Chapter 3: I Am a Fool 3
by fnovelpia
The time for the class exam is drawing near.
This time, I planned to rank high, unlike before.
Even if I caused a ruckus, it wouldn’t be a big controversy if my grades were low.
In fact, it would be easier for the academy to cover it up.
However, a high-ranking cadet draws more attention, so any foolish act would be immediately exposed.
It’s like the difference between an ordinary person and the President of South Korea doing something scandalous.
Of course, I can’t actually do anything too scandalous, or I’d end up in jail for longer than my academy tenure.
‘The position of chancellor is indeed one of heavy responsibility.’
If I reach the top ranks and then misbehave, the chancellor will have no choice but to expel me, considering the academy’s honor.
It’s a shameful act, but necessary.
In society, sometimes you have to do what is necessary, even if it’s shameful.
This is all because my father forced these restrictions on me.
Using expensive contract magic just to control a single aspect of his son’s behavior.
If it weren’t for that magic, I could have been suspended for poor grades. But I guess even that has its limits.
The problem seems to be that I know how to become stronger but haven’t disclosed how.
Or maybe it was my involvement in Ponzi schemes to make money.
Considering my history with Ponzi and pyramid schemes, it’s no wonder my words lack credibility.
‘Anyway, to get expelled, I now have to think long term.’
Now that the chancellor himself has declared he’ll keep me, I have to work overtime to tarnish the academy’s reputation.
It might seem easy, but certain misdeeds could get me tangled up in imperial law, resulting in an even longer prison sentence, so I need to tread carefully.
That’s why this class exam is crucial.
This exam will pit cadet against cadet directly, so if any conflict arises, pressure from the opposing family will come, and the chancellor will seriously consider expelling me.
[The class exam will commence soon. All cadets, please move to your designated locations.]
Following the announcement, cadets lined up in their respective places.
The large professor I saw earlier made sure to check that I had arrived.
[The exam will be conducted through 1-on-1 duels. Considering compatibility and skill disparity, up to 3 rounds can be held. The average score from these rounds will determine the final class assignments.]
They created a somewhat reasonable system, allowing for 3 rounds to calculate an average score, considering the compatibility and disparity with the opponent.
Of course, one could fail all three rounds. But then again, not everyone is born with a normal body, so luck is somewhat a part of skill.
While wasting time waiting for my turn, the moment finally arrived.
[The duel between Cadet Number 113, Abraxas, and Cadet Number 34 from Pennsylvania will now begin.]
My name was called.
I immediately prepared for the duel, and my opponent approached me.
“Are you that guy? The one who openly attacked a professor on the day of the entrance ceremony…”
He blatantly picked a fight with me.
“Are you out of your mind? What audacity made you attack a professor? And then to be subdued in one hit. If I were in your shoes, I’d have considered ending it all, yet here you are.”
Annoyingly, he just kept listing facts without any slander.
It would have been more fitting if he accused me of relying on my family name and causing trouble.
As we walked to the dueling arena, an expansive space came into view, reminiscent of an Olympic Taekwondo hall.
Cadets were fighting in their designated areas.
[The duel will last for a total of 5 minutes. If no winner is determined within that time, the cadet who inflicted more damage will be declared the winner. Bonus points will be awarded for a victory.]
An announcement explaining the details played as we followed the guide to our assigned dueling area.
[Please take your positions, the duel will start now.]
Once we reached our designated spots, the duel began.
In this world, there are various levels of mastery.
In the realm of aura, there are Aura Users, Aura Experts, Aura Aces, and Aura Masters, to name a few.
In the realm of magic, there are Mages, High Mages, Master Mages, and Archmages.
Among these, I had only heard of Aura Masters and Archmages in my past life.
The others were not mentioned in the game.
Of course, in the game, even Archmages and Aura Masters were often defeated, so it’s understandable why the other levels weren’t mentioned.
“I’ll subdue you quickly…!”
Sadly for my opponent, his mastery of aura was inferior to mine.
He had reached the level of an Aura Expert, capable of wrapping his sword in aura, but I had already mastered Aura Ace, enhancing my own body with aura.
Others say it’s incredibly difficult, but knowing the location of items that can split mountains in one strike makes it feel less impressive.
“Haaaaaaah…!”
For some reason, my opponent yelled as he swung his wooden sword at me.
I swiftly dodged his attack with my aura-enhanced body.
Whoosh—
Naturally, his sword, having missed its target, cut through empty air.
Confused, he hesitated.
In that moment, I committed an unforgivable sin no man should ever do.
Thud—
The sound of a solid hit echoed, followed by a sound resonating throughout the hall.
“Aaaaaaaah!!!!!”
A scream reverberates through the auditorium, followed by a wave of shock and horror from the audience.
“Hey, that crazy bastard!”
“Hey! Isn’t that a foul!?”
“That insane guy!!!”
“Doesn’t he have any pride!?”
People are appalled at my action, with men in particular showing greater shock.
It was unavoidable.
The technique I used was particularly dangerous for men.
The lethal move: Groin Kick.
It targets the most vulnerable point present in every man.
Such a move can incapacitate anyone instantly.
“F-foul!!”
As expected, the referee called it a foul.
The surrounding crowd booed me.
I don’t really mind.
It’s a despicable act, after all.
But what does that matter?
My goal is to infuriate the chancellor without committing a crime, so I get expelled from the academy.
Honor is not particularly important to me.
“Cadet Abraxas! Are you out of your mind? How can you prioritize victory to such an extent…”
I countered the referee’s reprimand.
“What exactly is the problem here?”
“Do you not see what’s wrong with what you did!”
“Well, in the end, he got hit, right? The human body has numerous weak points. The philtrum, solar plexus, lower abdomen, under the armpits – lots of vulnerabilities.
The spot I kicked just happens to be one of the more painful ones.”
What’s important here is how confidently you carry yourself.
The atmosphere differs between someone who kills in fear and trembling and someone who does it as if it’s natural.
Confidence makes one seem like a complete lunatic.
Besides, there’s no reason for such indignation.
While it might seem very unfair, I didn’t need to attack that particular spot to win.
The fact that I could hit the groin implies I could have targeted other areas too.
Human vulnerabilities aren’t limited to the groin.
“If he had the skill, he wouldn’t have been hit in the first place. And is there any guarantee in real combat that the opponent won’t aim for that spot? Duels are meant to prepare for real situations. The cadet lying there could have been hit in the solar plexus or philtrum instead.”
This is the crux of the matter.
Real combat isn’t a duel.
Opponents in a real fight won’t just face you one-on-one, and they won’t hesitate to attack weak points.
This one statement assures my victory.
If he was hit because he neglected to defend that area, considering it unlikely to be targeted, then it’s a misjudgment.
In real combat, if an opponent sees an opening, they will strike there.
If he couldn’t block due to lack of skill, it makes no difference.
Even in a fair fight, he would have ended up rolling on the floor after being hit in the solar plexus or philtrum.
“But, still…!”
“Then is there any clause in the school rules that this violates? Social consensus is ultimately ineffective against criminals or extremists. If there’s nothing in the school rules that I’ve violated, then I don’t think there’s a problem.”
Of course, such nonsense wouldn’t be explicitly written in the school rules.
It was just an unspoken agreement.
Therefore, no one can counter my argument.
I confidently pressured the referee. Naturally, he found himself in a difficult position.
According to the school rules, my victory was valid, but my actions made it tricky to assess my actual skills.
It’s like how in South Korea, committing adultery or a president watching an explicit broadcast – it isn’t illegal but it is socially condemned.
The nobles here value honor, but I don’t care about such things.
Honor can be easily earned if one has the skills.
And this series of actions will contribute to pressuring the chancellor.
It hints that I’ll continue to act in a way that’s problematic but tricky to punish under the current school rules.
I can’t be expelled immediately, so I have to build up to it gradually.
Now that I’m an adult, I can go out to seek out items as soon as I leave here.
And then…
“Just a moment.”
At the sound of someone calling me, I turned to look.
It was Rachel, the professor who had subdued me.
As I was caught off guard by her sudden call, she spoke up.
“So, how about a duel with me?”
And there it was – the perfect opportunity.
“This is a real duel, right?”
Win or lose, I couldn’t miss a chance to cause chaos.
I immediately accepted.
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