Chapter 36
“You’re lucky, going first.”
Leo let out a faint chuckle as he stepped forward.
The practical test for the Knight Studies course was simple.
Win five matches through duels.
The moment one secured five victories, the exam was considered passed.
Of course, detailed scoring would depend on the opponent and the content of the duel, so wins and losses weren’t the only factor.
Still, winning quickly and passing the test was important.
Naturally, Leo’s goal was an undefeated streak.
“You’re saying it’s lucky to go first? I guess I don’t even register on your radar!”
Haul, Leo’s first opponent, spoke with a grin.
Haul Neif.
He hailed from a prestigious heroic house of the Kingdom of Tool in the southern continent.
While not as renowned as the Zerdingers, his family still carried the title of a heroic house.
He specialized in the ever-changing spear technique known as the Neif Spear.
Among the Knight Studies students in Class 1, he was ranked third after Celia and Duran.
Haul flicked his tongue and pulled out a spear from his subspace bracelet.
It was a long spear, about 1.5 times longer than a standard one.
Seeing it, Leo also drew his sword from his waist.
“As we discussed beforehand, the winner is the one who renders the opponent unable to fight. Treat this like a real battle.”
With a brief explanation, Ain stepped back.
There would be no external judgment calls.
The entire training yard was the battleground.
Facing each other, Haul flicked his tongue again.
“I’m looking forward to this. Ever since I lost to your Class 5 during Combat Studies at the start of the semester, I’ve been waiting to settle the score.”
“You’ve been holding onto that all this time?”
Leo asked with a faint smile, and Haul responded coldly.
“A member of the Neif family never forgets humiliation.”
“You really hated cleaning the bathroom that much?”
“Ugh! Do you have any idea how much the other class mocked me for it?”
Haul clenched his fist tightly.
“I’ll pay you back for that disgrace, Leo Plov!”
Shhhk—!
Gripping his spear tighter, Haul lowered his stance.
It resembled the poised attack stance of a snake.
Watching him, Leo let his sword hang loosely.
“Leo. I’ve heard how amazing your performance was during the entrance exam.”
Haul curled his lips.
“But from the very start, you’ve been behind everyone else! I heard you didn’t even awaken [Aura] during the entrance exam! Do you really think you can block this attack?”
Swoosh—! Whish—!
Haul’s spear tip flew straight for Leo’s chest.
An incredible speed!
Normally, spear thrusts travel in a straight line.
Which makes them easy to dodge if predicted, no matter how fast.
‘But the Neif Spear only starts from there!’
The Neif family’s spear technique made the spear tip move like a living snake.
Dodging it carelessly could backfire.
‘If you dodge, you get cornered!’
Most students, after conceding the first strike, would be helpless and lose to Haul.
But Leo was far beyond ‘most students.’
Thmp—!
“…!”
Haul’s eyes widened.
Just before the strike landed, Leo grabbed the spear shaft.
“You said you heard things about me from the others, but didn’t Celia from our class tell you anything?”
Leo gave a chilling smile.
Fwoosh—!
“Gah?”
Leo lifted Haul into the air—spear and all—in a straight upward motion.
Despite having braced with [Aura], Haul’s eyes widened at Leo’s sheer physical strength.
“I’m strong, you see!”
Fwoosh—! Slam—!
Leo slammed Haul straight into the ground.
Of course, Haul activated his [Aura Armor] just before impact to minimize damage.
Regaining his stance, Haul let out a low chuckle.
“Of course I heard. I was just a little surprised by how strong you actually are.”
Buzz—!
The spear shaft began to glow green.
“But just because you’re strong doesn’t mean you’ve overcome your fundamental weakness!”
Haul’s green eyes flashed.
Leo quickly let go of the spear.
Sss—!
Faint smoke rose from the ground where Haul had stepped.
‘[Poison Aura]? That’s a rare trait.’
Leo looked intrigued.
It was a trait overwhelmingly advantageous in prolonged fights.
His confidence made sense now.
‘But he’s still far off.’
“You talk about weaknesses.”
Leo let out a light chuckle.
“But aren’t weaknesses meant to be overcome?”
Fwoom—!
The [Flame Aura] erupting from Leo’s body pushed back Haul’s [Poison Aura].
Seeing it, Haul gave a twisted grin.
‘Sure, fire-type [Aura] is a weakness against mine! But unless it’s someone like Celia, I can totally flip the matchup!’
Fwoosh—!
An even more powerful poison burst out of Haul.
Leo responded with more firepower.
‘It’s useless! Unless he’s on Celia’s level—’
Fwoooosh—!
Flarrrrr!
Like a competition, the poison intensified, and so did the fire’s ferocity.
As time passed, Haul’s face stiffened more and more.
‘Unless he’s like… Celia…?’
Haul’s now pale face met Leo’s crimson eyes.
‘No way! That’s Celia-level firepower?!’
Leo had made a name for himself at the start of the semester.
But he had never shown his full abilities in duels that evaluated overall combat strength.
Because of that, most expected Haul to win in these semester-end duels, where everyone had grown stronger.
Yet Leo was crushing those expectations with overwhelming [Flame Aura].
Celia, watching with her arms crossed, wore a surprised expression.
‘When did he…?’
Celia was one of the few who had predicted Leo’s victory.
But even she hadn’t expected Leo’s [Flame Aura] to grow this powerful.
Watching this unfold, Duran let out a faint smile.
“Looks like Haul isn’t enough.”
“Isn’t it too early to say that? He hasn’t lost yet.”
A Knight Studies student from Class 1 objected, and Duran scoffed.
“Are your eyes just decoration? He’s already at a disadvantage with the matchup, and he’s completely outclassed in raw strength. You still think Haul stands a chance?”
“Even so, Haul still has the Snake Spear. [Aura] compatibility isn’t the only factor that determines victory.”
“Hmph! You think Haul can overwhelm Leo Plov with technique?”
“He’s our class’s number four.”
“Whether Haul is the fourth strongest in our class or not doesn’t matter.”
Sparks crackled around Duran’s body.
“I’m the one who’s going to beat him.”
“You? Not a chance.”
Celia, standing beside him, scoffed.
“Backing him up just because you hang out with him? Celia Zerdinger.”
“I’m not backing him up. I’m saying I’m the one who’ll beat Leo. You can’t even beat me, can you?”
“Don’t talk nonsense. I’ll show you right now who’s superior.”
“Fine. I’ll smash you.”
Crackle!
Fwoosh!
Duran, who tried to bring down anyone above him, and Celia, who carried unwavering pride in being the best, had a notoriously terrible relationship.
“Hey, hey, hey! Why are you two fighting among ourselves! We should be cheering for Haul, right?! Come on! I said stop using your [Aura]!”
A Class 1 student panicked and tried to calm them down, but neither showed signs of backing off.
“If you two fight now, it’s not going to end with just a written apology, you know?”
At that moment, Chen Xia stepped in with a smile to stop the two.
At her words, Duran clicked his tongue and walked away while Celia elegantly brushed her hair back.
“Class 1 sure is full of fighting spirit.”
“It’s not fighting spirit or anything like that. I just want to crush that jerk’s smug face.”
“Isn’t that fighting spirit?”
Professor Sedgen had prohibited duels between classmates, so Celia and Duran never got the chance to settle things.
“And you, Xia. Don’t act so composed—you want to fight Leo too, don’t you?”
“Of course, I’d love to fight Lord Leo. But he’s not the only one I’m aiming for.”
“Then who else?”
“I want to fight Miss Celia too, and Master Duran. My goal is to defeat all three of you.”
“In the end, you’re the one with the strongest fighting spirit.”
Celia let out a sigh as she looked at Chen Xia, whose black eyes sparkled.
The surrounding students, who had been nervously watching the standoff among the top Knight Studies students, breathed a sigh of relief when the tension defused.
“Leo sure is popular.”
Nella commented in her usual drowsy voice, and Eliana beside her shook her head.
“If that’s what popularity looks like, I’ll pass.”
—
“Haap!”
Haul hurriedly used [Aura Step] to evade the flames Leo was swinging at him.
He had to create distance no matter what.
But Leo didn’t allow it.
‘I have to stop him!’
He swung his spear, coated with [Poison Aura], at the approaching Leo.
Fwoosh—!
But Leo’s [Aura] burned away all the poison.
He was losing not only in elemental matchups but also in pure power.
A clear disadvantage.
“Tch!”
The shock from his complete misjudgment of Leo weighed heavily on Haul.
Still, he quickly regained his composure and lowered his stance.
‘It’s unexpected, but I can’t just sit here and take it!’
Haul’s eyes took on the look of a snake stalking prey.
‘I’ve already prepared for this!’
Despite being called a genius since childhood, Haul hadn’t ranked first in the entrance exam.
He felt a bit of regret, but no frustration.
‘Walden Thaiden! That monster was there!’
Everyone from the southern region knew Walden.
His overwhelming strength surpassed genius—it was monstrous.
But within the Knight Studies students, Haul believed he was the best.
And truthfully, he was one of the top Knight Studies students in the first year.
But he wasn’t the strongest.
‘Celia Zerdinger! Chen Xia! Duran Moira!’
The three widely recognized as the top of their class.
From the moment he first saw them, Haul knew they were a tier above him.
For someone who had always been at the top in martial arts, it was a massive blow.
Especially Celia—it was a level of despair.
Not only was she stronger, but her elemental affinity completely overpowered his.
‘At least against Chen Xia or Duran, I could develop a strategy! But with Celia, I only felt helpless!’
At the start of the semester, she was an insurmountable wall.
But after months of grueling effort, he had finally come up with a plan to face Celia.
‘I was saving this technique for my duel with her! But this works out better!’
Haul’s eyes gleamed.
‘Leo Plov is the perfect opponent to test this new technique! And I absolutely refuse to lose to you!’
Swish, swish—!
He spun his spear in a dazzling motion.
‘Especially not to someone close to Celia!’
He no longer considered Leo weaker than him.
He now saw him as an equal—just like the ones he aimed to surpass.
‘I thought you were just a gloomy guy, but you’ve got quite the fire in your eyes, huh?’
He was gathering power cautiously and surely, determined to crush Leo.
‘You must have trained like hell to overcome such a bad matchup.’
Though Haul was staring at Leo, he also seemed to be looking at something—or someone—behind him.
‘Celia, huh.’
Easily seeing through him, Leo grinned.
The boy in front of him was burning with the spirit of challenge.
‘I’ll accept that challenge.’
