The *ring* of the bell echoed through the classroom, and the teacher's voice followed, "Okay, class dismissed. Go on to your sparring classes." As they entered the class, they were met with the sight of a machine generating random names for the upcoming fights. The simulation room, designed to prevent serious injuries, featured randomly generated terrains. The anticipation of action ignited excitement among the students after hours of lessons.
The first pair projected on the display were Avius and Shirley. Akira's previous encounter with Shirley weighed on his mind as he cautioned Avius to be cautious. Despite the distance Shirley had maintained from Akira and the others due to her actions, the match was about to commence. Avius received Akira's solemn warning about Shirley and her {Charm} skill. The terrain they would battle on resembled a desert.
Avius swiftly utilized his special trait, SPEED, to close the gap between him and Shirley. However, Shirley countered with {Charm}, ensnaring Avius in a bewildering daze. Avius, realizing his predicament, acted quickly. He grabbed a B-rank sword and stabbed himself, breaking free from the charm's spell. Shaking off the enchantment, he raced forward, announcing, "There's a second part to what I said earlier in the entrance exam. Any skill I've seen up close, I can replicate!" With unwavering determination, he unleashed an advanced version of {Charm} called {Mind Control}. The color drained from Shirley's eyes as Avius whispered, "Give up." Shirley's concession marked the end of their match, and the color returned to her eyes.
The screen then projected the names Graven and Taekeshi. Observing their names, the two participants made their way to the simulation room. This time, the battleground featured a flat rock surrounded by lava. Taekeshi's words caught Graven's attention as he expressed his reluctance to fight, fearing he might accidentally harm his friend.
Irked by Taekeshi's dismissive attitude, Graven snapped, "Stop trying to play it cool with those stupid words of yours. We're here to push our limits. Come at me." Taekeshi responded by activating {Full Transformation}, morphing into a Cockatrice. He unleashed {Cockatrice's Glance}, but Graven's ingenuity came to the fore as he created a wind distortion, causing the skill's effects to vanish upon impact.
Engaging in a rapid exchange, Taekeshi's claw strikes were met with Graven's {Wind Bullet}, which he compressed into bullets of wind energy fired from his fingertips. Graven's adept retaliation left Taekeshi's wings damaged, causing him to plummet from the rock. Taekeshi's transformation came to an end, and he initiated {Partial Transformation}, modifying his feet into dragon claws. He slashed at Graven, who adeptly countered with {Wind Bullet}, shooting compressed wind energy.
As Taekeshi's cockatrice form took the brunt of the attack, he tumbled to the ground. Graven wasted no time, invoking {Gale} to push Taekeshi further from the rock. At the brink of falling off the arena, Taekeshi's desperate bid to regain purchase was thwarted by Graven's {Soft Wind}, which gently guided him back onto the rocky surface.
Exasperated by Taekeshi's lack of seriousness, Graven exhorted, "Oi, oi. Quit with the posturing. We're here to push ourselves, remember? Come at me." Taekeshi transformed once more, becoming a red wyvern. The student body buzzed with excitement, speculating on the potential challenges presented by a lava-based wyvern.
Undaunted, Graven summoned {Wind Wings} and ascended to meet the fiery wyvern head-on. Taekeshi countered by conjuring 20 lava-formed wyvern clones, dispatching them toward Graven's position. Graven retained his composure, creating 100 invisible wind clones through sheer willpower, and he murmured the command to set them in motion. Assuming a meditative lotus position mid-air, he channeled the clones to draw mana from the ice wyverns.
As the mana stores within the ice wyverns began to deplete, the constructs fell apart under Graven's relentless assault. However, he eventually reached his limit, his body overflowing with mana, and was unable to absorb more. Taekeshi moved swiftly to replace the fallen clones. Despite his efforts, Graven's unseen forces obliterated the wyvern duplicates.
With Taekeshi momentarily distracted, Graven capitalized on the opportunity. Activating a {Wind Dagger}, he leaped into the fray, slashing at the wyvern's wings. Anticipating Graven's maneuver, Taekeshi deactivated {Full Transformation} and triggered {Partial Transformation}, altering his feet into dragon claws. Swiftly and decisively, he aimed for Graven's hands, rendering him incapacitated. As Graven descended, he mumbled, "Thank you... for finally taking me seriously."