035

“What class are you?”

At my question, Qantaii froze in an at-attention posture, looking tense.

“T-Teacher?”

“I said, what class are you?”

I came here knowing.

As I exuded that aura, Qantaii’s mustache trembled.

As if resigned, he tucked his chin in and looked 15 degrees up.

“64th class, sir!”

“Nice to meet you. I'm the 59th. We might have seen each other at school?”

“Y-yes, sir……”

“I heard about your situation from Avril.”

His eyes shook uncontrollably at the word that was likely his weakness.

He might misunderstand, but I didn't say this to threaten him.

“There's only one thing I want. Your practical experience and extensive knowledge of tactics.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite hear you?”

“Other than that, I have no lingering attachment to ranks like Class A or C, and I'm not interested in jealousy or disputes among students.”

Since Avril came, the academy had developed a ranking system.

And there were people who acted up, mistaking that rank as if it were their own.

‘People sometimes mistake their workplace's name tag as if it were their own.’

I didn't want to wrestle with such trivial problems.

“So, let's try to handle things as cleanly as possible.”

“Understood, senior!”

I patted the stiff shoulders of Qantaii, who was standing at strict attention.

I could feel his small, delicate shoulders through his clothes.

He really is a hamster-like person.

I headed straight for the old building.

Qantaii remained frozen in his at-attention posture until I was out of his sight.

He'll do well.

Drrrk.

“Wow, it's Teacher Cassian!”

When I entered the classroom, the students greeted me with a noisy clamor.

Perhaps because it had been four days, I was happy to see their faces.

‘Their expressions are better than I thought.’

In my absence, Instructor Gwen from Class B would have been in charge of the education.

I was worried that she might have taken out her grudge against me on the students, or told them some strange story again.

“Did you listen well in class?”

I said to Bridget, standing at the lectern.

Bridget answered with a sullen expression, his chin propped on his hand.

“So-so.”

Really?

“Instructor Gwen did a good job.”

Is that so?

“She's kind!”

Really?

“She looks after us meticulously!”

That’s unexpected.

As Bridget answered, the voices of students piled up from all sides.

The evaluation of Gwen was not bad, contrary to my expectations.

No, it was good.

“What kind of class did you have?”

“We learned your basic theory, Teacher.”

“My theory……?”

Since the theory was reported to the Chairman, it wouldn't have been difficult for Gwen to access my basic theory book.

But she taught my style, not her own?

As various questions arose, I felt I needed to check it out in class right away.

“Good. As it happens, today, based on last week's lessons, I'm going to divide your positions. Let's see.”

I moved the students to the auditorium.

Classes A, B, and C.

Of the total 150 students, about 135 had gathered, excluding those who had given up on swordsmanship classes.

“Today, we’re going to have a light test.”

“Aww—.”

“It’s not a test that counts for a grade. It's more of…… a test for real combat.”

Real combat.

At those words, I could feel the students’ gazes sharpen.

When I was lecturing, there was no particular change in attitude, but there were times when I could feel the air converging here.

The tension was slowly rising.

“You’re probably aware that our academy’s education system has changed rapidly over the past month. We’ve decided to improve your skills a little more and pursue a more practical education.”

I wrote the two words ‘Orc’ on the chalkboard.

The students started murmuring here and there.

“So for this final evaluation, you will be facing orcs yourselves.”

“Really?”

Bridget asked back, unable to hide his excitement.

Of course.

Unless it was a special case, basic class students rarely had the experience of encountering monsters.

At the young age of 14 to 15.

If their family was prominent, they often had escorts.

‘Though cases like Rozalin are an exception.’

The original Akarind Academy curriculum also had practical lessons.

However, this practical experience was only for the 5th graders, and the opponents were not orcs but small monsters like goblins or kobolds.

But to mention orcs for a basic class practical.

“Orcs are surprisingly strong monsters. They exert about 2.5 times the strength of a normal human, and their endurance is also excellent. Since they are already large, they are bound to be bigger monsters than you, who are still in your growth period.”

It would be a similar situation to a full-grown adult facing an ogre or a troll.

“That's why you won't be fighting alone.”

I immediately wrote a word on the chalkboard.

Position.

“After considering your physique, swordsmanship style, personality, and various other factors, we will form teams.”

That was why Qantaii’s role was important.

After this test, the students would be organized into teams of 4 to 5.

But a team could be a boon or a bane.

Teammates who work well together like Rozalin, Hati, and Pan can create synergy and produce the efficiency of ten or even twenty soldiers with just five people.

But if they don't get along, the teammates become obstacles at that moment.

They are obstacles that block the trajectory when swinging a sword, obstacles that block the path when evading, and obstacles that obstruct the view when looking at the opponent.

In a moment of life and death, if an obstacle occurs, it's the end.

“Today's test is for the final evaluation, so you'll have to do your best.”

The students’ eyes changed.

* * *

The test consists of three parts.

First, a stamina and strength test.

“When you face an orc, you have to be the shield that can take the opponent's attacks!”

The basic class students were still small and lacked strength.

So the presence of a tanker who could take attacks from the front was more important than anything else.

“The best way to test the strength of the whole body is to see how much of your own body weight you can bear.”

I had the students bend their arms and support themselves on the floor with their elbows and forearms.

The plank position.

A person with no stamina would find it difficult to endure for 1-2 minutes, while a person with good stamina could hold it for tens of minutes.

This position was suitable for evaluating overall explosive power, upper body strength, and core balance.

“Ugh—!”

“Don’t think of it as a test, you can think of it as an exercise. You can train your stamina by holding this position anytime, anywhere.”

Next was agility.

Shuttle run between obstacles on the left and right within a time limit.

It was a test to check the explosive power of the muscles and the agility of movement in general.

“A little faster!”

I threw one or two small balls in between the tests.

It was to see their ability to change direction or cope with sudden situations.

“Hup!”

Bridget, who had been shuttling back and forth, ducked his upper body low and accelerated as soon as he saw a ball flying towards him.

‘His overall ability is good.’

Finally, endurance.

Even if their agility and strength were good, it was a problem if their endurance was low.

Orcs have excellent stamina.

Students with weak attack power were likely to engage in a long battle with orcs.

“For now, do your best to run until you stop! The goal is to run for a long time, so it's important to manage your stamina and maintain a uniform speed!”

And so, all the students began to run around the auditorium.

I took in the sight of the students and jotted down their shortcomings in a notebook.

‘The students’ achievement is better than I thought.’

In the week I was away, Gwen seemed to have guided the students well.

No one had developed bad habits in the past week, and their stamina level had also improved considerably.

It meant she had conducted the classes diligently.

And that with over 130 students.

‘Thanks to that, I can solve the team composition.’

It seemed like simple training, but when this information was combined with the students’ swordsmanship information, various results could be derived.

For example, in Bridget’s case, his explosive power was strong, but he lacked flexibility.

No matter how strong he was, it would be difficult for him to endure a strength battle with an orc.

Since he had faced Pan, he would probably be able to fight to some extent even if he faced an orc alone.

But to prevent injury, he needed someone to support his flexibility.

‘Then should I pair him with this friend?’

I looked at a student who was running at the very back of the group in the auditorium, barely maintaining her breath.

Eleveth.

She was an extremely timid and quiet student, who attended class in a corner of the classroom as if she were barely there.

‘And the saturation of her swordsmanship is low.’

That’s why she was a good match for Bridget, who moved in strong lines.

A style that supports others without emphasizing one's own color.

When Bridget swings his sword firmly, she will support him from behind with an unexpected blow at moments that require flexibility.

Above all, her endurance was surprisingly good.

‘Her speed is slow, but her running speed is constant from beginning to end.’

She was a style that knew her own stamina and tempo well and moved accordingly.

She seemed well-suited to support the rear of Bridget, who consumed stamina rather explosively.

‘It would be cleaner to leave this team with just these two.’

And so, while the students continued to run, the members of each team were all organized.

From 2 to 6 people, a total of 23 teams.

‘I asked Hati to prepare about 20 orcs.’

It didn’t seem like it would be a big problem to prepare two or three more.

Now the important thing was the tactics that suited these students.

“Good, everyone worked hard!”

Now that the teams were formed, there was no need to push the students to exercise excessively.

I stopped the students’ running and ended the class.

“Stretch well before you go!”

Now it was a race against time.

As soon as the class was over, I went straight to Qantaii’s office and opened the door.

“What kind of ruffian barges in without knocking……!”

“Instructor Qantaii.”

“Heeik?!”

Please don’t look so startled, as if you’ve seen a monster.

I approached Qantaii, who was sitting melted into his sofa.

Perhaps because I had asked about his class earlier, the teacher shot up from his seat and stood at attention.

“The students’ teams have been formed. Now it’s your turn.”

“……?”

“A total of 23 teams. The number of team members is from 2 to 6. There are individual differences according to their swordsmanship characteristics, steps, posture, personality, and weapons.”

“……So?”

“The opponent is an orc. They will experience real combat right away in the final evaluation. All the students have no practical experience. You need to prepare a basic tactical manual so that such students can train for two weeks and face the orcs.”

“W-wait a minute, what?”

“The basic framework should be maintained, but the theory should be flexible enough to be manipulated according to the students’ characteristics, and since education and practice are needed, please complete it by today at the latest? Or tomorrow at the latest.”

Avril said it.

That he was a competent person.

“It's possible, right?”

So work.

Qantaii looked at me with an expression of disbelief and injustice.

His mustache trembled uncontrollably.

“Senior, I was wrong. Please don’t bully me and spare me.”

“Can’t you do it?”

“No, who can do this in one day?!”

“Ah…… you can’t? That’s strange. Avril said he brought you because you were useful. But if you’re this useless……”

Qantaii collapsed as if he had faced a demon.

“Two days, I’ll try.”

“You know the feeling, right? The Chairman will see it, so it has to be flashy, practical, simple, flexible, and at the same time, excellent according to the tactical manual.”

“……Could you give me just one more day?”

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