I Was the Strongest Sword God in My Past Life

part 36

And among them, the Elquines family had not one, but two heroes. Lucia was revered as a genius, the resurrection of her ancestors in the Elquines family.

“…Wait, so Professor Jerome, are you saying our Gian will lose?”

With a scowl, Selfis avoided the acting professor’s gaze.

“No! On second thought, if you look at the recent grades, it’s more than enough…”

The acting professor’s words were a lie.

In fact, it was Kashen who was seriously contemplating the situation.

‘Even if Zien has become stronger, his opponent is Lucia. A genius born from the blood of heroes.’

Moreover, with a noble house like Elquiness, one could only guess what kind of investment they had made in elixirs and early education.

‘Of course, swordsmanship might be superior…’

Lucia’s weapon of choice is a sword.

Kashen always prided himself that no student could beat Zien in swordsmanship.

‘But as for the magic tool…’

Lucia’s magic tool is not a sword.

The magical device that earned her the nickname ‘Emperor’ was indeed…

“It’s complicated. With 99 participants forming teams of three, calculating the odds of winning is meaningless.”

Romina nodded at Kashen’s words.

“That makes sense. After all, this event is modeled after a game.”

Chewing on his lip, Selfis shouted out loud.

“Then! That lower-ranked student! Crimson? How about we remove that student now? If we replace Crimson with One Number, the power will be greater!”

Kashen was skeptical of Selfis’s opinion.

“If it’s Chris…”

Like Selfis, Kashen also had a poor opinion of Chris. He thought Chris was incomparable to Isabel and Zien, and even fell short of other students in the top 100.

‘But would Zien really agree to change members?’

Kashen was certain that Zien would refuse.

However, the acting professor agreed with Selfis with an exaggerated reaction.

“That’s right! In a situation where we need to increase our chances of winning by even 1%, it doesn’t make sense to let a lower-ranked student compete.”

Selfis stroked his beard, satisfied.

“Haha, I think so too! As the principal, I’ll provide plenty of SP points, so let’s replace Crimson with another One Number. If there’s a professor who can talk to our Zien…”

Five seconds of silence.

The professors looked at each other, trying to avoid the hot potato.

When no one stepped forward, Selfis clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“Fine! I’ll do it. I’ll take care of it!”

* * *

A room filled with awkwardness.

Jien and Selfis sat at the table, facing each other.

“Let’s replace Chris. Is that what you’re saying?”

Jien’s response was unexpectedly straightforward.

Selfis nodded, his face now the picture of kindness, unlike before.

“Haha! Straight to the point, I see!”

Selfis’s opinion of Jien always reached new heights.

The tower incident, the battle survival recruitment, Bluema’s recommendation, and even the grades. Everything about Jien seemed lovely to Selfis.

‘This might be easier to persuade than I thought.’

Stroking his mustache, Selfis unfolded the newspaper.

“Yes, yes. It would be best to form the strongest team possible for the competition.”

Through various media, from TV to live internet broadcasts, an unimaginable number of people will watch the battle survival event. Among them will be citizens, academy students choosing their paths, and representatives from guilds and the government.

‘If I were to lose to Celia in such a tournament…’

Just the thought made Selfis break out in a cold sweat.

“Celia’s side will have Lucia, the top ranker, leading the charge. All their one-number players will participate. So, naturally, Chris, who is in the 90th rank…”

“Hmm.”

Chris is weak? Jien almost laughed.

If Isabelle was a genius of talent, then Chris was a genius of effort. Chris devoted two-thirds of his day to training.

‘He’s not without talent.’

The ‘Eye,’ a magical tool of deception.

Chris could be the ultimate dark horse in the battle survival. But Jien didn’t bother explaining in detail to Selfis. Actions speak louder than words. This was a good opportunity.

“That’s a reasonable assumption. After all, Chris’s ranking is only 97th.”

“Haha! I knew you’d see it that way. So, do you have any one-number players in mind for the team?”

Selfis asked with a pleased expression.

“How about giving Chris a chance before that?”

At those words, Selfis reminisced.

The day Jien realized his past life. Selfis, who had wanted to expel Jien, gave him a chance. It wasn’t a particularly beautiful memory, but Selfis fondly mulled over the embellished scene in his mind.

‘Ah, that’s right.’

Selfis looked at Jien, now with a more generous demeanor.

“What opportunity do you seek? Speak your wish.”

“I’d fancy a duel. If Chris loses in the duel, he will be excluded from the party.”

“And the opponent and rules?”

“How about a fight with the martial world, under the condition that both use magical tools? A rank around the 40th seems appropriate.”

“Haha! But isn’t that student known for not using a combat-type magical tool?”

“Such a handicap is acceptable.”

At first glance, the rule of using magical tools seemed to put Chris at a great disadvantage.

The difference between combat-type and auxiliary-type magical tools was stark in battle. A fight between a saber like Gian, whose sword is a magical tool, and a saber like Eria, whose pen is a magical tool, was as good as decided. However, Gian did not doubt Chris’s victory.

“You seem confident.”

Selfis laughed heartily.

‘No student who wields a combat-type magical tool and ranks in the 90s would lose a duel. I should start narrowing down the one-number list.’

As the conversation came to a close, Selfis rose from his seat.

“So, who shall the opponent be?”

Gian smiled slyly, looking behind Selfis.

“Whom shall we choose?”

There was Chris. Thanks to the artifact ‘High Wind’ that reduced his presence, Selfis had failed to notice him.

“Ah, you know already. Choosing the 40th rank was because of him, wasn’t it?”

The man who had persistently tormented Chris with his gang.

“Daven. Daven Storm.”

The moment a debut test of skill turned into a match of revenge.

* * *

Beep.

Information popped up on the phone.

＜The Fruit of Yggdrasil＞

Grade – Mythical

Information – The fruit of the World Tree Yggdrasil, which granted prophecies through clairvoyance to the fairies.

Effect – Contains the mana of the World Tree condensed over 100 years.

Gian looked at the fruit with a cold expression.

Although it fell short of the original that contained thousands of years of mana, it was a fruit that had grown by absorbing mana over a century. An artifact that transcended the level of an elixir and touched upon myth.

‘How much would it be in money?’

Mythical artifacts discovered so far don’t even number in the triple digits.

For consumables like this… it was laughable to measure their worth in money. After all, it’s an artifact from the 6th-grade gate [Guardian of the World Tree].

‘…Guardian of the World Tree.’

There were two criteria Central, the government’s central agency, used to classify gates.

The grade, determined by measuring the scale of mana composing the gate.

‘And the name.’

[Demoniac Fortress of the Demon King].

[The Serpent that Devours the World].

Only twice had the 8th-grade gate appeared, and it was named Disaster.

In addition, the [Chaos of the Blood Cult] in the 3rd district was marked as Ominous. The [Ghost Mansion] in the 1st district as Youthful. The [Dragon’s Castle] in the 4th district as Dragon, with dozens of 7th-grade gates all named in the language of the 3rd district.

‘And then.’

Rarely, a 6th-grade gate would also be named.

[Guardian of the World Tree] was one of them. The reason was its vicious difficulty. A quest where only 11 Sabers must defend the fairy forest from the northern horse-riding tribes.

Especially because of the chief ‘Van Drogo’s’ brilliant tactics, [Guardian of the World Tree] was among the top five most difficult gates Ji-en had cleared in his previous life.

‘That’s the reward from such a gate. Can I handle it now?’

The mana condensed in the fruit of Yggdrasil was that magnificent.

If Ji-en succeeds in controlling the fruit’s mana, even the use of magic devices becomes possible. But a chalice laced with poison. If he fails to control the mana…

It will run rampant. A state called possession by currency in the 3rd district.

The risk is different from residual mana. This was a challenge that risked becoming a cripple, even risking life itself.

‘Now I must choose.’

There’s no delaying it any longer. Since absorbing the fruit takes time, considering the tournament schedule, today is the day. Having finished his thoughts, Ji-en swallowed the fruit.

Gulp.

The fruit was smaller than a plum, but it carried an intimidation more terrifying than deadly poison.

Ji-en, sitting in meditation, focused on the sensations within his body. There was no reaction yet, but this was the calm before the storm. Soon, the fruit’s skin would digest, and the concentrated mana would burst forth.

Whoosh!

The mana began to surge.

His insides twisted, his body wracked with tearing pain.

Yet, Ji-en tried to condense the mana with an unflappable expression.

‘One mistake, and it’s over.’

Embracing pain and fear, my senses sharpened further.

Mana surged within, growing ever stronger, yet Zien held it tight, up to the brink.

Thus passed the promised three hours.

* * *

Creak.

“Hmm… Is it done?”

Chris, who had been guarding the door, stepped into the quarters.

“Ugh!”

The mana density inside was so high it was suffocating.

Chris took a step back from the door and asked from a distance.

“Hey Zien, you alright?”

To that question, Zien slowly opened his eyes.

“Yeah.”

The atmosphere had changed.

No, it wasn’t just the atmosphere.

‘What’s this?’

A subtle mana enveloped his body.

Even Chris, unskilled in sensing mana, could tell at once.

Three hours had passed, but what Zien had absorbed was a mythic artifact.

“It’s finished.”

His voice was a pleasant baritone.

Zien from three hours ago and the Zien now were as different as two people could be.

* * *

“KUooo!!”

A colossal roar shook the cave.

The fourth-grade boss Rakuma was a bear made entirely of stone.

Defeating Rakuma would purify the dungeon, but its unique hardness had made even active fourth-grade Sabers refuse the task.