Chapter 49: Berserker…? (4)

“Kunta, question. How to win the battle? Do they kill the other side to win?”

“…You are asking that now…?”

“Barbarian, you’re something else, hahaha!”

“??”

Kunta—who was sitting in the stands to watch the War Game—blinked innocently when he heard the others’ response. He wanted to fight together with the sprouts so badly, but unfortunately, the battlefield wasn’t for him this time. That was why he just quietly watched the other guys fight. But, the problem here was that he still didn’t understand how the game worked.

It wasn’t something that would make people call him ignorant or start to mock him, though. After all, he wasn’t even familiar with the common language yet. If anything, it was the others who should be blamed for not explaining about what a War Game was in detail to him.

“Let’s see, for starters, killing is prohibited in a War Game.”

“But, it is a war…?”

“A mock war, to be exact. If people actually die in it, it’s no longer ‘mock’ isn’t it? There won’t be any death in this game, or at least that’s how it should be.”

“Hmm… Kunta, still don’t understand. But for now, Kunta understand.”

“Yeah, this guy should never participate in a War Game.”

Galand laughed as he said that, suggesting that the other guy was too dangerous to participate in a War game, while Arno just nodded silently.

“The format of the War Game is always different. Sometimes, it’s a siege battle, sometimes, it’s anything goes. For today though, it’s just a simple battle with a simple rule.”

“What rule?”

“Capture the flag. Essentially, you’re trying to protect the general until the end of the game.”

“Oh, that’s why they hold those flags! Kunta thought those flags are toys.”

“They do seem like toys, do they?”

Wooooong-!

“Well, they look like toys, but those guys won’t be playing around.”

The moment Galand finished his words, flames erupted toward the sprouts.

Seventeen mages. That number already excluded Irene Windler and the social misfits who regularly skipped the Magic Department lectures. It could be said that these seventeen people were the people who were leading the Magic Department.

However, despite their small numbers, no one underestimated them. After all, everyone knew that mages were inherently dangerous and powerful.

Skilled high-ranking mages were tactical weapons that could change the situation of a war all by themselves. These seventeen mages were talented youngsters who might just become one of those people in the future.

And as if boasting about that potential…

Woooong-!

All of a sudden, a huge air current was formed.

Using telekinesis as the catalyst, the wind swirled around, with said telekinesis as its core. The intense wind soon became a lump of oxygen, gathered in one place, and…

In the blink of an eye…

“[Burn and become hotter. Be destructive].”

A huge fire started to burn the air.

Spells. If it was anyone else who uttered those words, it would just turn into a play of words, but they were mages who had created a world of spells. With them uttering it, it created a completely different outcome.

The longer the length of the spell, the more powerful they become. Though, the casting time of a spell was determined solely by the individual’s talent, magic reserves, and mental power.

Those seventeen mages, while their individual abilities were inferior to Irene Windler’s, in a group like this, they were able to cast spells that even Irene Windler couldn’t.

Whirrrrrrrr-!

The huge ball of fire loomed. It was so huge that it made people’s stomach churn just by looking at it.

At the same time, everyone wondered, how much power did this huge fire actually have?

“We will finish it in one breath. This is how we’re going to show them our mercy.”

“Yes, Sir Assistant.”

Those cadets weren’t as arrogant as Odwal, but they were still mages; people who looked down upon those who couldn’t use magic. If their professor considered those without magic power as insects or dirt, they viewed them as cats or dogs.

They weren’t just people of different races, but weak beings that needed to be protected.

That was why they decided to show mercy to their opposition.

After all, this was a battle where the winner and the loser had been ‘determined’. This was also a way for them to show their sincerity.

“[Shoot forward].”

With courtesy and mercy, the mages agreed to end this match in one fell swoop once and for all, by delivering a blow that would completely burn their opponent’s fighting spirit.

That was the mercy they agreed upon.

Whoosh-!

Just like that, a fireball as big as a boulder was shot out. It looked like a fireball that was shot out from a catapult, but it wasn’t the case, as it was a fireball that was imbued with the power of magic.

There was no way that the half-baked warriors had any way to stop it.

It’s over.

The moment he and the other cadets shot out the fireball, Assistant Mage Ron instinctively felt that this match was over. He didn’t worry about his opponents, as they wouldn’t die from that. After all, if they had any semblance of common sense, they could just avoid that fireball.

“Huh? What are they doing?”

“Why aren’t they avoiding it?”

“!!?”

However, the next moment, all the mages were left dumbstruck.

Because…

“──”

The warriors just faced the flames flying straight at them. There was no hint of worry on their faces, and it seemed like they didn’t plan on evading it either.

Knowing that something was wrong, the mages tried to cancel their magic, but unfortunately for them, they weren’t skilled enough to cancel the magic that they had shot out. Their faces instantly turned pale, some of them hurriedly closed their eyes tightly, not wanting to see the tragedy that would soon occur.

However…

“Raise your spear!!!”

The brave sprou—no, the bear-leather-berserkers raised their spears. They were standing in a grandiose stance, ready to swing their spears at any moment. The one who gave them orders like a commander was a girl who was weaker than them all, yet she possessed mental strength and bravery that were second to none.

The girl, Levy Fault, raised her hand straight ahead and pointed in the direction where she wanted her senior brothers to throw their spears, and they obediently followed her directions, waiting for her command. In the next moment, the girl gathered all her strength, and…

“Throw the spear.”

Following the calm command that came out of her mouth, she threw her spear, and the others followed suit.

They were wooden spears, they looked weak and unassuming.

No one among the onlookers could tell why the hell were they even carrying wooden spears in the first place when iron spears couldn’t even guarantee their survival in this battle.

Their hearts trembled as they saw this spectacle, but in the next moment…

Booooom-!

The eighteen wooden spears the warriors had thrown and the fireball the mages had casted collided, causing a huge explosion.

Power against power.

Common sense dictated that those eighteen wooden spears wouldn’t be able to resist the power emitted by the fireballs, but surprisingly, those wooden spears…

Woooosh!

Blew away the fireballs with ease.

“They canceled out the attack!?”

The professor of the Magic Department, Odwal, who was watching the spectacle unfolding, was shocked.

His cadets’ destructive magic, the fireball, was canceled out in an instant. The opposition used wooden spears, even.

It wasn’t something that should happen, because it shouldn’t be something possible to begin with.

That was why he was so shocked, but there were those who were even more shocked than him; other students and instructors who were watching the War Game.

Also…

“What did I just see?”

“Did they use Combat Technique?”

“No, they didn’t. It was some kind of explosive power…”

The nobles, especially those who had learned Combat Technique. They saw it; the massive flow of power that was concentrated into the spear and burst out in an instant.

As they said, it wasn’t Combat Technique, but the flow of pure power contained in those spears was something similar to it.

…It was an incomprehensible explanation, but they didn’t have better ways to explain it.

Because this was the first time in their lives they had ever seen something like this.

But, the knight who was watching the growth of his disciple didn’t give jack shit about the nobles’ impressions. The only thing he cared about was the fact that his disciples finally unleashed their true power.

“There they go, the Spear Power.”

“Just to be sure, if the power is put into a sword, it will be called Sword Power…?”

“Yes.”

“…That’s a rather simple naming convention…”

“The more simple it is the better, since it’s easier to remember it, no?”

“True…”

“Besides…”

Who cares about the name, look at that firepower.

Firepower. To the descendants of Hwanung¹ who were obsessed with firepower, there was nothing more important than that.

The proud soul of the Chungmugong² Faction in him didn’t change even after reincarnation, as he freely showed his obsession with firepower.

“Now!”

Ever since a certain moment, the position of giving orders fell upon Levy Fault’s hands. Because unlike others, she had learned politics and military science from a young age, and the results of her study were revealed here.

Boom-!

The other cadets also followed her orders to the end, not because she was more learned than them, but because they trust the girl. They respected the girl’s complete trust in them—she even called them brothers—and they believed in the strength that the great master personally put into their bodies.

Holding such strength, they marched forward, making a hole in the ground. It wasn’t the result of them using Martial Power, they just kicked the ground with all their might.

Just like the bear leather they were wearing, their movements resembled bears. Not because they instinctively move like that because of their outfits though, it was because they were naturally wild and nimble, like a bunch of bears ready to hunt.

They reached an overwhelming speed, as their bodies had been strengthened as they practiced Martial Power.

30 km/h.

However, they couldn’t maintain this speed forever. That was why they were running with all their might.

“Now!”

Kwaang!

At that moment, the cadets took up another long spear stance. They lifted the wooden spears on their backs once again, the only difference was that they were standing at a distance closer than before.

Crack-!

Martial Power was a technique that allowed them to move and concentrate the mass spread throughout their bodies somewhere else. But their immaturity made them unable to contain the entire mass of their bodies.

Still…

We can use half of that power!

That alone was enough to threaten their enemies.

The wooden spears flew without hesitation, aimed at the mages with a ‘Whoosh’.

Seeing that, the mages were all startled, and they tried to use their telekinesis to block all the flying spears.

However…

Bang!

Baaaaang-!

Rumble-!

“K-Keuuuuk!”

“Keeeeuuuk!”

“Ames!!”

“Damn it! What the hell is going on!”

The warriors unleashed a powerful pressure that couldn’t be canceled out by the telekinesis engulfing them. In an instant, those warriors ran through the distance and threw their spears at them, forming a crane wing formation.

Each of them had eight spears, as they couldn’t hold more than that. With most of them used up, they prepared to throw their last spears to put an end to the battle.

But, before the spears could even take off…

“[Blow, stronger, and become sharp like a blade!].”

A spell echoed in the area. Just like them, the mages weren’t just playing around.

“It’s a wind spell! Get back immediately! Don’t throw your spears!”

Levy Fault shouted with all her might. Hearing the heavy countenance in her voice, the warriors immediately tried to get away.

However…

“[Water, pour. Watery and fast!].”

“[Earth, melt, make it deeper].”

“[Ice, bring the cold to freeze the ground].”

However, the wind spell that they predicted to come didn’t come.

Because the mages faked their chant and prepared for another attack, showcasing the power they were born with.

Wooosh-!

Before they had time to run away, the warriors were hit directly by the mages’ spell. A heavy rain fell, the ground turned muddy like a swamp in an instant because of it before it froze.

The warriors’ feet sunk into the ground before it was frozen, and were frozen together with it. Their mobility was taken away in an instant.

Because of that, their faces turned pale in confusion, and the mages didn’t miss this opportunity.

“…It seems like they’re trying to finish this battle quickly.”

The leader of the mages, Ron, immediately understood what the warriors were up to. All their attacks had been quick and decisive; which meant, just like the mages, they wanted to finish this battle quickly.

However, unlike the mages, they weren’t doing it because they were showing their ‘mercy’.

“I see…! Their power has a time limit!”

It didn’t take long for Ron to realize the nature of the power they used. Though he didn’t know what kind of technique it was, it didn’t matter to him. What mattered to him was the fact that it had a time limit. Because if that wasn’t the case, there was no reason for those warriors to panic so much just because their mobility was taken away.

Now that he realized this far, Ron let out a laugh. Time was on their side. They were a little taken aback because of the warriors’ explosive attacks, but in the end, the victory was theirs—

“As the great master had said, mages’ arrogance is unmatched, that’s why they often get defeated when they’re in the lead. His words were indeed true.”

“!!?”

When did she—!?

Such words flowed out of the mouth of a certain girl who never gave up despite herself being weaker than others. She had drawn her sword and already took up a striking stance.

There wasn’t a hint of hesitation or despair on the girl’s face, but instead, she—Levy Fault—only threw the mages an indifferent look.

With her showing such indifference to seeing the chances of victory being taken away before her very eyes, it wasn’t hard to tell that it meant she hadn’t given up yet.

“Your words were indeed correct. Neither my elder brothers nor I are used to Martial Power yet. That’s why our display is so lacking.”

The time they could use the Martial Power at full power was at most 15 minutes. In actual combat, it was even shorter than that; merely 3 minutes. That’s why they had to end this battle quickly.

This was the only choice they had if they wanted to win.

That was why…

“We had to get closer to you.”

Five steps. That was the current distance between them and the mages. Even so, they still had to go through a wall of telekinesis in front of them, so in reality, just getting closer to the mages wouldn’t be enough to subdue them, they still had to force their way through that wall.

However…

“Subduing you isn’t the ‘victory condition’.”

Yes. This battle was a game, and there was a clear condition to win it; to capture the flag.

Levy Fault turned her body to the direction of the fluttering flag of the mages.

“Thank you, Instructor.”

Then, she swung her sword into the air with sincere gratitude in her heart.

At first, the mages who were watching it wondered, ‘What kind of stupid thing is she doing right now?’.

But soon…

Whoosh-!

A sharp wind blew past the mages’ heads.

Slide-!

“…Huh?”

When the mages looked back…

Their flag…

The same flag they were supposed to protect…

“I-It was slashed?”

Had fallen to the ground so easily that they failed to comprehend what was going on.

“…”

Soon after, the mages alternated their confused gazes between the flag and Levy Fault. The situation was simply too confusing and incomprehensible for them.

However, Levy Fault didn’t care about their reaction.

Because…

“…We did it.”

She was too busy indulging herself in the thrill that was brought by the sense of accomplishment and the joy of victory.

The girl was happy. Although she didn’t have the power to pierce through boulders like the instructor, that didn’t matter at this point. Because what she needed was enough power to break that one flag.

Martial Power discharge.

The name for that technique was…

“I succeeded… I did the ‘Martial Power Release’…”

Thud.

After saying that, the girl collapsed out of exhaustion. But, a smile of utmost satisfaction could be seen in her face.

It was as bright as a flower.

2 minutes and 39 seconds.

That was the time it took for the Swordsmanship Department cadets to defeat the Magic Department cadets.

“So… What was our agreement again?”

“…”

“I believe it was… ‘The loser has to do anything that the winner orders’.”

“…”

“Oi, Slave. Stop crying and answer my question.”

“…Sniff sniff!”

It marked the beginning of the difficult life of Odwal Bernard, the professor of the Magic Department.