Chapter 16
***
Once the students had assembled and lined up, the assistants approached.
They fastened plain, unadorned white bracelets onto each student's wrist.
Simon moved his arm; the bracelet felt quite heavy.
"Channel your, Jet Black into, the bracelet."
At Hongpeng's instruction, the students, without suspicion, channeled their Jet Black into the bracelets.
"Huh?"
"Wh-What's happening?"
Suddenly, the students' bodies buckled downwards.
"You all know the Exhaust curse, right?"
Hongpeng smiled, placing her hands on her hips.
"The next course is over there."
She pointed to the same steep hill they had just descended.
An assistant stood at the top, waving a flag.
"You'll climb to the top of the hill while under the Exhaust curse."
The students' faces paled.
'Holy shit, wait a minute...'
'This isn't right, is it?'
But no one dared to protest against a Kizen professor.
Hongpeng chuckled.
"Get ready. I'll be checking to see who falls behind."
The students, finally grasping the situation, stood at the starting line, their faces grim.
Simon, waiting his turn, was already sweating profusely.
Just getting to the starting line with the curse was difficult enough; the thought of climbing that steep hill filled him with dread.
"Alright. Go!"
At Hongpeng's shout, all the Class A students started running.
At first, they tried to maintain their composure by walking upright despite the weight of the curse, but as the incline steepened, it became impossible.
Nobles and commoners alike were forced to crawl on the ground.
"Gasp! Gasp!"
"Ugh!"
Gasps and groans of pain echoed around them.
Covered in dirt, they had no choice but to push forward, under the watchful eyes of Hongpeng and the assistants.
'Hoooo...'
Simon pushed himself forward, his hand, bleeding from scrapes against the rocks, gripping the ground.
Each step was heavy. His vision blurred, and the sky turned yellow.
'I will do this.'
Forget advanced studies; this was a test of pure physical strength and willpower.
If he fell behind his peers here, he would never catch up.
Simon pushed himself, forcing his body to move even as others rested.
He set his own pace and refused to compromise.
His arms trembled uncontrollably, but he kept moving.
He could see the summit.
The assistant and Hongpeng stood at the top, where the flag marking the finish line fluttered in the wind.
'Just a little further!'
Simon was in the lead.
He wasn't far ahead of Rick and the others, but he was definitely ahead of the rest of Class A.
And there was one other person beside him.
Hector was climbing the hill at almost the same pace as Simon.
'...Damn it, you again.'
Hector gritted his teeth as he looked at Simon.
He was sick of him.
Simon had been a thorn in his side since the first class.
Hector was even using his own methods to lessen the effects of the Exhaust curse, yet Simon, climbing with pure physical strength, was his equal.
His pride wouldn't allow him to lose. Hector's fighting spirit surged.
The incline grew steeper as they approached the flag.
The two front-runners, Simon and Hector, increased their pace, widening the gap between them and the others.
"Keep going!"
Hongpeng shouted, pumping her fist.
The assistant clapped his hands in encouragement.
'I'm in first place!'
'I'm going to win!'
Just as Simon and Hector stretched out their arms,
Step.
Someone stepped over their arms and walked past.
Unlike the two, who were covered in mud, she was pristine, her sky-blue hair flowing as she walked gracefully in her skirt.
Meilyn Villenne, the top student of Class A.
She was the first to reach the summit.
"Congratulations. You're the firstm student to arrive."
"Thank you, Professor."
The assistant beside her marked her name on the list. Simon and Hector, stunned, froze for a moment.
"How did you do it?"
Hongpeng asked. Meilyn looked up and replied,
"I calculated the resistance formula and dispelled the curse."
Simon felt as if he had been hit on the head with a hammer.
Instead of struggling with brute force, there was a way to dispel the curse!
"Good job. Now, rest."
Meilyn politely accepted the drink offered by the assistant and sat down in the shade of a tree.
Once again, she was in first place.
"Professor Hongpeng!"
An assistant ran up the hill.
"We have an injured student! It seems like a minor ankle injury."
"I'll go take a look."
She glanced at Simon and Hector and then followed the assistant down the hill.
"...Unbelievable."
As soon as Hongpeng was gone, Hector, having finally completely dispelled the curse, stood up.
Simon's eyes widened in surprise.
Hector strode up the hill and reached the summit. He received his drink and looked at Meilyn.
"Hey,"
She turned to him.
"What was that about dispelling the curse during Martial Combat class? Do you know how much I suffered because I couldn't do that?"
"So what?"
Meilyn scoffed, unimpressed. Hector smirked.
"Well, I guess a sheltered little miss like you wouldn't understand the ways of the world."
"...."
Her eyebrows twitched.
"Are you picking a fight?"
"I'm not picking a fight; I'm stating facts. They can't evaluate our grades during the student protection period anyway. The key is to impress the professor with our diligent attitude. Your stunt just now might have earned you a mark from Professor Hongpeng, but it definitely won't get you any points."
Her gaze turned sharp.
"What a twisted personality. Why are you picking on me? Are you that upset about being second?"
"I'm telling you not to ruin Class A's lessons. And let me tell you, I don't even care about you."
Hector turned away.
Gasping for breath, Simon finally made it to the top.
The assistant smiled and handed him a drink.
"Simon Polentia. Third place."
"Th-Thank you."
Exhausted, Simon stumbled over to the shade of a tree and collapsed.
He gulped down the drink.
"...."
"...."
Meilyn and Hector's gazes lingered on him for a moment.
The three of them rested in silence under the shade of the tree.
***
As time passed, the other students gradually reached the summit.
Even those who had struggled with the climb due to lack of stamina were able to make it as the curse's effects gradually wore off.
"I-I think I'm going to die, Simon."
Rick had finished in a relatively high position, but soon joined the group of students vomiting nearby.
Simon went over and patted him on the back.
Except for a few who had collapsed from exhaustion, everyone had reached the top, but the fatigue from the class was immense.
As the students lay there, unable to move, Simon wondered how they were going to get back to Kizen.
If they had to ride the hippos again, half of Class A would probably be left behind.
Fortunately, Hongpeng had contacted Kizen and obtained permission to use a temporary teleportation magic circle.
"Yay!"
A magic circle appeared, and all they had to do was step on it to return to Kizen.
The servants who had brought the food had arrived using the same method.
Relieved, the students stepped onto the magic circle.
Simon and Rick, waiting in line together, also stepped onto the circle.
Woong!
A dark light from the magic circle enveloped Simon's body.
He felt a floating sensation as the teleportation began.
Thud!
He felt a sudden blockage.
Simon crashed to the floor, feeling a sharp pain as he hit something.
"...Huh?"
He looked up. His surroundings had changed.
Rick, who had been with him on the magic circle, was nowhere to be seen.
Simon was alone inside a small cabin.
'This isn't Kizen, is it?'
Simon got to his feet.
The cabin had a cozy atmosphere, similar to his old home in Leshill.
But this place felt smaller and wilder.
The walls and floor were made of rough, unprocessed wood, a hammock instead of a bed, animal fur instead of a carpet, and cured game hung drying in the sunlight on one wall.
Click.
The cabin door opened, and a tall woman entered.
"I apologizem for startling you, Simon."
"Professor Hongpeng!"
She smiled and gestured for him to sit.
Simon sat down, bewildered, and she served him tea.
She briefly explained what had happened.
There had been a suspicious formula embedded in the teleportation magic circle.
Upon investigation, her assistants had discovered a formula that redirected specific individuals based on their Jet Black signature, and Simon was the target.
"Do you have any idea who would do such a thing?"
Simon shook his head, having no clue.
Hongpeng hummed and crossed her arms.
Unlike Simon, she seemed to have a suspicion.
"So, I interfered with the magic circle and redirected the coordinates to my home."
"Ah..."
"Protecting students from unknown threats is also part of my job. And,"
Her eyes twinkled.
"I also wanted to talk to you privately, Simon."
"...Me?"
"Normally, contacting students during, the protection period is against the rules, but considering the circumstances, it seems someone, has already broken them."
Her usually cheerful expression turned serious.
"Simon Polentia, how would you feel about majoring in Martial Combat?"
Simon's eyes widened, and she continued,
"If you're willing, I'd like to take you on as my direct disciple."
"...Ah!"
A direct disciple.
Students personally mentored by Kizen professors.
A professor could have three direct disciples per grade level, and a student could only learn from one direct professor.
The benefits of being a direct disciple at Kizen were countless.
Above all, the professor provided dedicated 1-on-1 guidance, making it a highly coveted position.
Professors approached the selection of direct disciples with great care, as it directly impacted their own achievements and there were limited spots.
Yet, Hongpeng was offering Simon the position on the first day of class.
"I... I don't understand."
Simon was flustered.
He was incredibly grateful for the offer, but he didn't think he had shown anything special in her class.
He had simply followed the lesson like the other students, and he had even been beaten by Meilyn and Hector in the final hill climb.
Furthermore, it was only his second day at Kizen.
Hongpeng would have the chance to meet many more students.
He was confused, regardless of whether he wanted to accept the offer or not.
"Students may look at rankings, but I look at talent."
Hongpeng took a sip of her tea and continued,
"When you leaped…across the valley earlier, the way you controlled your, Jet Black propulsion... That was your, first time, wasn't it?"
How did she know? Simon nodded, surprised.
"Even so, your jump, was the highest, in Class A. This is beyond, talent or luck. And you also, demonstrated your stamina, and perseverance in the, hill climb. Do you need, more praise?"
"...."
Simon gulped.
He still found it hard to believe, but he couldn't deny the words of a Kizen professor.
"That stamina, that mental fortitude, and above all, that incredible talent with Jet Black. If you join Martial Combat, your talent will truly blossom."
Hongpeng's face turned serious, her grip on her teacup tightening.
Her pronunciation of the common tongue became much clearer.
"I'll make you stronger than anyone, even stronger than me, within a few years."
***
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