When Professor Ferdenand announced the comncent of the battle, it was only natural for so students to band together, especially if they were friends.
Collaborating in a team offered distinct advantages over facing the challenge alone.
Though it might lower their individual ranking in the professor's eyes, it was the most pragmatic approach in a battle royal where every participant posed a potential threat.
As I observed the dynamics of the battlefield, it beca apparent that there was a certain synergy inherent in teamwork.
I didn't notice it at first but professor Yuki actually gave out different weapons specialized for each different student right now.
Professor Yuki's distribution of weapons further emphasized this point. Rather than solely swords, each student was equipped with a weapon tailored to their individual specialties. It was a strategic move, recognizing that not all students from the knight departnt were proficient with swords alone. With an array of weapons at their disposal, from bows to spears, axes to daggers, the group effort beca much more reliable.
While all the weapons were crafted from wood, the variety ensured that each student could leverage their strengths while compensating for their weaknesses. In this way, teams could cover each other's vulnerabilities and maximize their chances of success. It was a testant to the thoughtful planning and foresight of the instructors, who understood the importance of adaptability and collaboration in the face of a real battle.
However, simply banding together with friends didn't guarantee victory, especially in a stage brimming with monstrous students.
As two students stood before , their swords pointed hesitantly in my direction, their attempts at intimidation fell flat.
Despite their trembling hands and feeble threats, I couldn't help but find the situation sowhat amusing.
"P-Please drop down your sword if you don't want to get hurt," one of them stamred, his voice betraying his fear.
"That's right," his companion added, though his attempt at assertiveness was undermined by the uncertainty in his stance.
Their courage was comndable, even though they were clearly outmatched. However, their bravery wouldn't alter the inevitable outco.
"You bastar-Gaghk!"
With a swift maneuver, I stepped on the spear user of their party, causing him to cry out in pain and frustration.
As he collapsed to the ground, I scanned the area, searching for the whereabouts of his companion. Originally, there were around five of them: one spear user, one bow user, and three sword wielders. Yet, I casually bested them when they ambushed . Individually, each posed a formidable challenge, capable of overpowering under the right circumstances. However, their collective incompetence beca their downfall. Their lack of coordination and tactical missteps turned them into a problem as they faltered in their teamwork, allowing to dispatch their vanguard rather easily, including their main damage dealer. Looking at the unconscious spear user, it was evident he wouldn't be waking up anyti soon. The two remaining in front of trembled with fear, too afraid to make a run for it. Leaving them alone seed like an option, but experience taught that things rarely played out that smoothly, especially given my luck.
[Item: Tears of Chronos (Unique)] [Auto activated]
[Effects: Ti dilation (Movent slow: 50%)]
The Tears of Chronos, a unique artifact, sprang to life without my command, triggering a dramatic slowdown of ti. Suddenly, the world around moved at half its usual pace. These two opponents, they were putting on quite the show, their expressions shifting subtly as if waiting for the perfect mont to strike.
There was only one reason why the Tears of Chronos would activate on their own: impending danger lurking just beyond my awareness. It had to be their archer ally, concealed and ready to unleash an attack.
Sensing a faint but unmistakable threat from my left, I turned my attention just in ti to witness a wooden arrow, its tip dulled but still nacing, hurtling towards . In the surreal slowness of the mont, I even caught the smirk on the archer's face, reveling in their impending victory.
But there was no ti to dwell on the impending projectile, for without warning, the two adversaries before surged forward, their movents swift and purposeful. They aid to exploit my distraction, hoping to land a decisive blow while I was montarily preoccupied. Their strategy was cunning, despite my earlier doubts about their abilities, they had orchestrated this ambush with precision. Had it not been for the Tears of Chronos, granting precious monts to react, I might have fallen prey to their sche right now. Waiting for the arrow to draw near, I calculated its trajectory and made a quick adjustnt, taking a small step back just before deactivating the Tears of Chronos.
As ti reverted to its normal flow, the arrow whizzed past my face, narrowly missing by re centiters. Perhaps I should have taken a longer stride, I mused, but dwelling on the past would serve no purpose now.
"Well, it doesn't matter," I muttered, dismissing the thought. The two adversaries before appeared dumbfounded, their faces twisted in terror as they realized their surprise attack had failed.
Before they could even process what had happened, my sword swung with precision, connecting with both of their heads in a single fluid motion.
Their heads snapped back with grunts of pain, and they crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Foam flecked with saliva dribbled from their mouths.
I noticed this when the match started, but I shouldn't have overestimated everyone here. In the ga, it was stated that most of the students from Class A to B had an average of C-level
stats.
So, coming into this fight, I was cautious. However, now that I had actually fought these guys, I realized that at best, they only had one C-rank stat in a least one of their attributes. This ant they weren't that different from in terms of overall physical capabilities.
Ultimately, it all ca down to who was more skilled, and unfortunately, most of these guys lacked that skill.
'I guess they were all just extras to begin with.'
Although I had no actual sword skills myself, as I never practiced swordsmanship, my
knowledge about the ga helped out a lot.
Most of these guys moved like your average mob characters; dodging was practically easier than those goblins back at the dungeon.
Now then... where is that archer bastard? I thought to myself, scanning the chaotic battlefield for any sign of the fleeing archer. It didn't take long for to spot him, attempting to make a hasty escape as his comrades lay defeated.
I tensed up my muscles, ready to give chase, but before I could take a step, a loud voice interrupted . I felt a sudden pressure from my side, causing to pause.
"Riley!" The voice was familiar, filled with enthusiasm and energy.
I wished I could ignore it, pretend I hadn't heard, but I knew I couldn't avoid what was coming next. With a resigned sigh, I turned to face him.
He wore a huge smile on his face, excitent gleaming in his eyes as he assud his fighting stance—the sa one he always used in the ga. His aura radiated from his wooden sword, casting a brilliant golden glow. Just looking at it sent a shiver down my spine; if I took a direct hit from that, I could easily be cleaved in half.
Aura amplified the sharpness and strength of both a person and their weapon. What he wielded now was no re wooden sword-it was practically a real blade, enhanced by the
power of his aura.
I couldn't even see his stats, but from the formation of his muscles and the aura he exuded, I knew for sure he already had around a B-rank stat in strength.
"Riley, let's have a duel!" he exclaid excitedly, his enthusiasm palpable in the air. I couldn't help but roll my eyes inwardly. This battle maniac. Didn't he realize that if we started fighting, I would likely end up dead? Or was he simply blind to the danger?
He probably thought I was strong, considering the passive effects of my unique skill. But even
then, it was annoying to deal with him. Once he set his mind on sothing, there was no
stopping him.
Why was he always so excited to see anyway? Had he already defeated Janica? I had thought the two were still fighting just a while ago, but I guess this bastard had erged
victorious.
He was the protagonist of this world, alright.
Examining the subtle bruises on his body and the small trickle of blood dripping from his forehead, I concluded that Janica must have dealt significant damage to him.
"Riley?"
As I remained silent, he seed to interpret it as a tacit agreent to his request.
More aura burst forth from him, coating his sword with an ominous glow. Alright, things were looking pretty dire. How the hell was I supposed to get out of this ss?
Facing off against this guy, battered or not, ant my chances of winning were zilch. Even
with the Tears of Chronos giving a ti advantage, it wouldn't change the inevitable outco. So, what options did I have?
Then it hit a risky but potentially viable plan. If he believed I was strong, why not use that to my advantage? Sure, my acting skills weren't top-notch, but for so reason, lying ca easier to since I woke up in this body.
With a calming breath, I locked eyes with him.
"Lucas...." I called out, his na punctuating the tense atmosphere. He seed pleased by my acknowledgnt, albeit a tad late for comfort.
"Haha, please don't hold back, Riley," he chuckled, completely oblivious to the danger he
was putting in. Seriously, this guy was going to get killed if he kept this up. But there was no ti to dwell on his cluelessness.
As I watched the bright glow of his now golden sword expand before , I gulped, trying to quell the dryness in my throat. Seriously, were the professors blind to this impending disaster? Their lack of intervention only added to the pressure. It was now or never-I had to make this bluff work, or I was as good as done for.
Glancing at the two professors standing at a distance, their expressions betrayed a mixture of curiosity and anticipation. Even Seo, with his typically reserved deanor, seed intrigued,
her eyes fixed on .
Haha... If I ssed up here, it wouldn't just be a defeat-it could spell my demise. The pressure was on, and I could feel it weighing heavily on my shoulders.
From Lucas's eager deanor, it was clear he anticipated my next move, likely expecting
to adopt a stance in preparation for our duel.
After all, adhering to the code of honor was customary among knights. But I had no intention
of playing by his rules. Gripping my sword in a nonchalant manner, as though it were nothing more than a re stick, I t his gaze head-on before letting out a resigned sigh.
"Do you wish for a duel, Lucas?" I asked, my tone neutral.
"Yes," he replied eagerly, a grin spreading across his face, revealing his teeth. Oh, how I
longed to wipe that smug expression off his face.
"With only that level of aura?" I continued, my words cutting through the air like a blade.
".......!???"
Confusion washed over Lucas's features in a sudden wave, replacing his earlier excitent. Even the surrounding students, who had been watching our exchange intently, fell silent at my unexpected question. The tension in the air was palpable as all eyes turned to ,
awaiting my next move.
"With only that level of... aura?"
Lucas muttered quietly, his gaze fixed on . Perhaps he believed I held him in low regard,
dismissing his abilities with my lack of a proper stance and my apparent mockery of his aura.
While I might have bruised his ego, I had no ti for niceties.
'I'm sorry but I'm not here to play gas Lucas'
My sole focus was on achieving my happy ending in this world, and playing nice wasn't part of
the plan. Sliding my sword back into its scabbard, I braced myself for the surge of killing intent that followed. Lucas's aura spiked dramatically, the winds swirling around him exerting pressure that threatened to push back. He likely interpreted my actions as a direct insult, and in a
way, he wasn't entirely wrong.
"What are you doing, Riley? I know you're strong, but to-" he began, concern evident in his
voice.
"This is aningless," I interjected firmly, cutting him off before he could finish his
sentence.
His confusion was palpable as he regarded with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty. My
calm and nonchalant deanor seed to disarm him slightly, quelling the intensity of his
aura.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, his brow furrowing as he attempted to decipher the aning behind my words.
"You are strong... But only for those who are weak" I asserted; the words heavy with
implication.
The silence that followed was deafening, the weight of my statent hanging in the air like a
dark cloud. At its core, I was essentially telling Lucas that despite his strength, he still fell
short in comparison to .
"I'm only strong on the weak...?"
His reaction was not what I expected.
Instead of shock or disbelief, a simring anger radiated from him, his face flushing red with
frustration.
"So, are you calling Janica weak?" he demanded, his annoyance palpable.
Bingo.
My plan to provoke him had succeeded beyond my expectations. As soone who had imrsed myself in the ga world like a total nerd, I knew Lucas better than he knew
himself. And there was one thing I knew for certain-he despised it when soone insulted a person he cared about.
"Yes" I repeated, holding firm to my assertion.
As the word left my lips, Lucas's anger ignited into a blazing inferno of bloodlust, the
atmosphere crackling with his barely contained rage. It was clear that I needed to bring this
confrontation to an end, and fast.
Honestly, provoking him like this probably wasn't necessary, but I needed to ensure he would actually make a move. And he did, with a burst of speed that left reeling.
In an instant, Lucas vanished from view, only to reappear right beside , moving so fast it
felt like a blast of supersonic waves. I could feel the cold pressure of his aura closing in around my neck, a chilling reminder of his formidable strength.
As expected, Lucas hesitated, his actions restrained by his innate kindness. Observing that the Tears of Chronos didn't activate automatically, it beca evident that
Lucas harbored no ill intent towards , despite my insulting remark about Janica. Our faces
were now close, and as I t his gaze, he appeared more confused than angry. "Why won't you draw your sword?" he inquired, his voice tinged with confusion. Part of wanted to lash out, to tell him that I couldn't draw my sword even if I wanted to,
but I suppressed the impulse and maintained the facade.
"I told you, it's aningless," I replied calmly, though inwardly, frustration simred
beneath the surface.
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