Rohan with a hint of amusement.

“Quite the darling preparations you’ve made.”

Knowing that Sion and Clara’s presence had been revealed, Rohan decided to plaster on an iron mask.

“It’s not inside the Academy, is it?”

“True… you’re not wrong. Meeting comrades with good chemistry and working together is a strength in itself. Do as you please.”

Jooyeon was more than pleased with Rohan’s methods.

Even if some might point fingers and disapprove, one had to explore such diverse approaches to survive in combat.

From the very beginning, when the exam instructions said to use any means necessary, the instructors had been expecting something like this.

‘The explosives hidden beneath the ground are definitely Rohan’s handiwork, too.’

Jooyeon was beyond suspicion now; he was certain.

The tidy cleanup after planting the bombs—judging by the method, no other student came to mind but Rohan.

He fit the ideal student profile the Orion Academy instructors sought in this practical exam perfectly.

It even struck him that this very exam was perhaps lacking for Rohan’s needs.

“Hoo!”

Rohan continued his preparations in one swift motion. The sword he gripped shone with the light of a Scorching Blade.

He swept his hair back with one hand, rotated his shoulders and neck, and sent a signal to Sion and Clara.

Then, with purposeful strides, he closed the distance to Jooyeon.

[Single Sword – Flame Severance]

A horizontal slash, thick with scalding heat.

Juyeon’s fingers snaked into the sword’s path, a sharp *thwack!* halting the blade’s advance with absurd ease.

Rohan, unfazed, unleashed a point-blank burst from his Mark, but not even a strand of Juyeon’s crimson hair was touched.

*Pshew!* *Thip!*

Clara and Sion’s attacks sliced diagonally not into the target, but the very ground at her feet.

With a single, subtle step and a fluid twist, Juyeon evaded the volley from both sides.

Rohan was left speechless; to evade at those angles with what felt like pure instinct…

Even so, he moved. He *had* to press the assault.

An uppercut powered by his legs and core. Easily deflected by a finger.

Using the rebound, Rohan spun, kicking up a spray of dirt as he slashed.

Juyeon, all the while parrying the sniper fire, deflected the blade with only her fingertips. *Thip. Thip.*

Barely moving. With economical grace, she held the advantage over Rohan and his team.

“Hngh!”

A flame-wreathed sword lunged at Juyeon, tracing a dazzling arc, but it, too, was

unceremoniously subdued.

Juyeon extended a pristine, unscathed finger towards Rohan, like a rapier aimed true.

Rohan felt a psychological pressure as if the tip of Juyeon’s finger dominated his entire vision.

‘I… I’m at a loss for words… truly…’

How could he explain the feeling of having a sword swing completely negated by a single index finger?

It was just… daunting. Overwhelming.

He understood now why the other students had surrendered in Juyeon’s test.

“Rohan. Has your spirit faltered because your attacks are ineffective?”

“On the contrary. Today, I *absolutely* must defeat you, Instructor.”

“Hmph.”

Juyeon smiled, watching Rohan’s eyes. Unlike the other students, he remained unyielding, burning with fervor. Admirable.

Ichinose Yui and Noah Frozenheart had shown that same drive.

‘Truly… he shines.’

Juyeon reveled in her students’ growth. It brought a smile to her face just to see it.

How would they develop? What would the future hold? Whatever cataclysm may befall the world, it didn’t feel so dark with these bright sparks around.

*Click!* *Thwack!*

Rohan, with hands a blur, ejected the spent magazine and slammed a fresh one into his pistol.

He sketched out the coming movements in his mind.

‘No clumsy plays with grenades or smoke. Only one chance…’

Secure Sion and Clara’s line of sight here, then push into close quarters.

Their covering fire is more certain and effective than some half-baked trick.

Besides, even Jooyeon has his limits with mana.

Hence, not the whole index finger, just the tip. Mana focused into a single joint.

The choice to create a hardness capable of a reliable defense.

“Hsss…”

Rohan’s form shifted, moving with a sudden burst of force.

A speed noticeably increased from before.

[Three Swords – Wings of Light Drill]

A thrust imbued with all his power.

Stopped by Jooyeon’s finger. Within expectations.

As Rohan retracted his sword and swung it anew, light flashed atop the building.

*Peeeeng!*

One bullet, in particular, etched a singular path.

Striking a sculpture within the Orion Academy grounds, it ricocheted and flew toward Jooyeon.

An ordinary bullet of that power he could have simply endured, now it forced him into intricate maneuvers.

‘Clara is excellent, but that elf girl’s sniping is exceptional.’

The ricochet clearly limited the destructive force with its requirement of a single bounce.

But considering they only needed to obtain the badge, the technique was ideally suited to the situation.

However, Jooyeon understood that most attacks could be thwarted by simply controlling where he moved.

He dodged and parried the assault from three directions, never losing his composure.

“I suppose you heard the Instructor could handle this.”

Jooyeon reached out and *tapped* Rohan’s chest.

Rohan’s eyes snapped wide, struck by a pain that gripped his entire body.

“!”

The sensation of being pierced by an awl. His breath stalled.

Oddly, he wasn’t actually impaled, nor were any bones shattered.

It could only be thought that Jooyeon’s hand was merciful.

‘I can move.’

Unlike other trainees, ordinary pain wouldn’t stop Rohan.

As Rohan moved without pausing for even a moment and fired his pistol, Jooyeon tilted his head to evade, then let out a dry chuckle.

“A tough one, aren’t you… Commendable.”

Dozens of exchanges followed.

Bullets, assisting Rohan who had chosen the frontal approach, rained down on Jooyeon.

Midway through, Rohan, spotting an opening, hooked his pistol on one finger and managed to grab Jooyeon’s arm.

But Jooyeon didn’t readily allow even contact.

Even succeeding in seizing something, before he could do anything, Rohan’s vision spun and he was slammed to the ground.

Getting to his feet, Rohan couldn’t hide his bewildered expression, and Jooyeon smiled, explaining.

“Rare to see you looking so surprised. It’s called Aikido.”

“…I know the name. I’ve just never seen such a high level of it.”

Apart from knowing the name and method of Aikido, being thrown down the instant he grabbed on was hard to accept.

What’s more, it wasn’t that Jooyeon was grabbing him. It was Rohan himself, his own hand swinging, that was infuriating.

Stealing a moment, he opened his status window, but he wasn’t under any illusion.

‘It’s not like Judo, where you grab and throw with your hands…’

Without a moment to use mana, Rohan was collapsing to the ground with just a slight movement from Jooyeon.

His face stung from hitting the ground.

“If you’re interested, it’s good to learn. You’ll learn how to control and break your opponent’s center of gravity.”

“I’ll consider it.”

To reach this level in martial arts besides swordsmanship at his age, how much must he have pushed and honed himself?

Respect for Jooyeon grew steadily.

And so, Rohan felt now was the perfect opportunity.

‘Shall I try it?’

His body was warmed up perfectly, wasn’t it?

Rohan decided to try out a technique he’d been practicing in actual combat.

*Click!*

He replaced his magazine with the one remaining.

The one magazine Rohan had saved until the very last moment.

“Perhaps striking with a weakness-imbuing bullet could unlock a path forward.”

With his current skill, it was near impossible. Even that wasn’t granted, making Jooyeon the subject.

To even conjure one of the opportunities he envisioned, an entirely novel method was needed.

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Before long, Ichinose Yui and Noah Frozenheart stood behind him, observing.

But Rohan didn’t move his head.

Rohan, having swapped magazines, only stared intently at Jooyeon.

Jooyeon extended his right hand forward, raising his index finger.

“…The atmosphere has shifted. What will you show me?”

Rohan’s focus was as sharp as the point of a blade.

Even so, Jooyeon’s approach remained the same.

“Evade Rohan’s bullets selectively.”

Jooyeon knew.

Apart from the experience of weakening an Omega on a deserted island, the magic Rohan sometimes imbued in his bullets gifted him the intuition that they must not be touched.

The problem was, he had felt it firsthand in a previous lesson. Vigilance intensified.

Thud. Thud.

Rohan took two strides, closing the distance, then kicked off and swung his blade.

Clang! The sword was caught at the tips of his fingers.

Up to this point, it was the same picture as always.

Rohan shifted the direction his pistol was aimed.

The barrel, as always, wasn’t aimed at Jooyeon. The branded pistol’s muzzle pointed at the blade of radiance.

He decided to give the bullet, which had been slicing through empty air, a clear target.

A magic-explosion bullet fired at the blade.

*Taang─!*

The gunshot echoed. Jooyeon’s eyes widened at the method Rohan had unveiled.

“!”

The bullet, which had taken the sharp blade as its destination,

Shattered as if struck by Instructor Ed’s axe,

And flew towards Jooyeon, detonating.