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Chapter 13 - The Limit Test (1)
After successfully completing my first party class, I received something I had never gotten in my previous life—bonus points.
Two points, to be exact.
"A three-eye demonic beast is worth 1 point, and a four-eye one is worth 3."
"Then why did I get 2 points?"
"Because you broke the restraining magic tool."
"But I didn't break it."
"Don't you know that the party shares collective responsibility?"
Damn it.
"If we're talking about responsibility, doesn't the professor share some of it too?"
"Why would I be responsible?"
"You never said we couldn't kill it."
"Do you not understand the meaning of 'capture'? Do you know how much it costs to raise even one of these training demonic beasts? Of course, you shouldn't kill it."
"I don't have a comeback for that, which makes me even more annoyed."
Grr.
I swallowed my frustration and slumped back in the professor's office chair.
"By the way..."
Professor Lucas fixed his gaze on me.
"Why do you keep coming here like it's your own home during every free period?"
"Well, there are all these rumors going around lately. If I'm outside, I draw too much attention."
In that sense, Professor Lucas's office was the perfect place to avoid the prying eyes of the cadets.
"Hah, listen to this arrogant brat. Do you think I'm your friend? Huh? Am I your buddy?"
Professor Lucas was about to start a lecture on how his sacred office shouldn't be used as my personal hideout when—
"During last year's fall festival."
"Huh? What about the festival?"
"There was a poetry contest under the pretense that even heroes need a minimum of literary and artistic knowledge."
"...So?"
"It wasn't very popular, so it didn't gain much attention, but the contest winner was an anonymous cadet who submitted a poignant love poem."
"......"
"It was a beautiful poem that captured deep and lingering feelings for a woman he secretly loved."
"Re-really? I'm not much of a poetry person, so I didn't even know there was such a contest."
"Is that so? That's strange..."
I slowly rose from the chair and pulled out a book titled Advanced Combat Training from the bookshelf.
Specifically, the white sheet of paper hidden between the thick pages.
"How does someone who didn't know about the contest have the winning poem from last year?"
"Y-You! How did you...!"
"Hmm. Aren't you curious? About the identity of the cadet who suddenly appeared, anonymously submitted a poem, and won?"
"Ugh!"
"Professor Lucas."
I smiled brightly as I unfolded the white paper.
A heartfelt love poem written in Professor Lucas's handwriting was revealed on the white sheet.
"You're quite the poet, aren't you?"
I recited the beautiful words written on the open sheet.
"My dearest whom I loved so much—"
"Stop!"
"I can never forget you for the rest of my life—"
"Stop it!"
"Even though I knew it was a love that would never be mine—"
"Stop it, you brat!"
"I shall continue to think of you alone—"
"Aaaargh!"
Boom!
Professor Lucas lunged at me with a roar like a wild beast.
Despite being close to 2 meters tall, he moved at an astonishing speed.
Instantly, he reached out for the white paper in my hand.
"Oops."
I spun my body to avoid his grasp, but—
"Where do you think you're going!"
Professor Lucas quickly changed direction and snatched the white paper from my hand as if he had anticipated my dodge.
'Fast.'
I hadn't been trying my hardest to evade, but I didn't expect him to take it so easily.
It made sense why Professor Lucas was considered one of the top talents among the school faculty.
"Huff, huff! You brat... How did you even find this?"
"I found it while cleaning your office during the last winter break."
Well, technically, it wasn't last winter break, but it was nine months since the winter break in my third year.
But I did find it while cleaning, so that part's true.
"Cleaning? Why were you cleaning my office... Ah."
Professor Lucas furrowed his brow, about to continue his questioning, but then let out a quiet sigh.
During the school breaks, most cadets would return to their hometowns or go on vacation, but exceptions were made for cadets like Dale, who were orphans and attending the academy on a national scholarship.
Since living expenses were cut off during the break, they had to stay behind and earn money by doing odd jobs like cleaning or facility maintenance.
"...Grr."
With no more grounds for interrogation, Professor Lucas crumpled the white paper in his hand.
"Hmph. No one will believe you without proof whether you found this by chance or not..."
"Oh, by the way, you're holding a copy. I have the original stored safely elsewhere."
"Ugh."
Professor Lucas cursed under his breath as he tossed the crumpled paper into the trash can.
Sigh.
A deep sigh escaped the professor's lips.
"Fine, fine. Do whatever you want, brat. Treat this place like your home, or set up camp here for all I care!"
"Thank you, Professor."
"Thank me, my foot."
"In that case, can I ask for one more favor?"
"You ungrateful punk...!"
"Can you spar with me?"
"...What?"
Professor Lucas's eyes widened in surprise.
He looked me up and down with a bewildered expression and spoke.
"Spar? You want to spar with me right now?"
"Yes."
"Well... if it's a spar without using magic..."
"No. I want you to go all out."
"......."
Professor Lucas's gaze pierced through me.
If I had to interpret the look in his eyes, it would be something like, "Has this guy lost his mind?"
'Well, that's understandable.'
It was only natural for him to react that way since a mere cadet had asked a professor for a full-power spar.
And not just any professor, but Professor Lucas Cain.
'Lucas Cain, the Bloodthirsty Hound.'
He was a hero strong enough to rank within the top 100 out of thousands, even tens of thousands of heroes.
Of course, when I say "ranking," I'm not talking about the "overall evaluation ranking" that determines the order of cadets.
This ranking is the "Three Nations Heroes Ranking," created by those who love organizing people into lists, based on rumors and achievements rather than systematic testing.
'Of course, it's far less accurate than the cadets' overall evaluation rankings.'
Since it's not based on fixed tests like the cadets' rankings but rather on various rumors and accomplishments, its accuracy isn't very high.
However, even if it's not entirely accurate, being ranked in the top 100 out of tens of thousands of heroes still proves one's skill and level as a hero.
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He was not someone that a cadet who had just started practical training should dare to ask for a spar.
'Which is why he's perfect for this test.'
It had been 9 days since I returned from the future.
In the more than a week that had passed, there was still something I hadn't confirmed.
And that was...
'Just how strong am I right now?'
Before I returned, after all my comrades had died and I wandered the continent alone for thousands of years...
I interpreted and developed the swordsmanship I learned from Yuren, the martial arts I learned from Berald, and the magical theories I learned from Senior Sophia in my own way.
You might wonder the point in continuing to train alone in a world that had already perished.
'But I felt like I would go insane if I didn't do at least that.'
In the midst of my overwhelming loneliness, training in the swordsmanship, martial arts, and magic that my comrades had taught me made me feel like I was with them again.
'The problem is...'
Did I truly develop what I learned from them?
'Considering that I was named the worst dunce in the history of Reynald Academy... how much could I have improved?'
To be blunt, it was possible that I had regressed rather than progressed.
For proof, even after hundreds and thousands of years of training, I hadn't even touched the edge of the 'extreme' that Yuren was always talking about.
'Which is why I need to know.'
After the world was destroyed...
I need to know if the hundreds and thousands of years I spent desperately trying to forget my loneliness truly made me stronger.
I need to know just how strong I am now when I go all out.
'For that, I need someone strong like Professor Lucas, with proven skills.'
"A spar where we go all out... You and me?"
Professor Lucas laughed bitterly and glared at me fiercely.
"I thought you were acting differently lately, but have you completely lost your mind, Dale?"
"I understand. I know it's a ridiculous proposal."
"If you know, then why?"
"Because it's something I absolutely need to do right now."
"......."
Did he see the sincerity in my eyes?
Professor Lucas sighed deeply and turned his fierce gaze away.
"Fine. I was curious too. Just how much strength have you been hiding, you little punk."
Scrape.
The professor pushed his chair back and stood up.
In an instant, the atmosphere in the office changed, as if a wild beast had awakened from its slumber.
"You know what this means, right?"
Professor Lucas lifted the two axes hanging on his office's wall.
They weren't practice axes; they were sharp, double-headed axes that gleamed menacingly.
"The meaning of a spar where we go all out."
A heavy, suffocating killing intent that smelled of blood filled the room, directed at me.
I chuckled and drew the real sword I had prepared in advance, nodding.
"Of course."
* * *
In the training ground located within the academy.
"I'll give you five minutes."
Professor Lucas held only one of his two axes and drew a circular line on the ground with his foot.
The circle he drew had a diameter of about one meter.
"Within that time, use whatever you can to force me out of this circle."
"...Didn't you say it would be a spar where we go all out?"
"I need to see if you're worth it before I go all out."
Ah.
So that was how it was going to be?
"Understood."
I nodded and drew the sword from my waist.
"Hmph."
I slowly inhaled and focused my mind on my left chest.
A halo of light emanated from the stigma and enveloped my body.
"Here I come."
For the first time since my return...
I was going to unleash my full strength.
Even I couldn't be sure whether this attack would work on Professor Lucas.
'My physical training and magic power are still far behind what they were in my previous life.'
But that doesn't matter.
I had the legacy of my comrades, which I had honed for hundreds and thousands of years, by my side.
"Hoo."
As I exhaled the breath I had been holding...
Bang!
I launched myself forward.
Sun Sword.
Form Two, Crescent Moon.
Ka-a-a-aang!!!
With a screeching sound that seemed to tear through metal...
"...You crazy."
Professor Lucas barely managed to block the sword strike with his axe, but his body was pushed out of the circle drawn on the ground.
His eyes, wide with shock, turned towards me.
"How is it?"
I grinned as I looked at Professor Lucas, who had been pushed out of the circle instantly.
"Do you think I'm worth going all out against?"
The whole thing had taken less than five seconds, not even five minutes.
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