On Rei's second day as an instructor, he stood in the gymnasium alongside Grink, just as he had the day before.
Before them stood forty students.
The third-year S-Class students.
The mock battles against Rei the previous day had driven home the decisive gap between them and their new instructor, delivering a severe shock. Still, youth was on their side—a single night's rest had been enough to restore their spirits, at least to a degree.
(Well, coming from me, that line about youth doesn't carry much weight.)
Holding the same practice spear he had used yesterday, Rei swept his gaze across the third-year S-Class students.
"Now then. We'll be diving straight into mock battles again today, but—"
A stir rippled through the students the instant the words left his mouth.
It was hardly surprising. Yesterday's mock battles had rammed the difference in power home with merciless thoroughness. Faced with the prospect of fighting Rei again—someone whose strength could honestly be described as monstrous—not a single student could manage a smile.
But it was not Rei who spoke next. It was Grink.
"Everyone, please calm down. I understand that being told to fight Rei-san the day after what you experienced would make anyone falter."
The moment the word "falter" left Grink's mouth, several students frowned with visible displeasure.
They were likely the more competitive ones in the group.
Even so, none of them spoke up—perhaps because they realized that doing so would guarantee another mock battle with Rei, and there was no escaping it.
Before those reluctant students, Grink continued.
"However, I ask that you think carefully about this. Those of you who will become knights, those who will become adventurers—many here will choose one of those two paths. And whether you become a knight or an adventurer, the opponents you face will not always be weaker than you."
Grink's words were simply the truth.
In battles they were dispatched to as knights, crossing blades with an Alias Holder adventurer or an opponent clearly above their station was far from impossible.
And for adventurers, that reality was even more pronounced.
Even on a routine quest, a different monster than the intended target appearing was by no means rare. More often than not, such unexpected monsters tended to be the powerful kind.
Confirming that the students were listening intently, Grink pressed on.
"When you find yourself face-to-face with such an opponent, what will you do? Encountering an overwhelmingly powerful foe can freeze your body entirely. So thoroughly that you could be crushed without even a moment to flee. ...However."
He paused, turning his gaze toward Rei.
"Rei-san here, as you all experienced firsthand yesterday, is an overwhelmingly powerful individual. Being able to fight someone like him without dying—don't you consider that fortunate? What would happen if you encountered a being like Rei in actual combat? ...You all understand that well enough from yesterday's mock battles, yes?"
At Grink's words, the quietly listening students widened their eyes as if each had arrived at the same realization.
"Y-yeah, you're right. Fighting a monster like that and walking away in one piece—that alone makes enrolling in this Officer Academy worth it."
"In one piece? Well, in the sense that my life isn't in danger, sure. But I'm covered in bruises."
"Using that kind of power without mercy, even against women—isn't that a bit harsh?"
"Are you an idiot? Whether it's a monster or anything else, do you think an enemy is going to hold back because of your gender?"
"If anything, Orcs and their kind specifically target women first."
"There are others who'd make that same judgment, too."
"...Oh, come to think of it... that person is a bit much..."
"But that person's strength is undoubtedly real. If it came down to fighting them, I'd take Rei any day."
"No, normally nobody would choose to fight an S-Rank adventurer."
The students traded words among themselves like this.
Grink watched them in silence for a few minutes. Once he judged that the discussion had run its course, he spoke again.
"Now then. It seems you've reached a consensus. I'll ask one last time. Those who wish to participate in the mock battle against Rei-san, take up your weapons. If you don't wish to and would rather walk away, I won't force you. What will it be?"
Listening to the question, Rei recognized the slyness lurking beneath Grink's polite phrasing.
These were the third-year S-Class students—the elite among the third-years at the Officer Academy.
For students carrying that kind of pride, fleeing in front of everyone simply because they were afraid was no easy matter.
Their self-image as the best of the best wouldn't allow them to do something so shameful so easily.
If they did, they might escape today's battle—but they would undoubtedly lose the respect of their peers.
And if word spread to other classes, the S-Class as a whole could end up discredited. Not a single student here could stomach that.
No—if that were the only consequence, perhaps some would have still chosen to run. But Grink was here. An Officer Academy instructor was watching.
Pulling a stunt like that right in front of him would without question damage their grades.
They had fought their way into the S-Class, the highest tier of recognition the academy offered. Being labeled as someone who turns tail when facing a strong opponent would be disastrous.
To avoid that, they had no choice but to stand and face Rei here.
Rei glanced over those students and allowed himself a small smile beneath his hood.
But because the hood concealed his face, the students couldn't read his expression. Instead, it gave them the distinct impression of a predator licking its lips before its prey.
...He was simply smiling in admiration that not a single one of them had chosen to flee.
"H-hey. You don't think he's going to beat us down to his heart's content, do you?"
"No way... no way. Yeah, probably not. Surely. Probably... probably."
"You're obviously panicking."
Listening to their hushed exchanges, Rei found himself wondering inwardly.
Why were they so terrified of him?
He thought about it for a moment, but no answer came. Deciding that what he couldn't figure out could wait, he lowered his hood.
"Alright. It's mock battle time again today. ...However, doing them one at a time would take too long, and having all of you come at me at once would be too hectic. So—five at a time. That makes eight groups, exactly one full class. We'll keep cycling through mock battles against me until class ends."
Under normal circumstances, those would have been words of relief. Even against an opponent you couldn't handle alone, five people were usually enough to manage something.
But when the opponent was Rei, it was an entirely different story.
"Hey, what do we do? He said five."
"No matter how you look at it, five isn't enough. I mean, we all went at him together and still got nowhere, right?"
That was the truth. Even when the entire class of forty had attacked at once, they had been swatted aside without effort. Nobody could seriously believe that five would succeed where forty had failed.
"Hurry up and split into groups of five. ...You've got a hundred seconds. Anyone left over after that, I'll assign to a group myself."
At Rei's words, the students scrambled to find partners.
Even within the S-Class, not all students were equal in ability. A clear hierarchy existed, and the social dynamics that came with it meant that nobody was eager to pair up without hesitation...
"You, and you over there, and that one, and the one right there, and you."
In the end, Rei divided them into groups of five himself.
Normally, weapon compatibility among group members would be a consideration, but he showed no concern for it whatsoever.
Grink made no move to stop him, simply watching in silence.
It was only natural. Just because someone was a knight didn't mean they would always have the luxury of fighting in an ideal formation, with archers providing support from the rear.
For adventurers, that was even more true.
Given that, the ability to cover for one another and fight effectively even in less-than-ideal circumstances was a critical skill.
"Alright. We'll go in order from that side—Group 1, Group 2, Group 3, and so on. Group 1, you're up first. Each mock battle lasts five minutes. Land even a single hit on me within that time, and you pass. As for grades..."
Rei paused and glanced at Grink.
Receiving that look, Grink understood what Rei was driving at and gave a small nod.
"Grink's given his approval, so here's the deal. Anyone who lands even one hit on me gets the highest possible score for the mock battle."
The moment those words registered, a buzz swept through the students.
It was only natural. This was the Officer Academy. Nearly everyone here would go on to become a knight or an adventurer, and while intelligence mattered, nothing was valued more highly than strength in actual combat.
In other words, mock battles were among the most important classes these students would ever take.
The promise of top marks in mock battles was enough to light a fire under every single one of them.
Even the fact that the opponent was Rei took on a different cast—here was a chance to test themselves against a fighter of his caliber with absolutely no risk to their lives.
(I'm the one saying it, but they sure are fickle.)
The same students who had been telegraphing their desperate desire to avoid fighting him moments ago were suddenly brimming with motivation the instant grades were dangled in front of them.
Being told they didn't need to defeat Rei—just land a single hit—probably helped lower their psychological resistance, too.
At the sheer abruptness of their change in attitude, Rei smiled wryly and took up his spear.
"Alright, let's begin. Group 1—come at me!"
The moment Rei gave the signal, the students assigned to Group 1 sprang into action.
Each wielding practice weapons, two charged toward Rei with longswords, one hung back with a spear, looking to exploit any opening, and at the rear, two had bows at the ready—likely the group's best bet for actually landing a hit.
Group 1 could count themselves lucky to have secured two archers capable of ranged attacks.
Whether their arrows would actually reach Rei, however, was another matter entirely.
The suppressing volley they loosed was effortlessly swatted aside by Rei's sweeping spear.
Though the arrowheads were blunted, the arrows themselves flew at virtually the same speed as live ammunition. If anything, fighting inside a gymnasium at close range meant they were even faster.
"No way!"
They had witnessed this exact sight countless times during yesterday's battles, but seeing it again up close still stole their composure.
That agitation immediately showed in the arrows' accuracy. Seeing one archer's form falter, the second archer's aim wavered as well.
With the supporting fire weakened, Rei handled the longsword wielders with ease. Sidestepping their attacks, he delivered a horizontal sweep with the spear shaft that caught one swordsman squarely in the torso and sent him crumpling to the floor.
He wasn't unconscious. The blow had struck through the armor—just the shaft, not the blade—but the impact had penetrated clean through. It wouldn't break bones, but it would definitely leave a bruise.
The second swordsman had his blade caught by the spear and his weapon sent pinwheeling into the air. The man's eyes tracked it upward for just an instant—and in that instant, Rei kicked him in the torso with measured force, sending him sprawling.
Seeing both vanguard fighters eliminated, the two archers snapped back to their senses in a panic and loosed a rapid succession of arrows.
Every last one was knocked from the air without effort.
The spear-wielding student tried to exploit the opening with a full-speed thrust, but Rei sidestepped it cleanly, seized the extended shaft with one hand, and hoisted the student clean off the ground—a display of raw strength that bordered on absurd.
Mindful that this was a mock battle, Rei didn't slam the student into the floor as he normally would have. Instead, he set him down gently.
Naturally, the student was already considered incapacitated.
With all three vanguard members dispatched, the archers had no hope of turning the tide. They each took a hit and went down.
Having executed what could only be described as a one-sided rout, Rei turned his gaze to the archers—particularly the one whose movements had first faltered—and spoke.
"Those of you providing support from the rear—don't let yourselves get rattled so easily. For the fighters on the vanguard, the accuracy of your covering fire literally divides life and death. Toughen up mentally." He shifted his focus. "And you—don't let yourself get dragged down just because your comrade lost composure. As for the longsword users, both of you need stronger footwork on your advances. You with the spear—thrusting is fine, but you're a step too slow pulling it back. That's exactly why I could grab the shaft. Also, the moment you feel your body being lifted, let go of the weapon immediately."
He rattled off their flaws, starting with the most glaring ones. Leaving behind a cluster of dejected faces, Rei opened his mouth again.
"Next."
At that single word, the next five stepped forward toward Rei, bracing themselves for a similar dressing-down.