CH 9

March 22, 2023 1 Comment

『Today's lesson is about 'Aura'.』

The topic of today's lesson was basic combat skills. Ales, the in-charge teacher, took a look around.

The students were lined up in the outdoor training area, listening to Ales's explanation. Classes related to combat were usually held here, or they would borrow an auditorium or a field.

『The human muscles have their limits. Of course they need to grow, but too much muscle hinders movement, and as you know, muscles are inherently heavy. In the end, a fighter needs a body with the right balance of flexibility, strength, and agility. In other words, you can't just build muscle for the sake of strength.』

With that said, Ales glanced around, and her gaze soon landed on Aster.

『Hmm, Aster. Step forward.』

『Yes.』

Aster stood next to Ales, and she placed a hand on each of Aster's shoulders.

『A body like this has good balance. Muscles increase agility when used properly, and decrease agility when they are lacking or excessive. In Aster's case, he has the right balance. That's how we should all think of muscle training.』

Aster had a somewhat embarrassed expression. But when it comes to Aster's body balance, I strongly agree with Ales.

However, teacher Ales was always on the side of the commoners, and when it came to Aster, the representative of the commoners, she was very generous with compliments.

『That is why it is not a good idea to grow muscles in order to gain strength. You must use other powers that humans possess to effectively increase your offense while maintaining your balance and this 'power' is known as Aura.』 

Ales stood in front of the huge stone that had been placed in front of the students, and then she raised her sword.

『It's impossible to slice through a boulder like this with muscle alone. It's a matter of strength, but the sword will break before that happens. However, an attack from a prepared stance, practiced over and over again, can wield an Aura.』

Ales took a stance.

She gripped the sword in both her hands, perpendicular to the ground in front of her, her gaze straight ahead, the tip of her sword aligned with her gaze. It's a picture-perfect stance.

She lifted the sword upward and slashed downward toward the rock, a blue light shimmering at the tip of the sword.

With a clatter, the blade neatly cut through the rock.

Ooh, the admiration of the students.

Ales’s expression was devoid of any emotion. That's right, she would have shown it in every lecture.

『Through tens of thousands of hours of training, a warrior is able to wield an Aura on his blade. At first, it will only be possible for an instant, and even in one action, but later, you will be able to use the aura in various actions.』

『Te, teacher.』

Just then, someone raised their hand.

Looking back, I couldn't recognize who it was. Since it was someone I couldn’t recognize, was it an extra? 

『Then, if I keep training, can I always have an aura on my weapon?』

Hmm.

I'm guessing it was definitely an extra because he was asking that question.

Ales chuckled and nodded, as if it were a very good question.

『Absolutely. And you can do more than that.』 

『More?』

『If you reach the pinnacle of Aura, you can weaponize an Aura with bare, unarmed hands.』 

Ohhhh, the students' eyes sparkled.

『Of course, I can't. Not yet.』

Ales's joke elicited a light chuckle.

『Today's lesson is to attack this rock with your own weapons.』

Ales gestured to the other half of the boulder she had cut.

『Some of you have already practiced and mastered your skills to wield Aura in your weapons before you arrived at Constell. But it will not be easy to cut through this rock. This is no ordinary stone. It has been specially crafted through the magic of the professors.』

Even if one can wield aura, the difference in the strength of that aura varies greatly.

While it may be possible to leave a mark on the rock, cutting it is extremely difficult. If an ordinary rock was like that, imagine a specially made one.

The students' eyes showed their despair.

As if she knew that from the beginning, Ales raised her voice.

『If you can cut or destroy this rock with a weapon without using divine power, you will be granted one entry to the lower dungeons for a party of five. However, the party of five must include at least one third grader and one teacher.』

[T/N:- Just in case you are confused, 3rd grader means 3rd year student.]

The students' eyes lit up at that.

Dungeons were precious places to obtain materials and goods from various magical creatures. How they were created was still unclear, but they all had one thing in common: they were created in places where mana accumulated.

Exploring a dungeon wasn’t just about finding the exit. It could also involve defeating the dungeon boss, unlocking passwords, and activating hidden devices.

Therefore, as the difficulty of a dungeon increases, not only the monsters become stronger, but the traps and devices become more nefarious as well.

Still, dungeons were a great place to earn money and gain experience and items.

Plus, people can stumble upon unexpected treasures there. Like the ‘Mistiltein’ that was in the news not too long ago.

It was a fake, of course, but no one believed it was 100% fake until I proved it. There was a small chance it was real.

You never know what you're going to find in any dungeon.

『Let's get started.』

At Ales's words, the students in front of her began to take turns. They were all eager to get their hands on the dungeon passes.

But to be honest, I wasn't interested in cutting that rock.

‘If I can weave Gram, I wonder if I can cut it.’

But the dungeon pass wasn't important enough for me to show my Gram.

Weave was my only weapon. I was not in a situation where I could afford to fight while showing all my cards.

Actually, what I was interested in right now wasn’t whether I could cut through that rock or not. It was about finding a student who could.

And as far as I knew, there was only one person here.

『Hmmm!』

It was Aster's turn to take a turn.

The blade he swung left a decent dent in the rock, but he couldn't cut through it.

『Huh.』

But then, Aster's clothes billowed as if they were caught in the wind. His eyes glowed white, and the white light dyed even his hair.

Oh, that's it.

『Stop, Aster. The use of divine power is prohibited.』

『Ah, ah. I'm sorry.』

Aster bowed his head and returned to his seat.

Of course, with Baldur's power, a rock like that was nothing. However, the students' enthusiasm was dampened as a result of this.

A rock that even Aster couldn't cut through. That fact was quite a shock to the students.

However, a few more turns later.

Squeak-

『Huh?』

The rock was finally cut.

The woman standing while holding the sword, which was thinner than her arm, looked confused.

She couldn't help but stare at the neatly split rock.

It was no wonder that the eyes of the others, including Ales, narrowed.

──I found her.

Pink hair, green eyes.

『Hoh! Professor! See! I did it!』

Her hair danced, and her excited shoulders drew a graceful line.

Each and every gesture of hers was lively and flirtatious, every expression innocent and seemingly flawless.

From head to toe, everything about her was exquisite, as if she was handcrafted by God.

『...... Sybil, you passed.』

Ales said with a confused expression.

Sybil Forte.

A woman loved by fate,

and one of Etius' main villains.

'Sybil Forte.......'

If this world was not only the result of the world's movement, but also included an element of 'luck' that is inherent in each individual.

The one person who seemed to have been born with that luck was Sybil Forte.

Sybil was not a villain because she was inherently evil. She was basically an optimist and a pragmatic. She did what she wanted to do and didn't do what she didn't want to do. If she got tired of something, she would quit.

Her fate, on the other hand, always aligned itself with her will, as if it were born from her luck.

『Sybil, have you ever been able to use Aura before?』

『No! This was my first time!』

Sybil said cheerfully. She was not lying.

To others, it may seem like her condescension, but Sybil had never used Aura before.

The reason she was able to cut through that rock now was simple.

Because she wanted to.

Because she wanted to have the ‘dungeon pass’ that Professor Ales talked about.

Not everything she wished for would necessarily come true.

However, if it was something within her reach, she would make it happen. If what she wanted was not realistically impossible, then it would happen.

While some people train over and over again, building up knowledge and skills, Sybil skips the whole process.

...That's why she was a villain.

She was a villain because when she was faced with an enemy she couldn’t defeat through her own strength or luck, she immediately collapsed.

Because she had no experience rising above such challenges.

Because she was a person destined for 'Corruption' or 'Expulsion'.

That’s why the players trusted Sybil during their first playthrough because of her good stats and ease of use, only to have her stab them in the back of the head at the end.

By blindly pushing her forward, Sybil's unbelievable talent and luck took her to a very, very high position.

From that position, she destroyed soldiers, regions, and even countries.

And then she disappeared into thin air.

However, if you were to give Sybil a hard time from the beginning to help her grow mentally, her fate wouldn’t allow it.

There was no character that could overcome her ‘luck’.

Not even Aster could stand up to her.

Therefore, in the end, the player must focus on their own growth, neither helping nor hindering Sybil, in order to surpass her on their own merits.

There were few villains as annoying as this.

『Teacher, about the dungeon pass. Do I need to have a group to go?』

『Uhm. You need five people and among them, there must be a third-year student and a teacher, so if you want classmates, you can add two more besides yourself.』

Dungeon exploration with upperclassmen and professors was pretty safe.

Besides, most of the people here have never been in a dungeon before. Experienced individuals were essential for a proper experience.

From the beginning, I knew who Sybil was going with.

She opened her mouth slowly, and as I expected,

『Aster.』

She called out Aster's name.

I nodded quietly, satisfied.

In truth, I had nothing to gain from the dungeon.

Rather, what Aster Evans obtained from this dungeon was important. His growth was as important as mine in order to beat this game.

'It's not a difficult dungeon, and Aster and Sybil should be able to clear it easily. Besides, a teacher and upperclassmen will be going too.’

It was a party I didn't have to worry about.

In the meantime, I could focus on my training.

『You'll come with me, won't you?』

Sybil's tone was almost seductive. A fresh smile, a slight tilt of her head. Her pink hair fluttered.

『Yeah, sure』Astor replied eagerly, and as such, Sybil clapped her hands in acknowledgment, as if delighted at his response.

Whew, I could see the eyes of the male students around me getting cold. It was so easy to see how popular Sybil was.

『But there is one classmate left. Can I choose one of them?』

Then Aster said something strange, and as far as I knew, Aster wouldn't say something like that.

Even though later on, Lunia Freecell, who was no different from the official heroine of the game, joined in, out of jealousy of Sybil.

Aster wouldn't be the one to propose to someone first.

『Huh? Yeah.』

Sybil's answer drew Aster's attention, and all eyes were now on Aster to see who he would call out to.

『Frondier.』

He called out to me.

『......Huh?』

I looked up as I heard my name being called.

What was he doing, calling me here out of nowhere?

Wasn't he looking for someone to dungeon with?

『Do you want to go to the dungeon?』

It was me.

In the face of Aster's unexpected request, I maintained my cool. As a proud Korean gamer and someone who has played this game for a long time, I could keep my composure in any situation.

With that contemplative mindset, I digested Aster's words, understood them, and replied.

『......Huh?』

✦•············································•✦•············································•✦