Overwhelming Firepower

In the Royal Academy, the students can challenge any of the instructors. An instructor can only be challenged five times per day; this rule was placed in so that one cannot tire out an instructor to claim victory.

In the past, a student used this very tactic to win against an instructor, thus gaining fame far beyond his skill, which ended up killing him instead.

This is why they place the rule of five. This was not only a test for the students but for the instructors as well. If you cannot even defeat five students, then you were not worthy of being an instructor in the first place.

This was the Royal Academy, this was Norvaegard, a kingdom of warriors who valued strength and honor above all else.

That was why the moment Roderick Greymere issued his challenge, no one laughed. No one called him foolish. No one told him to step back. Instead, the courtyard fell into a heavy silence.

Every student understood what those words meant. A student challenging an instructor was not a simple spar.

It was a declaration that the student believed he had already reached a level where the academy could no longer teach him through ordinary means.

This was a way for the student to not only gain incredible fame but also show the world that he was worthy of being called a warrior. Lucen, who was looking at Roderick, couldn’t remember seeing him in the game, meaning this was an unknown character to him.

’Still, based on his actions and that look on his face, I can pretty much guess what kind of character he is.’

There were always people like this. People who heard stories about others and decided that those stories had been exaggerated. People who looked at fame and thought it had been given too easily.

In his past life, Lucen loved reading or watching the parts where the protagonist put these people in their place.

’Another cliché I get to personally experience how wonderful.’ Lucen showed an amused smile on his face.

Principal Aldren looked at Lucen for a moment before speaking. ”Sir Lucen Thornehart, this will count as your first challenge of the day.”

Lucen nodded his head. ”Understood.”

There was no need to ask whether he accepted or not. As long as a student issued a formal challenge, an instructor was obligated to accept, unless they had already reached the limit for the day.

Roderick could not help but smile even more as everyone’s attention was now on him. He hated that he was considered A-Class, not S-class.

He believed that he was better than every other student here, and today he will prove that as a fact.

’Dragon-Slayer? Ever-Victorious? I’ll prove today that your fame is just a mirage that you concocted. How can someone near my age achieve so much? I’m sure you just use your subordinates and claim their success as your own.’

That was what Roderick truly believed. If he could not do it, then that must mean other people could not do it as well.

To him, Lucen Thornehart was not a legend. He was a rumor that had grown too large.

The students began moving toward one of the academy’s training arenas. The instructors followed, and Principal Aldren walked at the front without showing much emotion.

The opening ceremony had suddenly become something far more interesting. Well, to the students, but to the instructors, this happens most of the time, new students enter the Academy believing they are the greatest.

They thought that passing the entrance examination meant they had already reached a level where they could look down on people.

Some believed that being placed in A-Class was proof that they had been unfairly denied S-Class.

To the instructors, Roderick Greymere was not the first student to think that way, and he would not be the last.

Still, they were interested in how Lucen Thornehart would deal with this situation. They do not think he would lose to the student; they were more interested in how he’s going to defeat the student.

***

The eastern training arena was wide and open, with reinforced stone floors and several protective barriers carved into the surrounding walls. The arena had been used for countless duels, sparring matches, and instructor challenges over the years.

”So what weapon will you use?” Lucen asked Roderick.

”I’m an axe user,” Roderick responded as he took a dull two-handed battle axe from the weapons rack.

Lucen did the same and picked up a dull two-handed battle axe. The second Roderick saw that he frowned.

”Are you not going to use your famed guns to fight?”

”There’s no need for that,” Lucen responded with a confident smile. Seeing him smile like that, Roderick thought Lucen was mocking him.

”Very well, I will show you my worth,” Roderick answered while gripping his axe tighter.

”We shall see,” Lucen spoke as he started using Acting Adept.

Lucen was debating which character he would use that could use an axe. He decided on two characters.

Either the man whose pride knows no bounds, whose powers grow as the sun goes up, or the Viking who became a legend, a towering man who loved battle, the one he would use was the anime version.

Lucen thought about it for a moment. Then his smile widened. ’Yeah, for this kind of guy, that one fits better.’

The moment Lucen decided, something about him changed. The instructors were the first to notice it, and then the students.

Something had happened to Lucen as his demeanor changed. Aldren was not bothered by the change, but seeing as the two sides were ready, he spoke.

”Begin.”

The moment Principal Aldren’s voice fell, Roderick moved.

Aura mantle surged around his body as he kicked off the ground. His speed was quite good for a freshman, and the dull two-handed battle axe in his hands came crashing down toward Lucen’s shoulder.

It was a direct attack with no hesitation. It was heavy, fast, and filled with confidence. Lucen looked at the descending axe, and then his smile widened.

He did not dodge, despite being able to do so. Instead, he blocked the attack by lifting the two-handed war axe with one hand.

The two dull axes collided. A heavy sound echoed across the arena. Roderick’s eyes widened at the sight.

He had used both hands. He had strengthened his body with his aura mantle. He had swung with the intention of crushing Lucen’s guard in the very first exchange.

Yet Lucen had stopped his attack with one hand, and without utilizing his mana or aura mantle. Not only that, Lucen’s arm did not even tremble from the strike.

Lucen then flicked his wrist, which was all he did, and he pushed Roderick, who had a massive size for his age, away like he was paper.

Lucen did not know how strong his current physique was now. Still, he had continued training his body, and even though he did not get the +1 notification as often as he did in the beginning, he still gained it every now and then, and his strength would increase as well when he levels up.

Right now, even without using anything but his body, he could literally beat up someone with a second aura mantle rather easily.

Lucen, who had just pushed away Roderick, showed an excited grin as he gestured at Roderick with his hand and said. ”Come on, show me more of what you can do.”

The moment those words left Lucen’s mouth, several students felt a chill.

The Lucen Thornehart they had seen standing behind Principal Aldren had been calm, composed, and dignified. He had looked like a young noble who had already experienced more than most people could imagine.

But the person standing in the arena now felt different. Those who knew Lucen through word of mouth did not imagine him to be this way when he fights.

Those who knew Lucen, like Robert and Cael, were not surprised. Every now and then, when Lucen fights someone for the first time, his demeanor changes as if he becomes a different person.

There was also the fact that, despite not saying it out loud, they knew that Lucen liked fighting, especially those that were extremely dangerous.

If he knew that they were thinking he would have said in his mind that it was because of the battle-crazed trait.

Roderick gritted his teeth as he steadied himself; his arms were feeling numb from that single exchange.

The impact from Lucen’s casual block had traveled from his axe into his hands, wrists, elbows, and shoulders. For a moment, he had felt as if he had swung his weapon against a fortress wall.

’This can’t be!’ Roderick screamed in his mind, denying what was happening before him. Then, when he heard Lucen’s voice telling him to show him more, Roderick could no longer control his anger as he charged forward.

Roderick started attacking more aggressively as he swung his war axe faster and harder. Lucen, on the other hand, had a wide grin on his face as he parried every attack with a casual flick of his wrist.

Every swing Roderick made was heavy enough to crush bone. Every swing Lucen made was light enough to look careless. Yet somehow, it was Roderick who was being pushed back.

”Hahaha! Good! That one actually had some weight behind it!” Lucen laughed loudly as he deflected another strike.

The sound of his laughter echoed across the arena. It was rough laughter that reminded a few knights present of the barbarians they had fought.

Roderick’s face twisted. ”Do not laugh at me!”

”Then make me!” Lucen replied, parrying another strike and finally attacking Roderick with a single forward punch.

Lucen’s punch hit Roderick in the chest, making him fly out, hitting the nearby wall. Roderick coughed up a bit of blood, and then he started puking whatever it was he had eaten beforehand.

”Is that all?”

The second Lucen said those words, the arena became deathly silent. No one had expected Roderick to win easily, but no one had expected him to be sent flying with a single punch either.

A few students from A-Class stared with pale faces. The pride they had felt from standing near the top of the freshmen suddenly felt much smaller.

Roderick’s hands trembled as he tried to push himself up. His chest hurt. His arms were numb. His stomach twisted painfully, and every breath felt like he was swallowing shards of glass.

Even so, he forced himself to stand. ”I... I can still fight,” Roderick said through gritted teeth.

”Hahaha!” Lucen’s wild, hearty laughter echoed in the arena. ”Now that’s what I’m talking about!”

The personality of the character Lucen acted as, had great synergy with Lucen, making it harder to control.

”Come try to win! Swing your arms until they can no longer move, kick me until your legs give out, then bite me and never let go until victory is reached. Show me what kind of warrior you are!”

Hearing those words, Roderick’s body trembled. For the first time since issuing the challenge, the arrogance in his eyes wavered.

The person standing before him was not the elegant noble he had imagined. He was not a sheltered ducal heir hiding behind strange weapons and exaggerated rumors.

Right now, Lucen Thornehart looked like a warrior who had been born on a battlefield, someone who laughed at pain, welcomed danger, and treated battle like a feast.

Roderick gripped his axe until his knuckles turned white. He felt it in his body; he was afraid.

But if he stepped back now, then everything he had said, everything he believed, would shatter in front of the entire academy. So he forced his trembling legs to move.

Roderick, whose legs were wobbling, steadied as he charged forward once more. Lucen’s grin widened even further.

”That’s the spirit! Come at me with the intention of risking your life!” Lucen lifted the two-handed war axe with one hand above his head and, with a simple motion, chopped downward.

Despite the speed of the falling war axe, Roderick, who was charging forward, saw it clearly as if it were moving slowly. Yet, despite the fact that he couldn’t evade it. Blocking it felt just as foolish.

It was at this point that Roderick finally realized why Lucen had another moniker aside from Ever-Victorious; the other moniker, the Ruby-Eyed monster, was more appropriate.