1-Second Invincible Player in the Game

88. Preparation for the Practice (2)

The eve of the trial.

I had succeeded in forging hundreds of gold into the hardness of metal.

It took three weeks to reach this point.

Today was the day to learn the ultimate technique.

Swish!

As I cleaved the firewood with the gold, Henderson brushed his hand over the cut surface.

“Nicely done. With this skill, even your tiny bit of mana could leave a scratch on a knight clad in aura.”

Aura, it seems, shows a vulnerability to mana.

If a knight wishes to defend against magic cast with a power of 5, an aura of 10 is required.

According to the professor, the principle lies in the fact that aura is ultimately a distorted form of mana, causing a resonance phenomenon…

It’s a complex tale to explain in detail.

“You’ve passed.”

“Don’t get cocky. Even if you’re skilled, the most troublesome opponent for a mage is still a knight.”

Even if magic works well, a knight remains a knight.

With overwhelming physical prowess, they can simply cut through magic or evade it altogether.

Truly, the moment a mage allows a knight to charge is the moment they might as well be dead; there are countless unfavorable factors at play.

“Do you think I’d be ignorant of such common sense?”

“Just be careful. I’m saying this out of concern that your arrogance might lead to your demise.”

“I’ll take it under advisement.”

“Alright then, since you’ve successfully cleaved the firewood, shall I teach you?”

Henderson began to write the incantation on the board.

Today’s topic was coating weapons with gold.

At last, the moment for the lesson on the ultimate technique had arrived.

“Wrapping gold around a weapon also requires an incantation.”

What Henderson taught was the adhesive magic to secure the gold to the weapon.

The substance acting as the adhesive is mana.

“Isn’t just wrapping it with manipulation insufficient?”

“Indeed. If that were the case, it would be like swinging a sword coated in honey, scattering hundreds of gold into the air, wouldn’t it? Anyway, rejoice. Once you learn this, you too will wield a weapon better than one infused with aura.”

To pierce through ten parts of aura, only six parts of mana are needed.

And the hundreds of gold possess the quality to contain mana.

This was the secret behind Henderson’s ability to slay the commander of the Empire’s Third Order.

“Honestly, when that b*stard closed the distance, I was ready to die together with him. If he hadn’t been caught off guard by this technique I prepared for such moments, my head would have rolled.”

Henderson grasped a piece of chalk instead of a dagger and jabbed at the air.

It seemed as if he was reenacting the moment he killed the commander.

“With a deep thrust to the chest! The b*stard fell back in shock. Could he have imagined that a wizard’s strike would be this powerful? Thanks to that, he stiffened for a moment. I seized the opportunity and widened the distance, barely surviving.”

Perhaps recalling the thrill of that moment, Henderson’s lips quivered with a smirk.

“The principle is simple, yet this is an extraordinary technique.”

This fellow is certainly a genius.

It’s a pity he’s a condemned man.

To think he would even contemplate creating a mana blade, a weapon said to be the exclusive domain of the sword mages.

‘That Henderson fellow. Truly an impressive master.’

Donathan spoke with a hint of joy.

For someone like me, who cannot wield aura, this would be a weapon that grants wings to my swordsmanship, so it makes sense.

‘Weren’t you just calling him a lowlife and a fraud?’

‘Ahem.’

Still, without the ability to enhance my body with aura, I’d be no more than a child wielding a chainsaw…

“Well then, you brought it, right?”

“Lunchbox?”

“That’s a given. I mean the dagger to coat. The dagger.”

I placed a long object wrapped in cloth on the desk.

“What is this?”

“It’s a longsword. Why?”

“A longsword?”

Henderson’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Why would a wizard carry something like this?”

“I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to try becoming a sword mage this time.”

Henderson looked at me as if I were mad.

“Damn it. Do you think a mere wretch like you could possess what belongs to those with a heightened sense of smell?”

A magic swordsman is one who can strike without a blade.

With the ability to channel both aura and mana into their weapon, their offensive power far surpasses that of ordinary knights.

It is precisely this that instills fear in the hearts of the people regarding magic swordsmen.

“Why not? With just a few hundred gold, I could manage a mere imitation.”

“…You little brat. Are you planning to become a con artist like that scoundrel?”

Indeed.

Just as I thought this, the old professor, who had been silent until now, spoke up.

“Quite an intriguing notion. Perhaps you could pull it off.”

“What? Old man. What nonsense are you spouting? Have you lost your mind?”

“I do not mean the conventional concept of a magic swordsman. I refer to something of a different nature. If one can wield both aura and mana simultaneously, then that too could be called a magic swordsman.”

Henderson asked, astonished.

“Wait, you can use aura too?”

No.

“Haha, Henderson. You know nothing of this student. He was originally intended for the knight department at Frost Heart. He possesses remarkable qualities of a knight.”

That’s not true.

“Wow, when I first saw him, I thought he was just a scrap, but it turns out he’s more capable than I expected? No wonder he looks fit for learning magic.”

The look in Henderson’s eyes shifted as he regarded me.

“…Enough chatter. Let’s start the class.”

“Alright, fine. What’s wrong with a longsword? It may be thinner than a dagger, but it will have aura, and when combined with mana, its cutting power will increase dramatically.”

I can’t use aura!

* * *

A long, stretched table.

Professors seated at every place.

These were the ones who would oversee the upcoming magic practice.

Rockefeller, sitting at the front, scanned the professors with a voice laced with irritation.

“This time, one of the seven sparrow statues in the faculty building has gone missing.”

Once again, Rockefeller had come from being scolded by the principal.

“Can you not guess who the troublemaker might be?”

The professors swallowed hard at his menacing aura.

“Mo, I do not know.”

“I kept an eye on any students who seemed suspicious, as per the professor’s instructions, but there were none.”

Rockefeller let out a sigh.

It was a sigh tinged with irritation.

“Well, fine. We shall discuss this in depth after the practicals.”

For now, there was something more pressing.

Rockefeller surveyed the seated professors.

“As you all are likely aware, I will state this again for formality’s sake. The education conducted within these grounds is akin to that of other academies, but the outside world is different. Even in practice, we adhere to the principle of Frost Heart: it must reflect the reality of battle.”

If the location were outside, he would stand by as students fell before his eyes.

It was the virtue of a Pathfinder to safeguard one’s own life.

For the professors, the practicals were a moment to bear a frozen heart.

“Remember, the reason you follow is merely to grade and to ensure the students do not escape.”

Yet, there was one exception for these professors.

“Ah, but there is an exception. Should the instructors of the wandering troupe attempt to intervene, then you may act.”

They would not stand idly by while a grown wolf intervened in the squabbles of pups.

Frost Heart had no desire for total annihilation.

In truth, whenever a student displayed exceptional talent, they would often call for an instructor’s involvement.

It was to nip potential troublesome rivals in the bud before they could bloom into competition in the future…

“However, this time, I wish to make a slight exception.”

Several professors wore puzzled expressions.

Rockefeller conjured the faces of the students with a shaping spell as he spoke.

“This year, there are far too many capable students.”

He pointed his staff at Riamon, Silla, and Leana, then halted before Belman.

“If the instructors of the wandering troupe engage with the identified students, allow them to take the lead in battle. If it seems too dangerous, then intervene at that point. And these two…”

Rockefeller focused intently on the portraits of Luon and Hessel.

“They could likely kill an instructor on their own. This is my personal wish, but I hope you can create a situation where these two can confront an instructor.”

A professor spoke in a bewildered tone.

“W-What do you mean…?”

“It is the price of provocation. If an instructor falls by the hands of students, it would be a tremendous humiliation for them.”

In truth, there was another reason for Rockefeller beyond that.

“Hussel ben Tenest. No matter how clever you are, if the instructors have marked you, there will be no time to earn points.”

He must not be allowed to achieve good grades.

Rockefeller still intended to integrate Hussel into the knight department.

Thus, he hoped for a dismal outcome, just as in the third exam.

* * *

Late at night.

Luoan gazed out the window, lighting a thin cigarette.

There were many things he had found while wandering the nights, aside from this.

The black pebbles of the fountain.

The glass shard that had served as the eye in the mosaic depicting the founder.

A rusted metal headband unearthed from the ground.

A sparrow statue discovered in the professor’s building.

These were gathered based on the information of Pelidra’s essence etched into the floor.

“Cough, the smell is foul. Can’t you put it out right now?”

A woman’s voice came from beside him.

To be precise, it was the voice of a pigeon with a headband tied around its ankle.

The pigeon was an ordinary bird.

Its true form was the headband containing another essence of Pelidra.

“Indeed.”

Luoan extinguished the cigarette.

Then he looked at the pigeon with a sense of wonder.

*‘This creature, unlike the Pelidra on the floor, possesses memory. Now that I think of it, I had the same impression from those in the forbidden library last time.’*

If a creature with a brain dominates a host, does it gain memory?

If so, the Pelidra hidden beneath the carpet would be the same, given the right conditions.

“How would one give it a body?”

“Pfft, why bother with such a hypocritical creature?”

The essence he had encountered last time, as well as the Pelidra on the floor, exhibited a fiercely aggressive demeanor.

Luoan was inwardly curious about the reason but did not pry.

It was a topic that could easily sour the mood.

“But it seems you’re not going out tonight?”

“I’m thinking of taking a good rest. I have to go out for practice for a while.”

As Luon smiled gently, the dove spoke in a voice tinged with disappointment.

“What’s that? Boring.”

“I’ll leave the window open, so you can play outside or something.”

“Hmm, but if it’s practice, does that mean we’re going to the magic field?”

“Exactly.”

It was Luon’s first time at the magic field.

This thought stirred excitement within him, like the eve of a picnic.

“I’m looking forward to it!”

“With you, I’m sure it’ll be fun.”

“Hmm?”

“Well, the magic swordsman was quite the talent back in the day. No matter how many monsters come at you, you could easily slay them, right?”

Luon’s gaze turned icy as he asked, “Did you watch me train with Akandric?”

This was a truth unspoken.

Yet, the knowledge hung in the air, undeniable.

“Would you be angry if I did?”

“Hmm, I considered closing the window.”

“How petty… Fine. I won’t spy this time, so just let it go.”

Luon brushed aside the sulking dove and lay back on the bed.

What mattered most was the magic field practice starting tomorrow.

He closed his eyes, praying to release the pent-up desires that had built over time.

* * *

The chair rattled.

We were traveling in a cart covered with a white canopy, moving in a large group.

The destination was a snowfield, devoid of any signs of human presence.

I spoke to Asley, who was rubbing his face as if dizzy, and Limberton, whose tension was palpable.

“Here’s some motion sickness medicine. Drink it.”

Asley gulped down the potion handed to him.

From the look on his face, he seemed to feel a bit better.

Limberton waved his hand dismissively, asking,

“Is it really necessary to stay here for hours on end?”

“Probably over five hours,” came the reply. “You might as well sleep as much as you can.”

He handed them a belt.

“Tie this around your back and waist. You won’t fall over while you’re asleep.”

Behind the carriage seat stood short pillars, like prison bars.

Asley and Limberton threaded the belts through the pillars, securing their waists and anchoring their bodies.

“Hussel. You’ll let us breathe some fresh air, won’t you?”

“When the time comes, the professors will wake you.”

Thus began the cycle of waking and dozing off with each break.

Before long, the command to disembark was given.

All the first-year students, backpacks slung over their shoulders, yawned as they stepped onto the foliage.

Whispering.

The scent of damp underbrush.

Grass rising to their knees.

The trees loomed densely overhead.

Before the raw expanse of nature, the professor surveyed the students.

“I will now briefly explain the practical magic training.”

His flat voice was amplified by magic.

“This exam will also lead to results by unit. The conditions for earning points are the grade and number of monsters hunted, as well as the gathering of resources from the magic field.”

In summary, earning points by slaying monsters was similar to the third exam, with the addition of a treasure hunt.

“Detailed explanations have been included in pamphlets within each backpack, so please refer to them.”

The treasures included rare herbs and magic stones.

And there were relics from humanity that once thrived here before it became a magic field.

Especially if a ruin were to be discovered, the Emperor himself would send a letter inviting one to the palace.

Though it was unlikely to find anything of that caliber during the practical, there was indeed a modest relic—a stele—somewhere in this place.

“The deadline is five days. Good luck to you all.”

The professors stepped away.

I pulled out a compass and a blank sheet of paper from my backpack.

Then I spoke to Asley and Limberton.

“First, we scout. From now on, we step into the forest and mark our position here. Next, we’ll determine if this is the optimal place and build our fortress.”

The two nodded in agreement.

What remained was to explain slowly as we advanced.

We were the first to tread into the thicket.

Ssssh—

There was no wind.

Yet the foliage stirred.

Soon, the entire forest began to shift into a muted shade of purple.

“Hey, Hessel. The color of the forest has changed, hasn’t it?”

“Think of it as the magic forest greeting us.”

This was the Purple Forest.

The threshold of the untamed magic realm.

Crackle.

A moment of reflection passed.

With one more step, the howl of a wolf echoed through the air.

Grrrrr—