TL/Editor: Raei
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Days flew by since the end of the individual skills assessnt.
Now, the first and second years were gearing up for their joint practical.
Every year, depending on who was in charge, it would change a bit, but the overall structure remained the sa.
Hearing about the updated rules, I headed to the bulletin board.
There, I ran into Rie.
"You're here," I greeted, lifting my hand slightly.
"It's been a while."
I hadn't seen Rie much lately.
Despite being at the sa academy, I had no idea where she spent her ti.
She didn't stand out.
We used to bump into each other during magic practice, but since the end of the assessnt, those classes were on hold.
"Did the rules co out?" I asked.
Rie simply nodded and pointed to the bulletin board.
The notice read:
[
Battle Royale
-Each student must find two mbers to form a team of three.
-The team mbers are not restricted by grade. (However, those who achieved ranks 1-3 in the individual assessnt cannot be in the sa team as the top three in the sa grade.)
-Anyone from the first and second grades can be the captain.
-The location is Mount Malt.
-Teams compete against each other on the mountain, earning points by defeating other team captains.
-Points depend on the number of teams the defeated team has beaten. (If no teams have been beaten, it's counted as one point.)
-The practical lasts for 5 hours. Ranks are determined by total points earned.
(Note: Second-grade top scorer, Astina, due to her student council duties, is excluded from the activity and given a score equal to the first place in this assessnt.)
(Note: Evan, a first-year magic departnt student, is treated the sa as ranks 1-3.)
]
The rules were simpler than I expected.
But one part caught my eye: students ranking 1-3 in the assessnt can't be on the sa team.
It looked like a response to the unusually high scores of the top-ranking students.
Mulling over this rule, I realized that Rie, Luna, and I couldn't be on the sa team.
The rule also ntioned Evan, but that wasn't important.
None of us were planning to team up with him.
But the key phrase here was 'in the sa grade'.
That ant top-ranking students from the first and second grades could join forces.
This must've been introduced to avoid reducing the grading variance if top students from the sa grade tead up.
"If only Astina could join..."
Astina was barred from this event, for good reason.
The balance would shatter if she participated, probably taking down everyone single-handedly.
That's why everyone agreed to this special rule, happy to hear that soone would get the sa score as Astina.
But even without Astina, I had another potential teammateBorval, the second place ranker in the second-year assessnt.
Teaming up with Borval seed like a good idea.
Just as I was about to head over, a troubling thought crossed my mind.
How would student safety be ensured during this event?
With each participant having potentially lethal skills, it seed likely injuries, or even deaths, could happen.
When I voiced this concern to Rie, her response surprised .
"There are teaching assistants, right?"
"Teaching... assistants?"
In a world without surveillance tools like CCTV, it appeared teaching assistants filled that role.
I could almost hear their distant cries of despair.
---
Raei Translations
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Making my way towards Borval, I decided to secure my spot in his team before anyone else could.
"Alright. I can trust you," he quickly agreed to my proposal.
However, there was one issue.
"Borval, I need to operate alone. Please work with the other team mbers."
He looked confused.
"Acting alone... Is that confidence? You think you can beat teams by yourself?"
"I have so personal matters to attend to."
"Oh... personal matters."
Borval chuckled, muscles twitching with curiosity.
"So you're saying you have soone to fight personally?"
"Sothing like that."
His face lit up.
"That's what I like to hear. Well, there's no other opportunity for students to fight like this. Good. Just don't lose."
With Borval's hearty laugh ringing in my ears, I excused myself.
"Then I'll get going. There's a lot to prepare."
"Alright. Prepare well."
As I moved away, my mind was racing.
The joint practical of the first and second years was approaching, and there was sothing I had to dostop Evan.
During this joint practical, there was one person Evan should not encounterAnton Fred, a second-year student.
He was the son of a family working with the dean, Oliver.
If Evan t Anton, there'd be repercussions, a hidden story intertwined with the dean.
And that was sothing I needed to prevent.
If Anton ets Evan during the joint practical, Anton suffers a great defeat.
Anton, humiliated by such a loss to a commoner, would seek revenge after the event.
But his own power was not enough.
He'd resort to leveraging his family's influence, leading to an orchestrated accident that Dean Oliver takes advantage of.
If the story goes on normally, Oliver would fall without anyone knowing.
However, if this hidden story unfolds, you would have to fight him, as he tries to manipulate the situation.
That's why I had originally planned to focus my efforts on preventing Evan's involvent in the joint practicalto stop this hidden story from occurring...
The issue, however, was Evan's new technique.
This technique disrupted the existing balance.
It wasn't rely the power to sever intangible magic.
If applied correctly, this skill could set the mana of anyone it touched into disarray.
An ordinary wizard might manage to so degree, but for soone like , who must finely manipulate mana, Evan was the worst possible opponent.
Ideally, I would have partnered with Borval to face Evan, but then my grades would be at risk.
Battling Evan would be ti-consuming, and to achieve high marks, we would need to take down nurous teams.
Challenging Evan alongside Borval just wasn't a ti-efficient strategy.
Therefore, Borval needed to take care of my grades for .
"I'll need to do a lot of preparation...."
I headed to the library first.
I had promised to study with Luna, and planned to prepare weapons for the practical while reading books.
"Ah, Rudy. You're here?"
Luna sat amidst a mound of books, dark circles highlighting her fatigue.
"Luna, you seem quite worn out."
"Really? I don't feel that tired..."
Luna countered, her hand instinctively reaching up to touch her face, even as fatigue painted her features.
Luna was clearly preparing intensely to get good grades.
The second sester's joint practical for the first and second years held as much weight as midterms or finals.
Students worked themselves to their limits to get a higher score.
"But take so breaks in between. You'll collapse before the practical starts."
"Alright! Thanks for your concern, Rudy," she responded with a warm smile.
Then, as if sothing had just occurred to her, Luna asked, "By the way, have you figured out your group mbers yet?"
"For now, I'm tead up with Borval."
"Borval? You've picked a great team mber! Wouldn't a group with you and Borval be nearly guaranteed victory?"
I gave an awkward smile and shook my head, knowing the battle ahead would be far from simple.
While Borval and I might excel at individual assessnts, the joint practical was a completely different beast.
Our techniques were good for demonstrating explosive power against a stationary target.
They weren't sustainable in the long run.
The difference between fighting a human opponent versus a straw doll was big.
After all, no one in a real fight would simply stand still and take a hit.
"What about you, Luna? Have you tead up with Ena and Riku?"
"Yes! I don't have any seniors I know."
Despite Luna's words, the reality was that most seniors would jump at the chance to partner with her.
Luna was well aware of this.
Yet, in keeping with her character, she wouldn't abandon the people she spent every day with, Riku and Ena, for a chance at better grades.
Looking at Luna like that, I opened my mouth with a smile.
"Well, I won't go easy on you when we et."
"I won't go easy on you either, so be careful~"
Luna retorted, a gleam in her eye.
Our laughter echoed through the library.
In the middle of it all, a thought crossed my mind.
"Ah, Luna."
I began, recalling the second purpose of my visit to the library.
"Don't you have sothing to tell ?"
Her gaze faltered at my question.
Considering Luna's grouping with Ena and Riku, scoring high might prove a challenge, given that the practical involved second-year students too.
Even for Luna, who was an outstanding first-year, might not succeed.
So, Luna needed a 'weapon'.
"No, nothing," she replied, her voice a re whisper.
Seeing her evade my question filled with regret.
Luna had been skittish ever since vacation ended.
Despite my repeated attempts to approach the topic, she remained the sa.
Luna needed Levian's magic book now more than ever, for her grades and for others.
Despite my indirect hints, she seed terrified of sothing.
With a gentle smile, I said, "Then whenever you have sothing to tell , just say it. I'll be waiting."
***
Haha we dislike Evan quite a bit huh. I don't dislike the guy.. but the author hasn't really done much to make feel the opposite either. I hope he has more screen ti from now though, he's ant to be the mc!
5/5 Enjoy the chappy!
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