l then, Nozomu-san, everyone. Excuse us."

Eldor and the others bowed their heads and returned to the audience seats. After seeing them off, Nozomu and the others hurried to the meeting place.

When Nozomu and the others appeared, the gazes of the first and second-class students focused on them.

(Why are these guys here?)

Everyone who was there was unhappy at the appearance of the students they clearly considered out of place.

"Why is the lowest guy here? Even the other bottom-feeders, too. Are you guys lost?"

When Nozomu arrived at the meeting place, he was first welcomed by the party of Kevin Ardinal, a young man from the Silver Wolf tribe. However, the words that were spoken were far from welcoming.

Kevin, who mocked Nozomu and despised the weak, was still throwing abusive words at Nozomu, Mars, and the others.

As if to match Kevin's words, the gazes of the students around them began to be dyed with contempt.

Mars' complexion suddenly turned pale. But Nozomu didn't seem to be bothered by Kevin's words at all.

He glanced at Kevin, who had his arms crossed and a smirk on his face, and returned his gaze to the front as if to say he didn't care.

Nozomu was accustomed to being treated like this. He has more important things to worry about.

There were questions, scornful gazes, and whispers all around him. Nozomu looked around.

In the middle of it all, he spotted the red-haired girl.

The gazes of Nozomu and Lisa crossed. The next moment, her eyes shook greatly.

"Nozomu ..."

Irisdina, who was watching them from behind, let out a small voice.

Her hands on her chest were clenched tightly before she knew it.

"Tch~...! Oi, are you listening!? This is not the place for you to be. You've got to learn your own place and get on with it. ......"

Kevin, who happened to see Irisdina's appearance, got frustrated and confronted Nozomu.

Kevin grabbed Nozomu by the collar and tried to take him out by force.

However, at that time, a voice sounded as if it was splashing cold water on the heated place.

"That's enough, Kevin Ardinal. The class is about to begin. Everyone line up."

It was Inda-sensei, the homeroom teacher of the second class, who called out in a reprimanding tone.

Her appearance brought the students back to their senses, and they lined up in front of her.

Kevin, however, was not convinced, and regardless of the fact that he was dealing with a teacher, he rushed towards Inda-sensei.

"Wait a minute. Isn't it weird? Why would such a bottom-feeder be with us...?"

"I gave my permission."

A profound voice echoed in the martial arts garden. The voice, with the dignity of a great tree that has passed through the years, glued all the people in the arena to their feet with just a single word.

Jihad Raundel, the owner of the voice, slowly looked around.

"They have achieved excellent results in the last special training. According to the report, they were able to hold their ground in a melee involving you, Francilt, and Hounds. There's nothing wrong with them being here."

"Tch~...!"

Kevin had a violent temper. However, he respected strength and listened to Jihad, who was much stronger than he was.

And Jihad had a point. The sixth-place ranking that Nozomu and his team had achieved in the special training was irrefutable.

And this was a school where ability was valued.

Kevin clicked his tongue in frustration, but he didn't harass Nozomu any further.

Free from the stares of those around him, Nozomu let out a big breath of relief. He was used to the scorn of the people around him, and he certainly couldn't afford to worry about it right now.

It was then that Nozomu noticed Inda in front of him staring at him.

Nozomu himself was barely acquainted with this teacher, but he knew enough to know that he was not well-liked by her. It was because she had eyes that were the opposite of Anri's, who was always watching over them.

However, for some reason, the disgust in her eyes seemed to be fading now. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I think it's a good idea.

Nozomu tilted his head at the color of her eyes, which were different from the gaze that had been directed at him when he had reported the Abyss Grief before.

"Umm ... is there something wrong...?"

"No, it's nothing. You guys have to line up too. The starting bell has already rung."

Inda spun on her heel and walked back next to Jihad.

Even as he watched her back, Nozomu quickly moved to line up with the others.

================================

Although there was a bit of trouble before the start of the joint class, the class itself went off without a hitch.

Several parties were formed beyond the boundaries of rank and competed against each other with their skills.

The A-rank students, including Irisdina, were particularly impressive.

Irisdina, with her mastery of long and short-distance magic, tossed and turned multiple opponents around like fireflies in the dark night.

Tima was able to crush all of her opponents' magic and Qi techniques with a single blow of magic.

Kevin, fully demonstrated his excellent martial arts and agility peculiar to the beastmen was able to lay waste to his opponents in a matter of seconds.

Ken, with his uncanny ability to manipulate the water magic that he specialized in, dealt with his opponents in a flexible manner, and Lisa, with her instantaneous explosive power, crushed her opponents' defense.

The underclassmen in the audience seats were in awe of their abilities, which set them apart from the other students.

Of course, the other students weren't lost to them, and they showed their abilities to be worthy of being at the top of their year which is the third year.

In the midst of all this, it was the students of the 10th class, including Nozomu, who stood out.

Mars, who originally had high physical strength, was using a lot of magic instead. He used magic for barriers and preserved as much of his Qi as possible, and then defeated them all at once with his strongest Qi technique.

He didn't use the combination of magic and Qi technique, and there were a lot of gaps when he switch between magic and Qi, but even so, Mars had refined his skills to the point where he could use some of them.

Jin and the others were also showing a strenuous battle, defying the expectations of those around them.

Although they couldn't use powerful magic or Qi techniques, they managed to keep up with the upperclassmen's movements with their outstanding teamwork.

Jin and the others tried to restrain their opponent's movements with quick, beginner-level magic and strike a powerful blow.

Due to the difference in ability between them and their opponents, their attacks almost had no effect on their opponents, but they were able to hold their opponents back by coordinating their movements without stagnation.

The difference in power between them made it impossible for Jin and the others to win, but their opponents were fed up with their persistence as if they were a leech.

Never before had a student of the tenth rank fought so tenaciously against a student of the first or second rank.

The underclassmen were watching the upperclassmen who were fighting in the arena. The lower class students in particular were amazed at Jin and the others' performance.

The students of the tenth rank were showing remarkable performance. In the midst of this, Nozomu was somehow held outside the arena by Anri-sensei.

"Umm, Anri-sensei. Why do I have to wait here? Even though Mars, Jin, and the others are participating in the combat training..."

"It's okay. Just leave it to your sensei~!"

Nozomu was made to sit in a corner of the arena. He turned a suspicious expression at Anri, who was beaming with a big smile on her face.

What in the world is she thinking about? This class was supposed to be a battle between students of different abilities. If he didn't participate in the first place, the class was meaningless for him...

Nozomu let out a sigh and hang his head down.

"Nozomu, if you're not going to attend the class, why don't you just go home?"

When Nozomu raised his face due to the sudden voice, he saw one of his childhood friends looking down at him.

"Ken?..."

"............"

Ken glared at Nozomu as if he were looking at an abomination. His mouth was distorted in an ugly way, and his discomfort was clearly visible.

Without saying a word to each other, their gazes crossed.

Eventually, Ken opened his mouth to say something. But no matter he said, Nozomu had no intention of retreating.

Nozomu was determined to end this distorted relationship in a way that would lead to the future.

That was what he had decided.

However, in the next moment, a voice that did not match the atmosphere of the place resounded around him.

"Alright, that's enough~. Nozomu-kun, it's about time to get ready~"

Nozomu's shoulders slumped heavily as he heard the distracting voice that could not help but make the listener feel weak.

He had been so tense that once he lost his energy, he would not be able to regain it easily.

Nozomu glared at Anri with his eyes while thinking that what she did was not bad at least.

"Hmm~? What's wrong~?"

"... No, it's nothing."

However, it was completely useless against Anri.

Moreover, her expression added to the energy he had previously lost.

(Please, at least read the air.)

Unable to say that directly to her, Nozomu forcibly changed the topic.

"Then, Anri-sensei. What do you mean by getting ready?..."

"That's enough of the combat training! Everyone, leave the arena at once."

Just as Nozomu was about to regain his composure and about to ask Anri, Inda's voice echoed through the arena.

Following her voice, the students left the central arena at once.

After making sure that everyone was out of the arena, Inda slowly opened her mouth.

"Well then, this is the last lesson of this class. The content of this lesson is sparring with Jihad Raundel, the pride of this school, the S-ranked swordsman."

As if in response to Inda's words, Jihad slowly walked towards the center of the arena.

His appearance, with the giant sword "Jaw Drop" on his back and the white armor made of Mithril, could be called truly heroic.

However, what caught the audience's eyes at the same time was a big sword and a huge tower shield that were held in both of his hands, which were different from the Jaw Drop.

He walked to the center of the arena and thrust the Jaw Drop into the ground.

A murmur spread throughout the martial arts garden.

A hero from ten years ago, a man whose name was known on the whole continent, and one of the most important figures here in Arcazam.

It was a rare opportunity to meet such a person.

Because of his position, he was extremely busy and didn't have many opportunities to teach at this school. It was even rarer to have the opportunity to receive direct instruction from him.

This is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to test their abilities and show those around them what they can do.

"Hee ... Isn't that great?"

Kevin was clenching his fists with a fearless smile on his face.

He was undoubtedly elated by the opponent he was about to fight. He was glaring at Jihad with belligerent eyes as if he was about to jump onto Jihad at any moment.

However, Kevin wasn't the only one who was enthusiastic about it.

The third-year students who participated in this joint class were eager to take advantage of this rare opportunity, and the underclassmen in the audience seats were cheering at the figure of their hero.

"The first opponent is... well, umm ..."

Inda was about to read out the first opponent. However, the excited faces of the students turned suspicious at the confused expression on her face and her stuttered words.

It was Jihad, standing in the middle of the arena, who replaced the stunned Inda. But what he said next caught everyone in the arena off guard.

"Nozomu Bountis. It's you."

"Eh?"

"Wha!?"

The third-year students were shocked. Knowing Nozomu's reputation, this choice would not be possible. The man himself, Nozomu, was also at a loss for words.

"Yes, Nozomu-kun. It's time for you to go~~"

However, Anri, who was by Nozomu's side, pushed his back as hard as she could and pushed him towards the center of the arena.

"Wait~, Anri-sensei !?"

"Nozomu-kun, since you didn't participate in the combat training, I'm sure you have plenty of energy~~. Because your opponent is Jihad-sensei, you can do something different than usual ~~ "

"That's...."

Maybe from the beginning .......

He tried to continue what he was about to say, but the words never left his mouth.

The next thing he knew, Nozomu was being pushed to the center of the arena. In front of him was Jihad, holding a huge shield and a greatsword.

"Good luck~~!"

With a giggle and a smile on her mouth, Anri turned on her heel and walked back to her original spot.

In the next moment, a wall of light appeared around Nozomu and Jihad.

"This is...."

"It's a magic barrier that has been installed in this arena in consideration of the damage to the surroundings and the people in the audience seats. It will be impossible to break through this barrier with half-hearted magic."

Even ordinary training grounds use technology that prevents the aftermath of a battle from spreading to the surroundings.

However, the technology used in this martial arts garden was different from that of other training grounds.

Instead of only one layer of magic barriers covering the arena, the audience seats were designed so that multiple barriers could be deployed all the way to the edge of the martial arts garden.

Various construction techniques were used to build the facility, with multiple layers of reinforced stone and iron bars to increase the strength of the entire facility.

It was said that enough money to build a castle has been invested in this arena.

In other words, the training held here required that much reinforcement.

Only a portion of the top students can use this martial arts garden. It was a facility that could be called the crystallization of the latest technology that exists on this continent today.

"Well then, let's get started"

A young boy and a middle-aged swordsman face each other.

Jihad's eyes, as sharp as a hawk's, showed the years of experience he had accumulated. With those eyes on him, Nozomu felt as if he was being seen through to the depths of his heart.

The tension was building up. The pounding heartbeat that echoed in his ears began to rise and fall with the tense air. It signaled the beginning of the battle.

But at the same time, he had a strange feeling that was different from the tension of battle. It was a nostalgic feeling as if he had found by chance a memorable item that he had never found before.

However, without being able to find an answer to this feeling of deja vu, Inda rang the bell.

And so the battle between Arcazam's strongest swordsman and Solminati Academy's dropout began.