“…….”
“…….”
A strange tension began to flow between the two of us as we recognized each other.
A cold and chilling aura wrapped around the surroundings.
– …Hey, isn’t it kind of cold?
– Yeah, what’s going on all of a sudden?
– Ah… Ah-choo!
The sudden drop in temperature caused the students to murmur.
It was the complete opposite of Professor Chen Xi’s scorching presence.
Ren’s cold aura began to dominate the training ground.
…Her killing intent is no joke.
I was accustomed to such bloodlust, so I could withstand it at close range to some extent. But the other freshmen probably weren’t as fortunate.
I quickly shifted my gaze to check on Professor Chen Xi.
Thankfully, she seemed to have sensed that something was off as well. She stepped in between us and the other students to make sure that they wouldn’t be affected.
Thanks to her, it seemed the students beyond her position weren’t feeling the pressure.
“…Hmm, this is a headache. Do you two know each other?”
“Tha-
“No.”
Before I could answer, she spoke first in a cold voice from beyond.
“I don’t know him, Professor.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. So let’s just get this over with quickly.”
She walked over to the practice swords lined up beside the training grounds.
Before long, she picked up two of them and tossed one my way.
Thud—
The dull sound echoed as the practice sword landed at my feet.
“Pick it up.”
“……..”
Ren’s voice was calm and without any fluctuation as she told me to pick up the sword.
When we first locked eyes, I had at least seen the slightest tremor in her pupils. But now, there was nothing.
Now, her face had returned to a completely expressionless state, leaving me with no way of knowing what she was feeling.
…It was as if all her emotions had dried up entirely.
Professor Chen Xi looked back and forth between the two of us before letting out a deep sigh.
Then, she handed us each a bracelet.
“If you wear this, your aura usage will be restricted. You’ll only be able to use about ten percent of your power.”
Without hesitation, we both put on the bracelets at the same time.
It was as if we were both eager to fight.
“The purpose of this duel is to assess your swordsmanship skills. The goal is to minimize aura usage and focus purely on technique, so do your best to fight….”
“…….”
“…….”
“…Just to make it clear, if I decide the match has been settled at my discretion, I’ll stop it immediately.”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
Almost simultaneously, we began moving to opposite ends of the dueling arena.
Now standing at opposite poles, we faced each other.
“…Haaah, I have no idea what’s going on with you two. If you’re ready, let’s begin.”
“………”
“………”
.
.
.
“Begin.”
Whoosh!
The moment the match started, Ren’s figure blurred.
In the blink of an eye—no—before I could even blink, she had closed the distance between us.
Clang!
“…..…!”
“Still as aggressive as ever. Are you that happy to see me?”
“…..…”
There was a brief hesitation. Perhaps she hadn’t expected her attack to be blocked.
I didn’t miss the opening. I deflected her blade and drove a kick into her stomach.
Thud!
She blocked it.
In that brief moment, she had swiftly withdrawn her sword and defended against my attack.
Even with the restrictions on aura usage, her speed far exceeded my expectations.
…Still, overall, we seem to be on par.
When it came to aura usage, men generally had the advantage over women.
There was no special reason for it.
It was simply a matter of inherent physical differences between the sexes.
A knight who trained in aura possessed physical abilities far beyond those of an ordinary person.
On top of that, aura further enhanced the body’s capabilities.
Women were no exception. But even so, a gap inevitably existed.
If a man needed 3 units of aura to exert a force of 10,
Then a woman needed 5 units of aura to produce the same force of 10.
Compared to men, women had to consume more aura to compensate for their lower physical strength.
Naturally, this seemingly minor difference could be fatal in a life-or-death battle.
This was one of the main reasons why, unlike magic, the number of women who trained in aura was relatively low.
Of course, this didn’t apply to those at the highest levels.
Take Professor Chen Xi, for example.
Having reached the realm of a Master, she could cut down half a dozen male Experts without even using aura.
Beyond raw power, experience and technique also played a crucial role.
…She’s coming.
Ren who had stepped back let the tip of her sword touch the ground.
The dull yet gleaming blade was aimed directly at me.
A moment later, she lunged forward once more.
A diagonal slash, sweeping upward from below.
It was one of her signature moves, something she often used in the game as well.
I immediately reversed my grip on my sword.
Clang—!
Ren’s sword that aimed at my neck was once again blocked by my blade and spun uselessly through empty air.
It was a reverse grip technique I had often used during my days as an adventurer.
Professor Chen Xi who had been watching the exchange widened her eyes in shock.
“…How is that brat able to do that?”
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Our exchange remained relentlessly one-sided.
She attacked while I continued to dodge or block.
The flow was simple, and anyone could see that I was at a disadvantage.
Yet, the freshmen watching couldn’t hide their astonishment.
“…Hey, do you know that guy? Where the hell did this monster come from?”
“Holy shit, is there actually someone our age who can fight a Hero like that?”
“I thought the only one who could keep up with her was that spear guy from the other class….”
The murmuring among the students never ceased.
It was only natural.
To them, a Hero was someone who, despite being in the same grade, was on an entirely different level. Someone worthy of being called in a league of their own.
I’m starting to get exhausted.
Of course, for me, the one fighting her, it was pure hell.
Even without her going all out, she was still a high Expert. The gap between her and me, a lower Expert was as vast as the distance between heaven and earth.
Fortunately, aura usage was restricted, and she wasn’t tapping into her Hero power, which was the only reason I could manage this much.
If she unleashed her full strength, I wouldn’t stand a chance relying on swordsmanship alone.
The only reason I was able to hold my own was the slight edge gained from my shallow tricks and experience.
On top of that, the bracelet had equalized our aura output, and I had the natural physical advantage that came with being male.
…Tch. This body has everything going for it, but handling aura and mana is a nightmare.
Was this the difference in talent?
The thought nearly brought tears to my eyes, but I gritted my teeth and kept responding to her relentless attacks.
There was something I needed to find out, even if it meant going through this.
“Ren. It’s been three years since we last met, and your attacks are still as disappointing as ever.”
“…….”
“Has your thirst for revenge died down? If your friend up in the sky heard this, they’d be in tears.”
“…….”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Ren didn’t even react to my taunts. She just kept attacking like a machine.
Despite the killing intent radiating from her, there was no emotion in the way she swung her sword.
She was like a machine, carrying out the command to kill.
…Has she really worn down this much in the short time we’ve been apart? That’s way too fast.
I felt anxious and kept talking to her.
“Don’t you want to kill me? With a sword like that, you could swing for a lifetime and still never succeed.”
“…….”
“And to think, you were so furious when you killed that man three years ago.”
“……!”
Clang!
Shit…!
Her strikes suddenly became heavier.
It felt like my grip on my sword was about to tear apart.
But I didn’t stop talking.
If she hadn’t been completely worn down yet, I had to set her straight while there was still time.
“…How’s Ron doing? That idiot who insisted on using magic. I really should’ve killed him back then too—”
“Don’t you dare speak his name.”
Boom!
A bright light erupted from her body.
It was a warm light, the complete opposite of her usual cold aura.
…And then, an all-too-familiar flame surged toward me.
There’s no blocking that.
This attack was on a completely different level from the ones in my dreams.
It was overwhelming, massive enough to swallow me whole.
The sheer pressure of it felt like it would burn through anything in its path.
…If I want to block it, I’ll have to take off the bracelet.
Just as I swallowed nervously and reached for the bracelet—
Thankfully, the flames never reached me.
“Alright, that’s enough!”
Whoosh!
At Professor Chen Xi’s words, all the flames burst and faded in an instant.
Her dark crimson aura swept through the entire training grounds, completely taking over.
At the same time, both of us were forced to stop moving.
Just like that, our duel came to an end.
Yeah… that ability is totally broken.
While I marveled at the professor’s power, I also felt relieved that the fight had ended without anyone getting hurt.
One of us could have been seriously injured.
…And in all likelihood, that someone would have been me.
“Mm-hmm~ Good work. You both pass. You’re more than qualified to move up to the intermediate class.”
“…Thank you.”
“……”
I bowed my head in gratitude, while Ren simply glared at me as if she wanted to kill me.
Then, without another word, she spun around and strode out of the training grounds first.
“You, too. Hurry up and head down.”
“…Yes.”
“Oh, right. What’s your name?”
“It’s Ain.”
“Ain?”
Ain… Ain… Ain.
Professor Chen Xi muttered my name a few times under her breath, then tilted her head slightly.
“Hmm. Anyway, Ain, would you mind staying behind for a bit after class?”
“…Huh?”
“It won’t take long. I just have something to ask you.”
“…Alright.”
What does she want to talk about?
The question lingered in my mind, but since I would get my answer soon enough, I focused on something else for now.
As I made my way back to my spot, I glanced at Ren and saw her sitting with her face buried in her knees.
…Is she crying?
When we were kids, Ren would always sit like that whenever something happened and quietly suppress her emotions on her own.
…Watching her now, I couldn’t help but feel a bit worried, wondering if I had gone too far.
At the same time, though, I also thought that maybe this was for the best.
At least this was better than the emptiness I had seen in her earlier.
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