I Became the Academy’s Munchkin Sniper

It took a little while before Ivel, who had been frozen like a statue, regained her senses. 

She shook her head which caused her silver pigtails to fly.

“Sealed…?”  

“Huh?”  

“From now on, your full power is sealed!” Ivel shouted at Kyle. Then, with a look of disbelief, she added, “Seriously, why are you ranked last in the Magic Department? Clearly, that’s not true, right? Haven’t you at least thought about it? Don’t tell me you only scored just above the cut-off because I said you needed at least 13 points?”  

“Oh, correct.”  

“What were you going to do if you got disqualified? I was wondering how you didn’t get knocked out when the Ice Princess came after you. Now I see how you got in.”

Finally, all the questions were answered. 

If Ciel had really chased after Kyle, he should have been eliminated immediately. But he made it to the final list of those who passed. 

When organizing the admission list for the Magic Department, Ivel had been curious but also somewhat relieved. 

After all, he had helped her before, and she wasn’t the kind of girl to forget gratitude, no matter how much time had passed.

Last year, when she hadn’t yet experienced social life, things might have been different, but now she understood. 

Ivel sighed deeply.  

“Anyway, don’t use full power until the mentee magic duel. And that! That wasn’t magic! How can you even call that magic?”  

“This sniper rifle uses magic power. It’s just like a magic missile.”  

“Th-Then what’s with that dagger?”  

“It’s for close combat and breaking shields. They didn’t ban martial arts in the mentee magic duel, you know. By the way, this dagger is great. We don’t have anything like this at home.”  

“Still, keep the dagger sealed too. You can’t just walk away from a lesson with the second-best student in the Magic Department without learning anything! This is an opportunity most students would pay for.”

If things continued as they were, Ivel wouldn’t have anything to teach. 

She was completely ignorant when it came to firearms and dagger techniques. So, she decided to teach him in the magical aspects, leaving out the weapons.  

No matter how strong he was, he still needed to develop his magical skills. After all, she was even carrying a notebook to report his progress.  

“We’ll start with basic magic. Is there anything you want to learn?”  

“There’s a lot. Basic shielding, magical reinforcement for strikes, wind manipulation, and more. It’s tough because even learning with Lumina has been hard.”  

“Hmm, got it. Wait, Lumina? Are you close with that summoner?”  

“Well, I guess you could say that. She’s helped me a lot.”  

“Wow, really…”  

Ivel found that surprising. 

Lumina was ranked 7th in the Magic Department, a talented summoner. It was rare enough to see a summoner, but Ivel had heard she contracted with a high-level spirit in her first year.  

‘Ugh. This is worrying.’

There was a chance she might face Lumina in the mentee magic duel, along with Ciel Dunhart, Lien Lodran, and even top students backed by Cathlyn.  

While Kyle’s full power gave her confidence that he wouldn’t be easily outmatched, those students were geniuses beyond normal standards. 

Still, Ivel quickly shook her head, brushing away unnecessary thoughts.  

‘I’ll make him strong!’

Even without the sniper rifle and dagger, she was determined to get him to at least a mid-tier rank.

“Let’s begin! Channel your magic power. My elemental affinities are wind and fire. I can use other elements, but they don’t harmonize as well. What element are you most comfortable with?”  

“Well, about that. Just watch.”  

Kyle summoned his magic power into his hand. The orb of energy began to shift into various forms—blazing fire, gentle water, swirling wind, floating earth with levitating rocks, a flash of lightning, and other mystical elements.  

His affinity was ‘multiple.’

“That’s… Impossible…”  

Ivel couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

This was the second time.

———-

{Kyle’s POV}

I left the training room with Ivel. The private training room that Ivel had booked was spacious and cool, but stepping outside, I immediately felt the contrast. 

It wasn’t lacking compared to Ciel’s training room.  

“How was it? Satisfying, right? Your magic isn’t bad, but you seem to struggle with the formulas. You’re still a bit far, but with more practice, you’ll get there.”  

“That’s a relief. I wanted to learn as much as possible before the mentee magic duel.”  

“Then there’s no problem. After all, your mentor is me.”

Ivel and I walked down the hallway. 

There wasn’t much time left before classes were over. Once it was 2 p.m., we could head home since there weren’t any more lectures scheduled.  

We were heading down from the training room when it happened.  

“Oh my, it seems you’re getting along well with a commoner.”  

At the bottom of the central hall’s staircase, a girl with red hair and a boy with ash-brown hair were walking up.  

The top student of the grade, Cathlyn Phaylon, and the notorious villain, Luin.

Judging by the fact that they were picking a fight first, I could understand the power dynamic between Ivel and Cathlyn.  

Though this wasn’t mentioned in the original story, it was clear that the rivalry between the top two students of the year was fierce. 

I’d heard they each had their own factions, and since Ivel worked as a student assistant, she was probably at a disadvantage.  

This meant Cathlyn could openly provoke her without much consequence.  

“How low must your standards be to associate with someone like that?”  

Cathlyn covered her mouth and laughed mockingly. She was making fun of my appearance. 

No matter how often I washed them, I was always stuck wearing the same shirt and long pants.  

“Don’t you think so, Luin?”  

“Indeed. His appearance is just like… A beggar from the slums.”  

“Slums, huh? I’ve never seen one, but it seems they live like this.”

The ones who were getting along were them. 

Cathlyn seemed encouraged by Luin’s agreement, and Luin grinned even wider.

“He looks like a gigolo—someone completely worthless—”  

I tried my best to ignore them, but they had crossed the line. 

Just as I was about to speak up.

“Hey, shut up.”  

Ivel interrupted. Her voice was sharp, and her expression was different from the one I knew. 

Narrowing her eyes, she said.

“Do you even know who I am? Just because you’re standing behind that girl, you think you’ve become a noble? Are you out of your mind?”  

To insult Ivel like that was, in turn, an insult to the nobility of the Adford family, which was not something to take lightly.  

Even in the Artena Academy which emphasized equality, there were unspoken rules, and badmouthing a senior was something only a madman would do.  

‘But Luin is crazy.’

He was a villain, after all. He was so drunk on the demonic power he’d gained that he believed he could defeat anyone, including Ivel. 

He probably thought the power of the Adford family was no big deal either.  

Ivel poked right at that weak spot.

“Drop that pathetic superiority complex. You and Kyle aren’t so different. In fact, Kyle’s better, both in looks and skill, than you’ll ever be.”  

Ivel grabbed my arm and started pulling me away. Though I was grateful that she had defended me, isn’t being called a ‘gigolo’ by another guy a compliment?

We began walking down the stairs.  

“…”

With his face flushed red, Luin was clearly enraged. He stood right in our path, as if planning to shoulder check me.  

I gladly obliged.  

As we passed by.

Thud!

“Urgh—!”  

Luin was sent sprawling. 

Sorry, but my strength was 16. I was as strong as a knight student.  

I glanced down at the fallen Luin with pity before leaving with Ivel. 

Cathlyn’s face was twisted in a way that was quite a sight to see.  

Sigh…  

‘I’ll see you at the duel.’

———

We now stood in the garden after leaving the training room. 

It was 2 p.m., and the mentor-mentee session had ended.  

It was time to part ways.

I said to Ivel.

“Ivel, thank you for today. I’ll head back to the dorm now.”  

“…”  

But Ivel bowed her head and didn’t respond. She clenched her fists and muttered.

“I’m going…”  

Going where…?

Was she still shaken from meeting Cathlyn and Luin? 

I looked at Ivel’s bowed head; she was gritting her teeth hard.  

Suddenly—!  

She grabbed my arm and started pulling me somewhere.  

“I’m going to the Loren Trading Company…! Is that the only outfit you have? Does that even make sense? I’ll buy you a few things, so wear them. That girl with the disgusting seaweed-like personality, Cathlyn, probably arranged for her friend to dress up all fancy. You need to dress better too.”  

So I was dragged along to the Loren Trading Company’s clothing shop and had to join Ivel on her shopping spree.  

After a whole hour, we ended up with five shopping bags. 

Looking at the prices, they exceeded the cost of living for an entire household…  

“Oh my, Kyle. You look quite different now. Thank you for using the Loren Trading Company. We would be delighted if you come again—Senior Ivel Adford.”  

A smile never left Lien’s lips.  

In the battle of nerves between Cathlyn and Ivel, Lien was the true victor.  

———

The mentee magic duel was approaching.  

Every day, I trained intensely with Ivel, and I had progressed to the point where I could fight without needing my sniper rifle or daggers.  

—You’re still clumsy at using magic. Come here. I’ll inject mana into you so you can feel the movement.

—These magic formulas I wrote down cover the basics, beginner, intermediate, advanced, and even the highest level of magic. If you want to maintain good grades in the Magic Department, you’d better memorize them.

—Your mana response was F? That’s because you haven’t been using your internal mana. Keep practicing, and you’ll be able to raise it. Just keep practicing magic.

Learning from the second-best student of the academy was incredibly valuable. For a week and a half, I followed Ivel’s instructions and refrained from using my sniper rifle and daggers, and focused entirely on practicing magic.  

I used gusts of wind to restrict the movement of animals when hunting and used water magic to clean myself.  

It was inconvenient, but it helped accelerate my magical growth.  

[Stamina has increased by 2!]  

[Mana perception has increased by 4!]  

[Overall skill comprehension has improved!]  

[- Mana efficiency has increased by one level!]  

[- Firepower has increased by one level!]  

[- Firepower control has increased by one level!]

[Kyle]  

Lv: 20  

Race: Human  

Gender: Male  

Title: The Most Notorious Scoundrel, Demon Slayer  

Mana: 2000/2000  

Karma: 15  

Unique Trait: Sniping Master 

Traits: Perfect Accuracy, Crisis Detection, Rapid Fire, Touch of Death, Iron Man, Indomitable Spirit  

[Stat Details]  

Invested Stat Points: 0 

Strength: 16  

Stamina: 15  

Endurance: 10  

Intelligence: 1  

Perception: 14  

Mana Perception: 14  

Spirit Perception: 1  

[Talent Details]  

Element: Multiple  

Affinity: Multiple  

Growth Efficiency: A+  

[Active Skill Details]  

Liberation, Ignition, Water Control, Gust, Dagger Technique  

[Passive Skill Details]  

Shooting Proficiency: C-  

Combat Sense: F  

Mana Efficiency: D-  

Firepower: D+  

Firepower Control: D-  

Crafting: D-  

Butchery: D  

The day of the mentee magic duel had arrived.