The Academy’s Weakest Became A Demon-Limited Hunter

A bright sunny day.

In Aldreque, there was a partitioned area enclosed by walls with a large radius. It was built for the Academy Clash and was filled with various structures.

It was the very arena for the Academy Clash.

Rows of spectator seats lined the walls surrounding the arena. Many spectators filled the seats, observing the arena. Spectators from each academy were gathered and seated in sections divided by their respective academies.

In a separate building situated above, the influential figures of the empire were seated, with Emperor Carlos occupying the most prestigious seat.

“Let me take this opportunity to extend a warm welcome to all of our esteemed guests!”

Above the arena, in the sky.

A man was aboard a splendid floating apparatus calmly hovering in the sky. He was the host of the Academy Clash.

His lively voice echoed loudly with the help of a loudspeaker.

Thanks to the vision-amplifying magic cast on the walls, the spectators could observe the host in detail.

“Today’s Academy Clash! The top five prestigious academies of the Zelver Empire will compete here! Now, let me explain the rules!”

Beside the host, the arena for the Academy Clash transformed into the shape of a simple map using mana.

At the edge of the arena, there were a total of five buildings, evenly spaced apart.

These buildings boasted unique appearances and served as the bases for the five participating academies.

“As you can see, an academy’s base is positioned at each end of the battlefield! Each base is entrusted with a large gemstone called the ‘Heartstone’.”

A glowing mark appeared at the five academy bases.

“The tournament ends when a total of four Heartstones are broken! Only the academy that defends its team’s Heartstone will win! In other words, the Heartstone is the heart of each academy!”

In short, the goal was…

Protect your academy’s Heartstone while destroying the Heartstones of the opposing academies.

“However, placing protection magic on the Heartstone or tampering with it will lead to disqualification. This is to ensure fairness, so please keep this in mind!”

The host continued the explanation.

“And among the participants of each academy, one must act as a ‘Guardian’, staying close to the Heartstone at all times. Whether moving, sleeping, or in any situation, they must always be there!”

The term for the person guarding the Heartstone was ‘Guardian’.

“They were selected at our discretion, with the evaluation criteria being ‘the individual deemed the strongest’. Additionally, each participant would have attached this pendant in a clearly visible location.”

The host pointed to the pendant worn on the left side of his chest.

“In this tournament, it is called the ‘Qualification Stone’. If this Qualification Stone is broken or falls off, the participant is immediately disqualified! Our top-tier healing wizards and priests are on standby at all times! We promise swift healing and eagerly anticipate your magnificent battles!”

The host exclaimed, “Oops!” as if recalling something he had forgotten, drawing the spectators’s attention.

“That being said, don’t focus only on your enemies! Various traps are set up on the battlefield, so please be careful! Of course, since there are traps, there are also many helpful items, so be sure to look for them!”

The host then pointed to the lake at the very center of the tournament arena.

Twelve bridges were built over it, all connecting to a small landmass in the center.

On that landmass, there was an unusual structure.

“And now, the special victory condition! At the center of the battlefield, there is a vault. To open it, you’ll need a total of three keys. Various clues are hidden throughout the battlefield to help you find these keys, giving it a real treasure hunt vibe! If you manage to open the vault, that academy will instantly claim victory!”

The spectators stirred.

The idea of a special victory condition was introduced for the first time in the history of the Academy Clash.

“The time limit is until midnight the day after tomorrow! If a conclusion is not reached by then, the side with the greater number of surviving students will secure the victory! Also, if a student meets the disqualification conditions, they are immediately eliminated, so any actions taken right after disqualification will be rendered invalid. Please, don’t cause any trouble!”

The host extended his right arm forward.

“The winning academy and its participants will be granted luxurious gifts from the Elfieto Imperial Family! Everyone, please look forward to the intense battle of these outstanding talents!”

The host’s explanation of the rules ended.

Meanwhile, at the Märchen Academy base where I was.

“Let’s do this! Let’s do this!!”

“Eek! Y-you scared me!”

“This is a gathering of big shots, Amy! You need to bring your A-game!”

Ian’s goal was to join the knights. In other words, he wanted to catch the eyes of the influential figures in the audience with his swordsmanship.

I sat on the bench in front of the window, glancing around with just my eyes. Everyone gave Ian a brief look before returning to their routines to mentally prepare.

Mateo Jordana, took deep breaths to relieve his tension.

Tristan Humphrey closed his eyes and meditated to warm up his mana circuits.

Abel Carnedas swung his sword, while Roanna Shelton closely watched him.

Lizetta Lionheart was doing push-ups.

Keridna Whiteclark was nibbling on sweet snacks.

The atmosphere remained heavy throughout.

Each student had their pendant, the Qualification Stone, attached to a visible part of their body.

We had been informed of the tournament’s rules in advance, so there was no need to pay attention to the host’s words.

The opening ceremony is over, and the explanation of the rule is finished… It’s about to begin.

I looked out the window.

The luxurious facilities, the enormous arena, and the wide-ranging vision-amplifying magic for the countless spectators.

How much money was poured into the Academy Clash, which would only last a day or two at most? Witnessing it firsthand, I couldn’t help but be left speechless.

Well, it was only natural for enough funding to be secured for such a grand stage. This was because the influential figures of the empire spared no expense in supporting the Academy Clash.

Currently, the stands were filled with the most influential figures of the Zelver Empire. Their main purpose was to scout talented young individuals.

“Isn’t it unfair?”

A female student with cascading blue bobbed hair approached me.

She walked around, clutching a navy-blue pillow to her petite frame, with a sleepy expression. It was Ciel Carnedas.

She sat down next to me.

“What?”

“I heard the organizers interfered in the selection of participants for each academy and chose the one they deemed the strongest as the Guardian.”

The Qualification Stone affixed to the left side of my chest bore a golden hue, unlike those of the other students. It was the symbol of a Guardian.

When the Academy Clash began, I would be in a position where I had no choice but to stay close to the Heartstone as the Guardian of Märchen Academy.

“So what?”

“The rules just feel kind of weird.”

Ciel turned her head to look out the window at the host aboard the floating apparatus.

“The Guardian restrictions, the special victory conditions… These rules seem tailored specifically with you in mind.”

“Is that so?”

Sharp as always.

Ciel was right. The rules were subtly different from those in in「Act 11, Academy Clash」of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ that I knew.

In the game, there was no concept of a Guardian who protected the Heartstone, nor were there any special victory conditions.

The organizers probably created these rules with me in mind.

The intent is so obvious that it’s not even surprising.

I expected it to turn out this way from the start.

“But don’t you usually find things like this annoying? Why did you join?”

“If the Ice Sovereign is on our side, we can take it easy. I have no intention of passing up such a great opportunity”

Ciel let out a “Haaam” and yawned.

“Please make the sacrifice so I can take it easy.”

“Is there nothing you won’t say, you…”

Her head was filled with nothing but the thought of taking a nice nap and walking away with the winner’s prize.

Suddenly, a male student who resembled a praying mantis, Jack Schneider, spoke in a high-pitched voice, “Hehe… Oh, come on, isn’t the surefire way to win obvious?”

It seemed he raised his voice on purpose, wanting us to hear what he had to say.

“Why don’t we all just stay here and guard the Heartstone, then head out later? That way, we can safely conserve our strength while the other academies weaken themselves by fighting each other. And when the time comes, we crush them all…”

“You’re an ignorant fool. Is your intelligence no more than that of a passing insect?”

“What?”

Tristan, who had been meditating, narrowed his eyes and glared at Jack.

“Do you think the organizers wouldn’t have anticipated such a worthless scheme?”

“What…?”

“It seems you’ve already forgotten the mention of numerous helpful ‘items’.”

I was probably the only one among the participants who knew what those items were. After all, I had knowledge from the game.

However, it was easy to deduce that the more items one secured, the greater the advantage they’d have.

“A strategy of maintaining a passive attitude in this tournament is designed to inevitably put you at a disadvantage.”

Tristan was right.

The items one could obtain on the battlefield had effects related to the game rules.

As a result, even I wasn’t confident in winning against an enemy team with a significant item advantage.

In other words, the longer we sat and waited, the more disadvantageous it would become.

“Annoying bastard…”

Jack muttered a curse at Tristan under his breath but couldn’t bring himself to confront him openly.

Tristan far surpassed Jack in terms of skill after all.

Screeeech.

Suddenly, the sound of a door opening was heard, and Professor Fernando Frost burst out from the central room.

“The Academy Clash will start in 10 minutes. Everyone, get ready.”

The atmosphere changed. A sense of seriousness could be felt from the students.

I stood up from my seat.

***

“Out of concern, I’ll say this one more time.”

Bethel Academy’s base.

The supervisor gathered the participating students to talk.

“The most dangerous opponent in this Academy Clash is undoubtedly the Ice Sovereign of Märchen Academy. He’s the male student with silver-blue hair and red eyes. He must have been assigned the role of Guardian.”

The supervisor solemnly spoke, “Do not even think of fighting the Ice Sovereign head-on. Remember, all you need to do is break the Heartstone. Understood?”

The students responded loudly and in unison, “Yes!”

Like them, the other participating teams were also developing their tactics and boosting their morale.

Everyone shared a common opinion.

The person to be most cautious of in this game was the Ice Sovereign of Märchen Academy.

Everyone had only heard rumors about the Elemental King. Although rumors tended to be exaggerated, it was evident that the Ice Sovereign was the most dangerous opponent.

Meanwhile, on the spectator side where the students and faculty of Märchen Academy had gathered.

Snow White pondered, “Hmm…”

“Is something troubling you?” Merlin Astrea, the escort knight sitting beside her, asked.

“I just got curious. What… could these traps be?”

The traps that the host had warned about.

“It’s likely something that could put Senior Isaac in danger too, right?”

“Most likely. This is a game governed by set rules, and the organizers must have considered Sir Isaac for the sake of the game’s balance. For example, if there’s a platform that leads to disqualification when stepped on, even Sir Isaac wouldn’t stand a chance. However, Princess White, Sir Isaac will surely do well. Worrying about him is nothing but a waste of time.”

“Y-yes, right…? Of course, Senior Isaac will do well, won’t he?”

“Yes. It’s just that…”

“Just?”

“…It’s nothing.”

Although she had no evidence, Merlin suspected that the Academy Clash would unfold in a unique way.

“Look! The fuse that will light the starting flame has just been ignited!”

At the host’s shout, all the spectators turned their heads toward the same spot.

The flame sparked and traveled along the fuse, soon reaching its end.

There was a magnificent cauldron.

Bang!

Whoosh!

With a loud explosion, flames burst forth from the cauldron with explosive momentum.

“Now! Let the Academy Clash begin!!”

The cheers of the spectators echoed.

A large, transparent soundproof barrier was formed over the tournament arena. It was a spell deployed to prevent the participants from hearing the host’s commentary.

After the tournament started, several students simultaneously dashed out from the five bases. They were the advance squads.

In less than 20 minutes, the advance squads of two academies encountered each other.

“Oh, the students from two academies have already met!”

The arena of the Academy Clash was so vast, it was almost no different from a small city.

However, the students of the two academies ran toward each other as if they had planned it in advance, and soon their paths overlapped.

The spectators naturally expected them to engage in a battle, but the situation unfolded differently than expected.

“…So it really is like that.”

Merlin frowned.

“What’s happening here!? Could this be a probing maneuver? They’re leaving without a fight!”

The host relayed the situation.

The advance squads of the two academies nodded at each other as if they had no intention of fighting from the start. Then, they passed by, maintaining a certain distance and proceeding in the same direction.

White’s voice trembled, “Merlin, those people…”

Märchen Academy had nothing to worry about in the Academy Clash. They possessed the terrifying force known as the Ice Sovereign, and the difference in power between them and the other academies was stark.

However, only one academy could claim victory there.

Then, what choice would be most beneficial for the academies other than Märchen Academy…

“It is said that fish that have been fighting each other in freshwater will join forces when a catfish suddenly appears.”

To first eliminate the most dangerous common enemy.

“I think… a similar situation will occur.”

Merlin’s speculation turned into certainty.

This Academy Clash would now turn into the Ice Sovereign Subjugation.