Book 1 Chapter 36
【36】35
“You’re lucky, being first.”
Leo chuckled and stepped forward.
The practical exam for knighthood was simple.
It was to achieve 5 wins through sparring.
The moment one achieved 5 wins, the exam was passed.
Of course, victory or defeat wasn't an absolute requirement for the score, as detailed points were graded based on the sparring opponent and content.
But regardless, it was important to win and pass the exam quickly.
Naturally, Leo's goal was an undefeated record.
“You’re lucky to be first? It seems you don’t even see me!”
Howl, Leo’s first opponent, said with a laugh.
Howl Snape.
He came from the illustrious hero family of the Thul Kingdom in the southern region of the continent.
Compared to Zerdinger, his reputation was lower, but he still held the title of an illustrious hero family.
In particular, he wielded the ever-changing spear technique, Snape Spear.
He was actually considered the third strongest among the Class 1 knighthood students, after Celia and Duran.
Howl, licking his lips, pulled a spear from his sub-dimensional bracelet.
It was a long spear, 1.5 times longer than a normal spear.
Seeing this, Leo also drew his sword from his waist.
“As discussed beforehand, the one who renders their opponent incapable of combat wins. Treat this sparring session as a real battle.”
Ain, having finished his brief explanation, stepped back.
There was no out-of-bounds judgment.
Literally, the entire drill ground was the sparring arena.
Facing each other, Howl licked his lips.
“I’m looking forward to this. I’ve been thinking about getting revenge ever since your Class 5 defeated us in the combat class at the beginning of the semester.”
“You’re still holding onto that?”
When Leo asked with a chuckle, Howl gave a cold laugh.
“People of the Snape family don't forget humiliation.”
“Did you hate cleaning the toilets that much?!”
“Ugh! Do you know how much the kids from other classes made fun of me?!”
Howl clenched his fist tightly.
“I’ll repay that humiliation from back then! Leo Flob!”
Whoosh-!
Howl, gripping his spear firmly, lowered his stance.
It was a preparatory stance, reminiscent of a snake's attacking posture.
Observing Howl, Leo let his sword hang loose.
“Leo. I’ve heard about your impressive performance during the entrance exam.”
Howl curled the corners of his mouth.
“But you are clearly lagging behind other students from the starting line! I heard you couldn’t even awaken your aura during the entrance exam! Can someone like you really block this attack?!”
Thwack-! Whoosh-!
Howl’s spear tip aimed for Leo’s chest.
Incredible speed!
A typical spear thrust is a straight line.
Therefore, no matter how fast, it’s easy to dodge if you can predict it.
‘But the Snape Spear, that’s where it begins!’
The Snape family’s spear thrust moves like a living snake.
That’s why if you dodge carelessly, you’re likely to get into trouble.
‘The moment you dodge, you’ll be cornered!’
A normal student, having lost the first exchange, should have been defeated by Howl without being able to do anything else.
But Leo was a student who defied the ordinary.
Thud-!
“…!”
Howl’s eyes widened.
Leo had grabbed the spear shaft just before it reached him.
“You said you heard about me from other kids, but didn’t you hear about me from Celia, who’s in the same class?”
Leo smiled chillingly.
Whoosh-!
“Huh?”
Leo lifted Howl straight up towards the sky, spear and all.
Howl, who had been preparing for an aura attack, stared wide-eyed at Leo, who had lifted him with pure physical strength.
“I’m strong, that’s what!”
Whoosh-! Bang-!
Leo slammed Howl straight onto the floor.
Of course, Howl minimized the damage by using his Aura Armor just before hitting the ground.
Howl, regaining his stance, let out a chuckle.
“Of course, I heard. I was just a little surprised by your strength, which is greater than I expected.”
Buzz-!
The spear shaft glowed green.
“But your strong physical power doesn’t solve your fundamental weakness!”
Howl’s green eyes flashed.
Leo quickly let go of the spear.
Hiss-!
A small wisp of smoke rose from the ground where Howl stood.
‘Poison Aura? A unique trait.’
Leo wore an amused expression.
It was an aura trait overwhelmingly advantageous for long battles.
It was understandable that he was so confident.
‘But you’re not there yet.’
“You’re talking about my weakness, you know.”
Leo chuckled.
“Aren’t weaknesses there to be overcome?”
Whoosh-!
The flame aura emanating from Leo’s body pushed back Howl’s Poison Aura.
Seeing that, Howl grinned.
‘Indeed, a flame-attributed aura is a weakness for me! But unless it’s someone like Celia, I can easily reverse the elemental advantage!’
Whoosh-!
Even stronger toxicity erupted from Howl’s body.
In response, Leo also increased his firepower.
‘I told you it’s useless! Unless it’s someone like Celia!’
Whoosh-!
Roar of flames!
As if in competition, each time the toxic aura grew stronger, the flame's power became fiercer.
As time passed, Howl’s face gradually stiffened.
‘Not… someone of… Celia’s… level?’
Howl, whose face had turned pale, found his gaze fixed on Leo’s red eyes.
‘Impossible! Firepower on Celia’s level?!’
Leo’s prominence was a story from the beginning of the semester.
Moreover, he had never properly demonstrated his skills in sparring sessions that evaluated overall combat power.
Therefore, in this test spar, where the overall skill of the first-years had rapidly improved, most predicted Howl’s victory.
But as if to mock such predictions, Leo pressured Howl with a powerful flame aura.
Celia, who had been observing the situation from outside with her arms crossed, wore a surprised expression.
‘When did he get that strong?’
Celia was one of the few people who had predicted Leo’s victory.
But she hadn’t expected Leo to raise the firepower of his flame aura to this extent.
Duran, watching the scene, chuckled.
“Howl seems insufficient.”
“How can you conclude that when Howl hasn’t even lost yet?”
When a Class 1 knighthood student chided him, Duran scoffed.
“Are your eyes just for show? He’s already at a disadvantage in elemental affinity, and he’s completely pushed back in the power struggle. Do you think Howl stands a chance?”
“Even so, Howl still has the Snake Spear. Elemental affinity of aura isn’t the sole determinant of victory or defeat.”
“Hmph! Do you think Howl can overwhelm Leo Flob with skill?”
“He’s our class’s number 4.”
“It doesn’t matter whether Howl is the fourth strongest in our class or not.”
Sparks crackled from Duran’s body.
“I’m the one who will defeat him.”
“You? I don’t think so.”
Celia, standing next to him, scoffed.
“Are you taking his side just because you usually hang out with him? Celia Zerdinger.”
“I’m not taking sides. I’m the one who will defeat Leo. You can’t even beat me, can you?”
“Nonsense. I’ll show you who’s superior right now.”
“Fine. I’ll crush you.”
Crackle!
Roar!
Duran, who sought to defeat anyone above him, and Celia, who had a strong pride in being the best, had an extremely bad relationship.
“Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing fighting amongst yourselves! We should be cheering for Howl, shouldn’t we?! Huh? Hey, hey! I said don’t raise your aura!”
A Class 1 student, terrified, tried to stop them, but they showed no signs of calming down.
“You two. If you fight now, it won’t end with just a letter of apology, will it?”
At that moment, Chen Xia smiled and dissuaded the two.
At his words, Duran snorted and walked away, while Celia elegantly swept her hair back.
“Class 1 is full of fighting spirit.”
“It’s not really fighting spirit. I just want to smash that obnoxious guy’s face in.”
“Isn’t that fighting spirit?”
Since Professor Sedjen prohibited duels between students of the same class, Celia and Duran had no chance to settle their rivalry.
“Speaking of which, Xia. You want to fight Leo too, yet you say such things.”
“I certainly do want to fight Young Master Leo. But he’s not my only target.”
“Then?”
“I want to fight Miss Celia and also Young Master Duran. And my goal is to defeat all three of them.”
“In the end, you have the strongest fighting spirit, don’t you?”
Celia sighed, looking at Chen Xia, whose dark eyes sparkled.
The surrounding students, who had been watching the mind games between the top knighthood students with tense faces, breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that nothing had come of it.
“Leo is popular.”
When Nella spoke in her characteristic languid voice, Iliana next to her shook her head.
“If that’s popularity, I’ll pass.”
***
“Haaap!”
Howl hastily performed an Aura Step to evade Leo’s sweeping flame aura.
He had to create some distance somehow.
But Leo wouldn't allow Howl to create distance.
‘I have to stop him!’
He swung his spear, imbued with Poison Aura, towards Leo who was approaching him.
Whoosh-!
But Leo’s aura burned away all of Howl’s poison.
Not only was he at a disadvantage in elemental affinity, but he was also inferior in power.
It was a clear disadvantage.
“Kugh!”
The bewilderment stemming from a complete misjudgment of his opponent pressured Howl.
But he soon regained his composure and lowered his stance.
‘It’s unexpected, but I can’t just stand here and take it!’
Howl’s eyes changed, becoming like those of a snake eyeing its prey.
‘I’ve already prepared a countermeasure!’
Howl, who had been called a genius since childhood, failed to achieve the top spot in the entrance exam.
But while there might have been regret, he felt no resentment.
‘Woredon Tyden! Because that monster was there!’
Among those from the southern region, there was no one who didn’t know about Woredon.
That terrifying power was enough for him to be called a monster, beyond a genius.
But among the knighthood students, he thought he was the best.
In fact, he was one of the most skilled first-year knighthood students this year.
But he couldn’t claim to be the strongest.
‘Celia Zerdinger! Chen Xia! Duran Moria!’
The three called the best among their peers.
He knew from the moment he first saw them that these three were a cut above him.
For Howl, who had always been the best in martial arts, it was a tremendous shock.
Especially in Celia’s case, it was a despair-inducing level.
This was because he was overwhelmed not only in skill but also in elemental affinity.
‘Against Chen Xia or Duran, I could at least formulate a strategy! But against Celia, I only felt helplessness!’
At the beginning of the semester, she was an insurmountable wall.
But after months of strenuous effort, he had devised a countermeasure for Celia.
‘I intended to keep it hidden for my spar with Celia! But this turned out even better!’
Howl’s eyes flashed.
‘He’s a good opponent to test my new technique on! And Leo Flob! I absolutely cannot lose to you!’
Whirr-!
He spun his spear with a flourish.
‘Especially not to you, who is close to Celia!’
He had already erased the thought that his opponent was weaker than him.
He regarded Leo as an equal to the people he aimed to surpass.
‘I thought he was just a gloomy guy, but he has pretty good eyes, doesn’t he?’
He was carefully and surely gathering his strength to defeat him.
‘It seems he’s put in a tremendous effort to overcome his disadvantageous elemental affinity, hasn’t he?’
Howl’s eyes were clearly on him, but they were also looking at something else visible behind him.
‘Is it Celia?’
Leo, who had easily discerned it, grinned.
The boy in front of him was burning with a challenging spirit.
‘That challenge. I’ll accept it.’
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