NOVEL NEXT Chapter 95
EP.95 Sword and Shield (3)
Belnoa recalls the recent battle.
‘I don’t know what happened to Professor Rania, but…’
It was an intense battle for Belnoa and Lac. His vision swayed, and he nearly lost consciousness multiple times. His ribs and collarbone still throb.
‘…I was too, too narrow-minded.’
In the heat of battle, one’s perception usually narrows. He was busy reading the opponent’s movements, overwhelmed by thinking about the next move.
However, when examining each detail after the fight… surprisingly, many things come into focus.
“Lac.”
Belnoa spoke while leaning against a tree. Lac, who had been face-down on the ground, slowly lifted his head.
“What’s up?”
“Can you move?”
“I think I’ll be fine after resting for about ten minutes. You managed to control your power surprisingly well.”
Lac rubbed his abdomen as he spoke.
“Then listen well for the next ten minutes.”
“Do you have a plan?”
“Well, I shouldn’t say this more than once, but… I do.”
Belnoa lifted Lac’s axe, which weighed significantly. Mimicking a few swings with the heavy axe, he said:
“Can I borrow this for a moment?”
“…Weapons are a warrior’s body and companion.”
“Who’s the one throwing their companion around like it’s nothing?”
After a moment of thought, Lac nodded.
“Um, I can lend it to you for a bit.”
Belnoa gripped the axe upside down and began wrapping shadows around the axe handle. Lac tilted his head.
“What are you doing, Belnoa?”
“To me, weapons are consumables. I can create daggers endlessly, so when I caught a weapon, I’d blow it up without hesitation.”
It was a non-sequitur.
Belnoa continued as if muttering to himself.
“So I didn’t realize it. But watching you fight made me understand.”
“You got it?”
“Yeah. Think about it, isn’t it strange? You precisely struck down the axe that was spinning and coming at you, only aiming for the handle. This is from a professor who has that level of coordination and reaction speed.”
Lac nodded.
He vividly remembered the professor’s eerily precise movements.
“Then, was it really necessary to plant the axe in the ground?”
“What do you mean?”
“Grabbing a weapon means you’re not holding it; you could throw it away to maintain balance, right? You can’t just fling it away. You could also grab it and throw it far away.”
However, Belnoa said:
“The professor never did that. She simply threw it down or set it aside.”
“…”
“Think about it. You picked up the axe several times during the battle. Wasn’t the axe always near your feet?”
Lac slowly nodded.
“…Now that you mention it, that’s true.”
“And our battle happened within five steps from the stump.”
Lac’s gaze shifted to the open area.
The space around the stump. The fight took place right there. There were clear signs of the axe embedded exactly in that spot.
‘It wasn’t just the axe.’
The debris of the daggers Belnoa had exploded also fell within that range.
“What that means is…”
“Right, whatever gets caught always falls within that range. The professor never uses weapons. She never throws them away. She merely sets them on the ground.”
That was the fifth constraint.
Understanding the constraint, Lac asked.
“Then, shouldn’t you not worry about the weapon being caught?”
“That’s it. Moreover, you use two axes. Losing one is fine. Just swing the other one right away.”
Belnoa tied shadows around the axe.
“Then, the professor will drop your axe and reach for it again. That’s the constraint.”
Belnoa swiftly threw the bound axe toward the opposite tree. Crack!, the blade buried into the tree trunk.
“So that means…”
Belnoa seized the shadows connected to the axe and swung swiftly.
Wham!
The axe handle returned to Belnoa’s hand. Holding the axe, he pointed to the shadow line tied to the axe.
“I’ll retrieve it for you.”
“…Is that so?”
“The shadow can stretch about ten steps. And I can store spells in that line, too.”
Lac received the axe.
“The tactic isn’t anything special. It won’t be specific like before. You don’t have to think.”
While tying shadows around the remaining axe, Belnoa said.
“That thing you used when we practiced sparring.”
“…That?”
“You know, the one where your eyes turn red and you charge.”
“If I use that, I can’t make decisions. I react on instinct rather than reason. Are you okay with that?”
“It’s fine.”
Belnoa stood up.
“I’ll make the strategic calls. Just move on instinct. I’ll handle the rest.”
Lac also struggled to rise.
“It’ll take a bit to synchronize, though.”
They look up at the sky.
The sun still hangs high. During the three-day exam, the sun hasn’t set on the first day yet.
“There’s plenty of time left.”
“Is that so?”
Lac shifted his gaze.
The focus fell on the center of the open area. There stood Professor Rania, looking back at them with her legs crossed.
Superhuman movements.
Rapid situational judgment.
Even compared to the seasoned warriors of the North, her skills were not just comparable, she was overwhelming.
‘I’m scared.’
But fear is something to be overcome.
Lac steadied his breath and lifted the axe in front of his heart. He directed the stocked spells toward his heart.
Thud…
The northern warriors never know when to stop.
They live hotter than anyone on the frozen ground. Their heat doesn’t cool even in the snowstorm.
‘Northern warriors are a burning flame.’
Lac tapped his heart with the axe handle. The stocked spell shone brightly.
‘Forged steel that never cools.’
Heating.
Boom!
Lac’s previously red gaze became even redder.
2.
“…”
Rania instinctively felt a sense of unease. Lac’s state approaching the boundary was unusual.
His eyes were bloodshot.
The muscles in his arm gripping the axe bulged, resembling someone standing in the middle of a snowy mountain, steam escaping every time he breathed out.
‘That’s…’
Rania recalled the northern warriors she encountered on the battlefield. The unique physical enhancement method they used.
Heating.
A reckless enhancement method that typically heats weapons, now cast onto the body. The backlash from this spell is needless to say.
‘An ordinary person cannot withstand that backlash.’
The northern warriors born and raised in the mountains, only a select few can use that body enhancement. What Lac was undergoing was certainly that.
“…Ha.”
Rania burst into laughter.
She had recognized the talent long ago. She had seen his innate combat sense enough times. However, seeing a body capable of withstanding heating made her chuckle unconsciously.
‘Really.’
She took a step forward.
For the first time, she took a step beyond the boundary she had drawn. Moving one step farther from the stump.
And.
As she stepped forward, Lac slammed his feet into the ground. The speed didn’t even compare to before. In an instant, he closed the distance.
‘Just the kind of kids you want to nurture.’
Lac swung the axe. The movement was not as clean as before. It resembled a beast swinging its limbs, exhibiting more roughness than sharpness.
Clang!
He gave up catching. He slashed. Clang, clang, the sound of the axe being deflected echoed repeatedly. The more he struck, the faster Lac’s axe became.
“…”
Rania frowned.
She found interest in Lac’s talent that used Heating. However, she did not think highly of the spell itself.
Heating elevates the body beyond its limits.
The unique enhancement method brought superhuman physical capabilities that shouldn’t be underestimated. Still, heating the body numbs the rational mind.
‘A beast moving instinctually.’
Northern warriors are called berserkers for a reason. They must face death right in front of them as they charge ceaselessly.
‘That’s a bad habit.’
First-class warriors control their heating. However, Lac had not yet reached that level. He only acted on instinct.
“Hmm.”
Rania furrowed her brow, deflecting an axe while she bent her knee out of Lac’s sight, which was now narrow.
‘I’ll need to tell him to only use it when assessing the situation.’
Just as she thought, Rania aimed her knee at Lac’s abdomen.
Thud!
Something tugged at Lac’s arm. Lac’s body spun around. Rania’s knee hit nothing but air.
Whoosh!
Avoiding the attack, Lac transitioned back to offense.
His eyes were still bloodshot. But his field of vision hadn’t widened.
“…Ah.”
Rania realized.
The axe in Lac’s hand, the shadow attached to it, and Belnoa’s presence holding it.
‘You plan to make up for it like this.’
Belnoa, with shadows bound to both hands, supported Lac’s movements. She ran along with him, halting, swinging her arms.
“Tsk.”
Rania tried to sever the connected shadows, but each time, Lac’s axe interfered. Sometimes, blades shot from shadows, and from a distance, Belnoa threw daggers.
Crash!
By intercepting the spell through heavy strikes, they soon charged three times. Facing a beast-like Lac, there wasn’t time to execute her own actions.
Gradually, Lac began to push forward.
A smile spread across Rania’s lips.
‘A little more.’
The movements of Belnoa and Lac didn’t completely match. Seizing that gap, Rania aimed a kick at Lac’s axe. The blade sank into the ground. But only for a moment.
Whoosh!
The axe, drawn by shadows, sprang back up.
Rania tilted her head. The risen axe had already returned to Lac’s hand.
‘Not enough yet.’
Rania burst into laughter.
‘Just a little more.’
She saw a possibility. The potential Lac and Belnoa could reach was faintly visible to her.
The potential for growth.
And she could accelerate that growth. Rania found joy in that realization. It was quite enjoyable to see her students grow.
“Focus!”
Briefly stating, Rania threw a punch.
She aimed for the moment Lac and Belnoa’s movements faltered.
“Cough!”
Lac’s body lifted off the ground, pushed outside the boundary. The enhancements on Lac’s body ceased.
Thud, thud.
For the first time, dirt piled onto Rania’s clothes. Brushing off the dirt, she gestured.
“Not much time left.”
The possibility echoed from her lips.
Lac, face down on the ground, laughed as he got up. Belnoa wiped off the cold sweat, tightening the shadows further.
The sun began to set in the high sky.
The exam had only just begun.
3.
The sun dipped lower. The sunset began. Lac, panting heavily, once more tapped his heart. Energy coursed through his body.
‘I’ve never used it continuously like this before.’
The body felt burdened.
Surely, after using Heating like this, he would tire. However, Lac did not stop.
‘The peak isn’t far.’
His goal was approaching.
Lac slammed his feet into the ground. Following his movement, Belnoa also slammed the ground. They moved simultaneously.
Tap.
No longer was there hesitation in their movements. Their actions intertwined smoothly.
Blades shot upward.
Shadows exploded.
The cast spells overwhelmed Rania.
Crash!
Three flashes of light burst forth. Like she was agreeing to act in their plan, Rania willingly played along. All three spells were consumed.
Lac charged.
Moving according to his instincts. The northern warriors, who had their bodies heated, never hesitate to throw themselves into danger.
However, Lac was different.
Lac’s battle sense, his near-prophetic ability to sense danger, fell within the realm of instinct. He instinctively dodged attacks. He sensed the next attack.
He dodged, swung.
He caught the axe that flew away and swung it again.
Clang, clang!
The bright sounds echoed continuously. His bloodshot eyes resembled those of a beast. The eyes of a predator watch their prey. He waited for the opportune moment.
‘Pressing forward.’
That thought filled his head.
‘Just a bit more.’
Lac’s axe continued to hasten. Yet, Rania was still faster. The moment she let her guard down, she’d be countered. An attack would pierce through.
Thud!
Each time, Belnoa halted Lac’s motion. Shooting daggers and assisting Lac with spells. Still, there were unavoidable attacks.
Bang!
A fist met Lac’s abdomen.
Yet he endured. Gritting his teeth, Lac swung the axe. Even through his foggy vision, he targeted his opponent’s neck with precision.
Clang, clang.
How many exchanges did they have?
As Rania took a step back, she stepped on the ground that Lac’s axe had disturbed. Her foot slipped. Her body leaned back.
“…!”
Lac’s eyes narrowed.
It was the opening. When the prey exposes its throat, a predator never misses. Lac surged forward faster than ever.
A body heated to its limits displayed superhuman speed. The swinging axe aimed directly at Rania’s chest.
And then it happened.
Thud! Belnoa’s shadow tugged at Lac’s arm. Yet, it couldn’t override Lac’s movement, the shadow snapped apart.
The leash that controlled the beast was released.
Blinded by excitement, Lac was unaware. In his backward-leaning posture, he didn’t see Rania’s fist swooping in.
Whoosh!
Rania’s fist was aimed at Lac’s jaw. If it connected, he would surely faint. Her fist would be faster than Lac’s axe.
“Lac!”
Belnoa shouted.
But Lac couldn’t hear her. His gaze was solely fixed on the axe blade. His bloodshot eyes captured only his weapon.
‘Circuit.’
And.
‘Spell.’
In a stretched-out sense of time, Lac saw the circuit engraved on the axe blade. The moment he saw the circuit, something flitted through his mind.
– Lac.
The fleeting thought carried a voice too.
– You, for the moment, are a Mage?
Mage.
‘A being that never loses rationality in any situation.’
Even in his heated mind, Lac remembered that voice. His eyes widened. His field of vision widened instantly.
While his body was hot, his mind cooled down.
It felt as if a snowstorm from the northern mountains swept through his brain. Reason sprouted from instinct. A strange sensation dominated his body.
‘That fist.’
Lac looked at Rania’s fist.
He felt it heading for his jaw. Reason and instinct aligned in an instant. What he felt was a sense of unity.
Whip!
Lac gave up on his attack.
He twisted his head, bones cracking.
Splurt!
Rania’s punch brushed past his cheek.
He dodged the punch, but the adjustment cost him his balance. Rania took the opportunity to knee him.
Whomp!
She drove her knee into Lac’s face.
Lac’s head snapped back. Blood streamed from his nose.
Ugh…
But Lac did not fall.
He gritted his teeth and endured the last attack. Rania, ready to continue with follow-ups, suddenly froze.
“Goodness…”
She smiled softly as she paused.
“Alright.”
Rania stepped back.
Stepping back, she pointed to Lac’s feet.
“You won.”
In the last moment, Lac’s outstretched foot made contact with the tree stump. Lac slowly turned his head.
“Guh, urgh.”
Wiping his bleeding nose with the back of his hand, Lac asked again.
“Did I pass?”
“Yep.”
Rania nodded with a smile.
It was a proud smile. Only after seeing that smile did Lac’s body lean back.
Thud.
Lac collapsed onto the ground. Shortly after, Belnoa also plopped down. They both sprawled on the ground, gazing at the sky.
The sun was setting beyond the horizon.
However, it hadn’t completely set yet.
The first day’s sunset.
The two students passed their exam.
Author’s Note:
A bit late, but! Still, it’s 8,000 characters!
Feels like I’ve been writing lengthy these days…
While writing today, I experienced a rather odd sensation.
As I thought, “I won’t finish this today, I’ll have to post tomorrow,” my fingers flew over the keyboard, you know? In a moment, I knocked out 5,000 characters. Honestly, I still feel a bit strange. It’s like I wrote out of sheer excitement.
I hope this chapter turned out satisfying! 