Chapter 253: Chapter 253: Swoosh Swoosh

“You’re slow. Even in falling.”

“Ugh… to detonate other spells while casting Shock…”

A brief death cry. And a fellow classmate falling down with eyes full of resentment.

How foolish. Why maintain a continuous spell when there’s only one opponent left? It’s the one who’s fooled who’s at fault!

As I turned away from the resentful glances and nodded.

Ding!

“Huh?”

I was surprised by the unexpected notification.

[Skill Level Increase!]

One day you realized... weapons fit perfectly in your hands today!

You feel like you could handle even unfamiliar weapons with expert skill!

But remember, this is as far as you can go with effort alone. If you aim higher, you'd better have a special talent or find a fortuitous opportunity!

No? You don't have it?

Then why did you develop this trait so far…?

-Trait: Ordinary Weapon Skill (C+) -> Excellent Weapon Skill (B)

Now, to grow here? Of course, I knew it was a C+ before, so a slight trigger would lead to a promotion.

As the notification indicated, reaching B rank could indeed be achieved through sheer grind.

But to advance this quickly, and in the Academy, no less.

As close combat wasn’t my main focus, I thought this skill would rise alongside others in skill-heavy dungeons or during formal hunts.

Well, it’s always good to improve.

‘Trait details.’

[Excellent Weapon Skill (B)]

You can handle various weapons at an impressive level.

This is what could be called the pinnacle of what an ordinary person might achieve in half a lifetime of training! Well done!

However, because you've learned to use many weapons, you're somewhat mediocre in all. It might be hard to beat a master who specializes in just one.

-For physical attacks using weapons, basic attack power increases by 15%.

15% was a significant figure not to be ignored.

It only applied to pure physical attacks, and with no related traits, this was basically the limit of its growth.

For a magician, this level was already more than satisfactory.

Just reading the status screen filled me with satisfaction, and thinking of Iona’s promise, I couldn’t help but smile.

“Hehehe!”

Students sprawled around the corner sent looks of disgust, but… what do I care?

Beat me if you can!

As I chuckled away, Iona approached with a bouncy step from a distance.

“What’s this? Why so cheerful, Student Yandel? Do you enjoy having free rein under Professor Iona?”

“Yes. There’s something I really want to try.”

“Hmm? I’m a bit curious, but let’s save that fun for later! Shall we finish up the lesson first?”

Iona jumped on the spot, waving her hands.

“Everyone, gather round! It’s feedback time now, so stop moping and focus!”

Students from both the Magic and Knight Departments staggered over, all looking miserably bedraggled together.

“First off, Yandel did well! It seems like you were testing new spells; aside from a lack of proficiency that didn’t fully showcase your abilities, everything was fine!”

“Hm. I think so, too.”

Iona ruffled my hair enthusiastically, while Jason, for some reason, took a step back and nodded.

What’s up?

“Next, let’s start with our Magic Department students. It was good to quickly deploy water attribute defensive spells, but you were just being toyed with the whole time, weren’t you? A magician must not just react; you need to strategize and overcome disadvantages! There were at least three breakthroughs in this duel alone…”

Unlike my brief feedback, the other students’ feedback sessions seemed like they would be a bit longer.

I should think about what I need in the meantime.

After class. I wanted to head straight to Iona’s lab, but first, I stopped by Faye’s workshop.

If I was going to role-play, I might as well have the proper tools.

“No need to make it look real; just the basic appearance and durability are enough. Senior Faye.”

“How hard can that be…? What are you planning to use it for, Junior?”

“To catch a vampire.”

“…Ah? Do you need this?”

Clunk, clunk.

Faye took out a sensory-linked dildo, but I shook my head.

“No. I’m planning to go classic this time.”

“Classic? Hmm. I don’t really understand, but if you don’t need it, I’ll just use it myself.”

“If you’re okay with it, why don’t you join me, Senior Faye?”

“Honestly, I’m tempted, but not today. It’s better to give Iona a day. That way, later on, I can have you all to myself.”

“If Senior Faye is fine with that.”

I shrugged, and Faye stuffed the dildo between her breasts and stood up.

“Alright. I’ll make it quickly, so just wait a bit.”

“Sure… Oh, by the way, I’ve registered you as my exclusive alchemist, blacksmith, and enchanter, so just so you know.”

“Eh? Oh, right. It’s almost the second semester. Maybe time to sync up with the Crafting Department? Fine by me. You’ll earn me extra points without doing much.”

Whether you’re a magician or a knight, you can’t escape the need for equipment and potions.

For that reason, starting next semester, I’ll begin interacting more formally with the Crafting Department students…

Ordinary requests or trades might not matter, but things change a bit when an exclusive contract is involved.

If the contract partner achieves good results, students of the Crafting Department also receive additional points.

Ultimately, the existence of the Crafting Department is to assist magicians and knights with quality products, so if it seems to have actually helped, it is highly regarded.

Therefore, as time goes by, all sorts of competitions arise over talented magicians and knights, which makes things noisy and fun.

However, since I already had Faye, there was no need for me to join them. I immediately completed the paperwork to register exclusively.

Faye seemed to enjoy gaining points daily, humming as she threw iron ingots and wood into the pot.

With just a giant spatula stirred casually, surprisingly, the items I ordered began to be completed one by one.

Good, good. The quality is better than expected.

This time, it was supposed to be an enjoyment just between Iona and me. Carla and Elisha were sent back to their dormitory rooms first.

Then, I packed the items received from Faye into my inventory and headed to Iona’s office.

It was quick to make, but due to the long distances back and forth, quite some time had passed.

The crimson sunset was visible through the corridor window. Just a change in lighting, but the atmosphere felt completely different.

It was thrilling, almost like walking through a completely different space. Perhaps I was simply excited about what kind of play Iona and I would engage in.

I checked the items I brought one last time and then knocked on the door of Iona’s office.

Knock, knock.

“Professor. It’s me.”

“Student Yandel? Come in! Come in!”

As I opened the door and entered, Iona’s magical power immediately enveloped the entire office.

I also carefully locked the door behind me, contributing to the strict soundproofing.

Iona, clad in a pitch-black cloak, had her back to me, blending strangely well with the sunset light coming through the window.

For a moment, I stood there, dazed. Then, Iona dramatically flipped her cloak and turned around.

Spin.

“Hahaha! To come here by your own feet. You must be desperate to die, human.”

“What?”

For a moment, I was confused, tilting my head. But then, realizing the play had already started from Iona’s continuous winks, it dawned on me.

Upon closer look, that unnecessarily long cloak also resembled a typical vampire’s attire.

Then, I had no choice but to match Iona.

With a sneer, I pulled out the item I had prepared from my inventory.

Thud!

The heavy thud echoed off the floor, and through the items that fell before me, I could clearly see Iona’s flustered expression.

“Eh…?”

Above her trembling, bloodshot eyes, the item I had prepared shone clearly.

A thick body like a tombstone, with a large halo resembling light on top.

The halo’s edges, all shimmering in silver, had similarly shining silver chains hanging long from them.

It seemed like a rather ominous item on the surface, but in reality, it was just a wooden model coated in brightly polished metal.

Simply a decorative piece.

However, its appearance matched exactly with the restraining devices once used by vampire hunters.

Unlike Iona, who just wore a cloak, she seemed unprepared for such an elaborate setup and stuttered in response.

“Ha! Who knows who will die.”

“Um, Yandel? Where did you get that? I was just planning on some ordinary prisoner play…”

Ignoring Iona’s immersion-breaking words, I raised my magical power.

Clatter.

I levitated the numerous chains with telekinetic magic. Though there were many, telekinesis was a simple magic spell, and controlling them all at once wasn’t too difficult.

Perhaps I had gotten the hang of something using the Fire Phoenix.

Each chain writhed like a living snake, causing Iona’s complexion to pale.

Tonight, Yandel joins the hunt.