Chapter 26: - Dueling Application

༺ Dueling Application༻

There was an anomaly in the familiar landscape.

“You don’t have to worry about me~”

The sun was shining in the afternoon.

Today we had the last class off, so I went to the corner of the garden earlier than usual to practice my magic.

Suddenly, Dorothy Heartnova jumped out of the trees.

She decided to lean against the tree behind me and watch me train.

However, the fact that someone was watching me made it difficult for me to concentrate on my training.

‘How can I not care?’

I wondered if she realized I was uncomfortable, as she began to read a book she got from who knows where.

Even if she was reading a book, the mere fact that she was there made me uneasy.

“...Senior, are you going to stay here forever?”

“Yeah, because I’m bored.”

“Why are you here?”

“Mm, because I’m bored.”

“Then why did you ask to see me today...”

“Hmm, because I’m bored.”

Dorothy gave a weak answer that didn’t really explain anything at all, while reading the book. I wondered if she was going to keep answering that way, so I asked, ‘What are you having for dinner tonight?’, and heard the normal answer of ‘chicken’.

Anyway... As a junior and a fan, I couldn’t say anything.

Self hypnosis. Let’s ignore Dorothy. Even if she did come into view, I would just regard her as another piece of the landscape. Then it would work somehow.

“Whew.”

I took a deep breath while conjuring [Frostfire] in both hands, and began to intently focus on my training again.

...Forty minutes later. The time when the sky was dyed by the color of the sunset.

“Ugh...”

Blood flowed out from my nose. My whole body began to violently ache, and my magic output was becoming erratic. In addition, even the slightest use of magic triggered a strong rejection from within my body.

It was now a daily routine.

If I pushed myself a little harder at this point, I would get stronger.

It was the same logic as strength training when you feel like you couldn’t do it anymore, but then you did one more rep and your muscles would stretch.

Today, as I mainly used spells with high mana consumption, it seemed that I had reached my limit earlier than usual.

I wiped the blood from my nose and got into a preparatory stance to cast a spell.

“Are you okay?”

“...!”

Dorothy, who suddenly came beside me, asked. Startled, I spun around to find her staring at me from up close.

“Don’t push yourself too hard. Won’t you damage your mana circuit otherwise?”

Dorothy smiled softly and began to wipe the bridge of my nose with her handkerchief.

It was a kind and gentle touch.

I was dumbfounded, so I just stood there and watched her in silence.

“Do you usually do this?”

“Oh, yeah. I guess so, huh?”

“Mmm.”

When Dorothy finished wiping my nosebleed, she took the handkerchief back. The pink handkerchief was stained with red bloodstains.

Then, suddenly, green mana began to flow from the side of my chest. It appeared to be coming from Dorothy’s outstretched hand.

‘Oh, what?’

Suddenly, I felt a surge of strength, and the stiffness in my body disappeared in an instant!

“A buff. I used just enough so that your body won’t be overwhelmed tomorrow~”

Woah, isn’t this the best? I feel like I’ve just gotten a caffeine fix after studying and my mind was flashing.

I could be a little more intense with my training today!

“You can’t overdo it, President, okay?”

...As if she could read my mind.

“Thank you, Senior.”

“Hehe, resume training!”

Slap—!

Dorothy laughed and slapped me hard on the back, then headed back to the tree that she was leaning against.

Ah, that hurt a bit you know, but... Anyway, thanks to you, it was a big help.

This rule was implemented so there wouldn’t be a backlog.

“Applying for a duel only needs to be done between first-year students of the Magic Department. Classes are irrelevant. However, if a high-ranking student wins a match against a low-ranking student, the score will be reduced by the difference in mana and grade. Conversely, if a lower-ranking student wins a match against a higher-ranking student, he or she will get a large number of points.”

Because of these rules, most people would only duel students in their own class. They would be too scared to pick a fight with a student in a higher class than themselves, and they don’t get points for picking a fight with a student in a lower class.

That was why it was unusual for Ian to request a duel with Luce.

“Once you’ve decided on an opponent, report to me. For now, I will leave this time slot empty. Move only within Orphin Hall. Do as you please, but focus on gathering your opponents. Over.”

The moment Professor Fernando finished making the announcement.

Bang-!

The door slammed open, and the gazes of Professor Fernando and the Class D students turned toward the door in unison.

A confident voice followed.

“Ha! This is the Class D! So this is what the air at the bottom feels like!”

Suddenly, the door burst open and the person who appeared was Tristan Humphrey, a conceited blond aristocrat.

Long time no see. I had been dying to do something with him since the class placement evaluation.

“Tristan Humphrey?”

“He’s from the upper classes, isn’t he?”

“Why would someone like that be here...?”

Tristan was at the top of Class B. Maybe that was why all the students seemed intrigued and fearful at the same time.

“There you are.”

Tristan looked around at the students, then his eyes fixed on me.

He charged toward me at a brisk pace.

What the...?

“I, a nobleman, challenge you, a lowly Grade E commoner, to a duel.”

Bang-

He slammed his hand on the desk in front of me and flashed me an arrogant smile.

“Be grateful.”

You bastard, were you waiting...?

“What? Did you just ask for a duel with a Grade E?”

“There’s no merit at all... How much do you hate him?”

“When did you get on Tristan’s bad side, dude?”

“Of course he’s going to refuse, right? How can a Grade E beat him?”

Professor Fernando’s eyes were filled with intrigue amidst the students’ interest and whispers.

Tristan smiled as he stared at me steadfastly.

He seemed very happy at the thought of beating me up already.

I wonder how frustrated I would have been if he managed to beat me up that time during the class placement evaluation...

Still, I had to say that I was glad that he was trying to legitimately harass me through the curriculum.

“...”

...Wait a minute.

Wait a minute, wait a minute.

Lately, I think I’ve gotten a little cocky from hunting demons and fighting demonic creature illusions, but wasn’t this a sign of trouble?

Although Tristan was much weaker than the demons I fought so far, he was still much stronger than me.

[Tristan Humphrey] Lv: 76

Race: Human

Elements: Wind

Danger: X

Psychology: [Delighted at the thought of beating you up.]

I wonder when he leveled up like this. He was probably level 71 last time.

Of course, he wouldn’t have stayed still after being beaten by me. Given his personality, he definitely put in significant effort to get stronger. He must have learned defensive magic as well.

‘...I’m in big trouble.’

I’ll be damned...

“I won’t take no for an answer! Hahahaha─!”

Tristan laughed, taking out two tickets and throwing them at me.

The thin sheets of paper brushed past my cheek and fell onto my lap.

“...”

...You’re really trying to make me lose it, aren’t you?

Even if it means stepping on horse shit, I’m definitely going to beat the shit out of this guy.

T/N: Isaac referred to ‘Duel’ as PvP until now because of his background as a gamer, but the official term within the world is ‘Duel’, which he began using last chapter.