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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Now, there was no one in the academy who didn’t know Ed.
From the entrance ceremony, where his speech bolstering noble pride captivated everyone, to the first evaluation, where he overturned a disadvantageous matchup with meticulous strategy and then to easily subdued Max Sigmund with an unprecedented weapon.
He had made a name for himself.
Furthermore, in the second evaluation, he fearlessly provoked the Minotaur King, then performed an insane maneuver, dropping from 20 meters to bisect the creature.
Also secured victory against Isabella, considered the strongest student.
Naturally, expectations were high.
What surprising feat would Edgar Fix pull off next?
“I forfeit.”
“What!?”
His next move was to forfeit.
He claimed his gauntlets were damaged, rendering him unable to fight, and withdrew from the competition.
Lucas, his designated opponent, sought Ed out to express his disappointment.
“I was looking forward to our match. It’s a shame you forfeited. Even without those gauntlets, I believe you would have been a formidable opponent, perhaps even an equal.”
Lucas, the sole heir of the Elmar Grand Duchy, was genuinely disappointed.
Ed’s reputation had soared after the second evaluation.
Defeating him would have boosted Lucas’s own standing while simultaneously putting a damper on Ed’s rising fame.
“Haha, you flatter me. Without my gauntlets, I wouldn’t stand a chance. Even with them, I’m not confident I could handle your techniques, Young Master Elmar.”
Ed offered Lucas exactly what he wanted to hear.
Lucas cared about status and reputation.
Since he had brought his entourage, Ed humbled himself and appropriately elevated Lucas.
“Besides, I think I’m a bit overrated. I’m content with my current standing.”
He further downplayed his abilities.
He was too busy preparing for the impending “Destruction” scenario to bother with petty pride.
Moreover, given his commoner status, it was wise to display overwhelming results through actions while remaining humble in his words.
“Hmph. If you insist. I suppose we’ll have to settle this another time.”
Having heard the praise he desired, Lucas patted Ed’s shoulder twice and departed.
As soon as Lucas was gone, Ed leaned back in his chair and muttered to himself,
“I’ve already secured S-class. There’s no need to fight anymore.”
Ed had forfeited against Lucas because, as he’d said, there was no need to fight further.
He had already accumulated enough points in the first and second rounds to qualify for S-class.
The remaining rounds were merely for ranking purposes and had no bearing on class placement.
“I suppose Isabella will take first place again.”
Isabella, who had lost to him in the second round, was still eligible for the third round.
The tournament format of the second round was designed to draw out the maximum potential of similarly skilled students by pitting them against each other, adding the pressure of immediate elimination.
It was a “fake tournament.”
Ultimately, the combined scores from the first and second rounds determined advancement to the third round.
Isabella had safely advanced to the third round, and as Ed predicted, she would likely secure first place in the overall class evaluation.
Currently, no other student could withstand her mental attacks.
“It’s all pointless anyway.”
The rankings were meaningless to him.
His priority wasn’t proving his strength but surviving the coming disaster.
Moreover, having grown attached to James and other key NPCs, he wanted to save them all, if possible.
The core gameplay of “El Pandor Runterra” was to awaken as many NPCs as possible to prepare for the disaster.
“I need to get stronger.”
To achieve that, he needed to be even stronger than he was now.
He had defeated the Minotaur King by exploiting its weakness and leveraging his own strengths, but he still had much to improve in terms of direct combat.
Especially in S-class, which was filled with monsters like the four ducal heirs.
To build relationships with them, he needed to be able to hold his own.
What did he need to do?
“A suit.”
The answer was undoubtedly a suit.
He needed to equip himself from head to toe with gear comparable to his “Plasma Beam Titanium Alloy Gauntlets.”
But there was still a long way to go.
He hadn’t even perfected the “Superconducting Mana Fusion Engine Propulsion Unit.”
The propulsion unit he’d used against the Minotaur King was just a prototype.
It didn’t allow for free flight, and its output was unstable.
He couldn’t control his speed, which was crucial for flight.
“Hmm…How about optimizing the prototype?”
He couldn’t build an Iron Man suit overnight, so he decided to focus on optimizing the prototype.
Even if he couldn’t achieve free flight yet, with proper utilization, he could implement a “dash” function.
And if he could develop highly elastic and adhesive fibers, he could combine them with the propulsion unit to create a “Three-Dimensional Maneuver Gear.”
Instead of crudely dropping from 20 meters, he could freely target an enemy’s blind spots.
‘Alright. First goal is the Three-Dimensional Maneuver Gear.’
For immediate combat improvement, he would prioritize the Three-Dimensional Maneuver Gear.
If he could perfect it, he could stand a chance against the monstrous students of S-class.
“Next…an enhanced suit.”
To fully utilize the Three-Dimensional Maneuver Gear, simply strapping the propulsion unit to his back wasn’t enough.
He needed reinforced fiber wires to assist with maneuvering, and those required a special launching and retrieval mechanism.
Since this mechanism needed to be constantly attached to his body, a specially designed enhanced suit was essential.
‘Good. Let’s start with this.’
Having finalized the general concept.
He immediately began sketching blueprints.
He added a wire function to the gauntlets, redesigned the propulsion unit prototype for three-dimensional maneuverability, and added storage compartments to his waist, thighs, calves, and wrists to carry various special weapons.
The resulting design resembled a Batman suit with a touch of mecha.
He was quite pleased with the aesthetics.
“Shall we begin?”
With time on his hands, Ed decided to start development immediately.
The next three days would be spent determining the students’ rankings through the third and fourth rounds, giving him ample time to work on his project.
He pulled a hammer from his inventory.
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Three days later, the results were as everyone expected.
Isabella took first place.
Lucas of the Elmar Grand Duchy securing second place was also anticipated.
At this point, few could counter his Trait magic, and the only one who might stand a chance was Enya of the Cruel Grand Duchy.
However, Enya, stubbornly adhering to her Quickdraw style, had fallen to fifth place.
Her Quickdraw technique was still under development, with too many vulnerabilities and weaknesses that were easily exploited.
It was a testament to her monstrous talent that she had reached fifth place using a technique straight out of a manga.
Among the prominent four Grand Duke families, one heir was ranked ninth: Claire.
Her magic specialized in buffs, making her less effective in one-on-one combat.
However, Claire’s ninth-place ranking wasn’t a disgrace.
It was commendable that she, a support mage, had managed to reach that position against so many formidable opponents.
In fact, Claire herself was quite satisfied with her ranking.
“My daughter…she could have been at least second…”
Eleiya, the head of the Cruel family and the Sword Saint, was displeased.
His daughter was a swordsmanship genius.
If she had used a proper sword, she would have easily secured third or fourth place.
He even believed she could have defeated Lucas.
While his paternal bias might have influenced his judgment, it was generally accepted that Enya, at her full potential, could surpass Lucas.
After all, before she became obsessed with Quickdraw, she had consistently defeated him in practice duels.
“Sigh…My daughter…” Eleiya sighed, rubbing his forehead.
He had longed to see his daughter, standing in first or second place, accepting her trophy with a bright smile.
But that moment had vanished, all thanks to that blasted Quickdraw.
“Hmm?” Eleiya’s eyes narrowed.
His daughter, who had been looking around restlessly, spotted a rather effeminate-looking boy and started following him.
The expression on her face after she called out to the boy was shocking.
That bright, cheerful smile was something he hadn’t seen since she was nine years old.
Eleiya frowned and glared at Ed.
‘That boy…What’s he up to? His mana flow is unusual.’
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