Allen Stolen was standing in the training area, holding a wooden sword.
He watched his classmates practicing their combat skills.
He could have joined them, but hesitated. His power was nearly depleted.
Lisa approached Allen and gently tapped his shoulder.
"Come on, let's train," she said.
"Sorry, but I can't," Allen replied.
"Why not?"
Allen quickly thought of an excuse to reject the older sister of Stella.
"Pft, isn't it obvious? I don't want to waste my time fighting someone who was just a burden in the tournament."
Lisa fell silent for a moment.
Allen realized his words might have discouraged her.
But then—
SWOOSH!
Lisa suddenly swung her wooden sword.
Allen, caught off guard, took the hit directly and stumbled back in shock.
"So this... is the strength of someone who was the MVP in the tournament?" Lisa said mockingly.
Allen laughed.
"Fine then. If that's what you want, I'll fight you with full power."
> SYSTEM: New Combat Style Unlocked!!!
Use the energy leaking from your body, combine it with your magic, and activate all manipulation techniques.
Allen and Lisa assumed their stances.
They both smiled.
"COME ON! ENTERTAIN ME!" they shouted in unison.
Their wooden swords clashed.
Allen's energy poured out wildly, while Lisa's aura was focused and precise.
"You're wasting too much energy," Lisa noted.
"You know why?" Allen responded.
He formed a hand symbol and his energy turned into blinding light, firing it toward Lisa—
—but she dodged it, moving faster than light.
Lisa struck Allen multiple times, her fists landing blow after blow, sending him flying.
"Chronos."
Lisa activated time magic, making her body light and swift as the ticking of a clock.
She attacked Allen from all directions.
Even Allen's light magic couldn't land a hit because of her insane speed.
But Allen didn't give up.
"Tenebrae."
Darkness magic that devours anything.
Lisa took a scratch from the attack.
Allen unleashed more of his overflowing energy, touched one of its streams, and cast a curse spell into his sword.
They clashed again—
Both of their swords shattered.
Allen looked down—he had a slash across his chest.
"I've won... NPC."
Allen stared in disbelief.
"Is this it? Is this what 1% gets me? Just access to elemental manipulation and basic magic?" he muttered.
Lisa walked up to him.
"Good job. Lucky for me, that cursed spell didn't land properly."
She turned around and walked away.
Allen returned to his room and stared at his palm, expression serious.
"If I had known I was this weak, I should've declined... but it's too late now. The rice has turned to porridge."
---
9 Hours Earlier – 8:00 AM
I was sitting in class, waiting for today's schedule.
Amaterasu and Stella had become close friends, and even Rika—who used to be bullied—was now opening up to Megumin.
Suddenly, Erina entered the classroom, silencing the room with her presence.
She sat with her usual arrogant demeanor.
"Let's skip the introductions. Today, we're going on an expedition to the Hero Villages."
Stella raised her hand.
"Didn't the village of Quovar get destroyed?"
"Yes, but Quovar was just one of the Hero Villages. Two still remain—Katanuri and the Celestial Dragon Village."
Rika raised her hand.
"Who's going on this expedition?"
"Since the class is too large, I'll divide it into two teams: Team Merie and Team Allen Stolen."
A male student slammed his desk hard.
"What is it, Rover?" Erina asked casually.
"Why the hell is Allen Stolen leading a team?"
"Because he won the tournament event and shows great potential, even if he's just an NPC."
"You've got to be kidding."
"What, don't believe me... Rover?"
Rover fell silent.
"You'll see! Allen's nothing more than a worthless NPC. Once an NPC, always an NPC!"
He formed a magic symbol with his hands.
Chains erupted, binding all the students—except Allen.
A magic circle formed on the floor, summoning a monstrous wolf.
"I'll give you a challenge: if you can't defeat this beast in one minute, everyone here dies."
The beast lunged at Allen.
"Die!" Rover shouted.
The bear-like creature bit Allen, unaffected by his attacks.
But Allen summoned lightning to push it back.
He let his energy overflow again, aware that many of his skills were blocked.
With his leaking energy, Allen manipulated the lightning and cast a spell—
—his new combat style: channeling all his raw energy directly into magic.
He fought back.
This time, faster than the monster.
No special knowledge needed.
No hesitation.
Just action.
And finally... he won.
---
That afternoon, they were called downstairs.
Allen took a moment to rest.
Questions swirled in his mind.
---
To be continued.