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In terms of overall grades, it was only natural for Ron to fall behind Slos.

Ron had just started getting stronger, while Slos had been an outstanding student from the beginning.

Slos had the upper hand in every area.

No matter how much Ethan was being called a master lecturer and a great teacher, he couldn’t make Ron a top student in such a short period of time.

‘So I focused on just one thing. It’s fair to say I specialized him.’

Ethan had trained Ron solely with this duel in mind.

Ethan had already predicted Slos Pallo’s moves.

He would try to end the duel instantly with an overwhelming thrust. That much was obvious.

‘Since Claudie would have instructed him that way.’

There were teachers from the Magic Department present here.

Although the head of the Magic Department, Professor Duty, was absent, they were essentially acting as Duty’s eyes.

‘There were many watching eyes. So he wouldn’t want to reveal his strategy, especially after losing last year.’

To ensure victory this time, he absolutely couldn’t expose the strategies of the students he had trained.

To conceal his full strength, it would be better to end it quickly.

So it was easy to predict that Slos would attempt a rapid thrust.

‘His most confident thrust, that is.’

Any Magic Department teacher knew that thrusting was the core of Slos’s swordsmanship.

So he probably intended to end it with the thrust everyone knew about.

‘An easy prediction leading to certain victory… Although it was tough. Ron’s potential turned out to be greater than I thought. I didn’t expect him to handle the thrust so well and counterattack like that.’

Ron’s potential far exceeded what Ethan had imagined. He didn’t expect him to be able to shatter Slos’s shoulder with such overwhelming power.

Slos seemed to share the same thought, clutching his shoulder and staggering as he stood up.

Despite the evident pain, he looked straight at Ron.

“Damn it!”

Slos cursed roughly.

He was angrier about the humiliation than the pain.

Especially that last move.

“Ron Bears! You didn’t see my sword coming, did you!”

“…No.”

Ron answered briefly.

As he said, Ron hadn’t seen Slos’s sword. But he knew a thrust was coming.

He had already seen it before.

“I was already practiced for it.”

Compared to Slos’s thrust, the thrust from the special golem Ethan had created was far more vicious. That thrust was likely directly inputted by Ethan himself.

“I’ve experienced a real thrust. So it was easy to predict.”

“Easy, you say? You damn bastard!”

Despite Slos’s rough reaction, Ron remained calm.

He had sparred with Ethan and defeated Ethan’s special golem. So how could he not predict Slos’s thrust?

Ron laughed roughly as he caught his breath.

“Come at me properly. Fight me properly!”

Slos stomped his foot loudly.

He had lost to the dead last.

That fact excited Slos.

Thrusting wasn’t his entire repertoire.

If he was at his normal self, he wouldn’t have immediately gone for a thrust but built up to a perfect thrust.

This wasn’t a loss due to his true ability!

Thinking that, Slos gripped his sword again and tried to charge at Ron.

But then Claudie shouted.

“Slos Pallo!”

Hearing that voice, the excited Slos regained his senses.

“My apologies, Teacher…”

“Come here. This duel is a friendly match. Greet the peer who faced you. And the teachers who watched.”

Claudie said.

“Mind your manners.”

“My apologies…”

Slos stood in place.

Then the Principal gestured for them to greet each other. Slos also greeted the Magic Department teachers who had watched the duel.

The Magic Department teachers applauded.

Gone were their evaluating or mocking expressions from before the duel started.

All of their faces were stiff.

They had clearly hoped for Ethan to win.

It would be better to face Ethan’s seemingly mediocre students than Claudie’s elite students.

Of course, they hadn’t expected those mediocre students to actually beat Claudie’s.

They had only assumed Claudie would win.

But when they actually saw it, it was completely different.

That last move.

It wasn’t something that could be easily dealt with.

Slos had surely cried out because he felt wronged.

He said he didn’t see it coming, just blocked it.

How had Ethan raised the ability of Ron Bears, the dead last of the Swordsmanship Department, to this level?

As the Magic Department teachers were stunned, Slos Pallo also greeted Ethan.

The only reason Ron, who had been dead last until recently, had become like this was thanks to Ethan.

It was unknown how he did it, but it was certain Ron was different from before.

With eyes that seemed unable to understand, Slos bowed to Ethan.

In any case, it was clear the opponent was an extraordinary person, unlike a new teacher.

“I will definitely take your class next time, Teacher.”

“Even upperclassmen can benefit from my class. You’re welcome to attend, Slos Pallo.”

At Ethan’s words, Slos stepped back.

The next duel was effectively the main event of this representative decision match.

The current Swordsmanship Department number one, Max Jurod.

And Mason Yeld, who had been expected to become the Swordsmanship Department’s number one in the past but failed to meet those expectations.

Mason approached Ron.

“Leave it to me now.”

“Surely… you won’t lose, right?”

Ron smiled slightly despite his exhaustion.

“If I lose, I’ll quit.”

“…You won’t, though.”

“That means I won’t lose.”

Max stepped onto the dueling platform.

Then Mason joined him on the platform, and the previously noisy Magic Department teachers fell silent, focusing on the two.

Their level was beyond that of mere students.

Additionally, the Magic Department’s opponent would change depending on the outcome of this duel.

The Principal standing between Max and Mason raised his hand.

“Begin the duel.”

And without hesitation, he announced the start of the duel.

The moment he uttered “begin”, the two swordsmen forcefully stomped the ground.

Thunk.

Explosively leaping from strongly stomping the ground, Max and Mason’s swords clashed directly.

Crack!

The first collision shattered their wooden swords.

With both Max and Mason’s swords broken, the Principal immediately halted the duel.

“You…”

Max couldn’t hide his surprise. In contrast, Mason showed no particular change in expression.

“Let’s start over.”

New wooden swords were readied, and the duel promptly resumed.

It was the same opening strike as before, their swords clashing in the center. The only difference was that Max was noticeably wary of Mason’s movements this time.

“Max!”

Claudie shouted loudly.

He had clearly instructed Max to overwhelm Mason early on. Yet for some reason, Max was unable to follow up with proper attacks, instead remaining cautious of Mason.

Rather, it was Mason taking the offensive initiative.

He forcefully swung his sword, relentlessly pressuring Max as if trying to tear him apart.

Thwack! Crack!

Furthermore, with each swing, the force behind his swings grew stronger.

“Use your true ability!”

Claudie shouted again.

There was no longer any point in concealing their abilities. What was the meaning in hiding their strength to avoid revealing it, only to lose in the end?

There was no greater embarrassment than that.

“Kuh…!”

Max regained his senses.

His wrist and shoulder were numb from constantly defending. But it was fine. From now on, he would unleash his true ability.

“You’ve improved quite a bit. But until now, it hasn’t been the real thing.”

“I know. That’s why I intended to end it before then.”

Mason readjusted his grip on his sword.

“I guess I don’t need to hide it either.”

Max could only let out a wry laugh.

He had held back to give Mason a chance, only for him to catch up to this extent?

Claudie had already given his permission too. He intended to unleash his true ability and thoroughly crush Mason.

“You can’t beat me.”

Max Jurod began displaying his signature swordsmanship. His swordsmanship, far faster and sharper than last year, was elegant enough to make onlookers gasp in admiration.

Whack!

In an instant, their positions reversed, and Max continued his relentless assault. Mason was helplessly pushed back by Max’s overwhelming offensive.

Shoulder, side, shoulder again.

Missing a single opening allowed the hits to accumulate bit by bit.

If they had been real swords, it could have led to severe bleeding and a dire situation.

Claudie, who had been observing with his arms crossed, finally showed a slightly more relaxed expression. Then he glanced at Ethan.

The situation had already shifted in Max’s favor.

Contrary to the original plan, the Magic Department had exposed some of their strength, but this ensured he and his students would become the representatives.

However, Ethan himself maintained a calm expression.

‘Has he already given up?’

But a person who had given up wouldn’t look that calm.

Crack!

Then a loud noise accompanied Max’s groan.

Claudie frowned and looked back at the dueling platform. The situation had clearly been Max dominating, but somehow Mason was now taking control.

“That’s…”

Claudie immediately recognized it.

Something was different.

A completely revised sword path.

While continuing his offensive, Mason was deflecting every single one of Max’s sword strikes.

It was something beyond a student’s level. One would need to thoroughly understand the trajectories and sword paths through real combat experience…

In an instant, Claudie found himself looking at Ethan again.

The class Ethan was teaching had once been Claudie’s class.

Understanding the Sword Path.

Claudie had thought it was impossible for students to perfectly understand the sword path at their level.

Moreover, with so many students, it was difficult to get each individual student to grasp the core sword path, so he eventually had to teach in a different way.

Even that had earned high praise from students, far exceeding other teachers.

That’s why he could tell.

Ethan Whiskers had used a completely different approach, and taught more effectively than him.

The swordsmanship Mason Yeld was displaying now was swordsmanship that perfectly understood the sword path.

“You made him understand it?”

Ethan didn’t respond to Claudie’s question.

Thwack! Crack!

As everyone watched the increasingly intense duel with bated breath,

Mason’s sword precisely struck Max’s solar plexus.

“Kuheh.”

Max collapsed to the ground, wheezing harshly. The winded Mason slowly looked at the Principal.

No one could open their mouth at the shocking result.

Mason enjoyed the silence.

Only one thought occupied his mind.

“Did I do as you expected, Teacher?”

As he asked while looking at Ethan, Ethan gave a thumbs up.

“The winner, Mason!”

The Principal shouted loudly.

“The Swordsmanship Department representatives this time are:”

Ron, who had been sitting, stood up.

“Swordsmanship Department Professor Ethan Whiskers, Swordsmanship Department Mason Yeld, Swordsmanship Department Ron Bears, Swordsmanship Department Yuna Garnet.”

Author's Thoughts

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