021 Tag Tournament

The tag match was basically a debut event for underclassmen—a chance for us to test our mettle against the "middleclassmen" and "upperclassmen" for the first time.

That said, being a year or two older at this Academy wasn't just for show. Most of the seniors were survivors of the school’s cutthroat point wars; they were monsters who actually enjoyed the grind.

Essentially, this was a scripted defeat event. It was designed to make the freshmen get all excited about how cool and strong their seniors were while they were getting their faces kicked in. In any game, this would just be a routine filler match to show the power gap. But I wasn't about to submissively roll over and play my part.

I’m going to smash this worthless scenario to pieces.

"Weiss-kun, shouldn't we hurry? It looks like everyone’s already moving..."

"Let the small fry handle the landmine removal."

Carta and I were perched on a high cliff, looking down. We were on Mount Galial, a stone's throw from Nobless Academy. Below us stretched a dense forest; from this height, you couldn't hear a voice or even spot a silhouette.

By the way, since Chloe had used her magic to blast everyone into the zone, I had no clue where anyone had actually ended up.

—Well, except for me.

I activated Dark Eye. Instantly, the figures in the forest appeared as glowing dots in my vision. I won't claim it was 100% accurate, but I could recognize anyone I was familiar with. Mana has its own distinct "scent," just like body odor.

Those two sprinting at the front were probably Lilith and Cynthia. I liked their spirit, but even they’d have a rough time against the older students. Further back were Allen and Shari. And Duke’s partner was... hah, interesting.

Even though they called it a three-grade deathmatch, the drop zones were somewhat predetermined by school year. It made it easier to create a three-way deadlock. Besides, the upperclassmen weren't stupid enough to start killing each other right away. They didn't get many points for taking us out, but hey, pennies make dollars.

We were in the same boat. Defeating fellow underclassmen didn't pay well. Naturally, that fostered a sense of "us vs. them" camaraderie. Let’s all band together and take down the seniors! or something like that.

[Underclassman No. 31, Arial: Incapacitated / Incapacitated]

A magic bird began circling overhead, screaming out the announcement. The party had officially started.

"So fast..." Carta murmured.

She white-knuckled her staff, which was about as tall as she was. You don't strictly need a staff to chant—Teacher Milk didn't use one, and while Cynthia probably owned one, I'd never seen her pull it out—but for delicate arts like Flight Magic, a staff boosted precision significantly.

Of course, the downside was losing the use of your hands—a pretty massive trade-off. Usually, staff-users fell into two camps: glass cannons who traded melee for raw power, or people like Carta who just hated getting close to the enemy.

Well, she wasn't quite that type anymore.

"Time to move. We're sticking to the plan. —You ready?"

"Of course. I... I've made up my mind."

I felt my expression soften. I wasn't sure if I was just happy to see how much this timid girl had grown, or if I was seeing a reflection of my own struggle in her.

The next second, we surrendered ourselves to gravity and leapt off the cliff without a hint of hesitation. The scenery blurred into a dizzying streak. Wind howled in my ears. The pressure was intense; if I hadn't used magic to buffer the resistance, I wouldn't have even been able to keep my eyes open.

In the end, I never did master Flight Magic to Carta's level. I wasn't so much "flying" as I was "gliding with style." Still, she had praised me for it, calling it a "terrifying talent."

Fighting while soaring high in the sky was the ideal, but even Carta would run dry on mana if she tried that for long. Flying was basically a constant drain on your reserves. What I needed wasn't true flight, but the subtle maneuverability required to toy with an enemy.

Still, there was one thing I hadn't expected: being in the sky was way more fun than I thought it'd be.

[Underclassman No. 27, Vivid: Incapacitated / Incapacitated]

We landed in the deep heart of the Mount Galial forest.

"Haha! Underclassmen are such a joke," a voice mocked. "They can't even spot a simple trap, but they sure do have plenty of 'spirit'."

"The third-years won't start moving for a while, so let's just chill," a second voice replied. "By the way, wasn't there a rumor about some crazy freshman? Vis? Vees?"

"They say that every year. There's never anyone actually worth a damn. It's just that age where kids want to call themselves 'Enchanting' or 'Heroic' or whatever."

"Fair point. —Wait, Lidi? Where'd she go?"

[Middleclassman No. 10, Lidi: Incapacitated / Incapacitated]

"...Huh? —You bastard, where the hell did you come from?!"

"From the sky," I answered.

"What?! Dammit, don't screw with me!"

The guy wore a navy blue training uniform with a star on the shoulder—a mark of excellence. Even though I was just an underclassman, he didn't drop his guard. If anything, he flared his mana until it practically vibrated. As expected of a Nobless Academy second-year. His mana was refined, flowing without a single hitch. He was hiding it well, but his attribute was definitely Fire.

Jackpot.

Teacher Milk, look at me. I'm still following your lessons to the letter.

"Number two," I muttered.

I kept my breathing shallow as I closed the distance head-on. Seeing this, the senior's guard relaxed just a fraction. He probably thought I was just some meatheaded freshman charging in like a wild boar.

But I leapt into the air just before reaching him. I danced through the sky, using mid-air jumps to toy with his senses.

"W-What are you?! Dammit! Stop moving!"

Panicking, he began firing fireballs blindly without chanting. They were small but dense; if one hit me, I'd be in for a world of hurt.

Assuming they hit me, of course.

I wanted to take his head off in one clean swing—but I really didn't want to get expelled. I cut him down with my wooden practice sword instead. A burst of mana flared from the impact, and he slumped over, unconscious.

I might not have mastered Flight Magic, but I’d developed a new trick in its place: a transparent wall created by mixing Darkness, Light, and Non-attribute magic. It only held its shape for a few seconds, but that was all I needed. To the current me, the air was no different from solid ground.

That said, since I only manifested the platform the moment I needed to kick off it, I couldn't exactly stand on air. Between the mana cost and fighting gravity, the higher I went, the more it drained me.

"Got you—!"

Maybe it was because this was my first real battle, or maybe I was just riding the high of showing off my new move, but I was a split-second slow to notice the presence closing in from behind. I could have blocked it with a Barrier, but the mana cost would have put me at a huge disadvantage for the rest of the match.

The moment I sensed magic being gathered behind me, I prepared to dodge, but—

[Middleclassman No. 17, Mehit: Incapacitated / Incapacitated]

The one who hit the dirt wasn't me. It was the guy behind me.

"Phew. I'm relieved. Even Weiss-kun is human, after all. Letting your guard down just because you beat one guy..."

"Haha. You’ve certainly found your tongue, haven't you?"

"Well, I'm not a coward anymore."

It was Carta who had saved me. I’d intended for her to stay on rear-support, but it looked like she had other ideas.

We weren't going to play it safe and scrape for pennies by fighting other freshmen. Our strategy was to strike first, hit the seniors from an angle they’d never expect, and walk away with a mountain of points. And that's why we’d flown straight into the middle of the upperclassmen’s territory using the magic Carta taught me.

"Let’s go, Carta. We’re going to rob these seniors blind while they're still napping."

"Right!"