The incident began when I sat down on a nearby bench to have a quick lunch.
I had just taken a bite out of a massive 300-credit sandwich when someone behind me shouted angrily.
“Hey! Damn it… Do you think I’m a joke? Do you?! Damn it!”
“I-I don’t know… What’s wrong?”
A familiar black-haired girl with pigtails was trembling among the other students.
It was Levi.
What’s she doing over there?
As I approached while hiding between the flowerbeds, I began to grasp the situation.
“Why are you pretending not to know? I saw you hanging out with her.”
“That Violet or whatever, that damn wench, got my friend suspended. You know that, right?”
“Y-Yes… yes…”
It seemed like after the hazing incident during the entrance ceremony, where Camerdeen and his group were actually suspended, the remaining friends were now looking for me.
Shameless bunch.
But something felt off.
I wasn’t particularly close to Levi, except for occasionally running into her during classes after the ceremony.
If they wanted to find me, heading straight to my dorm would’ve been quicker.
Soon, I figured out why.
“You don’t know? You don’t? That’s your answer?”
When they pushed Levi, the frail girl fell straight to the ground.
“Kyaa… Ahhh!”
“Damn it… Want me to hit you? I didn’t even touch you, and you’re already whining?”
“Wow, look at this crybaby. Hahaha!”
The bullies surrounded Levi and began to threaten her.
“Because of you juniors, our seniors are upset. Admit your fault. Did you do it or not?”
“W-What did I do wrong…”
“Ah, screw it! Take out your wallet.”
Terrified, Levi shakily pulled out her wallet.
Poor thing.
Looking at them now, it was clear they were just using me as an excuse to harass someone they found easy to target.
On top of that, they intended to extort her money.
These lowlife thugs.
Albert’s lecture from before came to mind.
‘… Lately, those who go around flaunting the Polaris badge are nothing but scum.’
It was hard to disagree with his words.
Suddenly, irritation boiled up within me.
Why were these cowardly scumbags picking a fight with someone unrelated to me?
This was something I couldn’t let slide.
I pulled out my hammer and quietly closed the distance.
The optimal distance for a replicated weapon to fly without disappearing was about 4–5 meters.
I infused it with mana, stretched my arm back like a baseball player, and swung it with a whip-like motion.
At the last moment, I let go, and the hammer spun through the air.
“Hey! Look over there! It’s her!”
“What? Who’s her…”
They noticed me, but it was too late.
The mana-infused hammer, glowing with a crimson aura, slammed into the head of the senior girl who had been laughing.
-Clang!
“Kyaaaah!”
<Critical hit!>
[You attacked from behind, triggering the synergy trait: Backstab Proficiency. Damage has increased!]
The precise trajectory and flawless strike delivered a critical blow, leaving the senior girl sprawled on the ground.
Weak for a senior.
The remaining bullies stammered in a Levi-like tone.
“S-She… Who is she?”
“Wh-Whoa… What the hell?!”
I smirked and answered.
“Me? I’m that damn wench!”
Levi gasped and let out a choked sound before hiding behind me.
I pulled out two single-handed swords and infused them with mana. Then I clashed them together like clapping hands.
A loud metallic clang reverberated, accompanied by bursts of red etheric sparks.
“Was it you? Perfect. I’ll settle this today…”
“Shut up! I’m here, so let’s get this over with!”
“This crazy wench is serious!”
The seniors, clearly provoked, each drew their weapons.
-Standby units, prepare to replicate. Mana levels?-
-Sufficient! One of the four is already down. Let’s spawn around ten to overwhelm them!-
Judging by the strength of their mana-infused blades, they didn’t seem too strong.
About 1.5 Violet’s level of power.
That should be manageable with numbers.
Just as the tension peaked, and we were about to start, armband-wearing enforcers came running from afar.
How did they know we were about to fight? They’re like ghosts.
“Student Disciplinary Committee! Stop right there!”
“Wha-!”
“Aah?!”
The enforcers, wearing expressions that seemed to scream ‘strict, serious, and solemn,’ intervened between us.
“So, violence was being committed here. Is that correct?”
“Yes!”
“No! She started it!”
“They… they were just…”
The enforcers surrounded us and drew their weapons as a warning. I halted my replication spell.
A figure who appeared to be their leader stepped forward and issued a warning.
“Unauthorized acts of violence will result in suspension at minimum, and expulsion at worst. Seems like there was a dispute here. Correct?”
“Correct.”
“Yes, but that bastard started it…”
“You must follow the rules.”
Rules? In this strange school? I was bewildered.
One of the senior boys, unable to contain his anger, huffed and puffed. Then his expression suddenly changed as if he remembered something.
“Ah, right. A duel…”
“Yes, settle it through a duel. Will you submit a duel request? We’ll guide the first-year student on how it works.”
The nameless senior nodded, and I eagerly showed my agreement.
“Good! Let’s do it!”
As I followed the enforcers, Levi clung to me from behind.
“N-No… W-Wait… Violet, I’m sorry!”
“For what?”
“That’s a senior… He’s probably stronger than you! A duel… I can pay instead…”
“I’ll be fine!”
As Levi trembled and tried to pull out her wallet, I stopped her immediately.
Her concern touched me.
But I wasn’t worried.
That senior didn’t seem particularly strong.
-Maybe our standards have gotten too high.-
One of my clones, silent until now, finally spoke up.
They might not be wrong.
After experiencing blows from Team Leader Ogre’s hammer and being crushed by the Student Council President’s telekinetic pressure, I’d been through quite a lot.
How did things escalate to this? I just wanted to take a stroll, and now I was about to duel.
The enforcers guided us to the dueling grounds. It was a large building with a space about the size of a basketball court.
The exterior was a gaudy neo-classical style filled with towers and arches, but the interior was surprisingly modern.
Cutting-edge machines were lined up everywhere.
“Fill these out.”
Following the enforcer’s instructions, I filled out the necessary paperwork related to the duel. There were waivers, agreements, and other documents.
I had thought dueling was as simple as throwing gloves and drawing swords.
The procedure was more tedious than I expected.
“Now, it’s time to set the conditions. Victory terms can include most requests, except those related to academic status or excessively severe penalties.”
“Ah, I already know that. I’ve done this a few times. My condition is…”
The unnamed senior looked at me and tossed a comment.
“You, Violet, right? Kneel and apologize in front of the department seniors.”
“Why should I? I just took what was given, and Camerdin-whatever got punished for bringing the alcohol himself!”
“You! You disrupted the order of the department! You… oh.”
The guy, who was mid-sentence, suddenly closed his mouth and stared at me.
“What? Is there a problem?”
“… Date me.”
Did my ears malfunction? I thought I heard something strange.
“Date me.”
“What?”
I stood there dumbfounded for a moment before screaming.
“Kyaaah!”
Was he crazy?
A sudden confession out of nowhere!
Horrifying!
Although I’ve become a beautiful and adorable young woman, I still remember the days when I was a man.
And to top it off, I absolutely despise shady and creepy guys like him even more!
A bizarre heat suddenly filled his eyes.
“You’re rude, but you look decent. How about this? If you lose in a duel, you date me. In return, I’ll let the apology to the seniors slide. What do you think?”
Oh, look at this guy.
I glanced at the disciplinary officer, but there was no reaction.
This kind of demand was allowed? Crazy.
That dirty gaze made me feel worse. I decided to make an unreasonable demand myself.
“Sure! Sounds good.”
“What? If you surrender now and agree to date me, I’ll cancel the duel itself… Wait, what?”
“In return, if you lose, you and your friends will kneel and apologize to me and Levi.”
He sneered.
“That’s nothing.”
“It’s not over yet. You’ll kneel and apologize naked. In front of a camera!”
“What? That’s ridiculous—”
“And as a sign of apology, hand over all the money you have. In cash! Finally, stop bullying other freshmen in the department. How about that?”
The guy, seemingly irritated by my demands, exploded.
“You crazy b*tch! You’ve crossed the line…”
“Huh? So, when you said you wanted to date me, it was just a joke?”
I stuck out my tongue slightly, provoking him.
Would this work?
The senior thought for a moment before grinning wickedly.
“Fine. Let’s do it that way. But the duel’s result is absolute, so be prepared.”
I glanced at the disciplinary officer, who asked us in a neutral tone.
“Have you both agreed?”
Both the senior and I nodded. Approving all these ridiculous duel terms—this really seemed insane.
Afterward, as a first-year, I was called separately to hear about the duel’s rules and methods.
There were so many that I couldn’t remember them all.
I only recalled a few key points.
The conditions for victory were threefold.
First, death.
Of course, not real death, they clarified.
Second, incapacitation to the point of being unable to fight.
Third, a declaration of surrender.
Weapons were unrestricted.
For those with unique abilities, there were no limitations on ability usage either.
However, if ranged weapons or magic were your main strengths, additional agreements were required.
Since both the senior and I would be fighting in close combat, such agreements were unnecessary.
Other rules included automatic disqualification for running away without fighting for a certain time, and that victory terms were absolute. Violating them would result in punishment by the student council… that was about it.
Normally, duels would be scheduled for later, but the senior insisted on having it immediately.
Before entering the duel arena, I signed the final duel agreement.
That idiot was shortening his lifespan knowingly.
The door opened, and I stepped into the arena.
It was a vast stage lined with intricate machines on both sides.
Although I didn’t fully grasp the disciplinary officer’s complicated explanations, here’s what I understood.
Once inside, a virtual reality system, cleverly mixing magic and advanced technology, would unfold.
You could feel pain and experience all kinds of injuries, but you wouldn’t actually die.
“…Even now, if you agree to date me, I’ll call this off. Don’t regret it…”
Ignoring him, I stepped inside.
What kind of bizarre flower garden was growing in his head?
He was definitely crazy.
“Now, let’s prepare for the duel. Violet Rugilinn versus…”
I focused and grabbed my weapon as the disciplinary officer made an announcement.
The floor emitted a low hum as it vibrated, and a translucent barrier rose around the arena.
“The duel begins.”
As I curiously looked around, the senior charged at me with heavy breaths.
His weapon was a flashy, double-handed sword with a strikingly dark blue blade.
“Here I come! Thirteen-fold Sword Technique!”
As he noisily ran toward me, I folded my arms and observed, then gave the signal.
-Are you ready, guys?-
-Got it. Let’s go. Deploy!-
A surge of mana drained all at once. It had been a while since I summoned so many at once.
As the idiot charged toward me, sensing victory, a squad of twenty Violet clones armed with shields and spears appeared before him.
He froze in shock.
“Uh…?”
“Charge! Charge!”
“Hiyaaaah!”
While I, No. 3, watched from the back, the Violets charged and swarmed him.
“Argh! Aaaahhhh!”
He swung his sword, which was imbued with sword energy, knocking down one or two clones. But overwhelmed by the subsequent waves, his limbs were seized, and he was subdued in no time.
“You bastard! Let go, you crazy b*tch!”
Being an awakened, he was strong, but it took several Violets piling on to finally pin him down.
Let’s wrap this up quickly.
I approached him with a hammer in hand.
The senior, surrounded by us, stuck his head out from the human pile, screaming at the top of his lungs.
“Surrender!”
“You fcking btch! Let me go!”
Since he wasn’t coming to his senses, I lightly tapped his head with the hammer.
-Clang!-
“Ow! Damn it!”
-Clang! Clang!-
“Ow! Stop it! It hurts!”
-Clang! Clang! Clang!-
“Ouch… it hurts… Please…”
After repeated hits, he finally calmed down.
I learned that physical force makes people humble.
“Will you surrender?”
“Yes… I surrender… Please… stop hitting me…”
The senior, his face a mess, begged desperately with tears and snot streaming down.
The barrier surrounding the arena was lifted.
The first duel ended far too easily.
What a pushover.