TGSA 12

Chapter 12

A weekend morning with no classes.

I was sitting at the table having breakfast with Chloe, Viola, and Schmitz.

Ever since we coincidentally gathered in my room a few days ago, the four of us had often been eating breakfast together like this.

Students from the South who followed Schmitz were eating at the table right next to ours.

“Serine is glancing over here from nearby too, though.”

Serine was having breakfast a little farther away, surrounded by her followers. She occasionally seemed to listen to our conversation, but there was still a distance between her and me.

“By the way… as Ernas said, the first inter-class competition will be held in two weeks,” Schmitz spoke up mid-meal.

That morning, the academy had officially posted the upcoming schedule on the first-floor bulletin board, confirming the competition date.

“Then it’s likely we’ll be facing Red Class 1,” Chloe added.

“If nothing changes in the meantime, Red Class 1 will be our opponent,” I said.

“Ernas, if it’s Red Class 1, Rufus Ignias from the Six Great Swordsmanship Houses will probably be their representative,” Chloe said cautiously.

“I’ve heard he’s highly skilled and charismatic. He won’t be an easy opponent.”

“Yeah, he’s not someone to underestimate.”

“Should we do some special training to prepare for the competition?”

“No need for that,” I shook my head.

“Just diligently follow the training assigned by the instructors. That’s enough.”

“Really?”

At the Lichtenauer Swordsmanship Academy, the top experts handled the education. To improve the overall strength of the class, following the academy’s instructions was the best approach—at least for now.

‘Rufus is probably putting his students through hellish training right now… but it’ll backfire.’

In the novel, Red Class 1 enters the competition exhausted from excessive training, as Rufus pushed them too hard in just two weeks.

“Of course, it’s necessary to coordinate basic movements so we can act in perfect unison,” I continued.

“In that case…”

“I want to leave that part to you, Schmitz and Chloe.”

Both of them looked surprised when I pointed at them.

“Make sure Black Class 6 moves as one. Handle it as you see fit. And…”

I glanced toward Serine, who was sitting nearby.

“It’d be good to ask Serine for cooperation as well. Chloe, I’ll leave that to you.”

“Why me?” Chloe asked.

“I think it’ll be smoother if you make the request than if I do.”

“Ah, I see—asking your former fiancée feels awkward, huh?” Chloe laughed, covering her mouth.

Viola, who had been eating diligently, lifted her head.

“By the way, Ernas, why did you break off your engagement with Serine?”

She hadn’t shown any interest in the competition, but the moment engagement came up, she was curious.

“Breaking an engagement right before entering the academy… what was the reason?”

“Nothing serious, we just didn’t suit each other. That’s all I’ll say.”

“Oh, tell us more! I’m curious!” Viola pressed.

Viola had always been the type of character in the novel who was deeply interested in others’ romantic affairs.

‘At this point, the only event worth being curious about is the disaster between Serine and me… I guess I have no choice.’

Revealing too much wouldn’t benefit me.

While I was pondering how to end the story, Schmitz spoke carefully.

“Ernas, if it’s not rude… could I hear it in private later?”

“Schmitz, why…”

“I actually have a fiancée back home, and our relationship is a bit awkward.”

Schmitz lowered his head apologetically.

“We’ve known each other since childhood, but she doesn’t seem to like me very much…”

“Wow, I didn’t expect you to worry about something like that, Schmitz. You’re surprisingly devoted, huh?”

“C-Chloe, don’t tease me!”

Watching Chloe joke, I remembered that detail about Schmitz—something briefly mentioned early on.

“Sorry, but I can’t tell you anything. It would be disrespectful to Serine.”

Explaining could lead to inconsistencies, so I decided to stop here.

“Understood.”

“Aww, too bad.”

“Hehe, that’s probably for the best.”

Schmitz and Viola looked disappointed, but Chloe smiled and nodded.

“…Serine, Serine?”

Hearing a voice from a girl sitting in front of her, Serine flinched. She had been focused on Ernas, who was seated a little farther away, and hadn’t really heard what her companions were saying.

“Sorry, what were you saying?”

“Ah, it wasn’t anything important…”

“Hmm…”

The girls following Serine exchanged glances, trailing off.

“Serine… could it be…”

“You still have feelings for Ernas?”

“Wh-what nonsense is that?” Serine quickly denied.

“I told you I broke off the engagement of my own will, didn’t I?”

“Yes, but…”

“You keep watching Ernas with your eyes whenever you get the chance…”

“Well… that’s because I’m worried Ernas might flirt with other girls now that he’s no longer engaged…”

“If he’s no longer engaged, why would it matter how he interacts with other girls?”

“I’m only concerned that the girls in Black Class 6 might get harmed by him.”

“From what we can see, he always behaves like a gentleman…”

“…He used to be lewd back then.”

Even after the engagement, Ernas would flirt with other girls. That was part of the reason Serine wanted to break off the engagement.

“He’s changed too much recently… I can’t get used to it.”

Serine murmured, and the girls looked at her with various expressions.

Even at the Lichtenauer Swordsmanship Academy, weekends were free time.

You could train individually, rest, or wander around—freedom was allowed.

‘But we can’t leave the island.’

Not only Black Class 6 but all other classes were confined to their assigned islands. They could only go between the dormitory, training halls, or outdoor practice areas.

But once someone reached the graduate level, these rules no longer mattered.

‘With graduate-level magic, you can easily travel between islands.’

For now, though, leaving the island wasn’t an option. Any attempt to swim off would make them prey for the monsters lurking under the lake. Until the academy allowed us off the island, all preparations had to happen here.

“….”

Lost in thought while staring at the calm lake, I heard noise from the outdoor training field. Serine, Schmitz, and Chloe were gathering students and discussing the competition.

‘They’ll handle student management themselves.’

Now I could focus only on myself. My role in the competition was crucial.

‘In the competition, victory is determined by who takes the class badge first.’

Each class was given a badge, usually worn by the class representative. If you defeat the opposing representative and take the badge, your class wins.

‘That role… I have to do it myself.’

With that thought, I moved alone along the shoreline. My destination was the northern part of the island, a rugged terrain resembling rocky mountains.

‘This looks tough.’

Even a mountain-climbing enthusiast wouldn’t scale it without equipment. But today, I intended to reach the top.

‘I need to test the Kyungshin Technique.’

Kyungshin Technique is a type of body skill, similar to “light skill” (Qinggong) from martial arts novels. Mastering it allows one to run quickly without worrying about obstacles, and at higher levels, even glide through the air. Graduates can easily travel between islands thanks to this technique.

‘I wonder how well I can use the Yusburg Kyungshin Technique I learned from Chloe.’

Though quite decent, Chloe’s Yusburg Kyungshin Technique was still at C-rank. Could I climb this rocky mountain with a C-rank technique?

“Hoo…”

I took a deep breath and relaxed my legs. I already knew how to move.

“…!”

With a push off the ground, I leaped. I jumped across the jagged rocks and leaped again swiftly.

Despite climbing the mountain quickly, I slipped at one point.

“Ugh…!”

I lost balance and fell. It could have been dangerous, but I used the Yusburg Kyungshin Technique to barely land safely.

“That was close…”

Twisting midair caused pain in several muscles. Did I need Viola’s acupressure again?

“Phew…”

I sank to the ground with a sigh. Not even halfway up the mountain yet. I didn’t want to try again—falling like that could break bones.

‘I guess C-rank Yusburg Kyungshin Technique is only good for this much.’

Though partly due to my weak physique, it wasn’t very helpful. Mistakes like earlier could be dangerous in crucial situations.

‘I’ll need Kyungshin Technique for the competition…’

Unlike fighting Serine and Schmitz, the competition would take place on a separate training island. The rugged terrain required the technique for effective movement. Above all, it was essential to defeat Rufus from Red Class 1.

‘No choice… this is the only way.’

I left the rocky mountain behind and headed across the island toward the academy building.

“….”

Though the doors were locked for the holiday, I had the key as class representative. I opened the door and walked down the corridor to the duty room.

Inside, Instructor Anneliese was asleep, lying face down on the bed. Around the bed were empty bottles scattered everywhere.

‘Just like in the novel.’

Anneliese was usually a diligent woman without flaw. Her only weakness was occasional heavy drinking. On non-holidays, she wouldn’t touch alcohol, so it didn’t affect her duties.

‘In the novel, there’s an episode where the protagonist helps her with a hangover.’

Sleeping drunk like this, Anneliese wouldn’t wake until midday. The novel specifically stated this.

“….”

I carefully entered the duty room and touched the inside of her wrist sticking out from the bed.

‘If she wakes up, I can just say I was checking her pulse because she didn’t look well.’

It would be great if I could copy her ability with just a touch, but reproducing her skill required almost a minute. Attempting it while she slept was best.

‘Then…’

I focused my mind. The Yusrecht system activated, and a message appeared:

[Attempting “Ability Reproduction” on character ‘Anneliese Grainger’.]
[Understanding of ‘Anneliese Grainger’: 60%]

I clicked my tongue. Compared to Serine at 95% and Chloe at 90%, this was low. Unlike the heroines, she was just a supporting character.

[Due to insufficient understanding of the character, “Ability Reproduction” may fail.]
[If “Ability Reproduction” fails, you cannot attempt it on this character again.]
[Do you want to attempt “Ability Reproduction” on ‘Anneliese Grainger’?]

A warning appeared. Failure meant I couldn’t try reproducing her ability again. Other artifacts had similar notes, so it was expected.

‘Failure here… creates two problems.’

First, I couldn’t try reproducing her ability in the future. Second, I couldn’t use her ability in the competition.

‘The first isn’t too serious.’

While trapped on Black Class 6’s island, the number of people I could copy abilities from was limited. Outside, there would be stronger swordsmen than Anneliese. Losing the chance to copy her again could be compensated.

‘The second is the real problem.’

Failing to obtain her ability meant reworking the strategy. With just my current ability, victory would be difficult.

‘Should I try building a relationship to increase understanding?’

I pondered briefly. Could I gain more information than the author’s original setting?

Then I shook my head.

‘That’s foolish.’

Becoming her lover immediately and extracting all secrets might raise understanding over 90%, but that was unrealistic—and risky.

‘No need to delay. Trying now is best.’

Two weeks remained until the competition. Even if I failed now, I’d have time to plan. Delaying would reduce the time to respond.

‘Let’s try.’

I closed my eyes, keeping my hand on Anneliese’s wrist.

[Attempting “Ability Reproduction” on character ‘Anneliese Grainger’.]

Anneliese’s ability, Lichtenauer Kyungshin Technique, originally required extensive training at the academy. Now the trial began to see if I could acquire it.