WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Irevi
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became the Academy's Turn-Based Swordsman ◈
Chapter 103: Top Student
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Booom! Boom!
Explosions rang out one after another across the training grounds.
Everyone gathered in the stands watched the extraordinary spectacle unfolding before them with bated breath.
Whenever Halibal's swift sword bit into Senia's flesh, Senia channeled that recoil into her heavy sword and smashed it into Halibal.
Dozens of exchanges in an instant.
Their swords meshed, tangled, and clashed.
Yet the strange thing was that neither of them had any intention of dodging or deflecting an attack.
No, stranger still, despite their bodies becoming covered in wounds, deep smiles remained on both their faces.
Both of them radiated the madness of people who would never lower their swords until one of them fell.
In an ordinary spar, they would have been called idiots.
But most of those watching couldn't help but clench their sweaty hands.
Halibal Style, which they had only heard about until now.
They had glimpsed fragments of it during the entrance exam, but this was the first time they had witnessed it firsthand as spectators.
Its impact was especially great on students who trained in Halibal Style.
Most of them wanted to make a name for themselves in the Raid Corps, so joining the swordsmanship club in the second semester had always been their top priority.
But as they watched the two exchange blows, they found themselves thinking something else.
'...Could the swordsmanship club teach something like that?'
They knew the answer better than anyone.
And so, in their hearts, a desire to study Halibal Style more professionally began to grow.
The spar had continued for over ten minutes.
Compared to the intensity of their exchange, time seemed to pass slowly.
Then, at some point.
Halibal, covered in wounds, dragged his broken leg as he approached Senia, who was coughing up blood.
The distance between them narrowed to a single step.
"Shall we finish this now?"
"All right."
The two swung their final swords almost simultaneously.
Halibal's Gale’s Path.
Senia's Ice Seal.
As their Arts collided, a flash swallowed the training grounds.
When the dust settled, the ground around the arena had been gouged out, save for the center where the two had stood.
And at that center.
"As expected, you're incredible."
"You're more incredible."
"Hehe. Do you really think so?"
As Senia spoke, the greatsword in her hand shattered into pieces.
"Yeah. I'm certain."
Halibal's sword, on the other hand, was cracked all over but did not break.
"It means you managed this much despite the difference in our equipment. If it hadn't been for Self-Love, the result would have been reversed."
"...You really are."
Senia's ice wings lost their strength and scattered as her body slowly fell backward.
"Senia Ren is unable to continue! The winner is Halibal Velder!"
As soon as the instructor made the announcement, Halibal collapsed where he stood as well.
The moment he raised his sword high in that state, everyone present became certain.
The top student of this semester's final evaluation had been decided.
⁎⁎⁎
A few days later.
"We will now hold Ruidel Academy's first-semester summer vacation ceremony."
With the end of the final evaluation, every class came to a close, and the entire Academy buzzed with the excitement of freedom.
The long journey of the first semester of their first year had ended, and the vacation everyone had awaited had finally arrived.
From the stage in the grand auditorium where all the students had gathered, Viktor Grace continued.
"We will now announce the final rankings for the first-semester final evaluation of the first-year students."
It was now time to award the top students of the first semester.
The final rankings were determined by adding together scores from every subject taken during the semester and the final evaluation.
Becoming the top student came with several benefits for the following semester.
"Third rank, Eugene Reygal."
Other than losing once to me in the final evaluation, Eugene had nearly perfect scores in most subjects.
If he had faced someone other than me, he might have taken the top rank.
"Second rank, Cecilia Ren."
Cecilia had won all three of her matches in the final evaluation.
Her scores in each subject were slightly lower than Eugene's, but it seemed the final evaluation carried greater weight.
I spotted Aren Bright below the stage.
She, like Cecilia, had earned three wins, but the penalty points she received for injuring Cecilia had been significant.
It was a penalty difficult to offset even with the title of "hero who cleared the Evil God Dungeon."
Yet she simply beamed at the students onstage and congratulated them. That was enough.
And the long-awaited top student was.
"The glorious top student of the first semester is... Halibal Velder!"
Thunderous applause erupted as my name was called.
Eugene and Cecilia, standing side by side on the stage, congratulated me as well.
'Haah.'
I sighed inwardly.
So this was how it turned out.
To think I had started as the top student of the entrance exam and would now take the overall top rank for the first semester.
Any carefree thought of coasting had vanished from my mind long ago.
'Right. Since it's come to this, I'll keep holding onto the top rank.'
With that mindset, I straightened my shoulders and accepted everyone's praise.
Viktor Grace presented me with the top-rank insignia.
"As expected, you're remarkable. There was a reason I had my eye on you."
"Thank you."
"I look forward to what you accomplish from here on. Your achievements will become an example not only for Ruidel, but for the entire Empire."
As he smiled and patted my shoulder, a chill ran down my spine.
"That concludes the summer vacation ceremony. I hope you all have a productive vacation."
"Whoaaa!"
The students' cheers filled the auditorium, and everyone soon streamed out like the ebbing tide.
Cecilia, Eugene, and I stepped down from the stage.
"Don't neglect your training during the vacation. Otherwise, you'll be caught up in no time."
With those words, Eugene left.
"Congratulations on taking first, Halibal."
"Congratulations on taking second."
"Hehe. Thanks. You know, I was rooting for my sister a little too. But thinking back, I decided it was right for you to take first after all."
Then familiar faces came running toward us.
"Halibal! Congratulations on taking first!"
"Tch. You really took everything this semester. ...Still, congratulations."
"Hm. I must work even harder during the vacation as well."
"Hehe. So how does it feel to defeat me and take first place?"
"Congratulations! But please don't push yourself too hard..."
Aren Bright, Richard, Ran, Senia, and Mine.
Aside from Elia, who still kept his distance from me because of Alicia, most of the people I had grown close to gathered to congratulate me.
Many other students also offered a word of congratulations as they passed by, while Adeline and Alicia waved from afar.
Aren Bright asked.
"So, what is everyone doing during vacation?"
Right. That was the important part. Academy of the End was a game with even more content to do during vacation.
For one thing, all the time that had been tied up in classes from morning to afternoon could now be spent on other things.
The restrictions of curfew were gone too, allowing us to travel to cities farther away than during the semester.
The standard route during this period was to travel across the Empire, clear quests, farm dungeons, and build up for the second-semester scenario.
I intended to follow that standard route.
Just more efficiently.
'First, I need to look for a final weapon.'
The final standard weapon in the one-handed sword category, [Strom Sword], was only sold in shops once the final chapter began.
The final Dungeon-made weapon, [Cardinal Sword], likewise only dropped in the final Evil God Dungeon.
I couldn't obtain those now even if I wanted to, and they would end up in my hands when the time came anyway.
But no one in Academy of the End used shared weapons like those as their final equipment.
The real final equipment was each character's exclusive weapon.
The locations and timing for obtaining the other characters' exclusive weapons were all fixed.
But what about me, Halibal Velder?
Would someone who had been no more than an extra in the original even have an exclusive weapon?
I needed to find that out during this vacation.
Next was [Nebula].
[Nebula], found in a hidden cave at the summit of Starlight Mountain, was a final Mana-type Shard that could be obtained with certainty.
I didn't need the Mana stat, but as it was a Special Shard, I needed to unlock its special ability.
It would be good to give to Cecilia too.
And to upgrade Renee, I needed to visit the Shipwreck dungeon and obtain [Siren's Song].
There were also several worthwhile quests that rewarded permanent stat-boosting herbs, so I should clear any that fit along my route.
But more important than anything else.
This vacation, I intended to raid the cult branches whose locations I knew.
Alicia was always careless at crucial moments.
She had assigned Adeline, the strongest force at her disposal, to Climmud, so she must have thought the matter would be handled. Just in case that wasn't enough, she had even sent a mage along.
But she had unfortunately lost Climmud.
Which meant she had stirred up a hornet's nest for nothing.
There had been quite a few snowballs that started rolling that way in the original. People didn't call her an airhead for nothing.
In any case, I would be the one to bear the consequences.
To prevent that before it happened, I needed to reduce the cult's strength first.
As it happened, I knew the locations of several branches.
I could raid those.
And if I still had time, I could train here and there.
Hm. This was a vacation plan that couldn't be any more productive.
"I should stop by my family home first. The semester is over, so I need to report on it."
"I'll return to my hometown to see my master as well."
"Cecil and I will probably go to the family home too, won't we?"
"I probably won't be able to leave Erandar this vacation either."
"Yeah... So everyone's visiting their hometown?"
At Aren Bright's words, I suddenly realized something.
Huh? Everyone else was going home, so why did it feel like I couldn't?
Should I visit my hometown too?
As that thought occurred to me, a question sprang to mind.
'But where is my hometown?'
Not mine, but the hometown of Halibal Velder, the original owner of this body.
I woke up in this body at a cult branch.
My memories as Halibal Velder began there as well.
What even was the surname Velder?
Was he a noble? A commoner?
Even if he had been an orphan, someone must have given him that surname.
But nowhere in the original's setting was there anything about Halibal Velder's past.
He was merely Extra Number One, who became a monster and met his death at Aren Bright's hands. That was all.
And above all.
'...Why haven't I wondered about this until now?'
"What about you, Halibal?"
Aren Bright tilted her head as she looked at me.
In an instant, everyone's eyes turned toward me.
'Hometown, huh.'
I forced my expression to remain calm as I answered.
"I think I'll be busy during vacation."
"What? Training even during vacation?"
But at the word busy, Aren's eyes moved as though she had remembered something, then she clapped her hands.
"Right! Shouldn't we coordinate our schedules?"
"?"
Cecilia, Senia, and Mine reacted to those words.
'Our schedules? What did we have planned?'
Perhaps because of my earlier stray thoughts, my mind wasn't working properly.
Whether Aren Bright knew of my confusion or not, she cheerfully said,
"You said you'd go to Baran with me. We have to go greet my parents."
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