I Became the Academy’s Munchkin Sniper

A sniper is weak in close combat. 

When the enemy gets too close, it’s hard to aim properly, and with a heavy and long sniper rifle, you can’t run around and create distance again. 

That’s why a strategy to keep distance is the standard approach. 

This was something I already knew from countless games and media. 

Looking back, I never engaged in close combat as a sniper in the previous episodes. 

There were times when the situation demanded close encounters, though. 

That’s why there were many close calls. For example, when I faced the beast during the entrance exam or battle with Herpen.

If I had made any mistakes, it would have been game over, since I wasn’t particularly strong. 

Honestly, I was scared. I was just that kind of guy.

So, a week ago, I borrowed the ‘Rolande Swordsmanship Manual’ to compensate for a sniper’s lack of close combat ability.

“This book is pretty much the basics.”

‘Valencia Standard: Rolande Noble Swordsmanship’

This book contained basic knowledge and techniques about swordsmanship. 

It wasn’t just for knights using long swords, but also for all types of swords like greatswords, rapiers, and daggers. 

It was the first thing students in the knight academy learned. Of course, I focused only on one section: the dagger. 

Since daggers are commonly used in the shadows, the coverage wasn’t extensive, but it provided the basics. 

I didn’t need the other parts. 

A longsword was too long to use alongside a sniper rifle, and other weapons had similar drawbacks. 

I moved to a quiet area in the forest, where I usually trained.

“Let’s do this…”

I put the manual down and gripped a wooden dagger. 

I had spent a week carving this with a knife, giving it a shape more like a knife with some length, rather than a short dagger.

From here, the manual was unnecessary. I had already memorized everything in my head. 

I wasn’t aiming to learn advanced techniques like imbuing weapons with magical energy or elemental infusion, which were the pinnacle of knightly skills. 

I just wanted to improve my close combat.

My opponent was a scarecrow made of bundled branches and straw. I began the routine I had practiced for a week.

Whoosh—! Slash—!

The sharp movements of the dagger struck vital points on the scarecrow. 

Dagger techniques didn’t follow strict forms. With longswords, the length required precise follow-up movements for efficient strikes. 

In contrast, daggers, being shorter, allowed for quick, fluid strikes in any direction.

The dagger was highly versatile. There was no delay in following up one strike with another.

The goal was simple—deliver a fatal blow to a critical point. 

In any of the eight directions, as long as the strike hit a vital spot, it was enough to stab, cut, or scrape through. 

As a result, punches, strikes with the dagger’s hilt, and kicks seamlessly flowed together as if they were part of the dagger technique itself.

──! 

The constant sound of swift blows echoed. 

Bits of straw flew into the air, torn from the scarecrow. 

Despite the difficulty of stringing movements together, my A+ growth efficiency allowed me to continuously comprehend new techniques and make progress.

Then, at one moment—

Swish—

“…!”

Just once, one of the haphazard strikes connected into a smooth, fluid movement, forming a proper technique. 

At first, it was a fluke, but from then on, I became aware of it. 

It was still rough, but after an hour of practice, I barely managed to recreate the technique again.

At that moment, I understood the saying that endurance helps in mastering combat techniques. 

In other words, it was a form of animal instinct. I had felt something similar when learning magic.

“Sigh…”

It was still just the beginning, but with consistent practice, I believed I could achieve good results. 

I looked ahead.

The scarecrow no longer maintained its shape. A pile of straw lay scattered on the ground, and the wooden frame was marked with countless blade strikes. 

When I lightly tapped one of the branches with the tip of the dagger, it fell apart as if it had finally reached the end of its lifespan.

I smiled at the floating message that appeared before me.

[You have acquired the active skill: Dagger Mastery!]

[Passive Skill: Combat Instinct, F has been acquired!]  

“Does this mean I’ve been acknowledged?”  

It appeared that even the system had acknowledged me with a skill. 

There was still a long way to go, though.

———

The next day, I went to the academy. 

After attending my major classes and some electives, I was having lunch with Cedric and Roden.  

“Isn’t that the guy? The one who got carried by Ciel?”  

“Yeah. I wish I could get points like that too~ Just cruising my way through with F-rank, having an easy time~”  

“If that were me, I’d be too ashamed to even show my face around here.”

I listened to the usual student gossip as I took a bite of the smoked meat from my lunchbox.  

As they said, our team had received high marks. 

Despite the appearance of a demon, Professor Mason gave us a perfect score of 20 points for taking down the beast.  

But that was only the surface explanation; there was more to the story.  

In the original story, the player survived the battle with the demon. 

Later, Professor Mason gave them their score, but—surprise!—the video that should have recorded the event was missing.  

Naturally, the demon’s presence had disrupted the magic signals.  

The academy couldn’t know the details of what had happened in that space. 

They could only piece together the events based on what the team members said.  

They barely understood that they had managed to hold their own against both the demon and the beast.  

Still, since that was impressive enough, Professor Mason awarded the team a perfect score. 

But now, with the demon’s corpse as proof, there was no reason not to give us full marks.  

And so, we were listed among the top ranks.  

To fuel student competition, the academy prominently displayed the real-time ranking scores on the noticeboard in the Magic Tower.  

[1. Ciel Dunhart, 20 points]  

[2. Kyle, 20 points]  

[3. Roden, 20 points]  

[4. Lucas, 20 points]  

.  

.  

.

That’s how the rankings were set. 

When I went to the Magic Department for class, I noticed how noisy the surroundings were. 

Soon, I found the reason.  

Seeing my name on the board in second place made me speechless.  

I had suddenly become the second-highest-ranked student in the Magic Department.  

“Sigh…”

Despite my rise in rank, the students’ perception of me hadn’t changed. 

I just attracted more unnecessary attention, accused of being carried by Ciel.  

As a mere commoner who had overtaken Princess Elena Valencia for second place, I had become infamous.  

Not that the princess herself seemed to care.

At that moment, Cedric spoke up while eating.  

“Kyle, we have our duel in two weeks, right?”  

“Huh? Yeah, that’s right.”  

“Aren’t you excited? I wonder who my mentor will be… Have you thought about it, Kyle?”  

“Not really. It’s random anyway.”

Cedric was referring to the duel in the next episode.  

Act 1, Scene 3: The Mentor-Mentee Magic Duel.  

In this duel, second-year students become mentors, and first-year students become mentees, fostering camaraderie between upper and lower-class students while they learned from each other.  

Mentors and mentees are generally paired based on academic performance. 

The second-years teach the first-years who lack magic and combat skills, and the first-years participate in the duel.  

There, they engage in a tournament-style competition, and based on their performance, they receive evaluation points.  

At first glance, it might seem like the second-years are simply sacrificing their time, but the mentor-mentee system is also a course for them. 

They can earn points based on the growth of the students they mentor.  

Even if they’re paired with a low-ranking student, if they manage to show visible improvement, they still have a chance to shine.  

In fact, if their mentee wins the duel, that mentor gains significant prestige among the second-year students.  

The first place in the Magic Department was an honorable position, one that attracted many talented individuals.  

‘In the original story…’

I recalled the events from the original plot. In this part, instead of a demon appearance, a student gained power by making a contract with a demon.  

That student becomes the mentee of the noblewoman Cathlyn Phaylon, who currently held first place in the second-year Magic Department. 

He resorted to underhanded methods to win the magic duel.  

Although his tricks weren’t discovered at first, later, he lost control of the demon’s power and went on a rampage.  

The final showdown was a duel between the player and this student, who now wielded the power of a demon.

‘The problem is, this is all from the original story…’

The ‘Nightmare’ difficulty was different. 

The patterns became more complex, and the phases were divided.  

I shoved more meat into my mouth, thinking about that difference. 

But for now, it was a distant story.  

After all, I still didn’t know the identity of my mentor.  

“Roden, what about you?”  

“Me? Well, since a senior as great as the sky is personally helping us, I don’t mind whoever it is!”  

“Oh, I see…”  

Listening to Roden and Cedric’s conversation, I kept eating. 

The smoked meat felt a bit dry, as if it had been stored for too long.  

——-

Three days later, the list for the Mentor-Mentee Magic Duel was announced.  

Early in the morning, at the bulletin board in the Magic Tower.  

Hundreds of names were posted, and the first- and second-year students gathered in crowds, searching for their matches.  

I came to check the list in the afternoon since my classes were done. 

As I was on my way back to the forest, carrying a load of textbooks.  

“Alright. Let’s see.”  

To be honest, I was excited. 

A second-year student from the Magic Department would have experienced some real combat.  

Especially those ranked within the top 50—there was a chance I might get advice on magic combat from someone highly sought after by various institutions.  

So I checked the list, and…  

[Ivel Adford, Kyle]  

“… What?”  

I froze on the spot.