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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Even non-Sword Users have mana! Are you falling asleep?!”
“No, sir!”
“I said ‘Ugh!’! Do I look like a joke to you?!”
“Ugh!”
“Swords up! Finish the twentieth form and repeat until the exam! No slacking!”
“Ugh!”
Exhausted, on the verge of collapse, they persevered, fueled by sheer willpower.
The fiery warriors, tireless even after a sleepless night, some with blood trickling from their noses, their movements mechanical, their minds numb. But Egenir’s shouts, his relentless beatings, jolted them back to reality.
“You’re all wasting precious food! Understand?!”
“Ugh!”
“But you can drink this!”
He’d asked Ella to procure the potions from Spenny. It must have taken a while to gather enough for a hundred students.
“Awakening Potions. No drugs allowed during the exam.”
Even with the potions, a poor stance meant failure.
“You’ll endure. Your strength will surge. But the stress, the thirst, the rage…it will consume you. Last chance to quit. Leave now if you want.”
They all accepted the potions.
“Drink.”
“Ugh!”
Their hands, bloodied from gripping their swords, trembled with anticipation.
“A bright future? There’s no such thing! You’re fighting to survive! Understand?!”
“Ugh!”
“Money? Connections? Power? You have none of that! Your only hope is to find a rich husband! Am I wrong?!”
“Ugh!”
“You want an easy life! But life has dealt you a bad hand! And now you’re about to fail the academy exam?! Your future is bleak! Understand?!”
“Ugh!”
“Eighteenth form!”
The end was in sight. Even during their short breaks, they practiced the next form, their eyes fixed on Egenir.
Eighteenth…nineteenth…twentieth…The next day, around 3 PM…
“Twentieth form again!”
‘Whoosh!’
A hundred swords moved in perfect unison.
“We did it!”
“Kyaaa!”
They collapsed, crying, laughing, a mixture of relief and exhaustion.
“Who said you could stop yelling ‘Ugh!’?”
“Huh?”
“What?”
“Did you think mastering the forms guaranteed you a pass on the sandbag test? If you were that talented, you wouldn’t be struggling. You’d be swordsmanship prodigies. Right?”
Despair washed over them.
But a few…
A few stood up, gripping their swords. And slowly, others followed, their resolve renewed, their jaws clenched.
Like battle-hardened warriors, refusing to yield, even after countless battles. They weren’t strong, they weren’t well-equipped.
They were just…unyielding.
‘I’ll make sure they pass.’
Their eyes were bloodshot, just like his. He’d pushed them to their limits, scanning their every move, correcting their mistakes, shouting encouragement…and insults.
He hid his trembling hands behind his back and yelled,
“Again! Again! Again! Until the exam! Push yourselves! Ingrain it into your bodies! Never forget!”
“Ugh!”
“More potions! Drink!”
“Ugh!”
He distributed more potions, their bodies fueled by the concoction, their eyes burning with a venomous intensity. He downed three potions himself, his stomach churning.
“First to twentieth form, continuous repetition! Mistakes will be punished!”
“Ugh!”
A hundred swords flashed.
“Fourth form, use your core!”
“Twelfth form, bend your knees!”
“Eighteenth form, arm strength!”
“Ugh!”
“Ugh!”
“Ugh!”
“Get up! Keep swinging!”
“Ugh!”
The next day…
“Enter the exam hall…”
The instructor, looking at the girls, almost wet himself. A veteran of countless exams, he later described the experience as…
[They were like…demons…No, it reminded me of the final stand during the last demon war. A special forces unit, fighting even after the war had ended, unaware of the victory…Their eyes…like those soldiers, refusing to yield.]
Their faces, hardened by exhaustion and determination, radiated a chilling intensity.
“Left…side…”
They shuffled into the exam hall, their eyes fixed on the sandbags.
“Seria! Begin!”
“Ugh!”
A roar louder than the instructor’s, a declaration of war. She attacked the sandbag, flawlessly executing the twenty forms, her movements precise, her strikes powerful, despite her aching wrists.
It was as if she knew exactly which points to hit, which movements to emphasize.
‘W-What…’
“N-Next! Sirian!”
“Ugh!”
She charged, her attacks relentless. The instructor hadn’t noticed, but the other girls pointed out a flaw in her eighteenth form.
“Do it again! Eighteenth form, your stance!”
“Be grateful the instructor isn’t here! Focus!”
“Ugh!”
“Even if you collapse, finish the form perfectly!”
“Ugh!”
She attacked again, her wrists screaming in protest, until she finally collapsed, having completed the forms.
Another girl, her face set in grim determination, dragged her out of the arena.
“What…is this…”
They were still burning, their fighting spirit unyielding.
“Next!”
“Ugh!”
They continued, their shouts echoing through the hall.
“You faltered on the twentieth form! Again! Get up!”
“Ugh!”
“Don’t lose focus! Is that what the instructor taught you?!”
“Ugh!”
They cursed, they screamed, invoking Egenir’s name. They attacked the sandbag until they collapsed, exhausted. Seven out of thirty had already fainted.
“Take care of your comrades! Now!”
“Ugh!”
Those who’d finished their exams helped their fallen comrades, dragging them out of the arena.
“Hang in there! Don’t give up!”
“Ugh!”
They supported each other, slapping each other’s faces to stay awake. Their eyes were bloodshot, the whites streaked with red.
‘Thwack! Thwack!’
“Pass! Next!”
They passed, one after another, their teamwork flawless.
‘Did they just…fight a war?’
Before each exam, the girls slapped their unconscious comrades awake.
“We came this far! Don’t you dare faint! Do you want to go home?!”
“Ugh!”
“Hang in there! Fight!”
“Ugh!”
The instructor, overwhelmed by their intensity, simply called out the next name.
‘What…is this…’
They passed, one after another.
Their eyes were bloodshot, but they watched each other intently, ready to offer corrections, insults at the ready.
The instructor, intimidated by their ferocity, couldn’t even enforce the silence rule. Only a few remained, but he couldn’t force them to leave their unconscious comrades behind.
“The instructor said…he’ll wait for everyone.”
“We’re leaving together, even if we have to carry them out.”
“Ugh!”
They helped their injured comrades.
“Next!”
“Go!”
A girl, her cheeks bruised and bleeding, her teeth stained red, was helped towards the sandbag. She gripped her sword and charged.
“Ugh!”
“Ugh!”
They cheered, their voices hoarse, their energy depleted.
‘Thud!’
One girl collapsed before finishing the twentieth form, her eyes wide open.
“Again! Get up!”
“Wake up, you bitch!”
They rushed to her side, slapping her, trying to wake her…
“She…”
The instructor was about to declare her failure, but the girls’ murderous glares silenced him.
“There’s still time!”
“Uh…r-right…”
“Wake up! Open your eyes!”
The instructor, unable to watch, turned away.
“The instructor said he’d kill anyone who faints during the exam! And then kill himself!”
“Ugh!”
A miracle.
The girl’s eyes snapped open.
“Grab your sword!”
“Ugh!”
‘Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!’
She attacked the sandbag with renewed ferocity, flawlessly executing the twenty forms.
“Pass! Next!”
“Ugh!”
They continued, their attacks relentless. And finally…
“Next!”
“Go!”
“Hang in there!”
“Ugh!”
‘Thwack! Thwack!’
The last girl attacked, her shouts echoing through the hall, a battle cry for her comrades. Tears streamed down her face as she poured all her frustration, all her pain, into her strikes.
‘I’ll finish this! I will!’
The instructor could almost hear her thoughts. Thirty-two unconscious, sixty-seven barely standing. And one…
“Go!”
The final form.
‘Thwack!’
A perfect strike.
“Pass!”
Even the instructor yelled in triumph. The “Pass” sign glowed brightly.
“Aaaaagh!”
The last girl screamed in victory, and the others rushed to her side, embracing her, crying, laughing.
“…”
Ella, who had passed quietly, stood silently, then left the exam hall, seemingly indifferent. Egenir stood outside, arms crossed, his eyes fixed on the entrance.
“They all passed.”
“…”
He didn’t respond, his eyes wide, unfocused.
“D-Did he…?”
Ella was worried. Blood trickled from his nose, and he seemed deaf to her words, staring blankly ahead.
“Egenir…”
He was breathing, albeit raggedly, his chest heaving. He wasn’t unconscious. His lips were bleeding, bitten raw.
“Instructor!”
The girls emerged from the exam hall, carrying their unconscious comrades, tears streaming down their faces.
Seeing their expressions, Egenir finally smiled.
“Good job…”
‘Thud!’
That day, the low-ranking girls’ dormitory achieved a legendary 100% pass rate on The Sieve, their rebellion a resounding success. And Egenir, witnessing their triumph, collapsed.
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It was an unprecedented event, a 97% pass rate for the low-ranking male students and a 100% pass rate for the girls. The academy was in an uproar. And Egenir was at the center of it all.
“What the…”
“Did they make the exam easier?”
“No, they said…”
They remembered their own struggles with the sandbag, a feat impossible without advanced swordsmanship. And rumors spread about the girls being confined to their dormitory for two days, collapsing from exhaustion.
Egenir had disappeared…
He was, in fact, unconscious in Ella’s room. He woke up three days later.
“Hmm…”
He opened his eyes to a familiar ceiling.
“…I told you not to bring me here…”
“You’re awake?”
Ella looked down at him from above. She was practically straddling him.
“Still in your underwear…”
“Do I look…unattractive?”
Her bra, pressed against him as she leaned forward, seemed…larger. He couldn’t help but stare.
“No…You look beautiful…So please…move…”
His head throbbed, his body ached from the aftereffects of the Awakening Potions.
He almost reached out to touch her breasts, then stopped himself, scooting away like a startled fish.
“How are the girls?”
“They all passed.”
“Hee hee…”
He chuckled. They’d actually done it. The girls, who usually had a dismal 30% pass rate, had achieved a perfect score.
“I-Instructor?”
Seria, Ella’s roommate, looked at him.
“I’m not an instructor anymore. Never again. So don’t call me that.”
“Ugh!”
Seria’s loud “Ugh!” was followed by a stampede of girls.
“Instructor!”
They rushed towards him, eager to embrace him.
“Calm down! I quit!”
“Instructor! We did it!”
“Good job! Now get off me!”
They hugged him, lifting him onto their shoulders, carrying him around the cramped dormitory. They weren’t just ordinary girls, but trained swordsmen capable of wielding mana.
“Y-You crazy bitches! Put me down!”
“Teach us until we graduate! No, teach us forever!”
“Who said that?! Do you want to get beaten up?!”
“We’ll follow you! I mean, Ugh!”
“Stop it!”
Egenir revised his opinion. It wasn’t just the low-ranking boys’ dormitory that was filled with idiots. The world was vast, and idiots were plentiful.
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[Hey.]
At a campfire where low-ranking soldiers gathered before a battle. Men and women were huddled together on the eve of a demon invasion. A woman approached Egenir, who was keeping watch.
[?]
He looked at her, and she smiled sadly.
[Want to sleep with me?]
He knew it wasn’t about affinity. She was scared, facing a potential death at the hands of the demons. She wanted comfort, solace. He shook his head, a bitter smile on his lips.
[Someday…]
He remembered his vow.
[Someday, I’ll save everyone. Even those who’ve died.]
[…Whatever.]
He’d clenched his jaw, determined to protect them all, to prevent their senseless, tragic deaths.
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