Joint Combat Practice 2 (4)
Regret is a shame in the life of a warrior.
To live a life with no regrets even if you live just one day, to face any enemy fairly with all your might.
A strong body and a sharp axe. If only he had that, he would be able to charge at any beast while roaring.
It was Kordec, the fourth-year member of the combat department.
An angular face with neatly shaved skinheads. It is as big as a house and has a rugged appearance.
His appearance is so grim that it is hard to tell whether he is a student or a veteran who ran wild on the battlefield.
Kordec climbed onto the duel table and took off his jacket.
“Haha, you… Are you a magician who is making a name for yourself among the ragtag group of third graders? Ed… Yes, I said Ed.”
The rugged muscles prove the years of training.
Although the corrected ax does not have a sharp edge, it is still useful enough as a blunt weapon.
Even if the training is aimed at actual combat, it is important not to injure the opponent, but Cordek’s back-and-forth nature does not actually consider that to be that important.
This is why there was not a single challenge to him for a duel during the joint combat training class. He is closer to a thug who lacks common sense.
Across from him was Ed Rothtaylor, a blond wizard standing still.
He appeared to be warming up his body by holding his wrist and twisting it here and there.
Kordec stood on the duel stand and glanced around. There were a few duel observers and quite a few people who had gathered to watch Kordec’s crazy battle.
Kordek loves duels. It is an infinitely satisfying environment.
“Yeah, bad luck. I can’t believe I got a match against this Cordek. “It would have been better to capture any reasonably strong person and challenge him to a duel.”
“… … .”
“Yes, I heard rumors about you. They say he’s quite strong, but at any rate, the fate of the 3rd year Ministry of Magic is on the rise. “You need to be strong-minded.”
Kordec does not easily underestimate his opponents. They just say things like this.
However, when the joy of a duel comes, you cannot stop the excitement rising from within your body. Although he may not be able to crush and tear his opponent to pieces like when hunting wild animals, he seems to be capable of fighting them with all his might.
“Hehehehehehehehe…” .”
As the time for battle approached, Kordec felt his body heating up. Two one-handed axes in each hand. A tremor passes through the hand holding his handle. This is the excitement that only comes when a bloody duel is about to happen.
The joint combat practice between 3rd and 4th graders is definitely different from that in the lower grades.
When I had just entered Sylvania, the weapons and magic that could be used were limited in order to reduce the level gap between students.
Of course, sharp weapons were not allowed, most long-armed weapons were restricted, and there was a rule that magic could not be used above mid-level magic.
However, sparring between upper grades is completely different. If a student has lived without any real strengths throughout his or her senior year, it is simply the result of the student’s laziness.
Combat practice that involves full strength vs. strength without any restrictions. The only time you can be protected by rules is in the lower grades.
“Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk…” ! body… It’s getting hot… ! Hahahaha!”
He enjoyed the duel with all his heart, to the point where you can see why all the students avoided him.
“Now, if both sides are ready… Let’s get started!”
As the professor in charge spoke, Kordec roared.
“Khahahahahahaha!” Now then, let’s make sure before the final battle… ! As you probably know, my name is Kordek Beilderk! I never do hand-to-hand combat just because it’s a mock duel… ! If fear creeps up your body, it’s not too late… !”
-bang!
The mouth is long.
As Ed thought so, he clenched his fist filled with magic. A magic that cannot be avoided unless you focus and respond… A ‘one-point explosion’ was fired into his solar plexus.
As he stumbled around in the smoke with a roar, a lioness the same size as himself roared and lunged right in front of him.
“Kaaaaak!”
Kordec has a lot of experience dealing with wild beasts, but he has never dealt with one that suddenly appears right in front of him.
He screamed and rolled on the floor. It was that moment when he clenched his teeth and held open the mouth of a lioness who was trying to bite his shoulder.
-bang!
Spirit ceremony: explosion.
A fire bat flies in his arms. When he was engaged in hand-to-hand combat with Lacia, he had already discovered her loophole.
After the rising smoke dissipated, Kordec, completely subdued, was lying on the floor. All he could do was cough intermittently and cough dryly.
The fire bat and the lioness glided back to Ed and sat down.
“Thank you for your effort.”
It took about 5 seconds. I felt like I put more effort into not getting hurt than trying to win the match.
In the audience that had come to watch Kordec’s battle, there was only empty silence.
* * *
The lobby located on the first floor of the Glokt Building. From here, there was quite a crowd due to the number of people waiting for the duel.
I managed to get out of the building by making my way through the crowded crowd of people. It was already the smallest of the three buildings in the student center, but it was hectic as all the 3rd and 4th year duelists crowded together.
I turned my gaze to look at the nail building, the largest of the three buildings in the student center.
Perhaps the main character’s generation, 2nd graders, are dueling with 1st graders.
First, I plan to go to the nail salon and watch Taily’s duel. Watching other students duel is allowed anyway, and Tailley’s duel is so popular that many students will flock to watch it, so there won’t be any attention drawn to me.
I am already prepared. The story keeps getting more and more twisted.
Still, I can’t just stamp my feet wondering what to do now. If the flow begins to deviate from the orbit, there is no choice but to adapt to the reversed orbital flow.
So, you must check what is going wrong and decide clearly what to do in order to survive.
The good news is that there are no major changes that are immediately noticeable.
Joint combat training is going according to the flow I know. If things are going smoothly to this extent, I’m starting to have doubts.
As I walked along the road toward the nail salon, I tried to organize my thoughts several times.
Even after thinking about it again, the part I don’t understand is… This is Adele’s reaction.
– ‘i know.’
A warning message that I reflexively jumped out at, that you would die.
I didn’t think anyone would take it seriously because it was said so deliberately, but Adele left with a completely unexpected answer.
As soon as the Pope and the Archbishop come to Sylvania, they first look for Adele. Adele probably knew that too.
You know you’re going to die, but you’re going to meet the Holy Emperor and the Archbishop?
You need a good reason to go out on a limb. However, the reason is not visible to the eye.
Many people have already said that the narrative of Adele and Clarice that appears in the third act is somewhat unexpected.
The final scene of the joint combat training, the news of Adele’s sudden death, was certainly shocking, but the narrative flow that followed felt like a piece of the puzzle was missing somewhere.
In the end, the narrative about Adele and Clarisse was seen as only a development device for the subsequent battle to subdue Lucy.
However, if you think about other scenarios in , there was no way the narrative of these important characters could have been passed over so vaguely. There was a widespread expectation among users that there must be more hidden elements.
The player could not know the full story of Adele’s death, and Saint Clarice’s way of thinking and behavior suddenly changed noticeably after the third act.
It is clear that some kind of incident must have occurred between the saint and Clarisse during the time when the players were conducting joint combat practice.
However, even though I searched all over Aken Island, there was no clue about it… In the end, users’ expectations go in a different direction.
‘The story that Adele and Clarice experienced will definitely be covered in a new spin-off in the future… ‘.’ was the prediction. The reason the narrative was left blank was to use it as an additional scenario element.
Most users, including me, reacted in confusion. The reason for this is that only a few hours have passed while the players are practicing joint combat.
The majority of the opinion was that the story was too short to create a new spin-off with only a few hours of story, and that there might be elements that could unlock the scenario in a different way.
Although I had already searched every corner of Aken Island, I still expected that if I searched carefully, there would be new hidden elements.
As a result, the situation did not resolve until the moment I reached this point. Perhaps the spin-off theory was correct?
Suddenly, I looked up and saw that the nail tube was quite close.
“… … .”
It’s only a few hours.
Not months, not days, but just a few hours.
A person’s values, behavior patterns, and ways of thinking do not change that easily.
However, in just a few hours, didn’t Saint Clarice’s good-natured way of thinking and behavior completely change?
The sight of her turning into a distrustful saint with a burning desire for revenge against the religious order… It seemed too extreme to the players at the time.
It would have been okay to show the scenario developing step by step into the darkness of the saints, but the question of why Clarice’s change was so sudden did not disappear.
“Well, what is that… .!”
“what… ? Am I hallucinating now? ?”
Suddenly the surroundings become noisy.
Because I was walking lost in thought, I was a little late in reacting. I looked around and saw all the students looking up at the western sky in amazement.
Wondering what was causing all the fuss, I also looked at the direction the students were pointing to.
―Kugugung, Kugugung… .
An untimely earthquake… It was shaking the earth.
* * *
Saint Clarice was sitting in the VIP conference room of the Trix Building.
When the Holy Emperor and the Archbishop arrive, they will first sit here and talk, and then enjoy lunch together with Principal Obel.
Afterwards, we take a tour of the student dormitory, have a conversation about faith with the students on the schedule, and then hold a baptism ceremony in the student plaza where the representative student is personally baptized by the Holy Emperor. Student body president Tanya Rosstaylor is scheduled to be baptized.
Afterwards, the plan is to give a speech about the history of the Telos faith and its value, and then take a carriage again to Seongdo.
Even though it was a tiring schedule, it was a familiar and comfortable plan for Clarisse, who had lived her entire life as a saint.
However, the Holy Emperor and the Archbishop are a little late. It’s been a while since I’ve seen that magnificent carriage cross the Maxes Bridge, but it doesn’t seem to have gone straight to the Trix Building.
“Have you heard anything about the Holy Emperor’s arrival?”
“Yes, saint. I heard there was a place to stop by on the way to the Trix building… .”
When a foreigner comes to Aken Island, does he stop by somewhere else first instead of the Trix Hall, the center of academic administration?
I asked where it was, but the cathedral driver only answered that he didn’t know.
Is there a schedule that takes priority over meeting the saint and having lunch with the principal? Whatever it was, it seemed like something that could be put off for a while, but Clarisse sat quietly, thinking that there must be a reason for everything Seonghwang did.
As long as it’s not dangerous, it’s okay. In any case, it is safe to say that the escort led by Seonghwang will not be in danger.
The escort personnel are not just elites, they are downright monsters. In particular, five out of seven members of the ‘Apostles of Telos’, a secret unit directly under the Holy Emperor’s command, were attached to this expedition.
Each of the apostles of Telos is a powerful force that is rare even on the entire continent. Those who only act according to the orders of the Holy Emperor. It is an invincible unit that uses various high-level magic and spreads its wings using divine power to dominate the air superiority.
Even the talents of Sylvania Academy, which is full of all kinds of geniuses, cannot suppress them. Except for a few exceptional strongmen.
“Umm… Uhm, uhm… !”
Clarisse cleared her throat in preparation for the first time she met Seonghwang in a long time. As he had time, he found the appropriate tone of voice by muttering.
At the same time, practice giving a polite greeting, smile, and listen to the speaker with dignity. Her simple, elegant demeanor, without any pretentious pretense like that of an aristocrat, makes her sacred appearance stand out even more.
After sitting alone in the conference room for a while, I took a deep breath.
Sitting alone in the conference room like this reminds me of my days in Seonghwangdo.
It wasn’t that long ago, but maybe it was because the few months I spent in Sylvania were so eventful… . It feels like a long time ago.
A life of prayer, baptism, preaching, receiving the sacrament of penance, and living a discreet life while receiving respect from people.
There were times when she missed the sound of Adele’s playing, which had added some color to the colorless life of the ascetic young Clarice.
‘If you think about it… I still haven’t met you… .’
From Adele’s point of view, if she heard that Saint Clarice had entered the school, she would have tried to meet her somehow, but there was no response. She seemed to think that Clarisse herself was the only one who cared deeply about that relationship… She felt quite sad.
I still remember it when I close my eyes.
The torch keeper sat by the window and played the lute.
The face of the girl who must have always looked down on the world from the top of the spire, higher than the saint’s room, was already vague in my memory.
A girl who has always been surrounded by mystery.
His hometown of birth is unknown, and it is also unclear how he came to convert to the church. I have seen in documents that he is from an orphanage in the commercial city of Oldeck. Judging by the occasional conversations he had with Archbishop Verdi, I don’t know if he was merely a believer… Adele never directly spoke about the inside story.
However, I do know that the position of ‘treasure manager’ is not entrusted to just anyone.
The flame that always burns brightly atop the central spire of the Holy City is a flame that represents the desire for Telos and its pure faith. It had to be burning brightly at all times without being extinguished.
The top of the spire. Perhaps the place closest to the divine Telos in the Holy City.
The sight of him guarding the top of the Holy Emperor Island alone, with an exception from all other daily routines… Anyone can see that she is not an ordinary girl.
If we ever met, I really wanted to talk openly.
―Kugung, Kuung… .
Thinking such useless thoughts… There was a sound as if the lonely conference room was shaking slightly.
Clarice stands up, wondering if it’s an earthquake. The earth was definitely shaking.
The moment Clarice looked out the window to see what was going on, she just swallowed her breath.
An incomprehensible scene was unfolding outside the window.
As the huge wings spread, a tempest struck the academy.
The spread wings cover the sky, casting a huge shadow, and the top of the gaze looking down is higher than the top of the mountain.
The direction is the western coastal area.
You can see the spray that hit the body as it rose from the sea. Some streams of water are still falling from the sky. I can’t even guess the size of its body.
Place both front feet on Aken Island.
Place your left foot in the northern forest, and place your other foot in the coastal area next to the Mexes Bridge. Accordingly, the earth shakes once more.
The huge head is visible through the clouds. A protruding mouth and huge scales. Changryong is said to be extinct even in mythology.
The shape of the awakened dragon… Looking down at Aken Island.
It was a huge disaster that could not be prevented by human force.
* * *
Causation.
If there is a result, there must also be a cause.
If the scenario is twisted, the cause will also clearly exist.
This is a scenario that has already begun to twist.
I was prepared to endure some degree of twists and turns. If we could just find the cause, we could have adequately dealt with it.
The reason why Yenica’s runaway was accelerated is because Lucy and Merilda signed a contract too early.
The reason Golden King Elte arrived at Aken Island earlier was because Lortel’s betrayal was discovered by Ellis.
As such, there was always a cause for the turning point in the story.
Therefore, I thought that a new phase would definitely come in the twists and turns of this story, and that I, too, was ready to deal with it.
Did you say it was an unexpected event because something unexpected always happens?
The owner of the wings that split the sky… This is Velbroke, the Holy Spear Dragon of creation.
A mythical monster that was sealed in the depths of the sea with its wings cut off by Luden, the sword saint of the beginning.
The final boss of Act 5 and the finale of all scenarios.
That giant spear dragon, which I thought I wouldn’t even have to worry about since I graduate at the end of Act 4. The roar of that monster… It splits the atmosphere.
―Kaaaaaaa!!
An ear-piercing roar splits the sky… . The fear is engraved in the unprepared skies of Sylvania.
It cannot be dealt with by human power. Even if you bring in Lucy or Obel, all you can do is block and confront them.
In order to subdue that monster, you must raise the power to the end specs, bring in the final battle Taily, who has mastered the final sword ritual that can cut the dragon’s heart, and bring her in front of the heart. At least that’s how I know it.
Of course, that’s not possible at this point.
Yes. As I said, if there is a result, there must be a cause.
There were instances where the order of the scenarios was reversed. However, why has the final ordeal of this scenario, which should have appeared only in Act 5, arrived now? There is no way to guess the cause.
No matter how twisted it may be, there is a reason why such an urgent change will come… It can’t exist.
But if the story didn’t go as planned, I’m the only one responsible for it. I am the only person in this world who can be called an deviant.
However, in the face of such an overwhelming twist, I cannot even guess the cause.
Even if we look back on the past, we cannot find out what caused this huge twist.
“Aaaahhh!”
“what! That… !! Wow! Run away!! “Run away now!”
“Where are you telling me to run away to?” ! If you want to get off this island… To get out… Everyone must run to the Maxes Bridge… !”
―Kwajangchang, bang!!
In the ensuing magical roar, the windows of the surrounding buildings began to shatter.
* * *
―Kagang, Kagaga River!
―Cookung, cooung.
―Crispy, crispy.
The glass in the building is broken, and glass is scattered on the floor. A girl walks down her hallway, humming her song while stepping on shards of glass with her leather shoes.
He had a lute slung over his shoulder, and in one hand he held a schedule for joint combat practice. Adele also did not challenge anyone, so he was automatically assigned to the match. He was only able to confirm it the same day.
― ‘Nail Hall 3rd sparring room, 1 p.m. Adele Cerise vs Clarice’
Beneath it was a modified text in hastily written letters.
― ‘The 1pm combat practice in the 3rd sparring room was canceled due to the saint’s sudden schedule change. Please wait until the next match is assigned.’
“It’s unfortunate. I thought we would meet. Why… “I guess we haven’t met.”
As the dragon’s roar splits the sky and the ground and buildings shake… A girl walking with a bunch of pretty fresh flowers in her hair.
The girl didn’t care about the apocalyptic scenery, and walked as if she was swimming between the buildings.
“The wind will blow again. “Because it’s always been like that.”
As I looked up at the dragon shape that filled the sky, I could only say in a low voice.
