First Battle

I quickly returned to the Colosseum. There weren't many students yet, as there was still about an hour until the test would start.

I had already been notified about my match. It was with some dude named Alicer Roskii.

I didn't write anyone with that name, so it was probably a person created by this world. I've heard he was pretty strong, too.

The match would be held later on in the afternoon, so I had plenty of time to do what I wanted.

"Hey, guys. Everything good?"

After spending a few minutes navigating the aisles, I was finally able to get to where my team was seated.

It was at the very front of the block, meaning we would be able to watch the battles from up close.

"Welcome back, Leader."

Before I realized it, Rokas had gotten into the habit of calling me "Leader." After hearing from me how I saved Alter from getting hit, I was bombarded with praise for sacrificing my arm.

He hasn't stopped calling me Leader ever since. I just got sick of telling him to stop, so I let him do what he wanted.

"Where'd you go, bro?" Wang Jin asked.

"I just went for a stroll around the campus," I said as I sat down.

Beside us, the Eri siblings were conversing, not paying attention.

"I see, I see. Well, you should do your business if you need to. I heard the test is about to start soon."

Half an hour later, the seats of the Colosseum were beginning to fill Thousands of people who had come to watch the tournament were eager to see some action.

It was a bit loud, considering how there were many different factions in the crowd cheering for their own idols.

Yeah, some of the cadets here already had their fanbases. Some were established celebrities who had decided to enter the Academy in order to get stronger.

Maybe this was where the rumors of the Academy giving out invitations to popular people came from. If they managed to invite well known artists, their viewership could increase.

Ah, but it's just a rumor.

"ARE YOU ALL READY!?"

Oww, my ears. All the sound in the stadium was suddenly replaced by some middle-aged man screaming into the mic.

I looked at the top of the stadium. There, above the arena, there was a room floating in the air.

That was probably where the casters would be.

"TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF THE SECOND EXAM! THE PART YOU ALL HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR, THE TOURNAMENT!"

I wish he'd quiet down, honestly.

The speech went on, with the caster explaining how the tournament would work out.

Firstly, the students had already been assigned an opponent that they had to fight.

Secondly, the fights were only one versus one. There were no team fights.

Thirdly, victory did not mean that the loser wouldn't be able to enter. If the loser managed to put on a good show worthy of admiration, then they would be able to attend the school as if they won.

"NOW THAT THE RULES HAVE BEEN EXPLAINED, LET'S INTRODUCE THE JUDGES!"

I knew those people. I looked at the large screen that hung above the arena. It was like a large TV that showed everything that happened inside the Colosseum.

There were three of them. The first, was Sayuri Kinako, a well-known S rank hero who was dubbed the Crimson Maiden. She had red hair, and red eyes, and wore red clothes.

The second was Anthony Wywear. Also an S-rank hero, who specialized in defense. His nickname was the Mountain Giant.

The last, but certainly not the least, was Cendria Macador. One of the very few S+ heroes in the world. She was widely known to be the strongest currently living hero, on par with some legends of ancient times.

Now, this is certainly a weird group of people. But I respect that the Academy was able to make them come. High-ranking heroes were well-known for being busy.

Oh, looks like the first battle is about to start. If I remember correctly, the ones to go now would be…

There she is! Damn, I'm like a little kid watching their favorite actor walk on stage.

Lorelai Seraph was a girl about my age. She had long brown hair that she'd often tie up in a ponytail.

She was the only daughter of the Seraph family, a famous clan well-known throughout the world as the family of the greatest archers.

Over the years, the Seraph had never failed to produce a magnificent sharpshooter. They were recognized for possessing the "All-Seeing Eyes", a skill that was passed down by their ancestors.

With this skill, they were able to hit targets of over two thousand kilometers, maybe even more if they squinted their eyes enough.

There was also that thing about her being modeled after my ex-girlfriend, but hey, now that I'm here, I can aim for Lorelai instead.

Lorelai's opponent seemed to be some random guy I never heard of. Kai Muller, a country boy who wielded dual daggers.

"Is everything okay, Leader? You seem excited."

"Do I? I guess I am."

"Oh, is it because of the Lorelai girl? I can't blame you, she's really hot." Wang Jin pestered me.

"Don't talk about her like that. And yes."

"Our calm Leader having a crush on a girl? I firmly believed you would stay a eunuch."

Damn, what is your impression of me? I'm not some sort of emotionless bastard who bathes in the blood of his enemies.

I paid no attention to Wang Jin and Rokas easing me and turned my head to the big screen. The fight was about to start soon.

She's more beautiful than I imagined. I guess real life really can't compare to the illustrations my artist drew.

As the two contestants approached the middle of the arena, a hologram of a referee resembling a robot appeared.

"Get ready, fighters. The first person to make their opponent lose consciousness or admit defeat will be declared the victor of this match."

"With that in mind, the battle will start in ten seconds. Please head to your designated side."

And so, but Lorelai and Kai walked back to their own sides. With their weapons in their hands, they took on their respective battle stances.

I kept my gaze primarily focused on Lorelai.

"Ready? Fight!"

The moment the referee's voice was heard, Kai Muller rushed forward at a speed almost invisible to the naked eye.

Having chosen the twin daggers as his weapon, it was absolutely necessary for him to get as close as possible to Lorelai, who wielded a bow.

Lorelai, on the other hand, wasn't experienced in close-quarters combat. She was the type of person who preferred to stay in the back, firing away at her enemies.

All would've been good and well for her if it wasn't for the fact that her real potential didn't lie with the bow.

She was a defect, a flaw.

The Seraph, known for giving birth to the best sharpshooters in the world, had somehow raised a melee fighter.

Unlike the rest of her siblings, Lorelai didn't possess All Seeing Eyes. Meaning, she only got to where she was right now with pure hard work.

That was one of her traits that I found lovely. Even if she had a skill dedicated to melee fighting, she kept on pursuing the path of archery.

This would go on to shine in the early stages of the novel, where the enemies she faced weren't too strong.

There it is. I looked closer at Lorelai and noticed a green aura surrounding her feet. The famous Wind Step.

Using this, she was able to step on the air, allowing her to move around even in an empty area.

Wind Step allowed her to reposition herself, giving way for the opportunity to snipe at her enemies.

Kai was left in a daze. His opponent was now thirty, or forty feet in the air and was continuously moving.

*thwap*

Lorelai keenly fired an arrow in Kai's direction, to which he responded by dodging out of the way.

Loading another arrow, she fired it, this time using her mana to slight curve the projectile.

Lorelai's innate magic was the attribute of Wind. Most of her skills were of the same affinity, and she used this to swiftly defeat her enemies in battle.

But this way of applying mana to her arrow is indeed ingenious.

Kai, who thought that the arrow would miss him, stood in the same place.

Unfortunately for him, his senses screamed at him to move. But it was too late.

Lorelai's arrow had already pierced his knee, bringing him to the ground.

Groaning in pain, Kai did his best to pull out the arrow. This was in vain, of course.

Lorelai's arrows were of the broadhead type. They were designed to pierce and were typically impossible to pull out.

The more one tried to take it out, the more pain they would cause themselves.

In an effort to put him out of his misery and force him to surrender, Lorelai nocked another arrow and fired it at his other knee.

Surprisingly though, Kai was able to deflect the arrow away as if he was swatting a fly.

This annoyed Lorelai a bit. For her, if something took more effort than it was supposed to, she'd get mad.

"Argh, just give up!"

That was the first line she spoke in the match. It seemed like Kai wasn't planning on surrendering, though.

The winning conditions were either to knock your opponent out or to make them surrender. And for Lorelai, who wielded a bow, it was basically impossible to achieve the first condition.

Now… I wonder what she'll do next. I'm eager to find out.