The ability assessment continued.
Perhaps because Elsia, the first student, had performed exceptionally, the other students seemed a bit intimidated. They must have seen it firsthand: the difference between Elsia and themselves.
It was inevitable.
As the protagonist of "Blades of Eternity," Elsia was one of the greatest geniuses of the era. For a hero destined to save the world, it was only natural for her to stand out from an early age.
Although the other students gave their best effort, none matched Elsia's performance. They managed to defeat wolf golems easily, befitting of their status as supernaturals, but struggled with the ones that followed. Few reached the chimera stage, and even fewer managed to defeat it.
But did you know?
In typical academy stories where the protagonist grows stronger, the protagonist's generation is often called the "golden generation."
The reason is simple: to balance the power levels. If the protagonist grows rapidly but their companions can't keep up, they'll inevitably be left behind. Thus, the protagonist's generation often includes several prominent talents, forming a golden era. Oh, Elsia did not have any interest in boys, she was more into girls. She was raised as a boy from birth causing this and this is a great thing for me. But the characters are too unpredictable.
"Ha!"
And that was also true in "Blades of Eternity."
Powerful, relentless punches that left even chimeric golems shattered like brittle glass.
"What's next?"
A tall, bronze-skinned boy. He was the first after Elsia to simultaneously defeat nine golems, catching his breath as he clenched his fists.
He could still fight more. He could still defeat more.
He signaled his determination, but Angelina seemed to disagree.
"No, Leo. That's enough."
"I can still do more!"
"No, you can't. Your stamina is already at its limit."
At Angelina's remark, Leo's face fell slightly.
"But…"
"Your 'Acceleration' is indeed a powerful ability. But the stronger the power, the greater the cost. You, of all people, should know this."
Leo looked like he wanted to argue but sighed, letting his shoulders drop. He knew she was right. Pretending otherwise wouldn't do him any good.
Leo's 'acceleration' was a formidable ability.
It allowed him to accelerate his thought process and physical movements.
The barrage of punches, delivered in mere seconds, would be hard even for Elsia to dodge.
However, Acceleration had a fatal flaw: stamina.
The ability consumed an immense amount of stamina. As such, Leo could only activate his ability in short bursts.
In a short battle, he might surpass Elsia. But in an extended fight, his stamina wouldn't hold up.
Eventually, Leo surrendered and dropped his combat stance. As he returned to his place, he glanced at Elsia, possibly fueled by a sense of rivalry. Indeed, Leo was meant to be one of Elsia's rivals.
Several other students showed notable performances as well.
A girl with braided hair who, without taking a single hit, smoothly dodged all attacks and defeated eight golems simultaneously. A silver-haired girl with a ponytail who created multiple clones to outnumber and overwhelm the golems. Another girl took down five golems in a single strike with a terrifying beam.
And as you can see, they were all 'girls'—they were all heroines. They would soon be part of Elsia's harem.
"And now, the last one. Leon, step forward."
I was the last one.
Feeling a tinge of nervousness, I stepped forward to face the golems.
The wolf golem growled.
I don't like this… Those sharp teeth… It would hurt if it bit me, wouldn't it?
Unlike a knife, it would tear through my flesh.
Ah, how good would that feel?
Gulp
I swallowed and shook my head.
Maybe because I was hungry, strange thoughts kept creeping in. Focus, Leon.
"Begin!"
With Angelina's firm command, the wolf golem lunged forward.
I didn't back down and raised the weapon in my hand.
What was Leon's combat style?
Unlike Elsia's flames or Leo's acceleration, his power was super regeneration; the ability to heal injuries.
So, what kind of fighting style should I adopt?
In my right hand was a mace, heavy and unwieldy, ill-suited for a delicate boy.
Gritting my teeth, I swung the mace straight at the wolf golem.
The golem's head shattered, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The assessment continued, with golems generating one after another.
Leon didn't discriminate with his weapons; he used whatever he could get his hands on.
A sword, a spear, a mace, a whip—anything he picked up became a weapon.
Ultimately, his greatest weapon was his regeneration.
Leon's tactic was to give flesh and take bone.
Or rather, he would give bone and take flesh.
Any bone he lost would regenerate.
However, there wasn't an opportunity for Leon's tactic in this assessment.
Despite his fierce demeanor and harsh words, Angelina was a teacher who genuinely cared about her students.
No matter how quickly someone healed, she wouldn't let her students get hurt.
If this had been an actual battle or a sparring match, it might have been different—but this was only an assessment.
Chewing on her cigarette, Angelina kept a hawk's eye on me, both to gauge my combat prowess and in case of an emergency. If I couldn't dodge a golem's attack, she'd stop it immediately. It's a shame… I mean, it's disappointing not to get a proper fight. That's all—nothing more to it.
I dodged a strike from the knight golem by spinning on my left foot, then struck its thigh, causing it to lose its balance and fall. Before it could get up, I smashed its head with the mace, ending its movement. It crumbled into dirt and sand, losing its form.
Wolf, gargoyle, knight… then came the chimera.
It's different seeing it up close.
Its mane seemed almost alive, despite being a statue.
Its outstretched wings cast a massive shadow, and its tail, ending in a snake's head, flicked its tongue.
Even if it was just a golem created by Angelina, the presence it exuded was enough to make it feel like a real chimera. The lion's head growled soundlessly. Step by step, it leisurely approached me.
And then, in an instant, it leapt into the air and pounced.
Fast! I threw myself to the side just in time. Crash! The ground where the chimera's front paw landed shattered. I swallowed nervously and tightened my grip on my mace. Elsia managed to take down this monster in a single strike.
This is bad. I don't see a way to win. If I fight, I'll lose.
For the record, when I say I'll lose, it's without using Leon's strategy.
Being told to fight a chimera golem without my strongest weapon—it's no wonder I can't win.
But this is an assessment, not an actual fight. Angelina would never allow blood to be shed here.
…Or would she?
It's an assessment, so I should be using my ability even more, shouldn't I?
Isn't that right? Regeneration is essential for evaluating Leon's combat capabilities. Angelina did say to take this seriously, so it's only proper to go all out, isn't it?
I corrected my stance. Ugh, I hate this, but it can't be helped. This is an assessment, and I have a duty to showcase my ability. It'll hurt if the chimera attacks me, right? Yeah, it'll hurt. But it's a test! This is an assessment, so I have no choice!
The chimera golem lunged with surprising speed.
If I stayed still, Angelina would stop it.
So here, I held my ground as if to counterattack. As if I had a plan. As if I had a strategy. And that wasn't entirely untrue. I would give bone to take flesh. Then I'd regenerate and give bone again. Repeating that enough times would eventually bring the enemy down. Leon's superhuman ability was ideal for prolonged battles.
I dodged its front paw and raised my mace. I swung it halfway as if to strike… Ugh, I'm too hungry for this. I haven't eaten since yesterday, so I'm out of energy. I pushed my shoulder into the chimera's large mouth. Oops, that was a mistake.
Crunch!
"…!"
I could hear Angelina's gasp from here. Although she was watching closely, it must have taken her a second to react since I had shoved my body into its mouth myself. Now, I'd given bone—time to take flesh. I raised my mace to the chimera golem's lower jaw…
"───?!"
Ack!
My mind went blank.
My vision flashed, and my limbs trembled as though convulsing.
The bone in my shoulder shattered, and a chunk of flesh tore off.
Hot blood seeped into the chimera's mouth.
It hurts.
It hurts a lot more than I thought it would.
More than I had anticipated—much more.
For a split second, I blacked out.
As my consciousness resurfaced, an indescribable pain flooded over me.
This was nothing like cutting my wrist with a dagger.
My skin was torn, my veins severed, my bones fractured, my muscles ripped apart.
This was… truly…
Painful.
Unbearably, extraordinarily, abnormally painful!
It hurts!
It's too much, it hurts!
Oh, I think I peed a little bit.
Luckily, it was only a bit, so no one would notice.
My heart was pounding. I was afraid that it might burst out since it was beating so fast.
My brain was swollen. It felt like something inside my skull was melting and flowing out.
"Ah, ugh—"
Just— just a little bit more.
Please, do more. I want more!
It was so painful, but it felt so good~!
Ah~♡ do more! Tear me apart!
Hurt me even more♡~!
Tear it like this— like that and then—
"Are you okay?!"
I snapped out of my thoughts.
The chimera faded, and Angelina took its place.
She gently supported me as I slumped to the ground, murmuring, "Why did you do something so reckless…?"
Seeing her grit her teeth in frustration, I finally regained my senses, nodding vacantly.
"The wounds… have already healed?"
"Yes…"
"I see. Leon. I know several other regenerators like you. They all fought with the intent to take injuries, knowing it was the most efficient way. You probably tried the same just now, didn't you?"
That was true.
"But regeneration only heals wounds quickly; it doesn't erase the pain. If you freeze up from pain, you're just an easy target. Understood? It's too risky for someone inexperienced like you. Even seasoned warriors would have a hard time enduring that pain."
She sighed and helped me stand.
"I'm sorry."
"It's fine, you don't have to apologize to me. Although it was reckless, you still had the courage to try it didn't you? That's commendable in itself."
Dusting off the dirt and dust on my body, she said in a slightly weary voice,
"That concludes the assessment. Well done, Leon."
Hehe, she's kind.
If she always showed this side, she'd be quite popular with the students.