Mid-Terms III

The Orden family of the Slatemark Empire boasts a rich history, living up to the prestigious title of Marquis bestowed upon them by the Emperor. A cornerstone of the world's greatest power, second only to the Four Dukes, Marquis Orden has been an exceptional warrior. The family's ascent to prominence can be traced back to their pivotal role in the war against the Viserion family and Murim.

Luke, the second oldest bastard son of Marquis Orden, wasn't initially considered as the heir apparent, despite being half-elf and having high affinity to mana. The first son, Michael, born out of wedlock, was the favored successor. However, everything took a dramatic turn when Luke defeated Michael at the age of 14, even though Michael was 16. This victory compelled even the Marquis to acknowledge Luke's prowess, leading to his enrollment in Mythos Academy. Despite his older brother's failure to pass the entrance exam, Luke excelled and secured his place.

As the strongest in Class 1-B and holding the Rank 9 spot among the first-years of Mythos Academy, Luke's true capabilities would likely place him within the top 20, if not the top 15, when compared to others his age from all academies in the world.

Displaying exceptional talent, he swiftly advanced to the <Low Silver>-rank just months after joining the academy. The institution contemplated promoting him to Class A by creating an additional spot but refrained from doing so, as depicted in the novel <<Saga of the Divine Swordsman>>. Instead, this decision led to Luke pulling down Arthur Nightingale to Class B, securing his own ascent to Class A.

Now, it's Luke standing before me, and I'm determined to rewrite the narrative. In the novel, Arthur was relegated to an extra character, glossing over the details of how Luke likely defeated him during the mid-terms.

According to my understanding, the academy's rule against changing rankings during mid-terms kept Luke in Class 1-B even after his victories over Arthur. It wasn't until the mid-years that Luke's consistent triumphs led to a change in rankings, propelling him to Class 1-A while Arthur faced a fall from grace. That was also the point in the novel where Arthur's presence dwindled.

However, reality won't mirror the novel's course.

I refuse to be surpassed by Luke. Thanks to the pill obtained from Kali through the mana oath, I was a minor mana rank over Luke. This translated to a significantly larger mana pool, higher output, and greater purity.

In simple terms, my overall physical stats outclassed his, though the degree might vary depending on elemental affinities. The novel's depiction of Luke beating Arthur at the same rank boiled down to one crucial factor—arts.

At our current level, arts played a pivotal role in our strength. Arthur's lack of exposure to any art handicapped his mastery over his Grade 5 art, paling in comparison to Luke's expertise with his own. This detail explained Luke's dominance in the novel but won't dictate our reality.

I couldn't afford to waste much time on Luke; after all, he was the weakest in this dungeon. Without hesitation, I unleashed my most powerful attack from the outset.

[4-circle spell: God Flash].

This was the very move that proved effective against a Rank 6 Shadow Seeker when the latter was caught off-guard. My intention was to develop it into my own Grade 6 art in the future, but for now, its impact wasn't overly impressive.

Regardless, it should suffice against Luke, who was barely on par with a Rank 4 Shadow Seeker.

My body blurred as I employed lightning magic to traverse the distance between us in a flash, my sword aimed straight for his chest.

I had no qualms about delivering a strong blow, confident that the professors could easily intervene. While this attack had proven effective against the Shadow Seeker, it would hardly register against the professors, each of whom far surpassed its might.

Luke's eyes widened in surprise, unable to react to my sudden assault. After all, chivalry wasn't a priority in a dungeon, right?

Sure, I could defeat Luke in a fair duel without resorting to God Flash, but conserving as much strength as possible was essential for the tougher opponents ahead. I needed to team up with Jin to take down formidable adversaries like Rachel, and maybe even Ren—though the latter would be a formidable challenge.

Moreover, as we delved deeper into the dungeon, we would encounter 4-star beasts, including the boss at the peak of 4-star, as formidable as Ren himself.

His sword couldn't move fast enough to counter my attack, causing lightning to blast him away. I focused on inflicting damage rather than aiming for a fatal strike, wary of potential professor intervention.

It wasn't an immediate disqualification if a professor intervened, but using an excessively lethal attack might result in negative points—a scenario I aimed to avoid.

My assault tore through the magical armor granted by the academy, propelling Luke into the wall. Not content to stop there, I sheathed my sword in my spatial ring and shifted my focus to fire magic.

The fundamental principle of fire magic is ignition. I lightly clapped my hands together, using a particle of fire mana to ignite the space between my palms, producing a dazzling flame.

Stretching and molding the flame, I focused intently. While I usually didn't invest this much concentration in a 4-circle spell, I wanted this one to be potent enough to entirely incapacitate Luke.

I then elongated the flames, as if pulling a bowstring, shaping them into an arrow.

[4-circle spell: Flame Bolt].

Just as Luke began to rise, preparing to charge at me, I unleashed the spell.

My arrow swiftly closed the distance, clashing against the wind aura employed by Luke. Observing the strength of his aura, I couldn't help but acknowledge why he defeated Arthur in the novel—it was undeniably formidable.

However, despite the potency of his wind aura, Luke was unprepared for the 4-circle spell I unleashed upon him. His defenses crumbled, overwhelmed by the flames.

In the nick of time, the professor intervened, deploying a defensive spell to ensure Luke's safety and prevent severe injuries.

"I'll take him back since he lost," declared the professor as she emerged from the shadows, approaching Luke. The flames dissipated instantly as she effortlessly lifted him using ambient mana.

Witnessing the professor's adept control over ambient mana, I marveled at the capabilities of high-rankers. Reaching <Integration >-rank allowed one to manipulate ambient mana to the extent of sustained flight with minimal fatigue—an incredible advantage in battles.

While there were other advantages to employing ambient mana in combat, I knew it would be a considerable amount of time before I attained such a level.

I scratched my head, turning away from the aftermath of the fight. The encounter played out just as expected after I landed God Flash on Luke.

Truth be told, in a head-to-head confrontation where Luke utilized his art, it would have required a bit more effort on my part to secure victory. Fortunately, catching him off-guard with God Flash allowed me to dispatch him using only two potent 4-circle spells.

Continuing deeper into the dungeon after the encounter, I engaged in battles with 1 to 2-star beasts to accumulate points while skillfully navigating around traps.

Testing out my diverse elemental spells against a few 3-star spider-like creatures, I encountered no formidable adversaries despite my progress.

Suddenly, a powerful surge of mana reverberated through the air, prompting me to stealthily approach the source, ensuring I remained unnoticed by the two individuals engaged in combat.

Ren and Rachel were locked in battle. Rachel, her blonde hair clinging to her perspiring form, drew the string of her magical bow, unleashing the 4-circle spell [Light Arrow].

This spell, akin to [Flame Arrow] but infused with the light element, held a unique potency in the hands of Rachel Creighton.

Observing the clash, I mused, 'Her Gift hasn't fully manifested yet.' The 4-circle spell exerted force on Ren, driving him back despite his defense utilizing space, time, and gravity.

Rachel's Gift, [Saintess], bestowed upon her by divine favor, granted her mastery over the most powerful light magic. She stood as another prodigious individual capable of dominating an entire generation, if not for formidable figures like Ren and Lucifer.

Nevertheless, Ren would emerge victorious against Rachel. Despite her apparent advantage, she was no match for him when he entered a serious mode.

Was I content to merely witness their clash? Definitely not.

I intended to join the fray, and my allegiance would lean toward Rachel. Ren could handle Rachel without my intervention, and aligning with him would only draw his ire, considering I would be snatching his points.

Moreover, lending a hand to a lovely, and more importantly, ordinary girl like Rachel held greater appeal than assisting Ren.

Eliminating Ren wouldn't hinder the dungeon's clearance anyway.

Stealthily positioning myself to exploit Ren's lack of focus on his surroundings while engaging with Rachel, I aimed to strike him flawlessly using God Flash. Despite the omnipresence granted by his overpowering Gift, he did have a blind spot during the confrontation with Rachel.

Taking advantage of this opening, I prepared for the attack. While Ren could anticipate my movements to some extent, catching him off-guard would limit his ability to react.

The moment arrived, and I executed the assault.

[4-circle spell: God Flash].

My attack slammed into Ren, breaching his defenses and propelling him into the wall. Rachel's blue eyes widened momentarily, but she promptly responded by firing another [Light Arrow] at the disoriented Ren.

In a roar of defiance, Ren bellowed, "How dare you!?" Yet, he couldn't retaliate against me as Rachel's attack landed, incapacitating him.

'Stupid,' I thought, 'At least use your aura for defense!'

I suppose he was still a teenager after all.

And thus, Ren was eliminated from the dungeon.