Chapter 57

To be honest, I had my doubts. Were they really underestimating me that much?

Most of the students couldn’t even defeat Luna, who hadn’t mastered the basic techniques.

And Luna had been overwhelmingly defeated by Kara, who had also overwhelmingly lost to me.

Through this, they surely realized that I possessed ridiculous strength. But for some reason, they decided to ambush me.

Honestly, calling it an ambush is a bit embarrassing; anyone sensitive enough could prepare for it without needing to be me.

“All we need to do is break the bracelet!”

“If we knock him out, we can handle the rest ourselves, so let’s hurry!”

Is that what it was? I nodded at the shouts of the ambushers hidden behind the bushes and trees.

Instead of facing me directly, they seemed to be attempting to damage the bracelet to knock me out.

It seemed like a compromise on their part, but they made a huge mistake. First of all, there’s the bracelet itself.

‘I can barely get this off myself.’

Given how the bracelet is structured, just taking it off is hard. Breaking it is way more efficient than trying to remove it painstakingly.

Secondly, they failed their ambush. If they were going to ambush me, they should have done it before I noticed, but that was pointless now.

If that wasn’t the case, they should have struck as soon as I showed confusion.

Now that the ambush has failed, there’s no choice but to face me head-on.

And lastly, the most important point.

“As long as we can tie him up somehow, we can stick to the plan!”

Plans don’t mean a thing against overwhelming strength.

I watched the students rushing toward me. Some wielded swords and shields, others held spears and axes.

Various classes of warriors formed the front line, and behind them were archers and mages, ready to support from a distance.

“Bind him!”

A woman, presumably a mage, pointed her staff at me and shouted. Magic is activated through ‘language.’

With her words, I felt a strange energy and an odd sensation around my feet. I immediately looked down.

It seemed like handcuffs were clamping around my legs with blue mana binding them tightly. It looked like a temporary binding spell.

‘First time seeing magic, huh?’

I had seen Rod slicing through space a few times, but this was my first encounter with magic. I had never had a chance to witness it.

As I stared in fascination at my feet, which were bound by magic, the warriors reached my face.

Killing during practice is absolutely forbidden, and even causing serious injury results in instant disqualification.

Professors were watching in real-time, and they could disqualify anyone on the spot.

*Hwoosh!*

Of course, there was no reason for them to show mercy to someone as tough as me. A sharp spear point lunged toward my face.

By now, they likely had a sense of my strength from the duel with Kara. Especially since I had smashed Elvin’s sword with my teeth.

Though the attacks were somewhat slow compared to others, I could easily dodge just by nodding my head.

*Snap!*

Or just grab it. I firmly caught the spear’s blade with my bare hands.

The spear-wielder jumped back in shock, but that was futile.

While this was happening, I could sense something coming from behind me. Honestly, rushing in directly from the front is a stupid move.

However, someone was sneaking up behind me instead of charging in like the warriors. They seemed to be a rogue of some kind.

Thud!

“Ugh?!”

Without looking back, I grabbed the face of the person approaching me from behind. My hand was big enough to catch them with just one grip.

Turning my head, I recognized a familiar face—a slippery-looking guy.

‘Antonio?’

It was Antonio, who had teamed up with Luna. Kronos’ real brother, skilled in scheming.

Antonio’s presence meant that Luna was also in on this. I couldn’t help but wonder.

‘Why is Luna involved?’

Of all people, Luna. She knew about Porori’s existence and Hector’s fight.

She should understand how ridiculous this plan is. Yet, she seemed to have joined in.

While I pondered that, Antonio rummaged through his pockets and tossed something at my face.

It was a perfectly round bead, and my superior hand-eye coordination caused my gaze to lock onto it.

*Flash!*

Before I could even dodge, a bright flash erupted right in front of my eyes. It was a light so intense that I had to close my eyes automatically.

No matter how strong I am, being attacked in the eyes makes me stagger. As a human, the eyes are the most sensitive area.

“Now’s the time!”

As I stumbled, Antonio shouted, thinking it was a perfect opportunity. At the same moment, I felt a strange sensation on my limbs.

My feet may be bound by magic, but people were now firmly holding onto my arms. Not just one, but both.

They were even clinging to my legs, making it a desperate struggle.

“Hurry and break it! This guy’s tough enough that we can smash him if we need to!”

“I know!”

With that cry, someone raised their weapon high. Even with my eyes closed, I could feel their presence.

It seemed they were planning to break the bracelet instead of attempting to remove it themselves. Quite an excellent plan they had there.

*Whoosh!*

And then, the weapon came crashing down towards the bracelet. As soon as I sensed it, I sprang into action.

Currently, my bracelet was on my left arm, and there were people clinging to that very arm.

It seemed like a desperate attempt to hold on to me, but it was all pointless.

*Snap!*

I swung my left arm, where two people were hanging on, straight into the weapon. It registered a solid hit on Antonio’s skull.

As soon as I struck his head, Antonio fell to the ground. The person who had swung the weapon looked utterly baffled.

But that brief moment was enough to free me. First, I needed to shake off the flies clinging to me.

*Whoosh!*

“Ugh!”

“Wha?!”

I swung my arms as if shaking them off, causing the people hanging on to fall away. Given how forcefully they collided with the tree, they probably wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon.

Next was my legs. The magic that had been holding them was now released.

I sent the person who had been clinging to my leg flying, as if I were kicking a soccer ball.

*Thwack!*

This kick definitely sounded different compared to when I had been fighting off the people on my arms. It struck wood, and something seemed to break upon impact.

While the wood didn’t break, it seemed they might have seriously injured their waist. These guys aren’t as tough as me or Hector.

Unless they could use toughening techniques, they probably couldn’t manage that in such a dire situation.

“Fire!”

Perhaps sensing the danger, the mage exclaimed urgently. Given her clear and precise words, she seemed to possess decent skill.

At the same time, the archer calmly shot an arrow toward me. As I watched the fire and the arrow coming my way, I extended my arm to the side.

There was still one warrior beside me. The one who had led to the team kill by hitting Antonio on the head while trying to break my bracelet.

Thud!

“Gah?!”

I grabbed the neck of the guy before me and pushed him forward. Soon after, both the fire and the arrow struck his back.

A very fine human shield. If the attacking students had the brain to think, they probably wouldn’t have unleashed their full strength.

“Argh!”

Separately, the student who became my shield seemed like he was about to die. I hurled the screaming student away.

The target was the mage. The archer might not be much of a threat, but I needed to take out the mage ahead of time.

*Thud!*

The heavyweight warrior collided with the scrawny mage. I’d hit hard enough that it should’ve knocked her out cold.

Only one remained: the archer. As the silence hung in the forest, he remained all alone, clearly bewildered.

Given that the mage right next to him had collapsed from being used as a human projectile, he’d definitely be on high alert.

Thus, the only choice he had was to—

“Dammit!”

Immediately flee. I turned my back and watched the archer run away quickly.

Smart choice for survival, but he wouldn’t be getting good ratings from the professors for that.

*Hwoosh!*

So let’s knock you out too.

I picked up a stone lying on the ground and tossed it at the fleeing archer.

I had to hold back my strength; otherwise, I could end up smashing his skull.

*Thwack!*

Though it was a light throw, it hit the archer square in the head. He soon collapsed onto the hard, earthen ground.

Feeling that the situation was more or less settled, I looked around. Many students were either groaning or passed out.

If I left them as is, it could get troublesome later on, so it’d be better to disqualify them in advance.

‘How do I remove this bracelet?’

I didn’t know. I might as well just tear it off.

It would be more efficient to break it off than remove it piece by piece.

I slid my fingers inside the bracelet worn by the knocked-out Antonio and yanked it off.

*Crack!*

As soon as I pulled, the bracelet broke with incredible ease. Following that, a change occurred for the rogue.

Whoooosh—

A blue barrier enveloped Antonio and turned into a cocoon shape. It’s activated as a safety measure in case of emergency.

If I remember correctly, that barrier prevents anyone from seeing or hearing anything.

Additionally, the bracelet automatically activates a sleep spell that knocks out the wearer.

It’s meant to prevent claustrophobia, but honestly, I’m not quite sure.

*Crack! Crack!*

I proceeded to disable the bracelets of those moaning without passing out. The last I dismantled was the archer who had been caught fleeing.

By numbers, at least three groups had been disqualified. I’d guess about six or seven groups were left standing.

‘This feels off, no matter how I think about it.’

I gazed at the area filled with cocoons, feeling puzzled.

No matter how great their tactics were, it was a mess and then some. I could accept the flashbang blinding me, but this was just pathetic.

If they wanted to bind me more securely, more people should’ve ganged up on me than this.

‘Did they think I was a fool?’

Perhaps they did. Even though I’m a wildling raised in the wilderness, they might have thought I was just a strong idiot.

That seemed to be the most plausible assumption. But I hope they change their perceptions after this incident.

It’s not that I struggle to communicate; it’s just that I’m not as foolish as they might think.

‘No, wait. Maybe they see me as an exceptionally strong fool?’

Whichever way it goes, it doesn’t matter. I just need to do my own thing.

In any case, now that I’ve dealt with the ambushers, it’s time to return to Grace and Lee Yeon-joo.

“Oh. Perfect timing, you came.”

“?”

At that moment, a familiar voice reached my ears. I turned toward the direction of the voice.

A blonde beauty with bright, clear blue eyes appeared—Luna. But contrary to the serious situation, she wore a look of relief.

I had assumed she would be part of this plan, but apparently, that wasn’t the case. Or perhaps there was something I didn’t know.

“Sivar. You took care of all these people, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I knew it… if Kara was here, it wouldn’t matter.”

Luna nodded at my answer. It seemed she had anticipated all of this.

Unlike Antonio and the others who had teamed up for an ambush, she arrived a bit late.

It was indeed a well-timed delay. She hadn’t shown up until after I had finished breaking all the bracelets.

What in the world was she thinking by appearing at just the right moment? Seeing that she was holding a sword, it seemed she was ready for confrontation.

“Sivar. You should go see Grace right away. Other teams planned to target her to draw her away from helping you because they feared she might come to aid you. I came here because I was worried.”

“…?”

So that’s why. It made sense why I felt there were fewer people and it seemed so sloppy.

But I couldn’t understand why she was telling me this. As I tilted my head in curiosity, Luna slowly took her sword and readied her stance. It seemed she intended to face me properly.

“I know I can’t win against you. But still, I want to try.”

“…?”

“And… there’s something I want to tell you.”

“What is it?”

Luna’s statement about having something to say was quite suspicious.

She seemed to hesitate a little before carefully opening her mouth.

“Let’s talk after this is over.”

“…?”

“It’s really important for both of us.”

I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was definitely eavesdropping on us.

*****

As Sivar had expected.

“Anyone got popcorn? At least some potato chips?”

“Sorry, but we don’t have anything like that. We didn’t expect this either.”

“Fascinating. Is it already generating feelings this early?”

“With Sivar’s face, that might be possible.”

The observing professors began watching with intrigue.

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