Broken Possessors of Infinite Regression Academy

Hello everyone, It’s VarieTL. Thanks to the support in my Ko-Fi there will be 2 extra chapter today. Thank You for your support!

“As I mentioned in the last lecture, today I’ve prepared a special opponent. Aren’t you getting tired of just sparring and theoretical lessons?”

Jake’s voice rang out, and someone cheered loudly, clapping enthusiastically, only to get a playful scolding for making the professor feel inadequate.

Everyone was looking around with anticipation. Having missed the practical sparring session last week due to taking the entire week off, I was the only one sitting there cluelessly.

“Do you know what we’re doing today? Aria wanted to surprise you, so we kept it a secret,” Brynhild whispered to me.

Fortunately, every time I looked at Brynhild, I didn’t get flashbacks of the dream I had last night. If that had been the case, I would have had to go through the hassle of adapting and getting used to it again, just like before.

“No, I didn’t hear. Why is everyone so excited?”

“You’ll see, you’ll see. This time, even you won’t be able to hide your surprise!”

Brynhild was grinning from ear to ear. It wasn’t like I intentionally tried to keep a poker face. After going through so many tough situations, I just didn’t get excited over much anymore.

“Now then… uh, like this. Alright! Magic Stone Golems, activate!”

At Jake’s booming command, magic stone golems began to slowly walk into the training arena from a room beyond. No wonder they rented out the Colosseum today—it was for this.

The golems looked quite imposing. Their entire bodies were smooth, as if carved from white marble, and their eyes glowed green. They stood nearly three meters tall. The students were continuously exclaiming in awe at the impressive sight.

‘…Why are those coming out already?’

“How about it, impressive, right? Even if you scour the entire empire, you’d be hard-pressed to find combat magic stone golems with performance like these.”

Brynhild seemed smug, as if the magic stone golems were her own property, seeing me so surprised. But it wasn’t the golems’ appearance that shocked me.

I knew that later, those golems would be used against humans after their cores were corrupted due to a plot by the demon army. According to the original timeline, these shouldn’t appear until next year.

Then again, it’s rather pointless to stick to the original plot at this point.

“These are magic stone golems made for sparring with the Royal Guard! The Sword Saint has graciously allowed us to use them for the students of Bellium Academy!”

Jake’s voice echoed. I could feel the sudden surge in admiration for the Sword Saint among the students. They seemed to have completely forgotten how she had beaten up those who asked to be her apprentice on the first day.

‘Did the Sword Saint allow this because of me?’

It seemed likely. Just yesterday, she had somehow heard that I was unwell and sent a diluted elixir as a get-well-soon gift.

“She’s got money to burn. Those things are terribly inefficient.”

“…Why does it sound strange when you say that, Mira?”

“No, I mean, look at the pile of top-grade magic stones behind them. By the time today’s sparring is over, there won’t be a single one left.”

“…No way. Just one of those could power dozens of magic tools for a long time.”

“Just wait and see. ‘No way’ often catches people off guard.”

Even if they were using top-grade magic stones, the magic stone golems would quickly burn through them. Especially if they were powerful enough to be used for Royal Guard training.

There’s a reason they’re not used in actual combat despite their impressive capabilities. The amount of magic stones needed to operate one for just a few minutes could power dozens of magic tools on a battlefield for hours. Why waste such resources on a single combat golem?

Production costs are exorbitantly high, and if they’re destroyed without taking out many enemies, it’s going to be a costly affair. Hence, it’s far cheaper to create and use golems through magic.

Of course, they do have advantages. If they were only a nuisance, they wouldn’t have been created in the first place. These golems are incredibly fast and powerful compared to those made with magic. It’s not for nothing that a golem in the shape of a horse pulled the carriage that took me during the entrance ceremony.

Creating seven of these just for training purposes is either impressive or wasteful, depending on how you see it.

“Today, you don’t need to hold back or go for non-lethal strikes. You won’t be able to break these at your level, so give it your all,” Jake said.

A student, slightly offended, asked, “What if we do manage to break them?”

Jake laughed heartily, “Break them? If anyone can do that, I’ll take you to my favorite place and feed you until you burst. Bring your friends too!”

“Isn’t that a punishment?” someone muttered.

Jake’s grin widened. “Alright! If anyone manages to break one, not only will I treat you to a feast, but I’ll also give you a perfect score on the midterms!”

The response was intense. Jake seemed very confident, considering he made such a bold statement.

“But if you fail, there should be a punishment. How about spending a whole day working out with me in the training room?”

The enthusiastic reaction died down immediately. Even the burliest student, muscles rippling like Jake’s, looked away nervously. Jake scratched his head, realizing he might have gone too far.

“Oh, I almost forgot. You’re an exception, Mira Crate.”

“…Me?”

“Yes. The Sword Saint mentioned you have the ability to destroy a magic stone golem. You can spar as much as you want, but don’t go all out. The same goes for you, Brynhild.”

Brynhild looked bewildered, not expecting to be included.

I was lost in thought. I had always been careful with my strength, so what had the Sword Saint seen to say that? Perhaps, just as she could see the burdens on my soul, she could see my true strength.

“You’re free to ignore my advice, but I recommend listening. If you break one, it would be quite problematic. The compensation would be much more than a few gold coins.”

“…How much?” Brynhild, suddenly deflated, asked timidly. Jake smiled broadly.

“Even if you saved all the allowance you receive every month for three years, it wouldn’t be enough. Think about it. These are the training golems used by the Royal Guard of the palace. They’re incredibly valuable.”

That statement caused Brynhild and the other students to panic. I was the only one unfazed.

‘I could probably afford one with my saved up pocket money.’

Jake, realizing his mistake, hastily reassured everyone that only those two needed to hold back, while the rest could go all out. The atmosphere only lightened after he clarified that the compensation claim was just a joke.

After all, it wouldn’t make sense to use them for training and then demand compensation if they were broken. Even if they were expensive, it wasn’t practical.

“Alright, let’s get started! Choose a golem you want to face and line up!”

There were seven magic stone golems, each wielding a different weapon: sword, spear, axe, mace, and shield, among others. They seemed designed for fighting demons rather than monsters.

Aria gave a brief farewell before lining up in front of the golem armed with a flail and shield. Brynhild and I decided to sit back and observe the golems’ performance first.

“…They seem incredibly strong. Can I really destroy something like that?” Brynhild murmured, her expression dazed as she watched a student, who had been holding their ground quite well, get struck by the flail and go flying, landing sprawled on the ground.

Despite the fact that Belium Academy only admitted the most talented students from across the empire, they were clearly outmatched by the magic stone golems. It was no surprise since only a few exceptional individuals could be stronger than the Royal Guard.

‘Sure, at this level…’

My assessment was the exact opposite of Brynhild’s. Whether the Sword Saint had been testing me or genuinely knew the truth, if this was the extent of the golems’ power, it made sense for her to warn me not to go all out. Brynhild might feel daunted now, but she could break them too.

“Wow, but Mira, you were right. They’ve already used over twenty of those stones. No wonder they’re reluctant to deploy them.”

At the same time, the inefficiency of the magic stone golems’ power sources was glaringly apparent. Despite only thirty minutes of sparring, over twenty high-grade magic stones had been consumed. Approximately one high-grade stone was used for every five students, which meant about one gold coin worth of resources evaporated each sparring session. Consequently, everyone was fighting with all their might.

“Aren’t you going to fight, Brynhild?”

“Well, I’m a bit hesitant… These golems seem weaker than the legion commander we fought in the dungeon. Plus, if I lose control and destroy one, it might be problematic…”

“Have your standards risen after fighting a legion commander? As expected of the Hero.”

“Hey…!”

Brynhild lightly punched me, signaling for me to keep quiet. She didn’t put much strength into it, though.

Her raised standards were a good sign, indicating she still had room to grow and hadn’t lost her resolve.

“Phew… I’m getting exhausted just watching.”

After some playful bickering, Brynhild leaned on my shoulder, panting exaggeratedly. There was no way she was actually tired from just a few playful hits, so it was obviously an act.

I had always felt that she struggled with gauging personal boundaries, perhaps because Aria was her only close friend. The level of physical affection she showed me was almost the same as what she showed Aria.

“Oh, right. I almost forgot to ask. Do you remember when we brought you porridge and rice balls?”

“Yeah, I remember.”

Despite me rejecting their visits, they had still felt guilty about not coming to see me while I was ill, so they brought me some simple food during lunch.

“Which one do you think was mine?”