The Weakest Knight Became a Swordmaster, But Only in Dungeons - Chapter 36

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Oblivious

◈ The Weakest Knight Became a Swordmaster, But Only in Dungeons ◈

Chapter 36: Final Exam (1)

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The final exam was the test that brought the semester to a close.

By now, the dead weight had been weeded out as much as it could be.

With only the promising cadets remaining, the knight school should have already decided which cadets it would focus on nurturing.

Yet there was one unusual case whose evaluation remained on hold.

‘Ron Hazely...’

Inside the exam monitoring room.

Several magical screens floated in the air, displaying scenes from throughout the testing grounds. The instructors sat before them.

William, a gray-haired instructor with a calm demeanor, looked at the name of a first-year cadet written on the document before them.

Ron Hazely.

A cadet who had shown an exceptional rate of growth, distinguished himself during the Sparring Test, and caught the White Wing Knight Order commander’s attention.

Still, that alone was not enough to determine Ron’s capabilities.

By objective measures, Ron was the weakest and lowest-ranked among the first-year cadets.

That was why most instructors had reserved judgment on Ron, even as the first semester of the first year drew to a close.

‘This time, we’ll know for sure.’

This final test of the first semester would allow the instructors to make a definite judgment.

About the size of the vessel called Ron Hazely.

* * *

“I will explain the final exam!”

Before a ruined city.

Logan, the black-haired instructor with the rough beard, shouted before the orderly rows of first-year cadets.

“The final exam will be an individual combat test! This is Himeguard, a city that was ruined long ago by some disaster! It is also a mock training facility shared by the Magic Knight Orders and our knight school!”

Griffin Knight School was an educational institution under the empire’s Magic Knight Orders, so it shared certain training facilities with them.

This ruined city of Himeguard, filled with collapsed stone buildings and rubble, was one of those facilities.

“Based on your recently remeasured Mana Capacity, each of you has been assigned an individual score! You can check that score on the magical device around your wrist!”

A watch-like magical device had been fitted around my wrist. The knight school had provided it.

The number 5 was displayed on it in mana.

A Mana Grade of C- was worth five points.

“You will fight random battles here! When you defeat an opponent, you can acquire their individual score!”

It was a survival match.

Just like an academy novel cliché.

“The magical device will monitor your condition. If it predicts that you are about to suffer a fatal injury, it will immediately deploy a barrier to lessen the impact! It will then determine whether you would have been rendered unable to fight in a real situation! Anyone judged unable to fight will be eliminated from the test immediately!”

Logan showed the magical device around his wrist.

When he pressed a certain part of it with his finger for three seconds, red mana flowed out.

“Red mana like this will flow from any cadet deemed unable to fight, so do not touch them! Leave them alone, and the healing team will take care of transporting them!”

Logan continued.

“Using sharp-edged weapons or cutting attacks with similar properties is strictly prohibited! You are also forbidden from deactivating your physical enhancement during the test! If you lack the mana to maintain physical enhancement, immediately report it through the magical device on your wrist!”

Without physical enhancement, there was a risk of death.

“Your rankings will be determined by your final total score after the test ends! Do you all understand!?”

“Yes!!”

“The time limit is thirty minutes! Do your best! That is all! Group A, enter first!”

The cadets had been split into three groups to distribute their Mana Capacities evenly.

The group assignments had only been announced today, so I had found out earlier as well.

The cadets assigned to Group A entered the ruined city together. Elise Lorendia, Violet Blackgarden, and Turak were among them.

I was in Group B, so I had to wait for now.

‘The condition for the achievement was surviving until the time limit ends, right?’

It was an achievement that awarded physical experience points.

‘The problem is that Lara is the strongest in our Group B...’

I turned toward the female cadet with pale blue hair tied into low twin tails.

Lara Twislope.

The second-ranked first-year cadet and a Fish Sword practitioner.

‘Well... I’m screwed, aren’t I?’

In the original story, Lara had flown into the sky and used Fish Sword to take on all the cadets at once.

It was practically a massacre.

Of course, it was only called a massacre. She had used blunted Fish Swords to put the cadets out of combat one after another.

‘And Violet and Turak aren’t here to protect me.’

They had just entered the ruined city with Group A.

...I was starting to feel afraid. My luck really was terrible.

“Group A’s test is over!”

Thirty minutes passed, and Group A’s final exam came to an end.

“Next, Group B, enter!”

I steadied my breathing. Was it my turn now?

I shook my head and pushed those thoughts away.

‘Fine. I’ll manage somehow.’

It was like always.

No matter what happened, I would survive and grow stronger.

‘Let’s go.’

I steeled myself and stepped forward.

[Status]

Tier: 2

Physical: D+

Mana: C-

Realm: Low Sword Expert

* * *

The Group B cadets scattered under the instructors’ guidance. Each headed to a randomly assigned location.

Then.

Bang!

Fireworks burst over the central plaza of Himeguard, signaling the start of Group B’s final exam.

Ron Hazely, a light-brown-haired young man, moved in secret.

‘Hiding anywhere at random would be suicidal.’

He would not be able to evade the cadets’ aura sense.

‘As expected, the clock tower is my only option.’

Ron looked at the clock tower, its hands frozen in place.

This ruined city of Himeguard contained several hidden places involving magic.

They had been prepared so cadets could analyze their environment and use it strategically, as if they were in a real magic combat situation.

One of the hidden places in the clock tower could conceal Ron even from the other cadets’ aura sense.

That was where he was headed.

He had to get there before Lara began causing chaos.

He was quietly passing through an alley while reviewing his plan.

“Found you!”

Whoosh!

“!”

Ron heard an energetic female voice behind him, followed by the sound of someone kicking off the ground.

He quickly turned around and saw a female cadet leaping toward him.

With her body lowered like a beast’s, she rushed in while swinging her mock sword upward.

Ron instinctively drove his mock sword into the ground and took a defensive stance.

Clang!!

The mana-infused blades collided, sending sparks flying.

“Oh?”

The female cadet exclaimed in admiration, then nimbly flipped backward through the air like a circus performer.

She landed lightly in a crouch atop the railing of a ruined building’s balcony.

“You blocked it!? Amazing!”

The female cadet beamed in admiration.

Dog ears atop her dark brown hair twitched, and her brown tail spun in circles.

Aside from her ears and tail, she looked no different from an ordinary human woman.

‘A dog beastman.’

Ron took his stance.

They were in the same year, so he recognized her face well enough, though they were in different classes.

‘Her mana was C-, right?’

Ron had made a point of memorizing the Mana Capacity results of cadets with distinctive physical traits.

Still, even if they were both C-, he did not know whether she ranked above or below him. The instructors had not revealed that.

“Huh? You’re already being targeted?”

Then, a male cadet appeared at the other end of the alley, scratching his head.

His shiny bald head stood out.

‘Ah, that guy...’

Thanks to that gleaming head, Ron remembered him easily.

His Mana Capacity was also C-.

“I thought I could grab some easy points.”

“Hey! Ron Hazely is my prey! Get lost!”

“Isn’t it first come, first served?”

“Huh!? Is that how it works!?”

The dog beastman immediately accepted that, her ears perking up.

‘No, you idiot...’

Ron glared at her. Why was she agreeing so easily?

The bald cadet spun his sword.

“Ron Hazely. I’m sure you know too. In the end, you’re the easiest target here.”

Ron understood what he meant.

Even if Ron had been the first among the first-year cadets to successfully use Wing Unfurling.

Even if he had shown enough unusual talent to catch the White Wing Knight Order commander’s attention.

In terms of absolute physical ability and Mana Capacity, Ron was among the weakest first-year cadets.

Even his score was no different from the other C- grade cadets.

He was an incredibly tempting target.

“I only need to watch out for Wing Unfurling. I’ve spent the entire semester thoroughly learning its conditions.”

Pale blue aura flowed like water along the bald cadet’s blade as he began approaching Ron.

He spoke casually.

“I’ll be taking your points.”

Ron snorted.

‘Am I really that easy?’

For a moment, he doubted himself.

Then again, he would have thought the same in their position.

Still, neither of them posed any threat to Ron.

He had a reliable hidden card.

Ron smirked and provoked them.

“Try it if you can.”

“You’re pretty confident!”

Whoosh!

The bald cadet boldly kicked off the ground. A moment later, the beastman charged in as well.

“Ah! You’re cutting in line!”

The two cadets moved to swing their swords at Ron.

Crackle.

Crackle, crackle!!

Blue mana wrapped around Ron’s sword and began scattering arcs of plasma.

‘Aura? So he really reached the Sword Expert’s Realm?’

That was within the bald cadet’s expectations. He did not care, since his physical ability should still be superior.

Ron swung his sword.

But the bald cadet’s blade arrived first.

‘I’m faster...! Huh!?’

In an instant, Ron’s aura shone brighter.

Then.

Boom!!

Ron’s aura exploded behind him, giving his slash tremendous propulsion.

Explosion and acceleration.

That was the core of Raging Thunder Sword.

Bzzzt.

“!”

A thin barrier rose over the bald cadet’s chest.

A barrier that the magical device deployed the moment it judged its wearer would suffer a fatal injury.

In that brief instant, Ron’s previously slower blade overtook the bald cadet’s sword like lightning.

Crack!!

Crackle!!

Ron’s strike hit the bald cadet’s chest first. The barrier shattered like glass.

“Guhk!!”

Whoosh!!

The bald cadet flew out of the alley and rolled across the ground.

He lost consciousness.

“!!”

The beastman was startled.

But there was no time to think. She was already too close to Ron.

Boom!!

Ron exploded his aura once more, spinning as he gave himself over to the propulsion.

It was a movement he had refined in the Swordmaster’s Realm.

A trajectory drawn with unconventional movement.

“What...!?”

Startled, the beastman immediately abandoned her attack and took an awkward defensive stance.

The lightning-charged blade descended upon her.

Boom!!

Crackle!!

With a thunderous blast, the beastman was launched straight into the building beside her.

Boom!!

Her body smashed through the wall and rolled inside the building.

“Urgh, ah...”

The beastman curled up with a pained groan. She had failed to defend herself properly.

Red mana flowed from the wrist devices of both the unconscious bald cadet and the injured beastman.

They had been judged unable to fight.

“Phew, ugh...”

Ron gripped the arm he had used to swing his sword and caught his breath.

‘Damn, it still hurts like hell...’

He had reduced the power a little compared to when he fought Simon at the White Wing Knight Order, but the cost of letting that powerful propulsion carry his body remained.

Still, he had no choice. Two people had attacked him at once.

‘At this rate, I can probably use that level of power two more times. Three would be pushing it.’

Thinking that, Ron looked down at his wrist device.

Individual Score: 5. Acquired Score: 10. Total: 15.

The corners of Ron’s lips rose.

“Anyway, see you two later.”

They should have been wary of what their opponent might be hiding first. Who did they think they were, trying to get easy points from him?

They had probably made assumptions of their own, but unfortunately for them, they had been wrong.

Ron shrugged and left the alley.

Meanwhile, inside the exam monitoring room.

“What was that just now...?”

William pushed up their glasses, wide-eyed.