The classroom was dead silent.
So quiet you could hear the sound of someone swallowing hard.
"There, there. Has everyone been working hard and behaving?"
I greeted them with a bright, sunny smile, but the kids' faces were anything but cheerful.
Of course, if I were in their shoes, I'd probably be thinking, "I'll kill this bastard!"
But this world is a dog-eat-dog place.
If you want to blame someone, blame yourselves for being powerless. So with that said— "All right! It sounds like you all have things you want to say, so we're going to have a test right now!"
I made my declaration.
"Hey! How did this even happen?!"
"A t-test?!"
"Booooo!!!"
The chorus of protests was deafening.
Mmm.
Exams.
They've been hated since the beginning of time.
"Now, now, don't panic! I can understand what you're all trying to say. But listen up. What I'm about to do is something you need!"
"Why?! We're all gonna die sooner or later anyway! What's the point of studying?!"
"Y-yeah… The teachers before just brought us toys and picture books and told us to do whatever we wanted…"
"We haven't studied at all since we got here…"
"I want to read more picture books…"
"……"
They started grumbling one after another.
But they lacked yesterday's fire. Spending all day with Ranga must have worn them out.
Well, just showing up today was impressive enough.
But this was necessary. Unfortunately, there was no room for compromise.
"There, there. I understand what you're all trying to say. But what we're about to do is something fun where you can also vent your frustrations at me. Think of it as an enjoyable test.
Starting now, each of you will face me in a mock battle. The rules are simple. You can use every ability you have against me with full force. If you can beat me, it's over. If you last twenty minutes without being taken out, I win. Simple, right?"
"That's it?"
"That's it. The arena is this classroom. I'll set up a barrier so no one can leave. That means the spectators can't help either. Understand the rules? Good—then decide the order!"
A simple mock battle.
I had no intention of attacking. All I wanted was to confirm their abilities.
If they couldn't obtain a Unique Skill, they'd need to be able to consume enough Magicules to destroy their bodies.
My appraisal had already confirmed they possessed A-rank levels of Magicules—by monster standards.
Adventurer rank is a measure of strength, but monster rank often refers to total energy capacity.
I'd found it strange that people called B-rank adventurers only had around C-rank levels of Magicules when I measured them.
Once I became an adventurer myself, the picture became clear.
Ordinary monsters don't have technique, so they were judged purely on ability alone. Though plenty of monsters did have high technique too.
By that standard, these kids were A-rank.
If they could use their abilities properly, they'd be formidable opponents… but.
It looked like the order had been decided.
Mitsuki Kenta approached me with an expression brimming with motivation.
An eight-year-old troublemaker. The class bully type?
"Hey! Can I use this sword?!"
What nerve!
"Sure, but if you lose, you'd better use proper honorifics!"
"Hmph! Even adults can't beat us! I've never lost to anyone except
"Oh really? Talk big after you've beaten me first."
And so the test began.
I left the signal to the kids. I handed them the hourglass I'd prepared yesterday and explained how to use it.
Now then, let's begin.
"Ready—go!"
At Alice's signal, Kenta moved.
Pretty good reflexes for an elementary schooler. No—better than most adults, actually.
Still, it was nothing to worry about from my perspective…
"Go, Kenta! You can do it!"
"Don't lose!"
In response to these cheers, he pushed himself even harder.
He was desperately trying to land a hit on me, but I didn't even need to predict his attacks—I could just dodge after seeing them. Total leisure.
After about ten minutes, he started hurling fireballs at me through tears.
Hmm. These flames were awfully weak.
It might be hard to judge compared to the flames I produce, but in terms of energy magnitude, they were far too underwhelming.
If an A-rank put their full Magicules into a fireball, it wouldn't be surprising for it to exceed a thousand degrees…
The fireball Elen had launched was more powerful than this.
An ability that fell short of a B-rank adventurer's magic.
Clearly, he was just imitating what he'd seen—the technique wasn't utilizing his true potential.
"Hey, you're too fixated on the fire. Just focus energy into it and shoot normally."
I offered some advice.
"Shut up! Shizu's technique was incredibly powerful! Why would I listen to anything you say?!"
What a brat.
In the end, he ignored my advice entirely, and twenty minutes passed. My win.
"All right, that's time! Make sure you call me 'sir' from now on! Next one, step up!"
Kenta trudged back to his watching classmates with slumped shoulders and a dejected look.
Well, if I'd lost to a kid under ten, I'd be even more devastated.
The next one up was Chloe Obert.
An eight-year-old girl. Her hair was an unusual color—like black mixed with silver?
Anyway, a beautiful girl with a mysterious hair color. Did she have Japanese blood too?
She had an enigmatic presence that blended Eastern and Western sensibilities.
All right, let's see what she's got. Visually, it looked like a middle-schooler bullying a little girl.
Still, the test was necessary! Putting on a brave face aside, if I lost for real, it would be no joke.
"Chloe, you don't have to push yourself!"
"Don't get hurt, Chloe!"
The kids' cheers leaned more toward "don't get hurt" than "you can do it."
Can't blame them.
I heard the signal to start. The match was on.
It took about five minutes during the rotation breaks, but I hadn't taken any rest. Still, I felt no fatigue at all.
I'd just been dodging—total cakewalk.
Now, Chloe. What kind of attack would she use?
Chloe loved books—she always had one with her.
Would she brain me with the corner of the book or throw it?
"This isn't a book—it's a blunt weapon!" Is that the idea? Probably too advanced for an elementary schooler's thinking.
As I was entertaining these silly thoughts— "'Across the mirror's flowing surface, ensnare my foe—Water Jail!'"
Whoa! A torrent of water suddenly appeared at my feet. Heat Source Detection confirmed it was the real deal—actual water.
Magic! Impressive, this girl. Could she be a genius?
As I marveled, the current grew more violent, reshaping itself into a sphere designed to trap me.
When I touched it with my fingertip, the surface split apart with a crisp snap.
Just like the Water Blade I used, she was manipulating water at high speed and locking it into this spherical shape.
Splendid. But what did she plan to do from here?
"If you don't concede, that spell will shift so it rains down on whoever's trapped inside! If you admit defeat, I'll release it. If you don't… you'll die, you know?"
Young as she was, what a terrifying child!
Kenta from earlier was way more endearing. But unfortunately, this level wasn't quite enough…
"Remarkable magic. But it won't work on me. That said, this spell is very well done. Keep studying hard in the future!"
With that, I patted Chloe on the head.
A prison? Something like that is child's play with Molecular Manipulation.
Honestly, this skill was among the very top tier of Extra Skills—powerful enough to rival a Unique Skill.
It was perfectly safe to assume that thermal attacks wouldn't work on me. I had natural resistance to begin with.
Chloe collapsed into a sitting position, stunned. Her face was bright red and her eyes were brimming with tears.
Forgive me—I went easy, but this was still the result. If I showed mercy, you'd never listen, and here I needed to demonstrate an overwhelming difference in power.
Chloe had lost the will to fight. My win.
She held the top of her head where I'd patted it, and for some reason, was smiling happily.
Now—onwards!
The oldest at nine. A large boy with brown hair. A handsome kid with sharp features.
This one would definitely grow into a man more handsome than any actor!
Must crush—no, no, I wasn't thinking anything of the sort.
As an adult, I would face each opponent fairly and equally.
Gale launched an all-out, unhesitating attack—no tricks, no holding back.
Having watched what happened to the first two, he'd clearly reassessed his view of me.
He fired an energy blast with enough force to kill an ordinary teacher.
He'd poured everything he had into that one strike without holding back. As a strategy, it was the right call.
Unfortunately for him, he'd picked the wrong opponent. Energy-release techniques like that simply didn't work on me.
I absorbed it with Predator, as a matter of course.
"What the hell is that?! That's disgusting!"
Yeah. Disgusting—I thought so too.
"Listen, adults are dirty creatures. We'll do whatever it takes to win! That's what it means to be an adult."
I was being pretty unsportsmanlike for an adult dealing with a child, but this wasn't the moment to hold back.
I could have deflected it, but I was worried it might punch a hole in the barrier.
Even if I said they could go all out, demolishing not just the classroom but the entire school building would be a problem.
So I had to end each fight with as little collateral damage as possible.
It was actually quite the balancing act.
Gale bit his lip in frustration and charged at me, fists glowing with concentrated energy.
A kid through and through. Once it came to close combat, Gale had no chance.
Following the same path as Kenta, the match ended in my victory.
Sekiguchi Ryota seemed like a timid boy.
He was always friendly with Kenta and cheered him on during his fight.
Kenta's loyal sidekick, essentially. An ordinary kid with no particular distinguishing features.
But his ability, however— "Ryota! Avenge me!"
The instant he heard Kenta's shout, his expression changed and he attacked.
This was similar to
You could call it a splendid warrior transformation. The fact that he seemed to have lost consciousness was a minus, though.
Losing your composure in battle was almost always a disadvantage—unless circumstances were truly exceptional.
"Exceptional" depended on the opponent. Against a normal foe, Berserker transformation might be effective, but against a superior one, it wasn't even a gamble.
He'd lose nearly one hundred percent of the time.
His movements were sharp, and if his opponent hadn't been me, he might have put up a decent fight.
But too bad!
I dodged effortlessly for the full twenty minutes.
The last girl:
The youngest at seven. Beautiful, silky-smooth golden hair that hung down to her shoulders.
The phrase "like a doll" was an absolutely perfect description for this lovely girl.
The polar opposite of the quiet Chloe—a tomboyish little girl.
Now then, what ability did this one have?
Alice tossed the doll she was holding into the air and— "Go get 'em—Mr. Bear!!!"
she shouted.
Huh? When I looked at the bear, it lunged at me as if life had been breathed into it.
And the impact was surprisingly heavy.
Her ability was— Puppeteer.
If a stuffed bear had this much combat power, a puppet made from some kind of special alloy could become a legitimate weapon…
She might actually have the most powerful ability of the five.
But well—as long as I just dodged, I could manage.
I hadn't expected the strongest ability to come last, but I'd managed to keep my reputation intact.
When she'd controlled ten puppets simultaneously, I'd seriously considered incinerating them all. I held back and focused on evasion… partly because I'd predicted that if I burned them, she'd start crying and it would be a nightmare to calm her down.
Anyway, I'd managed to get all five of me to acknowledge my strength.
But the abilities these kids had acquired felt tacked on.
Everything seemed mismatched. Could you say their talents were directed in the wrong way?
I believed the root cause was that they hadn't truly desired these abilities from the bottom of their hearts.
I needed to either help them obtain Unique Skills, or find another means…
Within the three-month window, I had to find a way to prevent their bodies from breaking down due to Magicule overflow.
It was rough, but I'd been able to assess their current state.
And pushing them to their limits was one of the most effective ways to prevent overflow.
By forcing them to expel excess Magicules, I could potentially delay the deterioration.
Next came the fundamental solution.
"Now then—as you've just experienced, I am strong! And I make this promise to you: I will save you. On this mask, I swear—I'll find a way!"
Standing before the children, I declared my resolve.
It seemed they were finally willing to listen seriously.
That was the first stage accomplished. If they didn't feel any connection, they wouldn't hear a word I said.
I'd managed—through coercion, admittedly—to get them to listen.
"Hey, is that mask Shizu's?"
Suddenly, Alice piped up with a quiet question.
"Yes. Shizu entrusted it to me. And by entrusting this to me, she was also entrusting you to my care."
I answered. The pattern on the mask was different, but she'd noticed all the same.
Alice nodded, looking satisfied with my response.
She seemed to have opened up to me a little.
But… speaking of the mask…
Something nagged at the back of my mind.
Shizu had entrusted it to me…
Wait. Shizu had asked me to punch Demon Lord Leon.
Was it possible that Shizu never actually intended to defeat the Demon Lord?
Hold on—hadn't Shizu been turned into a ten-year-old when she came to this world?
How had she survived?
I thought it through. I hadn't heard the full story, but the clues were hidden in there.
For starters, it felt off that Shizu would abandon the children to prioritize her own objective.
Perhaps punching Leon and saving the children were one and the same goal.
Maybe she believed that Demon Lord Leon knew how to save the kids.
Just as he'd once saved her…
If that was the case, then what was the method?
Using Great Sage, I pushed my thinking to the limit.
And as usual, Great Sage did not disappoint my expectations.
《Answer. The probability that Demon Lord
However, this figure is based on inference and holds no statistical significance.
Regarding the method to save the children…》 My theory was confirmed.
"Listen—I will absolutely save you. Starting tomorrow, I'll begin preparing. Trust me! I swear, I will save every last one of you who Shizu entrusted to me!"
Unlike before, I now spoke with genuine conviction.
The children's eyes as they looked at me turned serious.
"Please help us, sir!!!"
"Sir," huh.
Had a nice ring to it. Leave it to me.
Right now, for the first time, these children had acknowledged me.
I would absolutely save them.
That was the oath I made in my heart.