Chapter 17
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Episode 5 - Specialties [3]
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The students were divided into two groups, with Lucius and Dorian in the center.
There was intense anticipation for the showdown between the first-year representative and the entrance exam captain.
"Who do you think will win?"
"I bet on Dorian!"
"Of course, he already had quite a reputation even before coming here."
"But he's facing the first-year representative. Won't he be the one to put up a fight?"
"But he wasn't the top scorer of his empire, right? And I've heard he doesn't even master the Aura Step."
All the first-year students seemed to be betting on Dorian's victory.
Meanwhile, Ashly looked at Lucius.
"What did you tell me before?"
"Don't interfere, Ashly, I'm not a child."
Ashly looked at Lucius with a complicated expression, but then sighed and said,
"Are you sure you'll win? You only know about the Aura Step in theory."
However, Lucius smiled.
"You don't trust me."
"Well, that's..."
Ashly couldn't say anything else.
Dorian pointed to a large tree growing against a wall at the far end of the training field.
"The rules are simple. Whoever circles that tree and gets back here first wins."
"Sounds good."
Both warmed up before getting ready for the race.
Lucius removed the bracelets from his wrists and ankles, recalling the theory Professor Andrius had just taught them.
Although Lucius had never seen the Aura Step before, let alone used it in his previous life, he had an idea of how it worked.
As they stood at the starting line after warming up, the student acting as the referee raised his hand high.
"Ready."
Lucius tensed his muscles, and then the student shouted,
"Go!"
Wooom!
Both took off from the line simultaneously.
At first, Lucius took the lead.
Dorian frowned, staring at Lucius's back.
"He's fast for someone so inexperienced".
Dorian thought as cheers erupted.
"Go ahead! Keep it up, Lucius!"
"Come on, Lucius!"
Alexis cheered with clenched fists, while Charlotte jumped in excitement.
But Ashly's expression remained grim.
'Dorian hasn't even used the Aura Step yet.'
For now, both were relying solely on their physical abilities.
Lucius's athleticism was impressive enough to surpass most.
But it was only a temporary advantage.
Once Dorian activated his Aura, he quickly closed the gap.
A purple aura enveloped Dorian's legs.
"I'll take the lead now."
Dorian laughed as he surged forward.
As he rounded the tree, Dorian accelerated tremendously.
It seemed Lucius's defeat was certain, but...
…Lucius suddenly launched himself forward like an explosion toward the training field's tree.
"Aura Step? But you said you'd never learned it!"
"It's true, this is my first time using it."
The students were thrilled.
Ashly's eyes widened in astonishment.
'How does he learn so fast?'
Lucius showed no signs of slowing down, even as he approached the tree.
Creak!
"Wait, what if he can't stop in time?"
He's going to crash into the wall!
The students screamed in alarm as they watched Lucius rush toward the wall at an overwhelming speed.
Then Lucius focused his strength on his legs, digging them into the ground as he circled the tree in an instant.
Wooom!
Lucius surged forward at full speed, leaving two holes in the ground and catching up to Dorian.
The students were astonished by the spectacle.
Dorian's expression turned rigid as he noticed the commotion behind him.
Lucius ran at a speed at least three times faster than Dorian.
"Bastard…"
Although surprised by the unexpected pursuit, Dorian quickly regained his composure.
'I must have lost momentum at the turn!'
Dorian maintained his pace, confident that he wouldn't be overtaken.
But Lucius surged from the ground once more.
With his Aura fully activated, his speed was unmatched.
However, he couldn't close the gap with Dorian.
They were halfway to the starting line.
"Come on, Lucius!"
"Run, Dorian!"
The students cheered, divided in their support.
Ashly bit her lip anxiously.
"I don't think Lucius can catch up in time."
Lucius was aware of the challenge.
Thud!
A black aura covered Lucius's feet.
"Just as Professor Andrius demonstrated."
He recalled Professor Andrius's aerial demonstration.
Although he couldn't replicate it exactly, he could imitate the technique.
Using the Black Aura along with the first Node, Lucius concentrated his Aura in his toes.
Wooom!
'I'm going to fall to the ground!'
His speed increased too much one could even say it was exaggerated.
Boom!
The students stopped at the sudden impact.
Ashly's jaw dropped.
"The Black Aura… Lucius hasn't mastered it, has he?"
A series of small explosions echoed across the field.
Lucius accelerated rapidly.
Burning through a magnificent burst of Aura, he caught up to Dorian, now just behind him.
"What? You brat!"
"I'm going in first, Dorian."
Lucius laughed and kicked the ground hard.
"Go, Lucius!"
Dorian watched Lucius closely, his eyes burning.
Although he was only an arm's length away, he couldn't reach Lucius, who kept advancing at full speed.
Lucius's black aura and Dorian's purple aura tore through the air.
Then Lucius crossed the starting line first, with a clear speed advantage.
That's insane! They're so fast!
The students exclaimed in astonishment.
Dorian panted heavily, staring at Lucius.
Lucius didn't even seem tired as he looked at his hands.
"Wow! That was fast! You're probably the fastest of the year, Lucius!"
As Alexis made a fuss, Ashly interrupted him.
"You wouldn't win in a long-distance race."
"What?"
Alexis was surprised.
"Ashly's right. Dorian's Aura capacity is much greater."
Lucius agreed with Ashly he hadn't increased his Aura yet and had only just learned it.
"But I won. Remember, I said I would."
"Oh, right. You're incredible."
Ashly shook her head while Lucius basked in her half-hearted compliment.
"Hey, Lucius, have some water."
"Thanks."
Lucius smiled gratefully as Charlotte handed him a bottle of water.
"It was a very entertaining match, right? Must be a hit with the ladies. Is that what chivalry is all about?"
Alexis admired Lucius while Charlotte shook her head.
"That's not chivalry."
"Huh? Why not?"
Alexis was confused, looking at Charlotte's expression.
"He threatened to throw me off a cliff during the entrance exam just to force me to cooperate."
Charlotte's face turned bitter at the memory.
Alexis chuckled in response.
"A prototype of chivalry."
***
"I sensed it yesterday, but now I see that Professor Alex didn't recommend him as the first-year student representative for nothing."
Professor Andrius commented while watching from the rooftop.
"Isn't it your duty to intervene in student conflicts, Professor Andrius?"
Andrius chuckled when Alice, his assistant, pointed this out.
"Isn't it simply tradition?"
The Sanctuary of Heroes attracted students from various cultures around the world, each with a different status.
In the early days, these kinds of incidents occurred with some regularity.
"This year's first-year students show great potential. That's why they're receiving so much attention in the Sanctuary. That's why I felt it was necessary to establish some boundaries at the beginning of the semester."
While the spirit of the Sanctuary of Heroes was equality, personal connections were inevitable.
Despite his outward coldness, Andrius's passion for his students was evident.
This earned him the respect of his students even after they graduated.
Although he was proud of his students, he regretted that none had yet attained the status of hero.
"You will raise a heroine, Alice. You know how much I desire that, right?"
"That would be wonderful."
Alice sighed and took out a notebook.
"So, what's our move?"
While school rules prohibited participating in conflicts without permission, this wasn't exactly a fight.
"It's not worth intervening. It seems you're quite fond of Lucius."
Professor Andrius, though strict with the rules, let this moment slide.
Alice chuckled while watching Lucius, after the "battle," chatting with his friends.
***
After class, I sat in the student café.
The news of the confrontation between Dorian and me had already spread throughout the school.
"You're the center of attention in the city from day one!"
Alexis said with a thumbs-up, while Charlotte sipped her fruit juice through a straw.
"Lucius really nailed it there."
Alexis averted his gaze.
"Charlotte Ares. I was wondering when you became such good friends with Lucius. And what about me?"
"I guess it was just fate."
Charlotte joked with a playful smile.
"Next up is the summoning class. Anyone going?"
Alexis checked his schedule, prompting a look from the others.
Everyone turned to me.
Knight classes taught combat skills, magic classes helped improve magical abilities, and spirit magic classes assisted with mana resonance.
However, summoning classes weren't very useful unless you had natural talent.
As I took a sip of my coffee, I thought,
'I wonder how they'd react if I ended up as the best in all four specialties.'
After a while, I headed to the lecture hall.
Then I remembered the reward I received during the entrance exam.
The main quest reached 50%, and I got a reward.
Though rewards were also rare to obtain.
"But they gave me something unusual."
Additionally, there was another mystery surrounding my reward.
"Why did the mission give me the Ring of the Stars as an intermediary reward?"
I thought the only reward would be 90% experience.
Currently, I have 36% experience to reach level 1, and completing the mission will get me there directly, making me the strongest first-year student.
Not to mention, I'll be the Sanctuary of Heroes' student to reach level 1 in such a short time.
"Besides that, the Ring of the Stars is linked to summoning skills."
Oh, in short, it lets me steal a summon's innate ability.
That's my true goal in the summoning class.
"Summoning isn't that useful anyway."
For now, it seemed like a useless reward.
"Are you taking summoning too?"
I was surprised to hear a voice.
Turning around, I saw a classmate standing there, tilting her head with a puzzled expression.
"Where have I seen her before? Oh... was she number 2 of the Ashborn Empire?"