"Match Start!"Simon immediately pulled an imaginary lever. Three skeletons, armed with weapons, burst forth from his subspace.Haren drew a Jet Black magic circle behind his back. A moment later, with a squelch, a demonic arm made of Jet Black shot up.It was his signature skill, 'Black Hand'.'Simon Pollentia. I've perfectly prepared my strategy against you.'Haren moved his Black Hand, ready to respond to any situation, and a smirk played on his lips.'He's a Summoning Studies major, but his Martial Arts are the most threatening. I just need to avoid getting close.'Simon was a bit of an anomaly compared to the general perception of summoners.The most common strategy would be to bypass the skeletons and directly target the summoner, but Simon was also skilled in Martial Arts.Charging into close combat recklessly would be dangerous.'He'll probably attack me with skeletons and try to bait me into rushing in. I won't fall for it easily.'Haren kept his distance and didn't move. Instead, it was Simon who took the first step. 'He's coming...!'Haren watched with a tense expression, but Simon wasn't moving forward. He was actually retreating.Step. Step.He kept backing away. The skeletons guarding Simon did the same, maintaining their formation while moving the entire group backward.'...What is he doing now?'Haren's eyebrow twitched.He watched, wondering how far Simon would retreat, until Simon reached the very edge of the arena.Behind him was the wall. He had, in effect, cornered himself.'I don't know what strategy he's come up with, but.'Long-range attacks were possible for Haren too. He floated Jet Black magic circles in the air. Four Jet Black Arrows rapidly materialized. "Huh? What? What's going on?!"Dick, watching the match from the stands, shot to his feet."He shouldn't be able to use other dark magic while maintaining Black Hand, right?"But Haren, as if to prove him wrong, completed the magic circles and launched the Jet Black Arrows.Simon reacted quickly. Three shields burst from the subspace on the floor, and the skeletons dropped their swords, gripping the shields with both hands.'Block them!'The skeletons charged forward, shields raised, towards the incoming Jet Black Arrows.Thud! Thud! Thud!Impact sounds echoed. The skeletons were pushed back, but they successfully guarded the attacks.'This guy, huh?'Haren's lips curled. His gaze fell on the weapons the skeletons had discarded on the floor.'He's not even thinking of attacking anymore. Is that it?'Simon had retreated, and the skeletons had abandoned their weapons.Haren, feeling a sense of unease, meticulously observed Simon.Dark blue Jet Black was rising from Simon's right arm. It wasn't a magic circle, but it looked like he was preparing something. Or perhaps even this was an act.'If he's not planning to attack...!'Haren spread his palm. Jet Black flowed from his hand, beginning to draw a curse magic circle.It was a curse that was originally beyond Haren's level, but Professor Bahil's ritual had made it possible.Bahil's secret technique used Jet Black's property of 'remembering' to reproduce magic circles, even without the caster's knowledge or proficiency.Once the magic circle was complete, Haren extended his hand.'Sickness!'A pitch-black curse shot out from the magic circle like lightning.The skeletons rushed forward to block the curse for Simon, but the curse lightly passed through the undead bodies and pierced Simon's chest."...Ugh!"His vision spun. Nausea and a strong urge to vomit surged, and Simon dropped to one knee.It was the motion sickness curse, Sickness. It was known to be quite effective against Martial Arts majors.'T-this is motion sickness?'His head spun, and the world split into three, then returned, repeatedly.Simon gritted his teeth and held onto his consciousness."Oh."Haren smiled."Normally, if you took that, you'd lose the will to fight. But you intend to continue?"Simon, sweating profusely, responded with a smirk instead of words.Thinking it was a very irritating smile, Haren moved his Black Hand.Whoosh!The demonic arm extending from his back whipped like a whip. Simon sent the shield-wielding skeletons in front of him.Thud!Two skeletons were easily sent flying. The Black Hand changed its trajectory in mid-air and swung at Simon again.Despite the terrible motion sickness, Simon generated Jet Black on his right foot and leaped into the air.'I-I'm really going to die!'He avoided the attack, but jumping made the motion sickness and nausea even worse. Simon landed on the ground and wiped his mouth.'That rat-like bastard...!'Haren moved his Black Hand again. Simon frantically rolled on the ground, dodging the attacks that freely changed direction and whipped like a lash.Haren's one-sided offensive continued."What are you doing! Simon!"Mei-rin jumped up and shouted."Attack! Fight back!""H-hey, student in front. Please be quiet!"Mei-rin's face flushed, and she bowed her head at the voice from the back row.It was a rare chance to tease Mei-rin, but Dick seemed incapable of such thoughts, sweating profusely as he watched Simon's fight."...It's strange. Really strange.""Hey, Dick."Mei-rin glared at him."The information you brought! None of it was accurate! You said he couldn't use other dark magic while casting Black Hand? You said Black Hand's maximum length was 2 meters? You said he was good at Jet Black Mechanics but terrible at curses! Nothing you said was right!"Dick scratched his head vigorously."I don't know, I don't know! Is he hiding his power? Was that bastard actually a hidden powerhouse?""What are you talking about?!""I don't know either!"Dick yelled. "What's certain is! The current Haren Koke is several times stronger than what's publicly known!"Crash!Simon covered his mouth, dodging the whipping Black Hand. He felt like he was about to vomit at any moment."...Damn it, he dodges too well."Haren Koke said, panting. A new Sickness magic circle was already being prepared in his left hand."But once this is complete, it's over. Let's see if you can withstand 2 stacks.""......"It was a clear provocation.Haren scratched at Simon's nerves, gradually closing in.He even intentionally swung Black Hand widely, leaving himself open to bait Simon into rushing in, but Simon never used 'Martial Arts' until the very end.He simply summoned new skeletons to replace the shattered ones without a word.It was strange. Haren himself was clearly pushing the advantage.He had landed a curse, and the next curse was nearing completion.But. Still.'What in the world is he preparing?!'It was Haren who was feeling mentally pressured.Boom!Crash!'.......'Meanwhile, Bahil watched the match silently from the stands, arms crossed.As he had expected, the match was one-sided."How interesting."Bahil muttered, turning his head."Isn't this your first time coming to watch the first-year duel evaluations, Senior?"From the stairs, Aaron, dressed in a shirt and shorts, was ascending into the stands. He tried to pass Bahil without a word."Guilt."Aaron's steps halted abruptly."Isn't that why you don't take direct disciples, Senior? Because you know full well what hardships await those who choose Summoning Studies. Most of your disciples couldn't overcome those hardships and transferred, so you couldn't bear to watch it anymore, could you?"Bahil shrugged."But now, are you getting greedy?""......"Aaron turned to Bahil with a chilling gaze. Bahil didn't avoid his gaze and smiled."Let's see."Bahil spread his hand."What kind of state our disciple is in."Now, Haren was actively closing the distance, swinging his Black Hand.Simon was solely focused on defense and evasion.The shields held by the skeletons eventually shattered. The subsequent attack broke a skeleton, but Simon persistently revived it with Restoration."Once Haren's second Sickness is complete, this match will be over, won't it?""......""Am I wrong, Senior?"Aaron silently looked down at Simon and Haren's match. Then he turned his back again and descended the stairs he had come up."Senior. Where are you going?""The outcome is already decided."Aaron turned back to Bahil and added, "I came just in case, but there's no need to watch further.""......?"Bahil looked at Aaron's disappearing back with a puzzled expression.Rumbleeeee!The arena was continuously covered in hazy smoke from Haren's offensive. Haren, his face flushed red, gasped for breath."This...!"He couldn't understand Simon's strategy at all. Jet Black continued to shimmer on Simon's right arm, but it wasn't a magic circle or anything. 'No, I don't need to know. It's really over now!'Haren extended his right hand.The second Sickness hit Simon, whose posture was already broken from dodging Black Hand.'Ugh!'This was the second stack.Simon felt his surroundings twist horribly. Dizziness and nausea surged to their limit.He was in no condition to fight."How about it? Doesn't it feel like crap? Special Case No. 1."Haren grinned, baring his teeth."You obviously came here thinking you'd crush someone like me, but it's not easy, is it? Crawling on the floor like that is your reality.""Nothing in this world is obvious."Simon slowly rose, pressing his left hand to his forehead."Huuuh."The Jet Black shimmering on Simon's right hand disappeared. Haren's mouth stretched into a wide grin."He gave up. Is he surrendering?""No."Simon slowly brought his hand to his neck and loosened his stiff muscles. There was a cracking sound."It's complete now. Time to counterattack.""......?!"Was he talking about what he'd been preparing all this time?Haren frantically turned his head, looking around the arena.There was no change in Simon or the arena. His own physical condition was also the same. It wasn't a curse or a hallucination.'He's bluffing to the very end...!'"You know what?"Simon clenched his fist and punched the air.Rumbleeeee!"Whoa!""Kyaaaah!"The entire arena shook.Screams erupted from various parts of the stands, and people looked around in surprise.Simon, with an expressionless face, pulled back his fist, then punched again."Duel Evaluation Detailed Rules. Article 3, Clause 4."Rumbleeeee!"A student participating in the duel evaluation will be disqualified if they leave the arena during the evaluation."Rumbleeeee!Haren's eyes widened.The arena wall behind Simon was dented in the shape of a giant fist. "But no matter how much I looked through the clauses, there was no clause prohibiting bringing something in from outside the arena."Craaaaaash!The arena wall finally shattered and crumbled down.The outside scenery was visible. The referee, the staff, and the spectators all gaped.Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!Something massive was intruding into the arena from outside. Each time its colossal leg stepped on the ground, the arena floor was dented."...Ha."Haren let out a hollow laugh."...Heh! Ha! Hahahahaha! This f*cking crazy bastard!!"A massive, large-scale summoned creature, formed by gathering earth and mud around a 'core' that applied summoning magic.The symbol of a summoner.He screamed at Simon, who was calmly smiling, as if in a fit of rage."This is a first-year duel evaluation! F*ck! No, what the hell! Why is a Golem here!!!"Summon Mud Golem.It was a summoning spell that gathered earth around an internal 'Golem Core' and shaped it into a Golem.Woooooah-!A first-year student bringing a Golem to their first duel evaluation! The stands erupted in chaos.Mei-rin and Kamibarez also gaped. Dick let out a hollow laugh, just like Haren."When I went out to look for Simon, he was burying a Golem Core behind the arena. Simon intended to create the Golem from outside the arena from the very beginning."Mei-rin whipped her head around."No, Skeleton Archer, fine! But is it even possible for a first-year to make a Golem?!"Dick shrugged."You're seeing it right now."Of course, Haren, the person involved, was more shocked than anyone else."No way! That's impossible! Referee! Isn't that an external summon? Disqualify him...!"The referee coldly shook his head."That summoned creature is moving with student Simon's Jet Black. It is indeed his Golem."Simon, who had buried the Golem Core behind the arena, headed straight for the buried core as soon as the duel began. Of course, to Haren, it must have looked like he was retreating and running away.Then, he adopted a purely defensive stance and began completing the Golem beyond the wall. Since it was outside, there was no fear of the core being attacked.That's how he created the Golem, raising the Golem Core with Jet Black without visual aid and attaching the surrounding earth to it."Now."Simon smiled."It's my turn, isn't it?"Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!As Simon gave the command, the Golem began to charge forward at a terrifying speed.Despite its seemingly sluggish, massive size, it was faster than imagined. Haren clenched his fists, savoring the tension of facing a colossal monster alone.'Damn it...!'Life was unfair.People were born with different things.Talent. Wealth. Status. Body. Race. Nationality.He knew.That's why he wanted to break it.He wanted to prove what value he, a commoner with no talent, could create the moment he seized an opportunity.But.Even so!'A Golem is too much...!'A wall of immense talent, unimaginable.Haren felt that Simon, standing behind the Golem, was far larger and loftier than the Golem itself, which was now right in front of him."Hraaaaaaah!"Haren roared in fury and charged forward.It was now do or die.He pushed off the ground and leaped into the air, spinning his body. Then, with all his might, he unleashed his Black Hand.The air violently split, and the demonic fist struck the Golem's chest.Thump.But.The Golem's body didn't budge. A little bit of dirt fell off, and the Black Hand's arm bent like soft jelly."A straight punch."From behind the Golem, Simon was seen pulling back his fist."You hit it with your body weight."As Simon threw his punch, the Golem, connected by telepathy, also unleashed its massive arm.Rumbleeeeeeeee!The world shook.Haren's body, struck by the Golem's punch, flew at the speed of light to the opposite side of the arena, crashing into the wall. The wall shattered and collapsed like a crater, and cracks spread across the arena floor.A wild gale, like an unbridled horse, swept through, making everyone in the stands cower."Huuuh."Simon slowly lowered his arm. The curse Haren had cast lifted, and his vision returned to clarity.[Simon Pollentia: 76%][Haren Koke: 0%]The stunned referee belatedly came to his senses and extended his hand. Sweat beaded on his forehead."The winner is! Class A's student Simon Pollentia!"
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