7. The Lower-Year Ranking Determination Tournament (1)
After the second-years, who had stormed in enraged by the professors’ evaluation, returned, the academy’s atmosphere burned even hotter.
The students who had never imagined they would actually beat the second-years felt anew, “So this is how strong we are!” while those who had lost trained even harder out of regret.
And the children who had only been able to watch clenched their teeth with the desire to stand in that place themselves.
With things turning out this way, the intensity of training had no choice but to rise a little higher than before.
If they trained exactly as before, the children’s eyes were filled with a will that said it wasn’t enough, and some even began training on their own.
If they ruined their bodies doing that, it would mean losing valuable talents, so the professors decided it would be better to have them train in front of them and had no choice but to raise the training intensity.
As the scenery of the first-year academy blazed like the fires of hell, the academy where the second-years stayed fell into shock.
The professors were stunned when they heard the second-year representative’s assessment of the freshmen. Then, after some loose-lipped professors blabbered about it, the news eventually spread to the academies of the other years as well, and everyone came to know the truth about the first-years.
“They’re really that strong?”
“It wasn’t just flattery from the professors?”
“If the second-year representative himself said that, then it must be true. Those prideful bastards even personally described their juniors as ‘monsters.’”
The ones most shocked upon learning the truth about the first-years were the second-years.
Since it was none other than the top of the second-years who had said such a thing, they had no choice but to believe it, so it was only natural that they were shaken.
Some refused to accept reality and went to ask the top second-year directly, but the answer that came from his mouth made the shock into fact.
“When I fought the first-year No. 1, I barely won. In reality, the difference between him and me was paper-thin.”
“That’s impressive. But still, it’s not as much as the rumors……”
“No. 13 and No. 3 didn’t even come out. According to them, those two are considered outside the rankings.”
“Then how do you know whether they’re strong?”
“I saw it myself. I watched No. 3 fight a knight, and it was terrifying. He looked like he’d have a chance even against a third-year senior.”
“What about No. 13? There are a lot of rumors saying that guy’s even more amazing.”
At the second-year student’s question, No. 1 thought for a moment before opening his mouth.
“He was seasoned.”
“Huh?”
“The scale of his power looked inferior to mine. But he handled things with incredible experience. In particular, he understood well that his own strength was lacking and made good use of technical aspects. It was a different kind of strength from No. 3’s.”
At the words of the top second-year, the expressions of the second-years listening nearby turned grim.
Their faces seemed to say, “What if we get pushed aside by the first-years like this and have to repeat a year?” and all of them, knowingly or not, trembled in fear.
Thus, the academy where the second-year students stayed was plunged into shock and terror.
But they, too, were talents who had once been called geniuses in their own hometowns, and soon their fighting spirit began to blaze.
The thought that they could not be pushed back by first-years made them work even harder.
Then the ones who grew urgent were the third-years.
News that even if they were not quite like the first-years, the second-years were also climbing up fiercely began to make the third-years anxious.
Unlike the relaxed fourth-years, the difference between third-years and second-years was not as great as one might think.
And since the top second-year had evaluated the first-years as monsters, if the third-years sat back at ease, they were in danger of being caught up to as well.
So the lower-year students of the academy began to “work hard” with frightening momentum.
People, once they grow somewhat accustomed to something, tend to settle there rather than strive further.
That was why the Northeastern Military Academy placed each year’s academy on a different mountain peak.
It meant that along with gaining various experiences, they should not grow complacent just because they had reached a certain level, and should continue to stay on edge.
Even so, after several months passed, they would inevitably grow accustomed to things through repeated learning.
Then they would become negligent in their training and make a certain degree of compromise, but this time was completely different.
Because the first-years were climbing up at an insane speed.
So, as if to row while the tide was in, the professors also resolved to create the strongest graduates in the academy’s history and began working them like mad.
And at last, the professors went as a group to the dean’s office and obtained one thing.
It was the Lower-Year Ranking Determination Tournament.
Originally, the Northeastern Military Academy had ranking determination matches. However, those were conducted in a format where the elites ranked within the top thirty of each year from first to third would compete against the lowest-ranked students of the next year.
The moment one defeated a student from the year above in the ranking matches, one could skip a year and shorten one’s academy life by up to two years.
On the other hand, if one lost to a student from the year below, one would repeat a year, and since repeating was allowed only once, continuing to fall in the ranking determination tournament could even result in expulsion.
That was how tense a moment the ranking matches were for the students.
But this time, the professors expanded it to the entire year.
Once it was expanded not merely to the lowest ranks but to the entirety of each year, everyone from first-years to third-years had to train like dogs.
At that, the current fourth- and fifth-years watched the spectacle with amusement. Since there was no chance they would be caught up to anyway, they watched leisurely as spectators.
After all, a fight next door was always entertaining.
The neighborhood residents would pretend to stop it while watching, chewing it over, savoring it, and enjoying it, sometimes making it a topic over drinks; and since nine hundred students were scheduled to fight until blood was spilled, there was no way it would not be fun.
“This is interesting. Was it first-year No. 3 and No. 13? Those guys really look like they might be able to contend with the third-years.”
“If they even take down the top third-year, that’ll be something to see.”
“Nah, there’s still a gap…… They’ll probably only beat the lower ranks of the third-years at most.”
“Are you kidding? The top second-year should be about that strong.”
The fourth-year students chatted about the Lower-Year Ranking Determination Tournament, each betting on how far the students they supported would rise and who would fall.
“You all look rather relaxed?”
“Gah! P-Professor.”
“Your juniors are training like dogs, and you lot are playing around, is that it?”
Seeing them gleefully enjoying the news about the lower years, the fourth-year professors trained them more harshly than usual with fierce gazes, but it only lasted for the moment. From the start, unlike the first- through third-years, they had nothing strong enough to motivate them, so they could not put their hearts into it.
The same was true for the fifth-years.
At least, because they were in a region where many aerial monsters lived, they usually remained tense due to the danger, but once they grew accustomed even to that, their training time was shorter than that of the lower years.
The sixth-years, by contrast, were different.
As the graduating class, they truly trained like dogs and roamed around to build up achievements.
It could not be helped, because as with all military academies, they were not allowed to graduate simply by filling up the required time.
If they did not reach a certain level, even as graduating students, they might not be able to graduate together with their classmates.
They were allowed to repeat only for exactly one year, and if they still could not graduate after that, they would be expelled.
Those who had skipped ahead two years early were given that many more chances, but since most of them showed the class befitting those who had skipped grades, there was never any reason for them to repeat in the first place.
If they went beyond repeating and were expelled, they would have to enter the graduating class of a military academy lower than a higher military academy and graduate there.
The time wasted was bad enough, but it also meant losing the credential of graduating from an upper-class military academy.
Because of that, the graduating class had no leisure to watch the bloody fights of the lower years.
“Hoo…… Is this really the right thing to do?”
“If they want to survive here, there’s no helping it.”
“But they’re still children……”
The military studies professor looked at the parade ground with a troubled expression. Beside him, the magical beast studies professor looked on as well.
Around three hundred students were charging madly at the knights.
But knights who were basically at Stage Three or higher would never allow themselves to be beaten.
In particular, since the northeastern knights were basically those who had entered Stage Four, no matter how outstanding the Stage Two students were, they were no match for them.
“Is this all you’ve got! You think you can skip a year like that!”
“If you want to devour your seniors, you need to work twice as hard!”
“You said you’d climb up together with No. 13! More! Work harder!”
“Are you planning to waste the opportunity the professors made for you!”
Along with the knights’ scolding, the young children squeezed out their mana and attacked the knights.
Through training that felt like real combat, they suffered minor injuries here and there and were covered in dirt, but they charged in without caring.
At the center of it were Jaden and No. 3.
They stood at the vanguard and attacked in order to break the square formation the knights prided themselves on.
Behind them, the children from No. 1 to No. 30 supported them, while the rest of the students stabbed into openings from all directions.
There were fewer than thirty knights, but the square formation they formed was exceedingly powerful. In particular, the coordinated assault formation woven together with mana was so solid that the children could not break through it.
And that was not all—the rangers’ training was just as brutal.
With seasoned movements, they lured in great numbers of monsters and taught the children real combat.
As the children were put through the wringer until groans rose from every corner, honing their sense for battle, a venomous edge began to fill their eyes.
Their desire was so great that they even squeezed in the theoretical lessons they lacked whenever they had time outside.
At the thought that the entire first year’s feat of devouring the upper years might be ruined because of them, all the first-years trained themselves into the ground with one heart.
The second- and third-years were making an effort out of a sense of crisis, but it was nothing compared to the effort of the first-years.
On top of that, even after being put through all that, the first-years set aside time for individual training.
This was the time Jayden liked best. He had already learned all the fundamentals of the Imperial Sword Form from the knights, so he had to swing his sword repeatedly until his body absorbed them; the more he trained, the more he could feel himself growing.
He was growing quickly, as if he had become the youngest sibling back in his family.
His title partially covered for his lacking talent, and when the bush warbler’s rapid recovery synergized with it, it gave him a foothold to pull ahead in this monster den.
“Phew……”
“You really do only train in basic swordsmanship.”
Number 3, who had been watching from the side, spoke to Jayden for the first time.
Even though she had stayed closest to him for months, Jayden had never really talked to her. In fact, since she spoke far more with the other kids, he had thought Number 3 disliked him.
“What’s gotten into you? Talking to me?”
“Because you always practiced nothing but basic swordsmanship, I thought you were a shady guy hiding something.”
“I’m not hiding anything like that.”
At Number 3’s words, Jayden shook his head as he replied.
In truth, Jayden did have a divine beast, and in theory he was hiding far more than that. But at least when it came to swordsmanship, he was being honest.
“I know. I’ve been watching you all this time.”
As Number 3 said that, she pointed her sword at Jayden.
“Let’s have a bout.”
“What?”
“You wanted to as well, didn’t you?”
At Number 3’s words, Jayden hesitated for a moment, then nodded. The eyes of the children who had been listening changed.
Because, in effect, this was no different from a decisive match to determine the strongest first-year.
Of course, most of them were leaning somewhat toward Number 3. They judged that Number 3 was ahead in both swordsmanship and mana itself, and it was not only they who agreed—the professors did as well.
But Number 13 possessed experience, know-how, and assorted tricks that they did not.
Contrary to what the other children thought, Number 1 believed Number 13 had the advantage.
‘Compared to Number 13’s abnormal growth speed……’
Number 1 looked at Number 3 and gave a small shake of his head.
The person who had watched Number 13 from closest by since coming here was Number 1.
In the beginning, Number 1 had approached Number 13 to imitate his techniques, asking for his know-how and steadily building a friendship with him.
Though he had fallen apart while trying to imitate those techniques, that was precisely why he knew better than anyone just how quickly Number 13 had grown.
His skill was not something one could catch up to in a short time just by imitating his techniques.
It was far more advantageous to spend that time practicing one’s own swordsmanship.
“Ready…… begin.”
The instant Number 1 stood in the center and lowered his arm, Number 3 charged toward Jayden at high speed. And toward her, Jayden brought his iron sword down along a simple sword path.
Boom!