WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Oblivious
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Weakest Knight Became a Swordmaster, But Only in Dungeons ◈
Chapter 37: Final Exam (2)
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Lara’s pale blue hair, tied in low twin tails, fluttered in the wind.
In the abandoned city of Himeguard, Lara Twislope sat on the railing of a rooftop, swinging her legs as she basked in the sunlight.
‘Ron Hazely... I don’t see him anywhere.’
Lara had been looking for Ron Hazely ever since the test began.
Setting aside the fact that Elise might like him romantically, Lara was genuinely very interested in Ron.
After all, he was the cadet who had caught the White Wing Knight Order Commander’s eye, surpassing even Elise, who was called an unmatched genius.
Most cadets vaguely assessed Ron as, ‘He might be a genius, but he’s weak for now.’ Yet Elise had consistently held him in high regard.
The White Wing Knight Order Commander and Elise...
Was there something only overwhelming geniuses could recognize in each other?
‘It’s annoying.’
Lara clicked her tongue.
She wanted to say, ‘Show me what you saw too.’
It was frustrating that she alone had not been able to glimpse Ron’s true extraordinariness.
Whoosh.
When Lara waved her cute index finger, a sword of blue mana drifted through the air and spun in circles.
Fish Sword, commonly known as fish sword magic.
It was her unique aura magic.
“He really knows how to get on my nerves. He treats people like idiots and shamelessly checks out other people’s legs...”
Resting her chin on her hand, Lara grumbled coldly as she recalled Ron’s irritating face.
Well, he was handsome enough to please her eyes whenever she saw him... but she had never been swayed by his looks alone.
‘I’d like to see it too. That extraordinary side of yours.’
This time, she would be able to cross swords with Ron, just as Elise had.
Would Ron survive against her? How would he overcome the obstacle she presented?
Lara was curious.
‘Maybe ten more minutes.’
For the large-scale all-out attack, Lara continuously drew up mana and completed her spell formula.
* * *
I was secretly making my way toward the clock tower.
Like an agent carrying out an infiltration mission, I hid behind this and that as I moved quickly.
At the same time, worry was growing inside me.
‘I have no idea how Group B’s test will play out...’
In the game, the player took the Group A final exam from Elise’s perspective. Group B’s final exam had been skipped over, with only Lara’s massacre time depicted like a visual novel.
That was why I had no way of knowing when, where, or how the Group B cadets would move.
‘For now, the distinctive parts seem exactly the same as in the game.’
There was a hidden place in a certain abandoned hospital, a place to hide by lying near a certain statue, and so on.
I had checked several spots along the way, and many details matched the original game.
Still, the only place that could completely evade the cadets’ aura sense was the clock tower’s hidden place.
Boom!!
Crash!!
Explosions rang out from all around. It felt like I was standing in the middle of urban warfare.
‘The direct route to the clock tower is too exposed.’
I would definitely be noticed.
But if I waited for the number of cadets to dwindle, I would have to face Lara’s massacre time.
‘Then should I take a detour through the abandoned church?’
The abandoned church of Himeguard.
There was a secret underground passage there. It led to several places, one of which was the clock tower.
After moving stealthily, I thankfully reached the abandoned church without fighting anyone.
Vines crawled over the limestone bricks, wrapping around the building.
I examined the arched door. Tangled cobwebs, torn in places, swayed in the wind.
‘Has someone been in here?’
From Group A? Or Group B?
If it was a Group B cadet, had they already left after entering the abandoned church, or were they still inside?
I did not know. I had no choice but to take the risk.
Creak.
The old chapel stretched out before me. Sunlight shone through the broken stained-glass windows, casting mysterious rainbow colors.
‘Is no one here?’
I gripped my sword and walked forward, fully alert.
Click, click.
Blatantly audible footsteps came from the entrance.
I turned my head toward them.
Creak.
Thud.
A blond male cadet closing the door came into view. He looked at me and exclaimed.
“Oh, isn’t that Ron Hazely? I never thought you’d be such a devout guy, seeking the Lord even during a test.”
Good looks and a kind impression. Sky-blue eyes. A gentle voice.
‘You’ve got to be kidding me...’
I nearly let out a disbelieving laugh.
The man before me was one of the main characters of For Elise.
A promising figure in the Solaus Church, the Empire’s state religion, and the saint’s older brother.
‘Holy Knight Damian Dunbringer.’
He was one of the stronger cadets.
He was usually kind, but he probably did not have favorable feelings toward me.
As one of the main characters, he had a crush on Elise. Since he was human, he was surely jealous.
Of course, Damian would not show such feelings or let them sway him.
I recalled Damian’s traits, techniques, and abilities, quickly making a plan for how to respond.
It was an improvised plan, far from meticulous, but I was in no position to be picky if I wanted to survive.
I smirked and took a sword stance.
“That’s right. I followed the Lord’s will all the way here.”
“Haha! The Lord’s will! Interesting. Then...”
Fwoosh.
A bleak moonlight aura wrapped around Damian’s mock sword.
“Unfortunately, it seems the Lord has led you to me. You’ve held out long enough, so it’s time for you to drop out.”
“Would a merciful Lord really do that?”
I answered smoothly.
“That depends on the circumstances.”
Whoosh!
Still wearing a relaxed smile, Damian rushed at me.
At the same time, I kicked off the ground to the side as if fleeing.
Shing.
Damian’s sword leisurely cut through empty air. He smiled kindly.
“Running away?”
“Of course, punk. How am I supposed to beat you?”
Boom!!
My blade coated in silver mana smashed apart one of the pillars supporting the ceiling.
Having reached the realm of Sword Expert, I could easily do that much without even using aura.
“This is about all I can do.”
“Haha! Are you trying to bury me alive? I guess little tricks are your specialty after all.”
Whoosh!
I began running like the wind. Damian chased after me.
Boom!
Boom!
As I destroyed the pillars supporting the ceiling one by one, Damian’s sword strike came crashing down on me.
Swoosh!
A sharp sound ripped through the air.
The first strike barely passed in front of my nose. But I could not dodge the second.
Damian’s sword strike followed my movement like a magnet.
Swoosh!!
Damian’s sword drove toward my chest.
I instinctively raised my sword to block it. But then...
Sss.
‘What?!’
Like a ghost, Damian’s blade passed through mine as if ignoring it.
My eyes widened at the surreal sight.
‘Fuck!’
Smash!!
The heavy sword strike slammed into my abdomen. My body flew helplessly through the air and crashed into a pillar.
“Guh...!”
I clutched my stomach and let out a deep groan.
My breath was completely knocked out of me. No matter how hard I gasped, air would not enter my lungs.
Damian strolled toward me.
“That was an illusion of my sword.”
“Ah, I see...”
I chuckled.
What was this, some kind of “That was merely my afterimage” nonsense?
‘Light magic... He used the refraction of light to make the trajectory look different.’
That guy had exceptional aptitude for light magic.
‘Ah, this sucks...’
Damn light magic.
“If you’re already struggling this much, it’ll be very difficult for you to face me.”
“Wow, you really love showing off... Still, thanks for sending me here.”
A sneer escaped me.
Once my breathing had settled again, I pushed myself up using the pillar.
Forcing strength into my trembling legs, I swung my mana-coated sword.
Boom!!
Rumble.
When I destroyed another pillar, the abandoned church shook and dust poured down.
Damian narrowed his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. Then he smiled kindly again and spoke in a gentle tone.
“Even if people have abandoned this church, the Lord will be saddened if it collapses.”
“What comes first, a church or a person? The Lord will understand my pitiful situation too.”
Boom!
I immediately ran off and destroyed another pillar.
The abandoned church groaned, showing signs it was about to collapse. I reached a statue depicting the sun overlapping a cross.
Several pillars barely supporting the cracked ceiling remained nearby. If I destroyed just those, this building would be finished.
‘The route to the underground passage is here.’
Just like in the original game, there was a small door in the floor behind the statue. You had to look closely to notice it.
“Stop with these clumsy tricks, Ron Hazely. What good will it do even if this place collapses?”
Damian sighed and shrugged.
“Won’t I obviously dig through the rubble and get out anyway? It also won’t change the fact that you’ll fall to me. In the end, only an innocent church will collapse.”
“Then go ahead and try it, moron.”
“Hmm...”
Damian held the back of his neck and grinned, then lightly tilted his head from side to side to stretch.
Crack. The sound of his bones echoed ominously.
“Even mild-mannered me is getting a little angry... You’ve provoked me this much. Not bad, Ron Hazely.”
Whoosh!!
Damian rushed toward me. His speed had risen sharply. It seemed he had been going easy on me until now.
‘Well, I guess it’s about time.’
At this point, I could reveal my final card.
I immediately raised my aura.
Crackle!!
Blue plasma erupted around my blade, raging violently like an untamed beast.
“Aura?”
Damian did not seem concerned.
Elise had told me that, unlike normal aura, mine was especially violent and could explode.
That was why that bald guy had let his guard down against me earlier. Would Damian be any different?
Damian’s sword drew a beam of light in a straight line. I swung my sword against it and detonated my aura.
Boom!!
My sword shot forward like lightning.
“!?”
Damian’s eyes widened.
A cold moonlight trail and a savage lightning trail crossed.
Sss.
As expected, my blade passed through Damian’s blade like a ghost at extreme speed.
‘Just as I thought.’
He used the same light magic again. There was a limit to how much he could underestimate people.
My lightning-cloaked blade struck Damian’s shoulder first.
Raging Thunder Sword.
Crackle!!
Boom!!
“Guh!!”
An explosion and flash erupted. Damian’s body flew like a ball, sweeping through the broken remains of pillars before rolling across the ground.
“Cough, cough...! Ugh...!”
Damian braced himself on the ground and coughed violently several times. He gripped his shoulder and let out a pained groan.
Intense pain surged through the muscles in my arms and waist as well, but I endured it.
‘Even that wasn’t enough to take him down.’
I had poured out aura at maximum output, just as I had against Simon of the White Wing Knight Order. His durability was absurd.
Still, this was enough. I smiled brightly and raised my hand in farewell.
“Well then, it was shitty meeting you. Let’s never see each other again.”
“Ron Hazely...!”
Boom!!
I destroyed the remaining pillar.
Rumble!!
Craaaash!!
The barely supported ceiling came down, and the entire abandoned church collapsed in a heap.
Through the falling debris, I saw Damian staring at me with wide eyes.
Soon, the chapel was buried beneath a massive amount of rubble. Dust billowed up alongside a deafening roar.
Just before that happened, I swiftly flung open the door in the floor and threw myself underground.
There was a ladder, but this was not a situation where I could calmly grab it and climb down.
Thud.
I landed in the underground passage.
The impact of landing shook the muscles torn by Raging Thunder Sword. Intense pain made my entire body tremble.
‘Ugh, I need to get stronger soon.’
If I built up my body, I would be able to handle Raging Thunder Sword more easily and suffer fewer injuries.
Anyway, Damian’s aura sense would not reach me down here.
By now, he probably thought I had run off somewhere. The underground passage entrance would be hidden beneath the rubble.
Lanterns containing glowing stones were hung at intervals along the walls of the underground passage. Thanks to them, I could see my surroundings.
I quickly passed through the underground passage. Several ladders leading to the surface appeared.
Recalling my game knowledge, I climbed the third ladder and opened the door in the ceiling. That brought me out into an alley behind the clock tower.
‘There should be some sort of indentation... Ah, here it is.’
I found a recessed groove in the wall of the clock tower and placed my hand against it.
My hand entered where there should have been a wall. It felt like I was stirring empty air.
When no one was looking, I slipped through it. Stairs leading upward appeared.
This was the hidden place in the clock tower that I had been aiming for. Thanks to the magical wall, it blocked even fairly strong aura sense.
“!”
At that moment, an immense pressure bore down from above. I sensed mana, and goosebumps prickled down my spine.
The inside could not be seen from outside the wall, but from within it, I could clearly see outside through an opening the size of a small door.
I looked at the sky through the gap.
‘There she is, Lara.’
Above the abandoned city, beneath the brilliant sunlight.
A female cadet with pale blue hair tied in low twin tails came into view.
She stood silently atop a flying blue mana sword, looking down at the ground.
It was Lara Twislope, the second-ranked cadet.
Countless blue mana swords floated around Lara, their tips pointed toward the abandoned city. It was a truly magnificent sight.
‘Just looking at that makes me feel like I’m developing a fear of heights.’
I shook my head without realizing it.
More importantly...
‘Should I watch from this prime spot?’
After climbing the secret stairs, I reached the section of the clock tower containing its clock.
The outside was visible through the clock face. It was due to magic. From outside, this place would only look like a wall and a clock.
“Good grief...”
I was exhausted. I hurt, and I was tired.
I collapsed onto the floor and watched outside.
I could see both Lara floating in the sky and the cadets wandering the ground very clearly.
I looked toward the abandoned church.
The blond main character I had fought, Damian, had already dug himself out of the rubble and was searching for me. From here, he looked rather ridiculous.
Meanwhile, Lara stood silently atop her Fish Sword with her eyes closed. Soon, she narrowed her eyes to slits and muttered something.
She must have said, “Fish Sword, deploy.” It was a Word Command.
At that moment...
Swoooooosh!!
Countless Fish Swords began raining down on the abandoned city.
The merciless Fish Swords pouring down struck the cadets. Since the Fish Swords had been deliberately made blunt, many cadets were knocked unconscious in a single blow from the heavy impacts.
A few cadets managed to resist, but they were soon struck by Fish Swords swinging at them from every direction and rendered unable to fight.
Even cadets trembling in fear and hiding inside buildings or behind structures were no exception. The Fish Swords destroyed every obstacle, chased down the hiding cadets, and eventually knocked them unconscious.
Damian resisted desperately too, but after being struck again and again, he finally passed out, covered in wounds.
Precise control. It was the area where the second-ranked Lara surpassed the top-ranked Elise.
The barrage of Fish Swords was nothing short of a disaster for the cadets.
‘She’s insane. Completely insane...’
I clicked my tongue. It was terrifying just to watch. No wonder For Elise described it as massacre time.
‘How is anyone supposed to beat that? I can really feel the gap.’
I could not even imagine how terrified I would have been if I had remained out there. What was this, a disaster movie?
My gaze eventually returned to Lara.
Lara’s hair and clothes fluttered nonstop. Even the Fish Swords not yet deployed on the battlefield circled around her.
Despite her small stature, she had an overwhelming presence.
All the while, Lara turned her head this way and that, scanning the ground. It looked like she was searching for someone.
‘She’s not looking for me, is she?’
Why would Lara look for me? That’s scary.
She was probably just checking for cadets she still had to take down.
I leaned back on both hands and stretched out my legs.
I yawned lazily and rested as I watched Lara’s terrifying display.
“Hmm...”
What was this? I suddenly felt like I should not let this moment pass by without doing anything.
‘At least a canteen, then.’
With a dazzling smile like an actor from the movie The Great Gatsby in my previous life, I raised my canteen toward Lara.
‘Cheers.’
A toast to your massacre.
I gulped down the water.
‘Ah, that tastes good.’
Was this what it felt like to have it this good? A sudden sense of satisfaction washed over me.
Time passed like that, and when the time limit ran out, fireworks exploded.
The Group B final exam had ended.
[You have gained the achievement “Master of Survival”!]
[Requirement: Survive until the time limit ends during the first-year, first-semester final exam.]
[Reward: You have gained physical experience points.]
[Your stats have increased.]
[Physical Grade: “D+” → “C-”]
* * *
“The only cadets who survived until the end in Group B are Lara Twislope and Ron Hazely.”
The test monitoring room.
The instructors were discussing the results of Group B’s final exam.
“I believe those two are suitable as Group B’s Special Training Cadets. What do you all think?”
“I have no objections.”
The other instructors voiced their agreement in turn.
“Then we will finalize the decision and submit it for approval.”
Footnotes:
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