"You're the one who defeated the Sword Chant School Teacher, right? Do you have the guts to have a match with me?"
Furan had just arrived at the Sword Chant School's Elven Swordsmanship classroom when she was stopped at the door by someone saying those words.
Furan thought to herself, 'Where did this generic mob dialogue come from?' as she turned her head toward the source of the voice.
She saw a sword swinging straight at her; she didn't dodge or flinch, letting the sword slash down toward her.
The sword stopped twenty centimeters away from Furan.
"Why did you stop? I'm waiting for you to cut me down."
Furan responded. She wasn't afraid of the sword actually hitting her because she had bought two pieces of magical equipment as temporary gear; if it really struck, a shield would pop up immediately.
She knew the other party's goal wasn't to actually fight her. Judging by how they used absolutely no force, the sword had merely been swung limply in her direction.
"Hmph!" Ryan withdrew his sword. "You coward, you won't even draw your sword. You're not worthy of competing with me."
After saying that, he walked away without looking back.
Furan rubbed her chin, understanding his objective. The reason he had suddenly feigned an attack was to bait her into striking back.
And all of this surely involved some regulation she didn't know about—a rule that would carry a price if violated.
Is it some rule of this course?
She watched Ryan walk toward a seat inside the classroom and start chatting with the person next to him.
Furan shook her head helplessly; it seemed someone was trying to frame her. She walked straight over to Bella's side.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"Who are those two?" she asked, pointing at Ryan and the person beside him.
"The one with the red badge is Ryan. Apparently, he got in through other channels. He's in the same year as us."
"The one with the ring on his finger is Abeljo. He's two years ahead of us, I hear he's quite capable," Bella answered directly.
"So why is that Abeljo trying to frame me?"
Furan could see that in the conversation between Ryan and Abeljo, Abeljo was the one doing all the talking. Combined with Abeljo's higher status, she concluded that Ryan's actions just now were done under Abeljo's instructions.
"Uh, I'm not sure. I only know that Abeljo failed his assessment this year. Apparently, he was unlucky and got eliminated early. I don't know the rest."
Furan continued to watch the two of them, lost in thought.
On the other side...
"Sorry, I couldn't get her to make a move..." Ryan's voice was kept very low.
"It's fine. This course lasts a long time. Just be more discreet when you strike... I don't believe she can perfectly defuse it every single time."
Abeljo's brow was furrowed. He knew that once the opponent was on guard, they wouldn't have as high a success rate as this time.
"As long as you can make her impression in the Teacher's eyes worsen, I will teach you that swordsmanship, just as I promised..."
Abeljo emphasized his promise.
The reason he wanted Furan to strike just now was because the Teacher for this course was Burnett of their Sword Chant School.
A man who had been a Teacher in Apprentice City for over twenty years, and was also the primary person in charge of the 'Swordsman' club under the Sword Chant School.
Within the Sword Chant School, it could be said that Burnett held the power of life and death over the resources allocated to apprentices.
Burnett was keen on nurturing apprentices; every year he would specifically designate one apprentice to give better resources and teach swordsmanship to.
Last year, the apprentice Burnett nurtured was him, but he had disappointed Burnett by not achieving any rank at all.
And Burnett would only nurture those apprentices who had not obtained a rank in the assessment.
He had originally been very confident that he was the strongest among the apprentices who didn't get a rank.
Until Furan defeated John, the Teacher who taught the basic swordsmanship class year-round.
After he went to John to confirm it, a sense of crisis arose within him.
He knew John's strength; he had joined the Sword Chant School through John's course. In that assessment match between him and John, he could feel his own helplessness.
He realized John was very strong, and even now he wasn't entirely sure he could defeat the John of that time.
Yet Furan had won, and John had praised Furan incessantly when he asked. He realized that this year, Burnett might very well not choose him.
He knew better than anyone that after receiving Burnett's individual guidance, his level had improved rapidly. He didn't want to go back to those days of sluggish improvement.
Although Furan hadn't joined the Sword Chant School yet, given her performance, everyone knew she definitely would; it was just a matter of time.
"To become a Formal Mage, this is what must be done—using every possible method," Abeljo muttered to himself.
Ryan merely grunted in response after hearing Abeljo repeat his promise.
---
Burnett was a sturdily built middle-aged man with several scars on his neck and hands.
"Apprentices who have chosen this course, regardless of whether you belong to the Sword Chant School..."
"If I see you failing to end disputes through formal duels and instead engaging in private brawls, you can forget about ever attending this class again."
Burnett's face was full of seriousness; it seemed he loathed such behavior.
Furan finally understood why Ryan had tried to bait her into attacking; so this was what was waiting for her.
However, she didn't care. As soon as Elven Swordsmanship appeared on her status panel, she would leave immediately and not get involved in the Sword Chant School's affairs.
"Very well, I hope you all heard clearly. Do not disappoint me."
Then, Burnett took a wooden sword and signaled for everyone to spread out, leaving enough space.
"Elven Swordsmanship is a unique combat style of the Elven race. We humans are actually not quite able to replicate the level the Elves reach when performing this swordsmanship."
"Because our body structure is very different from Elves. Their weight is slightly heavier than ours for the same build, yet they possess incredible jumping power and eyesight."
"So no matter how we train, the differences in body structure prevent us from fully executing Elven Swordsmanship."
Then Burnett began a demonstration, leaping and brandishing the wooden sword with extreme agility.
"Good, now everyone, don't swing your swords yet. Follow my footwork and leap."
Furan frowned after jumping a couple of times because Ryan was moving closer to her. Besides him, that Abeljo was also moving toward her, crowding her space.
She was forced to restrict her movements and practice in a smaller space. When the two of them got so close they were within arm's reach, she spoke up directly.
"Can you move over a bit? You're blocking me."
Everyone present looked over. Since everyone was following the practice, her voice was very clear in the room.
"Sorry, we didn't notice. We're truly sorry."
Ryan reacted quickly, offering a fast apology and pulling Abeljo to the side.
Burnett frowned, but continued to tell everyone to practice.
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