Samuel observed the black aura emanating from Fang of Darkness and shared a brief thought.
[It seems a bit different from the Fighting Spirit the instructor showed.]
“……I agree.”
I readily agreed.
It was questionable whether this could even be called Fighting Spirit.
It was completely different from the energy that Ares and the members of the student council had shown.
How should I put it?
If the Fighting Spirit they displayed possessed a tyrannical force, the one I manifested was more like an extreme amplification of sharpness.
‘……In a group battle, it would only increase my stamina consumption.’
Swish-
I lowered my gaze to the blade of the dagger, observing the strange energy shimmering like a mirage.
It felt like dozens of sharp blades were about to tear through space.
It was unlikely to display the overwhelming power of typical Fighting Spirit.
But this level of sharpness was something I had never seen before.
It was a technique that maximized cutting power to its very limit.
‘It's ambiguous to call it Fighting Spirit.’
I thought I should give this energy a different name.
Should I call it half-baked Fighting Spirit?
But even that didn't seem quite right, as it felt so different from Fighting Spirit that it was difficult to even categorize them together.
How did this technique come about?
As I pondered, a guess came to mind.
It was because this current technique wasn't infused with my emotions, but rather born from pure Mana given form.
That was probably why such a technique was born.
……Of course, I don't know the principle behind it.
If I did, I wouldn't have struggled so much to learn Fighting Spirit.
But it was definitely not a bad thing.
When I thrust Fang of Darkness, imbued with the black energy, into the ground—
Thump-.
It plunged in as easily as chopsticks piercing tofu.
I hadn't even put any force behind it.
It was such a weak force, more like simply placing it on the ground, yet it displayed this level of sharpness.
I couldn't help but marvel at it.
“It certainly seems incredibly powerful.”
[I agree, but can this truly be called Fighting Spirit?]
“……I wouldn’t know.”
This much was certain.
I still hadn't properly learned Fighting Spirit.
That was because I couldn't learn it, even with my exceptional physical talent.
However, I was confident that I had acquired a technique that could rival Fighting Spirit.
An energy similar to Fighting Spirit, yet fundamentally different, transforming into an entirely unexpected form.
I decided to call this energy ‘Killing Intent’.
While others imbue their weapons with Fighting Spirit, I would imbue mine with Killing Intent.
There couldn't be a more fitting name.
If this were the case,
‘Rather than using Black Rose to counter Fighting Spirit, it would be more suitable for wide-range attacks.’
I had been racking my brains over the lack of a wide-range attack.
A wide-range attack was essential to maximize the ability of the ‘Eye of Arrogance’.
Since things had turned out this way, I decided to refine Black Rose for use in wide-range attacks.
From now on, I would use Killing Intent as a counter to Fighting Spirit.
With that thought, I turned to Samuel.
“I think it's time we went for the retest.”
[You're thinking of taking the retest without even learning Fighting Spirit?]
“Well, it’s not like it’s someone’s pet Cerberus? It’s impossible to learn in such a short time.”
I replied to Samuel's question with a dumbfounded tone.
See, this is why mages are hopeless.
If Fighting Spirit was something you could learn just because you wanted to, the Demons wouldn't have lost to the Humans.
……Well, maybe they still would have.
That's because there was the protagonist in the Human Realm.
Even if all the students here mastered Fighting Spirit, the Demon Realm wouldn't stand a chance.
The protagonist, Hamel, possessed power beyond ‘Cognition’.
That's why I needed to learn and evolve all these new techniques as quickly as possible.
Anyway,
[…….]
Samuel fell silent, seemingly at a loss for words after my response.
I shrugged.
Didn't I tell him not to make a fuss even if I couldn't learn Fighting Spirit from Ares?
The power of Black Rose alone already far surpassed Ares's evaluation criteria.
Now all I had to do was go to Ares for the test.
Thump, thump—
As I walked, a thought occurred to me, and I glanced down at my wrist.
“Mr. Samuel, did you notice?”
[……What are you talking about?]
Samuel responded to my sudden remark with curiosity.
A smile spread across my face as I spoke.
“You said you've leveled up as a mage, right?”
[Well, yes.]
“I've done the same, in the way of martial arts.”
[And what’s your point?]
Samuel still didn't grasp the meaning behind my words.
To think that someone so intelligent couldn't understand something like this.
“I'm saying, stop thinking about getting stronger on your own. You and your Gluttony, always so greedy.”
[……What is this monster babbling about?]
Samuel muttered under his breath, clearly baffled.
I couldn't help but chuckle at his reaction.
And so,
We eventually arrived at the training ground where Ares was waiting.
I stopped talking to Samuel and looked around for Ares.
At that moment—
Clang, clang—
The sound of clashing blades drew my attention.
It was difficult to see clearly as the sunlight had faded, leaving only the faint glow of the moon, but it seemed Ares was sparring with someone in the center of the training ground.
As I approached to get a better view, the sparring session had already ended.
Ares was speaking to the student he had been training with.
“……Your sword is filled with resentment.”
Ares uttered those perplexing words.
The student, taken aback by his words, abruptly turned and fled.
Swoosh—
With a swift movement, I dodged the student who was now charging towards me.
It was Fron, who had come to retake the test.
Thud, thud—
I watched her retreating figure for a moment before turning my head at the gaze I felt from behind.
“If you're here, draw your sword. How long do you intend to waste this instructor’s time?”
“……As you wish.”
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