Chapter 6: Unlocking Potential

The shockwave slashed through Akira, triggering a violent explosion that enveloped the arena in smoke and dust.

Risa woke up startled by the explosion, rubbing her eyes to clear the haze. As she surveyed the scene, she noticed a fierce battle unfolding in the stadium below.

Glancing to her right, Risa realized that Akira was missing. Panic set in as she realized he was down there in the midst of the chaos.

The class grew increasingly curious about Akira's fate, their attention fixed on the obscured arena, making it difficult to discern whether he had survived the explosion.

Kazuko, visibly exhausted from expending a massive amount of mana, remained on guard, determined not to let his guard down just yet.

Suddenly, Akira emerged from the smoke, leaping forward with lightning speed. His rapier thrust out, and in a swift motion, he managed to cut Kazuko's cheek, leaving a minor scratch. Kazuko, fatigued and slow to react, was unable to defend himself effectively.

After a brief struggle, Kazuko collapsed to the ground, sporting a bleeding scratch on his cheek. Despite his initial confidence, he realized Akira was still in perfect condition, not a scratch on him.

"H-how..." Kazuko stammered before fainting on the ground.

"Kazuko is unable to battle! AKIRA IS THE WINNER!" Professor Asric's excited voice echoed, met with cheers from the entire class.

"I-I won?" Akira said, bewildered by the unexpected turn of events.

"Good job, kid. You didn't even have to use magic to beat Kazuko. That's impressive, even for me," Professor Asric praised.

Curious about Akira's survival, Professor Asric asked, "How did you survive that attack, Akira?"

"I-I'm not really sure... It's like somehow I managed to just dodge it," Akira explained.

Unbeknownst to Akira, Professor Asric knew the truth but decided to keep it from him.

"I see. Anyways, class is over! All of you are dismissed!" Professor Asric declared.

Returning to his desk, Akira gathered his bag. Suddenly, he was embraced from behind.

"W-what the-" Akira turned to see Risa hugging him.

"I see you finally are awake, Risa," Akira said, smiling.

"You did amazing! Well... I was kinda asleep for all of it, though hahaha..." Risa said, letting go of him.

As Akira and Risa exited the class, they began to walk to the next one.

"Hmm... so it looks like you've also obtained the lightning element too..." Professor Asric muttered to himself after Akira and Risa left.

In the hallway, Akira and Risa continued their conversation.

"So, how do you like using a rapier, Akira?" Risa asked.

"Well, it's actually really nice..." Akira replied, then realizing something.

"What is it, Akira?" Risa asked, curious about why he stopped talking and moving.

"I FORGOT TO GIVE THE RAPIER BACK!" Akira exclaimed.

"It'll be fine. You can return it tomorrow," Risa reassured.

"N-no! That won't do! I have to return it!" Akira insisted.

"S-seriously, it's okay. Are you always this polite?" Risa questioned.

"W-well yeah, I love being polite to people. It's my nature," Akira said.

"Just return it back tomorrow! By the time you get to the class, he's gonna be gone..." Risa explained.

Akira sighed. "Yeah, you're right..." He resumed walking towards the next class.

"But I will say, I do like this rapier. It's so light, and I feel like if I learn how to use magic with the rapier in my hand, I could be pretty strong!" Akira explained.

"Hmm, but will you be able to infuse mana at the same time? What if you need to restore mana? It'll be hard for you to just restore mana if you're not in a battle for 10 seconds," Risa pointed out.

Akira thought for a moment. "Well, then I'll use the rapier. There's nothing wrong with physical attacks, right?" he explained.

Risa sighed but smiled. "Maybe you should learn how to use magic first, then we can talk about how to do magic and physical attacks at the same time."

"We have three more classes left together. Honestly, I kinda feel scared for the next day. But F-rank classes have proven to me that they aren't very hard and they are boring," Akira said.

"Uh huh... but you almost got yourself beat up by an F-rank student," Risa teased.

"It'll be fine... plus isn't the next class called Questing? We're going to an F-rank tier dungeon, right?" Akira asked.

"Yep! It'll be the first time all of us explore a dungeon full of monsters, so we better prepare ourselves!" Risa exclaimed.

To Be Continued...