Chapter 30 - A Competition [5]
"Haha, looks like I beat your score in this as well."
Zion said as he came back beside me. So far, he had beaten me at everything.
He walked over with a broad, relaxed grin on his face, wiping a faint trail of sweat from his neck without showing a single sign of physical exhaustion.
I know I’m doing well, my scores are well above average—it’s just that he’s a monster.
In every single metric, my physical output and mana control were already standing at the top of our freshman peer group, yet the main character managed to edge past me every single time.
"Hah, I can’t believe you."
I told him, letting out a chuckle. Watching the main character of the game I was always playing in action in real time—it was something else.
It was like watching my favorite celebrity perform in front of me.
The way his natural talents translated into pure, raw dominance on the field was something I had only ever seen through a screen, but seeing it right next to me hit completely differently.
"There’s only one activity yet, you better do your best."
Then jokingly, but full of confidence—Zion told me that. He nudged my arm with his elbow, raising an eyebrow playfully as if daring me to challenge his streak on the final drill.
"..."
My eyes twitched a bit hearing that from him. He’s getting a little cocky now, it’s good that he’s confident and competitive because that what pushes him to become strong in the game.
’But I guess his competitiveness will sky rocket even more if I beat him at least once.’
I thought to myself.
I looked at his cheerful, unbothered expression, feeling a quiet spark of determination rising inside my chest.
If I kept letting him sweep every single evaluation category without giving him a real run for his money, he might miss out on that crucial edge of rivalry that drove his growth in the story.
"I will do my best, so you better too."
I told him that.
I gave a faint smirk, shifting my shoulders as I adjusted the dark stick hanging comfortably at my left hip--[Frost].
The next and last activity is reaction time. As a professional fencer before—I’m pretty confident of my reaction time.
Back in my previous life, thousands of hours of intense fencing drills had wired my muscular memory and reflexes to react to the slightest twitch of an opponent’s shoulder within milliseconds.
So if there’s an activity that I can beat Zion...
’This will be it.’
*****
Ten minutes passed before we knew it, and finally—the last activity had begun.
The surrounding students from both Class 1-F and Class 1-B gathered in a wide circle around the central clearing, leaving a massive open area for the remaining drill.
"The activity is easy."
Professor Russel said as Professor Aine placed a small circular projector on the ground.
The metallic device clicked as it settled into the dirt, humming softly as a faint blue power light activated on its top casing.
"You will stand near this device, and after that—it will randomly spawn five targets. One after another in random places and order."
Professor Russel gestured toward the five-meter radius surrounding the circular projector.
"You need to strike them as fast as possible, the time will only start once the first one appeared. The lowest your time the better."
Professor Russel explained. He held up his official recording timer, making sure every student understood that both accuracy and instantaneous reaction speed were being evaluated together.
After the explanation the activity immediately started, just like before—the students will volunteer who wants to go first.
A quiet murmur rippled through the crowd as everyone looked around, waiting to see who would step up to set the initial baseline for the final drill.
Zion turned his head toward me, leaning in slightly with a mischievous look on his face.
"So, Vael... should we hold off until the end again like last time?"
Zion asked in a quiet whisper.
He crossed his arms, assuming we would wait until every other student had finished before taking our turns.
But instead of answering him—I just smile.
"No."
Then I said that.
"Just watch and see."
"Wait, what?"
He looked at me all confused, raising an eyebrow as he tried to figure out what I was planning.
And without even letting him ask or say something else—I stood up from being sat on the ground and raised my hand. This caught Professor Russel’s attention, and when he looked at me—
"I will go first."
I stated that.
My voice was clear and steady, cutting right through the lingering whispers of the crowd around us.
I looked behind me and saw Zion looking at me with wide eyes.
But he smiled after that. His initial confusion vanished in an instant, replaced by a wide, eager grin as he realized I was stepping up to set the mark myself.
"Don’t go messing it up now, Vael!"
He called out jokingly, folding his arms across his chest as he leaned back to watch.
Professor Russel nodded and told me to go ahead.
"Step into the field, Vael."
He instructed, tapping his clipboard as he signaled Professor Aine to initiate the projector sequence.
I stepped near the device on the ground. And as I stood there—FWIP.
I unclasped [Frost] from my waist, holding the handle in my hand before pouring mana in it and transforming it into an elegant, slender rapier. For this activity, we can use our weapon--but no skills.
The cold metallic sheen of the blade caught the morning sunlight as I held it in a low, loose fencing stance.
"Fuuuuh~"
I let out a sigh and momentarily closed my eyes. I heightened my senses, I shut off everything around me—the sound of murmurs, the eyes that I can feel on me, I ignored all of them.
The soft rustle of the wind through the grass, the heavy breathing of the surrounding students, the chatter of the Class 1-B ranks—I let all of it fade away into complete silence.
It felt like I was the only one around, and my whole focus was on the device.
My heartbeat slowed down into a rhythmic, steady pulse as I centered my weight, allowing my mind to enter a state of complete, unhindered concentration.
"..."
I opened my eyes again after that.
My gaze was completely calm, locked onto the empty space surrounding the central projector.
A second passed... another one... then another one...
Nothing appeared.
It felt like the world was in a standstill.
The quiet air hung heavy over the field, making the surrounding spectators hold their breath in anticipation.
I remained still, my body relax, but the hold on my weapon was firm.
My muscles were completely loose, ready to translate the slightest sensory input into an instantaneous physical strike without any wasted motion.
Then, after a while—
FWI~
I saw a red orb trying to materialize in front of me, and instinctively—FWISH!
I thrust my sword forward!
The tip of [Frost] moved like a lightning strike, cutting through the air before the red target could even solidify its physical form.
POP!
The red orb disappeared before it even fully formed!
And after that—FWISH—
The four orbs followed as Professor Russel mentioned; one on each of my side, one near my right foot, and the last one was probably behind me given that I can’t see it.
The spatial sensory feedback from my mana perception kicked in instantly, painting a clear three-dimensional map of my surroundings inside my head.
And in wholly trusting on my reflex—FWISH!
I hit all of them in one fluid motion!
I didn’t even hesitate or turn my head to confirm their locations with my eyes.
My body moved entirely on deeply ingrained fencing instincts and pure physical muscle memory, pivoting on my back heel with absolute precision.
SWISH—SWISH—SLASH—WHOOOOSH!
In a single, unbroken blur of silver light, the rapier extended outward in four distinct, razor-sharp thrusts. I thrust on my right first before quickly following from the left side--then from there, I slashed diagonally down all the way to the target near my foot!
And with a twist of my torso--I twisted my grip on my weapon and hit the one behind me as well with an upward slash!
POP! POP! POP! POP!
All four red targets shattered into tiny sparks of dissipating light at virtually the exact same moment.
The sheer speed of the sequence created a soft whistling sound in the air, leaving behind a faint trail of cold mist from [Frost]’s blade.
I completed the final extension, smoothly retracting the rapier back into a relaxed guard stance as the central projector emitted a prolonged, high-pitched double beep.
BEEP—BEEP!
The digital screen connected to Professor Aine’s recording interface flashed brightly, displaying the final calculated time down to the hundredth of a second.
"..."
The entire training yard fell into an absolute, breathless silence.
Neither Class 1-F nor Class 1-B uttered a single word. Everyone stared at the digital monitor in sheer, unadulterated shock.
Professor Aine blinked, her blue eyes widening as she tapped the screen twice to verify if the diagnostic sensors had experienced a system glitch.
"Total reaction and completion time... 0.42 seconds!"
Professor Russel announced loudly, his deep voice carrying a rare, undeniable note of astonishment.
"0.42 seconds...?! That’s impossible!"
A student from Class 1-B yelled out, grabbing his hair in complete disbelief.
"Did he just hit four targets at once without even looking behind him?!"
"That wasn’t just speed... he struck the first one before it even finished spawning!"
Frantic, loud mutters exploded across the entire crowd as the score settled into the official academy logs.
David stood frozen near the front row of Class 1-B, his eyes wide as he stared at the tip of my rapier, completely unable to process how an F-Class student possessed such terrifyingly refined reflexes.
Marcus, who was standing further back, narrowed his eyes to thin slits, his jaw clenching tightly as he gripped his fists inside his pockets.
"..."
I was suprised as well. I was planning to do my best, but I didn’t expect to do this good!
"Phew..."
I mumbled under my breath, shaking out my wrist slightly.
I turned around to walk back toward our section, stepping across the grass with a calm, composed stride.
Zion was standing right at the edge of the clearing, his jaw practically dropping to the ground before a massive, uncontrollable grin spread across his entire face.
"Vael! What was that?!"
Zion shouted, stepping forward and grabbing my shoulders with pure excitement.
"0.42 seconds?! You didn’t even look at the last target behind you!"
"I told you, Zion."
"Watch and see."
I replied with a confident smirk.
"Now... let’s see you try beating that score."
Zion’s dark eyes sparked with an intense, fiery competitive light that I had never seen on his face before.
"Haha! Oh, it’s on now!"
Zion declared, cracking his knuckles as he sprinted past me into the center of the yard, completely fired up for his own turn.
The entire joint physical evaluation was coming to an end, but for the first time since arriving in this world, I had successfully forced the main character to chase after my score.
"..."
I looked down on my hands... and they’re still shaking from excitement of my performance just now.