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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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Reus was undeniably strong.
He was Achilles, after all.
The demigod, the butcher of Troy.
A demigod participating in a human war was inherently unbalanced.
But complaining wouldn’t change anything.
Reus was the reincarnation of the Trojan hero.
He was practically invincible in the early stages of the novel.
At least, until Arthur started leveling up with his status window.
And after that?
Like most second-in-commands, he became a Vegeta-like, brooding rival.
Anyway,
Our team of three was standing in the middle of the forest. My plan revolved around Tia.
“Are you sure we have to hide?”
Anya whined. She was bored.
“Just be patient, Anya.”
Tia’s words made Anya sigh. As a barbarian warrior, she was probably itching to charge into battle.
But that would be a disaster if they encountered Reus’s team.
Arthur, Reus, and Sonny. The strongest combination among the first-year students.
Even if we somehow managed to defeat them, surviving the remaining three days against the other teams would be difficult.
So, my plan was to wait.
“But… isn’t it better to fight, even if we lose?”
I had to appease Anya.
“Anya, I’ll let you fight Lien after this is over.”
“…Really?”
“But you have to follow my plan.”
“Okay! Leave it to me!”
Anya’s eyes sparkled with renewed enthusiasm. The prospect of fighting Lien again seemed to have motivated her.
―It’s almost time for the exam to begin.
Silbert, Tia’s intermediate-level wind spirit, said. Tia nodded.
“Okay, it’s time to commence the operation.”
“Tia, is it okay if I hold your hand?”
Tia hesitated. She hated physical contact, and she didn’t know how long she would have to endure it.
“…Yes, it’s okay.”
I took Tia’s hand. This allowed her to use my mana.
―Let’s begin.
Silbert chanted a short spell, and our bodies began to turn transparent.
Invisible Air.
It was a wind spirit spell that granted invisibility.
It was a powerful skill, but it drained the caster’s mana quickly.
Fortunately, Tia had access to my mana.
And for this plan to succeed, we needed the help of the ravens and the other animals in the forest.
They would be our eyes and ears, gathering information while we waited.
I glanced at Tia. Our eyes met.
I decided to zone out. There wasn’t much else to do.
“Ethan…”
Tia whispered.
“What?”
“How… how do you have so much mana?”
It was a natural question, considering my mana capacity. But I had an excuse prepared.
“I have a mana-compatible body.”
“A mana-compatible body?”
I gave her a brief explanation, using Professor Cassia’s words. Tia listened intently, her expression serious.
‘She might be suspicious, but what can she do…?’
In the novel, Arthur had used the same excuse when someone asked him about his rapidly increasing mana capacity.
“I see…”
Tia didn’t say anything else. She seemed to be lost in thought.
I looked at Anya. She was leaning against a tree, completely zoned out.
[My lord, I have a question.]
[What is it?]
[Is there a reason why you haven’t formed contracts with other spirits?]
A reason?
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to form contracts with other spirits. I couldn’t.
I needed a high affinity for spirits to form a contract directly.
And I couldn’t ask Tia to give me more spirits for free.
I had considered borrowing spirits from Tia, leveling them up, and then returning them.
I had even discussed it with Runtar.
‘Hey, Runtar, what if I borrowed some spirits from Tia, leveled them up, and then returned them?’
‘An interesting idea. But do you think they’ll want to return to their previous master after becoming high-level spirits?’
I had been speechless.
Runtar was right. They wouldn’t want to go back to Tia.
But maybe I could ask them later…
I had too much time on my hands.
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Thwack!
Reus lunged forward, his spear striking his opponent. The opponent collapsed with a groan.
A few teeth flew through the air.
He had been struck in the face and seemed to be unconscious. His teammates were lying on the ground beside him.
[The God of War rejoices in your ruthlessness.]
A message appeared before Reus.
Arthur rushed over and checked the unconscious student’s breathing. Thankfully, he was still alive.
“Do you really have to be so violent?”
Arthur was disgusted by Reus’s methods. Reus casually snatched the necklace from the unconscious student’s neck.
“Violent? I was just being efficient.”
Arthur gritted his teeth. The student had been about to surrender.
Reus had struck him in the stomach and then knocked him unconscious with his spear, preventing him from surrendering.
“There were three of us, and only one of them left.”
“So?”
Arthur glanced at Sonny, hoping for some support. But Sonny just shrugged.
“You could have shown some mercy.”
“A battle is a battle, even if it’s just an exam. You need to work on that soft personality of yours.”
Reus scoffed, and Arthur gritted his teeth again.
The sun was beginning to set in the west.
Reus’s team had been patrolling the area around the forest lake, defeating other teams and collecting their necklaces.
Most of their victims had been students who came to the lake for water.
The exam would last for 24 hours.
Reus planned to stay up all night.
Hero Candidates had superior stamina compared to ordinary people.
And no one would risk sleeping and being attacked.
“Let’s move.”
Reus led the way, scanning their surroundings.
He heard the rustling of leaves.
“Prepare for battle.”
Reus drew his spear and charged towards the sound.
Clang!
A blonde girl blocked his attack.
It was Tesha.
Reus smirked.
He had been wanting to fight her. She was the second-ranked student in the academy.
“Well, well, if it isn’t the second-ranked student.”
Tesha’s eyes were filled with anxiety.
‘I didn’t expect to run into your team…’
It was Reus.
She wasn’t sure if she could defeat him, even if she gave it her all.
And according to the announcements, Arthur and Sonny were also on his team.
Thankfully, they had spotted him first.
“Sepia!”
As if on cue, a barrage of ice shards shot towards Reus.
The ice shards spun like a windmill.
Crack!
The ice shards shattered, scattering in all directions.
Tesha seized the opportunity.
She lunged forward, her shortsword glowing with blue mana.
She aimed for Reus’s chest.
Thwack!
Reus’s kick deflected her attack.
It was a clean, precise kick.
He then dodged her follow-up attack by simply tilting his head.
‘He’s fast…!’
Tesha’s blade grazed his cheek.
She quickly retreated.
She had known that her simple tactic wouldn’t work.
But she hadn’t expected him to react so calmly.
“Sonny! Arthur! Find the mage and the archer!”
He already knew their team composition from the announcements.
Sepia was a mage, and Raynel was an archer.
They were ranged attackers, which meant they were vulnerable in close combat.
Sonny ran towards the direction the ice shards had come from.
“Second-ranked student, what’s your next plan?”
Tesha’s expression remained calm.
‘I’ll at least snatch his necklace…’
Even if she lost, if she could get his necklace, Reus would be eliminated.
Tesha kept her eyes fixed on Reus.
They were both strong fighters, ranked 1st and 2nd in their class.
The battle could end in an instant.
“My next plan?”
A rock fragment on the ground shot towards Reus.
“You have telekinesis.”
Reus instinctively dodged.
But it was a feint.
Tesha lunged, her shortsword aimed at his side.
‘I won’t make the same mistake twice.’
Her blade, infused with mana, glowed brightly.
Reus leaped back.
But a thin line of blood appeared on his arm.
It was a shallow wound, but she had managed to injure him.
“Not bad, second-ranked student. A decent strategy.”
“I still have one more trick up my sleeve. Raynel!”
An arrow, infused with mana, whizzed through the air, aimed at Reus’s heel.
‘Even if Raynel is eliminated, if I can defeat you, we’ll have the advantage!’
‘An arrow?’
Reus leaped to dodge the arrow.
Tesha pursued him relentlessly, her mana surging.
Her shortsword blurred, creating the illusion of multiple blades attacking from all directions.
Reus took cover behind a tree.
But her mana-infused blade could easily pierce through a tree.
Her blade grazed his shoulder and arm several times.
‘I’m going to win…!’
Tesha suddenly noticed Sonny standing beside her.
‘But… you were chasing Sepia…’
Thwack!
Sonny’s polearm struck her stomach. A wave of pain washed over her, her vision blurring.
She gasped.
But the attack didn’t end there.
“We also have a few tricks up our sleeves.”
Reus’s spear shot towards her face.
Tesha raised her arm to block the attack.
Crack.
Something snapped, and a searing pain shot through her arm.
Tesha rolled across the ground, her body hitting the undergrowth.
‘My right arm… it’s broken.’
She couldn’t win. She knew that.
“Ha… ha… I… give…”
Tesha tried to surrender.
She couldn’t fight with a broken arm.
But Reus didn’t give her a chance.
Thwack!
He kicked her in the stomach. A mana-infused kick that sent her sprawling.
She rolled across the ground again, her body covered in dirt.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
It was a merciless attack, filled with malice. Tesha looked up at Reus. His gaze was cold and unforgiving.
‘He won’t even let me surrender…?’
This was a survival game.
There was no need for such cruelty.
He was toying with her, like a cat playing with a wounded mouse.
The pain was unbearable.
Reus’s foot slammed down on her left hand, crushing her bones.
Then,
“Reus, that’s enough.”
An angry voice interrupted them.
A blade was pointed at Reus’s chest.
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