How to Survive at the Academy
chapter-218

King of Fools (6)

TL: TangSanFan

ED/PR: Tanthus

“Is it really alright for you not to attend the duel tournament?”

When news came that Emperor Clorel and Princess Sella had entered Acken Island, the royal residence’s servants were too busy to think straight, hustling to prepare for their arrival.

To welcome Emperor Clorel and Princess Sella, who were coming to see Princess Phoenia’s face, a tea party was set in the garden alongside the banquet, and the servants had to organize their work reports once again.

Amidst the bustling atmosphere of the royal lodge, Claire approached Princess Phoenia, who was crossing the hallway with a view of the garden, and asked cautiously.

Princess Phoenia, brushing her platinum blonde hair, gazed toward the towering spires of Sylvania before responding.

“… It’s alright.”

After a moment of hesitation, Princess Phoenia spoke with more conviction.

“It’s alright. As expected. That man will move according to the original plan.”

* * *

Deep breath.

The composure of the Fist King Tyke comes from always taking a calm, deep breath.

With his sturdy arms raised in guard, he watches his opponent carefully between them, calmly contemplating his next move.

Inhale deeply and exhale… his massive body prepares to strike with the speed of a hummingbird.

The audience had already stopped breathing in anticipation.

The combat department students watching from their seats couldn’t take their eyes off the fight, especially the freshmen and sophomores who were utterly engrossed.

Juniors and seniors knew how quickly their same-age peers had grown strong in such a short time.

However, younger students, who had only recently entered the school, were coming to terms with the high barrier set by the upperclassmen, not yet realizing that the two on the dueling platform were exceptional cases.

Ed Rothetailer, unwrapping the cloth around his large staff, glared at Tyke, who was still taking deep breaths.

Despite his huge stature, there were no gaps in his movements, quick as a sly thief.

A staff in one hand and a reverse-gripped dagger in the other, he was about to sprint toward the center of the dueling platform, his back against the inner wall limiting his movements.

To any onlooker, it might have seemed he was about to use some sort of spatial magic due to the speed of his movements.

If one were to close their eyes for a moment and then open them again, they would find Tyke ready to punch, right in front of them.

Only after Tyke’s figure was confirmed did the wind from his charge finally catch up, striking the body with a delay.

– Whoosh!

“Haap!”

With a short and strong yell, Tyke planted his feet on the ground and delivered a powerful straight punch.

This nearly animalistic movement was dodged as Ed had already moved, and Tyke’s fist crashed into the back wall where Ed stood.

– Boom!

With a single punch, the wall crumbled. Dust billowed once again.

One opening, and it’s all over. Ed’s assessment of Tyke’s destructive capabilities becomes chillingly clear.

Ed Rothetailer rolled on the dirt floor to reposition himself at the center of the dueling platform. He gathered magic power at the end of his staff before Tyke could steady himself.

Until now, no magic Ed had used, except for the high-level spells at the start of the duel, had caused him much strain in terms of magic power consumption.

However, now Ed Rothetailer was ready to enter a domain where he too would have to accept the burden of magic power depletion.

The audience gulped in silence.

They could sense the unusual flow of mana gathering around Ed.

Even spectators without any knowledge of magic sensed a change in the atmosphere of the dueling platform.

Advanced spirits were arriving.

A spirit master who could control advanced spirits, a mage who could wield advanced elemental magic.

Just being capable of reaching one of these two domains signifies genius in Sylvania.

Yet, Ed Rothetailer naturally trod both paths.

The wind began to whirl around the dueling platform.

Both the students and professors of the magic department were left dumbfounded.

Those who had even a single experience with magic knew what it meant for Ed Rothetailer to have reached both advanced domains at his age.

The dirt and dust raised by Tyke’s attack were scattered and carried away by the wind.

As regular vision returned, the sight of the unyielding Tyke came into view once more.

And… standing before Tyke, appearing even larger than an average house, was a massive wolf.

Cheers, surpassing astonishment, erupted from the stands.

Many students had seen Ed summon Merilda before, but witnessing its imposing figure first-hand left many speechless.

For them… the majestic advanced spirit of the wind, Merilda, was a sight to behold.

Just the sight of its majestic presence evoked awe.

However, to Tyke Elfellan, the advanced wind spirit represented an immediate trial he had to face.

Just one kick could send dozens flying, and its magic could tear down buildings; he had to confront this monster with nothing but knuckles in hand.

Running away wasn’t an option, of course.

Tyke steadied his stance once more.

He took a deep breath.

Hoo-

Aah-

Calm settled in his chest.

Tyke maintained a cold gaze toward Merilda, even amidst swirling wind and dust.

Awoo –

The wolf’s howl reverberated across the spacious dueling platform.

With a swing of its paw, thicker than the pillars supporting the building, a massive gust overtook Tyke.

– Boom!

“Rock Skin.”

Utilizing a slight amount of magic for body enhancement, Tyke managed to fend off the impact of Merilda’s paw using a magic that could erase minor scrapes.

– Thump!

The shock almost buried his feet into the ground.

His arms screamed, and it felt like his consciousness could be swept away by the overwhelming pressure.

But Tyke endured using sheer willpower.

“Hooph…”

– Clang!

Seamlessly deflecting Merilda’s paw, Tyke leaped towards the wolf’s lower jaw with his fists gripped tight.

Though the punch was straightforward, its overwhelming speed made it unavoidable.

– Bang!

Landing a blow against Merilda’s jaw twisted its head to the side.

High spirits shouldn’t be subdued so easily. As Tyke was about to follow with another attack.

– Ssst! Crunch!

Lucky, he had already invoked “Rock Skin.”

While floating in the air, Tyke’s abdomen was struck with an arrow from Ed Rothtaylor, who had briefly set aside his staff.

The skin wasn’t penetrated, but the impact came through clearly.

“Kugh!”

Glancing down hastily, Tyke saw Ed, who had drawn a bow, already firing off shots.

Tyke’s lapse resulted from habitually anticipating a typical fight with a spirit master.

Usually, if you overpower a spirit summoned by a spirit master, the master is often overcome as well.

Historically, defeating the spirit meant defeating the spirit master who summoned it.

However, Ed Rothetailer used advanced spirits in combat, and directly engaged himself, providing a level of challenge that felt almost unfair in a one-on-one duel.

This left Tyke unguarded, and he locked eyes with the intimidating gaze of Merilda once more.

– Bang!

Following the hit, this time it was Tyke who was embedded into the wall.

Dirt and dust rose again, revealing Tyke, leaning against the wall, collapsed.

It ended swiftly. Merilda’s strike was something no human could endure.

A hush fell over the entire dueling platform momentarily.

But soon, as Ed lowered his aimed bow… cheers erupted.

– Wow!

– Incredible! An advanced spirit master and an advanced elemental mage… is this what Sylvania is like now?!

Princess Sella opened her eyes wide in astonishment, and Emperor Clorel brushed his chin. Among the talents cultivated directly by the royal family, there were hardly any as promising as this.

Indeed, one wonders if this is a testament to Sylvania’s specialized education.

At that moment, Ed Rothetailer was about to sheathe his bow and dispel his summoning of Merilda, essentially concluding the duel.

– Click

Tyke Elfellan rose from the rubble.

To think that he could stand after taking a direct hit from an advanced spirit, it was enough to leave one speechless.

Already, blood was streaming down his forehead. His body was covered in minor cuts.

But the Fist King Tyke stood once more, guard raised.

He continued his deep breaths.

Hoo-

Aah-

The crowd was shocked by his firm stance. The hit he faced wasn’t something a human could survive.

“It’s not over yet.”

“It’s pointless to continue.”

“That’s not for you to decide.”

This injury was nothing to him.

Tyke said so, looking up at the regal figure of Merilda.

An advanced spirit is not something a mere human could face alone. Tyke knew it required full preparation, learning weaknesses, mastering the necessary tactics, and still, it would be a struggle to win.

Yet Tyke never bowed his head.

“At your age, controlling high ranking spirits, casting high elemental magic, skilled in martial arts, and proficient with a bow. Truly, you are the prodigy known as the third-year mage.”

“…”

“What do you think, how many prodigies have I faced till now?”

Blood dripping down his cheek didn’t even count as an injury to him.

Tyke Elfellan, having faced many a genius, had often driven his body to the extreme.

“Some of them have trampled over me without a hitch, but many are dragged down and held at my feet by the end.”

“Tyke senior.”

“I’m not someone who loses easily.”

It took him half a year in F-class to enter Sylvania without sleep, only training, and yet making it to E-class took another year of shedding blood and staying in the mid-lower ranks.

Throughout those harsh times, countless bright and genius minds stepped on Tyke’s head. First, he counted them, but now it was a fruitless task, and he stopped counting.

While geniuses ascended two or three steps at a time, only to fall, Tyke Elfellan climbed one step at a time and eventually sat at the top.

This difference in strength… could barely be called a trial.

With that, Tyke launched off the ground.

This time, he aimed for Ed Rothetailer himself. Keeping his guard up, he lowered his stance and leaped toward Ed, closing the distance.

Merilda responded with a blast of wind, but Tyke firmly planted his legs, withstanding the push as an axis, succeeding in deflecting the wolf’s paw with his knuckles. His muscles screamed, threatening to crumble, but he scattered his blood, reaching Ed’s presence.

However, the path of his punch was too apparent to Ed. A “Force Blast” triggered from the dagger planted in the ground suddenly, covering the dueling platform with an explosive sound, Ed kicked the fallen staff upward, catching it.

Concentrated Ed ushered mana once, invoking the advanced wind magic, ‘Eye of the Typhoon.’

Ed’s enveloping blade-like winds suppressed Tyke’s movements.

Tyke was hit by Merilda’s paw again and flung away.

– Bang!

To take even one hit from Merilda was fatal, but Tyke had allowed it twice.

Bleeding profusely, Tyke took deep breaths, embedded in the wall.

The spectators swallowed dryly at the sight.

Especially combat students… Emulating Tyke’s valor, they clenched their teeth.

Wade Callamore, among the audience, clenching his injured wounds, closed his eyes tightly.

Zix, leaning on the back wall with the student council, secretly sighed knowing what was to come.

Before anyone could worry more, Tyke was standing up again.

He spit out blood-mixed phlegm, raised his guard, and took a deep breath.

Hoo-

Aah-

Ed Rothetailer is no pushover in close quarters. One mustn’t underestimate him as an ordinary spirit master.

He closed the distance with caution but had to move quickly, like facing a close combatant, once in range.

With his guard up, Tyke sprang again—this time charging at Merilda.

Merilda unleashed her magic, creating a ‘Gale Force,’ and momentarily, Tyke was caught in weightlessness, unable to move he was flung by Merilda’s paw once more.

Tyke rolled on the ground with the dust, but as soon as he regained his footing, he leaped again.

This time, he aimed for Ed Rothetailer. His plan was crazed, to endure one of Merilda’s attacks, and while she manifested the magic, he would target Ed’s main body.

A reckless plan to take a hit from Merilda.

Yet Tyke…

Tyke Elfellan somehow managed it with sheer willpower. Although his body felt like it was breaking apart and blood was gushing out — situations that would normally break an ordinary person’s spirit — Tyke paid no mind to such setbacks. It was precisely by enduring such trials repeatedly that he had been able to attain such a physique without any inherent talent.

– Bang!

In a fleeting moment, Tyke Elfellan, with his guard already up, had positioned himself in front of Ed. His speed in closing the distance far surpassed the norm. It was impossible to count how many times he had allowed distance to play a part in this duel.

However, Ed Rothtaylor’s eyes remained unshaken. Just the briefest of eye contact with him, still as calm as a mirror reflecting the clear sky, and Tyke couldn’t help but swallow dryly.

Ed Rothtaylor was a man also skilled in close combat. A straightforward punch was something he’d never allow to land.

As Tyke prepared to strike out with a fully extended punch, Ed had already readied his next spell, with a dagger held in reverse grip.

Thus, the fist that was supposed to extend out once again returned to form a barrier to raise his guard.

Predicting the opponent’s quick counter with a feigned movement, Ed’s forehead creased for a moment.

Tyke’s fist, which was about to strike out, disrupted Ed’s plan to block it with the shockwave of ‘Explosion’.

Lowering his stance with his guard up, Ed dodged by swaying his body downwards.

A smooth transition to ‘Weaving’ followed the feigned move.

Having successfully infiltrated Ed Rothtaylor’s flank, Tyke drove his fist into his side.

– Bang!

The first effective hit on Ed Rothtaylor since the sparring began.

Yet Tyke’s attack wasn’t just the first strike, but potentially a fatal one.

Despite not being able to gather enough strength due to the mix of fakes and evasions, even that restricted blow managed to send Ed sprawling out.

– Kwaang!!!

Ed Rothtaylor was hurled directly into the wall, causing a cloud of dust to rise.

“…”

However, Tyke’s hand lacked the satisfying heaviness that came when a clean hit landed. Instead, he was left with an odd sensation as if he had hit a wall.

Realizing this, Tyke’s expression soured. Ed Rothtaylor… In that brief moment, had already shifted all his magical power towards basic defensive spells, sure that he would take the hit.

‘He’s still… unharmed…!’

Now, he must stop Merilda’s counterattack. For a brief moment, as Merilda finished steadying herself and turned her massive head.

The churning growl was spine-chilling. Given that Merilda’s summoning hadn’t been dismissed and was still intact, Ed Rothtaylor was not yet subdued.

Tyke then prepared to take on a defensive stance, convinced that the next attack was to come from Merilda.

But upon seeing the dark red magical power engulfing the training grounds… he had to rethink his strategy.

‘Divine-level magic…!’

The magic faculty professors began to widen their eyes.

Only Assistant Professor Claire and Professor Krayd, who were already aware of Ed’s saint-level magic, maintained their composure.

Before Tyke could turn his gaze back towards Ed, already he was being drawn into Ed’s magical power.

‘Forced Convergence’

There is no means of resistance, nor is there any relation of compatibility.

Using it implies an unquestionable level of magic; such is the nature of Divine-level magic that utilizes Divine-level power.

The stellar magic, which could arbitrarily switch Tyke’s position, was in complete opposition to his battle style that prioritized the flow of close combat.

Regaining his senses only to be pulled into a cloud of dust, Tyke was then faced with Ed’s outstretched palm.

Having abruptly switched Tyke’s position, Ed then leaped and caught Tyke’s face in its entirety, before slamming him down into the ground with full force.

– Bang!

“Keuh, heugh!”

Climbing onto his chest and drawing his dagger, Ed stood over Tyke.

Tyke, who had anticipated a counterattack from Merilda, couldn’t muster any resistance.

But, having managed to regain his wits later, he clenched his knuckle dusters and struck out at Ed, who had climbed onto his chest.

– Kaang!

A randomly swung blow would still be a critical hit for Ed, but he wasn’t one to be hit with such a blindly dealt strike.

Dodging the swung knuckle duster, Ed then pressed the dagger towards his lower ribs.

When the dust cleared, the scene was set — if Ed wished, he could easily snatch Tyke’s life away at that moment.

“Heugh… Heugh…”

Both of them were panting heavily.

However, in Tyke’s posture, which suggested complete suppression, there was no trace of a will to resist.

Silence enveloped the spectator seats again.

Tyke’s blood spread copiously around him. Too many scratches and wounds to count.

“Surrender.”

There was neither arrogance nor intent to threaten in the call.

Ed Rothtaylor’s urge to surrender was simply that — a suggestion. Tyke Elfellan no longer had the strength to fight against Ed. It was time to bring it to an end.

Upon hearing that, Tyke just snickered ruefully.

“I’ve never surrendered myself before.”

“If you keep this up, you might suffer severe injuries.”

“I’ve suffered grave injuries more than once or twice. Keuk…”

After one more laugh, Tyke gathered the strength in his body and even the little magical power he had left began to rise.

‘Balgyeong’

A simple and crude magic that draws out the energy in one’s body to the extreme and releases it in a burst. It’s essentially a brute-force spell that’s inefficient compared to alternatives due to the haphazard infusion of magic power.

However, lacking in magical talents, Tyke still relied on this technique.

– Fwaak!

An instantaneous surge of magical power pushed Ed’s body away.

With Tyke’s spirited shout, the training ground once again plunged into the heat of battle.

Somehow, Tyke had risen to his feet and raised his guard once more. In the midst of the fierce fight, one knuckle duster had already flown off and vanished. Bleeding profusely, he raised his guard with just the remaining knuckle duster in his other hand.

Heeup – Haah –

His deep breaths were still unwavering.

Observing from the audience seats with Elvira on his lap, Clevius could only close his eyes tightly.

Elvira, who had been casually flipping through an alchemy book on his lap, stole a glance at Clevius and exhaled sharply through her nose.

Wade, watching from the other side, clenched his fists tightly in anger, though he was powerless to act.

Zix, too, continued to watch the training ground, leaning against the wall.

Students from the Combat, Magic, and Alchemy departments, along with the faculty, were all astounded by the sight of Tyke, dripping with blood, yet still raising his guard.

“Yenika… this is… that man is…”

“Among the upperclassmen, he’s well-known. He’ll never give up until he’s knocked out cold.”

“That’s certainly true… Mr. Ed is unbelievably strong… But to keep attacking to this extent even when he’s in tatters…”

Kadan Faelover trailed off. Despite the overwhelming difference in power, Tyke’s refusal to submit was inspiring awe among the onlookers.

“Yenika, is it really okay to just watch him struggle like this…? It’s just a practice duel, is there a need to suppress him this much…?”

Silla Faelover’s face was stricken with unease as she looked at Yenika.

“It seems too cruel to press him down with such overwhelming magical power when he’s fighting back with everything he has, doesn’t it?”

“That won’t do, mom.”

But Yenika Faelover knew.

As Ed Rothtaylor and Tyke Elfellan, panting heavily, were glaring at each other, it was clear that Tyke had whipped his body to the limit, whereas Ed wasn’t showing the slightest intention of holding back.

“Showing mercy is absolutely out of the question.”

Yenika Faelover had come to understand something.

During the end-of-semester evaluations, when she had enthusiastically worked her hardest for the top spot, she had once conceded her place to Ed.

Ed Rothtaylor’s mature smile from that time still lingered in Yenika’s heart as a profound regret.

It was precisely because she knew the feelings of the two combatants better than anyone else.

At the moment Tyke refused Ed’s call to surrender, Ed wouldn’t consider pulling any punches.

That was the greatest level of respect that Ed could show to Tyke Elfellan.

“Do you know why I never surrender?”

Looking up at the massive wolf spirit while keeping his guard up, Tyke was the one to speak first.

Holding his dagger and in a battle stance, Ed responded.

“Isn’t it because you hate to lose?”

“It’s close, but not quite. Initially, it wasn’t about having that kind of fighting spirit.”

Tyke closed his eyes and continued his story. He recalled his days as a first-year when he entered Sylvania, scraping the bottom as the worst dullard, gritting his teeth just to keep up in class.

From the moment they started, there were prodigies who knew how to wield sword energy, flawless marksmen with a bow, and monsters who could fell a bear in an instant with a spear.

While living as a dullard among them, Tyke never threw in the towel during any duel, though his reasons were not as lofty as it seemed.

“It was just too embarrassing.”

“…”

“Getting beaten by someone shorter than me, by underclassmen, by those who had trained far less… Initially, that was too humiliating, and I just bit the bullet and went all out until I was on the brink of consciousness.”

Tyke let out a wry laugh as he spoke frankly.

“Just fighting and enduring that way, and as I kept up with it, my classmates and juniors started attaching strange meanings to it.”

“Strange meanings?”

“Yeah. Like calling me… the king of the dullards, or a man who topped the hierarchy with sheer willpower and grunt work… Anyway, they attach all sorts of meanings to a guy who just bit down and thrashed around. They impose their expectations and idolize him without cause.”

Tyke’s blood dripped down, sinking into the dirt.

Though his body was already filled with wounds, Tyke’s voice remained as gruff and steady as usual.

“When I realized it, I’ve become this. Look at the audience. They’re all staring with excited eyes. I don’t understand why they have such high hopes for a dull brute whose only skill is fighting until he loses consciousness.”

Though he sounded annoyed, Tyke’s face was subtly smiling.

“If I became like that, it would be ridiculous, wouldn’t it? Especially since our 4th-year class is notorious for being full of dullards and I’m what you might call a beacon of hope for them. How could I show them the sight of such a hopeful figure disgracefully raising the white flag and running away? I can easily imagine the kind of despair that would cause my fellow classmates, having always been a failure throughout my life.”

Expectations and admiration pile up on one’s shoulders, regardless of one’s will, suddenly and without notice.

Yet despite such burdens, the weight is so heavy it prevents one from simply falling over.

It forces one to grip their shaky legs, to bite down and raise their arms in defense.

Even if that pose is unsteady, one cannot afford to receive any favors or pity. To someone like Tyke Elfellan, such ambiguous sympathy would be a humiliation worse than disdain.

Therefore, Ed Rothtaylor straightened his back.

“Come at me. I’ve faced geniuses like you tens or hundreds of times.”

“Tyke senior.”

But Ed Rothtaylor knew something critical that Tyke was misunderstanding.

Ed, too, had sustained a significant blow when he took Tyke’s punch. His shirt was torn, and the bandages wrapped around various parts of his body were coming undone.

Beneath the loosened bandages, Ed’s wounds emerged.

These were the evidences of crossing the thin line between life and death repeatedly to acquire high-level magic. The flesh warped by the unbearable magical power of Lucy was hideously exposed.

Tyke’s brow furrowed at the sight.

Tyke had been through a similar pattern of training and could recognize at a glance.

From the start, Ed wasn’t one to stand out in the first year. Ed Rothtaylor, too, had climbed up step by step.

By pushing himself to the limits, following the flow of the right path, and risking his life over and over again… Ed drove himself to the edges.

Ed Rothtaylor’s physique had disrespectfully not been born with magical aptitude.

Instead, his body was more suited for handcrafting and daily skills. Yet despite this, Ed had repeatedly crossed the lines of mortality to finally reach the place of the highest merit.

“Ha… Haha… Hahahaha…”

Tyke, who had momentarily raised his guard, let out a meaningful laugh.

“Haha… Hahahahaha….”

His head lowered, the laughter continued and its bearer raised his head once again. Even with his body drenched in blood, his face was filled with a broad smile.

The moments of duels where he had met geniuses and faced frustration flashed by like a kaleidoscope. He didn’t particularly show it, but each and every time had been miserable and painful.

“Hahaha… Hahahahaha!!! Hahahahahahahahahahaha!!!”

The expressions mixed with various emotions finally settled into a smile tinged with profound ecstasy.

“Yes, my apologies… Ed Rothtaylor….!!!”

His usual deep breaths followed. However, there was an intuition, sensing that before long, the conclusion would arrive.