episode_0021

Regardless of the chilly atmosphere in the second floor bleachers, the testing center became even more heated with enthusiastic cheers and fierce passion.

Summer and winter seemed to be divided by the railing, as if symbolizing the gap between the two classes.

In the middle of a spacious auditorium.

The eight test takers were in pairs, each swinging their weapons desperately at each other.

The great sword and the long sword collide, aiming for each person’s head, and the warrior with a small shield on both wrists digs in, letting go of the stabbing spear.

The man with the ax stuck in his shoulder groans in pain and drops the sword.

A woman holding a short sword and a shield blocks the dagger thrown by the half-naked woman and advances.

The woman throwing the dagger keeps retreating, letting out a short curse as if she’s nervous.

Perhaps to prevent unexpected casualties, test takers were given weapons made of wood.

However, as if an iron core had been driven into the weapon, each time it collided, pieces of wood flew and a heavy cracking sound rang out.

If it’s a wooden sword with an iron core, if you hit it right, isn’t it going to result in serious injury anyway…?

I looked down at the scene as if I was watching a bit of a bloody entertainment feast.

Are those regular test takers? The level isn’t as high as I thought.

It may be an extremely arrogant thought for someone who has only learned swordsmanship for about 15 days, but honestly, I felt like I could destroy this guy and that guy with all their weapons within 5 rounds.

As expected, except for the main characters, everyone has mediocre skills.

Perhaps because he was thinking the same thing as me, Calix also had a listless expression.

Well, if you touch it with that fist, it will all be over in one blow. To begin with, there is a significant gap between humans and dragons in terms of basic physical abilities.

On the other hand, Asha, the dwarf sitting to my left, was engrossed in it with an interesting expression on her face, as if she had no idea what to do because even such a pathetic level of combat was fun.

You were watching the nervous battle between Friede and I earlier, so are you the type of person who likes watching fights?

In Friede’s case, I didn’t even look at him for fear that an argument would break out again.

The back of my head felt a bit chilly from a while ago, as if he was staring at me like he was going to kill me.

Unlike Calix, who didn’t even dare to fight, it felt like it was worth a fight, but I decided to put it off until later.

I’m not a battle fanatic who is crazy about fighting, so I don’t think there’s any need to make a fuss here.

I don’t know if they start a fight first like before, but I’m hesitant because my position in the empire is not that good for me to be the first to cause discord.

Moreover, if they were forced to fight anyway, the only thing they could see was a future in which they would both be subdued and taken away by Calix.

So what should we do now?

The protagonist and main characters are nowhere to be seen, so should I at least get to know them better until they come out?

At first glance, it looked like Friede had no intention of talking to me anymore, so I decided to talk to Asha instead.

Himmel, the country of the dwarves, is a country in the southwest of the empire, so they probably have a grudge against Ka’har, right?

“Dwarf, do you think that’s that fun?”

“Half-human. Call it half-human. Because the word dwarf is a derogatory term. You don’t want to be called barbarians either, right?”

Asha answered without even looking at me, just looking at the exam room.

I felt a little embarrassed and brushed the side of my hair for no reason.

“Dwarf” was a derogatory term.

Well, in the original world, calling someone a dwarf was like an insult, but there isn’t much of a difference between a half-human and a dwarf, right…?

In fact, even in the original work, he was marked as a dwarf.

Still, since a derogatory name is an derogatory term, it would be right to apologize.

He lightly scratched the area around his cheekbone with his index finger and expressed his apology to her.

“Really? I didn’t know that… Well, I’m sorry.”

“Once doesn’t matter. Of course, Ka`har wouldn’t have known much about us.”

It didn’t sound particularly cold or angry. It means you really don’t care.

Asha’s eyes were still fixed on the exam room as if she were fascinated.

Looking at the way he responds to my words right away, it doesn’t seem like he’s doing this to ignore people, and he really just enjoys watching fights.

“Hmm…well, let’s say that’s the case. More than that, you know my name because you just heard it, so what can you call me?”

“Asha. This is Asha of the Red Copper Clan. Call me Asha, Hashal.”

He calls my name quite readily.

Come to think of it, I heard that dwarves – no, half-humans – don’t call themselves names with honorifics. In the sense that they are equal to each other.

A country without a king. It was a cultural characteristic of Himmel, a republic of demigods.

“Okay, Asha. So you think that’s pretty funny? They all look weak to me. Do you like watching fights?”

“I like it. It’s something new every time I see it. It’s a lot of reference.”

“Reference?”

If you want to improve your skills, don’t you usually refer to the fighting methods of those stronger than you?

“Yes. Rather, the fights of such underdogs often give me inspiration to apply new techniques to my equipment. A loophole that is clearly visible or a fresh idea worth improving and applying.”

“If it’s equipment, is it that complicated-looking piece of metal you carry on your back? What can I say about the clanking thing, it’s pretty cool though.”

He pointed to a large mechanical device that covered Asha’s entire back.

All men naturally feel a strong attraction to complex gears and elaborate mechanical devices.

I was like that too.

There was a huge nozzle in the middle of the device that covered the back like thick armor, and two small nozzles were sticking out from the bottom on either side.

A metal armature connected to the side of the device covered the arm and reached up to the elbow.

Hundreds of cogwheels were rotating between the gaps in the steel frame, moving the cylinders.

Occasionally, a faint hissing sound would come out of the short pipe rising above.

Is that Asha’s combat equipment, a charging jetpack? When I saw it in person, I felt an enormous sense of romance and power.

“Of course, right?! This is my masterpiece!”

Asha suddenly turned her head towards me. The tone of his voice rose sharply, as if he was feeling a strong sense of pride.

“Based on a chrome frame with high pressure resistance and corrosion resistance, high-pressure engine output using a compression cylinder is discharged through hydraulic pistons and gears-”

“Uh, uh. okay. It’s amazing…”

As I listened, I felt like the conversation would go on for an endless amount of time, so I equivocated.

It looks like it has a structure like some kind of engine using gears and pistons.

I can only vaguely understand it, but it would be rather strange if the Kahar people, who belong to a barbarian race, listened to those words and showed an understanding.

“Ah, the explanation has become too verbose. Me too. Anyway, this is my weapon. Since we are also special admission students, I will have a chance to show you in person later.”

Asha smiled as if it was a familiar reaction and turned her head back toward the exam room.

He had this kind of personality.

I didn’t even think we exchanged a few words, but I felt exhausted.

The reason why all three of us weren’t talking to each other was probably because we each got tired when we did.

“Oh? That little coop looks pretty good! Isn’t that right?”

Calix, who had been looking down at the exam room boringly as if he was not interested in the conversation between me and Asha, suddenly spoke to me.

Unlike before, he seemed to be quite interested, so I turned my attention towards the exam room, wondering who on earth was making such a reaction.

A handsome man with blond hair had a large sword slung over his shoulder, his legs were spread and his upper body was slightly lowered as if he was about to lunge at any moment.

ah.

He is the main character.

The chosen one. The hero of the holy sword. Savior of mankind. The egg of a demigod.

Damian.

The playable character of this game, which I once had a blast with, was there.

—-

Since the entrance exam was a prologue scene in the original game, Damian’s equipment was still very simple.

Lightly dressed, wearing only black quilted armor, leather gloves, and leather boots.

The great sword he was holding in his right hand also had a rough appearance without any decoration.

Oh, I guess the great sword is something prepared by the academy.

“Are you talking about that blonde guy? That one knife is big.”

It was a much larger weapon than a typical greatsword.

It was not to the point where people said it was too big to be a sword, but it was a heavy sword whose length was similar to the height of a person and whose width was also close to a span.

If this were not a game world, it would have no practical use and could only be used for decoration.

“Doesn’t the small cooperative and the young man across from you seem to be in good spirits?”

Across?

Hearing Calix’s words, I looked towards Damian.

A sturdy man with a height of over 180cm. Heavy chain armor covered and pressed down on his massive body.

His dull blonde hair was pulled back into a braid, and he had a thick, dark beard from his sideburns to his chin.

The man had a solemn expression as he placed a large two-handed ax on the ground, holding it with both hands like a cane.

Who is it. This is my first time seeing this character.

“Looking at the weapon and clothing, it appears to be a Dane. It must be rare for a Dane to take the entrance exam for general students. Isn’t it amazing?”

“Dane? If you’re from the Kingdom of Dane, shouldn’t you be a special admission student?”

“Not all Danes are citizens of the Dane Kingdom. Dane was also part of the Empire at one time, so I heard that there are often Danes still living in the Empire. Isn’t that the same case for that young man?”

He’s a Dane. I’m not very happy about it.

The Dane man must have noticed my gaze and turned his head to look at me.

Our eyes met.

The cold, indifferent blue eyes lit up with a bright blue light the moment they spotted me.

A bitter hatred that seems to have melted all the resentment that exists in the world into one place.

The corner of my eye trembled slightly as I felt a chilling sensation as if ice water had been poured into the back of my throat.