"Next."
"Wooaahhh!!!"
Following Noah Frozenheart, Gilbert took his turn with a resounding cheer.
Now that personal weapons were permitted, Gilbert transformed the bracelet on his wrist into a massive shield.
‘Ridiculous guy.’
This was the first time Rohan discovered that Gilbert’s primary weapon was a giant shield.
Apparently, Gilbert’s usual choice of swinging around the standard-issue blunt weapons during practice sessions was simply because he felt like it that day.
Naturally, the instructor didn’t hold back on delivering criticism even before Gilbert began.
“Hahhh!!! Shield Bash!”
“Your spirit is admirable, but there’s no need to shout your actions unless it’s a skill trigger. It’s unnecessary,” the instructor noted.
“Down with the gorilla! Golden spirit!!!”
“...?”
Gilbert, his body enveloped in mana, charged at the instructor like a bull. The result, however, was predictable.
Despite Gilbert’s attempts to combine his shield and sheer size for impact, the instructor didn’t budge an inch and continued offering sharp critiques.
After two minutes,
Gilbert collapsed from exhaustion, his mana completely spent, and lay twitching on the ground.
It was Rohan who had to drag him out, wrapping up the scene.
“Next.”
“Instructor, it’s my turn.”
The next participant was Pavel Harris, a male beastman from Tigrova.
Pavel was a character often discussed in the Abyss City community, praised as a solid choice for secondary parties after surpassing certain thresholds.
Stimulated by Gilbert’s fervent attempts, Pavel stepped forward.
Though Rohan had never used him in the game, he recognized Pavel’s reputation.
As expected, the beastman received similar criticisms from the instructor during his two minutes.
Several more cadets followed, one of whom was Dick Wicketree, who ended up with an unremarkable spot in the order.
“Instructor, stabbing with a spear won’t hurt you. Try to act with more conviction, without hesitation,” the instructor advised.
“Yes, sir...”
“Hesitation in your attacks prevents you from fully demonstrating your abilities, which makes critiques meaningless,” the instructor added.
Dick, visibly dejected, returned to his seat with his spear.
Then, Ichinose Yui rose from her meditative posture and stepped forward.
“I’ll go next,” she said.
With her beloved sword, Yoru (Night), in hand, Ichinose walked to the front.
Her calm steps drew the interest of the cadets, including Noah, whose eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Click, click.
Ichinose’s measured steps brought her face-to-face with the instructor.
The same instructions he gave to others were repeated.
“As with the others, your two minutes begin as soon as you attack.”
“Yes, sir.”
With a firm grip on the hilt, Ichinose lowered her stance.
Her heightened senses spread out, searching for a viable attack path.
For about ten seconds, she stood frozen, her sword undrawn, as if time itself had stopped.
‘...There’s no opening.’
Her opponent had no gaps.
There were no attacks to parry, no paths to strike.
Every possible trajectory for her sword seemed blocked.
‘Completely different from my father.’
How was she supposed to wield her sword against an opponent who simply waited with such overwhelming composure?
She couldn’t even visualize herself inflicting a single wound, let alone cutting him down.
“Ichinose Yui, unlike Noah, you’re overthinking things,” the instructor observed, smiling faintly at her hesitation.
‘What extraordinary talent.’
Ichinose’s brilliance was undeniable, but in this scenario, it worked against her.
Her ability to read her opponent so thoroughly made her all too aware of the impenetrable wall before her.
The act of drawing and swinging her sword felt futile when she knew it couldn’t reach her goal.
The question was, could she overcome that and swing anyway?
“I’m not going to attack. Why hesitate?” the instructor prompted.
“....”
Suddenly, Ichinose drew her sword.
Piiiing──!!!
Her blade met the instructor’s fingers, stopping midway.
Even so, the gym wall behind him bore a deep cut.
‘Smart.’
Rohan watched Ichinose with quiet admiration.
The moment she attempted her first strike, her eyes had snapped open.
She had severed her own excessive sensitivity, shifting her focus away from the suffocating pressure that had paralyzed her.
Had the instructor known the specifics of Ichinose’s unique skill, he might have been genuinely astonished.
“Your speed and mana control are outstanding. You far exceed the average cadet,” the instructor praised.
Ichinose offered no verbal thanks.
Instead, she returned her blade to its sheath and thrust the empty scabbard toward the instructor’s neck.
The instructor, smiling with satisfaction, released her blade and blocked the scabbard with it.
“Hup!”
Ichinose’s petite frame executed a series of martial moves, her attacks precise and systematic, unlike Noah’s instinct-driven style.
“This should be enough,” the instructor said as Ichinose successfully retrieved her sword.
With a satisfying click, she secured it back into its sheath.
Then, in a deliberate motion, she raised her sword vertically in a ceremonial stance and closed her eyes.
“Interesting.”
As someone who once served as a general in Samhwaguk, the instructor immediately recognized the technique.
‘The Dreamlike Shadow Blade Style (몽환참영류).’
This was the sword style of Ichinose Yui’s father, Ichinose Jun, the chairman of Tenwai Corporation.
The instructor couldn’t help but commend her ability to wield such a challenging style.
‘Her future holds great promise.’
A mental sword style known for its complexity and difficulty to counter.
However, the gap between Ichinose and the instructor couldn’t be bridged with an incomplete technique.
No matter how she swung or how much mana she poured into her illusions, she couldn’t shake his unyielding mental fortitude.
The oppressive futility might have been too much.
A single bead of sweat rolled down her jawline.
“You seem frustrated. When using a sword style like that, always project an air of calm. Letting your impatience show on your face is a mistake,” the instructor advised.
“Ugh!”
For the first time, Ichinose let out a sound of frustration, prompting a satisfied smile from the instructor.
“Don’t feel too discouraged. The fact that I’m familiar with that sword style made it easier for me to counter. You did well.”
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.
As the praise came, the two-minute timer rang.
“...Thank you for the lesson.”
“Go take a rest.”
With a slightly regretful expression, Ichinose returned to her seat, and the next round began.
Rohan, however, remained seated.
“Next.”
“Yes!”
“Two minutes from the moment you begin your attack.”
“Understood!”
Rohan carefully observed the instructor as the next cadet stepped up.
‘Hmm.’
His sharp gaze searched for any habits or openings, but no results came of it.
‘This guy’s a real monster.’
Even as he watched until the very last participant, no weaknesses emerged.
“Next.”
It was finally Rohan’s turn, albeit with little gained from observation.
He stood abruptly, long sword in hand.
“So, the last one is you, Rohan?”
“That’s correct.”
“Two minutes from the moment you begin.”
“Yes, sir!”
Rohan drew his sword with a sharp shring─!
He didn’t bother with the sheath, letting it clatter carelessly to the ground.
“Hooo...”
Taking a deep breath, Rohan assumed his stance.
He calmly circulated his mana, softly enhancing his body as the instructor had taught him before.
‘Scorching Blade (작열인).’
Mana flowed over the blade like molten steel.
Sizzle──!
The sound of searing heat filled the air as the blade glowed red, radiating intense heat.
“...”
The instructor’s eyes widened noticeably, a rare expression of shock crossing his face.
It wasn’t just surprise—it was close to astonishment, leaving even Rohan momentarily confused.
‘What’s this about? Is it because we share the same elemental affinity?’
But that couldn’t be it. There were other cadets who used fire-based abilities, including those wielding crossbows.
‘Scorching Blade isn’t some high-tier or unique skill that would warrant this reaction.’
Regardless, Rohan saw an opportunity.
Kicking off the ground, he thrust his sword toward the instructor.
Thud!
Predictably, the instructor caught the blade between his fingers.
The searing heat seemed to have no effect on him whatsoever.
‘It won’t budge.’
Now Rohan understood the earlier cadets’ frustrations.
The sensation was like trying to wrestle a weapon from the jaws of a massive beast.
Without hesitation, Rohan pulled out a standard-issue handgun he had hidden at his waist and fired point-blank at the instructor.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sharp smell of gunpowder filled the air as the bullets were effortlessly caught between the instructor’s fingers.
He gave Rohan an unreadable look, one tinged with faint curiosity.
Even as doubts filled his mind, Rohan didn’t stop.
He aimed for the instructor’s eyes, stomped toward his feet, and tried to twist the fingers gripping his blade.
Nothing worked. The instructor’s composure was unshaken, as if his fingers were made of steel.
Finally, the instructor spoke, his voice low and distant, as though awakening from a dream.
“...Practical.”
The instructor’s focus returned to the lesson, and he resumed calmly.
“Your versatility is commendable. However, beyond your sword, your methods lack depth.”
Rohan had exhausted his arsenal of concealed weapons and thrown everything he had, including techniques honed in his previous life.
Yet nothing reached the instructor.
“If you cannot imbue mana into your projectiles, firearms will never be a threat to me. Surely you already know that I didn’t even need to block them.”
It was an expected critique.
Rohan glanced at the clock.
‘Almost at two minutes.’
While waiting for his turn earlier, Rohan had considered an idea.
‘What would happen if I used Weakness Infliction on the instructor?’
The answer was straightforward:
‘It wouldn’t work due to insufficient mana.’
Given that the skill’s mana cost scaled with the opponent’s strength, it seemed likely to fail.
But theorizing wasn’t enough.
Sometimes, you had to test an idea, even if the odds were slim.
This was an ideal opportunity to see what would happen when the skill was used against such a powerful opponent.
‘I thought the issue would be making physical contact, but...’
The instructor willingly allowed cadets to engage him physically, even guiding them when they shifted to hand-to-hand combat.
This made it a perfect, controlled environment to experiment.
Feigning another attempt to pry the sword free, Rohan grasped the instructor’s fingers and activated his skill.
‘Weakness Infliction.’
Mana flowed through him.