Ch.38Chapter 38: Entrance Exam (15)

# Chapter 38: Entrance Exam (15)

The drill, having received physical force from Valt’s punch, began to extend even more fiercely.

Ka-ga-ga-ga-gak!

“W-what!?”

Solfin’s flames were starting to be pushed back by Valt’s drill.

Valt shouted triumphantly with a grin.

“Unique magic! Magic Enhance Punch!!”

Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu-gu!

Valt’s drill magic began to rotate violently, now starting to shred Solfin’s breath.

“Th-that’s impossible! How can you enhance magic by punching it?!”

“Hahaha! Why not? It’s right here!”

“D-damn it!!!”

After enduring as long as he could, Solfin had no choice but to launch his body away to avoid the approaching drill.

Only because he was a dragonkin could he move his body to dodge—it would have been impossible for an ordinary person.

But he couldn’t avoid being grazed by the drill.

“Kyaaaack!!!”

The supposedly strong scales of the dragonkin were shaved off, leaving a large wound on Solfin’s side.

The drill magic crashed into the spectator stands’ barrier, creating a thunderous noise.

Kwa-ja-ja-ja-ja-jak!!

The spectators jumped back in surprise, but fortunately, there was no damage to the stands.

Indeed, it was a barrier that wouldn’t be destroyed even by 9th circle magic.

The referee raised his hands high and crossed them while shouting.

“Match over! Medical team!”

But Solfin, true to his dragonkin nature, was still conscious despite his massive wound.

“Kuk! Kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk!! Kyahahahaha!! My eyes were right!! I’ll never let you go… You… are mine…”

After saying those words, Solfin passed out and was carried away on a stretcher.

[It’s decided!! The finalist has been determined! Valt Gerung advances to the finals with yet another amazing display of magic!! He avoids forced marriage. The later you marry, the better. Well done!!]

The announcer who accidentally revealed his inner thoughts is in big trouble when he gets home.

“Woaaaaaaah!!!”

Despite the tremendous cheers, there was one person who couldn’t be happy.

“Hahaha, I’ve won! Lord Baldur, I look forward to the next 50 years.”

The Emperor and Baldur had bet on predicting the winner, but since the Emperor unexpectedly chose Valt, they had decided to determine the winner of the bet based on the semifinal results.

“H-how could this be… Magic that tears through Dragon Force… M-my retirement…”

Baldur’s dreams of a relaxed retirement life, which he had been imagining until just moments ago, vanished as his lifelong position as Chancellor was now determined.

Valt returned to the waiting room.

Though he had won, Valt was also exhausted.

He leaned his massive body against the sofa and let out a sigh.

“Phew… This is no ordinary task. But it’s fun.”

Only Seirun and Aileen remained in the waiting room now.

“Impressive, barbarian. To defeat that dragonkin. Victor and Robin weren’t wrong.”

Seirun spoke to Valt with sparkling eyes.

“Hmm, the dragonkin was truly formidable. I won this time because I was lucky.”

Seirun liked Valt’s response.

“Humble too! I’ve had great prejudice against barbarians all this time. You are a warrior worthy of respect.”

For some reason, Aileen remained silent.

Though he wasn’t injured, Valt decided to go to the cafeteria after the semifinals to recover his strength.

Since he had consumed physical strength rather than magical power, he was extremely hungry from depleting his energy.

And now, semifinal match 2.

The battle between Seirun and Aileen, both rising stars, begins.

***

Chang!

Chang!

Kang!

After exchanging a few sword strikes, Seirun remarks.

“I see hesitation in your sword. You should have defeated me earlier… What a shame. I finally got to properly witness the Sword Saint’s sword… Was the battle with the beastkin that shocking?”

Aileen, having her true feelings exposed, snaps back.

“Shut up.”

But Seirun’s words don’t stop.

“How pathetic. For someone claiming to be the Sword Saint’s disciple to have such weak resolve. I may not be able to defeat you now, but I wonder if that will remain true later.”

“I said shut up!”

Caldrian then takes his stance.

“Then prove it. Prove that your sword hasn’t dulled. Here I come—Caldrian Style Fourth Form: Raging Current!”

A fierce wave-like sword energy from Seirun engulfs Aileen.

Aileen’s mind is indeed wavering, as Seirun suggested.

It had grown even more after watching Valt and Solfin’s match.

‘Tch… Am I wrong?’

Confirming the approaching violent aura thread, Aileen utters a Sword Saint technique for the first time.

“Lushtian Swift Flow Sword. First Secret Technique: Wind Slash.”

Tsu-pat!

The ultimate swift sword.

Aileen’s form passed by in an instant, amplifying her physical abilities by drawing up 7th-tier aura, followed by falling blade-like sword energies.

It was the Sword Saint’s secret technique that first cuts the enemy and then creates a time-delayed sword energy to dismember them.

Aileen neutralized Seirun’s Raging Current with the first cut and attempted to attack Seirun with the second cut, trying to end the match instantly.

Tu-kwa-gwa-gwa-gwang!

But though wounded, Seirun doesn’t fall.

[An incredible strike invisible to the eye! But Seirun Caldrian! He endures!]

“How?”

Aileen was shocked.

She had used a secret technique she hadn’t even shown before, wanting to end it quickly, yet this mere late 5th-tier expert withstood her sword.

But the damage was significant.

“Kuk! Indeed, even with a wavering heart, you live up to your name! But you’re still far from victory! Caldrian Style Fifth Form: Lightning Flash!”

The Caldrian style, comparable to the Sword Saint’s swordsmanship, is full of techniques that can respond to various situations.

The Fifth Form, Lightning Flash. The fastest extreme sword strike among Caldrian’s secret techniques.

Caught off guard, Aileen couldn’t dodge and used another secret technique.

“Kuk! Second Secret Technique: River Turning.”

Pu-sut!!

A type of counter technique.

Again, Seirun took damage, but he didn’t falter.

“This much won’t bring me down! Show me your true skill!! Sixth Form: Scattered Break!”

Kung!

Ku-gung!

Kang!

Ka-kang!

Pu-suk!

Seu-geok!

With each exchange, it was Seirun who got wounded, but strangely, he was pushing Aileen back.

“Haa, haa! Is this all, Sword Saint’s disciple? Is this all a 7th-tier warrior can do?! Final Technique 1: Meteor…! Kuk!!”

Seirun had already exceeded his limits.

Covered in blood from head to toe, Seirun tried to unleash his final technique against the cornered Aileen but ultimately coughed up blood and collapsed.

“Ku-weeek!”

The referee waved his hand to end the match.

[What a shame! Seirun Caldrian! He gave his all until the end but couldn’t overcome the wall of the 7th tier!! Still, he fought well. He pushed back an opponent clearly stronger than himself with sheer fighting spirit, only to narrowly lose.]

Seirun muttered with regret.

“Damn it… Next time, I’ll win…”

Aileen couldn’t understand.

Like Yuria, and now this guy—and Seirun didn’t even have a sturdy body like Yuria.

Yet he didn’t back down.

Aileen still didn’t understand that beyond the realm of aura and physical prowess, there was another realm.

***

Finally, the championship match.

During the one-hour break, Valt replenished his strength as much as possible.

“Hmm. This should be enough.”

Aileen is strong. But even to Valt, it’s clear that something is wrong with her.

“This might be less exciting than I thought.”

The final match finally begins.

[Grovint Academy Tournament Final!! Who will defeat this man!! Whether it’s physical strength or magical power!! The strongest race isn’t dragonkin but barbarian! Valt!! Gerung!!]

“Woaaaaaaah!!”

Truly immense popularity. Valt had firmly established his presence during the tournament.

[And his opponent! I am the descendant of Sword Jerent!! The Sword Saint’s disciple, Aileen Silveron!!]

“Woaaaaaaah!!”

The Sword Saint’s popularity has always been sky-high.

Cheers no less enthusiastic than those for Valt fill the arena.

Lisa and her friends’ cheers can be heard without fail.

Plus, Arias is in a particularly good mood now that Valt has defeated Solfin.

“Kyaaaak!! Valt!! Fighting!!”

[Either could win and it wouldn’t be surprising!! The championship match begins now!!]

Valt and Aileen face each other.

With her wavering heart, Aileen has lost the competitive spirit she felt during the golem breaking test.

‘Can I win? Against this monster who even defeated that dragonkin?’

Her sword, which couldn’t quickly finish off even Seirun at the late 5th tier, makes her doubt.

Heart Demon.

Since her battle with Yuria, Aileen has been afflicted with a mild Heart Demon that makes her doubt her sword.

A Heart Demon, if not resolved quickly, binds its victim.

At first, it was just a small droplet.

But the ripples caused by that droplet gradually became a torrent, consuming Aileen’s heart.

Once doubt begins, it grows uncontrollably.

‘Solfin’s technique was more powerful than my attack. Yet he blocked it effortlessly. Would my sword even work against that body?’

Valt notices Aileen’s hesitation.

“You’ve lost confidence.”

Flinch.

“W-who says!”

But Valt’s words were enough to make Aileen think even more that she couldn’t defeat him.

“You can’t defeat me like that. Ab-so-lute-ly.”

Strong belief in oneself. Standing on the ground with his massive frame, Valt looked like a mountain to Aileen.

Valt had defeated formidable opponents who were thought to have the advantage over him and advanced to the finals.

Aileen had faced strong opponents too, but relatively speaking, they weren’t as challenging.

Crack—

Her pride was hurt. How long had it been since she felt intimidated by a peer?

Most of her fellow disciples were beneath her. Yet she had concluded she couldn’t defeat this mere 1st circle barbarian.

Though unpleasant, Aileen faced reality.

The fact that her condition wasn’t normal.

She felt that fighting Valt in her current state would be disrespectful to both herself and Valt.

She felt that if she fought Valt now, she would regret it even more.

“Sigh… You’re right, I probably can’t beat you now. It would be pointless to fight.”

[Ah! Is Aileen forfeiting the match? It seems the intensity of Valt’s previous matches has influenced her decision to withdraw.]

“Hmm… That’s disappointing. I wanted to see 7th-tier swordsmanship.”

Seeing Valt’s disappointment, Aileen asks a question, clutching at straws.

“Can I ask you something?”

Scratching his head, Valt readily agrees to Aileen’s question.

“Sure.”

With Valt’s permission, Aileen continues her question.

This is actually a very unusual sight. Aileen has never asked anyone questions about learning aura.

Not even her master, the Sword Saint.

The Sword Saint taught, and Aileen simply absorbed.

Though she remains at the 7th tier, this is Aileen’s choice. She thought it was a mountain she could easily climb someday.

But now Aileen feels frustrated. She has a sense of anxiety that at this rate, she won’t reach the 8th tier, let alone the 9th.

In reality, many geniuses have disappeared without overcoming the wall of mastery.

“So is it better to overcome weaknesses than to hone strengths once you reach a certain level?”

Valt first asks about the intent behind her question.

“Hmm… Do you think I’m strong because I overcame my weakness in magic?”

“…Yes.”

Having understood the intent of the question, Valt answers sincerely.

“That could be true, but this isn’t about overcoming a weakness.”

“What?”

If a barbarian using magic isn’t overcoming a weakness, then what is it?

But Valt’s explanation was surprisingly convincing.

“Is it a weakness that only Gerung can’t use magic when all other races can? This was a disability. It’s like I’ve just started using an arm I thought I didn’t have.”

Hearing Valt’s words, Aileen feels like she hears a bell ringing in her head.

“Let me ask you again. Strengthening your strengths is good. Overcoming your weaknesses is also good. But shouldn’t that come after utilizing everything you’ve been given? Are you using everything that’s been given to you?”

Valt’s question makes Aileen reflect on herself.

She hadn’t been honing her strengths.

She was just a fool who couldn’t use what she had been given.

She had made the mistake of neglecting other aspects because of her outstanding talent in aura.

In other words, she hadn’t strengthened her strengths but had covered her weaknesses with her strengths.

Aileen didn’t know it, but Valt’s answer had saved her from falling into a complete Heart Demon. Of course, Valt didn’t know this either.

Feeling somehow lighter, Aileen says to Valt.

“…Beaten by a barbarian in logic too… Hey Valt! Teach me how to exercise. I mean, physical training.”

“Huh?”

[Valt receives a public marriage proposal, and now an offer to be a personal trainer! Ah! But it’s an understandable request. I too would like to learn exercise from Valt!]

“A strong body! I understand how amazing it is! So teach me! After I get stronger! Then let’s have a proper match!”

Confused, Valt asks back.

“Why should I do that?”

Aileen, having shed a layer of doubt, grins.

“I was going to forfeit, but… if you teach me how to train, I’ll show you the best strike I can use right now. As a bonus, I’ll teach you one of my master’s techniques that can be shared outside. How about it?”

“Hmm…”