Sparring.
Even if I were familiar with the 46th class, the 45th class was entirely new to me, so I had no idea what their true strength was.
Besides, I hadn’t even properly seen the 46th class’s skills.
“Then, isn’t it disadvantageous for us?”
Locke, from the 47th class, furrowed his brows and raised his hand.
He meant that the 47th class, which had relatively less combat experience and had entered Pasadian later, was at a disadvantage.
“Of course, we will reflect that in the scoring as well. You’ll find out when the day of the sparring comes.”
“…….”
At Chris’s words, Locke lowered his raised hand and silently stared at him.
“The sparring will be conducted on a points-based system, and it will be a team battle. We will divide you into five teams of five, and you will spar. The teams will be formed according to your grades, and 500 points will be given to each team.”
All the students were staring at Chris in deep concentration, not even blinking.
“You just need to distribute those points appropriately and bet on the team members you think will win. If you beat your opponent, you get their bet points added, and if you lose, you just lose the points you bet. How about that? Sounds fun, doesn’t it?”
“…….”
‘Betting.’
It wasn’t like it was a gambling den.
However, as soon as they heard this explanation, the students couldn’t help but feel their blood boiling.
Because to humans, dopamine was…… an essential element they couldn’t live without.
“The maximum points you can bet on one person is 300, and the minimum is 25.”
It was a rule where the key was not just for the strong to win, but to accurately grasp the opponent’s ability and distribute points accordingly.
You had to bet the most points on the “sure-win” cards among your team members and fewer points on the weakest ones.
Of course, you had to keep an eye on your opponents while doing that.
“Your grades will be determined in the order of the teams with the highest final scores.”
A format where the burden is relatively light on the weak and the shoulders of the strong become heavy.
Perhaps it was fair…….
Chris, who was explaining, massaged the back of his neck, gave one last smirk, and opened his mouth.
“It’s simple. Take your opponent’s points and protect your own. That is all.”
As soon as his words ended, the atmosphere turned heavy.
Everyone seemed to have a lot on their minds regarding how the teams would be formed and how to manage their betting.
Anakin was also lost in thought with a troubled face.
‘If this is the case, I need to figure out everyone’s ability as much as possible. There might be variables where someone was hiding their power.’
“This is going to be fun.”
Lucien’s eyes were already sparkling. Anakin asked Lucien.
“Aren’t you nervous? What will you do if you bet a lot of points and lose?”
If that happened, he would be subjected to all sorts of scorn and contempt from his team, and in the worst-case scenario, it could even lead to bloodshed…….
“If it looks like I’m going to lose in the first place, I’ll just bet all the points on someone else.”
“…….”
That was also true. To survive in a jungle like Pasadian, you had to be smart.
“Let’s go watch the 45th and 46th classes’ practice.”
There were no restrictions on observing the practice of other classes.
So, Anakin was determined to gauge their strength as much as possible before the sparring.
“Good. Let’s go together.”
As soon as Lucien readily agreed, Anakin turned back to Hilde and said.
“Hilde, you’re coming too, right?”
Hilde, who seemed to be thinking about something, said.
“Yeah. It wouldn’t be bad to watch for once.”
Since it wasn’t the 47th class’s turn to step up, the performance of the 45th and 46th classes was important.
‘Do they know each other’s skills?’
‘Perhaps they don’t even know each other.’
……What kind of monsters are in the 45th class?
My heart began to pound, bit by bit.
Anakin, Lucien, and Hilde finished class and went straight to observe the 45th class’s practice taking place that day.
They happened to be in the middle of offensive tactical training.
Unlike the 47th class, which had just entered Pasadian, they really seemed like actual mages.
Their dignified postures looked like mages of the Empire who had participated in war.
“Their linkage skills and power are definitely on another level.”
At Hilde’s words, Anakin focused on them.
Both their casting speed and the concentration of the mana they had accumulated were far ahead of ours.
The linkages crossing from all sides matched perfectly with the timing, creating harmony.
‘Is this what it feels like to have solid fundamentals?’
It was when Anakin was just watching in silent admiration.
“Who is that person?”
Among the 45th class, there was one person who stood out in particular.
A man who possessed skills and charisma that overwhelmed the room.
A sense of ease that was in a different dimension from his struggling opponents.
He had black hair similar to Anakin’s and fierce eyes.
It was only natural that the 47th-class students, who had come to observe to gauge their strength, would have their eyes drawn to him.
“Oh…….”
Even Lucien twitched his eyebrows and let out an exclamation of admiration.
“They say that’s Jack, the strongest of the 45th class.”
Hilde focused his attention on his martial prowess.
He was the first person to make both Lucien and Hilde focus this intently.
That meant he was truly exceptional.
“He’s just suppressing them with pure mana.”
No clever tricks or deception could be found in him.
Just an immense amount of mana enough to overwhelm his opponent.
“That’s at least 5th Circle.”
‘5th Circle?’
Anakin was startled by Hilde’s words and looked at Jack.
The man called Jack, who was attacking frantically, was like a fish in water that had been waiting for just this day.
“Hilde, can you beat that guy?”
At that, Hilde stared at him for a long time before saying.
“No. I can’t beat him right now.”
“…….”
If he said it so bluntly, it was truly impossible to defeat him.
Anakin turned his head again at Hilde’s words.
He stared fixedly at Jack, who was giving off the smell of blood.
If he were to actually face a man with such sharp eyes and such absurd power, he felt like he would be overwhelmed by his momentum before even fighting.
‘…Can I win?’
Anakin, who had just entered the 4th Circle, and Jack, the 5th-Circle mage.
Obviously, it seemed he wouldn’t be able to win, but at the very least, Anakin wanted to fight him once.
His heart, which had been excited from the moment he saw him, wouldn’t settle down.
“The team that guy is in will have the advantage.”
“It’s fortunate that the maximum points you can bet on one person is 300.”
No matter how much that monster rampaged, the points you could bet were limited.
Time passed quickly while observing them for a while.
Before he knew it, the 45th-class students finished their practice and headed toward the entrance with weary steps.
Seeing the 47th-class students observing them, they sneered.
“What, did you come to watch?”
“To think we have to spar with these dazed fools.”
“Is that the trio of nobles from over there? They look as fair as girls.”
“I guess it’s the 47th class, but even if they are the best class, I don’t expect much anyway.”
Most of the content was meant to disregard the 47th class, but there were some who greeted them quite warmly.
“Let’s do well if we end up on the same team.”
“Looking forward to it~”
Unknown people going on their way while greeting them energetically.
It was a relief that they were at least somewhat friendly.
“So arrogant.”
Lucien pouted his lips as if he didn’t like those who had just passed by.
“It can’t be helped.”
This was the realistic treatment of the 47th class within Pasadian.
Anakin clenched his fists and lifted them.
“For some reason, my competitive spirit is burning.”
A sparring session with a senior class, not the same class. Just how strong are they?
“Eventually, we’ll become like them.”
At Hilde’s words, Anakin replied.
“Let’s never become like them.”
Having been mistreated by senior classes so many times, he could understand and empathize with the sorrow of being in a lower rank.
Anakin vowed that when the lower classes arrived, he would treat them differently from those guys.
‘I must never become like that.’
I would not forget the humiliation I had suffered at their hands, including Evan.
Each of the children prepared for the upcoming sparring.
Anakin also learned linkage magic to be used in actual combat, cutting down on his sleep.
And today, just like every other day, it was the day to observe the 46th class’s practice.
“……Lucien isn’t coming.”
Before the observation, Lucien had said he would stop by Tran for a moment, but there was no news.
“Sigh, Hilde. I’ll go bring Lucien.”
He was so eccentric that it was impossible to predict what he would do.
As Anakin had no choice but to go and get him, Hilde suddenly grabbed Anakin’s wrist.
“Hilde?”
“Go together.”
“……?”
‘Is there a reason we have to go together?’
As Anakin tilted his head, Hilde said.
“Something feels off.”
“…….”
At Hilde’s words, Anakin asked with a somewhat serious expression.
“What do you mean?”
“There hasn’t been anything since the incident with Evan.”
“……Yeah. And?”
As the topic of Evan came up, Anakin’s expression became quite serious.
“……No. Let’s go first.”
At Hilde’s underwhelming reply, Anakin nodded quietly.
Since Hilde, who had good intuition, said that, a sense of anxiety began to creep in bit by bit.
As they were moving quickly toward Tran, Hilde stopped dead in his tracks at the entrance of Tran.
“Hilde?”
When Anakin turned to look at Hilde, he put a finger to his lips and said.
“Shh.”
“…….”
Anakin stared at him, biting his lip. Then, Hilde said.
“I can feel mana fluctuations not far from here.”
“What did you say?”
Feeling mana fluctuations in a quiet, undisturbed Tran meant…… it must surely be an attempt to quietly ambush or dispose of someone by sending people when they were caught off guard.
Anakin met eyes with Hilde with an anxious look.
