Several days have passed since the Promotion Duels were officially recognized within the academy.

“OORAAAHHHHHHHH!!”

“This is the end!!”

“DIE, YOU BASTARD!!”

Once again, the academy was filled with battle cries, insults, the clash of swords, and the roar of magic from every direction.

───Is this the apocalypse?

The academy’s security had deteriorated so much that I couldn’t help but think so.

The number of injured from the duels had already exceeded a hundred, and multiple facilities within the academy had been declared off-limits due to the aftermath. It wasn’t hard to imagine just how many duels had taken place.

Hanging from the necks of the students were magical stone amulets, each glowing in different colors depending on their owners.

Proof Amulet

This enchanted accessory automatically changed color according to the wearer’s Academy Rank, serving as a visual indicator of their strength.

If a student was Rank 10, their amulet remained colorless. Rank 8 would give it a pale green hue. The students used these colors to select their opponents and challenge them to duels. The fact that the academy spared no expense in distributing such costly magical tools to each student showed just how elaborate this whole event was. Incidentally, the amulet for Rank 6 was orange.

Like everyone else, I wore an orange amulet around my neck. However, it had yet to change color.

And that was only natural—because ever since the Promotion Duels began, no one had challenged me to a single match.

───Why???

Confused as I was, the reason was obvious. Most of the students assigned to Rank 6—in fact, everyone except me—were second- or third-years. Since first-year classrooms were physically separate from those of the upperclassmen, I rarely encountered them in the school buildings.

Moreover, upperclassmen had already begun making decisions about their future careers. They couldn't afford to recklessly lower their ranks, so at this early stage of the Promotion Duels, they were carefully observing the situation before engaging in battles.

Then, out of nowhere, a first-year student—me—was suddenly placed among the Rank 6s. Of course, that would raise their level of caution even further. It was already difficult enough to secure duels, but now, standing out had only made my chances of promotion even worse.

───What did I do to deserve this…?

Being blatantly avoided like this almost made me feel like the entire world—or at the very least, someone close by—hated me. As a result, I still hadn’t had a single proper duel.

Meanwhile, my classmates were overflowing with enthusiasm.

“Just two more wins and I’ll reach Rank 7! I’ll catch up to you in no time, Clay!”

“Ah… yeah. Good luck…”

“Listen, Aniki! I’m about to be promoted to Rank 8!”

“That’s amazing…”

“Clay-kun! If I win my next match, I’ll be Rank 9!”

“Ahaha…”

I hadn’t planned on participating in the Promotion Duels at all. The only reason I joined was to gain access to certain books. I wasn’t having fun in the slightest.

But when people constantly talked about winning and losing, promotions and demotions, it was hard not to pay attention.

───It’s not like I’m jealous or anything, okay???

Seriously. Not even a little bit. I totally don’t want to duel, unlike some battle-crazed lunatics.

…Or so I told myself. But when everyone around me was getting worked up, it was only natural to start feeling restless. More importantly, if I didn’t get promoted, I wouldn’t be able to accomplish my goal. It was a serious problem.

“What should I do…?”

Even as I seriously pondered my situation, another problem arose to torment me.

“If I defeat you, I’ll jump ranks in one go! Prepare yourself!!”

“This is my last year! I need to secure a good future—so don’t call it cowardly, first-year!!”

“Bonus enemy spotted!!”

Every day after school, lower-ranked students kept attacking me.

Why?

Of course, it was to climb the ranks.

The Promotion Duels didn’t require opponents to be of the same rank. In fact, if a lower-ranked student managed to defeat someone of a higher rank, they could jump straight to their opponent’s rank.

But this rule was practically useless.

After all, there was no reason for a higher-ranked student to duel a lower-ranked one. Winning wouldn’t increase their promotion points, and losing meant the risk of demotion. There was absolutely no incentive to accept such challenges.

However, if they failed to defend themselves, they’d get beaten to a pulp. And the moment they drew their weapon, the Proof Amulet would register them as "combat-ready" and officially start the duel.

───What happened to all that talk about honorable duels???

The academy’s decision to distribute such high-performance magical tools now felt like a curse. By exploiting the amulet’s system, students could force others into duels, making the so-called “rules” completely meaningless.

As a result, desperate third-years facing graduation started coming after me more frequently.

In other words, while I had fought an absurd number of duels by now, I had gained absolutely nothing from them.

───And some of them were just plain weird.

Among the ambushes that bordered on assassination attempts, there were some who were unmistakably sent by her.

“If I kill you, I can marry Levia!!”

“Offer your head to Levia-tan!!”

“Levia-tan! Levia-taaaaaaan!!”

“…Wow.”

I seriously wanted no part of this.

So far, they were weak enough to deal with easily, but after being swarmed by these lunatics day after day, my stress levels were through the roof. I did tell her to “never show her face to me again,” and technically, she was keeping that promise. But sending brainwashed underlings after me through some kind of bloodline magic was a whole different issue.

This was outright harassment.

───If I ever see her again, I’ll make sure to deal with her for good.

Honestly, I had no idea why she was messing with me. Unlike last time, I had absolutely nothing to do with her now. Was she really that upset about being threatened? Was I just fated to be entangled with her no matter what?

“Ugh…”

Nothing was going my way. And I hated that I was starting to accept this kind of ridiculous second life as “just the way things are.”

───Should I go for a giant-killing victory against a strong opponent?

If I wanted to rank up, I might have no choice but to adopt the same tactics as those desperate third-years. But lowering myself to their level felt disgusting.

…No, I’m willing to do whatever it takes to kill that dragon. But for now, I’ll wait and see.

“This is seriously frustrating…”

As I sighed at the pile of unconscious students around me, a voice suddenly called out.

“You’re Claym Bradley, right?”

I turned to face the student, expecting yet another lower-ranker trying to pick a fight. But this one seemed different.

After all, most challengers didn’t even bother confirming my name before attacking.

“Uh… yeah, that’s me, but───”

As I turned to look at him, I froze.

───What?

For some reason, that damn woman, Levia, was standing right beside him.