Editor : Amethyst00



"Haah!"

Swish—!

Kania's kick aimed at Carl's sword.

"Hmph!"

Carl dropped a potion bottle from his coat.

Clink.

Whoosh—!

A cloud of purple smoke spread thickly.

Kania quickly backed off when she saw it.

Carl pulled out a small doll from inside his coat, pricked his fingertip, and let a drop of blood fall on the doll.

Fwoosh—!

The doll inflated and took Carl's form.

'Substitute deployed!'

It was an alchemy doll that looked exactly like him.

It was meant to mislead and confuse—quite elaborately so.

'Well, not something I can use against the top students.'

The top-ranking students all have sharp and agile senses.

A trick like this would be instantly detected as fake.

'But not you.'

She's strong.

But her mana detection isn't that sharp.

Carl had figured that out during their brief exchange.

'I can definitely use this as a diversion!'

Before the purple smoke cleared, he placed his hand on the ground.

'Digging magic!'

Carl dug into the ground, put on his magical glasses, gripped a straw with his mouth, and disappeared underground.

Then, he broke another potion bottle.

Soil covered the hole he'd entered, returning the terrain to how it was before the digging.

'She's strong.'

Carl narrowed his eyes through his glasses, watching from beneath the earth.

He'd used poison, but it hadn't worked.

'Not unexpected.'

Kania was definitely weaker than the members of his own party.

'Well, except me.'

He was undeniably the weakest in the third year.

But that didn't mean Kania was weak.

'Considering that this era doesn't have hero academies or Hero Records… she's a monster.'

To become that strong at her age without formal training institutions—truly remarkable.

'A growth path focused entirely on real combat.'

Her battle experience far outstripped theirs.

'More accustomed to fighting than anyone in our group.'

Well, except Leo.

He didn't count in the first place.

Fwoosh—!

As the purple smoke cleared, Kania's claws slashed toward the alchemy doll's neck.

Carl barely managed to manipulate the doll to dodge the attack and swallowed nervously.

'Phew! Thanks, Prince!'

If it weren't for his winter training with Duran, the doll would've been destroyed.

He had predicted the trajectory of the attack and managed to control the doll just in time to evade.

'Now then.'

Carl pulled the trigger on the hand crossbow in his hand.

'Full of openings, huh?'

Since the duel began, Carl had only been reacting to Kania's attacks.

As a result, the alchemy doll now had countless openings.

He had fought from a defensive position on purpose.

'Well, with my level of magic, taking the lead would've been hard anyway.'

Carl had deliberately endured all of it for this very moment.

Just as Carl aimed at Kania—

Whoosh—!

'Huh?'

Kania suddenly leapt back.

Then, as if suspicious, she eyed the substitute doll and swung her leg toward the ground where Carl was hiding.

"There you are!"

"Uwaah!"

Carl burst out of the ground in a panic and flung himself aside.

Wham—!

"You're serious, but you're still just a sneaky little rat!"

Kania mocked him.

"When did you even dig in there?"

"Just like a mole."

Drianna and Aru admired it.

"Carl always finds a way to sneak and trap."

"That's his specialty."

"Hmph. It's just how he fights."

At Eliana's comment, Chelsea grinned while Duran scoffed.

Leo, glancing at Eliza who was filing her nails with a bored expression, asked:

"What do you think?"

"Hmph. He sure does pull a lot of cute tricks."

"Oooh! Eliza thinks Carl is cute!"

Eliana teased, and Eliza cracked her whip.

'Wow. She figured that out?'

Carl clicked his tongue.

'Did she read my move?'

He shook his head.

'No, that was instinct.'

A sense born from overwhelming experience.

'She's oddly like Leo.'

Tricks like these didn't work on Lumene's top students.

But Leo was fundamentally different from the others.

While other students sensed Carl's traps through innate abilities,

Leo sensed danger purely through experience.

'Sure enough, kids from this era have overwhelming experience compared to us. I'll need to be more careful laying traps.'

As Carl narrowed his eyes—

Kania was also clicking her tongue.

'At this point, it's honestly scary.'

She had mocked him as a rat, but Carl had kept catching her off guard.

'I'll have to corner him slowly.'

Thinking she'd fall for a trap if she rushed in, Kania tried to step back—

"Huh?"

Her foot felt heavy.

She looked down and saw that the soil beneath was clinging to her feet.

'Another trap?'

Surprised by the chained trap, Kania gasped.

"Checkmate!"

Carl smirked and pointed his hand crossbow at her.

Crack—!

"Huh?"

At that moment, Kania lifted her foot.

Cracks formed in the ground, and it began to lift.

"You know… using aura should've made it even heavier, right?"

Of course, someone like Duran could use aura to obliterate the alchemy magic entirely, but Kania didn't have that much power.

"You broke it with pure strength?"

Beastkin were strong, but they had balanced stats—not overwhelmingly strong like this.

"I'm half beastkin, half dwarf!"

"No wonder! You are a bit short!"

"What did you just say!?"

Irritated, Kania swung her foot at Carl.

"Uwaah!"

Carl recoiled in fear from the terrifyingly massive attack.

Crash—!

The alchemic effect ended, and the soil restraining Kania crumbled into a heap.

Now free, Kania raised her claws.

"What an amusing prey."

She licked her upper lip and narrowed her eyes like a wild animal.

'She's brutish yet cautious. Tricky opponent.'

Carl clicked his tongue.

He had set up multiple traps, but she rarely fell for them.

And even if she did, she just broke them with brute force.

Carl pulled out another potion bottle from his coat.

"You think that'll work on me?"

Kania smirked and closed the distance, like a cat chasing a mouse.

She cut off Carl's escape route and cornered him.

Her aura-infused claws slashed Carl's body.

"Guh!"

Carl coughed blood and dropped to his knees.

He had lost a lot of blood—his vision was spinning.

Seeing that, Kania approached.

"This is the end."

She muttered quietly.

Carl tried to throw the potion bottle he was holding.

"Hmph! You won't throw it."

Grab—!

Kania grabbed his wrist.

'It's over.'

She was now in close range.

One final strike would do it.

Just then, she noticed Carl's mouth—

'What?'

He was smiling as he gripped the bottle.

Flash—!

"Ah!"

A brilliant flash blinded her.

Though she closed her eyes, the light instantly robbed her vision.

She instinctively tried to pull Carl's wrist.

But before that, Carl hooked her foot and unbalanced her.

Then he shoved her over.

Kania fell backward.

"Argh!"

She swung her remaining arm in panic.

But Carl, as if he could see, dodged it.

'He can see? How?'

If Carl had closed his eyes, Kania would have too.

Click—

"Whew, got you."

Carl now straddled Kania, pointing his hand crossbow at her chest.

"If I shoot, it's over. You agree, right?"

bl

"She's definitely different from us."

Aru muttered while looking at Kania.

Duran agreed.

Every one of Kania's movements as she pressed Carl was unnerving to watch.

'It's not just bloodlust.'

They were the movements of someone who had lived in constant proximity to death.

"She's like Chen Xia."

At Duran's words, Leo nodded.

"She is."

'I used to think Chen Xia's movements were just her personality.'

But that wasn't it.

It was a trait shared by those who had fought in despair.

This battle made that clear.

'Yes, that sense for danger.'

Duran narrowed his eyes.

If he had fought her, he wouldn't have noticed that sense.

It wasn't something that showed in a battle of overwhelming strength.

Carl had fought evenly, allowing them to observe it from the outside.

'If I were evenly matched with her… could I beat Carl Thomas?'

Thinking that far, Duran clenched and unclenched his fists.

"Black Rabbit."

"What?"

"If I fought Kania, assuming we were of equal skill, who would win?"

"You already know the answer."

Leo's reply made Aru scowl.

And it answered Duran's question too.

"You can't gain that sense just from experience. Only those who've truly faced death possess it."

Do people get used to death after many brushes with it?

No.

They become even more afraid of it.

And yet, they keep fighting with death in mind.

Their experiences differ.

So their resolve must differ too.

The difference in eras became real.

As the hero candidates got lost in their own thoughts—

Kania asked Carl blankly.

"How could you still see?"

"Thanks to these glasses. They've got a flash-blocking function."

"…You planned that far ahead?"

"Yep."

Carl shrugged.

"You need to think through a lot when you're hunting a wild beast."

Her vision returned.

She could see Carl's grinning face.

"…I lost."

"Whoops. Sorry for pinning you down. I wasn't too heavy, was I?"

Carl moved off her and offered his hand to pull her up.

"You… you're an amazing hunter. Total defeat."

"Thanks for the compliment. But can you let go of my hand now?"

Carl shook his wrist still held by Kania.

But she wouldn't let go.

'Is she upset?'

Carl scratched his cheek and subtly pulled toward Leo.

Kania followed, still holding his wrist.

"Good job."

Leo smiled, and Carl grinned back.

"How was that?"

"At least that much is expected."

"Ugh, after all that effort, that's all I get?"

"You're not a hero candidate anymore. I have to be strict."

Leo smiled.

"You were cool."

Dweno laughed heartily.

"You read the flow of battle and built a solid strategy."

"Thank you."

Carl puffed up proudly.

"But hey, how long are you going to stay like that?"

Eliza pointed at Kania still gripping Carl's wrist.

Carl scratched his head and said:

"Could you let go now?"

But Kania gripped tighter.

"Hey. I think I fell for you."

"Huh?"

Carl let out a dumb sound.

"Let's get married."

Thud—!

Hearing that, Eliza fell off her summon in shock.

"What the—!"

As Eliza stood up, her face beet red, Eliana covered her mouth and giggled.

"Eliza's got a rival~"

Beep beep.

Fwoosh—!

Eliza summoned her Wind Wyvern, grabbed Eliana by the collar, and growled:

"Eat her."

Chomp—!

The wyvern bit down on Eliana's head.

"Aaahhh!"

As her scream echoed, Leo murmured:

"This is bad."

"Why?"

Chelsea, clearly entertained, looked puzzled.

Leo clicked his tongue.

"Beastkin of this era never let go once they bite."