"You're lucky, going first."
Leo smirked as he stepped forward.
The practical test for Knight Studies was simple.
Win five duels.
Once you secured five victories, you passed.
Of course, the details of each match and opponent influenced the final score, so winning alone wasn’t the only factor.
However, passing quickly through victories was important.
Leo’s goal, naturally, was an undefeated streak.
"Lucky to go first? Are you ignoring me?"
Leo’s first opponent, Haul, laughed as he spoke.
Haul Sneph.
He was from the heroic noble family of the Tool Kingdom in the southern continent.
Though not as famous as the Zerdinger family, his family still held a hero's title.
He was particularly skilled in the ever-changing spear technique, the Sneph Spear.
Among first-year Knight Studies students, he was ranked third, just behind Celia and Duran.
Haul licked his lips and pulled a spear from his spatial bracelet.
It was a long spear, 1.5 times longer than a regular one.
Seeing that, Leo drew his sword from his waist.
"As we discussed earlier, victory is decided by rendering the opponent unable to continue fighting. Treat this as a real battle and fight accordingly."
Ain finished the brief explanation and stepped back.
There were no out-of-bounds rules.
The entire training ground was the battlefield.
Facing each other, Haul licked his lips.
"I've been looking forward to this. Ever since your Class 5 beat us in Combat Studies at the start of the semester, I’ve been waiting for payback."
"You're still holding onto that?"
Leo smirked as he asked, and Haul responded with a cold smile.
"The Sneph family never forgets humiliation."
"So you really hated cleaning the bathrooms?"
"Tch! Do you know how much the other classes teased me for that?"
Haul clenched his fist tightly.
"I'll make you pay for that humiliation, Leo Plov!"
Swish-!
Gripping his spear tightly, Haul lowered his stance.
It was a stance reminiscent of a snake poised to strike.
Leo, seeing this, let his sword hang loosely.
"Leo, I’ve heard about your amazing performance during the entrance exam."
Haul curled his lips into a grin.
"But compared to other students, you’ve clearly fallen behind from the start! I heard you couldn’t even awaken your Aura during the entrance exam! Do you really think you can block this attack?"
Whoosh—! Swish—!
Haul’s spear tip shot toward Leo’s chest.
Incredible speed!
Normally, a spear thrust travels in a straight line.
As long as you predict the attack, it’s easy to dodge.
'But the Sneph Spear truly begins after that!'
The Sneph family’s spear thrust moved like a living snake.
Dodging carelessly could be a fatal mistake.
'The moment you dodge, you’ll be cornered!'
Most students, once caught in Haul’s first attack, would be completely overpowered.
But Leo wasn’t just any student.
Grab—!
"……!"
Haul’s eyes widened.
Leo had grabbed the spear shaft just before it reached him.
"You said you heard stories about me from others. But didn’t Celia, our classmate, tell you about me?"
Leo smirked coldly.
Whoosh—!
"Huh?"
Leo lifted Haul, spear and all, straight into the air.
Even though Haul had reinforced himself with Aura, he was stunned as Leo lifted him with sheer physical strength.
"They told you I'm strong!"
Wham—! Crash—!
Leo slammed Haul into the ground.
Of course, Haul used his Aura Armor just before impact to minimize the damage.
As he regained his stance, Haul chuckled.
"Of course, I heard. I was just a little surprised at how strong you really are."
Buzz—!
The shaft of Haul’s spear glowed green.
"But just because you're strong doesn’t mean your fundamental weaknesses are gone!"
Haul’s green eyes gleamed.
Leo quickly let go of the spear.
Sizzle—!
Smoke rose from the ground where Haul’s feet touched.
'Poison Aura? That’s an interesting trait.'
Leo looked amused.
Poison Aura was overwhelmingly advantageous in long battles.
It made sense why Haul was so confident.
'But he’s not there yet.'
"You keep talking about my weaknesses."
Leo smirked.
"Weaknesses are meant to be overcome."
Whoosh—!
Leo’s body ignited with fiery Aura, pushing back Haul’s Poison Aura.
Haul grinned slightly.
'Fire-type Aura is definitely my weakness! But if it’s not Celia, I can still turn the tables!'
Whoosh—!
Haul’s Poison Aura surged stronger.
Leo increased his firepower in response.
'It’s useless! Unless you're Celia!'
Whoosh—! Crackle—!
As Haul’s poison grew more intense, Leo’s flames blazed even brighter.
Haul’s face gradually hardened.
'Unless… you really are… on Celia’s level?'
Haul’s eyes locked onto Leo’s red gaze.
'This can’t be real! This firepower is on Celia’s level?!'
Leo had only stood out at the beginning of the semester.
And since he never displayed his full strength in the practical evaluations, most students assumed Haul would win.
But Leo crushed their expectations with overwhelming flames.
Celia, watching with her arms crossed, was shocked.
'When did he get this strong?'
She was one of the few who had predicted Leo’s victory.
But she hadn't expected him to have reached this level of firepower.
Duran smirked as he watched.
"Looks like Haul isn’t enough."
"He hasn't lost yet. You’re jumping to conclusions."
One of the Knight Department students frowned at him.
"Are you blind? He’s already losing the power struggle. Do you think Haul still has a chance?"
"Haul still has the Snake Spear technique. Aura compatibility alone doesn’t decide victory."
"Do you really think Haul can overpower Leo Plov with technique?"
"He’s our class’s number four."
"I don’t care what rank he is."
Lightning sparked from Duran’s body.
"I’ll be the one to defeat him."
"You? Not likely."
Celia scoffed.
As the two glared at each other, sparks and flames flickered.
"Hey! Stop fighting each other! We should be cheering for Haul! Don’t start using Aura here!"
One of the students panicked, trying to intervene.
"If you fight now, it won’t end with just a written apology."
Chen Xia’s voice interrupted with a smile, diffusing the tension.
The students watching let out relieved sighs.
"Leo sure is popular," Nella murmured lazily.
"I’d rather not have that kind of popularity," Iliana replied, shaking her head.
"Hah!"
Haul urgently used his Aura Step to evade Leo’s blazing Aura.
He needed to create distance.
But Leo didn’t allow him to.
'I have to stop him!'
Haul swung his poison-coated spear at the approaching Leo.
Whoosh—!
But Leo’s flames burned away all of Haul’s poison.
Not only was he at a disadvantage in affinity, but he was also losing in sheer power.
It was a clear defeat.
"Tch!"
The realization of his miscalculation weighed on Haul.
But he quickly regained his focus and lowered his stance.
'This isn't what I expected, but I can't just sit back and lose!'
His eyes sharpened like a snake locking onto its prey.
'I've already prepared for this!'
Since childhood, Haul had been called a prodigy.
He hadn’t ranked first in the entrance exam.
But he had no regrets.
'Because Warren Tiden was there!'
Anyone from the southern region knew of Warren.
His overwhelming strength was monstrous beyond genius.
Still, Haul believed he was the best in the Knight Department.
One of the strongest first-year knights.
But he wasn’t the strongest.
'Celia Zerdinger! Chen Xia! Duran Moira!'
Those three stood above him.
From the moment he first saw them, he knew.
Haul, who had always been the best, was shaken.
Celia in particular was beyond discouraging.
Her skill and natural affinity completely overwhelmed him.
'Against Chen Xia and Duran, I could at least form a strategy! But against Celia, I felt completely powerless!'
At the start of the semester, she was an insurmountable wall.
But after months of training, he had prepared a countermeasure.
'I planned to keep this hidden for my duel against Celia, but this works out even better!'
Haul’s eyes gleamed.
'A perfect chance to test my new technique! I won’t lose to you, Leo Plov!'
Whirrrrr—!
Haul spun his spear with dazzling speed.
'You're close with Celia, so of all people, I can’t lose to you!'
He no longer saw Leo as someone weaker than him.
He saw him as an equal to his rivals.
'I thought you were just some quiet guy, but you have sharp eyes.'
Leo’s stance was steady, prepared to counter whatever Haul unleashed.
'You must have worked incredibly hard to overcome your disadvantage.'
Haul's gaze wasn’t just locked onto Leo.
He was looking beyond him.
'Celia, huh.'
Leo easily read Haul’s thoughts and smirked.
The boy before him was burning with fighting spirit.
'Fine, I’ll accept your challenge.'
End Of Chapter
