Whew.

I took a deep breath.

"Ah, I lost."

The Knight Department student I'd just faced clutched his left thigh as he spoke.

"It was a good match."

He was the fifth one. I had definitely become stronger.

All five of them were in the lowest ranks of the Hero Department in terms of strength - from 181st to 200th place.

Just last Monday, during the practical dueling session, I couldn't even touch Piel's clothing and had been consumed with self-loathing.

Now, none of these students could even graze mine.

It was as if I had become Piel.

Basking momentarily in the afterglow of victory, a girl approached me for another duel.

"Is it my turn now? Hehe, I'm looking forward to it!"

Contrary to her pretty face, she was as tall and imposing as any man. It was Julia.

"Yay, finally I get to face someone from the Hero Department! I was so upset that I couldn't participate in the first semester martial arts tournament. Hehe."

Julia genuinely sounded excited.

As befitting a game designed for men, 'Kyren Zena Chronicles' had many named female characters.

Julia was one of the three named characters in the first-year Knight Department, even more formidable than Irene in terms of strength.

At this point in time, she was the only one in the Knight Department with the [Weapon Master] trait.

Had she been a little smarter, she would have been a top contender even in the Hero Department.

I stared at Julia with a wary gaze.

Truth be told, I was quite exhausted from facing five students one after another without any break.

'Should I use Overload?'

I probably couldn't win if I used it in ten-second bursts.

Could I win if I filled it to the brim and used it to its limit?

'Theo has reached his limit'

Irene thought to herself.

Though Theo appeared calm on the outside, she knew he was struggling within.

And having defeated five opponents in a row, he had done enough.

'At the moment, Theo cannot win against Julia.'

There was not only a difference in their basic skills, but Theo was also exhausted.

Julia was stronger than Irene in terms of brute force.

The only reason Irene held the top spot was due to her mastery of theory.

If they were ranked purely on combat prowess, Julia would be the first.

Irene knew this fact all too well.

Julia was a fierce warrior who had survived the harsh plains where conflicts between tribes frequently erupted.

At eighteen years old, she was two years older than both Theo and Irene, and thus had more real-life combat experience.

Just as Irene was about to step forward, another girl beat her to it.

"How about you face me? I'm also in the Hero Department," Siena said, a playful smile gracing her lips.

Julia glanced at Siena and nodded her head.

"Alright, I'd prefer a fresh opponent over a weary one anyway."

Julia spun her primary weapon, a long spear, around.

"What weapon should I face you with?" Siena asked.

"Your best one. I know you as a spirit wizard, though. Will that do?"

Julia naturally spoke informally.

Of course, students in the academy usually spoke informally to one another regardless of department.

However, Siena was often treated as an exception.

Although she appeared to be in her late teens, no student in the academy was unaware that Siena was an elf who had lived for over 150 years.

The professors maintained informal speech due to appearances.

"Hehe."

Siena's expression hardened for a moment, but Theo did not miss the brief change.

'It must be because it's Julia.'

In the original work, thanks to her rugged appearance and hot-tempered personality, Julia was dubbed the female barbarian by the players.

Moreover, she was relatively older for a first-year student at 18.

Regaining her composure, Siena grabbed a practice rapier from the weapon rack.

"She's indeed angry."

The rapier was Siena's primary weapon.

***

Elves primarily wield rapiers and longswords as their main weapons, offering a high level of mobility.

Of course, facing long reach weapons such as spears or polearms with a sword can be challenging.

However, for elves, that isn't much of a problem as they can simply overcome it with their exceptional skills.

A human wielding a sword might, at best, have thirty or forty years before they become frail, with a short prime.

On the other hand, elves enjoy a prime lasting at least eight or nine hundred years.

They maintain their youthful bodies until death approaches.

In close combat, elves are practically akin to reapers.

Swish, swish-!

Siena demonstrated her skill with the rapier, swinging it gracefully.

"Shall we begin?" she asked.

"Sure," Julia agreed.

Julia took her stance, holding her spear.

Her posture seemed full of openings, yet it was impossible to tell where to strike.

It was a form optimized from her extensive combat experience.

Siena also held her rapier, assuming a graceful and elegant stance.

'They're really serious,' Theo thought.

He recognized that stance.

It was one adopted by many elven swordsmen in the original work.

"But what's your name? We should at least know our opponent's name since it's a duel."

"A duel...such a pleasant word. I am Julia."

"I see, Julia..."

For a moment, Siena's eyes sharpened.

"You see," she said, her voice suddenly cold and different.

"?!"

Julia's eyes widened at the change in Siena's aura.

"...Why are you so curt?"

At that moment, Siena charged forward.

***

The match was entirely one-sided.

Siena was the undisputed victor.

Though I had anticipated her victory, it was far more overwhelming than I had imagined.

"I lost...? Why? How on earth...why?"

Julia knelt on the ground, her eyes filled with disbelief as she stared at the dirt beneath her.

'Wow.'

It had been that one-sided.

Siena had effortlessly dodged all of Julia's heavy attacks, focusing only on striking her legs.

Naturally, the battle-savvy Julia defended her legs.

However, despite other areas being wide open, Siena continued to target only her legs.

It was as if she was toying with her.

'I feel like I've seen this scene before.'

Had I appeared this way when I had dueled with Piel?

Like me, Julia couldn't even graze Siena's clothes.

Julia fell countless times and got up just as many.

The course of the duel was strikingly similar to my own experiencebeing knocked down within three hits.

Fear washed over me.

'To think she'd show no mercy and beat her like that just because she used informal speech.'

Should I start using formal speech now? The thought crossed my mind in all seriousness.

In any case, the Kyren Zena Chronicles proved once again that stats and traits were not everything.

Julia had five expert-level traits in addition to [Weapon Master].

Siena, on the other hand, had only [Weapon Expert] for close combat.

Based on stats and traits alone, Julia should have been the overwhelming victor, but the result was the exact opposite.

Even if Siena had discreetly received help from the spirits, it was still a shocking outcome.

"You still need more training, but it was an enjoyable duel after such a long time," Siena told Julia before turning around.

"Theo~!"

She dashed over and pulled me into a tight embrace.

"Did I do well? Hehe."

Like a puppy seeking praise, Siena gazed up at me.

We were too close.

Siena was tall, so the distance between our faces was barely five centimeters. I could hear her racing heartbeat.

'Ah, uh.'

I could feel her excited breath. There was a faint, warm scent too.

Her beauty was unparalleled in this world, and it was too overwhelming to meet her gaze.

Moreover, something soft pressed against me, and it was terribly distracting.

"Y-Yeah, you did well," I said, turning my head away.

Before I knew it, the practical evaluation had come to an end.

Julia still seemed to be in shock, showing no sign of getting up.

"Let's go, Theo. The next lecture is quite far from here," Irene, who had been glaring at me for some time, said.

"Alright. Si-Siena, let go of me now."

"Hehe, alright. It's just that you smell so nice, Theo."

Siena, who had clung to me for quite a while, finally released her grasp.

I don't know how many times I recited the national anthem in my head to calm my nerves.

I took a moment to look around.

"Wait just a moment."

Julia still knelt on the ground, seemingly unable to get up.

With her physical abilities, she should have been able to stand by now.

'She must be deeply shocked.'

Feeling a sense of empathy, I approached Julia and extended my hand.

"Stand up."

"You're the one from the Hero Department?" Julia asked, her eyes widening as she looked up at me.

"Yes. A true warrior is one who overcomes despair, not one has who never known defeat."

It was something I had heard from Noctar before.

I hoped it would console her.

Julia stared at me for a moment before taking my hand.

I could feel the rough texture of her palm, a testament to countless hours of training.

"Thank you, Hero Department."

"My name isn't Hero Department, it's Theo."

"Alright, Theo. Thank you. You're truly a heroic man, contrary to the rumors... I'll be sure to repay this debt."

With that, Julia smiled.

She had returned to her true self, the lively barbarian woman.

***

Last bonus! Thank you Timothy again and SaturatedFat!

Enjoy the chappy!