At this moment, the teacher finally snapped out of her daze and spoke up.
“… O-Okay, the winner is Sylvia.”
None of the students spoke up.
They were so astonished that they did not know how to react.
Everybody here was aware that Sylvia was the strongest in this batch of students, and they expected her to be very strong. After all, she broke the previous record for the highest score.
But what she showed in the battle just now surpassed all expectations. She was literally toying with Andrew. It was like the difference between an adult and a child. No, between an adult and a baby.
And Andrew got the second-best score in the practical examination. In other words, the difference between Sylvia and the rest of the class was even more overwhelming.
She was on a whole new level. Her performance was so overwhelming that even the thought of catching up to her seemed unreal.
[And she did not show her entire strength. That girl is a true monster.] The demon spoke in my mind.
I involuntarily gulped down a mouthful of saliva.
Is she really the same age as me?
[You should not compare yourself to her. That girl has been special since she was born, and you were a cripple before you met me. With my help, you should be able to catch up to her in a few years, maybe.]
… That did not sound very convincing.
But the demon is right. I should not feel overwhelmed.
I must have the confidence that I can reach her level and even surpass her.
While I was talking to the demon, Andrew returned to his place.
“How was it?” I asked him with a gloating smile.
Andrew put on a bitter expression. “What a monster. I don’t stand a chance. I mean, I knew that I could not be the strongest in the world, but meeting someone so much stronger than me at the same age is a shock.”
“Actually, you are quite strong yourself. I struggled a bit defeating you.” Sylvia approached us and chuckled.
“It didn’t seem like that.” Andrew forced out a smile.
It didn't. You toyed with him completely.
While we were bantering, the remaining two students took the stage.
Number three, Theodore Riedel; and number six, Tierra Lorenz.
Theodore Riedel was a swordsman, and Tierra Lorenz was an archer. So due to the constraints of space, Theodore was at an advantage in this battle.
Moreover, Theodore's ranking was higher than Tierra, so everybody expected him to win.
The result was as everybody expected.
As soon as the battle started, Theodore lunged toward Tierra and forced her into a close-quarters battle. In that situation, there was little that Tierra could do against Theodore.
In the end, the battle ended in less than two minutes. Although Tierra tried everything she could to turn the situation around, even resorting to using her two skills, [Hawk Eye] and [Mana Weapon], she could not defeat Theodore.
What was slightly surprising was that Theodore did not own a skill. He was the only one among the top ten students in this batch without a skill.
That was impressive in itself. The fact that he reached this place without a skill speaks highly of his talent.
In terms of swordsmanship, he was by far the best.
With Theodore and Tierre’s battle done, all the battles were finished.
Curiously, the battles ended accordingly to the ranking in the practical examination, with the higher-ranked students defeating the lower-ranked ones.
That was not surprising. All the students had made their best during the practical examination, so the results of it could be considered quite an accurate evaluation of their abilities.
Once the battles finished, Mrs. Heller looked at every one of us and nodded.
“Very well, these battles allowed me to get a more accurate estimation of your abilities. I’m now clear about where you stand.
“Now, for the rest of today’s class, I will give you an introduction to what we are going to do during the semester.
“Firstly, I want to clarify that although this class is called Introduction to Combat, I’m not going to teach you how to fight.” Mrs. Heller put on a serious expression. “You must be wondering, what is the point of this class then?”
“You see, every one of you possesses a different set of skills and abilities, and these skills and abilities are different than mine. If I try to force you to learn my way to fight, it could end up being counterproductive.
“Instead, my job is to show you what is your most suitable fighting style, and how you should develop your abilities during the following semesters, so you can explore your potential to the maximum.
“Finally, I want to give you a reminder. Strength is not everything, but in this current messed-up world, it’s very important.
“You can get anything if you are strong enough, but you can also lose everything if you are not strong enough.
“I only hope that when the time comes to put your abilities to use, you can exert them to the best of your abilities without regretting your weakness.
“You are dismissed. See you in the next class.”
With these words, the first Introduction to Combat class came to an end.
At this moment, the teacher finally snapped out of her daze and spoke up.
“… O-Okay, the winner is Sylvia.”
None of the students spoke up.
They were so astonished that they did not know how to react.
Everybody here was aware that Sylvia was the strongest in this batch of students, and they expected her to be very strong. After all, she broke the previous record for the highest score.
But what she showed in the battle just now surpassed all expectations. She was literally toying with Andrew. It was like the difference between an adult and a child. No, between an adult and a baby.
And Andrew got the second-best score in the practical examination. In other words, the difference between Sylvia and the rest of the class was even more overwhelming.
She was on a whole new level. Her performance was so overwhelming that even the thought of catching up to her seemed unreal.
[And she did not show her entire strength. That girl is a true monster.] The demon spoke in my mind.
I involuntarily gulped down a mouthful of saliva.
Is she really the same age as me?
[You should not compare yourself to her. That girl has been special since she was born, and you were a cripple before you met me. With my help, you should be able to catch up to her in a few years, maybe.]
… That did not sound very convincing.
But the demon is right. I should not feel overwhelmed.
I must have the confidence that I can reach her level and even surpass her.
While I was talking to the demon, Andrew returned to his place.
“How was it?” I asked him with a gloating smile.
Andrew put on a bitter expression. “What a monster. I don’t stand a chance. I mean, I knew that I could not be the strongest in the world, but meeting someone so much stronger than me at the same age is a shock.”
“Actually, you are quite strong yourself. I struggled a bit defeating you.” Sylvia approached us and chuckled.
“It didn’t seem like that.” Andrew forced out a smile.
It didn't. You toyed with him completely.
While we were bantering, the remaining two students took the stage.
Number three, Theodore Riedel; and number six, Tierra Lorenz.
Theodore Riedel was a swordsman, and Tierra Lorenz was an archer. So due to the constraints of space, Theodore was at an advantage in this battle.
Moreover, Theodore's ranking was higher than Tierra, so everybody expected him to win.
The result was as everybody expected.
As soon as the battle started, Theodore lunged toward Tierra and forced her into a close-quarters battle. In that situation, there was little that Tierra could do against Theodore.
In the end, the battle ended in less than two minutes. Although Tierra tried everything she could to turn the situation around, even resorting to using her two skills, [Hawk Eye] and [Mana Weapon], she could not defeat Theodore.
What was slightly surprising was that Theodore did not own a skill. He was the only one among the top ten students in this batch without a skill.
That was impressive in itself. The fact that he reached this place without a skill speaks highly of his talent.
In terms of swordsmanship, he was by far the best.
With Theodore and Tierre’s battle done, all the battles were finished.
Curiously, the battles ended accordingly to the ranking in the practical examination, with the higher-ranked students defeating the lower-ranked ones.
That was not surprising. All the students had made their best during the practical examination, so the results of it could be considered quite an accurate evaluation of their abilities.
Once the battles finished, Mrs. Heller looked at every one of us and nodded.
“Very well, these battles allowed me to get a more accurate estimation of your abilities. I’m now clear about where you stand.
“Now, for the rest of today’s class, I will give you an introduction to what we are going to do during the semester.
“Firstly, I want to clarify that although this class is called Introduction to Combat, I’m not going to teach you how to fight.” Mrs. Heller put on a serious expression. “You must be wondering, what is the point of this class then?”
“You see, every one of you possesses a different set of skills and abilities, and these skills and abilities are different than mine. If I try to force you to learn my way to fight, it could end up being counterproductive.
“Instead, my job is to show you what is your most suitable fighting style, and how you should develop your abilities during the following semesters, so you can explore your potential to the maximum.
“Finally, I want to give you a reminder. Strength is not everything, but in this current messed-up world, it’s very important.
“You can get anything if you are strong enough, but you can also lose everything if you are not strong enough.
“I only hope that when the time comes to put your abilities to use, you can exert them to the best of your abilities without regretting your weakness.
“You are dismissed. See you in the next class.”
With these words, the first Introduction to Combat class came to an end.
