Chapter 200 — The Chaos that Follows Rebellion

1

The second-year warrior aspirants were already carrying well-built bodies.

Days spent rigorously training and wielding weapons for a year.

Their bodies, forged with countless nutrients and exhaustive training, were filled with dense, compact muscles.

If this scene had been depicted in a comic, drama, or movie, it would have been quite a spectacle.

Wearing armor, they truly were students exuding a wild, primal charm.

The strongest of the second years, known as “Dave of the Twin Swords,” turned his head.

“Oh, isn’t that him?”

“Ah, a first-year. Yeah, that’s right.”

“That greatsword is really huge.”

What business would a first-year have here?

Did he come looking for someone?

Castro made eye contact with Dave.

Gion Dave, the eldest son of a baronial family renowned for swordsmanship.

He opened his mouth to question Castro.

Why was he here?

Did he have someone to find?

“What brings you here?”

“Senior Dave.”

“Hmm?”

“I challenge you to a duel.”

What?!

The entire second-year cohort was dumbfounded.

They couldn’t understand what had just happened, even for a moment.

Castro.

He was certainly an impressive student.

One of the strongest among the first-year Snake Class, along with Kael, Anais, and Gradi of the Deer Class.

But that didn’t mean he was strong enough to surpass his year level.

At least, that’s what Dave thought.

“Are you serious about that?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know what kind of wind blew you to this decision, but… Do you even understand what your actions mean?”

“I do.”

Castro nodded calmly.

How could he not know?

In the warrior’s world that follows the logic of power, a duel was equivalent to a challenge to authority.

If you succeeded, you would gain tremendous honor, but if you failed, you had to give up everything.

Dave stood up.

As the strongest of his year, he always accepted challenges.

Dave had never lost and had maintained his position firmly.

“I never thought I’d be challenged by a first-year, though. So, what is it you want?”

“I intend to participate in the upcoming sports competition as a representative of the second-years.”

“So, you want to eliminate your competition in advance?”

“That’s correct.”

Dave laughed.

He never imagined someone would challenge him so openly.

Was it guts, or was it simply overconfidence?

It had been quite a while since anyone had issued a challenge.

“Alright. Let’s meet during lunch today. I’ll wager my entry spot. What will you wager?”

“If I lose, I will do all your errands until you graduate, Senior.”

“You’re saying you’ll become my servant? Hmm… Fine. I have nothing to lose, win or lose.”

“Thank you.”

Castro’s manners were surprisingly polite, which left Dave in a fairly good mood.

Dave had seen and felt Castro’s skills firsthand, and he had no doubt that this would be an interesting challenge.

Still, to dare challenge a second-year—Dave planned to show him a lesson.

The duel was officially set.

“See you at lunch.”

“Yes.”

Leaving behind an issue that would set the entire Eagle Class abuzz, Castro departed swiftly.

The morning was for theory classes.

The afternoon was for practical lessons.

A duel during the lunch break between them was convenient for Dave, too.

“Dave, are you okay with this?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, that arrogant brat dared to challenge a senior as high as the sky…”

“Forget it. We’ll all have to live on our skills once we graduate anyway, right?”

“…”

Dave decided to accept the underclassman’s challenge willingly.

This was why he had such a good reputation.

Dave was truly a figure embodying leadership.

An upright personality.

A mindset focused solely on fighting with skill.

He took good care of those around him and understood them well.

It was hard for people not to like him.

“If I lose, it just means I’ve found a new goal. I’m off to class.”

“Geez, are you sure you’re okay with this? If you lose, it’ll be humiliating.”

“Humiliation? Better to spend that time swinging a sword once more than worrying about that. Have I ever cared about stuff like that?”

That was who Dave was.

Among countless people, there would always be some stronger than himself.

He believed there were certainly those whose abilities couldn’t be matched by just a year’s difference.

What he truly considered important was the certainty of whether they could stand alongside him far into the future.

In a way, he was looking forward to it.

Connections were the most important thing.

Meeting a true talent of the future was always a good opportunity.

Dave.

He was a young man who viewed life with a somewhat relaxed outlook.

2

Before lunchtime arrived.

The rumor that a first-year and a second-year were going to duel spread throughout the academy in an instant.

The participation of Manus created a variety of buzz.

He had only joined because he needed something in the individual competition, yet everyone wanted in.

Hearing the rumor, he let out a quiet sigh.

Sometimes, things got out of hand because of the Caesar name.

“How will this play out?”

Manus was also interested in the duel.

For no particular reason other than keeping an eye on Castro.

He hadn’t expected Castro to speak directly to him.

The message he saw at the banquet also weighed on his mind.

“Castro is merely a supporting character at the academy. And what’s with this Opponent status…”

The so-called DLC seemed like it also came with a massive update.

There was a lot to adapt to.

Too many things he needed to figure out on his own.

Which meant he needed to prepare.

“That’s all for today. Make sure to complete your assignments, and remember, the final exams are coming soon, so start preparing now.”

“Already final exams?”

“Seriously. How long has it even been since midterms?”

“Since it’s lunchtime, let’s go check it out.”

Yeah, yeah, there’s that duel today, right?

A rebellion in the Eagle Class was a thrilling sight for students always hungry for excitement.

“Manus! Let’s go, let’s go!”

“Aren’t we going to eat first?”

Nia approached Manus, urging him to hurry.

Manus thought it might be better to eat first before watching, but there was no way that was going to happen.

“What are you talking about? We eat after watching the fight!”

“…Alright, let’s go.”

“The others will be there too, let’s go quick.”

Nia grabbed Manus’ wrist and briskly pulled him along.

The students watching them made remarks, but neither of them paid any attention.

In the end, Manus found himself dragged to the gathering spot where all the others had assembled.

“Senior, you came too?”

“Someone dragged me over, so here I am.”

Anais and others had already arrived.

Ignoring Nia, who was mumbling about being the last ones, Manus turned his eyes to the training grounds.

Two figures standing at the center of the ring of students were facing each other.

There was a faint aura surrounding them.

Dave, much like Trace, wielded one sword for defense and the other for attack.

Castro handled his massive greatsword for both offense and defense.

“This should be interesting.”

Duel between swordsmen always held an undeniable allure.

It was far more exhilarating than duels against mages.

Suddenly, Castro turned his head to look at Manus.

Eyes devoid of emotion.

Eyes like those of a tired office worker, gazing into his own.

Manus felt an odd sense of nostalgia.

It was a familiar yet pitiful feeling, to see the eyes he used to see every day now staring back at him.

Manus gave a slight nod in return.

“Whoa, did he just acknowledge you?”

“We spoke briefly during the banquet.”

“When did that happen?”

Kael and Anais approached Manus.

Anais made a comment while observing Castro.

The impulsive, immature image from before had vanished, leaving a more composed figure.

“I don’t know what happened, but he’s certainly matured.”

“Yeah. He used to have such an air of arrogance.”

Kael nodded in agreement with Anais’s opinion.

He had certainly become more composed.

His entire demeanor seemed to have changed.

“That’s probably a good thing, right?”

“Not sure… At the very least, he’s not hostile towards us.”

Kael scratched her cheek as she spoke.

She looked at Manus and asked.

“Senior, what did you talk about with him?”

“He wanted advice on moving up a year, so I gave him some pointers.”

“Moving up… With Castro’s skills, it seems possible.”

“Don’t you have any interest in it?”

Kael nodded.

Though advancing to a higher level was important, her friends around her were even more precious.

Meanwhile, Castro and Dave were having a brief conversation while facing each other.

“Even Manus seems interested in us, so let’s put on a good show.”

“Honestly, I didn’t expect him to come here.”

Dave shrugged.

He felt the same.

“No kidding. Anyway, are you ready?”

“Yes.”

As a rule, duels involved safety equipment.

Thanks to that, even if they used mana, participants were well-protected.

In other words, they could give it their all.

Whoooosh-.

Dust blew as both raised their mana simultaneously.

Being the best of their respective years, the aura of mana each emitted was astounding.

They pointed their swords at each other, searching for any opening.

“As expected, the strongest of the second year… still…”

Castro’s training focused on enhancing his strengths and compensating for his shortcomings.

After his defeat by Kael, the mage, he faced his own limitations.

He realized that to aim higher, he had to fundamentally change himself.

Professor Trevor’s advice played a major role in that realization.

And now, in this upcoming competition.

His goal was to win the individual event.

And to compete against Manus.

“First, I have to surpass the one in front of me.”

A clear aura enveloped Castro’s greatsword.

Seeing that, Dave also summoned his aura.

He was honestly surprised.

The aura from Castro, who was still just a first-year, was thicker and denser than his own.

“You’re about to reach the rank of Expert.”

“It seems so. Then-”

Boom!

Castro charged forward like a massive bull.

Dave, deflecting the powerful thrust with his left-hand sword, showed his experience.

Their mana-enhanced bodies moved in a chaotic flurry.

Though Dave’s abilities were already well acknowledged, Castro’s were yet to be tested.

However, it became evident that Castro possessed power comparable to that of a third-year, maybe even a fourth-year student.

The spectators voiced their amazement, stepping back to avoid the shockwaves of mana.

“An incredible force, yet fluid as well.”

Dave was honestly impressed as he received Castro’s blows.

He thought he was closely trailing behind Santo Leo, the strongest swordsman, but here came someone even more formidable.

If he was already growing at this pace, what about in the future?

Boom!

The twin swords held in an X formation collided with Castro’s massive greatsword.

It seemed as though they would enter a contest of strength, but the rebound of mana caused both to skid backward.

Castro took two steps back, while Dave was forced back over ten steps.

“Phew, I guess winning against you won’t be easy for me.”

“Are you admitting defeat?”

“Not quite. I still want to test my limits.”

Dave grinned and swung his sword with all his might.

Castro watched his eyes and found himself envying Dave’s carefree nature.

But none of that mattered.

What mattered now was climbing higher.

To Castro, that was the only thing in sight.

–TL Notes–
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/MattReading

Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt