episode_0041

The incident began when I sat on a nearby bench to eat a quick lunch.

I sat down, pulled out a gigantic 300-credit sandwich, and took a bite. Then, someone yelled from behind me.

“Damn it! What, do you think your senior is a joke? Do you think so?! F*ck!”

“I…I don’t know…Why are you doing this…”

I saw a familiar girl with black pigtails trembling among other students.

It was Levi.

Why was she over there doing that?

I hid among the flowerbeds and approached, then I understood the specific situation.

“Why do you keep pretending you don’t know? I saw you with her!”

“That was…the same cl…class, so we met by chance…”

“Because of that Violet, or whatever that f*cking bitch is, my friend got suspended. You know that, right?”

“Th…Yes? Yes!…”

It seemed that since Camerdin and his group actually got suspended for their hazing at the last welcome ceremony, their remaining friends were looking for me.

What audacious jerks.

But something was strange. I wasn’t particularly close with her after the welcome ceremony, aside from occasionally running into her on the way to class. If they wanted to find me, wouldn’t it have been faster to just go straight to the dorm?

I soon understood why.

“You don’t know? You don’t know? Is that your answer?”

When they pushed Levi, the powerless girl fell straight down.

“Ah…Aah!”

“Ah, f*ck…Do you want to get disciplined? I didn’t even hit you, why are you being so dramatic?”

“Wow, this bastard crying is so funny. Haha!”

The jerks surrounded Levi and threatened her.

“Because of you juniors, our seniors are upset. Did you do wrong? Or not?”

“Wh…What did I do wrong…?”

“Ah, damn it! You, take out your wallet.”

Trembling with fear, Levi pulled out his wallet.

Poor kid.

Now that I saw them, these guys were just using me as an excuse to bully someone easy to pick on. And they were trying to extort money. What third-rate thugs.

I remembered what Professor Albert had ranted about last time.

‘…These days, all the guys and girls walking around with the Polaris label are low-quality trash.’

It seemed hard to deny his words.

Suddenly, I felt annoyed.

Why were these cowardly jerks picking a fight with the wrong person, not even me?

I couldn’t just let this go.

I pulled out my hammer. And quietly closed the distance.

The optimal range for a replicated weapon to fly without disappearing was about 4 to 5 meters.

I imbued it with magic, stretched my arm back like a baseball player. I swung it like a whip.

At the final stage, I let go, and the hammer spun and flew.

“Huh? Hey! Look over there! It’s her!”

“What? Who’s she…”

The jerks spotted me, but it was too late. The hammer, wreathed in bloody magic, flew and struck the head of the senior girl who had been cackling.

-Thwack!

“Aah!”

[Attacking from behind activated Synchronic Aptitude: Back-Heavy Wound. Damage increased!]

The senior girl couldn’t withstand the precise trajectory, the accurate blow, and the critical hit, and collapsed instantly.

Weak for a senior.

The jerks seemed flustered and started speaking in a Levi-like manner.

“Th-that!…Th-that…What is she!”

“Ugh…ugh…sh*t! Crazy! What are you?!”

I replied with a smile.

“Me? I’m that f*cking bitch!”

Levi, who had been watching cautiously, gasped and hid behind me.

I pulled out a one-handed sword in each hand, imbued them with sword energy, and clapped the swords together as if applauding.

With a clanging sound, spectacular crimson ether flashes erupted.

“It was you? Good. Today you’re f*cked-”

“Shut up! I’m here, so hurry up and attack!”

“This crazy bitch, really!”

Whether they were provoked, the senior jerks drew their weapons.

-Standby personnel, prepare for full creation. Mana?-

-Enough! One out of four is down. Let’s summon about ten and go!-

Looking at the strength of their sword energy, they seemed weaker than expected.

They seemed to be about 1.5 Violet level.

At this level, I can overwhelm them with numbers.

The atmosphere was gradually intensifying, and just as we were about to fight, guys wearing armbands came running from a distance.

No, how did these guys know we were fighting? They’re like ghosts.

“This is the disciplinary committee. Stop!”

“Huh?”

“Ugh!”

Guys who looked like they had ‘strict, serious, solemn’ tags plastered on their faces intervened between us.

“You were committing an act of violence just now. Right?”

“That’s right!”

“No! She picked a fight first!”

“Th-those people…they just…”

The disciplinary committee members surrounded us, drawing their weapons as a warning. I stopped creating clones.

A guy who looked like a leader among the disciplinary committee members walked out and warned us.

“Unauthorized acts of violence are grounds for suspension, and in the worst case, expulsion. It seems there was a dispute between you, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Yes, but that bastard started it…”

“You must follow the rules.”

What rules in this strange school? I was bewildered.

One of the senior male students was fuming, unable to control his anger, when his expression suddenly changed as if something had occurred to him.

“Ah, that’s right. A duel…”

“Yes, resolve it with a duel. Will you apply for a duel? I’ll guide you, since freshmen might not know where it is.”

The unnamed senior nodded, and I also showed fervent agreement.

“Good! Let’s go!”

As I was about to follow the disciplinary committee member, Levi grabbed me from behind.

“Ah…No…I-I’m sorry…V-Violet!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Th-that person is a senior, h-he’ll be stronger than you! A d-duel, if I…pay the money…”

“I’m fine!”

He was trembling and trying to pull out his wallet, so I immediately stopped him.

I was secretly grateful that he was worried about me.

But I wasn’t particularly worried. That senior guy didn’t seem especially strong.

-Maybe our standards have gotten too high.-

One of the silent clones spoke.

That might not be wrong. After all, I’d experienced all sorts of things, like being hit by the Ogre Team Leader’s hammer and exploding, and being pressured by the student council president’s psychokinesis.

How did things turn out this way? I just wanted to take a walk, but now I’m having a duel.

Guided by a disciplinary committee member, I went to the dueling arena. It was a spacious building with a space the size of a basketball court.

Outside, it was a gaudy building plastered with neoclassical architecture obsessed with spires and arches, but the interior was surprisingly refined.

Unknown, state-of-the-art machines lined the surroundings.

“Fill these out.”

I immediately filled out the duel-related documents as instructed by the disciplinary committee member. They were oaths, pledges, and the like.

I thought a duel meant throwing down a gauntlet and drawing swords to fight immediately. The procedure was more complicated than I expected.

“Now, it’s time to set the conditions for both parties. Most demands can be made upon victory, excluding those related to academic records or overly severe conditions.”

“Ah, I know that already! I’ve done this a few times. First, my condition is,”

That unnamed senior guy looked at me and said one thing.

“You, you said your name was Violet, right? Kneel and apologize in front of the department seniors.”

“Why would I? I just took what was given to me, and Camerdin and whatever got disciplined because he brought alcohol himself!”

“You! You disturbed the order of the department! You…oh.”

The guy, who had been speaking, suddenly closed his mouth and stared intently at me.

“What? Is there a problem?”

“…date me.”

Did my ears deceive me? I heard a strange sound just now.

“Date me.”

“What?”

I stood dumbfounded for a moment before screaming.

“Aaaah!”

Is this guy crazy? A sudden confession!

Horrible!

Although I had become a beautiful and cute girl, I remembered once being a man. What’s more, I hate dark and sinister guys like you even more!

A strange heat suddenly filled his eyes.

“You’re rude, but you look good. How about this? If you lose the duel, you date me. Then, I’ll let you off the hook for kneeling and apologizing to the seniors. How’s that?”

Oh, look at this guy.

I looked at the disciplinary committee member, but there was no reaction.

Such a demand is allowed? That’s crazy.

His filthy gaze made me feel disgusted. I should make an unreasonable demand too.

“Yes! Good.”

“Well, if you surrender now and agree to date me, I was even thinking of canceling the duel itself…What?”

“Instead, if you lose, you and your friends will kneel and apologize to me and Levi.”

He scoffed.

“Well, that’s nothing.”

“It’s not over yet. You’ll kneel naked and apologize. In front of a camera!”

“What? That doesn’t make any se-”

“And as a sign of apology, hand over all the money you have. In cash! Lastly, don’t bully other first-year students. How about it?”

He seemed annoyed by my demands and yelled.

“This f*cking bitch! I’ve been patient for too long…”

“Huh, so you were just messing around when you asked me to date you?”

I slightly stuck out my tongue and provoked him.

Would this work?

The senior guy thought deeply for a moment, then smiled sinisterly.

“Fine. Let’s do that. But the outcome of the duel is absolute, so be prepared.”

I looked at the disciplinary committee member, who asked us expressionlessly.

“Have you reached an agreement?”

Both I and the senior guy affirmed. To approve all these ridiculous duel demands, it seemed utterly insane.

Afterward, as a first-year student, I was called separately and briefed on the conditions and methods of the duel. There were so many that I don’t remember them well.

I only remember a few things.

There were three main victory conditions.

First, death. Of course, they said it wasn’t actual death.

Second, when rendered incapable of combat.

Third, when a surrender is declared.

They said the weapons used didn’t matter.

For those with unique abilities, there were no restrictions on using their powers.

However, if ranged weapons or magic were primary, a separate agreement was needed.

Since both that senior guy and I would fight in close combat, the agreement was omitted.

Other conditions included automatic disqualification if you ran away without fighting for a certain period, and disciplinary action from the student council if victory conditions were not met, as they were absolute…that was roughly it.

Originally, a separate time would be set, but due to the senior’s strong insistence, we decided to duel immediately.

Before entering the dueling arena, I signed the duel pledge for the last time.

He’s shortening his own lifespan, that idiot.

The gate opened, and I stepped into the dueling arena. A wide stage with complex machinery lined on both sides was visible.

I didn’t fully understand the disciplinary committee member’s complex explanation, but according to him, it was like this:

Once inside this arena, a kind of virtual reality constructed with a system cleverly blending magic and advanced technology would unfold. So, you’d feel pain and suffer all sorts of injuries, but you wouldn’t die.

“…Even now, if you date me, I’ll withdraw everything. Don’t regret it…”

I ignored him and entered. What kind of flower garden was growing in that guy’s head? He had to be crazy.

“Then, I will prepare the duel. Violet Ruzilin versus…”

I focused and raised my weapon. The disciplinary committee member made an announcement. The floor hummed with a low sound and vibrated, then a translucent barrier spread over the dueling arena.

“The duel begins.”

While I looked around with curiosity, the senior guy snorted and charged.

His weapon was a lavishly decorated two-handed sword, notable for its dark blue blade.

“Here I come! This is the 13-stage Swordsmanship!”

As he charged noisily, I watched with my arms crossed, then gave a signal.

-Guys, ready?-

-Good, let’s go. Deploy!-

Mana drained all at once. It’s been a while since I summoned so many at once.

In front of the idiot who was charging, anticipating victory, appeared twenty Violet clones armed with shields and spear-swords.

He turned pale with shock.

“Eh…?”

“Charge! Charge!”

“Yaaah!”

While I, No. 3, watched from behind, the Violet clones charged simultaneously and overwhelmed him.

“Uwaaah! Uwaaaaaah!!”

He swung his longsword, imbued with sword energy, a few times, taking down one or two of us. But with the wave of others rushing in, he was immediately grabbed by his limbs and subdued.

“F*ck! F*ckkkk! You crazy bitch! Let go of me!”

Even though he was an awakened, he was strong, so several Violet clones clung to him, barely subduing him. Let’s finish this quickly.

I picked up the hammer and approached him. The senior guy, surrounded by us, was sticking only his head out from amidst the pile of human bodies and yelling at the top of his lungs.

“Surrender!”

“You f*cking bitch! Goddamn it! Damn it! Let go!”

Since he wasn’t coming to his senses, I tapped his head with the hammer.

-Thwack!

“Aargh! F*ck!”

-Thwack! Thwack!

“Ow! It hurts! Stop!”

-Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

“Ow….It hurts…It hurts…Please…”

As I kept hitting him, he became docile.

I learned that physical force humbles people.

“Will you surrender?”

“Yes…I’ll surrender…Please…stop hitting me…”

His face a mess, he begged desperately, snot and tears streaming down. The barrier surrounding the dueling arena lifted.

The first duel ended so easily.

Weaker than I thought.