Page 17

The mock battle is held based on the students' first-year rankings.

In the first match, you will face an opponent with similar statistics.

If you lose the first match, you will fight against a student with a lower rank than the one you initially faced.

Conversely, if you win, you will face a student with a higher rank.

If you lose three times in total, your rank will be recorded, and the mock battle ends immediately.

Additionally, if you are deemed unable to continue fighting during a match, your ranking is determined at that point.

On the other hand, there is no limit to the number of wins.

In theory, if you keep winning, you can face everyone from the bottom rank to the top.

However, if you lose even once after winning, it's over.

‘In any case, the goal of the mock battle is simple.’

The purpose of the mock battle is clear: to push the strong students up the ranking.

The scene shifted to the grand hall of Zerion Academy.

With the aid of spatial magic, the vast hall was packed with students.

All the students from different disciplines were gathered.

It was natural that the hall was crowded.

"I'm nervous."

"This time, I will definitely improve my mock battle rank."

I could hear the students chatting with one another.

Of course, no one was talking to me.

Instead, I felt a piercing gaze on my back.

I turned my head slightly and saw Isabel glaring at me.

She had declared that she would crush me in the mock battle.

It seemed her resolve was burning bright.

‘Well, if you're going to burn, might as well burn brightly.’

After all, it wouldn't go out anytime soon.

"Ah, ah."

Just then, Professor Vega Mercia, a second-year martial arts instructor, stepped onto the platform.

Today, she looked relatively normal.

The students behind her admired her appearance as she stood in her uniform.

Her beautiful, melancholic face was captivating for the younger students.

Our professor is quite attractive, in a way.

However, the second and third-year students know very well that her beauty isn't all that impressive.

The truth is, she's just feeling down because she couldn't drink yesterday.

It's like she has an alcohol dependency.

"I am Vega, the one in charge of this mock battle. As the results of this battle are important for future team assignments, I expect every student to give their best effort."

Perhaps because she hadn't had a drink, she seemed rather normal today.

But I knew better.

I wondered what ridiculous thing might come out of her mouth next.

"Let me say this in advance: don't end things half-heartedly against opponents you can beat."

The students were puzzled by her words.

The third-year martial arts students sighed, and the second-year students quietly covered their faces.

"If you drag it out to three losses, it just makes the mock battle longer. I'll be late for my evening break."

She was a professor who only thought about going home.

Well, leaving work on time is important.

"That's all. Assistants, please guide the students."

With that, she stepped off the platform.

The students, already used to Professor Vega, quickly followed the assistants' directions.

The areas for first, second, and third-year students were divided quickly.

There were 48 students in the second-year martial arts class at Zerion Academy.

Originally, the class had 50 students, but in the first year, three students, including the protagonist Lucas, were wiped out, reducing the number.

Thanks to my arrival, the number was maintained at 48.

This means the ranking for second-year mock battles goes from 1st to 48th.

My goal is to break into the top ranks.

At the very least, I need to make it into the top 10.

‘The problem is…’

I transferred to Zerion Academy as a second-year student.

This means my previous scores were not recorded anywhere.

‘Currently, my mock battle rank is…’

48th.

Dead last.

"Pfft, it's a battle of the last place."

"It would be fitting for the transfer student to lose this one, don't you think?"

"Staying at the bottom really suits you."

I could hear the sharp words of the girls around me.

After my confrontation with Isabel, the gossip and insults from the other girls had only gotten worse.

Isabel, who had initially been too busy being angry with me to notice, had started to flinch as she realized how intense the gossip had become.

Even Isabel, despite everything, seemed uncomfortable with her friends badmouthing me so harshly.

I saw her raise her hand to try to stop them.

Her kind heart probably couldn’t bear to see her friends speak ill of someone for her sake.

"Don't worry about it."

So I decided to handle it myself before Isabel could intervene.

The girls' sharp gazes instantly turned toward me as I spoke up.

I just smiled at them.

"I'll make sure all of you end up ranked below me."

"What a jerk. Seriously."

"Go ahead, give it a try!"

"Oh, this is unbelievable. So arrogant!"

The girls cursed at me for my blatant provocation.

If they were going to hate me anyway, I might as well give them a reason.

"You're so short, and you’ve got such a nasty attitude."

Sorry, but comments like that don’t affect me at all.

"Hmph, I bet you've never even had a girlfriend."

Ouch.

That was a low blow.

I don’t know who said it, but I won’t hold back when I fight them.

As I strengthened my resolve, I made eye contact with Isabel.

She looked surprised for a moment, then her brows furrowed with determination.

It seemed she had been trying to stop the girls from gossiping, but seeing me step in and provoke them herself had caught her off guard.

"Isabel, you too."

I threw a cheap provocation her way as well.

She stared at me for a moment, then relaxed her eyebrows.

Her gaze turned serious.

"If you lose to me today, you have to take back those harsh words you said to Lucas and apologize to him."

Hearing that, I scoffed.

"That won’t happen."

I could hear the girls' insults growing louder, but Isabel remained silent, just looking at me.

Her eyes lingered quietly on the scars on my hands.

Isabel, at least, had realized it.

She knew I wasn’t an opponent to be taken lightly.

"48th place, Hannon Irey. 47th place, Miryzen Avanti."

Just then, an assistant called my name.

As I answered and made my way over, I saw another student approaching from the opposite side.

He was also a second-year martial arts student.

w

Miryzen.

His uniform was slightly loose, and he seemed timid.

His nickname was "Eternal Last Place Miryzen."

For every first place, there must be a last place.

If it weren’t for Zerion Academy, he might have been able to shine elsewhere.

But here, at this prestigious academy where only geniuses gather, half-baked talent inevitably leads to bitter outcomes.

“This time, I’m going to escape last place!”

Miryzen looked at me with a burning resolve.

Finally, he had clawed his way out of last place, reaching rank 47.

It was evident he was desperate not to let this achievement slip away.

“Begin combat.”

At the instructor's signal, Miryzen drew his sword.

With firm resolve, he charged towards me.

Here he comes.

I tilted my head back to dodge his straightforward thrust.

The blade grazed past my face, a narrow miss that made my heart race.

Even if he’s the weakest in the combat class, anyone admitted to Zerion Academy is talented.

His swordsmanship was quite steady and precise.

His blade pursued me relentlessly, each strike packed with significant force.

I focused solely on evading.

Long-practiced footwork instinctively unfolded at my toes.

By observing his body and the grip on his sword, I could anticipate exactly how to dodge.

“Just dodging like a little rat, huh?”

“Ugh, how pathetic. How did he ever talk about winning with this level of skill?”

The taunts from some girls who had been watching us carried over.

The instructor shot them a disapproving look, silencing them quickly, but their smirks didn’t fade.

Of course, I didn’t have the luxury to care about that.

‘I’ve sparred with Aisha before, but...’

This was my first fight where I absolutely had to win.

I needed to get used to combat if I was going to advance.

If I wanted to rise higher, I’d be facing even tougher opponents.

I had to draw on every bit of experience I had.

‘Starting from the bottom is an opportunity for me.’

Dodge.

And dodge again.

Keep dodging, and dodge once more.

My movements grew increasingly efficient, my body shifting with less and less space between each step.

The body I had inherited from Vikamon was exceptionally suited for this.

I wasn’t even out of breath yet.

Training alongside Aisha, who possessed incredible stamina, and enduring our brutal morning exercises day after day, had created a powerful synergy with my natural endurance.

“Hah, hah!”

On the other hand, Miryzen was swinging his sword with a strained, tearful expression.

Sweat poured down his face like rain, and his sword trembled.

No matter how skillful he was with his sword, it was pointless if it didn’t land a hit.

“I...”

Desperation filled his eyes.

“I’ll win!”

Miryzen’s sword slashed forward again.

“I’m going to rise up!”

The desperation to escape last place erupted from him with raw intensity.

The kids who had been watching our fight started to scowl.

“He’s pathetic.”

“At least face him properly!”

“It’s obvious there’s a skill gap. What the hell is he doing?”

Despite the instructor’s warning, they couldn’t help but shout.

“When did our class turn into a bunch of idiots?”

Amid the jeers, a man’s voice cut through.

The kids turned their eyes toward him and saw a burly young man, his build far more imposing than his peers.

Despite his rugged frame, he had a handsome face.

Arms crossed, he watched our battle with a calm gaze.

It was Gaidon, ranked 3rd in the combat class.

“That guy declared he’s aiming for the top ranks.”

He’d figured it out.

“This fight shows he’s serious about going for high scores.”

He scolded the others as he glared at them.

“Yet here you all are, whining about fairness and skill differences.”

Whether you came to the academy to get stronger or for any other reason, it didn’t matter.

Here, dismissing someone weaker was nonsense.

At Zerion Academy, what matters is strength and the ability to wield it.

You can’t expect any mercy in the Demon Dungeon by claiming you’re weak.

“The ones who mocked him now won’t have any excuses when they get beaten by him later.”

So nobody who understood this scolded me.

Even Isabel was quietly watching the fight, likely wary of me potentially climbing up the ranks.

“Haaah!”

Miryzen swung his sword once more, but it no longer held the strength it had at the beginning.

The sword he had swung desperately so many times was now betraying him, driving him toward defeat.

I understood his desperation.

Being called the perennial last place shatters your self-esteem.

But I’m sorry, Miryzen.

I’m the one who’s truly desperate here.

‘If I don’t climb up...’

This world, already on a path to a bad ending, will face an even worse one.

‘So I...’

Will win.

I lunged forward.

Boom!

I finally stopped dodging when I slammed my foot on the ground.

Miryzen’s shaky sword barely missed my head.

At the same time, I slipped inside Miryzen’s guard.

His body was already exhausted.

Moreover, my constant dodging had made him used to missing, so he couldn’t react to my sudden attack.

In that brief opening, I didn’t hesitate and went for it.

My arms, honed through rigorous strength training, carried enough force to be weapons on their own.

Crack!

My fist, like a spear, drove into Miryzen’s stomach with precision.

“Guh?!”

With a gasp, Miryzen bent over in pain.

I pulled back my right arm and swung my elbow as he doubled over.

Smack!

My elbow hit Miryzen square in the face.

Blood streamed from his nose as he staggered.

At that moment, I hooked my right leg behind his.

The seamless motion sent Miryzen sprawling to the ground.

As he scrambled to get back up, I mercilessly drove my knee into him.

Smack!

My knee struck his rising chin squarely, and he fell backward from the blow.

Although it was my first no-rules match, my body moved far more smoothly than I’d expected.

Thud—

Miryzen lay there, unmoving. The crowd of students fell silent.

Amid that silence, I turned to look at the instructor, who nodded.

“Hannon, ranked 48th, wins.”

I was now ranked 47th.

w