The Academy’s Crude Pink-Haired Martial Artist

The students tremble at the sight of me.

They can’t even make eye contact.

If they bump into me, they jump in fright.

They clear the way for me.

Such minor changes aside,

a peaceful weekend passed.

And I also heard stories about what happened during that time.

The more I heard, the less I could laugh at the trivial and childish things, yet I couldn’t help but chuckle at the brave actions of Yurasia and Stella.

Yurasia has always had a strong presence in such situations, but I never expected Stella to act that way as well.

Who would have thought she’d step up like that?

Moreover, she even attempted to use magic.

She wanted to pants Shibria with magic, can you imagine?

If she genuinely thought that, Stella’s reputation would definitely rise.

Anyway, because of what happened,

instead of tending to Yurasia’s sword and planning mischief with Stella and Pina all weekend,

we went out for some fun.

Yurasia, Stella, Pina, and me.

The four of us together.

I thought the little ones would be worn out after such an ordeal, so I suggested a trip to lighten their spirits.

I never expected they’d bounce back so quickly.

Not only that, they seemed even more excited than usual, running all over the place without a care.

We went to the restaurant they wanted, ate to our heart’s content.

We bought things they wished for, saw what they wanted to see, and visited places they wanted to go.

Of course, I covered all the expenses.

I was proud of Stella, who tried to protect Yurasia.

I was also proud of Yurasia, who tried to protect Stella.

And Pina… well, she’s just a ‘friend.’

Anyway, thanks to that, I was more exhausted and drained than after training, leading to a very tired Monday morning.

I was so tired that I postponed my morning exercise for tomorrow.

“Ah, Young Lady! Good morning!”

Despite all the running around, Yurasia greeted me with a shiny face full of vitality.

“What’s up? Didn’t you sleep?”

Stella approached me with a more polite tone and relaxed expression than usual.

[Good morning! (smiling squirrel)]

Pina just beams with happiness.

Ever since she filled out the club application, she has just been grinning ear to ear.

At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if she asked for a guarantee soon.

“Regular classes start today!”

“Right. Today’s a common subject, right?”

“Yes! Tomorrow will be… an elective… uh…”

Yurasia’s and my schedules are different.

On the day we set the timetable at the café, Yurasia did her best to sit in the same classes as me, but I firmly scolded her.

Since we came here to learn, I told her we shouldn’t waste time on useless subjects, and she pouted back, complaining.

So, our schedules ended up completely different with no overlapping classes.

“Ugh, stop whining. And we can attend classes together on Monday and Wednesday. We’ll have lunch together too.”

“That’s… true but…”

“Look at her. She doesn’t have a single friend and is already feeling down. It’s better than her, right?”

“W-What?! I’m not feeling down! No way! I’m actually excited! It’s chaotic and annoying being around you!”

I chuckled softly and handed Stella a macaron, just like usual.

“Always be careful with your words, don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong, and behave yourself.”

“Ugh… can you quit with that old-fashioned advice?!”

“If something comes up, let me know.”

“Hmph… I won’t say anything, humph!”

Oh, and something has changed.

Regarding my suggestion to speak up if something happens, Stella’s reaction has shifted.

In the past, she would look at me with suspicion, but now she pouts her pink lips and says ‘humph!’ like before.

That ‘humph!’ has changed too.

It’s a bit sharper and sassier now.

Is she practicing or something?

“…Why, what are you looking at? Well, I’ll, um, eat the macaron well. Th-thank you.”

If there’s anything that hasn’t changed, it’s her habit of expressing gratitude. She’s quite sincere, after all.

“Hmm… got it. Pay attention in class.”

“I’ll do fine even without you telling me.”

With a whoosh, Stella turned her back and sauntered off to her classroom.

Amidst her hair, her bright blue earrings stood out.

They’re an artifact that can store mana.

Not a cheap, ripped-off artifact, but a proper one.

I bought that artifact during the weekend.

When she received it, she adamantly refused to take it, claiming she had no money to pay me back, but seeing her wearing it now makes me smile.

Thinking about it, she’s also wearing the hood, sneakers, underwear, and earrings—all gifts from me.

Maybe I should threaten to take everything back if she doesn’t listen someday.

That’d be quite amusing.

Giggle—I resumed my steps.

“Let’s get inside too.”

“Yes.”

*

After the pointless chatter from our homeroom professor Adelia and a brief ceremony, the professor responsible for the lectures entered.

“I am Filalon Campagne, in charge of the common lecture for Signia Class, specifically on combat theory. Nice to meet you.”

The professor, who introduced himself as Filalon, leisurely scanned the classroom and promptly handed out lecture materials.

“Since it’s the first class, we’ll cover a lighter topic today.”

Despite his rough appearance, he spoke in a calm, gentle voice as the lecture began.

“What do you think is most important in combat?”

The students remained silent.

Filalon nodded as if he expected this and continued speaking.

“It could be victory, weapons, abilities, or strength. None of those statements are incorrect, but in my opinion, the most important thing in combat is—”

Filalon paused briefly and snapped his fingers.

Behind him, a neat board filled with text appeared.

Survival.

“Survival. You fight to live, you become stronger to survive, you wield weapons to survive, and you strive to survive.”

You wield weapons to survive.

What a very relatable statement.

I, too, lived with similar thoughts in my past life.

But now,

something feels… off.

“Then, have you thought about what’s important for that survival?”

Oblivious to my feelings, Filalon waved his hand in a commanding gesture, drawing various pictures on the board.

Swords, spears, bows, axes, shields, staffs, etc.

But no fists.

And at the end, a familiar term was engraved.

“It’s crucial to know your level and that of your opponent.”

The ranks and circles.

“Today, we’ll take this opportunity to understand the exact concepts of these ‘ranks’ and ‘circles.’ Please look at the third page of the materials I provided.”

I carefully turned the pages to avoid tearing them.

One, two.

The third page.

There, detailed explanations about each rank lay sprawled.

From 1st Rank to 8th Rank.

From 1st Circle to 9th Circle.

As I looked at it, a smirk appeared on my face.

Even after my reincarnation, of course, I sought information about ranks.

Just like now, it was hard to contain my smile back then.

In my time, there was no such detailed explanation,

and the concept of rank was neatly organized back then.

“Before we dive into the explanations, let me clarify that this concept of rank was compiled by the greatest hero party from 400 years ago, consisting of Paulo Humble Prandis and Ronan Luzarack.”

Me and Paulo.

“There used to be no clear distinctions like this before. Back then, people reflected on themselves, picking out changes from before and realizing their levels. But thanks to those two, who personally delineated the boundaries, we now have an easier time addressing them. We owe a great deal to them, both in theory and practice.”

That was indeed true.

Back in the day, plenty of fools didn’t even know their levels and acted recklessly.

And those who did know were even worse.

One notable case was a careless 3rd Rank who lied about being 5th Rank and got a merchant escort mission.

I’ve been stabbed in the back by many of those people.

The worst memory was when someone called up under the pretext of being 7th Rank, but he barely had a grip on 6th Rank.

That time, we nearly all died.

Afterward, Paulo and I began to reflect on the path we took together and organized the concept of rank.

However, neither of us was a great writer, so Kaloso and Luna helped refine the content while Arisa penned it down.

What we completed became the generally recognized concept of rank in the world today.

Of course, it differs slightly from what we wrote back then. After 400 years, more precise boundaries and concepts were likely added.

Yet, it’s still staggering how what we wrote became so widely known.

“Now, let’s get into the actual explanation. First, we’ll start with ranks.”

Filalon’s explanation commenced.

He spoke of something grand and expansive, but that sort of detail isn’t what’s important.

To put it simply:

1st Rank: The stage where one starts to sense mana.

2nd Rank: The stage where one can gather mana within their body.

3rd Rank: The stage where one can manipulate and use mana.

4th Rank: The stage where one can encase their body and weapon in mana, with the Dantian opening.

5th Rank: The stage where one can use Strong Magic.

This was the pinnacle achievable by ordinary individuals.

Starting from 6th Rank, it enters the realm of geniuses that ordinary people cannot reach. However, not every genius can attain it.

To reach such levels, one must either grasp enlightenment in life-and-death battles or undergo countless actual battles far beyond normal limits.

6th Rank: The stage where one feels and opens the merchant association.

One can infuse ideation into their mana.

7th Rank: The stage where one transcends humanity by opening the merchant association.

Mana transforms into pure ideation, allowing one’s thoughts to manifest in reality.

8th Rank: Beyond the manifestation of ideation, one unfolds an ideal ‘manifestation’ space in this world.

They can use ‘Manifestation.’

So ends the explanation of ranks in the materials.

Beside it, there’s an explanation about circles, but I’m not really familiar with that.

There’s no need to memorize it anyway.

Just think of it simply as the rank plus one being on the same level of circle.

That means 4th Rank is similar to 5th Circle.

And once you surpass a certain level, the distinction of circles becomes meaningless.

“8th Rank and 9th Circle. That’s known as the ‘end’ for ranks and circles in the world.”

At the word ‘end,’ a slight smile escaped my lips.

“Most of you in the Signia Class are probably hovering between 2nd Rank and 3rd Rank. Of course, there might be some at 1st Rank. However, don’t be in a hurry or take reckless paths just because you think your rank is low. All of you sitting here have the potential to exceed 5th Rank.”

Filalon concluded the explanation about ranks and looked around the classroom, speaking earnestly.

Ding-ding-ding—

At that moment, the bell signaling the end of the first period rang.

“Well then, that will be all for today. Everyone worked hard on the first class.”

After leaving a perfectly folded bow, Filalon slipped out of the classroom as leisurely as he had entered.

Soon,

the classroom, which had been quiet for a moment, filled with chatter.

Among them, a conversation caught my ear.

“They say the Six Pillars are currently 8th Rank. Then what rank were the previous hero parties?”

“Of course, they were 8th Rank.”

“Really… but it was 400 years ago. Could they reach 8th Rank in a time where there were no systems in place?”

“A hero party isn’t just a dog’s name; they must have achieved that level to be called heroes!”

I was about to get up from my seat but instead settled back down, eavesdropping on the chatter of the boys in front.

“And didn’t you hear? What the Sword Empress said at the Liberation Festival.”

“What about it?”

“She mentioned the traces of battles fought by hero parties in Gebihenum. After that, the Six Pillars gathered and speculated about it.”

“And?”

“That’s when Uje said the hero party probably reached the fringes of 8th Rank.”

“8th Rank is enough as it is! What do you mean by the fringes of 8th Rank?”

“Maybe there’s something beyond 8th Rank?”

“This guy has a pure brain, doesn’t he?”

Giggle…

Amidst the noisy classroom, a small giggle managed to sneak out.

“8th Rank…”

If Luna had heard that, she would have cursed them out.

If Kaloso heard, he would have fainted from high blood pressure.

If Arisa had heard, she would have given a rare serious look.

If Paulo had heard, he would have drawn his sword.

And if I had heard… I would have throttled them.

“Absolutely ridiculous.”

I.

We.

*

-What rank are we?

-Suddenly what?

-No, what we wrote is only up to 8th Rank. So what rank are we?

-Hmm, come to think of it, as Ronan said, we can’t measure our rank anymore.

-Certainly. I also can’t express it in circles anymore.

-Ooh? You can’t express it in circles? Oh right, you mentioned Kaloso’s circle merged last time, didn’t you?

-Yes. From now on, I’d say we should refer to it as rank.

-Hmm. True. Including you all, or me too, we’ve long surpassed 8th Rank. The old teachings only go up to 8th Rank. So, what are we?

-First, we are not some tiny 8th Rank.

-I agree.

-I concur.

-Exactly! We are far stronger than 8th Rank!

-I think so too.

-We wield ■■■■■ and can call ■■, so we can’t be less than—

-No, Ronan. Can you please stop spouting that cringe-worthy technique name? Even adolescent kids wouldn’t name it that.

-What…? You think it’s cringe? Paulo and Arisa liked it!

-Pretending to be cool is ridiculous. I get goosebumps hearing it every time. How come you’re so dimwitted despite your age? Did you get your head thumped by ‘Anger’ last time or something?

-No, that’s… not the case. Is it really that strange? Kaloso, what do you think of the name? Weird?

-… Honestly, I can’t say I like it.

-Really? Should I change the name then?

-No, seriously. Why are you so keen on naming things? Just leave it nameless.

-No, you see, naming it helps in visualizing it when using it a bit—what’s the word? When someone asks, it feels more impressive to have a name, right?

-Stop talking nonsense. You don’t need a name to be impressive. We are like the demon king said.

-10th Rank!

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