NOVEL NEXT Chapter 7
Chapter 7
—–CROW—–
Eleanor stared blankly at the [Mana Bullet] growing in her hand, then suddenly jumped up and shouted.
“Oh? Whaaaaaat?!”
It was dangerous, so I wished she would calm down and stop shaking it.
I had to stop her…
“Wahahahahahaha!”
“…Why are you laughing?”
It wasn’t a laughing matter. Why?
I couldn’t understand her emotions at all.
Looking at Eleanor’s [Mana Bullet] through [Contemplation], it seemed like it would explode soon.
“Just calm down and throw it into the air… Why are you putting more mana into it…?”
“It’s shining! Yes, I’m shining right now! Everyone is looking at me! The world revolves around me… No! I’ve become the center of the world in this moment!”
“What in the world are you talking about…?”
It was the runaway [Mana Bullet] that was shining, not Eleanor.
It seemed she couldn’t maintain her composure in this sudden situation.
Everyone hesitated and watched from the sidelines, pressed against the walls.
The professor did the same.
No, shouldn’t you come and stop her?
“Ah…”
[Spatial Barrier Lv. 1]
The moment she let out a disheartened voice, I deployed [Spatial Barrier].
I didn’t care anymore. She had to deal with the consequences of her own actions.
“Ouch?!”
A moment later, the [Mana Bullet] flew towards her face and exploded.
“Wow…”
That must have really hurt.
Still, she probably wasn’t dead. Her class was warrior, so she would be more durable than me.
“…”
After the explosion subsided, Eleanor appeared with a blank expression. She was staring at me with empty eyes.
“…Shouldn’t you have protected the frail girl in this situation?”
What was she talking about, when she was more durable than me? It was ridiculous.
“I’m disappointed. The Successor of the Demon King hiding behind a girl!”
“I wasn’t hiding, and I didn’t move from this spot.”
“Help me! You could have done it, Oz!”
The original Oz might have, but how could I?
Besides, it seemed she knew I was Oz.
And yet, she could perform such reckless magic in front of me. What incredible confidence.
No, did she do it because she knew?
What a cunning girl.
“Numbers 431 to 440, please come in.”
“Ah, w-wait a moment…”
It seemed Eleanor’s number was called. She was looking at me expectantly.
Did she still have something to say?
“Well, whatever. Let’s just say I won this round.”
“What round?”
But before I could question her, Eleanor entered the examination room.
I really didn’t understand what she was doing.
I had encountered this many times while playing the game, but I couldn’t predict her thought process.
I was worried about the future.
“Hey.”
“Sigh…”
Just then, someone else spoke to me. This time, it was a male voice.
After what just happened, I didn’t want to be bothered.
Why was everyone picking on me?
If they were going to cause trouble, they should all come at once instead of one by one.
“So you crawled in here? Oz.”
“This is driving me crazy…”
Yes, I had anticipated that someone would pick a fight.
I, who had been the [Successor of the Demon King] until just recently, had fallen from grace overnight.
They must be enjoying it immensely.
Moreover, since
“I hadn’t heard from you since you were abandoned by Spellergy, so I thought you might have kicked the bucket somewhere. But you survived, huh?”
Vulgar and predictable. With this level of cliché, shouldn’t it be considered innovative?
I turned around to see the face of this innovative speaker.
His appearance was, well… red hair and yellow eyes.
He gave off a delinquent vibe. That should be enough.
By the way, he felt familiar.
I felt like I had seen him somewhere… No, I had. He was a game character.
I think he was a character with decent performance in the game. His name was…
[SSR Fist King]
Alexios
Yes, that was his name.
SSR-rank.
This meant his average stats were at least on par with Oz.
Although his in-game performance wasn’t on par… He had also become obsolete due to power creep.
Still, I appeared more often in the story, so I won.
“Alexios.”
I was surprised by my own unexpectedly cold voice.
All the examinees who had been glancing at us held their breath.
The professor was avoiding eye contact. You shouldn’t be avoiding it, you bastard…
As for Alexios, he was even exuding killing intent.
[Erosion Rate 16%]
Just in case, I looked away and checked the [Erosion Rate]. It was 16%.
Had I gotten too immersed because of Eleanor?
“So… you want to go, huh?”
Alexios started to emit a red light from his fist.
I could feel the heat emanating from his fist, glowing red like the sun.
Flickering mana spread from beneath his feet.
It was the prelude to Alexios’s Active Skill 1.
I could guarantee that I couldn’t block that attack in my current state.
[Spatial Barrier – Cooldown 1 minute 43 seconds]
[Spatial Barrier] also had a cooldown. Longer than [Master of Mana].
Well, even if I could use it, it wouldn’t have been effective against Alexios, who specialized in consecutive attacks.
It would shatter with the first blow, and by the second, my body would be torn to pieces.
“That cold, arrogant look. You were always like that.”
Always?
Was there some kind of relationship between Alexios and Oz?
Oz, what the hell did you do? Why were these unknown karmic debts popping up?
Oz, with his inherently aristocratic personality, and Alexios, who acted recklessly.
Just thinking about it, it was obvious they wouldn’t get along.
“I didn’t like that condescending look!”
That was a bit sad.
I was born this way, so wasn’t it a bit much to pick a fight over my gaze?
Besides, I didn’t intend to look down on him, but Oz’s body seemed to react differently. It was quite tense.
Was it because he was clearly a threatening opponent?
No, then he should have shown a more extreme reaction when facing Tia. I didn’t understand.
“Numbers 441 to 450, please come in.”
The examiner’s voice saved me from the imminent clash.
“Tch.”
The light from Alexios’s fist disappeared as soon as his number was called.
It seemed it was his turn for the exam. I was relieved.
<446>
The problem was that my number was also within that range…
I hoped Alexios would behave himself during the exam, but considering his personality, that was unlikely.
“Oz, let’s settle this with our exam scores.”
“…”
That damn competition. What was it, and why did they keep wanting to compete with me?
Both Eleanor and this guy, why were they so obsessed with it?
I decided to ignore him.
My mouth wasn’t under control right now, so if I opened it like before, I didn’t know what I might say.
* * *
The gist of the practical exam was simple.
Attack a scarecrow to measure strength and skill.
It was the same thing hardcore players in the game used to test various combinations and achieve the highest damage output.
“For those aspiring to be warriors, you have a one-minute time limit. For those aspiring to be mages, you have three attempts.”
The examiner representative was Prudence Loa, a veteran professor who taught advanced magic.
He didn’t appear much in the original story after the early stages, but he was one of the few mages in
No, considering his age, he might even be stronger than Oz.
“If you destroy the scarecrow or inflict a certain level of damage within the given attempts, you pass.”
In short, it was just a brute force contest.
I could probably destroy it with a mana-infused [Mana Bullet].
“Then, the first examinee…”
“I’ll go.”
Bang!
Before the examiner finished speaking, Alexios once again ignited his fist with light.
And I didn’t see what happened next.
Perhaps because I had deactivated [Contemplation], I couldn’t see his movements.
When I came to my senses, the scarecrow had exploded.
“One second. Practical exam score: 100 points.”
The faces of the examinees who witnessed the scene turned pale.
If I weren’t in Oz’s body, I would have been in a similar state.
“Ha! Is this even an exam? It’s too easy!”
“Then I’ll deduct 50 points for your poor attitude.”
Was he truly a mage on par with Oz? He remained composed even in front of the [Fist King].
“…Actually, I thought it was an excellent exam.”
“I’ll let it slide this time.”
Prudence Loa smiled kindly at Alexios, who had instantly become obedient.
“Etiquette is covered in the liberal arts curriculum, so please consider it carefully.”
“…”
Even in a world where fists spoke louder than words, power couldn’t be ignored.
Moreover, the opponent also wielded considerable power.
Although Alexios was considered foolish, he wasn’t completely thoughtless.
The fact that he, the [Fist King], was taking the
This idiot was in a similar situation to me.
Alexios was probably being pursued by his fellow disciples after being falsely accused of killing his master.
Even if he had inherited the title of [Fist King], he was still young, and there was no way he could survive against the disciples of the [Former Fist King].
This meant he also needed the [Dragon Emperor]’s protection.
“Now, would the next challenger please step forward?”
“…”
Most of the examinees turned their heads. Regardless of the outcome, the power Alexios displayed wasn’t ordinary.
It would be difficult to step forward, knowing they would be compared to him.
No, were they concerned about me?
What if, after Alexios, I took the exam, and the [Successor of the Demon King] immediately followed?
It would probably crush their spirits.
“I’ll go next.”
“Oh…”
As I stepped forward, the atmosphere became slightly heavier.
Not only the examinees, but even the examiners seemed tense.
Prudence Loa was looking at me with an intense gaze filled with not only interest but also fighting spirit.
“Then…”
All eyes were on me. Examinees, examiners, even Alexios.
This was a level of pressure I had never experienced before.
“Phew…”
At this point, simply passing the exam with a [Mana Bullet] wouldn’t do.
I couldn’t just think about getting into
I had a reputation to uphold.
I had a situation to consider.
If I didn’t make a strong impression here, it would be a red flag for my future academy life.
I might even become the target of bullying.
“Let’s see, shall we?”
I uttered the words of the magic.
These words allowed for various interpretations.
Even if a spell like [Light Impact] came out, I could excuse it by saying I was checking the scarecrow’s durability.
Conversely, if a powerful spell appeared, it would elevate my status.
Someone, specifically Alexios, might call it a bluff, but the result would speak for itself.
[Master of Mana Lv. 1]
First attempt.
I had used it many times, but I still couldn’t understand the workings of [Master of Mana].
A magic formula began to be drawn from my fingertips. No, it would be more accurate to say it appeared.
“Oh… An absurd speed.”
“At that deployment speed, it’s as if the formula is appearing already completed…”
Most of the examiners were looking at me with astonished eyes.
I felt sorry for betraying their expectations, but it was a dud.
[Dig]
And a hopeless dud at that.
I couldn’t even make an excuse for what I was trying to test with this.
I couldn’t say I dug the ground to check the scarecrow’s durability, could I? What was I supposed to do with this?
The examiners, having noticed the magic formula I had deployed, started to look at me with puzzled and curious eyes.
Even if they looked at me like that, I didn’t know what to do.
“Hey, Oz. What are you trying to… Woah?!”
“If you don’t want to die, stay put, Alexios.”
I created a hole beneath Alexios’s feet as he was about to question me, and he fell in. Alexios disappeared in an instant.
I dug it deep, so he wouldn’t be able to get out for a while.
I had learned how to use magic effectively.
Thanks to Alexios, I overcame the crisis. He helped me like this…
Perhaps we could become good friends.
Anyway, I could now make an excuse for [Dig].
“Phew…”
Everyone looked astonished and backed away. It was understandable.
To them, it must have looked like a provocation towards Alexios and a warning about my power.
…I had overcome the crisis, but the pressure had increased.
The cooldown for [Master of Mana] was almost over.
Perhaps because it wasn’t a real battle, even 10 seconds didn’t feel that long.
“It’s really time for it to appear now.”
I closed my eyes and muttered quietly, as if praying.
I hadn’t drawn any decent magic since using [Curse of Perpetual Snow] with the first-time guaranteed SSR.
So, it was time.
[Master of Mana Lv. 1]
This time, it was real. An SSR-rank skill. 100% guaranteed. Otherwise, I was doomed.
At this moment, I had no other means but to rely on luck.
“Oh…”
I quietly opened my eyes and almost cheered. I hit the jackpot.
An incredibly complex formula unfolding in three dimensions.
Undeniably SSR-rank magic.
“No, but this is too dangerous…”
The vast formula unfolding from my fingertips was from Chapter 12 of the main story.
The SSR-rank character who awakened after Headmaster Tia’s death.
[Successor of Will] Spina’s Active Skill 1
[Petit Breath]
A small dragon’s breath materialized at my fingertips.
* * *
Eleanor, who was heading to the interview room after the practical exam, turned around at the sudden roar.
“Wow…”
She saw a giant mushroom cloud.
There was no need to wonder who created it. The only person capable of such firepower was the [Successor of the Demon King].
“Ugh!”
Eleanor muttered in frustration as she stared at the mushroom cloud.
“I was distracted…”
She had unknowingly been drawn to someone else’s actions.
As an attention-seeker, it was unacceptable.
Moreover, it was a wide-scale explosion that couldn’t be compared to the crude explosion of a [Mana Bullet].
Now, no one in
“So, that’s it…”
Eleanor couldn’t help but acknowledge Oz. That was it. That was the very goal she had to strive for.
For Oz, it was an utterly humiliating assessment.
—–CROW—–