episode_0221

*Thunk- Slash—*

Andrew was fairly confident in close-quarters combat.

He had been trained in swordsmanship and magic since childhood. As the second son of Taylor, the Baron, martial prowess was an essential virtue. The northern border of the kingdom was a dangerous place, with magical beasts frequently descending from the Tarun mountain range; thus, strength was always prioritized over benevolence and wisdom.

His specialty was close-quarters combat. Thanks to his unique reflexes and quick thinking, he could efficiently adapt to the ever-changing circumstances of battle. In theory, it’s simple. Minimally deflect the enemy’s attack, and strike the enemy’s weakness with minimal movement. The textbook of efficient close-quarters combat.

“Kuh-uh-ut—!!” “What are you doing? You haven’t even taken a hit yet?”

However, his skills in close-quarters combat were completely ineffective against Narias.

With her hands raised parallel, lowering her center of gravity – a basic fighting stance. A neutral stance, passive yet active, ready to quickly transition between attack and defense. Narias possessed considerable skill in pure hand-to-hand combat.

She appears to be an ordinary girl, seemingly frail, vulnerable to any attack. In fact, Andrew’s senses judged her whole body as a weakness.

“Hup-!”

*Slash-*

But the moment he swung his fist to attack, that weakness vanished. Her hands deflected his punch unexpectedly. Even if he managed to break through her defense and land a hit, she’d already assumed a defensive posture at the point of impact.

A right-handed punch. *Pat-* It’s deflected.

Followed by a left hook as she advanced. *Whizz—* He’d tilted his head back so it only grazed his cheek.

He created some distance. *Tat-* Her stance remained firm, yet her entire body seemed to be vulnerable. It felt like a trap.

He pushes off the ground and lunges forward. *Whoosh—!* Despite his rapid advance, Narias didn’t even blink.

A low left-leg roundhouse kick. *Chwack—* He avoids it by moving his front foot. His center of gravity is on his right foot. He wouldn’t be able to move freely while balancing on one leg.

He spins, using his body’s momentum to jump. A right-leg backward kick. *Tsapat-* Damn it, she’d bent backward while standing on one leg. Her foot barely grazed his chest as she sliced through the air.

But his right foot landed first. Andrew landed, rotating his body to face her. A counterattack chance.

The moment his feet touched the ground, he pushes forward, throwing his whole body at Narias, abandoning defense. Her broken posture brought her close.

‘She can’t possibly block this!’

This was close-combat training. Only Narias had the handicap of not using magic. Andrew had no such restrictions.

Swallowing his pride, he infused his fist with mana. The image of a solitary pine tree standing tall on a vast plain. He hardened his fist to its limit with the mana of the firm earth, and drove it toward Narias’s solar plexus.

*Kwaak—!!*

“Kuh…” “There’s no reason she shouldn’t be able to block an obvious attack, right?”

There are many reasons. Narias was off-balance. He’d poured every ounce of his remaining strength into the punch. He’d hit her weakness with his strongest blow.

But all the reasons vanished before Narias like smoke. In mid-air, she twisted her body, facing Andrew head-on, grabbing his fist with her bare hand.

“…I lose. Phew, you really are something.” “What? Why are you already thinking of ending this?”

Andrew, kneeling and gasping for breath, suddenly felt a chill down his spine. He’d thought he could rest if he surrendered, why such a naive thought?

This training was, strictly speaking, Narias’ personal instruction. She holds the initiative. It doesn’t end just because it’s difficult.

“My turn.”

The moment Narias declared her attack, he quickly straightened up, assuming a defensive posture. He raised both arms, fists clenched in a guard position.

‘A cannonball…?’

Something dark appeared in Andrew’s field of vision.

Faster than he could see, Narias’s fist flew.

. . .

Faster than he could see, the grizzly bear’s front paw flew.

‘…I see it.’

But slower than Narias’s fist.

Andrew recalled the training. Narias’s movements, as natural as flowing water, deflecting his punch. He slowly recreated that motion, imbuing it with mana and his body.

“Kuwo-o-o-!!”

*Shwaaak-*

The grizzly bear’s front paw with its sharpened claws flew. He sees the trajectory. If this hits, it will go from his left shoulder to his right waist. His torso will be cut in half along with his spine.

‘There’s no reason I can’t block an obvious attack!’

Andrew extended his hand in a blade-like motion. Before the grizzly bear’s paw accelerated, he parried it with the inside of his palm. The beast’s attack stopped before it could even land.

“Koo-oo-”

Its posture was broken. Its front paw was pushed back, its upper body leaning backward. Its belly was fully exposed, revealing its weakness.

Andrew was about to strike there, but suddenly dissipated the mana from his upper body. It would surely be blocked. His instincts told him so.

*Shuk-*

Instead, he lowered his body. Following the direction in which the grizzly bear’s posture collapsed, he unleashed a low roundhouse kick. Its weakened hind leg was helplessly pushed aside, and its whole body tilted over.

Its movements were completely sealed. Andrew drew mana again, imbuing his fist with it. He drove his fist, hardened to maximum strength, into the grizzly bear’s heart.

A perfect, single right-hand punch, learned by taking countless hits.

Florain martial arts, Il-un!

*Two Kwoooang—!!*

A round halo of light scattered around Andrew’s fist; a wave of mana, like sunlight, extended in a straight line.

“Ku- Ku-o-”

The grizzly bear, with a large hole in its solar plexus, collapsed to the ground and died. Bright red blood flowed, soaking the surrounding ground.

“Haa… Haa…”

He caught his breath.

Other squad members were also fighting, each facing two or three grizzly bears. They were maintaining a precarious balance. They’d reached a level similar to Andrew, who had cleanly taken down one beast.

“Hyat-ha—!! Narias-nim’s judgment—!!” “Death!! Absolute death!!” “We’ll bone it, fillet it—!!”

Regardless of what you see, their skill levels are closely matched. But listening to their comments makes it seem like a one-sided slaughter.

“Puhp-”

For some reason, he felt silly remembering the training just now. He chuckled lightly, feeling his body brimming with renewed strength.

“Don’t let a single one get away.” “As Narias-nim wishes—!!” “Amen—!!”

. . .

Approximately 24 hours into the exam. The commentary booth returned to the fiery duo of Meti and Shuti.

“Cadet Eve Ista! Her clean and precise magic is beyond words! But… but look! She’s not the only one in 1-A-! Urias Philbrog, Andrew Taylor, and their squad members! They are truly showing top-notch performance!!”

“Wow~ Their skills are unbelievable for first-year academy students. It’s flawless, isn’t it? That spirit doesn’t lose out to experienced seniors. This older sister’s heart is racing again~”

“That’s right!! Cadet Urias’s precise swordsmanship! Who would have thought that she could cut down such a huge magical beast with a magic sword imbued with mana from her wand—!! And what about Cadet Andrew’s spectacular martial arts!! Commentators—?!”

“Ahem- K- uh, yes… so, um, you know, the enemy’s attack—”

“Deflecting the enemy’s attack effortlessly! And then linking it again into an attack! I’m an outsider, so I don’t know the details, but no one can deny Cadet Andrew is a genius in close-quarters combat—!!”

Narias chuckled.

‘…A genius. Well, I guess so.’

It was still at a cute level, but she had to acknowledge that he had learned the “Florain martial arts” which she hadn’t even taught him, through his own observation and memory. Picking things up visually and memorizing them is how geniuses learn.

For quite some time, the broadcast showed scenes of 1-A. Everyone marveled at the clean hunting footage. There’s something different about them from other parties hunting.

It was the quantity and quality of magical beasts. Near the 1-A safe zone, there were many flooded areas where they’d hunted very few magical beasts. New monsters kept appearing around every corner, creating continuous battles whenever the camera focused on 1-A.

Even outside the dungeon, their excitement hadn’t subsided.

It’s getting a little dangerous at this point. In fact, each squad member began to look tired.

‘Let’s call it a day.’

Narias, including four spirit clones, put a hand to their ears and sent a message.

“Alright, everyone, that’s enough. Let’s take a break and have lunch.”

Eve and Yuri finished off the last pack of monsters, and returned to the safe zone.

But there was still one last squad. Narias had to struggle to get Andrew’s Beta Squad to return. Once a fire starts, it’s not easily extinguished.