Chapter 10

Before the swordplay match, Doyugeon repaired the magic book that had been broken first. If the magic power accumulated to its limit, it might explode.

Doyugeon stood in the center of the preparation room holding a wooden sword, and so did the other participant, a little distance away.

If an effective hit is landed on the closed-eyed opponent within the time limit, that would mean victory; failing to do so would result in their victory. Though the rules seem to be disadvantageous to the opponent, they were not set by Doyugeon himself.

He had said that all he had to do was block and he would win somehow. Perhaps the opponent really had such arrogance in his heart, or maybe it was intentional posturing because attacking with eyes closed was too difficult. No matter the reason, the fact remains that these rules were advantageous, so he readily accepted them.

After doing a bit of stretching, he took out his smartphone and set an alarm. The time limit was 10 minutes.

“Now, close your eyes.”

The opponent closed his eyes. Holding the wooden sword loosely, he looked too vulnerable. Could he really go ahead and attack like this?

“What are you waiting for? Come on, the time is ticking. There’s no time to waste.”

“There’s no time to waste?”

Doyugeon took off his shoes first. Then, raising his wooden sword, he charged and lightly swung at the opponent’s shoulder. The wooden sword hissed through the air, grazing the opponent’s wooden sword.

So, the opponent could really defend himself. Alright, from now on, he wouldn’t hold back.

After regaining his stance, he thrust the wooden sword immediately. The opponent sidestepped to avoid it.

“How can you keep dodging?”

Taking another step forward, he swung horizontally. The opponent quickly stepped back to avoid it.

“I never said I wouldn’t dodge.”

The ease with which the opponent dodged and spoke made it seem like he was completely at ease. That’s because Doyugeon’s stride was shorter, so the opponent could just step back and evade anyway.

If the opponent kept running, it would be possible for him to evade for not only 10 minutes, but perhaps even all day.

In that case, he’d just have to prevent the escape.

Using magic, he grabbed the opponent’s foot. Though the opponent noticed and hastily moved his foot to evade the magic, he grabbed it again. Now, there’s no escape.

“Hey! We didn’t say you could use magic!”

The opponent, startled, yelled but kept his eyes shut.

“It’s fine as long as I don’t use magic to attack, right?”

He swung his wooden sword diagonally from above. The opponent crouched to block it, causing the sword to pass just above his head.

Got him.

Adjusting his posture, he delivered a kick. This was why he had taken off his shoes. The opponent grabbed his foot with both hands.

“What’s with the kicks?”

The opponent said this while still holding his ankle.

“If the rule is just for an effective hit, it doesn’t matter if it’s not with the sword, right?”

Trying to pull his foot free, but the opponent wouldn’t let go.

“You really planned to win by taking off your shoes, didn’t you?”

“More importantly, would you let go of my foot?”

With one foot lifted, it was hard to balance.

The opponent suspiciously smiled and tickled the bottom of his foot. The tingling sensation moved upward from his foot. It wasn’t painfully ticklish but was enough to make him uncomfortable.

“Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”

“I’ll let you go if you promise not to use magic and no more kicking.”

“Alright, alright, stop.”

“Would you also promise not to punch?”

“Okay.”

The opponent released his foot. Ugh… How humiliating. If only he had better strength, he could have freed himself. Guess he needs more exercise.

Breathing deeply, he stretched. His arms felt sore and fatigued, probably because he had bad posture when swinging the sword. Maybe it’s because he got tickled too much.

Checking the alarm, there were still about 4 minutes left. Being tired already, it’d be better to finish this fight without waiting for the timer to reach 10 minutes.

“I’m going to end this with the next strike.”

He was going to use magic for this decisive strike. Though he had promised to not use magic, he hadn’t said he would keep the promise, did he?

“Is it 10 minutes already?”

“Not yet, but I’m tired. What do you think?”

“That’s fine with me. Keeping my eyes closed—”

In the middle of the opponent’s sentence, he charged in and thrust his wooden sword. The opponent dodged to the side but the wooden sword’s path was redirected using magic, allowing a horizontal swing.

The opponent didn’t dodge and instead blocked it with his own sword. That was expected. Using magic, he pulled the sword to avoid Doyugeon’s sword and struck again. The opponent adjusted his stance and blocked with the flat side of his wooden sword.

So, it’s possible for the opponent to block.

The opponent opened his eyes.

“Haha! I won!”

“Alright, you did well.”

He walked to the weapon rack and placed the wooden sword at a reasonable position. Even after using magic and losing, it was deflating. He might really not have the talent for swordplay.

The opponent also came to put his wooden sword away.

“By the way, didn’t you just use magic?”

“I didn’t.”

“Definitely, the wooden sword moved in an impossible way, and I could feel the magic power.”

“In my opinion, it must be a misunderstanding. You’re probably tired and should rest.”

“But, I clearly sensed the magic with my magic perception.”

“It’s because of your lack of magical talent.”

The opponent shook his head.

“No, no. You used magic. That’s certain.”

“Is it really necessary to do this even though you’ve already won?”

“In the world of competition, consequences are harsh. Did you use magic?”

“So what?”

“If you broke the promise, there’s a price to pay.”

Seeking too much from a bet-less match, isn’t he?

“Well, what price do you wish?”

“Maybe a wish.”

“…”

Various thoughts came to mind. Was this person using their acquaintance as an excuse to ask for money? Or was this a test to see how far he was willing to go? What seemed like the appropriate amount?

Thinking more about it only made him feel worse. Anyway, there’s no way that would happen, so let’s stop thinking about it.

Looking at the opponent again, he was awkwardly clearing his throat. If he knew it was awkward, why say something like that?

“Fine, I’ll listen. What’s your wish?”

“My midterms didn’t go well, so my mom reduced my allowance.”

“I didn’t know. So?”

“Because I’m short on money for our date this weekend… Can you cover it?”

Is this all he wanted for that build-up?

Sometimes it’s hard to understand what this person is thinking.

…

Hunting routinely, by mid-June, his level had already reached 4. Doyugeon had originally wanted to achieve level 5 but had to stop due to the final exams. He wouldn’t have been able to keep pushing for level 5 anyway, given that he was getting tired of hunting.

His friend had committed to studying two weeks before the final exams and started doing so accordingly, leaving behind any regret for hunting temporarily. Was he that resistant to the academy that he finally started studying? But it’s doubtful how much studying two weeks could yield.

Meanwhile, numerous examples of magic were popping up on the internet. When checking the level of the wizards, it appeared that most had magic perception skill ranges about 3 meters, with a talented few extending up to 4-5 meters, and a very small number reaching about 10 meters.

…What? Isn’t that too limited?

The more he surfed the web, the stranger it became. Without actual measurement, he knew his range was several hundred meters and possibly more when focused, but the skill ranges presented on various internet examples were too restricted, creating confusion.

Is it the difference between a skill-dependent perception and one that operates without it? Is that it? That must be it, right? It’s not as if he alone was strangely reaching hundreds of meters, is it? Doyugeon was right, wasn’t he, that he was a once-in-a-lifetime genius?

The more perplexing part was that in the videos featuring the so-called 10-meter geniuses, they struggled visibly while manipulating magic power. Even the leading wizards, who had worked hard since the emergence of the skill, could hardly do more than generate a breeze.

Isn’t it the problem of how to use the magic power rather than how to move it? Shouldn’t it be easy to just throw it out? Why can’t they? Why’s this happening?

Recently, a video was uploaded where water was sprinkled, and magic was used to produce wind, creating a small rainbow, which became a buzz on all magic-related websites. Quite an interesting application. The Earth science allowing rainbow creation through magic is truly impressive…

Amidst this, a new wizard forum appeared on the Explorer Guild site. Hoping for some serious news about other wizards due to the guild’s nature, he checked it out.

Title: Isn’t this a Mage-Swordsman Forum instead of a Wizard Forum?

Author: 3.14159mWizard

Skill range-based rank chart:

10m: Top 0.1%

5m: Top 1%

4m: Top 10%

3m: Top 30%

2m: The rest

2m and below are mage-swordsmen.

It’s practically a mage-swordsman forum.

Comment:

EngineeringClub15: How about calling it a fan forum instead of a mage-swordsman forum? Even though it’s useless in battle, magic-induced wind is refreshing.

– Author: The wizards will take revenge someday.

– EngineeringClub15: “Someday.” However, if all current magicians are also knights, why do they keep talking about wizardry? Are even fans these days called wizards?

– Author: The wizards will take revenge.

3.999m: Why do you leave out 3m mages? They’re also mage-swordsmen.

– Author: I’m 3m so I left it out.

SpearGuy: Why are they called mage-swordsmen? Are mages with spears being ignored?

– Author: Who uses spears in forests these days? No one wants them in a party.

– SpearGuy: No friends?

4mPartyLooking: Isn’t calling current mages mage-swordsmen incorrect? If someone has the talent of using magic during a fight, such a person by now would be able to throw magic power, so would they really need to use a sword? On the contrary, we all, who lack that talent, are swordsmen who can’t use magic.

– Author: They are self-proclaimed mage-swordsmen seeking the romance of it.

After perusing, realizing there was no substantial content. These posts were no different from the stories circulating online. Here, it’s no better than anywhere else. Was it supposed to be more reputable being part of the Explorer Guild? Disconcerting.

Could it be that truly talented people in magic don’t engage with the internet? Though baseless speculation, it seemed more reasonable than thinking he was a once-in-a-lifetime genius.

Ignoring Doyugeon’s uninformed remarks about being a genius, he spent the days restlessly. Just then, someone with a range exceeding 10m posted a video.

Straight up, 20m. The 20m wizard not only certified the maximum range but also posted a video showcasing the throwing of magic power, though its power was barely enough to knock over a can of beer. But it was a positive signal. Evidence that more geniuses were lurking beyond internet certifications.

They must be somewhere. Greater geniuses than himself. If a fantasy event or a cosmic horror occurs, they would be the ones capable of resolving the issues.

Trusting them, he could just observe while living his life. Regardless of any incidents, he could continue attending school and live his everyday life.

That’s right, yes. He bore no responsibility to resolve any problems that would arise in the future. Since there would be many who were much more talented, the responsibility falls upon them.

…

Doyugeon who had started studying two weeks before the final exams, ended up doing well on his tests. Objectively, it wasn’t an excellent score, but because the grades improved compared to before, he avoided going to the academy this time – so it could be considered doing well. If you put in the effort, results follow.

As soon as the exam ended, the friend started arranging appointments and pushed hard for leveling up. The goal was 5L, because rumor has it that at level 5, new mobs would be added, including not just goblins but also slimes, different slimes from the first ones he encountered.

[Level Up]

4 → 5

“Then let’s check.”

Holding the magic book that he had been carrying via magic close to his chest, he closed his eyes. The magic perception range increased as he grew more proficient, to the point where he could now cover the entire forest. This virtual space itself wasn’t overly vast, so that’s why.

Hundred of goblins were detected, and amidst them, there was one slime. It was easy to spot due to the difference in shape, and slime also had stronger magic power, so it was easier to find. The rumor that killing more goblins would increase slime appearances seemed true, given there was only one slime.

Indicating the direction, Doyugeon took the lead.

“It’s been a while since I’ve encountered a slime.”

Slimes have not appeared in cities for a long time, so it had been quite a while since he had seen one.

“That’s true. It’s been two months since we last hunted slimes in the city.”

“Hmm. The first discovery was on April 30, and the last hunting session was on May 4, so it’s been just over two months.”

The slime they were going to hunt now probably wouldn’t be as weak as the ones they had handled before. Excessive speculation suggested it might require resurrection after dying or result in injuries serious enough to warrant a hospital visit.

Various dangers kept coming to mind, but they would still go ahead. They could retreat if it was truly dangerous as they approached slowly.

Isn’t this overly optimistic?

…

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