༺ Joint Practical Evaluation (6) ༻
You are special.
That one sentence…
…It was that one sentence his serious-faced father, who had ignored him until then, had said to Tristan that drastically changed his crooked lifestyle.
He shortened the time he slept to study and continued to train his magic even when blood would spill out of his nose.
Believing that he was improving by the day, his eyes were always looking forward, toward the man he would become.
Living in such a manner, his strength grew by the day, and he earned the respect of everyone in the mansion.
Being raised on such a pedestal, he felt that he would become the one who would need to take responsibility for every single one of them and that they were his people.
So, he felt obligated to live so their respect would not be in vain.
This was why, as if he were continuing to remind the others about just how amazing of a person they were serving, Tristan laughed valiantly and repeated the phrase, ‘I am special and superior!’
He hid the times stained by blood and sweat behind the mask named arrogance.
Tristan always smiled boldly, to follow his lead.
That was the attitude of one who stood on top. It was the way of life that Tristan Humphrey had cultivated to be his.
***
Alexa, the female student with a golden diamond mark etched on her forehead, remained expressionless. The right arm she had extended aimed for Tristan Humphrey.
Tristan’s eyes saw the reality. Elemental advantage and difference in mana. The female student standing before him was much stronger than himself.
But hadn’t he seen how those weaker than their opponent had fought countless times here at the Märchen Academy?
Indeed. That was Isaac’s way of fighting.
Twice, he had fought with that cheeky bastard, and Tristan hadn’t won satisfyingly once.
But he had to accept what should be accepted. If Isaac had given him a realization, then he must take it. Because he must become stronger.
That was also why he threw away the stupid idea that the best defense was offense and concentrated on his defense magic.
Moreover, this damned academy still had many students who were stronger than him.
That female underclassman had about the same mana as Luce Eltania and Kaya Astrea.
But does that mean he will retreat?
‘Hah! As if.’
He had come to Märchen Academy to become a legendary wizard. Avoiding a battle was something that he could not allow.
Everything inside of this damn academy is merely food for his growth.
Whoooooosh—-!
Tristan’s light green winds blew aggressively.
“Come fight me, brat.”
A confident smile drew across his face.
“…”
Alexa did not respond. Was there any reason to? She merely followed Alice Carroll’s command and fought for the kingdom.
She could quickly get rid of that arrogant and weak-looking blond in an instant.
Then, Alexa’s rock magic circle began to glow brightly.
Rrumbleee–!
Pillars of rocks shot up from the ground and fiercely cut through the air toward Tristan.
A 4-star rock spell, [Rock Avalanche].
Tristan couldn’t even begin to estimate the density of mana within that ocher boulder. Most spells wouldn’t even make a dent in that rock.
In the first place, removing one’s fear in front of an overwhelmingly powerful enemy did not resolve the fundamental problem of the difference in strength.
But his objective was to fight on par with the opponent no matter how much stronger they were and, in the end, claim victory.
Tristan found a hint of that goal in Isaac’s combat style.
And the results of countless days of pondering and training were now inside his body.
His wind was not directed at the enemy but at himself.
Crashhh—!
Five rock pillars warded away the spiral of wind and attempted to crush Tristan, but he disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Alexa was confused.
“Where did he…?”
Alexa’s eyes quickly searched around to track Tristan’s mana.
“…!”
Whoosh–!
Boom—!
But suddenly, she received a powerful impact to her side and tumbled across the ground.
An explosion of concentrated wind magic and a flying kick had ambushed her.
Reflexively, Alexa showered down rock pillars onto what had attacked her.
But that something dodged Alexa’s magic at a speed difficult to track with the naked eye and repositioned itself.
Grumble–!
Alexa created a boulder using [Rock Generation] to support her body and stop rolling.
Her narrowed eyes turned to the man who had attacked her. His entire body was enveloped in wind mana. His annoying blond hair and the hems of his uniform and cape all fluttered gently in the wind.
What wizard in this world would have thought of fighting at close ranges at the beginning of the fight? Alexa could not understand his unexpected antics.
Not only that, but the speed he had displayed was remarkable, seemingly becoming one with the wind.
“Ag, rah… Didn’t that hurt…!”
…However, it was pretty pitiful to see him clutch his shin in pain after he had been the one to attack.
The method Tristan had developed to face wizards stronger than him.
It was to use his wind magic to accelerate his movement drastically and use that speed to overwhelm the enemy with physical attacks.
That was similar to how Isaac fought. He, after all, had always attempted to fight at close quarters even though he was in the Magic Department.
No matter how cheeky the man was, he had to acknowledge his wit and skills.
In addition, the way he used the wind mana explosion to increase the power of his attack had been inspired by how Isaac had used [Frost Explosion] in close combat.
Though his hits only met their target four out of the ten times he used them due to absurd difficulty in controlling himself at high speeds, he was luckily able to succeed on his first attempt.
It was an ineffective way of fighting for a wizard. But this could also be the most effective when specific criteria were met, like his current situation.
“Ha! Was that all it took to make you fall? You’re a total weakling, I see!”
And that criterion was that the opponent did not have high physical abilities, just like his underclassman over there.
To reach this level, he had emptied his stomach many times and had shed countless droplets of sweat amid severe convulsions and intense discomfort.
And finally, he could use it in a real battle. Tristan was incredibly excited.
“…Grgh.”
Alexa clenched her teeth. A vein popped on her forehead. Tristan’s taunts had been effective.
Shakily standing back up, a hand clasped over the side of her stomach that Tristan had kicked, she glared at her blond-haired upperclassmen.
If she hadn’t had [Basic Protection Magic] cast around her, she would have coughed up blood. Fury flooded over her like an avalanche.
“So, annoying…!”
Alexa shouted irritatingly. But because of her shy personality, the amplification of her shout was minimal.
Once again, the magic circles around her spewed out seven more rock pillars. [Rock Avalanche]. The attack crashed towards Tristan at a frightening speed.
But their difference in speed was clear. Tristan disappeared within a split second.
At a speed Alexa could not track, he dodged [Rock Avalanche] and pounced on her.
「Rock Wall (Rock Element, ★4)」
Ruuumble—!
Alexa pulled up a wall of rock and surrounded herself with it.
Afterward, [Rock Avalanche] continued to rain down on him, but Tristan flew freely through the air and leisurely dodged the rock attacks.
“You’re slower than a snail. I could dodge those in the middle of a nap!”
Tristan bellowed loudly, taunting the girl, and concentrated his attacks on one point of the [Rock Wall] protecting Alexa.
Wind spells [Wind Sword] and [Gale Fang]. Punches and kicks imbued with wind mana. Even as Alexa’s [Rock Wall] was restored as soon as it was damaged, Tristan did not stop his barrage of attacks.
His leg broke. Blood spewed from his mouth. His body’s physical capabilities were overloaded. However, Tristan did not stop and continued his fierce battle with Alexa.
Faster, even faster.
Tristan’s attacks progressively increased in speed.
“You little…! You little gnat…!”
Beneath the rock, Alexa grabbed her dark brown hair with one hand and trembled in severe irritation.
Just then.
Kraghak—!
“…What?!”
Part of [Rock Wall] collapsed, and a strong gust of wind penetrated that gap.
Alexa couldn’t believe it. Tristan’s attack speed had surpassed Alexa’s regeneration speed and pierced through her defenses.
Tristan’s hand shot through the gap in the [Rock Wall] and grabbed onto Alexa’s jacket.
And using the moment when Alexa’s mana was shaken, Tristan used [Gale Fang], a series of wind attacks sharp like a wolf’s fang to shatter [Rock Wall].
Craaaaash—–!!
Immediately after, Tristan tried to detonate the concentration of wind mana he had in his hand.
In Alexa’s eyes came the view of a laughing madman with blood spilling from his ears and mouth.
An inexplicable sense of disgust swelled inside her. Alexa’s face crumpled violently.
“Caught yo—!”
Kbooom—-!
Alexa’s magic was faster. A [Rock Avalanche] she had prepared in advance surged up and hit Tristan, pushing him up to the ceiling.
With a loud ‘Bang!’ it sounded like something had exploded.
Boom!
The rock pillar mercilessly collided with the ceiling.
But the cyclone contained by Tristan was still hovering in the air with incredible speed. It was clear that he had run away before the final collision.
“Kehahah!! Not bad!!”
Crazy bastard.
Those were the only words she could use to describe him.
Even after all his bones had been crushed by [Rock Avalanche], he was spilling a dangerous amount of blood; Tristan continued to laugh manically, seeming almost hysteric.
Why was it? The man’s laughter began scaring her.
Even though it was clear he was weaker than her.
“…Argh!”
Thump, thump!
Alexa once again used [Rock Wall] to surround herself, then used rock pillars to block off all entrances.
Then, a light brown rock magic circle appeared on the ceiling. It was a formidable amount of mana. Tristan felt a chill run through his entire body.
What was being drawn was the magic circle of the 6-star spell, [Meteor Shower].
“She’s only a first-year, yet she’s using 6-star magic…”
A laugh slipped out of Tristan’s mouth. What he was currently seeing almost felt ridiculous.
First-years would be praised as geniuses for using 5-star magic.
Using 6-star magic already meant they were on Luce Eltania’s level.
He should have entered a passage and dodged that attack, but Alexa had already blocked off the passages with her rocks.
Also, Alexa had already gotten rid of the rock pillars below that he could take cover under. The light brown speckles of mana glittered in the air as they scattered away.
Tristan took in the majestic view of the 6-star magic circle etched on the ceiling.
Unfathomable amounts of mana poured out of it.
You are special.
That single sentence had changed Tristan Humphrey’s life.
However, he had not once thought of himself as special.
It was because he had been the next head of the Humphrey Family that Father, who struggled to say even one compliment, said those words to him out of desperation.
Tristan knew that fact very well. When he thought about it, the meaning of ‘You are special’ might not have meant a good thing.
But just hearing it was good enough for him. To change Tristan’s life, just those few words had been enough.
The more he trained within an ideal environment, the more Tristan realized that he was just a lucky person born into a wealthy and influential family.
Because of that, he thanked the Humphrey Family and vowed to become a special person.
It was also why he had always blabbered off about being a superior, special, and legendary being.
Even if it had all been but a mere mask.
He believed that specialness was something that one made.
That was one reason Isaac especially caught Tristan’s attention in Märchen Academy.
Grade E mana.
A pitiful grade that showed he hadn’t even tried to use magic since youth.
A poor commoner. Pitifully low status.
He, who should have ended there, showed no hesitation in battle, poured his everything into training, and was now highly respected by other students.
So, he disliked Isaac.
He was the one who had been living Tristan’s beliefs as a reality.
Whooooooosh—!!!
Tristan’s wind mana caused another fierce whirlwind.
He casted the 4-star defense magic, [Wind Wall], at maximum output.
He was the one who was going to become the most special and greatest wizard of this academy.
He didn’t want to lose to someone like Isaac. After all, hadn’t he been born with better conditions?
It was only natural for him to be ahead.
“Ha!”
That underclassman has likely been called a genius by the people around her.
Genius? What a ridiculous word.
He will crush them.
“Come at me, brat!”
Soon, the magic circle on the ceiling rained light upon the labyrinth.
And countless meteors shot down like arrows.
༺ Joint Practical Evaluation (6) ༻
You are special.
That one sentence…
…It was that one sentence his serious-faced father, who had ignored him until then, had said to Tristan that drastically changed his crooked lifestyle.
He shortened the time he slept to study and continued to train his magic even when blood would spill out of his nose.
Believing that he was improving by the day, his eyes were always looking forward, toward the man he would become.
Living in such a manner, his strength grew by the day, and he earned the respect of everyone in the mansion.
Being raised on such a pedestal, he felt that he would become the one who would need to take responsibility for every single one of them and that they were his people.
So, he felt obligated to live so their respect would not be in vain.
This was why, as if he were continuing to remind the others about just how amazing of a person they were serving, Tristan laughed valiantly and repeated the phrase, ‘I am special and superior!’
He hid the times stained by blood and sweat behind the mask named arrogance.
Tristan always smiled boldly, to follow his lead.
That was the attitude of one who stood on top. It was the way of life that Tristan Humphrey had cultivated to be his.
***
Alexa, the female student with a golden diamond mark etched on her forehead, remained expressionless. The right arm she had extended aimed for Tristan Humphrey.
Tristan’s eyes saw the reality. Elemental advantage and difference in mana. The female student standing before him was much stronger than himself.
But hadn’t he seen how those weaker than their opponent had fought countless times here at the Märchen Academy?
Indeed. That was Isaac’s way of fighting.
Twice, he had fought with that cheeky bastard, and Tristan hadn’t won satisfyingly once.
But he had to accept what should be accepted. If Isaac had given him a realization, then he must take it. Because he must become stronger.
That was also why he threw away the stupid idea that the best defense was offense and concentrated on his defense magic.
Moreover, this damned academy still had many students who were stronger than him.
That female underclassman had about the same mana as Luce Eltania and Kaya Astrea.
But does that mean he will retreat?
‘Hah! As if.’
He had come to Märchen Academy to become a legendary wizard. Avoiding a battle was something that he could not allow.
Everything inside of this damn academy is merely food for his growth.
Whoooooosh—-!
Tristan’s light green winds blew aggressively.
“Come fight me, brat.”
A confident smile drew across his face.
“…”
Alexa did not respond. Was there any reason to? She merely followed Alice Carroll’s command and fought for the kingdom.
She could quickly get rid of that arrogant and weak-looking blond in an instant.
Then, Alexa’s rock magic circle began to glow brightly.
Rrumbleee–!
Pillars of rocks shot up from the ground and fiercely cut through the air toward Tristan.
A 4-star rock spell, [Rock Avalanche].
Tristan couldn’t even begin to estimate the density of mana within that ocher boulder. Most spells wouldn’t even make a dent in that rock.
In the first place, removing one’s fear in front of an overwhelmingly powerful enemy did not resolve the fundamental problem of the difference in strength.
But his objective was to fight on par with the opponent no matter how much stronger they were and, in the end, claim victory.
Tristan found a hint of that goal in Isaac’s combat style.
And the results of countless days of pondering and training were now inside his body.
His wind was not directed at the enemy but at himself.
Crashhh—!
Five rock pillars warded away the spiral of wind and attempted to crush Tristan, but he disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Alexa was confused.
“Where did he…?”
Alexa’s eyes quickly searched around to track Tristan’s mana.
“…!”
Whoosh–!
Boom—!
But suddenly, she received a powerful impact to her side and tumbled across the ground.
An explosion of concentrated wind magic and a flying kick had ambushed her.
Reflexively, Alexa showered down rock pillars onto what had attacked her.
But that something dodged Alexa’s magic at a speed difficult to track with the naked eye and repositioned itself.
Grumble–!
Alexa created a boulder using [Rock Generation] to support her body and stop rolling.
Her narrowed eyes turned to the man who had attacked her. His entire body was enveloped in wind mana. His annoying blond hair and the hems of his uniform and cape all fluttered gently in the wind.
What wizard in this world would have thought of fighting at close ranges at the beginning of the fight? Alexa could not understand his unexpected antics.
Not only that, but the speed he had displayed was remarkable, seemingly becoming one with the wind.
“Ag, rah… Didn’t that hurt…!”
…However, it was pretty pitiful to see him clutch his shin in pain after he had been the one to attack.
The method Tristan had developed to face wizards stronger than him.
It was to use his wind magic to accelerate his movement drastically and use that speed to overwhelm the enemy with physical attacks.
That was similar to how Isaac fought. He, after all, had always attempted to fight at close quarters even though he was in the Magic Department.
No matter how cheeky the man was, he had to acknowledge his wit and skills.
In addition, the way he used the wind mana explosion to increase the power of his attack had been inspired by how Isaac had used [Frost Explosion] in close combat.
Though his hits only met their target four out of the ten times he used them due to absurd difficulty in controlling himself at high speeds, he was luckily able to succeed on his first attempt.
It was an ineffective way of fighting for a wizard. But this could also be the most effective when specific criteria were met, like his current situation.
“Ha! Was that all it took to make you fall? You’re a total weakling, I see!”
And that criterion was that the opponent did not have high physical abilities, just like his underclassman over there.
To reach this level, he had emptied his stomach many times and had shed countless droplets of sweat amid severe convulsions and intense discomfort.
And finally, he could use it in a real battle. Tristan was incredibly excited.
“…Grgh.”
Alexa clenched her teeth. A vein popped on her forehead. Tristan’s taunts had been effective.
Shakily standing back up, a hand clasped over the side of her stomach that Tristan had kicked, she glared at her blond-haired upperclassmen.
If she hadn’t had [Basic Protection Magic] cast around her, she would have coughed up blood. Fury flooded over her like an avalanche.
“So, annoying…!”
Alexa shouted irritatingly. But because of her shy personality, the amplification of her shout was minimal.
Once again, the magic circles around her spewed out seven more rock pillars. [Rock Avalanche]. The attack crashed towards Tristan at a frightening speed.
But their difference in speed was clear. Tristan disappeared within a split second.
At a speed Alexa could not track, he dodged [Rock Avalanche] and pounced on her.
「Rock Wall (Rock Element, ★4)」
Ruuumble—!
Alexa pulled up a wall of rock and surrounded herself with it.
Afterward, [Rock Avalanche] continued to rain down on him, but Tristan flew freely through the air and leisurely dodged the rock attacks.
“You’re slower than a snail. I could dodge those in the middle of a nap!”
Tristan bellowed loudly, taunting the girl, and concentrated his attacks on one point of the [Rock Wall] protecting Alexa.
Wind spells [Wind Sword] and [Gale Fang]. Punches and kicks imbued with wind mana. Even as Alexa’s [Rock Wall] was restored as soon as it was damaged, Tristan did not stop his barrage of attacks.
His leg broke. Blood spewed from his mouth. His body’s physical capabilities were overloaded. However, Tristan did not stop and continued his fierce battle with Alexa.
Faster, even faster.
Tristan’s attacks progressively increased in speed.
“You little…! You little gnat…!”
Beneath the rock, Alexa grabbed her dark brown hair with one hand and trembled in severe irritation.
Just then.
Kraghak—!
“…What?!”
Part of [Rock Wall] collapsed, and a strong gust of wind penetrated that gap.
Alexa couldn’t believe it. Tristan’s attack speed had surpassed Alexa’s regeneration speed and pierced through her defenses.
Tristan’s hand shot through the gap in the [Rock Wall] and grabbed onto Alexa’s jacket.
And using the moment when Alexa’s mana was shaken, Tristan used [Gale Fang], a series of wind attacks sharp like a wolf’s fang to shatter [Rock Wall].
Craaaaash—–!!
Immediately after, Tristan tried to detonate the concentration of wind mana he had in his hand.
In Alexa’s eyes came the view of a laughing madman with blood spilling from his ears and mouth.
An inexplicable sense of disgust swelled inside her. Alexa’s face crumpled violently.
“Caught yo—!”
Kbooom—-!
Alexa’s magic was faster. A [Rock Avalanche] she had prepared in advance surged up and hit Tristan, pushing him up to the ceiling.
With a loud ‘Bang!’ it sounded like something had exploded.
Boom!
The rock pillar mercilessly collided with the ceiling.
But the cyclone contained by Tristan was still hovering in the air with incredible speed. It was clear that he had run away before the final collision.
“Kehahah!! Not bad!!”
Crazy bastard.
Those were the only words she could use to describe him.
Even after all his bones had been crushed by [Rock Avalanche], he was spilling a dangerous amount of blood; Tristan continued to laugh manically, seeming almost hysteric.
Why was it? The man’s laughter began scaring her.
Even though it was clear he was weaker than her.
“…Argh!”
Thump, thump!
Alexa once again used [Rock Wall] to surround herself, then used rock pillars to block off all entrances.
Then, a light brown rock magic circle appeared on the ceiling. It was a formidable amount of mana. Tristan felt a chill run through his entire body.
What was being drawn was the magic circle of the 6-star spell, [Meteor Shower].
“She’s only a first-year, yet she’s using 6-star magic…”
A laugh slipped out of Tristan’s mouth. What he was currently seeing almost felt ridiculous.
First-years would be praised as geniuses for using 5-star magic.
Using 6-star magic already meant they were on Luce Eltania’s level.
He should have entered a passage and dodged that attack, but Alexa had already blocked off the passages with her rocks.
Also, Alexa had already gotten rid of the rock pillars below that he could take cover under. The light brown speckles of mana glittered in the air as they scattered away.
Tristan took in the majestic view of the 6-star magic circle etched on the ceiling.
Unfathomable amounts of mana poured out of it.
You are special.
That single sentence had changed Tristan Humphrey’s life.
However, he had not once thought of himself as special.
It was because he had been the next head of the Humphrey Family that Father, who struggled to say even one compliment, said those words to him out of desperation.
Tristan knew that fact very well. When he thought about it, the meaning of ‘You are special’ might not have meant a good thing.
But just hearing it was good enough for him. To change Tristan’s life, just those few words had been enough.
The more he trained within an ideal environment, the more Tristan realized that he was just a lucky person born into a wealthy and influential family.
Because of that, he thanked the Humphrey Family and vowed to become a special person.
It was also why he had always blabbered off about being a superior, special, and legendary being.
Even if it had all been but a mere mask.
He believed that specialness was something that one made.
That was one reason Isaac especially caught Tristan’s attention in Märchen Academy.
Grade E mana.
A pitiful grade that showed he hadn’t even tried to use magic since youth.
A poor commoner. Pitifully low status.
He, who should have ended there, showed no hesitation in battle, poured his everything into training, and was now highly respected by other students.
So, he disliked Isaac.
He was the one who had been living Tristan’s beliefs as a reality.
Whooooooosh—!!!
Tristan’s wind mana caused another fierce whirlwind.
He casted the 4-star defense magic, [Wind Wall], at maximum output.
He was the one who was going to become the most special and greatest wizard of this academy.
He didn’t want to lose to someone like Isaac. After all, hadn’t he been born with better conditions?
It was only natural for him to be ahead.
“Ha!”
That underclassman has likely been called a genius by the people around her.
Genius? What a ridiculous word.
He will crush them.
“Come at me, brat!”
Soon, the magic circle on the ceiling rained light upon the labyrinth.
And countless meteors shot down like arrows.
