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Chapter 2 Part 4
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On the stage stood a lovely girl with silver hair.
With her hair in a ponytail, she seems to be more elegant compared to the other examinees.
But for some reason, the girl also seems to be in a bad mood. With her arms crossed, she is giving me a sharp look.
âExaminee number 99âŚso itâs you. The genius who managed to hit all ten Mud Dolls with magicâ
The girl started talking before I could.
âWell, thatâs right. You got a problem with that?â
âYes, I do. In factâŚI was planning to be at the top of this magic academy entrance examination and graduate with me being the valedictorian of the class. But then you showed up and became a potential obstacle to that goal of mine. If that obstacle is right in front of me, wouldnât I want to complain about a thing or two as well?â\nLooks like she has a grudge against me.
While I was dumbfounded, I could hear faint whispers from the surroundings of the stage.
âHey, isnât that Marise Sizenosna?â
âDid you know? I heard that she hit a Mud Doll with a single shot of magic, and even manage to deal damage to itâ
âThe Sizenosna is a distinguished family known for their magic, so I think that itâs only natural for her to achieve such a featâ
âShe really lives up to her family name, huh?â
Apparently the girl in front of me is called Marise.
Moreover, she seems to be quite famous.
âYou, I heard about you. You have a Defective Magic Power, donât you?â
Ahh, that conversation again.
Shouldnât Gold Magic be the supreme magic power? So why is it being referred to as such?
âAre you also going to look down on me for my Defective Magic Power, and not see things for what they really are?â
âPlease donât group me with the others. I wouldnât stoop down to their level. After allâI have the Inferior Magic Power as well. Determining superiority or inferiority based on the type of magic power alone is foolishâ
Hmm.
I have no idea what Inferior Magic Power is, but it seems that this girl has a good head on her shoulders.
The problem lies with her abilitiesâŚ.
Will she be able to entertain me?
âThen allow me to place barrier magic on youâ
As the both of us were having our conversation, the examiner deployed a magic barrier on my body.
The barrier is so heavy and yet fragile too. It is so fragile to the point that I just wanted to break it.
But Iâve heard that if the barrier breaks, then it will be my loss.
Patience Kurt, you just need to be patient.
âThenâlet the battle exam begin!â
The examiner announces.
âWhatâs your name?â
âItâs Kurtâ
âKurt. I wonât go easy on youâGather yourselves together in these hands, O flame. Be a spearââ
As she is chanting, three Fire Spears appear around Marise.
Oh?
Looking back, during the target exam, nobody was able to deploy multiple Fire Spears at the same time.
This girl has quite the spirit.
âPierce the enemy and burn them!!â
Three Fire Spears were fired simultaneously.
By the looks of it, Inferior Magic Power is apparently Purple Magic.
Purple Magic excels in long distance type magic.
In that caseâŚthis should do the trick.
After they were fired at me, I took my time to form a magic formula and created something equally powerful as the incoming Fire Spears.Â
They then clashed and cancelled each other out.
âEeehhhâŚâŚâ, Marise was at a loss for words when she saw her Fire Spears got cancelled out.
âHow is this possibleâŚare you saying that you can cast magic that is as powerful as my Fire Spear?â
Truth be told, I just made mine equal on purpose.
I could have put an end to this battle in an instant as well, but that would be boring.
âMaybe that rumour about having destroyed all the Mud Dolls isnât entirely a lie after all. However, this is not over yet!!â
Not a moment later.
âGather yourselves together in these hands, O flameââ
She is trying to cast Fire Spear again.
However.
âToo slowâ
This girl is certainly better than the other examinees, but if she continues to rely on the current chanting method, she wonât be able to reach the top.
Without chanting, I fired off a Fire Spear faster than Marise could.
âKYAAA!!!â
As the Fire Spear landed near Mariseâs feet, she let out a squeal and fell on her bottom.
âW-What was that!? Casting magic without chantingâŚ? Is that even possible? Moreover, that speedâŚisnât that too fast?â
Seeing my magic, Marise looks confused.
I guess this is her current limit. Sheâs talented, but it wasnât enough to keep me entertained.
Stillâit looks like her magic barrier has yet to break. Also, Marise didnât say the magic words âGive Upâ yet, either.
Shall I put an end to this?
And so I started to approach her.
âKuh, I wanted to keep my trump card hiddenâŚbut it canât be helped!â
The color of Mariseâs eyes began to change.
A moment later, she stood up, closed her eyes and began to chant her magic.
âO God. Bestow me the power of the sacred sword. A sacred sword that thunder from the heavens and annihilate the enemy. I am Marise. The one who will wield this divine powerâ
A magic formula is slowly formed.
Ohh, could this girl be planning to use the âHoly Swordâ?
It was an intermediate level magic in my previous life.
I blurted out when I saw the shining sword that appeared above me.
âAre you sure you can afford to be so composed? This will be your loss! Holy Sword!!â
As Marise swung her hand down, the âHoly Swordâ followed suit.
âButâyouâre still too slowâ
âEh?â
I activate the Dispel Magic.
The sound of broken glass can be heard, and the âHoly Swordâ disappeared without a trace as well.
âW-W-W-What just happened? Where did my Holy Sword disappear toâŚ?â
âItâs a Dispel Magic. Since you can use intermediate level magic, so you should know about it, right?â
âT-The highest-ranking magic, Holy Sword, is just an intermediate level magic? MoreoverâŚDispel Magic? A magic that stops the activation of magic during the formation process, does it even exist!?â
Marise is trembling all over as she saw the scene unfolded in front of her.
Dispel Magic is a magic that analyzes the opponentâs magic and betrays their expectations.
To put it simply, itâs a technique that erases the opponentâs magic.
However, to use it, one will need to fully analyze and understand the opponentâs magic. Therefore, the Dispel Magic can only be used when thereâs a significant difference in ability.
âI was able to carry out the analysis because you used that tedious chantingâ
âTedious chanting? What are you suggesting then? Or are you suggesting that I should use chantless magic like you?â
âYeah. I think itâs easyâ
âYou are the only one who thinks so!â
As I thought, this world is based on the standards of chanting magic before the magic revolution that I started.
In that case.
âAllow me to show you the true Holy Swordâ
âWha-!â
I activate the magic formula that I had set up in advance.
Needless to say, itâs a chantless magic.
A âHoly Swordâ similar to the one before started to appear above Mariseâs head.
Well, theyâre not entirely the same.
âS-Such an enormous Holy Sword!!â
Marise looks up and retreats fearfully.
âThis is the true Holy Swordâ
The one she conjured was about the size of an ordinary sword, whereas my Holy Sword is so big that even if about a hundred of them were to be gathered, it still wouldnât be enough to compare with mine.
The hall is then enveloped in a dazzling light, and the examinees around us seem to be making a stir as well.
âSince you have the magic barrier on you, Iâm sure you can handle this much, right? So here I go. Holy Sword!â
As I was about to drop the âHoly Swordâ upon Mariseâ
âW-Wait a minute! The exam is over! Itâs over!! Thereâs no way the barrier magic can withstand that!!â
The examiner looked flustered as he interrupted between us.
Marise seems to be paralyzed with fear at the sight of my magic.
The belligerent mood that she had earlier is completely gone now, and she lost her will to fight.
I wanted to continue using the magic as it isâŚbut it seems like the match has been concluded.
âWell, I guess this is itâ
The âHoly Swordâ vanished as soon I stopped the invocation of my magic.
Despite having ended the battle with me being the victor, I was left unsatisfied.
While having such a thought.
âYou were doing something rather interesting there, werenât you. Allow me to join you as wellâ
I thought I heard a voice, and a man gallantly came up onto the stage.
âD-Desmond-sama! That would be problematic! Youâre only here to observe, right?â
Seeing that, the examiner who was acting as a referee panicked.
The man called Desmond is an old man who looked to be about 60ď˝70 years old.
He has white hair and a fine beard.
At first glance, he looked like a decrepit old man.
ButâI had something else in my mind.
Is heâŚstrong?
I can see it.
Underneath his clothes is a body of steel.
From those sharp eyes staring right at me, he might even be able to avoid any surprise attack from me.
âWhy not, it should be fine, right? Iâve been bored for a while now. Let me join in as wellâ
Desmond snapped his fingers.
âIf you defeat me, which seems unlikely, Iâll let you pass, even if you get a zero on the other examsâ
âI refuse your offerâ
âHuh? Perhaps, are you trying to run away from me out of fear?â
âI will still pass the exams without you giving me any favorsâ
I was planning to say it with a little provocation, but Desmond ended up smiling broadly.
âGahaha! Youâre one interesting brat, arenât you!â, and laughed heartily.
âY-You! Could it be that you are planning to fight against Desmond-sama?â
In response to the examinerâs question.
âYesâ
Hearing my immediate response, the examiner became even more flustered.
âY-You, do you have any idea who Desmond-sama is? I know you are strong but itâs better if you get out of here now before you get hurt!â
âIâll be fineâ
I brushed past the examiner and got in front of Desmond.
Incidentally, I have no idea who this guy is.
But it is enough to know that he is strong.
âKukuku. Youâre really an interesting brat. Iâll use a wooden sword, and you can use a real sword. Or do you prefer to use magic?â
Desmond assumed a stance with his wooden sword.
âNo, I wonât. Because if I use a real sword, I might accidentally kill youâ
âOh? You just said something very interesting, didnât youâ
I gave him that provocation on purpose, after all, I do not plan to go easy on him.
My blood is boiling.
Since this is such a rare opportunity, I want to fight to my heartâs content.
âWell, letâs fight fair and square then? It would be boring to add an unnecessary handicap. Hey, get me another wooden sword! AndâŚget off the stage, young lady. Youâre quite strong too, but youâre not strong enough yetâ
ââŚâŚYesâ
Marise hurriedly left the stage, grinding her teeth in frustration.
Desmond requested for another wooden sword, and out of nowhere, an examiner brought over one to me.
âYou may come at me anytime now. I canât use magic, but feel free to use magic yourselfâ
said Desmond, patting his own shoulder with the wooden sword in a calm and collected manner.
At first glance, the stance appears to be nothing more than an opening.
However, it is obvious that I would severely be hard countered if I carelessly rushed in.
Interesting. Letâs purposely fight him within his effective combat range.
âWell then, be my guest!â
After taking a step forward, I closed the distance between me and Desmond within the blink of an eye.
And, without a momentâs delay, I swung my sword down on Desmondâs head.
âHmphâŚyouâre still too inexperiencedâ
For a moment, Desmond grinned.
Desmond flings my wooden sword to the side.
Looks like his aim is to avoid my attack and then counter it.
At this rate, if I receive his attack without deploying any defensive magic, I might break a bone or two.
So I activated Quick Move here.
âWha-!â
As if in response to my sudden increase in movement speed, Desmond turned his wooden sword to receive my attack.
The two swords clashed with each other.
âWhat was that? You seemed to be faster all of a suddenâ
âYeah, I used a basic level magicâ
âThatâs a magic spell? Such a magic spell exist? As I thought, you are not an ordinary person huh?â
âYouâre pretty good, tooâ
After all, I thought it would be settled with a Quick Move attack.
But he managed to defend against it.
As I thought, this guy can provide me with some amusement.
âIâll tell you my alias (in my previous life)â
I broke away from the sword clash and while still wielding the sword, I revealed my alias.
âMagic Swordsmanâ
Combining both physical ability and magic in battle was my main area of expertise.
That way, it wouldâve been convenient for me to fight alone.
I tried to make friends, but there wasnât a single person who even came close to my level.Â
Before I was called a heretic, I was often called by that alias.
Besides Quick Move and Rise Power. I also used another magic, Eyesight, that makes it easier to perceive the opponentâs movements which adds up to three layers of basic body strengthening magic being in play as I engage Desmond.
âI-IncredibleâŚI canât see his movementâ
âWhat the hell is happening on the stage?â
said the examinees in bewildered voices.
To them, it must have looked like I have the upper hand.
But on the other hand, I was surprised by Desmondâs movement.
âHahaha! Interesting, interesting!! To think that thereâs someone in this country who can fight me one-on-one!â
Desmond continues to receive my series of onslaught with that one sword.
No matter how nonchalant he is about it, to think that this old man can contest me without using any body strengthening magicâŚwhat a monster!
âDonât laugh in the middle of a fight. Old manâ
âIt seems to me that youâre laughing as wellâ
Indeed, I, too, might be laughing right now.
If this goes on, Iâll be the one to push through due to the difference in stamina.
But thatâs unglamorous for a fight.
In that case.
âI saw an opening, brat!â
Desmondâs eyes became even sharper.
A complete change from defense. Desmond swings his sword.
It was a direct hit to my head.
Howeverâit was to the other me.
âWha-! What just happened?!â
Desmond, who finished swinging his sword, is astonished to see me disappear in a puff of smoke.
Itâs a magic calledâCreate Avatar.
A magic that uses magic power to create a humanoid mass, thus creating an alter ego.
Since it doesnât have a solid body, the alter ego cannot attack, but it can be used to deceive the opponent in this way.
âI guess this is the end of it, huhâ
While he is still in shock with what just happened, I went behind Desmond and placed my wooden sword against the back of his neck.
âIf this were a battlefield, youâd be done in. Do you still want to continue the fight?â
ââŚâŚItâs my lossâ
Desmond slumped his shoulders and released his grip on the sword as well.
At that momentâan explosive cheer erupted in the hall.
âWho the hell is that guy! He defeated Desmond-sama!â
âDesmond-sama is a legendary former S-rank adventurer, right? To have defeated such a personâŚwho is that guy!â
âThe demon, Desmond, who is rumored to have slain hundreds of enemy soldiers single handedly when he was sent off to warâŚ!â
âI heard that even though he had retired, he still mostly have his strength!â
Former S-rank adventurer?
âYou were an adventurer?â
âThatâs right, but I have already retired. Without knowing that, you still fought against me, youâre really making a fool out of me, brat!â
Kakaka, laughed Desmond cheerfully.
âHowever, thereâs a mistake with their statementâ
âA mistake?â
âRumor has it that I killed hundreds of enemy soldiersâŚthatâs wrong. The numbers are actually in the thousands! Gahaha!â
âŚâŚHe seems to be quite a maverick.
No wonder he is a little tough.
Still, I have only used the basics of magic, and I have yet to give it my all in that fight.
âWho on earth are youâŚ?â
Marise asked in a shaky tone as I stepped off the stage.
I still havenât found anyone stronger than me.
However, the royal capital and the magic academy seems to be a much more interesting place than I have previously thought.
While feeling my heart still throbbing from the fight, I left the exam venue.
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