episode_0054

The male student who voiced his complaint to Iris was Darius Trevan.

He was the illegitimate son of the prestigious Trevan family, deeply rooted in history in the Brace Kingdom.

He couldn’t comprehend the evaluation Iris had given him.

Being an illegitimate child, he had grown up receiving high expectations as the head of the family and flattery from those beneath him.

While his skills as a swordsman were decent, his judgment was clouded by arrogance, leading him to overestimate his abilities.

That’s why he had been too lenient on himself.

As many students were publicly downgraded to a C grade, it was the first time his pride had taken a hit.

“Please reconsider!”

Darius shouted at Iris while casting a sidelong glance at the students who received C grades.

Then he thought to himself,

“Am I really the same as those losers…?! I can’t understand! Where exactly…!”

However, despite his resistance, Iris responded with the same expressionless face.

“Do you want to take a retest?”

“Yes!”

“Then come up to the arena.”

“Alright…!”

Confidently, Darius strode back up to the arena.

He was convinced that Iris had misjudged him.

But shortly after he returned to the arena and confronted Iris again.

-Clang!

“Ugh!”

Dodging the attack in place and countering with a swift strike of his wooden sword, Iris hit Darius on the side, causing him to tumble on the arena floor.

Iris, looking dryly at him, coldly announced,

“Darius Trevan. Grade C.”

“Argh…!”

Darius sprang up, shouting,

“Was it even possible to get above a B in this test?!”

Indignant and unable to accept it, Darius shocked the other students who looked at him wide-eyed.

Shouting loudly at a Swordmaster, how could someone raised in such a refined household behave like this? Some furrowed their brows in disapproval, while others watched with curious eyes.

“Even the students who got a B are only two, and no one has ever gotten an A! Everyone is falling flat without even being able to aim a single blow at Iris, so how can a proper evaluation be made like this?!”

“It is possible. As long as they exceed the criteria I have set.”

“And what exactly are those criteria?!”

“Since it is forbidden to disclose that information, I’m afraid I can’t tell you.”

“I can’t accept this! How on earth are you judging my grade as a C? I simply don’t understand!”

“…Sigh.”

Iris let out a sigh, reaching the limit of her patience.

It felt like dealing with a tantrum-throwing child.

Though she wasn’t old enough to care for a child, facing the challenges of life’s lessons, Iris’s head throbbed.

“The evaluation remains the same. If you continue to protest, I will consider it as defiance against authority. I will impose the appropriate punishment.”

Iris said in a chilling tone.

Seeing that the male student in front of her was the same age as her son, Iris found it hard to believe.

Sometimes when she conversed with her son, she mistook him for someone of her own age.

Perhaps that’s why, in situations like this, she could realize how mature he had become.

“Argh…!”

Dealt a heavy blow to his pride, Darius left the practice hall, pushing past Iris and the students.

From his stride and demeanor, it was clear how agitated he was.

After Darius left, the atmosphere in the practice hall was chaotic.

“The next examinee, please step up to the arena.”

However, Iris had a duty to conduct the tests.

Time was limited, and she had to finish the exams of dozens of classroom students within a short period.

In the silence, a student assistant who understood Iris’s intentions hurriedly passed the evaluation sheet and called out the next examinee’s name.

“Next! Hedy Marigold!”

“Come back after doing well,” Sian said, placing a hand on Hedy’s shoulder.

“You’ll do well even without me saying it. You’ll receive a higher grade than you. Be prepared.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Hedy replied.

As Sian watched Hedy leave, he worried. Hedy would do well, so there was no need to worry—Sian believed in himself.

Up until now, he hadn’t been particularly concerned about hiding his true identity. The name “Sian” was as common in South Korea as Kim Min-soo. That’s why he entered tournaments using only his name while concealing his family name, made a name for himself in the Ant Hill, and lived within the academy by being cautious in his actions.

Until recently, Iris had been unaware of the word “Gongja” that she mentioned to Hedy. If he continued dropping hints like this, he didn’t know when those around him would figure out his true identity.

“If I get exposed, it’s over. I have to be more careful from now on.”

While concealing his identity, Sian also had to make sure he entered Class A. He needed to prepare for encounters with Cain, who would come looking for him after he grew stronger, the Black Mage Sect pursuing dark magic, and even the resurrected Demon King and his minions.

To prepare for all of this, he needed to quickly become stronger. This meant he had to be assigned to Academy Class A and take classes at that level.

D, C, B, A. The levels and intensity of classes divided sequentially were worlds apart. The current classroom level was akin to reviewing lessons from the early stages of playing a game before possession. Frankly, Sian, who was knowledgeable about theories, surpassed the A-class level.

Now, intense practical training was necessary. No matter what, he had to get into Class A.

Lost in thought about this, Sian snapped back to reality when Hedy made a move. Iris still stood in place, holding her wooden sword as agreed.

“Huup!” Hedy thrust his wooden sword forward, displaying the basic swordsmanship techniques he learned at the academy.

The sound of air being split accompanied Hedy’s fierce charge towards Iris.

– Shoo shoo shuk!

– Tatadatap!

Iris, with astonishing agility and reflexes, parried Hedy’s sword strike. Her counterattack aimed straight for Hedy’s side.

Students who had taken the test up to this point winced at the side strike.

Those watching Hedy’s test thought it would soon be over. However, there was a twist.

“…!”

It was a reversal. Hedy managed to dodge Iris’s swift sword strike, which was hard to follow with the eyes.

By slightly twisting his body, Hedy gained acceleration with his flexible body and followed up with a counter sword strike. Iris easily blocked it.

Already ten seconds had passed. No student had lasted more than 10 seconds against Iris in the test so far. It was an exceptional situation that captured everyone’s attention.

“Huup!” With quick eye movements, Hedy managed to block, evade, and block again Iris’s sword strikes, fearing he would get hit if he lost focus.

He thought, “For some reason, I really don’t want to lose to this woman…!”

Iris was a Swordmaster. He knew he couldn’t win. But he truly didn’t want to lose.

Perhaps it was the closest person to Sian… The attitude they had towards each other in the arena kept bothering him.

Despite being an impure thought, he felt there was something more between them beyond the master-disciple relationship.

That’s why, even though he couldn’t win, he didn’t want to take hits lightly.

“Haap!”

– Taaak!

Once again, Iris effortlessly blocked Hedy’s sword strike with one hand. Despite Hedy putting all his strength into the strike, Iris’s resilience was unmatched. She was truly a swordsman surpassing the limits of the body.

With an expressionless face, Iris blocked Hedie’s attacks and swiftly stabbed her dagger into any opening she found.

Then it happened.

Iris gradually increased the speed and strength of her sword swings.

It was about 30 seconds in when she began to surpass Hedie’s reflex abilities.

Unable to counterattack anymore, Hedie struggled to block Iris’s strikes.

“Ugh, ugh, gah…!”

And before long,

-Clang!

“Ugh?!”

As the dagger flew towards her at a speed beyond her capabilities, Hedie groaned as it pierced her abdomen.

Hedie collapsed, clutching her stomach and retching.

“Ugh-!”

She was now incapacitated.

“Hedie Marigold. Grade A.”

Looking down at her, Iris announced mechanically once again.

However, the content of her words this time was different from before.

The first appearance of an A grade.

Students who had been observing the test finally broke their silence, quietly gasping in awe.

It was a level of skill that had not been displayed before.

Even the assistant students were momentarily stunned by what Hedie had shown, causing them to pause in their note-taking on the evaluation sheets.

Hedie, having recovered, descended from the practice arena while holding her abdomen.

Although she maintained a seemingly indifferent expression, she was actually frustrated.

She wanted to land a hit on Iris at least once, even though it was an expected outcome. She just felt that way.

“You were exceptional today, more than usual. Was your condition better than usual?”

“….”

Understanding her feelings, Cyan praised Hedie with a thumbs up.

“I don’t know, you fool.”

“Huh?”

Turning away from him, Hedie avoided eye contact.

Cyan, puzzled by her reaction despite her successful completion of the test, couldn’t help but wonder.

At the next assistant student’s words, Cyan had no choice but to cut short his questions.

“Next! Cyan!”

Little did he know his turn was coming up right after.