Chapter 8: Forest Ambush

When you become accustomed to subcultures like games and novels, you can tell at a glance who is a third-rate villain just by their appearance.

They usually look either mean or arrogant, always have their henchmen around, and pick fights with protagonist-level characters at every opportunity.

I didn’t know if I was the protagonist of this world, but even without that, there was a guy in front of me who already satisfied two of those conditions.

So, I sighed and asked.

“What is it?

I’m busy, so please just state your business.”

Then, one of the third-rate villain’s henchmen immediately spoke up.

“How dare a mere commoner…”

“Well, do spells avoid nobles even in the exam?

Don’t you know that commoners and nobles are all the same in the academy?”

The sharp voice that didn’t match my appearance was an instinctive response from my time as an adventurer.

Being an adventurer was a profession where you would be eaten alive if you seemed weak.

For someone with a cute appearance like mine, it was an unavoidable reaction to avoid looking weak.

I glared at them, not even hiding my disgust.

Those types were the most useless.

They weren’t particularly strong, but they always went around in groups, bragging about their titles because they had nothing else to show for themselves.

But in actual combat, they would immediately run away as soon as things got tough.

Those were exactly those types of guys.

If they had any skills, I wouldn’t say anything, but even if all eight of them attacked me at once, they wouldn’t pose a significant threat.

I turned away, not even feeling the need to respond.

“This bich…?”

“If that’s all you can say, then I’ll be on my way.

I’ll fail the exam if I’m late.”

“Wait, wench.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll only say the obvious, so I’ll be going now.

If you have something to say, follow me.”

The reason these guys were flocking to me was simple.

The person who defeated the top student, Yelena Frost, was a seemingly insignificant commoner.

The duel that took place on the training ground was too high-level for ordinary first-year students to understand.

In their eyes, it would seem like I won by sheer luck after being on the defensive.

And with the simple and foolish logic that if they defeated me, they would become the strongest in the academy.

Moreover, my appearance was quite good, so they might have been thinking of trying to seduce me.

To those guys, commoners were just their inferiors.

“Yet they can’t say anything to Yelena, who is a real duchess.”

I muttered quietly and immediately stepped into the magic circle.

The lush forest north of the academy.

I took a deep breath, feeling the soft texture of the soil as I set foot in the middle of the life-filled forest.

The fresh scent of grass, the sound of cool water, and the energetic chirping of birds.

The most familiar space for an adventurer.

I smiled with satisfaction and slowly gripped my sword hilt.

My energy, which had been depleted by the third-rate villains I met before entering the transfer magic circle, felt like it was being restored.

“…It should be around here, I think.”

Fortunately, the location where I was dropped was quite good.

The hidden dungeon in the academy’s northern forest was quite close to where I had been transferred.

I was worried that I might end up on the opposite side when the magic barrier was gradually shrinking, but it seemed my worries were unfounded.

Arriving at the clearing with light steps, I turned around and asked.

“Now, should I call this bad luck or good luck?”

“…”

No answer came even though I asked, looking towards the bushes.

I muttered, placing my hand on the sword hilt.

The location where I was transferred was quite good, but of all things, these guys had to be transferred nearby.

My expression hardened, not wanting to waste any more time.

“I can already hear you.

Stop wasting time and come out.”

“For a commoner wench, you’re quite cocky.”

I glared at them silently.

There were eight of them.

They seemed to be students from the swordsmanship department, but their postures were all awkward.

Their centers of gravity were off.

Their hands holding the swords were too far forward, and their bodies were too far back.

They hadn’t escaped the typical novice adventurer’s posture of holding out their sword first because they were afraid of getting hit.

Who were they calling cocky when they were the ones acting so high and mighty with such pathetic subordinates?

I felt my mood getting worse, and I raised my mana and shot back.

“You keep saying ‘commoner’ and ‘wench’.

Isn’t everyone the same as students in Arcana Academy?”

“Haha, who would follow those empty rules?”

“So, what are you doing, coming here with a group to target a single girl?

If you have something to say, say it quickly.”

“I heard you defeated the top student?”

He asked, slowly drawing his sword.

Perhaps because he was the leader of the group, his posture was relatively standard and quite decent for a first-year.

That is, only by first-year standards.

His arrogant attitude, which masked the merits of a standard posture, had too many openings.

“I don’t know what tricks you used to defeat the top student, you commoner wench, but it won’t work on us.”

“So, after beating around the bush, you’re saying that eight guys are going to attack one girl?”

“You….”

“Well, fine.

I’m not afraid of small fries like you, even if it’s eighty instead of eight.”

Humans, unless they are superhuman Swordmasters, can generally only look in one direction and block in one direction at a time.

Therefore, it’s best to avoid situations of many against one.

However, that’s only when the opponents move as one.

If they were just small fries clinging to some high-ranking noble, first-years who didn’t even know how to properly hold a sword, I wouldn’t be afraid even if a truckload of them came.

So, I smirked and readjusted my grip on my sword.

“Well then, why don’t you try attacking me?

It’s not like you’ll actually die, right?”

Here, if a vital area was cut by a sword, you would be immediately transferred out of the arena.

So there was no need to worry about death.

Perhaps believing that, the guys’ gang began to slowly approach me.

The distance gradually but steadily decreased.

I glared coldly ahead and gripped my sword hilt.

As my perception of my surroundings sped up, the world seemed to slow down for a moment.

The start of the battle was signaled by the sound of the gang leaping all at once.

The third-rate villain’s shout scattered meaninglessly in the air, and eight attacks from all sides rushed in.

At the same time, the sword hidden in its sheath was unleashed, drawing a silver flash.

At a speed that no one in this space could perceive.

Clang!

At the same time, with a clear metallic sound, the swords of two boys who had rashly attacked flew into the air.

“Huh?”

The poorly constructed formation of eight was shattered in a single exchange.

Two of them disappeared as particles.

Before the remaining guys could regain their senses, I quickly readjusted my grip on my sword.

Fear spread among them, and a gap appeared between the students.

The experienced eyes of a gold-badge adventurer did not miss the crack that had formed between them.

Thud.

With a light leaping sound, my body shot forward like an arrow.

I grabbed the arm of the unlucky student who was late to react and twisted his wrist with an indifferent expression.

Clang, the sound of a sword falling.

The boy’s face contorted horribly.

“Arghhhhh!!”

“You’re exaggerating.”

The boy’s pained scream and the girl’s cold voice overlapped.

The expressions of the remaining five gradually darkened.

“Damn it, attack all at once!”

“Ugh, ah…”

“F*ck…!”

I deliberately didn’t finish off the incapacitated student.

The emotion of fear clouded judgment.

The sight of their ally being brutally defeated would surely eat away at their will to fight.

“Ugh, how dare a mere commoner…

Do you know who I am…”

“I don’t know.”

Cutting down one of the gang members blocking my path, I lightly deflected a thrust aimed at my neck.

The real Duchess of the North, Yelena, acknowledged her defeat to me and was striving to become stronger.

Why were these guys showing off their empty titles?

Shaking off the random thoughts, I blocked a horizontal slash with all my might.

Clang!

Sparks flew with the metallic sound.

“Huh?”

My strength stat should have been higher, but my arm that blocked the slash trembled.

I felt an abnormal flow of mana from the third-rate villain.

Damn it, was he a Stigmata user?

“Now’s our chance!

Attack!”

Taking advantage of the opening, the rest of the gang rushed in from all sides.

A smile spread across the face of the third-rate villain.

An attack from all sides could not be avoided unless one could fly into the sky or sink into the ground.

“It might have been a little dangerous if you didn’t have a Stigmata.”

Murmuring quietly, I quickly activated my Stigmata.

My body turned into dark particles, and my vision flipped.

The boundaries between up, down, left, and right became blurred, and the surrounding scenery stretched out like taffy.

“Ack?!”

“Argh!!!”

“Gah!?”

“Keugh….”

The heavy sounds of collision came a beat late.

The outcome of a reckless joint attack without considering the aftermath was disastrous.

I muttered, looking at the guys who had collided with each other and fell.

“I had some expectations since you said you were nobles, but you’re below par.”

“You wench…”

Poke.

The third-rate villain’s words were cut off there.

Because he was transferred out of the arena just before my sword pierced him.

He was just going to say the same old third-rate villain lines anyway, so there was no need to listen, right?

“Sigh…”

I let out a light sigh and slowly relaxed my expression.

Judging by the position of the sun, it was still morning.

I needed to enter the dungeon quickly before the arena shrank.

“Still, it feels good to get some exercise.”

I muttered quietly and slowly started walking towards the dungeon.

Unaware that someone was following me after hearing the sounds of battle.