Chapter 54
It was a shocking revelation.
At the end of each semester, every student in the lowest-ranked squad in the duel evaluations would be expelled. Regardless of their grades, 10% of the entire student body would be dropped every semester, no matter what.
Since it took two semesters to advance to second year, that meant nearly 20% of students might leave Keyzen solely because of duel evaluations.
Jane continued her explanation.
"Squad promotions and demotions are determined solely by wins and losses. Of course, each squad has different scoring weights in the duel evaluations. Losing to a higher-ranked squad earns more points than beating a lower-ranked one. You must always aim to challenge the upper squads."
She put down the chalk she was holding and looked around at the students.
"Here's a question. Who can explain the difference between the monster battle we had last time and this upcoming duel against other students?"
To that question, one hand shot up more eagerly than any other.
"Jaime Victoria."
"Yes, Professor! I'm Jaime Victoria! The monster battle is a situation where we strategize to target and take down the enemy, but in the duel, the opponent can also target and strategize against us! That’s the difference!"
Jane nodded and shifted her gaze to another student.
"Hector Moore."
This time, Hector, who had his hand raised, stood up. It felt like a massive hill rising up from the ground.
"Unlike monster battles, the range of usable black magic in duels is more limited."
"Can you explain that in detail?"
"Techniques that take a long time to cast, those with obvious trajectories or slow projectile speed, trap-type magic circles installed on the floor, those are difficult to use in duels, so they are restricted. Similarly—"
Hector’s eyes shifted.
His gaze was fixed on Simon, seated far across the room.
"Summoning spells from Summonology are also ineffective in duels. They’re easy to counter, and the opponent can ignore the summoned creature and attack the summoner directly."
"Very good."
At Jane’s signal, Hector bowed politely and returned to his seat.
"We've covered most of the important points. Honestly, there could be dozens or hundreds of differences between monster battles and duels if you looked closely. Now then, can anyone tell me why I’m going over something this obvious?"
"......."
The room went dead silent.
"Starting this week, you need to change how you think."
Jane tapped her forehead with her index finger.
"If you're still stuck in the afterglow of the Cyclops fight, that’s a problem. Loosen the screws in your head, change your habits and mindset. No one's going to strategize for you. Think hard during class about how to use the cards you have to take down your classmates."
"Yes, Professor!"
The students answered energetically.
"And also—"
Jane smiled slightly.
Simon shuddered involuntarily.
How could someone smile like that, and still be so terrifying?
"I'm the vice-chancellor of Keyzen, but as the homeroom professor of Class A, I believe I’ve done my best. The Avalon simulation, the real battle with the Cyclops, those were exclusive to Class A among all 14 first-year classes."
Simon nodded. He was grateful for such extraordinary experiences.
‘But why was she bringing this up all of a sudden...?’
"Let me make it clear. I can’t even imagine another class outperforming Class A, the one I’m in charge of."
A spark lit up in Jane’s normally cold eyes.
"The vice-chancellor herself came down to teach first-years. I trust you won’t embarrass me."
‘...Hah, so that’s what this is about.’
Though professors rarely showed it, they were actually quite sensitive about the performance of their respective classes.
Especially when it came to duel evaluations, since all classes from A to N competed directly, with clear results on who performed well and who didn’t.
"Professor Jane!!"
It was then. Dick, who sat next to Simon, stood up with an excited face.
"Don't worry! We’ll make sure you can hold your head up high, Professor!"
Maelyn flinched and yanked on his sleeve.
"Hey! Sit down! You're embarrassing us! Why are you getting all hyped up like that?!"
"Let’s go! Class A, fighting!!"
Laughter erupted from all directions.
Some male students, fired up by competitive spirit, joined Dick in his cheer with loud shouts.
"'Class A, fighting', huh."
"Our kids are too cute."
The teaching assistants whispered to each other and giggled.
They were used to dealing with stiff third-years who followed Jane around, so working with these chick-like first-years brought a refreshing change.
Jane stared blankly at Dick.
"Dick Hayword."
"Yes, Professor!"
"You're the one I’m most worried about."
Wahahahaha!
This time the entire class burst into laughter. Dick, now embarrassed, scratched his head and sat down.
"Ah, crap, I hate this. You're so embarrassing."
Maelyn muttered, covering her face with her palm.
"While we're at it, let me give you some advice. Dick Hayword’s enchants are quite decent. But the problem is how he gets that enchanted weapon to hit his opponent. He might do well against someone from the Magical Combat track, but against a student from the Haematology track, who specializes in ranged attacks, he’d go down without a chance."
Her observation was spot-on, and Dick nodded with a grim expression.
"Each of you, think about your own strengths and weaknesses, and consider what you need to improve for the upcoming duel."
"Yes!"
Jane stepped down from the podium and signaled the assistants. The assistants began to move busily.
"Alright, let’s move to a different location."
* * *
Class A headed to the indoor training facility in the adjacent building.
The reason Jane brought them there was simple.
"From now on, freely train however you'd like. Review your specialties and think about which black magic you’ll use for duels. Assistants will be walking around, so feel free to ask questions."
At the mention of free training, the students eagerly scattered.
Some practiced black magic directly for image training, while others sat and filled out damage tables.
If they wanted, mock duels were also possible. The assistants were lending out protective vests similar to the ones used during the Cyclops battle.
Meanwhile, Simon leaned against the wall, troubled by the issue Hector had raised.
—Summoning spells from Summonology are also ineffective in duels. They’re easy to counter, and the opponent can ignore the summoned creature and attack the summoner directly.
Just as Hector said, the opponent would relentlessly target Simon. And the slow-moving skeletons might not be able to catch up with students charging at him using Darkness.
Crash!
As Simon’s thoughts deepened, a skeleton beside him suddenly collapsed.
"Ah! Sorry! That startled you, didn’t it?"
A bowl-cut male student came running up, hurriedly picking up the bone pieces and putting them into a box. Simon also crouched down and began helping him.
"I'll help."
"Oh, thanks!"
The student glanced at Simon’s face. At first, he looked a bit startled, but then a delighted smile spread across his face.
"You’re Simon Follentia, right?"
"Yeah."
His eyes sparkled.
"My name’s Toto Amoriya! That Cyclops battle from before—seriously, it was super impressive! I’m also a Summonology major, and something about it just got my heart racing!"
Simon smiled gently. After they’d finished putting the skeleton bones into the box, he stood up.
"You planning to use that skeleton in the duel evaluation?"
"Well, um..."
Toto scratched the side of his head with a sheepish smile.
"To be honest, I don’t have many options. Summonology’s the only thing I’m good at, and it’s the only reason I got into Keyzen. I’m terrible at every other subject."
As he spoke, Toto looked up at Simon.
"I’m jealous of you, Simon."
"...Huh?"
"You’re good at Magical Combat. You seem pretty talented in Katarology too..."
Simon blinked.
"I’m also a Summonology major, you know?"
"That’s exactly why I’m jealous. If you want to survive as a Summonology major, you also need to do well in duel-friendly subjects like Magical Combat or Katarology."
Simon crossed his arms.
"So you’re saying Summonology isn’t very good for duels?"
"Yeah. At least in the early stages. Summonology needs more time to grow."
At that moment, a girl who seemed to be Toto’s teammate waved at him. Toto waved back and said,
"Well, I’ll see you later!"
"Do your best."
As he watched Toto's back grow smaller in the distance, Simon fell into deep thought.
‘Summonology is weak in duels, huh.’
Of course, if he could summon his entire Legion and sweep the field, it’d be a different story, but that was impossible. All Simon could use in the duel evaluation were his three summoned skeletons.
Even after Toto left, Simon leaned against the wall, thinking and thinking again.
"Oh my, you look like you’re deep in thought~"
Maybe she had noticed Simon’s troubled expression, this time, a teaching assistant approached with a smile.
Startled, Simon quickly bowed in greeting.
"What's the issue? I’ve been at Keyzen for almost two years now, so feel free to ask me anything."
"Ah, well…"
Simon gave an awkward smile and scratched his head.
"I’m trying to figure out what style I should use in duels."
"Hehe."
She folded her arms.
"In my experience, when you're like this, the best thing to do is stop thinking and just try it yourself."
"...Pardon?"
She handed him a protective vest.
"Put this on. I’ll spar with you myself."
And just like that, Simon ended up in a mock duel with a teaching assistant. The two moved to a spacious area where they wouldn't get in anyone else’s way, and stood facing each other.
"You can check your barrier gauge by looking at the blue scale on the vest. See it?"
"Yes, I see it."
A sudden duel with a TA?
Simon was confused but also a bit nervous.
"No need to be too tense. I’ll only use black magic at a first-year level. Ready?"
"Yes!"
"Then, here I come!"
She opened her palm. Darkness rose like a heat haze and formed four magic circles in the air.
Simon’s eyes sparkled as he watched.
‘Dark Flare Arrows.’
He had learned this during Darkness Dynamics class.
One of the most basic offensive skills created from Darkness. It was a standard technique used by most first-years as a ranged deterrent.
‘She really is sticking to the typical first-year level.’
As the TA spread her arms, three Dark Flare Arrows shot toward Simon. Bracing himself, he quickly tracked the trajectory of the projectiles and leapt to the side.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The three arrows struck the ground.
‘......!’
And the final arrow was flying directly toward Simon's path.
It was too late to change direction. Gritting his teeth, Simon reached out his hand.
Whoosh!
A short sword burst out from the subspace beneath his feet. Grabbing it, he swung and deflected the Dark Flare Arrow.
"Oh! Not bad~"
"Now it’s my turn!"
From subspace, Simon summoned three Skeletons that charged at the TA. She cast another round of Dark Flare Arrows, and Simon's eyes widened.
‘Dodge to the right!’
Pop! Pop!
The Skeletons moved swiftly. One was hit, but the remaining two successfully dodged and closed the distance with her.
"Hmm~"
She clenched her fist. Though it looked delicate, her fist subtly darkened with a black hue.
Vwoom!
As one skeleton lunged with a spear, she ducked and evaded. Then she punched forward.
Her fist struck the center of the skeleton’s chest, and with a loud crash, the bones scattered in all directions. She lowered her stance and smashed the skull of the second skeleton approaching from behind with a precise elbow.
"Ah!"
"Spacing out, are we?"
Thud!
Simon's torso bent backward. A black flash-like streak had pierced through his chest before he even noticed.
‘Damn it!’
Exhaust curse!
His body instantly became sluggish and heavy.
‘I let my guard down. I could have dodged that!’
While she was fighting the skeletons, she naturally drew Simon’s attention and prepared Exhaust with her other hand behind her back.
And just when the skeletons were shattered and Simon took psychological damage, she had struck at the perfect moment.
‘She’s only using the basics… but her experience is on another level!’
Simon gritted his teeth.
"Alright~ The summons are down, and you’ve been hit with Exhaust. This is the perfect chance to finish off the summoner, don’t you think?"
She even offered commentary with a relaxed voice as she charged at Simon. Simon summoned another trio of skeletons from subspace.
‘Block her!’
As the distance between the skeletons and the TA shrank—
Vwoooooosh!
Darkness shot out from her legs like jet propulsion, launching her over the skeletons in an instant.
‘Even using Magical Combat’s Dark Dash?!’
After leaping over the skeletons, she once again shot through the air, diving straight toward Simon, the summoner.
"Thanks to the barrier, it won’t hurt too bad~!"
Her fist came crashing down at a fierce speed.
Simon’s eyes flashed. He tucked in his shoulder, flowing with her movement, and redirected the descending punch.
‘Heh.’
She already knew this student was skilled in Magical Combat.
The TA smirked as she subtly opened her left hand. A Dark Flare Arrow magic circle was drawn on her palm, aimed at Simon’s head.
‘This will end it……!’
That moment.
She felt goosebumps rise all over her body.
Simon's right shoulder didn’t just tuck, it twisted far beyond the norm and spun, his right heel lifting as his left leg came from a diagonal angle.
‘That’s not a guard…!’
From her viewpoint, the tip of Simon’s left foot turned into a black flash moving at incomprehensible speed, sweeping toward her face.
‘Whiplash kick!’
Vwooooooosh!
Simon’s leg carved a deadly arc through the air, grazing past her face.
The shockwave rippled outward, and nearby students paused their training, startled, turning toward them.
Simon, who had thrown the kick, was equally surprised.
‘I thought I landed it, but my leg just passed right through her head?’
Both of them froze momentarily, then quickly stepped back from each other.
"Ah, uh… I’m sorry."
The TA bowed her head in apology.
"I said I’d only use basic black magic, but I accidentally used my specialty, Spirit Form. Ahaha… let’s end the mock duel here."
"Thank you, Instructor."
Simon gave a deep bow.
And just then, the TA stared at the top of Simon’s head as if she’d seen a ghost.
‘What the heck… this kid’s scary.’
If he had landed that kick without the suit… she might’ve gone straight to the afterlife.
The TA gulped hard.
Superb.