On the first day, afternoon classes started with swordsmanship. Although most of the male students were participating, there were only a handful of female students who chose to get involved, including me—most of them had opted to watch instead.
“All right, we’ll be taking turns and doing battle simulations to check everyone’s skills. First up will be...you, Level 99.”
Jeering laughter erupted from the surrounding students. Unfortunately for me, the teacher leading the swordsmanship lessons was the same teacher that had accosted me at the entrance ceremony.
First William, and now this guy... Do all swordsmen have short fuses?
“I will be her partner.” William stepped forward, which was followed by a shrill outburst of cheers from the other female students.
We were to use wooden swords for the simulation, so I randomly picked a sword out of the pile and stepped into the center of the training area. William picked what looked to be the longest and thickest wooden sword. It seemed fitting since he wielded a longsword that was about the length of himself in the game.
I mainly used magic when hunting monsters, but my physical strength was still on par with my magic. The last time I was caught off guard and a monster had gotten close to me, I kicked it away without thinking, and all that was left was a pile of dust with no resemblance to the monster it once was.
Okay, how am I gonna hold back?
“Last chance to back down.” I ignored his warning and took the pre-match bow. “I look forward to our battle.”
William sucked his teeth in disdain. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Jeez, back off. I’m busy thinking about how I’m going to not kill you. Whether you live or die depends on how careful I am.
“All right, raise your swords,” instructed the teacher.
At that moment, I realized I had no idea how to properly hold a sword. In fact, it was my first time picking one up. I was able to handle most enemies with my magic and, if needed, my bare hands, so there hadn’t been an opportunity to use one until now. William looked confused as I continued to stand there without raising my sword.
“Hey, hurry up already. Or is this your way of saying you want to forfeit?”
“I’m sorry, it’s just that this is my first time using a sword. Let’s just begin.”
The students watching didn’t even try to hide their roars of laughter, with shouts of abuse sprinkled in here and there.
William was visibly irate—his face twisted in anger. “How long are you going to keep making a fool out of me?! I’m not going to hold back just because you’re a girl, so expect this to end with a broken bone or two!”
Without waiting for the starting signal, William charged at me. He was probably fast to the average person, but with my reaction time, it wasn’t a problem. As William made his way toward me, I continued to think about how I could get through the lesson without hurting him. It only took a second for him to be right in front of me with his sword raised and ready to strike, but I was ready. The moment before the wooden sword swung down, I swiftly ducked to the side and positioned my wooden sword by his feet. He stumbled as his swing only struck air before William’s foot got caught on my sword, forcing him to fall to the ground face first.
Sorry about that. I didn’t expect you to tumble so magnificently.
Everyone fell silent, confused at what had just happened. I turned to the teacher and spoke. “Is that it? Or should I continue?” I vigorously spun the wooden sword in my hand while waiting for an answer, which created a gust of wind in the training area.
The teacher finally came to his senses and declared, “Th-The winner is Yumiella Dolkness.”
William jumped back up from his fall and objected, “No, not yet! I was just caught off guard! Pretending to be an amateur... You’re a coward through and through!”
It’s hard to take you seriously when you’ve got blood dripping down your face...
“Graaah!” William let out a battle cry and charged at me once more.
He probably wouldn’t let it go if I just dodged again.
I swung my sword to match his attack, and they collided. The crash caused the swords to resonate with an unrecognizable boom from the wood and sent William flying backward.
These wooden swords are surprisingly tough! Wait, that’s not important right now. Is William okay? If something were to happen to him, would it be considered an accident? All right, if anything happens, I’ll just hold the teacher responsible since they were the supervisor.
As I contemplated my liability, the training area was filled with screams like he was dead. I hurried over to check on William, only to find him unconscious, probably from hitting his head. His breathing was stable, so I was most likely in the clear. At worst, he was maybe a little less intelligent.
“Oh...should I carry him to the nurse’s office?” I held William up by his collar, which caused the teacher to panic.
“No, no! That’s fine. I’ll take him, so just...hand him over, all right?”
What is this, a hostage negotiation?
Though I was a bit offended, I released William to the teacher.
“I’ll be taking William to the nurse’s office. Everyone, practice your swings on your own until I return. Do not, under any circumstances, have any matches.” With that, the teacher ran out of the training area.
Since I was new to swords and had no idea how to practice my swings, I decided to just copy the others. Upon looking around for someone to show me what to do, I realized that no one was moving. Everyone who made eye contact with me let out a small gasp, and the female students who came to watch were gone.
There’s no need to be that scared...
I made sure I held back. The fact that William wasn’t ground meat was proof of that. With nothing else I could do, I attempted to practice some sort of swing, making motions based on what I thought was close enough. The class passed by like that, and the teacher didn’t return until the end of the lesson.
The next class was magic. The magic training area was lined with scarecrows dressed in metal armor with roofing only over the targets—similar to an archery range.
The teacher arrived right on time and took a look around at the students before saying, “Let’s begin with everyone showing me their magic skills. All you must do is hit the target with at least one element.” Similar to the swordsmanship class, we were to take turns performing magic in order to assess each student’s skill level. There were four main elements: fire, wind, water, and earth. There were very few people who could use light or dark magic.
One by one, students stepped forward to perform their magic, but surprisingly, there were only a few students who passed. For most, their magic went flying in unintended directions or didn’t reach the target. Even those who were able to hit the target could only manage to do so with up to two elements.
The targets don’t seem like they’re taking damage at all... I wonder if their magic just isn’t potent enough.