Chapter 24. 12. New Ace
"When does it start?"
"It'll start soon. I should warm up a bit more."
"Is warming up even necessary? If you exclude Theoro, there's nothing to see."
"Still, to get a good evaluation, I need to crush them properly."
"Well, that's true."
The top-ranking students treated as second and third in Class B murmured as they looked toward Class E.
Given the nature of the exchange tournament, if one performed poorly, the entire class would suffer the consequences. Such a situation should have been burdensome, yet the two showed not even a hint of tension.
It couldn't be helped. They were confident they could win against anyone from Class E, except for Theoro Sutgarn.
As for Theoro, Byrn Sigal, the top ranker in Class B, would surely be his opponent. So they just needed to secure their predetermined victories.
"I should end it within twenty exchanges."
"Ah, my condition isn't good today. What if I lose...?"
"You think you'll be fine? Never mind the score, if you lose to a Class E kid, you'll be mocked endlessly."
It wasn't just the top-ranking students who felt at ease.
All the children of Class B felt the same way.
The rule of the exchange tournament was that first ranks face first ranks, tenth ranks face tenth ranks, and so on—students of the same ranking would compete against each other. And with such rules, they, whose average skills were far superior, held an overwhelming advantage.
The Class B students knew this well, so despite it being a midterm evaluation, their expressions were quite bright.
Of course, with one exception.
Byrn Sigal, Class B's strongest student who shone as the fourth rank in the entire year, was glaring at Class E with eyes full of determination.
"Byrn, you can win, right?"
"Hey, ask something worth asking. Of course I'll win. Whether it's Theoro or Boomer, they're all beneath me now."
"Completely destroy him!"
Several students offered words of encouragement to Byrn.
Byrn grinned at them before turning his gaze back toward Class E.
'They surprisingly seem to be in good spirits.'
It was a phenomenon difficult to understand.
Class E had the weakest forces among the six classes.
While they had an outstanding talent named Theoro, one person alone couldn't overturn the victory or defeat of an entire class.
In other words, those guys should normally be feeling depressed right now.
Yet the atmosphere of Class E looked far better than Byrn had anticipated.
'Though they are quite tense.'
Unlike themselves who were full of composure.
But within the taut tension, fighting spirit and will could be felt. It was completely different from someone who had frozen up from sheer fear.
'Even that guy?'
Even Rumian, the second year's worst underachiever, had changed.
His fragile-looking face remained the same, but his physique had changed. His solid-looking body and confident attitude made him appear like a different person.
Seeing him standing amicably with the surrounding children was also a first-time sight.
Rumian's appearance—neither mocked, nor bullied, nor cowed—struck Byrn as extremely unfamiliar.
'Has the class unity improved? This might not be as easy as I thought...'
Byrn chuckled at this thought.
It seemed his worries were excessive.
He turned his head and looked over the Class B students. Each and every one of them brimmed with confidence.
'There's no way we'll lose.'
Everyone had worked hard. They had applied themselves to classes more sincerely than anyone.
To protect their pride as the second year's strongest force, they had continued training more intensely than any other class.
He was simply a bit surprised that Class E wasn't as pathetic as he'd thought, but the result wouldn't change at all.
Class B's victory was already a foregone conclusion.
'Besides, today I win too!'
Byrn Sigal steadied his mind.
Theoro Sutgarn!
An opponent he had never beaten even once until now, but this time would be different.
Hot flames flickered within his eyes.
"Hmm, everyone has gathered."
While Byrn Sigal was burning with fighting spirit, Professor Karen appeared.
With a calm expression, he surveyed the students of Classes B and E, then spoke with a solemn face.
"There shouldn't be anyone who doesn't know the rules, so we'll begin immediately. Since time is short, we'll proceed with three teams at once initially. Aaron, Steve, Bianca, Kairo..."
The named students quickly ran out before the professor.
The six students faced each other at an appropriate distance, glaring at one another. Their gazes clashed, feeling as if sparks were flying in the air.
Professor Karen, sensing the fervor of youth, smiled with pleasure.
He spoke quietly.
"Everyone, begin!"
The midterm evaluation had begun.
***
"Damn..."
"We lost again."
"What's the score right now? Isn't this dangerous?"
"Yeah, we're winning by just one point..."
"What the hell. If we mess up, we might actually lose."
Voices full of dismay poured from here and there in Class B.
It was all due to Class E's unexpected strong performance.
Opponents they had thought far beneath them were chasing right at their heels. While they were still in an advantageous position, fear rather than joy was inevitably the greater emotion.
This was how the Class B students felt now. They were experiencing confusion as they looked at the Class E students who had changed drastically from the previous year.
"No way, that guy was definitely really weak before..."
"He was terrible too. I almost lost for real."
"I lost... sand got in my eyes..."
"Damn, I also made a mistake... but even considering all those variables, that was a guy I should've won against unconditionally..."
If only one or two had gotten stronger, they would have accepted it.
It wasn't unheard of for someone to achieve rapid growth during break.
But the current Class E wasn't at that level.
The majority, no, every single Class E student was demonstrating skills that had improved remarkably compared to before.
'What on earth happened?'
'They did seem to be training hard lately, but is this really possible?'
'Did they all take elixirs or something? Or did they receive special tutoring?'
"Damn."
"..."
The expressions of the Class B students darkened.
At first, they thought it was a momentary struggle, but that was no longer the case.
They didn't know exactly what was going on, but the Class E guys had gotten stronger. To a level comparable to their own.
And at that moment, two names were called that heightened the tension to its peak.
"Next. Theoro Sutgarn and Byrn Sigal, prepare."
The two, summoned by Professor Karen, walked out to the center.
Unlike the beginning where three teams proceeded at once, there were no other students around them.
This was thanks to Karen's consideration. If time permitted, there was no need to have multiple teams compete simultaneously.
'The students would want to focus entirely on their duel too...'
It was a match between some of the year's top talents, after all.
Karen smiled faintly and then announced the start of the duel.
Immediately after, Byrn Sigal shot toward Theoro at tremendous speed.
KWAANG!
The wooden swords, laden with aura, collided. A sound far greater than any of the previous duels rang out.
But this wasn't the end.
Byrn's sword continued, continued to swing.
As if stopping his movement would mean immediate death, he poured everything he had into his movements!
His storm-like attack wildly tore at Theoro's lower body.
'Prolonging it is disadvantageous for me!'
It was different from before. Byrn now clearly knew his strengths and weaknesses.
Defense, mental battles, balance—he no longer needed to think about such things.
Instead, he concentrated on his greatest weapon—consecutive strikes. Without thinking of consequences, faster, stronger!
With this strategy of discarding weaknesses and taking strengths alone, his win rate would increase significantly. Byrn Sigal genuinely believed that.
'I know your weakness is your lower body too!'
Added to that, he had coincidentally learned about his opponent's weakness!
The corner of Byrn's mouth faintly rose.
He would win. He would win. This time, he would finally distort that indifferent-looking face.
Muttering to himself like a mantra, he continued his attacks even more rapidly. Until it broke, until it collapsed, until Theoro Sutgarn was destroyed!
However, Byrn's confidence vanished in an instant after the tenth exchange passed.
THUD!
A completely different feeling from before. Byrn narrowed his eyes at the sensation of striking the surface of water.
SLIDE-
Right after finishing his defense, Theoro penetrated fluidly like water, and Byrn's face twisted in frustration.
"Tch!"
Byrn hastily retrieved his sword and took a defensive stance, but it was already too late.
Seeing Theoro's sword touching his neck, he made a frustrated expression.
And then he hung his head low.
"Theoro Sutgarn, victory!"
"WAAAAAH!"
"We won! It's a tie now!"
"We can win! We can win!"
The moment Professor Karen's words ended, Class E students shouted in triumph.
Theoro had won. And much more easily than expected. The score was now tied.
Just ten days ago, they were worried about complete defeat rather than victory, so the current situation felt all the more moving.
"Damn."
"That Theoro bastard got stronger too."
"Did something really happen to Class E? I don't think they were that strong before..."
In contrast, the atmosphere in Class B was miserable. It felt like being at a funeral.
Of course, Byrn Sigal felt the most miserable among them.
With an expression of disbelief, he spoke.
"What happened?"
"What do you mean?"
"Wasn't your lower body a weakness? Why is your response so smooth now?"
"I trained."
"Hah, really... fine. Let's say that's true, but what about that movement?"
"What. This?"
Theoro slid toward Byrn. Byrn flinched late and frowned.
"Yeah, that. It's a movement I haven't seen before. Who taught you? No, did your entire class receive special lessons during break or something?"
"Special lessons... right. It wasn't during break, but calling it special lessons would be correct."
Theoro said with a smirk.
Indeed, this could only be called a "lesson."
The swordsmanship Rumian taught him.
And the method of utilizing aura that allowed him to move and defend as fluidly as water.
These couldn't simply be treated as advice from a fellow student. The gains were too great.
And it wasn't just about him either.
All the students of Class E were probably thinking similar thoughts.
'If not for Rumian, we wouldn't have won today.'
Theoro smiled again and continued speaking.
"Anyway, the effect of that special lesson was quite good. As you can see, our entire class has gotten much stronger."
"Whoever you received it from, the effect must have been amazing. Seeing you get excited and talk so much."
"Right. I'll head back now. Our class ace still needs to come out."
"Ace? What are you talking about?"
"You two, stop chatting and go back. The evaluation isn't over yet."
One couldn't disobey Professor Karen's words. The two finished their conversation and returned to their respective classes.
But Byrn Sigal's curiosity remained. He frowned deeply like a young child given an unsolvable homework assignment.
'That guy is the strongest in Class E, but the ace still needs to come out... what does that mean?'
Surely, there's someone among the guys who haven't come out yet who's become stronger than Theoro?
Surprised, Byrn looked over Class E. It was an absurd notion, but he thought Theoro wouldn't have spoken in vain.
But no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find anyone like that.
No, in the first place, only one student in Class E hadn't yet received evaluation.
'Rumian Calad.'
Second year's last place.
The worst underachiever.
A fragile guy who failed as if it were a meal, and whose advancement to third year couldn't even be guaranteed.
Byrn Sigal shook his head.
'Surely he couldn't mean that guy.'
Just as he was thinking that, three names flowed from Professor Karen's mouth.
"Rumian Calad, Darren Duncan, Sam Markal."
"..."
"It's a two-on-one duel. Prepare."
"...!"
The eyes of the Class B students opened wide simultaneously.