The Third Mission

Shwak! Sparks flew across the brightly lit mini hill. Dignitas was engaged in an intense battle with more than five students, each of them just one sub rank below him.

Even so, such a difference was large when comparing them with the likes of the author. Using his superior speed, he blazed past the group of students, weaving his way through with accurately timed slashes that killed a person with each hit.

Thump. The last student's body fell to the ground lifelessly. There was a single, deep slash that had been carved into the back of their neck, ensuring their death was painless.

With a slightly tired huff, Dignitas got up and started traversing the dark jungle. Although he wasn't a stealth oriented combatant, his chances inside were far more advantageous than being outside in the sunlight.

His usual untidy appearance had been replaced with a more well kept look, although his eye and hair still retained their bleak color. Identity Warp was currently in effect, and with his ability to change his appearance, a more inconspicuous and common look would help him stand out less.

Dignitas leapt from one tree branch to the other with almost complete silence. The areas that he found easier to be spotted in he did not jump to. Instead, he swiftly drew footholds using Affinity Wave.

It was only five minutes later that he was suddenly alerted by his danger sense. A few dozen meters in front of him were multiple students gathered around a campfire.

The A.I. had most likely set them to stay on guard, only attacking when they caught sight of Dignitas. Based off the many distinct mana signatures he could feel, there were around fifteen students in the campsite.

Even he would find it difficult to come out unscathed against a number that many. And as such, he opted for the stealthier option.

Perching himself on a tree branch, he silently drew a small bullet with Affinity Wave. It was shaped like a small pyramid, possessing a fearsome tip.

Then, when he spotted a student get up and walk into a secluded area behind a few bushes, he followed. With the student now in sight, he brought the bullet in front of him.

Bringing Dainsleif behind his back like a baseball bat, he swung. The tip of the sword collided with the butt of the bullet in an instant. The air made way for the projectile as it crossed a surprising length of distance in less than a second.

Reaching pseudo-supersonic speeds could now be achieved, albeit with great difficulty.

Phwish. The student's lifeless body fell to the ground, a thin hole having opened through their skull.

It was only a second later when sound finally caught up with the bullet, and a ear-piercing "phwoom" resounded throughout the area.

By that time, Dignitas had already laid his eyes on three other students. Now that they were alert, their perception would be able to catch any sloppy attack thrown at them.

But that was not enough, of course. Dignitas' brain worked faster than before, calculating their positions in a flash. His body followed soon after, and he sent out three more bullets, each one taking the life of a student.

One of the students who were fortunate enough to not be in Dignitas' sight hurriedly pointed in his direction, uttering incomprehensible words and shouting at the other students.

The author's position had now been compromised. Still, four students less meant less brainpower required to focus on them simultaneously.

Now that the playing field was a bit more even, Dignitas could finally afford to show himself. He leapt off the tree branch, landing on the floor below with elegance.

"Charge at me all you want, you puppets! Who wants to have a taste of this author's new powers?"

One particularly gutsy student wielding a rapier took Dignitas up on his offer. Based on the way the student was holding his sword, he surmised that his battle style was the aggressive kind.

Dozens of hours of staying inside the Training Hall, sparring against models that used all kinds of styles of combat had molded Dignitas to be adaptable.

The student sent his rapier out in a thrust. Its speed was comparable to the past Dignitas' faster swings, but fell off in comparison to the present's.

"You move too slow."

Sidestepping the attack as if he was doing exercises, Dignitas sent Dainsleif flying upwards. The very next moment, the student's arm was cut and blood spurted out.

Without wasting time, he brought the sword's blade sideways and slashed past his opponent's head. Like a butcher cutting meat, he easily decapitated the student.

That was one down, and ten left. By now, the others had rallied and were charging towards Dignitas in an organized backwards V-formation, with one student leading the charge.

Pouring mana into his feet, Dignitas bravely charged into the group of students. As he did, he sheathed Dainsleif and fused as much mana as possible in that short moment.

Right as he clashed with his enemies, he unsheathed Dainsleif in a flash, swinging it in an arc. His slash left mirages in the air, almost as if it had cut through the very space around it.

The three students at the front were close enough to be affected by the slash and were sent flying backwards. They had no time to react, and as a result, they lost their lives.

Seven other students had seized this moment, using their fallen comrades as stepping stones. In the next second, they had surrounded Dignitas.

Yet, there was not a single hint of nervousness in the author's face. Rather, he was smiling widely, as if welcoming the challenge.

The glow on his lone eye flashed brighter. Shifting his weight, he turned to lightly receive the slash of one of the students. He didn't stop there, choosing to kick them backwards and use the momentum to charge at another.

"Here's another John move."

He loosely held onto Dainsleif's handle, before thrusting it forward, forcing the blade through his opponent's armor. Then, he dexterously spun it at a surprising speed, mimicking the way electric drills moved.

The added boost of momentum helped the sword pierce through the reinforced mana barrier the student had placed on himself.

'It's still a work in progress, but goddamn. It might as well be a drill.'

This was Rotation Thrust, another skill Dignitas had picked up from John. Like Distortion Slash, it was inspired from the protagonist's own sword style.

"More… I need to test more."

***

The day after…

There was now only six days before the first quarterly exam, and with what little time TGS had, Dignitas decided to put it towards obtaining the last few pieces of the puzzle.

Percivale Eri was the one going out today. Just like the last two missions, Andrea would be on call with whoever was sent out. With her around, Dignitas could breathe a sigh of relief.

The artifact in question that Percivale would be going for was the B rank artifact "Feather Shifter."

To Dignitas' surprise, Feather Shifter was different in this storyline. Instead of only working on Spatial magicians as written in the story, it seemed to be effective for all mana users. The Log had said so.

It didn't seem big on paper, but the ability to be wielded by anyone made its usefulness increase by leaps and bounds.

"Be safe out there." Dignitas ruffled Percivale's hair.

All the members of TGS had gathered to see the younger Eri sibling off. While they still weren't entirely sure whether to allow him to go off by himself, Dignitas insisted he did in order to learn self-reliance.

If Percivale were to stay the same obedient kid, then it'd hurt his decision making in the future. Being indecisive was a fatal flaw when out in the world.

"You better make sure to not get hurt!"

Alter snatched her unwilling brother away from Dignitas and initiated a short hug. As the more talkative out of the two, she would oftentimes be the one to decide their next move.

"I won't, sister. Miss Andrea is with me, after all."

"Speaking of Andrea," Dignitas stared at the Navigator who was busy typing away at her laptop. "You did decide on a nickname for Percivale, yes?"

Without warning, Andrea flipped her laptop screen to face the author. A picture of a book cover was displayed, "Perry Mateus: Spatial Genius."

It was an autobiography of Perry Mateus, one of the most well known Spatial Affinity magicians. He lived quite a long time ago, but if his strength were to be measured by today's standards, he would be S rank.

Andrea pointed towards the word "Perry."

"So… Perry? That okay with you, Perci?" Dignitas asked.

"I like it."