The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound
chapter-195

Chapter 195 Attack Exam (6)

Kiggik…

Felt like a weird glitch. Nevertheless, it was shocking to Professor Sadi.

The golem stopped.

The relentless whip assault, which felt as if it could overwhelm Vikir at any moment, suddenly ceased.

‘…?’

Professor Sadi was taken aback, stepping back.

This time, the golem responded properly.

…?

Everyone watching was puzzled by the scene.

“What’s going on? Why did she stop attacking after going at Vikir so aggressively?”

“Is it because of the mood? It looked like the golem stopped for a moment.”

“Anyway, it’s an opportunity! Run, kid!”

“Surrender! You might die if you keep going!”

As Professor Sadi’s golem started moving again, all spectators shouted in unison.

“This is ridiculous. What was that just now?”

Mud golems or stone golems often experience glitches, but these are usually minor issues that disappear during test runs.

Professor Sadi raised her whip again, aiming for Vikir. Up and down, up again, then down once more—a repeated motion.

However…

Kiggik!

Once again, the movement was halted.

Jjaak!

The whip, falling toward Vikir, stopped midway, destroying an unintended area.

“What the heck is this!?”

Annoyed, Professor Sadi shook her hand and stepped back.

At that very moment.

Dda-ang!

Vikir, who had escaped from the corner, shot an arrow into the lower abdomen of the golem once again.

Kiggik!

The golem stopped briefly.

Witnessing this, the professors and students erupted in excitement.

“That’s it! I understand now!”

“He kept hitting the same spot over and over! That’s why it stopped!”

“He continuously targeted the area, causing wear and tear, degrading its performance!”

“Wow, what incredible accuracy!”

Belatedly, the students also began to react.

“Wait, he kept hitting the same spot with arrows? Is that even possible?”

“It is! He’s an amazing archer!”

“Yeah! I saw him shoot equally with Bianca at the archery range last time!”

“During the defense test, his aura seemed almost at the level of a High-Tier Sword Expert!”

“Who is he really?”

Public opinion made a swift reversal. Cheers for Vikir, the unexpected dark horse, and jeers for the antagonist, Professor Sadi.

“Great!”

Tudor, who was cheering outside the arena, cheered triumphantly, “Vikir, you’ve been consistently targeting the golem’s joint and connecting point in the lower abdomen! You deserve recognition for your archery skills!”

However, Sancho, who was standing nearby, tilted his head.

“Consistently hitting the same spot without a single error is undoubtedly impressive, but… can it really make Professor Sadi’s golem stumble like that?”

The answer to their curiosity came from Sinclaire.

“It’s partly because of his arrows, but Professor Sadi’s habits played a role too.”

“Habits?”

“Yes. Professor Sadi uses a whip. Where do you think she exerts the most force when using it?”

“Well, the lower abdomen, correct? Given the structure of the golem, both the arms and legs move by exerting force on the lower abdomen. Furthermore, the whip’s nature as a weapon contributes to this.”

“That’s right. So Vikir consistently aimed for the lower abdomen. If he makes the joint and connection point fragile, he can seal both the arms and legs. The power and accuracy of the whip will weaken.”

“…Is that possible? That area is much smaller than a typical joint. It has to be an extremely precise shot for such precise sniping.”

Tudor and Sancho exchanged puzzled looks at Sinclaire’s explanation.

Bianca, joining the conversation, added her insight.

“He can do it.”

Turning everyone’s attention, Bianca spoke with determination.

“Last time, when we were doing archery together at the shooting range… that guy shot and killed a mosquito flying over a hundred meters away. Without using mana.”

“Come on, does that make sense?”

“I’m telling you, it’s true!”

While Tudor and Bianca were bantering, Sinclaire regretfully messed up her hair, blaming herself.

“Oh, the joint in the lower abdomen was the weak point. Vikir is always one step ahead of me. Why didn’t I think of that?”

At that moment, a voice resolved everyone’s questions: Dolores, the student council president.

“Of course. It’s a weakness that didn’t exist when you faced Professor Sadi.”

Everyone looked puzzled at Dolores’s statement, and there was a strange expression on Figgy’s face as he turned his head.

“Do you remember the blade fragment that Figgy embedded in?”

Only after hearing Dolores’s words did everyone gasp. Even Figgy himself.

The blade fragment Figgy inserted into the golem at the last moment became a counterattack, causing a minor weakness. And Vikir, with unwavering confidence, saw through that flaw and firmly grasped it.

When Professor Banshee realized this, he couldn’t help but look defeated as he stood in front of the arena.

“…That insolent brat.”

When he noticed Professor Sadi’s golem twitching, he twisted his lips in disbelief.

Despite having faced numerous students before, this was the first time a student dared to challenge her to a battle of wits. It was also the first time this had happened to the renowned Professor Banshee!

As time passed, public opinion was increasingly favoring Vikir.

“You’re doing great, kid! Keep pushing!”

“It’s a chance to score big points!”

“Go! Vikir! Stay strong!”

“Show us the power of a commoner!”

“Oppa, you’re so cool!”

Cheers and responses erupted from the audience, pushing Vikir forward.

However…

“Hilarious, hohohoho”

Professor Sadi once again reversed all these currents.

She immediately adjusted her posture.

The seemingly precarious pose that looked like it could collapse at any moment returned to its original state in an instant.

Her extraordinary sense of balance with those unstable-looking heels was truly remarkable.

At the same time, her whip swept around like a fierce snake.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwack! Thud! Duduk! Eudddeuk!

Broken arrow shafts and shattered arrowheads scattered in all directions.

The arrows that were stuck in the ground or wriggling around were all shattered and scattered.

Professor Sadi, instead of attacking Vikir, was preventing the use of the surrounding arrows.

Almost all the seemingly intact arrows disappeared in an instant.

In fact, the battle had practically ended.

Ho-ho-ho. What can an archer do without arrows?

Professor Sadi chuckled with a mischievous smile on one side of her mouth.

It was true.

Vikir didn’t have a single arrow left.

All the supplied arrows were long gone, and trying to pick up the ones stuck or fallen on the ground resulted in most of them being nearly broken after several shots.

And the ones that flew off in strange directions due to the wind were practically impossible to retrieve.

Moreover, with the recent sneak attack from Professor Sadi’s whip, all the remaining arrows were broken. Vikir had no means of attack left.

“…”

“…”

“…”

As Vikir became aware of the harsh reality, the cheers from the audience rapidly diminished.

“Ho-ho-ho-ho. Do you understand now, piglet?”

Professor Sadi swung her whip on the ground a few times as she spoke.

“Vikir, right? There’s still quite some time left in the exam. What will you do? Give up midway? Or do you want to play more with this kawai big sister~?”

However…

“…”

Vikir remained expressionless, standing still.

His posture didn’t convey any intention to give up on the exam or to continue fighting.

“…?”

Professor Sadi furrowed her brows in confusion.

Although Vikir’s eyes were mostly hidden by his bangs, it was clear that his gaze was directed towards her.

An uncomfortable gaze.

It wasn’t the gaze of someone cornered but rather the eyes of a predator viewing her as prey.

For a moment…

Chills!

Professor Sadi shivered.

Where did this spine-chilling feeling come from?

…Creepy!

Professor Sadi shook herself once.

The eerie sensation crawling up her spine was truly mysterious.

The opponent was a first-year academy student, an insignificant commoner, and an archer without arrows.

But for a brief moment, Professor Sadi felt overwhelmed by the indescribable aura emanating from this insignificant commoner.

It was similar to the instinctual reaction of a frog in front of a snake or a gambler recognizing a god level gambler.

However, reason triumphs over emotion.

Professor Sadi quickly regained her composure and realized the obvious fact that there was no reason for this insignificant commoner in front of her to be a threat.

And for a very brief moment, she felt a scratch on her sturdy pride…

‘…Could it be because of this?’

Professor Sadi was angry.

If it were her usual self, she would have respected and trusted her instincts.

But now, for a moment, she succumbed to her pride and roared like a predator confronting its prey.

“This insolent brat!”

“How dare you, you arrogant pig, you don’t even understand the subject, how dare you look at me like that…!”

Her eyes widened as she growled.

Professor Sadi, who had been fixated on Vikir, saw his lips curl into a small smile at that moment.

It was so small that no one else could have seen it.

A message that could only be deciphered by looking at the shape of the lips.

‘Where are you looking, blinded by rage?’

Sadi’s eyes widened unexpectedly.

At the same time.

…Puck!

A strange sound was heard…

It sounded like something soft popping, and it had to be very close.

“…?”

Professor Sady blinked a few times, her eyes wide.

Her left eye felt strangely hot, and then her vision went black.

At the same time.

“……! ……! ……! ……!”

A searing pain began to engulf the entire left side of her face.