Mandela Castera.
Although she was a second-year student and not a playable character, she was a senior that players starting their academy life with Class 981 would inevitably encounter.
She was a sort of
Naturally, her danger level was ranked number one among all second-year students.
She was a competent person who raised the academic average to a height befitting the name of the top student.
“Things have become complicated. Mandela-senpai is on a different level compared to the initial villain, Contract Scammer Velocasio.”
As grades go up, some seniors stagnate in their skills, while others continue to rise like the protagonists.
Mandela Castera was a character guaranteed to be promoted without stopping until her fourth year.
Noticing her name on the student council list starting from her second year gives it all away.
“That senior has a very high peak.”
She possessed the top-tier skill of her grade and seemed similar to individualistic warriors, but in reality, her nature was different.
If she truly set her mind to it, she could demonstrate just how strong a Class 980 student, who was often bullied by both upper and lower grades, could become.
“Now, for a quiz! What type of magic involves attacking with a special mana wave carried by ‘sound waves’ without the opponent even noticing~?”
“Sound Sphere magic!”
“That’s correct~ As a prize, I’ll tell you about the types of Sound Sphere magic I’ve cast so far. By the way, through our conversation, you’ve already been hit by seven types of Sound Sphere magic!”
Duke Andersen, with a look of disbelief, hastily activated his inner mana.
He utilized the basic technique of mana control called [Self-Remembering], searching for points where his mana flow had gone awry while circulating it in his usual rhythm.
As soon as he checked for status ailments engraved on his body, Andersen’s face turned pale.
“Confusion, dizziness, sensory disturbance, and blurred vision?”
Was it because he had only taken the hardest classes?
It seemed he had resisted a few status effects, after all.
Even so, given how quickly the status effects accumulated, it was already too late for Andersen.
Standing still with his eyes closed and ears blocked, he desperately tried to raise his mana to dispel the ailments and purify his body rhythm.
“Ah~ Haha~~!! Do you think you can revert your body rhythm in front of me~~?”
With the sound of Mandela-senpai’s shout, which could not be located due to echo magic, Andersen screamed as he hilariously toppled backward.
Gazing at the empty air, it became clear that he had already fallen victim to quite vivid
He had made the rookie mistake of not realizing that Mandela-senpai’s voice shouldn’t be heard carelessly.
“Mandela-senpai, I don’t want to fight you. Although I somewhat had my own agenda during the sports festival, you did let our first years win, didn’t you?”
“Ahaha! You’re quite the cheeky one. Only those with strength can avoid a fight. For those who cannot prove their strength, peace is an absurdity!”
With a powerful shout, a large nearby tree broke with a crack.
This time, it wasn’t an illusion or auditory hallucination.
The tree, caught in the
Thud
As I lightly stepped aside to avoid the tree, dust rose with a boom.
Cackling laughter echoed even louder amidst the chaos, repeating from all directions.
Due to the enormous volume, it was unbearable without blocking my ears or using mana to shield my senses; my eardrums felt painfully tortured.
“Surely this is why even high-level players hesitate to become enemies with Mandela-senpai.”
If I were to raise my hand to block the noise, a magic attack would come flying in at high speed, striking my unprotected abdomen and chest.
If I protected my ears using mana to block the senses, then dangerously incanting magic would be activated without mercy.
“But I’m a veteran player!”
[Desensitization]
[Wavesensing]
As soon as the technique for temporarily cutting off sensory pain was activated, sound abruptly ceased, isolating me from the world.
In a state of cursed-level sensory deprivation, it was hard to tell whether my feet were touching the ground or if my body was shaking.
Still, I could perceive.
Through the glimmer of light, I could tell from which direction the opponent’s powerful magic was coming, how strong it was, and what kind of mana pattern it was using.
The light, intensity, and shape of the waves indicated the magic’s distance, power, and imminent activation time.
[Breathing above 50. The effects of [Calming Powder] are ignored for a certain period.]
[Balance above 100. Your body moves appropriately without collapsing in
[Psychic Prediction above 50. You evade and continuously flow through the magic.]
I dodged magic and non-magic alike, avoiding the astonished gazes and catching her from behind.
[The overall experience points for the subcategory [Let me guess] in mental functions exceed 500. Instantly perceiving the reality within the clone.]
The function experience points that I had accumulated through constant practice with my player’s skills shone through at the critical moment when ‘luck’ mattered most.
I could conclude that my usual relentless training had kicked in automatically in this moment of crisis.
With a shock of dark magic coursing through Mandela-senpai’s hands, my achievement was validated.
Tap tap.
As I touched my ears, signaling to release the desensitization, my senses returned.
My feet connected with the ground, my lungs took a breath, and the sensation of my heart beating came back.
Sounds that had been muffled like those heard underwater slowly resurfaced and returned to their normal clarity.
“Junior, your skills are quite impressive!”
“Mandela-senpai, yours too!”
With a look of confusion on her face, Mandela-senpai stared intently at me before breaking into a laugh and shaking her hands.
The prickling dark magic that had been lingering on her fingertips dispersed into the ground.
“That’s all for today! Just a light pleasantry, you know?”
Fortunately, it seemed I had passed Mandela-senpai’s test.
Yet as she turned around, I wondered why she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.
If that prickly sensation of dark magic had genuinely hurt to the point of tears, I felt a strange sense of accomplishment.
From now on, I should aim for a million volts.
I oughta boost my electrical resistance at the high-voltage fence of the Third Year Laboratory on my return path!
*
It was already apparent that during the sports festival, the warrior’s mana control technique had reached an impressive level.
Yet it was only in mana.
Could I exhibit my skills when allowed to strike first against a senior one year above me, without the instructor’s protection?
Mandela gradually displayed her skills.
She robbed me of my hearing with sound spheres and destabilized my sense of balance.
She cast a mix of control and attack magic on a first-year student who could barely hold herself up.
She combined the calming powder, which forcibly relaxed muscles, with wind magic and vapor magic, dispersing it like mist.
With this level of effort, it would be normal for anyone to struggle to stand on their own two feet, getting knocked around before falling.
Just like Duke Andersen was currently being battered against a nearby tree trunk.
‘For a noble, he’s quite resilient!’
It wasn’t heartfelt admiration but rather a teasing remark about how much fun this was.
In contrast, Oknodie was real.
Dodging effortlessly by moving her head side to side and lightly pushing off the ground with her toes, she evaded.
Meanwhile, the real attack was reflected off her drawn sword, smashing her clone.
‘So fast.’
In terms of reaction speed, discovering countermeasures, locating her position, and charging toward her.
Oknodie was quicker in every aspect.
Despite being in the same second year, it was as if she had achieved the maximum power-up of the [White Knight Roe] armed with the cowardly power of faith.
This was the result of her training.
An instinct honed since childhood.
Beneath the innocent face of a harmless child lay the true nature of the Wahyhiemhai Foundation’s chief scholarship student.
Crack.
Allowing a light hit, the brief standoff came to an end.
This was it.
Instinctively, she released her power.
From this point onward, it would become truly sincere.
“Junior, your skills are quite impressive!”
“Mandela-senpai, yours too!”
There was more I could do if I wanted.
But this couldn’t end with mere jest, play, or tests.
By now, a maid was already poised to dive in with her dagger drawn, waiting for the right moment to strike at close distance.
If I blocked Oknodie, the maid would charge in, and if I blocked the maid, Oknodie would come at me.
‘She must’ve known she could die.’
Academy servants would know.
A student with lots of points could get away with accidentally killing someone within academy premises.
Knowing that, she still intended to dive into danger sincerely.
That maid belonged to the foundation.
One with overwhelming loyalty who would risk her life for Oknodie.
“That’s all for today! Just a light pleasantry, you know?”
Despite the cheerful farewell, dark desires surged within my heart.
‘How interesting. I assumed the foundation was just a gathering of misfortunate neighbors, but… Could it be the foundation’s true power is so elusive that even I could misinterpret it?’
I had previously assumed that attaining the position of the next student council president would simply mean passing the third and fourth graders.
Even though I thought the warriors observed the sports festival merely for strength, I didn’t view them as rivals for the council position due to lack of charm or political clout—yet Oknodie was different.
‘Certainly, the Dark Princess.’
She expanded her influence beyond maids and classmates, even reaching out to regular students.
I wanted to see her now.
Just how far would that wicked plan stretch?
More than anything, my heart raced.
Finally, I had an opponent who could be noted as a contender.
A ‘rival’ who hadn’t existed among my same grade.
Not the Deadcat, who recklessly considered me her rival, but someone I could truly acknowledge as such.
I was faintly tearful with joy.
‘I hope to see that wicked ambition reveal itself soon. Dark Princess Oknodie, someday I’ll settle the score with you for the position of student council president!’
