Chapter 346

“Sivar.”

“Yeah.”

“Is everything alright?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. Let’s do our best.”

The day had come for me to return to my position as an assistant after some time. Luna had left a significant message before she departed.

Actually, that’s something I wanted to say. I have no idea how the other class, not Reina’s, is faring.

It might be better than Reina’s class, which is like a powder keg, but the stress would still be the same.

‘Is Luna unconcerned?’

Thanks to her inherent stupidity, she might indeed not give a damn. She’s the type to focus solely on her own tasks.

Moreover, despite those strong egos among the new students, they still respect the professors. In fact, they tend to be quite respectful.

You need to respect the professors for your own ego to get a boost when you manage to outsmart them. It’s a kind of self-justification.

But since it’s a justified form of self-justification, it can be overlooked. It’s a mindset that greatly benefits personal growth.

“Sivar student.”

“Yes.”

“I need to talk to you for a moment. Can you follow me?”

“?”

It was Wednesday afternoon during the Autonomous Training session. I followed Dis with a sense of curiosity about why he had called me away from the other assistants.

It was evident he had something specific in mind, causing my intrigue to spike.

Eventually, following Dis led me to what looked like an office. Other professors were also present there.

‘This is strange. I haven’t done anything wrong, right?’

Although I might have drawn some attention like a guy with a huge bald spot, I haven’t caused any incidents. My conscience could firmly swear to that.

Unless I inadvertently caused a situation. Just then, self-doubt crept in.

“Sivar student. The reason I called you isn’t anything serious; it’s about practice.”

“Practice?”

“Right. Do you know what assistants usually do during practice?”

I contemplated Dis’s words. Assistants typically supervise safety and provide guidance during practice.

While professors keep an eye on things from a distance using camera-like devices, the assistants are right there on the ground.

Even though it’s just first-year students practicing amongst themselves, the potential for accidents is never zero.

Especially in a politically entangled situation like this, someone could feign an ‘accident’ to harm another.

“Yes. I know. Something like safety supervision.”

“I see you understand. But Sivar student, have you noticed anything while working as our class assistant?”

“Noticed anything?”

“Yes. You can just speak your mind.”

“Umm…”

It had only been nearly two weeks since I took on the assistant role. Yet, the fact that Dis was asking indicated he was concerned about something.

I had an inkling of what he was worried about. It was so obvious it felt strange not to be informed.

“Like a powder keg?”

“…”

“Wow, that metaphor is something…”

“I can’t argue with that.”

Dis was left speechless by such a brutally straightforward metaphor. The other professors seemed to be amazed, in a way.

However, right now, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Reina’s class lacked unity and was comparable to a powder keg.

To be precise, while faction unity might vary, the overall unity of the class was at rock bottom.

There was an unusually severe factional struggle compared to other classes. Even if it’s not factions, there’s also someone like Reina, who is an isolated island.

Isolated islands should band together, but Reina is the most deserted island of them all, which is a rather sad reality.

“But if that student is making such remarks…”

“It must be quite serious.”

“At this rate, I feel like an incident could happen soon…”

The professors in the back began voicing their opinions. They were worried about a potential major catastrophe.

Especially since they have to lead this class for a whole four years.

Even one troublesome student is hard to handle; how would they manage a whole class full of trouble? Resigning must be quite tempting.

‘In a way, these folks might be pitiful too.’

The world is indeed complicated. There are so many times when you have to fight, even if you don’t want to.

But avoiding it will just lead to a situation where you can’t do anything. It’s better to face it head-on with confidence.

“Ugh. You’re right. Right now, it’s difficult for our class to find any unity.”

Dis let out a sigh as he raked his hand through his hair, the side bearing an X-shaped scar.

Thinking about it, he barely survived with such a severe injury. I have quite a few scars myself.

“So, I need your help. We’re planning to slightly change the content of the practice.”

“Change the practice?”

“Yes. The content of practices varies by class and is subject to the professors’ discretion. As long as it’s reasonable.”

I’ve heard something like this before. That’s why the professors in our class constantly alter the rules, isn’t it?

The academy has a long history, so the framework is quite well-structured and can adapt to various situations.

From limiting combat to treating certain scenarios as final weapons, among other things. Quite diverse.

“What will it be changed to?”

“You, as an assistant, will be the target.”

“?”

I tilted my head at Dis’s answer. Becoming the target was something I never saw coming.

It seemed Dis realized he hadn’t explained enough, prompting him to continue.

“There are various themes for practice, and they can be conducted in different ways. You can either compete in groups or unify as a class to achieve a goal.”

“Is our class the latter?”

“Yes. In fact, from the professors’ perspective, the former is much easier. There’s nothing simpler than putting students against each other.”

What Dis said was accurate. It’s extremely easy to score by having students compete amongst themselves.

The students would undoubtedly dive in fiercely due to their competitive instincts, and professors would watch them leisurely.

But if that were to happen in our class, we’d risk serious injuries, and in severe cases, even fatalities.

Thus, it would probably be better to form the entire class into a team, even if it complicates things, to achieve a goal together.

“Before I ask for your opinion, can I ask one thing?”

“Sure.”

“How strong are you? Do you think you can beat all the students in our class if they all come at you?”

“Umm…”

Hearing that question made me pause for a moment. Frankly, I wanted to confidently reply with a ‘yes’ without any hesitation.

However, when asked about how strong the new students are, the truth is, I have no clue.

I still don’t know a few unfamiliar faces. Even if they’re from renowned families, not knowing is still not knowing.

‘Still, they can’t be as notable as Reina, right?’

The reckless siblings’ abilities weren’t notably high. Just normal knights and mages at best.

Aside from Reina, the one to keep an eye on would be Eom Seok-dae. He was presumed to be the leader of the group, so he must be strong.

“Maybe?”

“Maybe, huh… I see. You’re surprisingly humble.”

“?”

I had never heard the word humble before. What kind of misunderstanding could he possibly have?

After a moment of confusion, I immediately returned to the training hall as soon as Dis cast the lifting spell.

I had no idea what kind of practical exam we would undergo, but the professors would take care of it.

Normally, I would consult with professors from other classes, but given the circumstances, I would let it slide.

-Murmur. Murmur.

“Huh?”

Upon returning to the training hall, I found a group of students huddled together.

For a moment, I thought maybe a fight had broken out, so I started to move toward them, thinking I might as well watch if there was one.

As I got closer to the students, my initial hope was dashed; it wasn’t a fight at all. In the center stood Eom Seok-dae, brandishing a sword.

‘What is he doing?’

There were several candles set up before Eom Seok-dae. Was he attempting some sort of trick?

While pondering this, Eom Seok-dae’s eyes sparkled, and he swiftly swung his sword horizontally.

It was a practice sword and carried no magic, so it wasn’t dangerous. However, the results were nothing short of astonishing.

“Wow.”

“That’s really clean.”

“Meaning there’s not a single wobble?”

All the flames on the candles went out. But they didn’t just extinguish.

Every wick from the candles had stuck to Eom Seok-dae’s blade. Even the wicks that were lit remained intact.

It was a clean strike, and not a single wobble was present. He was indeed flawless.

‘That’s probably more effective than cutting through a bundle of straw.’

I knew very well how difficult that was. I wasn’t cutting but smashing with a blunt object instead.

It was a testament to Eom Seok-dae’s talent and skill. Clearly, he was worthy of being the leader of his group.

“Haha. There’s no need to be amazed at this level.”

His charming smile, combined with his humility, drew applause from the onlookers.

Aside from the fact that he lacked manners, everything else about him was positive. I wondered how much effort it would take for me to develop such finesse.

‘I’d probably end up smashing all the candles, right?’

That was a given. Such precision wasn’t in my wheelhouse.

“Is anyone here willing to give it a try…”

Eom Seok-dae began to speak but hesitated. His gaze had directly landed on me.

Given my height, it was no surprise I stood out dramatically. Eom Seok-dae’s expression turned strange at that moment.

He initially looked a bit stiff but quickly broke into a smile. It seemed he had concocted some unusual scheme in his mind.

“Oh, what luck! Assistant Sivar is here.”

“Sivar assistant?”

“Where?”

As he pointed at me, the attention naturally shifted my way. This wasn’t something I particularly enjoyed.

With everyone’s eyes on me, I had no choice but to walk forward desperately, concocting plans to escape in the meantime.

“Would you like to give us a demonstration?”

“What should I do?”

“Just extinguish the candles as I did. Use your unique skill.”

“I don’t have to use my sword?”

“You can if you feel confident enough.”

He was clearly trying to call me out. I shook my head vigorously.

Eom Seok-dae’s confident smile only deepened. Meanwhile, someone brought over new candles.

I hadn’t volunteered for this, so I was left wondering what they were doing. With this, escape was not an option.

“Are you giving up?”

“Just need to snuff out the flames, right?”

“That’s right.”

Hearing that I just needed to snuff them out, I figured I might as well make it quick and get out of there. I stood before the candle, which had a wick lit.

There were more candles than I initially thought, with over ten in total. Eom Seok-dae had managed to extinguish them all.

What’s more, he did so not just by putting the flame out but by elegantly cutting just the wick—an extraordinarily rare technique I didn’t possess.

“Hmm… Maybe I’ll try this?”

I clasped my arms open without holding any weapon. Observing Eom Seok-dae’s expression, he appeared puzzled. He clearly couldn’t predict my next move.

Finally, with my arms wide open, I swiftly brought them together in a clap.

-Smack!!

A loud noise echoed throughout the training hall.

-Whoooosh!!!

A fierce gust of wind shot toward the candles. The flames, directly hit by the wind, were naturally snuffed out.

The problem wasn’t the flames but the candles themselves. Since they weren’t securely fixed, the candles began to fly away in the wind.

“Ahh!”

“W-wind?!”

“Is that magic?!”

Students standing behind got hit by the flying candles. I felt a bit sorry about that.

Scratching my head at the neatly vanished candles, I turned to glance at Eom Seok-dae.

His mouth hung agape, clearly uncertain whether what he was witnessing was real or just some sort of illusion. His disbelief was evident.

“You take care of those.”

“…”

“I’m leaving.”

I instructed as such before moving on.

Surely, this won’t count as an accident.

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