Chapter 12 – I Ended Up Fighting A Former S-Rank Adventurer
“I wish I could have fought more”
Although the battle with Marise ended up with my victory, I am still feeling kind of unsatisfied.
While thinking of that.
“You were doing something interesting, weren’t you? Let me join in too”
I thought I heard a voice and a man came up on the stage.
“D, Desmond-sama! You can’t! You’re just here for an observation today, aren’t you?”
Seeing that, the referees who were also the examiners seem to be in a panic.
The man they called Desmond is an old man, probably around the age of sixty or seventy based on his appearance.
He has gray hair and elegant beard.
But I had something else on my mind.
This guy, is he strong?
At first glance, he may look like a frail old man, but I can comprehend this much.
Underneath the clothes are muscles of steel.
In front of those piercing eyes that were staring at me, even if I were to launch a sudden attack now, he would be able to avoid my attacks.
“It’s fine isn’t it. I was just bored. Let me join in too”
Desmond made a cracking sound with his fists.
“If you can beat me, I’ll let you pass even if you get 0 point on other exam. Well, I don’t think that’s going to happen though”
“I refuse”
“Huh? By any chance, are you intending to escape from me out of fear—?”
“I’m going to pass the exam anyway without you telling me”
I said it half provokingly, but Desmond smiled broadly,
“Gahaha! You’re quite an interesting kid, aren’t you!”
He said that with a belly laugh.
“Y, you! Are you going to fight Desmond-sama, by any chance?”
In response to the examiner’s question.
“Yes”
Immediate reply.
Then the examiner became even more flustered, and
”Y, you, do you even know who Desmond-sama is! I know you’re strong and I understand that well enough. Get out of here quickly before you get hurt!”
“I’ll be fine”
I pushed the examiner aside and went in front of Desmond.
Incidentally, I don’t know who this guy is.
But, it’s enough to know he is strong.
“Kukuku. You’re really an interesting kid. I will be using a wooden sword, and you can use a real sword as you wish. Or do you prefer using magic only?”
Desmond assumed a stance with his wooden sword.
“No good. If you do that, you might end up injuring yourself”
“Oh? You’ve got some interesting things to say huh”
I’m not going to go easy on you.
My blood is boiling.
I want to fight to my heart’s content.
“Well, let’s fight equally then. It’s pointless to add a handicap, that will just make things boring. Hey, prepare another wooden sword for me! And then… Ojou-chan, get off the stage. Ojou-chan looks strong too but, still not strong enough”
“Okay……”
Much to her chagrin, Marise rushes off the stage.
Desmond called out, and out of nowhere, one of the examiners brought out a wooden sword.
“I’m always ready. I can’t use magic, but you may use it”
Desmond was tapping his shoulder with the wooden sword in a composed manner.
At first glance, it seems to be an opening.
However, it was obvious that if I rushed in carelessly, I would face a severe counter.
Interesting. Let’s purposely fight him within his range of field.
“Well then, here I go!”
I took a step forward, and in the blink of an eye, I closed our distance.
Then, without a moment’s delay, I swung my sword down on top of Desmond’s head.
“Hah…you’re young after all”
For a moment, Desmond let out a grin.
Desmond sweeps the wooden sword aside.
He’s trying to counter by avoiding my attacks.
If he continues to receive my attacks without using any defensive magic, I might be able to take a bone or two from him.
So I activated Quick Move here.
“Wha….!”
As if in response to my sudden increased movement speed, Desmond turned his sideways wooden sword into defense.
‘Clink!’
The swords clashed with each other.
“You, what is the meaning of this? You seem to be faster all of a sudden”
“Oh, it’s an elementary magic”
“Magic? Is there such a magic? As I thought, you’re not an ordinary person huh”
“You’re pretty good too”
Anyhow, I thought it would be settled by attacking with Quick Move.
But he defended against it…….
As expected of this guy.
It made me feel entertained.
“I’ll tell you my other (my past life) nickname”
I broke out of the sparring, while still wielding the sword, I unfolded my nickname.
“It’s Magic Swordsman!”
Mixing physics and magic in a battle was what I was best at.
That way, it was more convenient for me to fight alone.
I tried to make some friends, but no one else could keep up with my level.
It has 3 layers of basic body strengthening magic such as Quick Move, Eye Sight, and Rise Power.
Then I showered Desmond with endless sword attacks.
“I, incredible… I can’t see any of the movement”
“What the hell is happening on the stage?”
The audience are making confused voices.
For those who can’t see well, it must look overwhelming to them.
However, I was surprised by Desmond’s movement.
“Hahaha! Interesting, interesting! There’s nobody in this country that can go toe-to-toe with me!”
Desmond managed to keep up with my onslaught.
With that one sword, Desmond continued to receive my attacks.
This old man didn’t use any body strengthening magic, did he?
And to be able to contend with me….he’s a monster!
“Don’t laugh in the middle of a fight. Old man”
“It looks like you’re laughing too though”
Certainly, I might be laughing right now.
If it keep going like this, I’m sure I’ll be the one to push through due to the difference in stamina.
However, that’s too lavish for the fight.
If that’s the case……
“I saw an opening. Boy!”
Desmond’s gaze became even sharper.
After switched from defensive position. Desmond swung his sword in a flash.
It hit me straight on the head.
However — that’s the another me.
“Wha….! What is this?”
After Desmond finished swinging his sword, he was stunned by the smoky presence of me.
I used a magic called Create Avatar.
It uses magic power to create a humanoid mass and create an alter ego.
Since it does not have a real form, therefore the alter ego cannot perform an attack, but it can be used to deceive the opponent in this way.
“I guess this is the end of it”
In the meantime, I went behind Desmond and placed my wooden sword on the back of his neck.
“If this is a battlefield, you’re finished. Do you still want to continue the fight?
“……It’s my loss”
Desmond shoulders dropped after saying that, he dropped his sword to the ground too.
At that moment, an explosive cheer erupted in the hall.
“Who the hell is that guy? He has defeated Desmond-sama!”
“Desmond-sama is a legendary former S-rank adventurer, isn’t he? To defeat such a person… that guy is a monster!”
“There is a rumor that the demon Desmond, who was driven to war, single-handedly slaughtered a hundred of enemy soldiers…!”
“I heard his strength hasn’t diminished yet, even though he has already retired!”
A former S-rank adventurer?
“You’re an adventurer, aren’t you?”
“I’m already retired. But without knowing it, you still fought with me….you are making a fool out of me, boy!”
Desmond laughed cheerfully.
“It’s just that the information is wrong”
“A mistake?”
“It’s rumored that I slaughtered a hundred of enemy soldiers… but it was actually a thousand of enemy soldiers!”
……It seems like he is quite an unprecedented person.
I thought he was just kind of strong.
However, he has only used elementary magic, and it seems like he is not being serious yet.
“Who are you exactly…?”
Marise’s voice was shaking as she stepped off the stage.
I still can’t find someone who is stronger than me yet.
However, the royal capital is more than I had expected—and the magic school seems to be a fun place to be.
While feeling my heartbeat gradually throbbing, I left the venue.
<Author’s Note>
This will be the end of the entrance exam.
Thank you for reading!
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Chapter 11 – VS The Genius Mage
When I went up to the stage, there stood a pretty girl with purple hair.
With her arms crossed, and her expression was somehow sullen.
“Examinee number 99… it’s you huh. The genius who was said to cast a magic that can hit all the ten mud puppets”
The girl started talking before I even open my mouth.
‘Well, that’s right. Do you have something to complain about that?”
“Of course. I was… hoping to pass this school’s entrance exam at the top rank. And that’s where you came in. Wouldn’t I be tempted to complain a word or two if the obstacle to my goal is in front of me?”
It’s a grudge, isn’t it?
While feeling astonished beyond words, a few voices could be heard from the surrounding area around the stage.
“Hey, isn’t that Marise Sizenosna?”
“Yeah. It is also said that she is a genius mage of the Sizenosna family”
“Do you know about this? I heard that she hit a mud puppet with the magic and destroyed half of it in just one shot”
Apparently, the girl in front of me is named Marise.
She also seems to be quite a famous person.
But.
“But I heard that guy destroyed all the mud puppets too. Moreover, with defective magic”
“Hahaha! What’s with all the messed up talk? You can’t do that! How is it possible to use magic with defective magic in the first place?”
I could hear them talking about me, too.
The target exam was being held at several venues.
It seems like there are people here who doesn’t know what I did.
“You know, I heard that. It’s a defective magic”
Ahh, that defective magic word again.
The golden color, which is also the color of supremacy, why does it have to be said in such a way?
“Are you also going to make fun of me by saying that it’s a defective magic?”
“Making fun of you? I won’t do such a low level thing. It’s because — I have ‘inferior magic’ too. Deciding superiority or inferiority based solely on the type of magic is absurd”
I see.
I don’t know what that inferior magic was about, but it seems like this girl has a bit of a better sense of it.
The problem would be her ability though….
I wonder if she’ll be able to entertain me.
“Well then, allow me to cast a defensive magic on you”
As I was speaking, the examiner deployed a defensive magic on my body.
The defensive magic is very heavy and yet so fragile that it makes me want to discard it immediately.
But I’ve heard that if it breaks then it will be my loss.
I need to endure with it.
“Well then — Let the examination begin!”
The examiner announced it.
“What’s your name?”
“It’s Kurt”
“Kurt. I will not go easy on you… Gather yourselves together in these hands, O flame. Be a spear and … enemy …”
At the same time as the chanting magic was casted, three Fire Spears appeared around Marise.
Oh.
When I observed the target exam earlier, there’s nobody that has been able to deploy more than one Fire Spear at a time.
It looks like she has talents.
“Pierce and burn!”
Three fire spears were fired at the same time.
It seems the inferior magic that she mentioned earlier was the purple magic.
It’s a magic power that excels in long range magic.
If that’s the case…let’s not get carried away.
After the Fire Spears were fired, I slowly formed up a magic formula to create something with the same power as the incoming Fire Spears.
And then hit them with it, cancelling each other.
”Eh……”
Marise became speechless as she saw the Fire Spears cancelled each other.
”My God… are you saying that you can unleash a magic that’s equivalent in power to my Fire Spear? Who are you?”
To be precise, it was intentionally made equal.
I could have end it in an instant, but I think that will make the battle feel plain.
”Having destroyed all the mud puppets…… Maybe that’s not entirely a lie after all…… but!”
Without a moment’s delay,
“Gather yourselves together in these hands, O flame…”
She is trying to release the Fire Spear again.
Her deployment speed is quite fast.
It is incomparable to Cyril who only knows how to boast.
But, sad to say.
“It’s slow”
This girl’s magic is certainly fast.
However, if she continued to rely on chanting, she wouldn’t be able to do better.
Without chanting, I deployed the Fire Spear faster than Marise and fired it.
“Kyaa!”
She let out a small scream and fell on her butt as a Fire Spear pierced underneath Marise’s feet.
“W, what is this? This is the first time I see it, casting magic without chanting…? Is that even possible? And it was too fast!”
Apparently, Marise was perplexed after seeing my magic.
I guess this is the limit for this girl now. It seems that she hasn’t come close to entertaining me yet.
It looks like the defensive magic isn’t broken yet. Marise didn’t say “give up” either.
As I approached Marise.
”Kuh… I wanted to hide this as a secret move…but it can’t be helped!”
The color of Marise’s eyes changed from black to blue.
In an instant, she stood up while closing her eyes and began to chant magic.
“Our God. Give me the power of the Holy Sword on my hand. A Holy Sword, roar from the heaven and annihilate the enemy. I am Marise. The one who wields the power of God”
A magic formula slowly formed up.
Ohh, she’s going to use the ‘Holy Sword’, isn’t she?
It’s an intermediate level magic even in my past life.
“Oh. You’re doing pretty well, aren’t you?”
My voice leaked at the sight of a person-sized sword that appeared above my head.
”Are you sure you can afford to be so composed? This will be your… loss! <Holy Sword of God>!”
Marise waved her hand down, just as the Sword of Light was about to fall.
“But it’s still too slow”
“Eh?”
I casted dispel-magic.
A sound like broken glass was heard, and the Sword of Light disappeared without a trace.
”W, w…w….what is this? Where the hell is my Holy Sword?”
”It’s dispel-magic. Since you can use intermediate magic, so you should know that much, right?
”The Holy Sword, which is also located at the highest level of magic, is intermediate? Moreover dispel…magic?”
Marise was trembling all over and shivering as she saw the scene in front of her.
Ah— she never heard of dispel-magic?
It’s not like detection magic or body strengthening magic were common. This much was somewhat predictable.
Dispel-magic is a magic that analyzes and betrays the opponent’s magic.
To put it simply, it’s a skill that erase the opponent’s magic.
However, you need to analyze and understand the opponent’s magic perfectly, so you can’t use dispel-magic unless there’s a significant difference in ability.
“I’ve finished the analysis because you took so long in chanting”
“You want me to use magic without chanting?”
“Yeah. It’s easy”
“It’s just you!”
Hmm. I get it.
It seems that this world is based on the standard before the magic revolution I started… the chanting magic.
If that’s the case.
“I’ll show you the real Holy Sword”
“Wha….!”
I triggered the magic formula that I have formed beforehand.
Without chanting, of course.
Then, a Sword of Light appeared above Marise’s head, just like the one from earlier.
No, it’s not the same.
“I, it’s huge!”
Marise looked up and retreated in fear.
“This is the true Holy Sword”
The one she used was about the size of a person, while my Holy Sword was about the size of a house.
The venue was enveloped in a dazzling light and the surrounding audience seemed to be making a lot of noise.
”Since you have defensive magic, it should be fine if it’s just this much, right? Here I go, <Sword of Tiny Child> <— Holy Sword”
While facing Marise, I dropped the Sword of Light on her.
“Pl, please wait a minute! The exam is over! It’s over! That’s not something she can withstand with the defensive magic!”
The examiner made a hasty move and entered in between us.
Mariseis cringing at the sight of my magic.
The belligerent gaze that she had earlier was gone.
I wanted to continue using the magic as it is but… apparently, it seems like the match has been decided.
“Well, this is it huh”
The Sword of Light disappeared after I deactivated my magic.
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Chapter 10 – You Can’t Even Slay A Dragon Like That?
Next we headed to what looked like a large hall on the grounds of the school.
It seems that the examinees who have completed their exams elsewhere have also gathered here.
“Ah-, Kurt!”
While waiting for the exam to start, I leaned against the wall.
Lara came running up to me from the doorway.
”That magic just now was amazing! As expected of Kurt!”
“Not really”
I shrugged.
In fact, I didn’t take it seriously at all, so if I was being complimented on something like that, my body would start to itch.
While Lara and I were talking, the other examinees stared at me leeringly.
Lara is a beautiful girl.
And such a girl is talking to me…maybe they’re jealous of me.
“And I… I have to thank Kurt”
“Thank me? If it was about yesterday, there’s no need for that anymore”
“I don’t mean what happened yesterday! I’m talking about today!”
Lara said, gesturing to her hand that has the ring on it.
“This ring…… I’m sure Kurt did something to it, right?”
“……what makes you think that?”
”Um…, a hunch!”
Lara said it casually.
“…………”
“Ehhh! Why are you looking at me like that! It’s like you’re thinking ‘this person is an idiot’!”
Lara fluttered her hands.
Each of her reaction was big, it was very interesting.
“My instincts are always right at such times! Because this ring… it’s amazing, but it wasn’t like this when I bought it? At best, it’s just a bit easier to use magic than usual, I think? I was like, what was that about!”
“Isn’t that Lara’s ability?”
“That’s not it. I used to be confident in my magic but here I’m just as good as everyone else. Yesterday, when I showed Kurt the ring, you did something to it, didn’t you? So…thank you!”
Lara bows her head.
Earlier, Lara seemed to feel like people were thinking, “Isn’t this girl stupid?” but that’s not true.
Instincts are important.
That’s because it’s backed up by the experience and knowledge that’s been accumulated so far.
When you can’t figure out the answer even after thinking through to the very end.
There are times when I leave it to my luck too.
Moreover, Lara’s intuition is actually correct.
“But! But! Kurt’s a thousand times more…ummmm. A billion times better than me! I can’t believe you destroyed the mud puppets instead of just hitting it”
“If you can’t do that much, you won’t be able to slay a dragon?”
“I don’t think I’m going to slay a dragon! Or rather, there’s no way a human could take them down!”
What are you talking about?
In my past life, I had slayed over hundreds of dragons.
There wasn’t a single dragon among them that really satisfied me, though.
Besides……
“There are dragon hunters, right? What are they doing?”
”Dragon…hunter…?”
Lara cocked her head.
”S, such a terrifying person does not exist! Aren’t dragons just a legend?
“Ehh……”
Apparently, ‘Dragon Hunter’ is not a common job in this world.
In my past life, dragon hunters hunted dragons in a competitive manner.
There was once, they overhunted the dragons and I got angry with them.
That’s when I went to act as a mediator and made a peace treaty between human and dragon.
However, I came across a dragon that lived for 100,000 years, though it was still not enough for me but… until now, it was still a good memory.
“Besides, it seems like I’m the only one who compliments you, but I think Lara’s great too. It’s red magic, and I think it will grow further if you train it from now on”
Changing the subject.
I thought I complimented her, but Lara dropped her shoulders.
“Thank you…but I’m not even close. That’s because I have the ‘Unfortunate Magic’”
“Unfortunate magic?”
”I’m sure Kurt knows this too, but it’s a magic power that’s not suited for attack-type magic. Because of that, it’s also difficult for me to become an adventurer… that’s why they call me unfortunate”
You’re saying that red magic isn’t suited for attack?
That’s the complete opposite of what I know, huh.
Moreover, even if red is not suited for attacking, they can still be used for support magic and body strengthening magic and participate actively in adventurers’ party.
“It’s a funny story……”
“Eh?”
“That perception is wrong. Red is definitely a magic that excel in attacking. I don’t know where you got that from, but you need to be more confident in yourself”
At this point, I’m going to believe it when they say that 1000 years ago, an aristocrat who was jealous of me pretended that the magic revolution didn’t happen…….
…no, it’s possible because it’s them we are talking about.
“All right! Thank you for comforting me. I like Kurt!”
I just told her the truth, but apparently Lara misunderstood me.
Good grief.
“–We will now begin the final exam”
Oh.
I was talking to Lara and seems like it’s time for the exam.
It seemed that they were using some kind of sound amplifier magic to have their voice echo throughout the hall.
“The final exam is a PvP battle. I will now give you the combination and stage numbers in turn. Examinees should promptly move to the stage where their number has been allocated and begin the examination”
Hmm-.
”When starting the exam, we’ll cast a defensive magic on you one by one. If that defensive magic is broken, or either one side give-up or the time runs out, the exam ends there. Also, we, the examiners, will be watching your fight as a referee. Please note that if the referees stop the fight, it will be over”
I see.
After explained so much, the point in short was just to show that you’re stronger than your opponent within the time limit huh?
Up until now, the written and practical exams were boring, so hearing this made my heart skipped a beat.
”Wa wa wa, it’s a hand-to-hand combat. I’m not very good at fighting with people”
Lara bent her knees lightly and trembled.
Then the examinee numbers were called out in turn.
“Examinee number 99 — — examinee number 200, please move to Stage 1 for the examination”
Oh, my name is finally being called.
“Kurt, please do you best alright!”
“Yeah”
“I’m sure you’ll win!”
“It’s a given”
“I’m going to pray for you to not get a strong opponent!”
What are you talking about?
It’s obvious that the stronger the better.
I hope my opponent is strong.
I turned my back on Lara and went up to the circle shaped stage.
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Chapter 9 – The Target Was Unexpectedly Fragile
”Here, you will have to hit the mud puppet with magic. So to put it another way, it’s a ‘targeting’ exam”
The examiner explained to the examinees including me which were gathered in the school yard.
At a short distance away from us, several mud puppets are moving left and right.
Apparently, they were controlled by magic.
But from reading the built-in magic formula, it seems to be of low quality.
After it moves a certain distance to the right, it will then move to the left and back to the right again, it’s just like a puppet simply going back and forth repeatedly.
It’s poorly made, but this is the first time I’ve seen something that looks like a magic tool.
“Mud puppets…! As expected of the magic school in the royal capital”
“Are those high-class products?”
“Yeah. It is said to be silly for one to cost more than 10 gold coins”
Looking at the moving mud puppets, the examinees around me were murmuring in hushed tones.
“Now I will be explaining more about the exam in details. All of you will be standing on this line”
I looked at my feet and saw that a single white line had been drawn.
”Without stepping out of this line, I’ll have you release Fire Spear, which is also the basic magic. Just stay focus on the mud puppet”
I see.
This practical exam is to shoot at a moving target with magic.
It’s simple but profound.
“The mud puppet over there…?”
”Is it even possible to hit a target that’s moving around like that with magic…?”
There’s murmur around me.
Seeing this, the examiner slowed down his tone,
“Don’t worry. Even if you can’t hit the mud puppet with magic, the score of the exam will be determined by the speed and strength of the Fire Spear’s construction. In other words, even if you can’t hit it, it doesn’t mean that you will get a 0 point, so please give your best and use all your power —that’s about it”
Hearing this, the examinees around me breathed a sigh of relief.
Hmm.
You don’t have to be able to hit it, said by the examiner.
But a mage who can’t hit a target of this magnitude will only have a hard time in the future.
I can’t think of any other option but to ‘hit it’ from the start.
“Well then, let’s start with examinee number 1, please”
Thus, the ‘targeting’ practical exam started.
In turn, the examinees stood in front of the white line and unleashed their magic.
“Gather yourselves together in these hands, O flame. Be a spear, pierce the enemy and burn them”
I feel like Cyril was muttering something in a whisper too, but what were those embarrassing words?
Perhaps……it’s a chant?
Well, that’s all I can think of.
It’s a method that was used before I started the magic revolution.
It was so old that I forgot it existed because I hadn’t used it.
A feeble flaming spear released from the examinee heads towards the mud puppet.
But it seemed to have missed the target.
“Well that’s obvious. If you’re using chanting magic, you’re not going to have much control over it”
The reason is that the chanting magic is ‘something completed’ by itself.
It’s less versatile than building a magic formula from scratch.
It won’t hit the mud puppet that simply going back and forth easily.
“Well then, next examinee please!”
One after the other, the examinees casted their magic.
“Gather yourselves together in these hands, O flame. Be a spear, pierce the enemy and burn them!”
“Gather yourselves together in these hands, O flame. Be a spear, pierce the enemy and burn them!”
The magic was released one after the other.
However…it’s not looking good.
The flaming spears released by the examinees at the same time didn’t hit the mud puppet, they landed on the ground.
“Next! Examinee number 50”
“Yes~!”
A pretty voice was heard, and a girl stepped out of the crowd of people.
Oh.
That is… is that Lara?
The girl that I helped yesterday.
Now, let’s see what you are capable of.
“……gather in these hands, O flame. Be a spear, pierce the enemy and burn them”
Just like everyone else, Lara chants the same chanting magic.
Hmm….from what I saw, it seems that Lara’s magic power is red in color.
Red color huh. It’s a magic color that excels in attack-type magic.
Flames gathered in Lara’s hands and eventually formed a spear of flame that was much larger than the other examinees.
“Eh?”
Lara, the person in question, looks surprised.
Then the large flame spear rushed forward with a ‘goooo’ sound.
It couldn’t hit the mud puppet but landed on the ground nearby it and caused an explosion with a loud thud.
A lukewarm blast reached here.
As if everyone was surprised to see that.
“W, what the heck! That attack magic was….!”
”It really was Fire Spear, wasn’t it? It couldn’t hit the mud puppet but…… I’m sure it could annihilate the enemy if it was that strong”
”She did well even though it’s an unfortunate magic”
They looked at her and said that.
It’s a chanting magic, so it probably couldn’t be equipped with a homing feature, but its power is different compared to the other examinees.
“Eh, eh? What’s going on? I’ve never casted such a powerful magic before, could it be the effect of the ring? No, but…it wasn’t like this when I test-fired it before buying the ring….”
Lara looked puzzled and looked at the ring on the finger of her right hand.
Come to think of it, I have improved that defective ring.
But.
“Lara can become a fine mage after all”
The quality of her magic is good.
It was just 200%. It shouldn’t have that much of an effect.
Right now, she is still using the inefficient method called chanting magic, so she can’t hit the mud puppet….if I could train her from scratch, she’d be an excellent mage.
“Well then……next! Examinee number 99!”
It’s my turn.
I take a step forward and stare at the mud puppet.
“Kurt~, goodluck~”
I looked back and saw Lara waving her hand at me.
Because of that, everyone is looking at Lara and me.
“……It’s embarrassing”
I scratched my head.
Well, I’m not in a bad mood.
All right. I can’t show everyone my uncool part.
I analyzed the mud puppet and formed a magic formula.
There were a few examinees who were able to hit the puppet, but none of them were able to break it.
So it’s hard to know what the strength is… but let’s suppose a [Strength + 1000%] has been granted to it.
There are ten moving mud puppets.
……analysis complete.
“Will this be enough?”
I created ten Fire Spears.
Of course, they also have a homing feature added to them to prevent from being strayed away from the target.
I fired them in unison and the ten Fire Spears went straight towards the mud puppet.
Every single one of them was hit.
The mud puppet set off an explosion, which caused a chain of explosion.
“Uwaaaa!”
“What happened!”
The screaming voices of the examinees echoed throughout the schoolyard.
And by the time the gray smoke had subsided……
“M, mud puppets had been completely annihilated!”
“Also, it looked like the Fire Spear was simply headed towards the puppet…?”
“Moreover, that gold-colored magic….a defective magic? It shouldn’t be, I must have seen wrongly. I’ve never heard of such a thing being possible with the defective magic”
It’s a given. I’ve added a homing feature to it.
But apparently, the mud puppets were made of a brittle material.
I can’t believe that a magic of this magnitude could destroy all of them.
“I’ve never seen a mud puppet get crushed before!”
“Yeah, I’m with you. According to one theory, it has an endurance that rivals even the armor made of orichalcum… or so I heard?”
Orichalcum?
Ohh, that brittle metal.
I never thought it would be made of such a brittle material, since I had found a metal far stronger than that 1000 years ago.
“Kurt, you’re really amazing~!”
Lara came running up to me and gripped my hands tightly.
”Ha, haha…… all the mud puppets are broken. What should I do with the exam……I mean, you could just hit one of them……why do you have to hit all of them?”
Meanwhile, the examiner, whose glasses have been shifted, was at a loss when he saw the broken mud puppets.
I felt sorry for him, so I repaired the mud puppets with magic after this.
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Chapter 8 – The Written Exam Was Easy
The magic school is located in the most prosperous area of the royal capital, also known as the ‘Central City’.
When I got there, the first thing that caught my eye was the magnificent and glittering school building.
“Your examination number is 99, right? Please do your best!”
When I walked to the reception desk, I was given a name tag with ‘99’ written on it, which I wore on my chest.
Now… it’s time for the exam.
There’s no way I’m going to fail the exam and return to the village with shame.
I motivated myself and walked into the school building.
Apparently, the Rosanlila Magic School’s entrance exam was divided into a written exam and a practical exam.
First, it was a written exam, so we were crammed into the classroom designated by the examination number.
“The exam time limit is 90 minutes. Let’s give your best, everyone!”
At the signal from the examiner, everyone turns their paper to the front in unison.
Well… I think I can make it through the practical exam, but I’m a little worried about the written exam.
At any rate, 1000 years has been passed since my past life.
It’s because the common sense that I know of may have been obsolete in many ways.
I mean, in the fifteen years that I’ve been here, all the common sense that I know of has been completely betrayed….
I buckled up then grabbed the pen and looked at the question.
……yeah. If it’s this one, I’ll be able to solve it.
The history field is a little difficult for me but since I’ve been studying it, so I think I can manage it somehow.
The questions are centered on the history of the last 200 years or so.
1000 years ago – the world that I lived in, what kind of tradition has been passed down since then?
I read through the literature, but there’s no mention of the magic revolution that has happened 1000 years ago.
Is it because it’s too old?
No, it was only 1000 years ago. That should be unlikely.
While thinking about these, I answered the questions with ease.
Now, on to the magic field.
I don’t have to worry about anything here.
Even in a world where magic skills are in decline, these questions have been reduced to the student standard.
In fact, as I went through it, I saw a row of questions that were too easy for me.
‘Question ● Answer one part of this magic formula that’s wrong’
Hmm?
What the hell is this?
There’s not just one part that’s wrong, it’s almost entirely wrong. This is a bullshit magic formula.
Do you think you can create magic with this kind of magic formula?
I did a quick calculation and found twenty-eight parts were wrong.
Or rather, It’s not a waste of time to rewrite it from the beginning.
So I rebuilt the magic formula from scratch.
‘Question ● Consider the characteristics of this magic circle, developed by Dr. Malomerg and how will it be used in combat’
Dr. Malomerg?
I’ve never heard of this name before.
But the written magic circle was of too low quality.
Even though it’s not a big deal, but accident could happen at this rate, isn’t it?
Yeah, I should just write that it’s a terrible magic circle.
I wrote down the flaws of this magic circle without giving a care of it.
And it’s useless in combat. If I were to use it unreasonably, I’d say this is how I feel about it.
I’m going to solve the question in this way.
But when I got to the last question, I stopped my pen for a second.
That’s because the difficulty was clearly different from the other questions.
“I see……”
I can’t help but let my voice leak out at the thought.
That’s the way it should be.
–This is because the magic theory that I had created 1000 years ago was written here.
But apparently its written wrongly.
It was misrepresented after 1000 years of time.
But of all the magic theories that I’ve come up with, this one was built in such a way that even a child could understand it.
It’s not that hard to do.
It was a little more difficult than the other ones, but this one is also within the student standard.
(…….all right. So, I have reached the end, huh)
I muttered to myself.
And I have like…… 60 minutes left?
There’s still a lot of time left, isn’t it?
I looked around and saw that everyone was still silently working on their pens.
I guess they’re going to review it until the end.
But the standard of these questions was so low that it’s unlikely for them to make any careless mistake.
So I lay down on my desk and decided to sleep for the remaining 60 minutes.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
“The test is over…! Please put your pen on the table”
The voice of the examiner woke me up.
The answer sheets were collected.
“The next one would be the practical exam. Please gather in the schoolyard”
With that said, the examiner left the classroom.
I listened to the voices around me as I followed in the direction everyone else was heading.
“That was indeed the exam for the prestigious Rosanlila Magic School, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, that was hard… I might not have even solved a quarter of it”
“Especially the last question, what was that? I’ve never seen anything like that before, you know?”
Apparently, everyone lacks confidence.
But I think this is a deliberate self-deprecation to catch everyone off guard.
The reason is that it is unlikely that anyone taking the magic school’s entrance exam would not be able to solve a question of that magnitude.
Catching your opponent off guard is fundamental in a fight.
“They can’t be underestimated, isn’t it?”
Well, that’s fine.
The next one is the practical exam.
It will be less boring than the written exam.
I followed everyone and arrived at what looked like a huge schoolyard.
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Chapter 7 – I Tried Granting Magic To The Equipment
“……your face is a little bit too close”
“Wa wa! I’m sorry!”
The girl pulled her face away immediately.
Did I scare her?
I don’t particularly mean to be offended.
It’s just that I haven’t spoken much with girl since my past life, so I was bewildered by that.
While I was wondering what I should do,
”I haven’t introduced myself yet, have I? My name is Lara! I’m fifteen years old!”
The girl — Lara said it with a cheerful look on her face.
“What about you?”
“I’m Kurt. Kurt Lepracta. I’m fifteen years old too”
“Kurt-san!”
“Kurt is fine. I don’t really like being labeled with ‘san’ for every single time”
We’re of the same age.
So there’s no need to be fixated on that.
“Then Kurt it is! That was an amazing move earlier, wasn’t it? I wonder if Kurt is a swordsman”
Hmm?
“I’m not a swordsman. I’m a mage”
”Eh…?”
“You did saw I was using a body strengthening magic earlier, right?”
“Body……strengthening……?”
Lara twitches her head.
Oh, that’s right….
Apparently, body strengthening magic wasn’t common in this world.
I coughed and cleared my throat, then
”Well anyway… that move I made earlier was only possible because of magic”
”So there’s also magic that I do not know of… even so, this is an unexpected meeting!”
Lara suddenly smiled,
“I’m a mage too! I came here to take the entrance exam for the magic school but… then I was entangled by those men earlier…”
Lara turned her gaze to the fallen men.
Those guys had their eyes rolled and shows no sign of waking up.
“You should be careful. Aside from the countryside, weird guys will spring up in a city like the royal capital”
“I’m sorry…”
Lara dropped her shoulders with a sigh.
“If it’s a cute girl like Lara, you’ll easily get entangled by weird men”
“Eh? I’m cute?”
“Y, yeah….. Are you feeling uncomfortable being told this out of the blue? If that’s the case, then I apologize”
I got confused.
…I don’t really know how to talk to a girl properly.
It has been like that since my past life.
In my past life, I was so focused on perfecting my magic that I didn’t even make any friends, let alone a girlfriend.
“I see, I am cute… cute….”
Lara is humming to herself.
By the looks of it, she wasn’t in a bad mood.
“But if you’re a mage, why didn’t you use your magic to defeat those men earlier?”
“I was so scared that I couldn’t move my body… but thank goodness Kurt helped me out!”
Seems like she’s not used to fighting huh.
From what I saw, the quantity and quality of Lara’s magic power were quite good.
I only saw her magic power briefly, so this was just a rough guess…… but I think her magic power was better than Cyril’s from the village.
I wonder if it’s normal for 15 years old people to be unfamiliar with hand-to-hand combat.
Nonetheless.
“You just mentioned about taking the entrance exam for the magic school, right?”
“Yeah!”
“I’ll be taking the entrance exam tomorrow too. I’ve also heard that there will be a practical exam… if it comes to exchanging magic, I’ll be looking forward to it”
“Eh? Did Kurt come to enroll into the magic school too?”
“Yes? Is that weird?”
“It’s weird! When I saw your movement earlier, I thought you are already working actively as an adventurer!”
What’s so exaggerated about that?
Compared to my past life, even though most of my power has returned but, that just now was just a sloppy fight though?
“I don’t know how Lara feels about this, but this is the truth. I will be taking the entrance exam for the magic school tomorrow”
“Fueehhhhh…… I can’t believe someone like Kurt is going to take it, then I wonder if I should take it tomorrow……”
Apparently, she has lost her confidence.
Lara looked gloomy while hanging her head.
“B, but! I have this though!”
Immediately, Lara looked up and held up her hands.
Apparently, there’s a ring attached to her index finger.
“What’s that?”
“It’s ‘Mizorato’s Ring’ that I bought from a famous magic equipment store in the royal capital. If I put this on, it seems to have the ability to enhance my magic… Surely I’ll pass too, right?”
Oh, is that so…….
Even in my past life, there were equipment that were granted with magic.
I also remembered that I wore something like the ‘Dark Taforuku’s Ring’ that can increase my magic output by 100 times more.
Ever since I reincarnated to this world, this is the first time I see one.
“Do you mind if I take a look at it?”
“By all means!”
While feeling the nostalgia of my past life, I received the ring from Lara.
I took the ring and analyzed it and…. I’m appalled by it.
–What’s with this terrible equipment?
It’s probably a piece of equipment designed to efficiently convert magic power to the magic at the moment of its output.
But the structure is too crude.
The magic circuit inside this ring is a messy dead end, with a lot of detours.
If this is the case, it would be inefficient rather than being efficient in serving its purpose.
“Well, how is it? Isn’t it beautiful!”
Lara peeked at my face.
“How much money did you pay for this?”
“Errr… it was pretty expensive…”
When I heard the amount from Lara, I was even more appalled.
It’s a pretty hefty price tag.
That’s the kind of price that can allow a family of four to live in for about three months if they live modestly.
“…………”
“Eh, Kurt. What’s wrong? Why are you suddenly staring at me like that? You’re making me feeling kind of embarrassed….”
Lara blushes.
Poor thing…….
You got ripped off, didn’t you?
I can’t believe she was given such a bad product at such a price.
“Lara”
“Yes?”
“Stay strong”
“What do you mean?”
Lara stared at me in wonder.
Somehow, I felt pitiful for this girl.
“It can’t be helped……”
I looked at Lara’s ring again.
This is a good opportunity.
Moreover, since coming to this world, I’ve yet to use any granting magic.
Shall I fix it for you just a little bit?
I transferred my magic into the ring and fixed the messy magic circuit.
……hmmm. If this had been the case, the conversion efficiency would have been decent.
And then, I granted another [Magic Output +200%] magic to it.
“Here you go Lara. I’ll give it back to you. Thank you”
“You’re welcome!”
Lara received the ring with great care and put it on her finger once more.
It’ll be good if it was this much.
It’s just that the ripped off ring is now finally worth the price.
I could have altered the ring further, but that would have been too grandiose.
“Then Kurt! Let’s do our best tomorrow”
“Yeah”
I hope she can pass the test too.
With that in mind, I headed to the inn and prepared for tomorrow.
And finally.
It was the day of the entrance exam for the magic school.
<Author’s Note>
The entrance exam of the magic school will start from the next chapter.
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Chapter 6 – It Seems There Are Cute Girls In The City
The Rosanlila Magic School is located in the royal capital.
So, I got in my carriage and set foot to the royal capital on the day before the entrance exam.
“This is the royal capital huh…”
As expected of the royal capital which is the most prosperous in this country.
It’s a far cry from the village where I was born and raised.
It’s overflowing with people.
The buildings are packed to the brim.
However, I still don’t see any kind of magic tools at all.
“As I thought, magic skills are in decline even in the royal capital, huh?”
For instance, I would use Quick Move magic even if it was just for a little run after the magic revolution in my past life.
Even those in the profession of carrying heavy loads or building houses would also use a body strengthening magic called Rise Power.
There is no indication that it is being used here.
Apparently, the decline of magic skills wasn’t just happening in the village.
Well, I’ve read books and such, so this is pretty much what I have expected.
As I was wandering around the city looking for an inn to stay today.
“St… stop it!”
I heard a loud female voice.
It seems to be emanating from an alley a little further down the road.
“What’s that about?”
I used my detection magic to get an idea of what is going on in the alley.
There’s a girl… surrounded by three men.
The girl could only scream as if she was frightened.
I can sense magic power from that girl.
I’m thinking that I could get her out of the predicament by using magic.
However, I can’t do that from here.
I could just leave it alone, but I won’t feel good if I heard the news that ‘a girl has been killed’ later.
“Hey”
I went into the alley and called out to them.
“What is it? Who are you?”
“Are you trying to make a move on us?”
“We’re the Alan Trio, that can even silence a crying child!”
That’s what I figured out with the detection magic.
Brainless-looking guys surrounding a single girl.
As soon as the Allan Trio saw me, they gave me a sharp gaze.
”It doesn’t look like it’s just a pick-up, does it? You’re being too pushy for a pick-up artist. She doesn’t seem to like want you’re doing though?”
While saying that, I observed them.
…The tallest guy. It seems like he has been working out reasonably well as his muscles looks much different to the rest of them.
However, it’s an inefficient way of training as it would be impossible to break a rock like that.
The person I need to watch out for the most would be that little guy.
Although he looks weak, but he has a dagger hiding inside his pocket.
So as I said, “What’s going on?”
“Hah…..! This girl started the fight. She doesn’t even apologize after bumping into me”
The men smirked and grinned.
“Ugh, that’s a lie! These people suddenly stopped me when I was walking…. then took me to a place like this!”
The girl leans forward to make an appeal.
Now that I looked closely at the girl…… she seems to be around my age?
She’s a pretty girl with chestnut colored hair.
I don’t know if these guys were just seducing people or if they were trying to commit violence. By the looks of things, it seems to be the latter.
However, the lovely looking girl clearly didn’t like it.
“You…! Don’t you dare talk funny of me like that!”
The guy moved his right hand.
With his fist clenched. Apparently, he’s trying to swing down at the girl.
–Hitting a girl is unacceptable.
I activated my Quick Move magic and ran to the guy in an instant.
“Hey. I told you to stop it”
I gripped his wrist while saying that.
“What? When did you get here?”
Apparently, he couldn’t keep up with me using his eyes.
“Uooo…!”
I twisted up the confused guy’s wrist and slammed him to the ground hard.
“Damn you! What the hell are you doing?”
“You’ve got a lot of nerve to pick a fight with the Alan trio!”
Oh, shut up.
It’s grating.
They all came at me at once.
Their movement are terrible. If it’s like this, Cyril from the village is a lot better than them.
It would be a waste to use offense magic for this.
The Quick Move magic that can increase oneself movement speed is all I need.
“Uoooooo! Take this! –Uoo…!”
I tripped the leg of the guy who had raised his fist.
The guy slammed his head hard onto the ground and lost consciousness.
“Damn you! I will avenge my brothers!!!!!!!”
The other guy pounces on me with his right fist up in the air.
But his aim is the left hand that has slipped into the pocket.
He’s going to take out the dagger and try to rip my throat out.
“It’s too slow”
I muttered to myself.
It took him 2 seconds to swing down his right fist.
After that, it took him another 0.5 seconds to thrust at my throat with the dagger taken out of his pocket using his left hand.
I had yawned once before that and went behind him with still plenty of time to spare.
“I have got you!!!! …… eh?”
“Were you looking at my afterimage?”
I took his dagger from him and tapped the handle of the dagger against his cheek.
”Ah, ahhh……”
“You need to train harder. I can teach you that if you want. But my tuition fees won’t be cheap”
“Da, dammnnnn you!!!!”
The guy turned around and tried to bite me.
As I shifted my position slightly, the guy who was about to attack me ran straight into the wall of the building.
“I don’t want you messing with that girl again”
“Whoa! Wh, what the hell is this!”
I approached him who is currently in pain from behind and activated Aerial Remove.
The power of the wind caused the guy’s body to rise fluffily into the air and
”O-oi!”
He was slammed to the ground.
The guy who couldn’t even take the slightest action just passed out like that.
“So much for the level of the royal capital”
I clapped my hands and sweep my arms.
Well, it seems like these guys weren’t mages.
They are just thugs.
I’m sure if I go to the Magical School, I’d see something of a much higher level.
“U, um!”
As I was thinking about that with my hands on my chin, the girl from earlier called out to me.
“Thank you! You were very cool!”
The girl approached me and held my hands tightly as she looked up at me.
I unintentionally thought to myself.
She is cute……
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Chapter 5
Invitation to the Magic Academy
“May I have a moment please…?”
As I was patting Cyril cheek while waiting for him to wake up, a guy called to me.
“Harold-san!”
Cyril’s cronies looked at that guy and greeted him.
“I just watched the fight earlier. You…… what are you?”
Harold-san gaze was fixed straight on mine.
This man called Harold.
At first glance he appears to be just a nice guy, but he looks a lot stronger than Cyril.
I must be vigilant.
Was such a thought too visible?
”Ahh, I’m sorry. Seems like I have may have made you feel caution of me. My name is Harold. I’m the father of Cyril who’s currently unconscious over there”
Cyril’s father…?
He might be thinking, “How dare you beat my child? Now it’s my turn to fight you!”, the usual kind of occurrence.
That would be– very fun!
My heart gets pumped up as I’m thinking about that.
“Don’t give me such a piercing look. Are you thinking that it’s going to be my turn now?”
“Isn’t that going to happen? I heard that Cyril’s dad is a vigilante”
I try to use honorifics as he is older than me.
A vigilante is a person who protects this village.
Sometimes he fights with the monsters and sometimes he would settle the disputes in the village.
Therefore, he is probably a little stronger than other people.
“Hahaha. Honestly, from what I saw earlier, I don’t feel like I can defeat you. You did defeat my son, you know”
Huh?
”But…but…with all due respect, this Cyril boy only knows how to be boastful…”
“He may be weak compared to you, but my son is pretty good too, isn’t he? He has the perfect magic and I’m sure he will surpass me in the future”
Seriously?
“It seems like you are in doubt, I don’t think there are many people in your age of group who can beat my son, but you took him down in an instant, so I don’t think I’m going to be able to win”
Harold-san shrugged.
You think Cyril is strong?
How much has this world fallen into decline?
“Your movement speed doesn’t seem normal for a human… could it be that you had some kind of special training?”
“It’s magic”
“Magic?”
“Yeah. I used magic to increase my movement speed”
“Ehhhh… there’s such a magic?”
Harold-san cocked his head.
”It’s a body strengthening magic. It’s not such an uncommon magic, so maybe Harold-san has seen it too?”
“I’ve heard that in a very long time ago, there’s a dreamlike magic for sword user like me… you don’t think that it actually exist, do you?”
As I thought… it seems that body strengthening magic isn’t common either
Come to think of it, even in the fight with Cyril, there was no indication that he was applying any kind of body strengthening magic.
Or rather, he didn’t seem to know.
Even though it’s a must in a battle between mages.
I’ve been racking my brains.
”If it’s you, you might be able to do it even if you enroll in the Rosanlila Magic Academy”
“The Rosanlila Magic Academy?”
Now it’s my turn to tilt my head.
“Yeah. It’s the world’s best magic academy in the capital. At there, promising children of mages from all over the world are gathered and educated day and night. Those who graduate from there would join the Knight Order or leave behind legends as an adventurer… by producing glorious achievements. Something like that”
Oh my.
It seems to be a wonderful place.
It’s unlikely that there’s another ‘children’ that is stronger than me but at least it might not be as boring as this village is.
“So, what do you think of it? I’m sure you can do it. It would be a shame to bury your talent here. Therefore, why don’t you think about enrolling in the Rosanlila Magic Academy…?”
A Magic Academy huh…
Somehow it feels interesting.
I thought of becoming an adventurer and travel around the world in the future but seems like it’s not too late to do so even after graduating from the magic academy.
I’m still concerned about the current state of magic, which is in decline compared to the past life.
I might learn something if I know what kind of education is being taught in this era.
It might be only this village has the wrong kind of common sense for magic.
The correct knowledge of magic may be passed on in the royal capital.
It’s just that Harold, who moved here from another town is also like this, so this seems unlikely.
”How can I enroll into the magic academy? I want to get enrolled now!”
“Don’t panic. You have to be fifteen years old to enter the Magic Academy. You’re about as old as Cyril by the looks of it, aren’t you?”
“Fifteen years old….”
Three more years.
I felt like it’s a long time.
“Besides, the entrance exam over there is difficult. There’s no guarantee that you’ll pass. That’s why you have to train hard until you’re fifteen years old”
Harold said admonishingly to me as I dropped my shoulders.
I wasn’t sure what to do now but I have some goals for now.
Enter the Magic Academy.
And we get to the mystery of the decline of this world.
Just thinking about it made my heart gets pumped up more.
After that, I convinced my parents.
Harold-san also helped me in persuading my parents.
As a result, I was allowed to enroll into the Magic Academy on the condition that I would return home during the long holidays.
No, since I do not know whether I would be accepted or not.
And I have no intention of failing it.
So, I decided to spend another three years working on my magic and body.
As my body grew, it became easier to move and at this rate, it was only a matter of time before I could catch up with the power I have had during my prime… or rather, surpass it.
And three years later.
I have finally turned fifteen years old, and the entrance exam for the magic academy starts tomorrow.
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Chapter 4
Never Heard Of Body Strengthening Magic?
In spite of the white bison commotion, there was a peaceful time in the village.
As far as I’m concerned, I hate feeling bored, but peace isn’t a bad thing.
Long live the peace.
Maybe you might not believe this, but I actually am a pacifist.
“Well then, I’ll be going out to play again today”
“Okay. There’s a boy named Cyril who’s about your age that just moved in. Please befriend him”
Despite these exchanges, I was about to leave the house and head for the forest today.
”Hey, defective magic!”
……Oh, that guy again.
Turning to the direction the voice came from, Cyril approached me with a wooden sword in each hand.
“What’s the matter? Do you want me to show you the magic of the defective magic again?”
“What are you talking about? The last one…it’s…a fluke, right?”
What the hell are you talking about?
There was no such thing as a magic that can be casted on a whim.
You must precisely assemble the magic formula and then pour in the magic power.
Cyril is a wizard too so he should know that to an extent, right?
“Well then what the hell do you want from me?”
“Today… I challenge you to a duel!”
Said Cyril while holding out a wooden sword.
“Duel?”
“Yeah! It’s like before, a fluke can happen. I’m going to show you how strong I am in a one-on-one fight!”
The expression on Cyril’s face as he says so was full of confidence.
A wooden sword….
I got it from Cyril.
It’s been a long time since I’ve had one of these.
Well, that’s good.
It will be a good exercise.
“All right. What about the rules?”
“Until one of us gives in!”
Another sketchy rule.
We then made our way to the village square.
“Cyril-sama? What are you doing?”
When I got there, some of Cyril’s cronies from before were there too.
“I’m going to duel with this guy. Good timing. You guys can be our witness”
“But… this guy killed a huge monster like that before, didn’t he?”
“What is it? Are you saying I’m going to lose to this guy?”
“But….”
“Besides, the last one was just a fluke! There’s no way I’m going to lose to this guy!”
Cyril continues to take on an insolent attitude.
I’m not impressed with making myself too well known than I need to be.
“Hey, hey! Let’s get started”
“I know!”
We took a certain distance and faced each other.
”Hehe, it’s not fun to give in too soon. You’re going to have to entertain me a little bit”
“Me? By you?”
That should be my line.
”Oh, by the way, can I use magic?”
“Of course! I’m a mage after all! Though, there’s no way I could lose in swordsmanship too”
I’m glad the usage of magic was allowed.
In addition, I can observe the swordsmanship of this era too, this seems to be a very meaningful time to spend.
Or rather, that’s what I’m going to do.
“So–let’s get to it!”
Cyril’s mouth signaled the start.
Now let’s see what Cyril has got in store for me.
“Here I come. Uoooooooo!”
Cyril raised his wooden sword and pounced on me.
I’m appalled to see that.
–A special attack without the use of body strengthening magic?
That’s not possible.
Since he is a mage, it should be normal for him to apply one or two strengthening magic on top of the body.
I didn’t think he would be foolish enough to just charge in like that.
No, let’s not let our guard down.
While having such thought, I held up my wooden sword and activated both Quick Move and EyeSight at the same time.
Quick Move is a magic that makes oneself to move faster while eyesight is a magic that makes it easier to see your opponent’s movements.
“Ohhhhhhh! ……Eh?”
The moment he swung his wooden sword down.
I was already behind Cyril.
“What’s the matter? Is that all you got?”
“—What!”
I tapped him on the shoulder, and Cyril turned around while looking shocked.
“What the hell did you do?”
“I don’t know what you are talking about. Wasn’t it just a couple of body strengthening magic layered on top of each other?”
”Body…strengthening? I don’t know what you’re saying. I’ve never heard of such magic. Besides, there’s no way you can use two magic at the same time!”
Haven’t you heard of body strengthening magic?
And what’s so surprising about using two magic at the same time?
In my past life, it was common for me to stack 20 or 30 layers of magic at the same time.
Is this what we call ‘common sense’ in this world?
“Kuh….! As usual, what you’re doing is incomprehensible!”
While I was dumbfounded, Cyril did a backstep and took a distance.
”I was going to show you my swordsmanship too, but I changed my mind! I’m going to finish you off with my magic!”
Anyhow, Cyril threw his wooden sword to the ground.
”Hey, hey, why are you letting go of the wooden sword?”
“Because it’s a distraction! You don’t need to be holding a wooden sword to use magic, do you?”
Cyril looks frustrated.
Is it possible… that swordsmanship is in decline in this world too?
During my time, it was common to combine both swordsmanship and magic.
No matter how distracting it was, it could only be said to be reckless to let go of the sword in the middle of a fight.
“Here I go! The flames gathered in this hand—”
— Too slow.
If you have time to mumble like that, why don’t you just release the magic?
I powered up Quick Move magic and rushed to Cyril.
It wouldn’t have taken me more than 0.0001 seconds to get to him.
I drew my sword with a tenth of the strength I had.
Cyril is a mage, too.
He must have deployed one or two of his defensive spells.
The sword I swung out hit Cyril directly.
“Ughhhh!”
He was blown to the back.
“Eh?”
I was so surprised till I couldn’t help but squeal at the thought.
He didn’t deploy any defensive magic?
“Hey, Cyril”
“…………”
I tried to shake Cyril, who was lying on the ground, but there was no answer.
Apparently, he is unconscious.
How can you just passed out like that.
It looks like he is going to be okay, but let’s put a recovery spell on him just in case.
”Cy…, Cyril-sama! Are you okay!”
”I didn’t manage to see the movement of the defective magic…”
The cronies come running to Cyril.
I scratched my head as I looked at the scene.
It’s a good thing that my physical strength was still nothing compared to my past life.
Even if it was only one-tenth of the strength I had, if I swung my wooden sword at a person who didn’t deploy defensive magic, I might have shattered every bone in his body.
This might be because I’m still a child too.
Being a child is the best!
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Chapter 3
The Magic That Was Called As A Defective Magic
There were different kinds of magic and they’re all colored.
You can observe the waves of magic power that can be seen when a magic was casted.
Besides the golden color, there were other magic colors as well such as red, blue, etc., but they all have their advantages and disadvantages.
For example, red magic was good for attack-type magic, but difficult to use other type of magic.
This magic color was something you were born with, and it’s impossible to be changed while alive.
The golden magic that I’m born with was difficult to use, but if mastered, it can be extended to the next level.
Even in my past life 1000 years ago, I had the golden magic.
I intended to master magic in this life as well, so I was relieved to be born with the golden color magic.
And yet……
“Why is the golden color which can be considered to be the jackpot was called as a defective magic?”
How far has this world fallen?
Well, we’ll follow up on that later.
Even if it’s called as a defective magic, it’s still the jackpot golden color.
Another day.
I was about to go to the forest again and hunt monsters to kill time.
”Hey, hey, there’s a person with the defective magic power walking around!”
As I was walking through the village, I was thrown with such abuses.
I turn my head over that direction.
“Cyril. He’s headed for the woods.”
“Wow! Such a daredevil!”
”If a person with the defective magic power go into the forest, he would be killed by the Wolves in the blink of an eye! Unless you have a perfect magic power like me!”
A trio of boys.
The most bossy boy about my age was standing in the middle there.
Well he said his name was Cyril, right?
He must have been the boy who had been recently moved to this village.
“Seems like you want something from me, huh?”
Fine, that’s part of the boredom.
I’m also curious about what he said earlier.
I walked over to Cyril and the others.
“I don’t want anything from you! I’ve heard that you’re a defective mage, so I’m worried about you!”
Although Cyril said so, he did not pretend to be worried at all.
”I don’t care if I’m a defective mage. What’s your… perfect magic?”
“You don’t even know about perfect magic? Haa~, that’s why you have defective magic”
Cyril deliberately sighed.
–Oh, my head’s starting to hurt.
I wanted to get out of here right now, but I had to be patient to get the information out of Cyril by questioning him.
“So, tell me. What’s this whole ‘perfect magic’ thing?”
”Humph, that’s fine! If I let go of my magic in a place like this, the adults will be angry with me, so let’s go to the forest!”
“Magic? Can Cyril use magic?”
Again, in this world 1000 years later, the ability to use magic seems to be valuable.
Well, it may be a standard in the village.
“Oh! Don’t you dare look at my magic and fall flat on your back”
“I’m looking forward to it”
That was a heartfelt truth.
–It’s the first time I’ve ever seen anyone else casting magic.
It might give me a little bit of insight on just how much magic techniques are in this world.
“Come on, follow me!”
I followed behind Cyril, who was so bossy.
“My dad was a former adventurer! So, I moved to this village when the vigilante was lacking in numbers. Be thankful for that!”
Cyril pushed his way through the forest with his chest held out.
“Hey”
In the midst of all this, I stopped my tracks.
“Are you sure you want to go that way?”
“What is it?”
“I sensed a huge monster”
This was a fact.
Having lived here for twelve years, I know that the people in this village might even struggle against a Wolf.
If that’s the case, the monster a little further down the road would be too much for the child Cyril to handle.
“What are you talking about?”
“You can use detection magic too, can’t you? You know what I mean. There’s a monster down the road”
”Detection…magic…? What’s that?”
…my head hurts even more now.
This guy was hopeless.
1000 years ago, children around here can use any magic, and they don’t even know what kind of magic they can’t use….
Well, let him do what he wants.
Maybe there’s some sort of plan.
“I know you’re scared! Do you want to run away from here?”
“No way”
I chocked back the headache and continued walking in the direction Cyril was going.
And after we walked for a while.
“Guoooooo!”
A huge cow-like monster – White Bison – has appeared.
It’s as big as a house, and it’s a very powerful monster compared to a wolf.
…well, it’s no big deal for me.
“Wh…, wh… wh… wh… wh… white bison? Weren’t wolves the only monster appearing in this forest!”
“What’s the matter? It’s just the right opponent for you, isn’t it?”
“White bison? What the hell are you talking about?”
“Or is it that you can’t really use magic?”
“–! Don’t you dare talk to me who has the perfect magic like that!”
He shouted, and Cyril held up his palm.
“Gather yourselves together in these hands, O flame. Become a spear and scorch the enemy!”
After Cyril uttered something that I failed to fathom, a weak flaming spear was heading towards the White Bison.
But……
“What, it’s not working at all?”
The White Bison still seems to be lively after taking a direct hit from the Flame Spear.
Cyril seemed to be surprised by that, but more than that, I was appalled by his magic color.
“L…, l… l… let’s escape! This is way out of our league!”
When Cyril and the others saw this, they foolishly turned their backs and tried to make a run for it.
Oh, if you do that…
“Guooooooo!”
“Ughhhhhhhhhh!”
Seeing that, the White Bison let out an excited roar.
And not in Cyril’s direction, but in my direction as a matter of fact.
“We’re going to get trampled, aren’t we?”
It was possible that Cyril was just pretending to get away.
Or rather, it would be too dumb not to.
Such a person has been bossing me around.
But I’ve found a monster other than the Wolf.
It would be too much of a waste to give Cyril and the others the perfect prey here.
”I’ll show you my so-called defective magic power”
And I started casting my ice attribute magic.
When the White Bison tries to stomp on me.
The magic I’ve been working on was in effect.
It’s a slightly stronger magic called Freeze Nova.
And the white bison — it was frozen in the ice.
”Whoa!” Somebody help me!”
“Don’t whine so much. It’s fine now”
”Eh…?”
It was Cyril who was squatting down with his head, but finally he noticed the white bison that was frozen in the ice there.
He slowly stood up.
“Wh…, wh…wh…wh…wh…what the hell is going on?”
“Is this the first time you’ve seen ice magic?”
“Could it be that you…?”
”Oh… yeah. It would be imperfect if it remains like this”
As I snapped my fingers, the white bison broke apart with a crunching sound, as did the ice.
‘Wh…, white bison is falling apart in pieces? Oh—”
”Cy…, Cyril-sama!”
His cronies support Cyril, who was falling to the ground at the sight of this.
Apparently, he has passed out.
I let out a sigh and remembered the magic color leaking from the fire spear that Cyril had used earlier.
It’s white magic.
To me, it’s the worst kind of magic I’ve ever seen.
It’s easy for beginners to handle, but they quickly reach their limits.
This was the magic power that was said to be ‘not suitable for becoming a powerful mage’.
“Golden is defective, but white is perfect….”
Either way, I need to know more about the magic of this world.
That was how I felt.
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