Chapter 28 : Chapter 28
Chapter 28 : Perspective
Sal's heart raced.
An inexplicable sense of dread wrapped around his entire body.
He stood in front of a locker with his name floating on it.
To be honest, calling it a locker felt like a misnomer.
Perhaps it was to promote fairness or allow students to create their own customized countermeasures, but this locker was more like a display case for equipment.
The students were divided into two lines, and it wasn't until he reached the front of his line that Sal realized what was happening.
Combat Introduction. Class 2.
"The girls won't be able to protect you today, you bastard."
A sneering voice came from behind.
Sal didn't need to turn his head to know who it was.
That distinct nasal tone said it all.
The man from the hallway last night, Hannah's guy, was a member of the Silver Cohort, and his black eyes had been fixed on Sal from the moment they entered the gymnasium.
Glancing slightly to the left, Sal met another gaze.
It was Rank 999, the lowest in the Silver Cohort. He, too, seemed to remember the incident in the restroom on the first day of school, and his eyes pierced Sal with hatred.
Sal gritted his teeth.
Thinking today might be a day he gets beaten up, he braced himself and started changing clothes.
He needed to think of a way to finish this combat class with as little injury as possible.
"Are you deaf? or are you ignoring mid-tier students like us?"
This time the voice was closer.
Sal tensed his whole body, expecting a shove from behind, but there was no contact.
Sal's heart was still pounding, and perhaps due to the adrenaline, his hands clenched into fists on their own.
At that moment, a shadow flickered at the edge of his vision.
And the bruised eyes of the male student who had been bleeding profusely from his nose in the hallway last night came into view.
"For a supporter, you sure landed a good hit yesterday, didn't you?"
He glanced down at Sal's fists and grinned, baring his teeth.
"So, what are you gonna do? Sucker punch me cowardly like yesterday and run away again?"
Sal blinked and turned his head to face him.
"You know Hannah did that, right? You rushed at her and ran into her shield."
Sal expected him to naturally be suspicious and pick a fight again.
But the male student frowned, leaned his back against the locker, and said.
"...Really?"
His voice was now full of curiosity, without a hint of threat.
Sal slowly nodded and pointed to his own eyes.
"Yeah. I'm an appraiser. I can't make things like barriers."
The student with the broken nose stared intently at Sal for a moment. Then,
"Dammit!" he slammed his fist against the locker.
He shook his head and spat out curses a few times before grinning at Sal again.
"Sorry about that, man. Yesterday I was just seeing red. I thought you had sucker punched me. To think it was her... I never would have imagined!"
Sal laughed awkwardly, finished putting on his gym clothes, and held out his hand.
"It's okay. I'm Sal."
He accepted the handshake without hesitation.
"Dave. Rank 669."
Then, flashing another toothy grin, he glanced behind Sal and spoke.
"Hey, you bastard. What are you staring at?"
When Sal turned his head, the Rank 999 student quickly looked away.
"Ah, him and his friend jumped me in the restroom on the first day of school. In the end, his rank dropped to second from last."
Dave looked at Sal with suspicious eyes.
"What did you do? Did you report them?"
Sal could sense a test in his tone. Shrugging, Sal looked Dave straight in the eye.
"I knocked his friend out with one hit."
Just from Dave's burst of laughter, Sal understood immediately.
His standard for friendship was strength and honesty.
"Did you hear that, you bastard? Your friend got taken out by an appraiser in one hit!"
Dave laughed and returned to his locker.
Then he looked at Sal again and said.
"But I can't believe it. You're really a support class? You're not kidding?"
Sal tapped the side of his nose as he left the locker room.
Dave burst into laughter again, and even as Sal walked away, he continued to joke around, teasing the lower-ranked student.
With a few minutes still left before class started, Sal walked toward the testing area and began looking for Divinity.
Hearing her insight before a fight would be a huge help.
Charging in without knowing the situation could lead straight to a world of pain.
The students around him seemed to know exactly where they were supposed to go.
In the center of the gymnasium, there were terminals arranged around a large square cushioned floor, and they went out to the terminals one by one and took their places.
A barrier similar to a monster containment field rose high around the square, acting as an infinitely tall cage.
Sal thought the height of the open space looked to be at least ten stories.
Sunlight pouring through the glass windows illuminated the interior of the gym.
Sal followed the students around him, looking for an unused terminal, and finally found a spot.
But tapping the screen with his finger elicited no response. Pressing the screen with his palm yielded the same result.
"First time?"
A somewhat provocative voice came from his right.
It was the female student who used pheromones as a weapon.
Reflexively, Sal raised his arm to cover his nose and mouth.
She burst out laughing at the sight.
"Relax, I'm not doing it right now. You have to swipe your Q-Card for it to work."
She pointed to her terminal and swiped her Q-Card along the side, and the terminal activated shortly after.
She gestured with her head for Sal to follow suit.
"When students fight, questions evaluating their performance pop up. Just answer comfortably. No need to be scared."
At that moment, a red light turned on above the entrance they had just come through.
She clicked her tongue and let out a light sigh.
"Slowpokes get punished."
She looked at Sal again and pointed to the red light.
"If you come in after that light turns on, you have to go into penalty class."
Then she lowered her voice and whispered to Sal.
"Rumor has it that in that training, they make you do combat drills until you collapse."
Sal frowned, imagining the penalty training.
At the same time, he secretly praised himself for not dawdling in front of the lockers.
He wanted to thank her for teaching him how to use the terminal, but he couldn't recall her name.
"By the way, I'm Sal."
She smiled and answered.
"I know."
It was an unexpected response.
Sal stuttered for a moment, but curiosity won out.
"How do you know my name?"
Sal felt good for no reason, but she soon pointed to the terminal with a sweet smile.
With her lips pressed tight as if suppressing laughter, she looked at Sal's terminal, which he hadn't activated yet.
Amidst a creeping sense of foreboding, Sal swiped his Q-Card on the terminal.
The screen turned on, and soon two faces appeared on the screen.
First Match: Salvatore Argento, Rank #19 vs. Dominic Walters, Rank #29
Sal's stomach churned.
A mixture of anxiety and adrenaline rushed in all at once.
He looked around and realized that most of the students were looking at him with expectant gazes.
One large student was already walking toward the center of the battlefield, loosening up his arms.
The opponent was beyond the barrier, so Sal couldn't even grasp any information about him.
The situation was the worst.
That man clearly seemed superior in combat to him, and Sal knew absolutely nothing about him.
His mind was blank.
Neither the Speedster nor the Healer—not a single usable thread came to mind right now.
He only had his eyes, and his eyes were not a skill that could magically knock that man down.
"Ah! Mr. Argento! We finally meet! Welcome to combat class!"
A booming voice rang out from the closed entrance.
The man leaning against the doorframe was tall and had a sleek build.
In just half a second, Sal recognized him as a famous hero and professor, and inwardly thanked the heavens for such luck rolling his way.
Sal instinctively activated his eyes as he opened his mouth, peering straight into the professor's ability configuration.
"I've been a fan of yours since I was a kid, Professor."
Sal said honestly.
Professor Rust laughed heartily and pointed to the entrance of the battlefield.
"As your peers know, flattery won't change the match schedule! Now, show me what you've got, Mr. Argento. Maybe starting today, I'll become a fan of yours!"
Sal blinked and smiled back at the professor.
"I'll do my best."
As he lightly clenched his fist, his heart calmed, and excitement began to bloom within it.
Professor Rust was one of the most popular combat heroes among all the guilds, having never lost a single battle. This was because his ability was a technique that always allowed him to turn the tables at the last moment.
Absolute Counter.
No matter how big and strong the opponent was, Sal would be able to perfectly counter every incoming attack.
The thread was already woven, and the preparation for activation was complete.
He had never used it before, but Sal instinctively believed that this technique would handle any attack on its own.
He could endure the muscle pain that would follow using the technique.
If he could avoid humiliation in front of the offensive-class students, it was a price well worth paying.
"Ah, but did anyone tell him?"
As Sal walked straight into the arena, Rust asked in a worried voice.
Before he could even wonder what the professor meant, the answer hit his head like a lightning bolt.
The moment he stepped into the battlefield, all of Sal's Essence vanished.
Not a speck of power remained.
He barely managed to keep from falling to his knees as he listened to the professor's words ringing in his ears.
At the same time, laughter erupted around him.
"Judging by that reaction, it seems no one told you. Mr. Argento... as you're feeling with your body right now, this is an Essence-blocked zone. Your abilities and Essence won't always be with you. You must be trained to protect yourself even when you are most powerless. I already gave this lecture to the other students on the first day... but I'll summarize it briefly now."
Professor Rust explained the necessity and advantages of training without Essence one by one.
But Sal barely heard a word.
His vision blurred, his palms were soaked with cold sweat, and panic washed over him.
He barely managed to catch his breath, trying to calm himself down.
He had to come up with a plan.
"You have about one or two more minutes to get your head straight. You can forfeit, but keep this in mind. Everyone in this room is required to write a report on the outcome of your battle. The longer you last, the more useful information will be collected. Good luck."
Even amidst his trembling, Sal felt a smirk escaping him.
He had been completely played.
The moment he had feared since entering this academy was right now.
The moment he had been avoiding, trying to get advice from Divinity and even attempting to fight by borrowing someone else's ability.
Here, such tricks didn't work.
He had no abilities in this space; he was just an ordinary person who had never received combat training.
Sal intuitively felt that the time had come to pay the price for the privileges he had enjoyed so far.
Looking around at the faces of the Silver Cohort students, Sal came to understand why his future self had turned away from them and avoided classes.
In this prison-like atmosphere filled with mockery, contempt, and insults, he wanted to run away.
Just then, he saw Divinity's face in the distance.
She was looking at Sal with a terrified expression.
He hoped that fear didn't stem from the future she had seen.
Sal raised his head and straightened his posture confidently.
And he looked at the opponent in front of him.
The siren signaling the start of combat wailed.
Putting all anxiety and anticipation behind him, Sal lunged forward with a speed that even he couldn't believe.