Chapter 74.1 - The First Year at the Academy - Drawback of Strength (1)
Chapter 74.1. The First Year at the Academy – Drawback of Strength (1)
We moved to the plaza behind the guild.
We were told to go to the front. If we started a fight on the main street, the guards would come to us.
So we came to the plaza – and we did.
We took a glance around and were struck by how small it was.
Expecting to see what kind of place it was, I found it was just a place to store my belongings.
Reedwald's guild has a fairly large training hall, and in addition, there is a training facility for magic in the basement. That is in inverse proportion to the size of the town.
Looking at the crates piled up against the walls, I wondered if this was a remnant of the town's history.
There must have been an adventurers' guild when Selene was a country town. It is not clear what the guild thought at the time, but at least the Selene branch couldn't keep up with the rapid expansion.
To make the town the size it is today, it had to relocate or buy up the surrounding area. Perhaps that is the best they could do with the strangely neat exterior and interior.
I heard a lot of noise and looked around the square.
There are a lot of people here.
Adventurers who couldn't fit into the narrow square were climbing on crates and walls, peeking out from the alleyways, and waiting for the mock battle to begin. It was now the busiest time of the day, and although the timing was bad, I wondered what I had gotten up so early for. Ismira never even showed her face.
Amidst the murmur, Markant entered the square carrying wooden weapons.
Now everything is ready, but who is in charge?
I ask Valerie, the woman next to me.
"Usually, I leave it to a third party."
"It's too much trouble to ask. I'll do it."
Saying this, Danil heads toward Zeret and the others.
Zeret and the others accepted Danil's offer. They probably don't care who does it.
Danil immediately worked out the rules of the mock battle.
At first, Zeret and the others were a bit hesitant, but he quickly grasped the game's characteristics, and explained them quickly, combining a minimum number of words concisely.
The crowd was stunned by this.
I know how you feel. But don't be impressed with us together, Corpus.
"So, first up is Markant vs. Zeret. Next up is Marchant vs. Barden."
When Danil told him to step back, Barden quietly made his way to the wall.
What was that momentum he had just now as if he was going to jump on me? I don't understand the thought process of these guys.
The two large men glared at each other in the square.
Danil stepped back and looked at both of them.
"Begin!"
And he swung his hand out.
At the same time.
"Doriyaa!"
Zeret rushed forward and swung down a wooden mallet.
Even a wooden mallet is quite heavy.
Laughing at the pressure, Markant dexterously parried it with his two-handed sword.
The mallet dug into the square, shaking the ground beneath his feet.
"The force is strong. But that's it."
The crowd erupts once again.
When we first met, Markant had a strength of 15; in the past two years, he had grown to 17.
Zeret's strength is 18, so it's higher than that, but Markant has "Strength Enhancement". He's 22 if it's just strength, and he's competitive even in simple strength comparisons.
Moreover, their combat experience was too different.
Zeret wielded his mallet even more, but he was beaten at every turn.
Zeret took a two-handed sword squarely in the face and was blown by Markant to the side of the wall.
"Aniki's Revenge!"
Reflexively, Barden leaps.
Too careless.
As expected, he got hit by a fist on the counter by Markant. And while spinning around, he crashed into each another next to Zeret.
Looking down at the motionless pair, Marchant lowers his sword.
"Your fighting style is messy. You should start over from the F rank."
Thus, the fight, called a mock battle, ended.
The crowd cheered in the plaza.
Zeret and Barden were well known even though they were D-ranked because of their prominence. No, because of their personalities, but Zeret was famous for his monstrous strength that pushed him to the limits of humanity.
Markant went head-to-head with him and showed exceptional skill as well. If it were only his rank, he would be the same as Haleist of Serps, but everyone here would have recognized that he was no ordinary C-rank.
The noise woke them up, and they looked around.
They don't seem to know what happened or what they were doing.
Still – is the difference so pronounced?
There is a simple difference in ability, but they are used to being treated well.
They were complaining that they got tangled up a lot in neighboring towns.
"Are you done?"
Hearing the cheers, Ishmira peeked out.
"You. You're one of them, even if it's temporary, so you should worry a little."
"No need. They're idiots, but they have a keen sense of smell."
I tilted my head, not understanding what she meant.
"They don't fight with scum. They'll judge you as an enemy from the start."
"Heh, that's great."
"So when they poke at you or interfere too much, it's a sign that they like you."
"Well, that means–"
"I saw it!!"
Their chanting echoed through the plaza.
When I looked back, I saw Zeret and Barden kneeling side by side.
"By all means, your name!"
"Eh, ah, …… Markant."
"Oh! From now on, please let me call you Markant Aniki!"
Again. How much more of this are you going to mass produce Aniki? Or are you switching from me? Thanks then.
The two of them, ignoring the bewildered Markant, spin around and whisper, "Aniki Aniki.".
"Good for you, Markant, you've got a fine little brother. And two of them."
"Can I hit them for being so depressing?"
Without waiting for an answer, he punched them.
He didn't wait for an answer and punched them.
The two of them slammed into the wall and fell into a complete stupor.
"What was that all about, these guys?"
I was so happy to see them.
I had a very nice smile at the sight of them.
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