The World After the Bad Ending

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“Eek!”

Crash!

The last girl among the four who had been insulting me rolled on the floor.

She couldn’t break through my steel skin and shield attack, and ended up collapsing.

Rolling on the floor, she fainted right there.

It was truly a series of unbroken victories.

The four who were beaten by me bit their handkerchiefs in frustration but when our eyes met, they recoiled in fear.

Cold sweat formed on their foreheads.

It was all thanks to me that they received such a thorough lesson.

From now on, they wouldn’t dare openly speak ill of me in front of my face.

‘This doesn’t feel too bad.’

Refreshing.

Is this what it feels like?

Before I knew it, my rank was now 15th.

Most of the others were waiting for the results of the mock battle, but mine was still ongoing.

‘Only four more to go.’

If I defeat four more, I’d definitely be in the upper ranks.

‘Huff, even I’m starting to get tired.’

I had grown significantly stronger from my conditioning.

However, trying to jump from 46th to 15th all at once was starting to wear on my stamina.

Moreover, as I climbed into the mid-tier, the differences in skill level became more evident.

It’s not like Jerion Academy is exclusively for top students.

I was starting to hit limits with just my steel skin.

At least it was a mock battle.

If it were a life-or-death situation, even mid-tier students wouldn’t fall too easily.

In a real fight, they would use any means necessary to kill their opponent.

It was certain that the fights would be much harder than this.

‘That being said, just relying on steel skin won’t be enough to climb into the top ranks.’

I had prepared several strategies for that.

But honestly, I didn’t even know how well they would work for me.

“How’s your rank looking now?”

“Now I’m 15th.”

“Are you about to enter the top ranks?”

Just then, whispers spread among the kids.

In fact, there had been almost no student in mock battle history that caused this much fluctuation in rankings.

Most students only saw a change of about 3 ranks at most.

“Now that I think about it, doesn’t this situation seem similar to before?”

“Right, Lucas and…”

At that moment, the kids fell silent.

They realized they had made a slip of the tongue and started glancing around.

The one they were wary of was Isabel.

She had been quietly observing my battles the entire time.

Isabel’s current rank in the mock battle was 5th.

Considering she had originally been at 10th, she had climbed an impressive 5 ranks.

That was how much her skills had improved.

However, Isabel had a different target in mind.

That being me, the one who had climbed up from the lower ranks to the mid-tier.

Only one person had experienced such a dramatic change in ranking.

That was Lucas, who had awakened the flame of willpower, while stuck in the lower ranks.

After awakening the flame of willpower, Lucas grew exponentially alongside the training he was already accustomed to.

As a result, he shot up from the lower ranks to the upper ranks in an instant during the mock battle.

He truly showcased the qualities of a protagonist.

And now, here I was.

The one who had insulted the deceased Lucas had risen alongside him from the lower ranks.

The thoughts of the other kids drifted back to the dead Lucas, and naturally, their gazes shifted toward Isabel.

Isabel was tight-lipped and remained silent.

Among everyone here, she was the one thinking most about Lucas.

But she said nothing.

She simply stared at me, pondering how to deal with me.

‘Yeah, take your time to think about it.’

After all, that thought wouldn’t hold much significance.

“14th place, Ban. 15th place, Hanon Irey.”

At that moment, I was called once again.

‘Here we go.’

And for the first time, there was no longer an air of confidence on my face.

In the distance, a skinny boy was trudging over.

His face was full of boredom and annoyance.

He seemed like a carefree boy, simply going with the flow of life.

And I instinctively sensed I had met my strongest opponent of the day.

The lazy genius.

Ban.

The lazy genius who seemed uninterested in anything.

Though clearly among the top five in terms of skill, he often declared forfeit due to his lack of motivation.

Instructors and professors didn’t particularly chastise Ban for that.

Someone without motivation would just lack motivation no matter what they did.

His rank reflected that mindset.

If he lacked the dedication to climb higher, he’d comfortably settle into the mid-tier.

Ban scratched his back listlessly, looking at me.

As I met his gaze, I stepped onto the arena.

“Ban, if you’re going to declare forfeit again, say it early.”

The instructor, familiar with Ban’s face, said to him.

Ban glanced at the instructor, then slowly turned to me.

He then lowered the hand that had been scratching his back.

“No.”

Though the annoyance in his eyes was still present, this time, a faint glimmer of interest flared up.

“I want to cut you.”

That’s just crazy.

I don’t know why all the geniuses, including Sharine, the top of Magic Arts, are like this.

“Ban wants to cut you.”

“Is it finally over?”

“Since Ban’s interested, this transfer student must be strong.”

The kids murmured among themselves again.

Everyone in the second year knew of Ban’s skill.

Moreover, they were aware that Ban had never truly displayed his skills until now.

However, Ban wasn’t choosing to fight me because he thought highly of my skills.

He had only showcased his skills once in the mock battle.

“It was when he clashed swords with Lucas.”

It was during the time he faced off against Lucas.

After an intense battle, Lucas finally defeated Ban through sheer effort.

This was when Ban found his incentive for growth, regaining his interest in wielding a sword.

But after Lucas died, Ban lost interest in the sword once more and regressed back into being a lazy genius.

“He’s quite a decent guy.”

Ban let his sword hang limply at his side.

At the same time, an aura of hostility began to swirl around him.

“I heard you’ve been talking nonsense.”

Ban actually liked Lucas quite a bit.

And I insulted Lucas, who had been that motivation for him.

It wasn’t just Isabel who felt upset about the insult to Lucas.

At the very least, the upper-tier members of the martial arts club who had spent a year with Lucas were offended.

They all got along well with Lucas, and they looked extremely displeased with me, who had insulted him.

That was the reason my confident expression had vanished.

14th place, the lazy genius Ban.

He wouldn’t go down easily like the others.

And sorry, but—

“I just said what I had to say.”

I wouldn’t go down easily either.

“Ah, I see.”

Ban replied flatly.

Instead, his eyes locked firmly onto mine.

“You’re going to be cut.”

“Begin the match!”

As the instructor announced the start of the match and stepped back, Ban disappeared from my view.

He was fast.

I barely registered his speed, and by the time I reacted—

Swish!

Blood splattered for the first time from my chest.

My skin, which stepped back a pace, had been cut.

Beneath it was Ban, who swung his sword.

For the first time, my steel skin had been breached.

And this was something I had expected.

There was a vivid blue energy wavering along Ban’s sword.

In Jerion Academy, where only the best geniuses gathered, only a few achieved this; it was known as Sword Qi.

Sword Qi was the pinnacle of imbuing one’s imagination into their blade.

Even swinging a blunt sword, one could split boulders and even cut through steel.

Ban was one of the few who wielded such swordsmanship.

No matter how sturdy my steel skin was, at my current level, I couldn’t block the sword qi head-on.

This was why I had said that relying solely on my steel skin wouldn’t solve my issues in the upper ranks.

Ban’s sword moved once more.

Now that I was relying on my steel skin, the long battles that had worked in the mid-tier were completely ineffective.

The shield on my arm moved swiftly.

Ban watched my shield with disinterest.

“Does that even mean anything?”

As his question came, Ban’s sword struck against my shield.

Swish!

In an instant, the shield was split in half.

Before Ban’s sword qi, even my shield was useless.

The only way to stop sword qi was to wield sword qi of my own.

I felt the power of sword qi deeply for the first time.

The instructor didn’t stop us.

He knew Ban’s skill level.

It looked dangerous, but he was convinced Ban wouldn’t kill me.

Ban’s swordsmanship had matured to that degree.

Ban’s sword surged forward, smashing against the ground.

My body barely dodged Ban’s attack.

Thanks to today’s mock battle, I had learned something about Bickamon.

Bickamon had surprisingly good dynamic vision.

An attack I wouldn’t have even been able to react to in my original state was being evaded by Bickamon’s body, which was applying learned steps.

My repeated evasions in the previous battle had helped me out.

Experience was building within me.

However, not everything could be solved through evasion.

The opponent was a master swordsman.

Because of Ban’s swordsmanship, I was slowly being pressed back.

As I dodged, Ban’s sword began placing itself faster in the direction I was evading.

Before I knew it, my evasion space was rapidly shrinking.

Ban handled numerous types of swordsmanship simultaneously.

This style of swordplay, which encroached upon the opponent’s territory and forced them back, was undoubtedly a kind of blunt sword.

On top of that, the logic of quick strikes pressed upon me at high speed.

Swish!

The space I was being cut in was growing ever larger.

Flesh torn by the sword qi began to bleed onto my clothes.

My territory was quickly claimed by Ban.

Ban’s eyes glimmered.

I could sense how long he had devoted himself to mastering the sword.

Before I knew it, I had been pushed into a position where I couldn’t move an inch.

My body was stained with blood from dodging his sword so desperately.

I was gasping for breath.

Repeated evasion on a tightrope was beginning to wear down my stamina.

“Ban, take him down!”

“Show that guy what you’re made of!”

Perhaps because I had ruthlessly defeated the other kids before, I had now become something of a traitor to the other martial arts students.

Well, I did indeed enjoy tormenting the kids in an unpleasant manner.

After withstanding endless evasion and my steel skin having worn down, I’d then smashed them once they were exhausted.

Undoubtedly, that wouldn’t have felt like a fair fight from their perspective.

One of them might have even complained that if this wasn’t a mock battle, they wouldn’t have dragged it on like this.

However, this is a mock battle.

I had to utilize the characteristics of the mock battle thoroughly.

What’s more, playing the role of a traitor was actually welcome for me.

The more I became a traitor, the more motivation it would give Isabel to take me down.

Even among the cries of the kids, Ban’s gaze remained calm.

His concentration was terrifying, showcasing what it meant to be a genius.

I had already lost my space to Ban.

Ban’s blade surged toward me, determined to find its endpoint.

As if a snake had sunk its fangs into its prey’s neck.

Ban’s sword shot up toward me.

An unavoidable close-range attack.

My eyes clearly recognized the sword, but I couldn’t find any way to evade it.

That’s why—

‘I’ve been waiting for this moment.’

Ban’s sword lunged at me.

The blade infused with sword qi sliced through my skin and began to burrow into my chest.

Crunch!

Ban’s eyes widened for the first time.

Steel skin.

There was something about it that others didn’t know.

Steel skin isn’t just applied to the skin.

It can also be applied to the weapons I wield or my clothing.

And now, why am I saying all this?

Because what was happening right in front of me.

The sword that was meant to cut me, Ban’s blade, was now firmly lodged in my chest, stuck in place.

Ban’s sword remained fixed, not moving an inch.

Naturally, adding to the fact that his blade was now firmly tied to my steel skin was the reason for that.

Of course, the pain of being cut open began to wash over me, but I had already prepared myself for that long ago.

Ban’s eyes shot open wide.

His eyes seemed to question if I was in my right mind.

“You.”

He finally realized the unique characteristic I had.

I was not just any sturdy individual.

I was the vessel cloaked in the mystery that belonged to the Steel Empress.

However, it was still too early for him to be flustered.

The moment Ban’s sword swung, my hands were already in motion.

My fingers pointed towards Ban’s blade, lodged in my chest.

Ban noticed my movements, but it was too late.

Crack!

My fingers pierced through the blade.

Utilizing the mystery of my steel skin, I interfered with the sword itself, pushing it away from the contact point.

“Y’see, I’ll let you in on something.”

Thanks to that, I felt the sensation of my fingers being ripped, but I didn’t care and flashed a wicked smile.

Amidst the sweat trickling down my face, my crimson eyes glimmered with light.

Seeing that, Ban’s eyes widened in shock.

He looked as if he was facing off against a madman.

Ban, who had lived his life as a genius, was likely surrounded by nothing but ordinary folks.

So, I decided to engrave one clear lesson into him.

The lazy genius who should have become Lucas’s most reliable ally and friend.

In front of him, I was someone he had never seen before.

“Don’t use a sword in front of me from now on.”

And as I clenched my hands tight, I pulled.

Crack! CLANG!

The misaligned sword shattered into pieces and scattered everywhere.

Ban stared blankly at the broken pieces of the sword.

Sword Breaker.

It was a secret move that even Aisha found baffling.

A trump card meant to crush the genius of swords.