“Professor Kuno, I’m sorry to interrupt your class, but there’s something I need you to handle with me right away. The other party is waiting for us in the lounge—could you come with me?”

  Colette asked with a smile, but her expression turned puzzled as she took in Kuno’s appearance.

  “Hmm? Professor Kuno, are you all right?”

  “Ah…… I’m fine.”

  Kuno shook his head.

  “Thank you, Professor Colette…… for coming to inform me, I mean.”

  “Haha~, it’s nothing, Professor Kuno—we’re colleagues, after all~! I’ll head over first; please come once you’ve finished here.”

  “Haha, yes, I’ll be right there……”

  Kuno forced a smile.

  Once Colette had left, Kuno turned to face the students.

  “As Professor Colette just said, today’s lesson ends here. Go back and reflect on your performance—don’t show up to the final exam in this same state. And as for you——”

  Kuno shot a glance at Hulim Heyerar.

  “You…… you pass.”

  “That’s all—dismissed——!”

  With the dismissal declared, Kuno hurried off toward the lounge at once.

  The moment he stepped inside the building and turned a corner out of sight, his legs gave way, and he nearly collapsed. He gasped for air raggedly, as if he’d just narrowly escaped drowning.

  “A…… a monster…… that girl is a monster!”

  ……

  “……”

  Watching Kuno’s hurried retreating back, Hulim tilted her head in confusion.

  “How strange……”

  She had sensed something was off about Kuno, but she couldn’t figure out why.

  “Did he get poisoned……”

  What Hulim did not know was that having defeated countless powerful monsters over time, she now carried an overwhelming, latent murderous aura. This aura had kept weaker monsters from harassing her during her year of training in the Monster Forest, while drawing the direct attacks of stronger beasts.

  Yet she did not fully understand the ecosystem of the Monster Forest, and had simply assumed the area was teeming with powerful creatures.

  At school, with no enemies present, Hulim remained relaxed and never unleashed her killing intent on purpose—so her fierce aura had lain dormant, unnoticed by anyone.

  But today, facing Kuno as an opponent, a battle-hardened C-Rank veteran, and with this being her first genuine fight against a C-Rank human, she had unconsciously grown serious, shifting her gaze into her usual combat mode.

  And with that, the fierce aura forged in countless battles erupted forth……

  In the end, Hulim never realized that she herself was the cause of Kuno’s strange behavior. She even felt regret that she had not gotten to fight a C-Rank powerhouse.

  ……

  ……

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  In the blink of an eye, the day of the Individual Practical Combat Exam arrived.

  “You all know the rules. In the first round, you will fight according to the numbers you drew. Winners advance, losers are eliminated, until a first place is decided! Remember—fight to a point. Anyone who continues attacking after their opponent surrenders will be disqualified immediately! Leaving the arena boundary also results in an automatic loss……”

  A simple judging stand had been set up at the edge of the training grounds, and Kuno stood before it, announcing the exam regulations.

  “Alright, I declare the exam begin!”

  With Kuno’s announcement, the students, each holding a practice weapon, started their matches.

  After finishing his speech, Kuno returned to his seat, slumping down with his arms crossed, watching with a blank expression. The moment he spotted a foul, he would rush over without hesitation and strip the offender of their eligibility.

  The other instructors, roped in as judges alongside him, were far more relaxed, even striking up idle conversation.

  “My, my~ I never thought I’d see a scene like this at the preparatory academy. Watching the kids grip their swords tightly on the field, it’s like seeing my own younger self.”

  “Haha, that’s the truth. But this is what the times demand. We’re growing old—the world must rest on their shoulders now.”

  “Hmm, speaking of which, which of these kids do you think will take first place?”

  “It should be Ander, right? I’ve heard plenty of students say he’s the strongest in private.”

  “Oh, really? I would’ve thought it would be that girl, Hulim. Her magical talent has always been outstanding, hasn’t it?”

  “Hulim has talent in magic, but this is practical combat—two entirely different things.”

  “Hmph~, I beg to differ. Hulim has Attribute-Neutral Aptitude, and she’s already a Second-Order Mage. If she’s mastered Second-Order Enhancement, then Ander wouldn’t stand a chance with his sword!”

  “You’re speaking hypothetically. After all, we’ve never actually seen her use Enhancement magic…… Ah, Professor Colette, who do you think will win first place in the end?”

  “Me? Hmm~ Well, if I had to say, my money’s on Miss Hulim~.”

  “Did you hear that? Even their magic instructor says so—that just proves how powerful her magic is!”

  “We’ll see about that. Professor Colette is a magic instructor, after all. For a matter like this, we ought to ask our practical combat expert, Professor Kuno. What do you think, Professor Kuno?”

  Kuno continued to watch the field with a calm gaze. At the other instructors’ question, his eyes drifted involuntarily to Ander, who had just defeated his opponent, then shifted to Hulim.

  Hulim had also claimed victory over her foe.

  Kuno stared at her back, a thoughtful look on his face—only for Hulim to suddenly turn her head at that very moment, meeting his gaze directly.

  Kuno flinched and looked away at once, a cold sweat bead forming on his forehead.

  I’ve been seen!?

  So it wasn’t an illusion that day……

  “……Professor Kuno? Professor Kuno.”

  “Ah—— my apologies!”

  Kuno only snapped back to his senses after the other instructors called his name several times.

  “Professor Kuno, are you quite all right?”

  Kuno shook his head quickly. “Thank you, I’m fine. I was just…… thinking about how to grade the students.”

  “I see. You’re as dedicated as ever, Professor Kuno!”

  “Haha…… it’s just part of the job.”

  Kuno let out a slightly awkward laugh.

  “By the way, what was it you asked me just now?”

  “It’s nothing important. We just wanted your expert opinion—who do you think will take first place in the end?”

  “First place……”

  Kuno lowered his gaze, then spoke calmly.

  “Is there any question? The outcome is obvious——”

  “Oh~! Really? Is the gap in the students’ strength that stark? Then it’s Ander, isn’t it?”

  “No!”

  Kuno shook his head firmly.

  “——It will be Hulim!”

  ……

  The early rounds of the exam proceeded rapidly, for the students’ abilities varied wildly, and most lacked the stamina to sustain prolonged combat.

  Before long, the top eight, and then the top four, had been decided.

  Just as everyone had expected,

  the top four included Hulim, Ander, and Fran.

  These three were, after all, the undisputed strongest in the class, and the only ones who had reached the Second-Order. The other students did not even entertain the thought of competing with them.

  The fourth student who had made it to the top four, for instance, had already given up mentally. In his eyes, reaching this far already made him a winner; he had never considered the other three as being in the same league as him.

  No matter who he faced next, he would simply surrender.

  As if rushing him to exit, his first match was up next—and his opponent was Hulim.

  Looking at Hulim, who stood motionless with a sword in hand and an expressionless face, he raised his hand in surrender without hesitation.

  “I forfeit!”

  With that, he turned and left freely, without waiting for anyone’s reaction.

  Ps：I've done my best. I need to rest now. Good night, everyone.