Chapter 20
Professor Ruber did not bother to explain it to the students, but the purpose of the spar was this.
It had only been about a month since admission.
Taking Heidel as an example made the explanation quicker.
What people knew about Nobleman Heidel’s excellence came only from his grades and the rumors that he was the top freshman.
The number of students who had actually witnessed his abilities was only a handful.
“Heidel… I already knew he was strong.”
“But I didn’t know he was that strong…”
It was only after seeing Heidel’s true self with their own eyes that they could truly feel the overwhelming wall that separated them.
‘It’s not just Heidel.’
It was still a time when the cadets had not properly grasped each other’s abilities.
In the end, they had no choice but to judge based on rumors or scores.
Through this sparring, the entire first year would gauge everyone’s abilities, whether by fighting directly or by watching.
‘Sitting in the Colosseum isn’t just for watching and playing around. This is where we check the abilities of our peers.’
The Colosseum was a place to show one’s skill without prejudice.
Students who were underrated compared to their real ability because of scores, or those who had been overrated, would have their true selves exposed.
‘An invisible battle of hierarchy.’
And right now, this was the duel at the very top of the pyramid.
Boom-boom-boom!
“Don’t resent me if you die!”
Kunking, gaining momentum from the explosion, charged at Heidel at high speed.
He swung his fist bursting with flames and then grabbed the air again.
Vmmmmm!
A shrill, ominous sound was heard.
A deep violet glow began to flare around his fist.
Normally, darkness abilities brought to mind gloom and shadow, but Kunking wielded a unique power within the darkness type—‘gravitational wave.’
Boooom!
Just one swing of that fist created a massive wave.
Taking a single hit would send a person flying dozens of meters into the air, rolling across the ground tens of times before stopping, such was its destructive power.
Boom-boom-boom-boom!
But what if that overwhelming force was unleashed not once, but dozens of times?
Even the spectators would feel a suffocating pressure weighing down on them.
“He’s a monster too…”
“…Insane.”
“Are they really going to keep fighting like this? At this rate someone will actually die, won’t they?”
Some students were already cowering in fear.
Shockwaves ripped through the air in rapid succession.
Explosive roars slammed into their eardrums like landmines going off.
“Diiiieeeeeeeeee!”
Shockwaves pounded against their entire bodies.
The massive surging waves of energy nearly obscured Heidel from view.
If it were an ordinary person, their body would have been obliterated already.
‘According to the setting, this year’s freshmen were said to be the strongest in Yggdrasil’s history.’
Among them, the top three—Heidel, Keirin, and Kunking—held overwhelming power.
But even among the best, ranks had to be decided, to determine who stood above the rest.
As the waves gradually diminished, Heidel emerged, having withstood Kunking’s assault.
Heidel was holding a rapier.
Vmm!
Vmm!
He conjured golden shields just large enough to block Kunking’s fists.
The waves of darkness and the barrier of light clashed and then vanished into nothingness.
Light and darkness were equal in attribute.
Seeing them cancel each other out made it clear that Heidel was using a light-type technique.
Thanks to this, Kunking’s fists did not even graze a single hair on Heidel.
“Do you know who I am?! I am Kunking, the one who survived the hell of Hetarion! And you dare—!!”
Kunking hurled his massive fists with bloodshot eyes blazing red.
But Heidel blocked every strike.
“……”
And he did so with ease.
His face looked no different from before the duel began.
“You son of a biiiiiiitch!”
Seeing that expression made Kunking snap.
He brought both fists together to deliver a decisive blow.
That was when Heidel quietly opened his mouth.
“Remember this.”
He lowered his rapier in a straight line, and a vast light temporarily blinded even the audience.
“Boasting is the art of the rabble.”
When the light vanished.
Clang!
With a thunderous crash, everything froze.
The ice was several times greater in size than what had appeared at the very start of the duel.
Inside it, Kunking’s eyes were wide open, his face blank with confusion.
‘It’s over.’
It wasn’t just the sheer scale of the ice.
Golden runes orbited around the frozen mass.
‘A top-tier light spell—able to completely suppress an entire attribute except darkness.’
Kunking’s dumbfounded expression was perfectly understandable.
His fire attribute had been sealed, leaving him unable to melt the ice as he had before.
“…He won.”
“He defeated that monster.”
“Heidel is an even greater monster.”
Everyone present understood.
It was Heidel’s overwhelming victory.
Even Kunking, one of the top three freshmen, could not even be considered his match.
“……”
Heidel turned his gaze to the teaching assistant.
The assistant nodded and raised the flag.
“Winner, Heidel!”
The duel was decided in about a minute.
Heidel dropped the ice he had been holding and took his first step forward.
In that instant, the ice encasing Kunking vanished like a mirage.
Thud.
Kunking collapsed with his eyes still open.
It seemed he had only fainted.
Seeing this, the students began chattering again.
“What did I just see…?”
“Could Heidel really create ice and then make it disappear at will?”
“Was that even possible?”
The ice had vanished in the blink of an eye, without melting, leaving no trace of water behind.
Most students, even after witnessing it firsthand, were bewildered by the impossible sight.
‘That wasn’t ice to begin with.’
The first ice that appeared at the start of the duel had been real.
But the second time, it wasn’t.
A small number of the more skilled students present must have caught on to Heidel’s trick.
‘Using the copying power of light, he made Kunking believe he was trapped inside a giant block of ice.’
It was a kind of illusion ability.
He first used ice to lower the body temperature to the extreme.
Then, centering on the ice in his hand, he repeatedly reflected and refracted light, tricking the body into believing it was encased in a giant block of ice.
The cells were deceived and entered a state of hibernation.
Unless one had extraordinary willpower, they could not break free from such an illusion.
‘And even then, this was him holding back. He wasn’t even using 100% of his ability.’
He was truly an incredible powerhouse.
Heidel left the dueling ground on his own feet, while the unconscious Kunking was carried away by safety personnel.
It seemed he had only fainted, with no threat to his life.
The duel ended, and preparations for the next match began.
But for some reason, the gossip about me did not stop.
“Heidel just showed such an ability. So what is that talentless one going to show?”
“Who’s the talentless one?”
“Who else could it be but that person in Yggdrasil with no attribute?”
“Ah~.”
Laughter was heard.
It was slander laced with something like resentment.
Evil deeds eventually returned to the one who committed them. This too must have been karma that Villed had built up.
I folded my arms as if I hadn’t heard and looked toward the dueling ground where only the referee stood.
“Did you place a bet?”
“Yeah. 30 gold on Ren.”
“I put 50 gold on Ren too.”
“Honestly, Ren isn’t reliable either, but he’s still better than his opponent.”
“Right? I can’t wait to see how disgracefully he gets kicked out by that weakling Ren.”
“If Villed wins, I’ll burn my own hands.”
Now they were deliberately aiming their voices in my direction.
Their purpose was to provoke my anger.
‘If I lose my temper here, my reputation will only sink further.’
Though truthfully, it was already at rock bottom.
In fact, I barely cared enough to wonder if it was even worth getting angry.
But then someone answered in my stead.
“Can you take responsibility for those words?”
Before I knew it, my gaze turned toward the voice.
Black hair that flowed long and red eyes.
At her waist hung an old sword.
“N, Nixie?”
“W-what do you mean by that?”
The cadets who had been slandering me blinked.
Nixie was also counted among the excellent students.
Rumors had already spread far and wide that she, even with a small fry like Villed in her group, had reached the top 10% in the group test.
That gave her words weight.
“You said you’d burn your hands if Villed wins. Can you really stand by that?”
“……”
Was it difficult to answer, or were they just scared of Nixie’s eyes?
They couldn’t make a peep.
“You can’t know what’s longer or shorter until you compare. Villed hasn’t shown his abilities yet. Isn’t it fine to judge after watching the duel?”
Hearing Nixie continue, the cadets quickly wiped their sweat and nodded up and down.
“Y-yeah, that’s true!”
“Just like Nixie said, let’s watch first before saying anything!”
Only then did the group stop slandering me.
“……”
My eyes met with Nixie’s. I didn’t bother to avoid her gaze.
Step, step.
As she walked past me, Nixie spoke softly.
“I wasn’t defending you. I just didn’t like them making declarations without even checking for themselves.”
“Is that so.”
But I wouldn’t thank her.
It wasn’t as if I had wanted anyone to say such things for me.
“Hello.”
Someone who was with Nixie waved at me.
It was Arowell, the girl with golden short hair.
‘Her mood is different from before.’
Back during the group test, she had been so wary of me she couldn’t even meet my eyes.
But now, for some reason, she had dropped her guard enough to speak to me first.
“Do you know? You wouldn’t believe how much Nixie talks about you to me.”
When I turned toward Nixie at those words, her face was already blazing red.
“Arowell, what are you saying? I never did that!”
“But even yesterday you…”
“Whoa! Whoa-whoa!!”
Nixie flailed her arms and raised her voice, then grabbed Arowell’s hand.
“Arowell, it’s Vice Representative Keirin’s match! Let’s hurry and find seats!”
Her voice had jumped several octaves higher than usual. Was she excited or something?
Her tension had suddenly spiked.
“And Villed, don’t get the wrong idea!”
I looked at the retreating Nixie with a face that said: Don’t worry, I won’t.
After a few minutes of preparation, the duel began.
This time, it was Vice Representative Keirin against 9th-ranked Torono.
“Please take care of me!”
A short girl with dark red hair.
The talkative Keirin faced her opponent with a bright smile.
“What do you prefer? Should I go a little strong? Or weak?”
“Don’t mock me, talkative Keirin!”
The 9th-ranked Torono wore a face as though deeply insulted.
“Ah, that’s not what I meant…”
Keirin scratched her head and grinned sheepishly, looking a little flustered by the unexpected response.
‘She wasn’t mocking him.’
Given Keirin’s personality, she had only asked out of consideration.
‘She probably just wanted to make it a good learning experience for him.’
But instead, her opponent had taken her consideration as an insult.
Of course, even if I were in his shoes, I might have taken it as an insult too.
“Enough words. Fight me with your full strength!”
“Alright then. Full strength it is!”
Still smiling brightly, Keirin raised her staff, and the ground began to tremble.
“...An earthquake.”
“Is it a tectonic ability?”
Everyone expected a ground-based attack.
No one knew what might spring out from beneath, so all eyes were fixed on the arena floor.
“No, look up there!”
Suddenly, the quake stopped.
The change wasn’t in the ground, but in the sky.
A massive shadow loomed over the Colosseum.
“What’s in the sky…?”
Everyone raised their heads toward the source of the shadow.
There was a legend written in a certain book.
That somewhere in this world, floating islands existed in the sky.
Of course, it was said to be only a legend.
“Laputa…?”
The massive chunk of land floating above, conjured by Keirin, looked like the realization of that very legend.
Clang!
Despite being ranked 9th, Torono lost his will to fight and dropped his sword.
“I-I-I s-surrender…”
“Eh? Already?!”
Keirin was the one surprised.
But the ones even more dumbfounded were Torono and the other students.
Some had even fainted.
“That’s another monster.”
“No wonder she’s the vice representative…”
Plenty of defeated voices could be heard.
In the first duel, Heidel and Kunking had exchanged attacks.
But the second duel ended one-sidedly, with surrender declared right at the start.
‘To think she would just tear away an entire section of land next to the Colosseum.’
It was about the size of a school field.
‘If that thing crashed down, it’d be like a meteor strike.’
That tiny girl possessed the power to cause a catastrophe.
Of course, after the duel ended, the land was returned to its place, as if nothing had happened.
The next participants prepared and entered the duel one by one.
I had already watched dozens by now, but none of them even reached 10% of the top three’s level.
‘It’s not like I didn’t already know this.’
I already had a grasp of the entire student body’s abilities. That’s why I watched on without much feeling.
‘…What’s that.’
Not far away in the stands, something caught my eye by chance.
A blonde girl was hugging a lamb instead of watching the matches.
‘Why is she doing that?’
Gentle Lapin was playing with the lamb off in a corner.
‘What if she loses it after bringing it here?’
If the lamb got lost, the responsibility would fall on me.
Just as I sighed deeply and started running toward Lapin—
Thud!
In my haste, my shoulder collided hard with someone.
When I looked down at the person I bumped into—
I couldn’t open my mouth.
“Villed, you…?”
Because the person I had collided with was none other than Duke Ren.