I Was the Strongest Sword God in My Past Life

part 74

Sephia slowly turned over the paper.

The number next to Jen’s name was…

[Jen Rassel, 1st place]

1.

***

After the exam season was over.

Sephia gathered all the 1st-year students in the auditorium.

“Haha, I’ve called you all here today to share some joyful news about the proud Arkanas.”

The joyful news sparked applause. However, students who were quick-witted already suspected the content based on Sephia’s country-style formal attire.

“First, the exam! The average score of Arkanas’ 1st-year students is overwhelmingly the highest in all academies. Even higher than Sylia’s score. Haha!”

The restrained applause filled the auditorium. Sephia’s satisfied face continued speaking.

“And, as you all know, our Arkanas recently won first place in the external event. Among 33 schools, we took first place! We outperformed Sylia, who was in second place. Hot, hot, hot!”

It was unclear whether this was a celebration or a setup to mock Sylia. However, there was another crucial point.

“Thanks to this, Central assigned a mission to the schools that took first and second place in the tournament! The mission is to clear the 5th-grade virtual gate!”

Sephia’s eyes suddenly blazed with excitement.

The word “5th-grade” shattered the calm, and the commotion grew.

“5th-grade?”

“Our school, really?”

“1st-year students? Which party is this?”

“Are you kidding?”

Even if we die at the virtual gate, the actual difficulty remains the same.

But if the students can break through the 5th gate, it’s a different story. With just their skills, they can be deployed in the real battle at any moment. The first-year students were making different facial expressions, such as confusion and joy.

“Okay, calm down. This is the main event from now on.”

Just then, the selfie phone went silent.

He paused for a moment and looked back at the auditorium’s rear.

“Regardless of how prestigious Arkana is, the opponent is the 5th gate. We’re not the only ones who can challenge it.”

The selfie phone sent a signal, and three students walked out from behind the curtain.

Kua waved his hand cheerfully.

Demona walked robot-like, expressionless.

And Lucia Elquines, the genius of Selia Academy.

The three of them, overflowing with talent, were the original number one.

The students’ commotion grew louder again. But Lucia didn’t even flinch and stared at Jean.

“…Jean Russell.”

A subtle psychological game.

Chris, who was standing next to Jean, looked at Lucia with a puzzled face.

“Why are you staring at me?”

Amy, who had suddenly burst into laughter, shrugged her shoulders and clapped her hands.

“You think you can beat me? That’s not even a thought, is it?”

“Ah, that’s a good one.”

Chris nodded his head.

Isabel scowled and pointed to somewhere.

“…What’s that?”

Kua was looking at Isabel with a bright and clear gaze, completely different from Lucia’s boldness. Kua had been punched in the face by Isabel’s uppercut and mountain punch, but his expression now was far from anger or competitiveness.

As Arkana Party and Selia Party engaged in a subtle psychological game, Selphi burst into laughter.

“These students from Selia are with us, Arkana, to clear the 5th gate.”

Clap, clap, clap!

The applause was no longer just formal, but filled with excitement. The students cheered at the appearance of a popular idol.

“Please help our school students a lot while Selia students are staying. Hohoho!”

The Arkana Party’s Common Room.

Amy was brewing tea for an unplanned ti-time. “If you like it, I’ll add sugar separately,” she said.

The tea set she had prepared was the highest-grade tea provided by Celia. Celia, who had smelled the aroma of the tea, seemed to understand its value, and let out a loud “Wow!”.

“This is a high-end tea worth more than gold of the same weight. Arkana’s living arrangements are quite good.”

Kua, looking surprised, turned to Chris with a nod. “It’s not like that,” Chris said. “Our party is cherished by the school’s principal. Specifically, it’s because of Jean and Isabelle.”

The party leader is a school hero.

As the party member, Isabelle is the daughter of the party chairman.

Celia didn’t think the high-end tea was wasted.

Amy, who had poured the tea with excitement, glanced at each member of Celia. “I didn’t know you would send us to a boarding school until graduation. …However, it might be necessary. We’re 5th-grade students, after all.”

“But if the two parties are merged, who will take charge of the party?”

Chris asked, holding the tea cup.

A brief silence fell in the common room. Jean thought for a moment before speaking up.

“Then let’s split the party into two and assign the party members separately. Lucia will be in charge of the Celia side, and Arkana will be in charge of…”

“No, there’s no need for that,” Lucia said firmly, her tone commanding everyone’s attention.

Lucia put down the tea cup and looked at Jean. “You lost to me, and even in an unfavorable situation, Arkana won against Celia. This time’s party leader will be Arkana, which is the right choice.”

As Lucia finished speaking, Kua nodded vigorously and applauded. “If the party leader says so, I’ll follow!”

“…”

Demenon remained expressionless, silent.

Her silence was a sign of acceptance.

It was not an easy choice, but the Celia party respected Lucia, and Jean had defeated such a Lucia. The party members trusted Lucia, and Jean could trust her as well.

“Good. I’ll make sure to reciprocate.”

It was a good outcome for Jean.

Lucia’s growth was comparable to that of the hero, Zhen, in his past life, but there was a huge difference in their experiences.

Lucia had never participated in a 4th-grade gate, whereas Zhen was a hero who had cleared the 8th-grade gate in his past life.

Who was more suitable for the party leader was difficult to compare.

Zhen announced his plan with a comfortable heart, thanks to Lucia’s consideration.

“First, we need to decide on the gate selection.”

Zhen took out a large sheet of paper from his pocket and spread it out on the table.

[5th grade – For the Lord (4th area)]

[Region – Relpea Castle]

[5th grade – The Medicinal Herb of the Cave (3rd area)]

[Region – The Cave of the Righteous]

[5th grade – The Hunter’s Night (1st area)]

[Region – New Sky City]

[…]

The paper had a list of virtual gates scribbled on it, with even the quest titles and regions marked.

“This is a paper given to me by the government. Let’s take our time to sift through it. The 3rd area is unfavorable.”

The party members agreed with Zhen’s words.

The gates in the 3rd area had a tendency to be biased towards combat.

As students with limited battle experience and lack of skills, the 3rd area was daunting.

“What about the 4th area?”

The background of the 4th area was a vast world called Genia where martial arts and magic coexisted.

The 4th area had quests with diverse storylines, but this also had the disadvantage of making it difficult to predict what kind of quests would appear, whether they be related to plot, history, or combat.

“The 4th area has gates with varying levels of danger.”

Zhen’s words were simple, despite being difficult to express. 4th area, exclude. Kua seemed to agree with Zhen’s choice.

“Right! The 6th grade also has gates with varying levels of danger, so 4th area is particularly notorious.”

Kua said, and indeed, the 4th area had a high proportion of notorious gates, especially those with names like “Demoniac” and “Dragon”.

‘The Demonic Palace of Maowang…….’

A mysterious realm.

The unknown 8th-grade gate.

In Zhen’s past life, he had met his final fate in the gates of the 4th area.

“Then there’s only one zone left, right?”

Isabel said, missing the sugar in her green tea. Amy, who had been watching, turned pale. “Oh, it won’t dissolve! I’d rather just use sugar water…”

Amy’s concerns notwithstanding, Isabel enjoyed her time with chocolate cookies and sugar tea. Kua watched Isabel with a serious expression, and then coughed awkwardly.

“…Yeah, there’s only one zone left. The advantages of the first zone are that it’s similar to our world in many ways.”

And even the hunter and saber have similar aspects in terms of their abilities.

The characteristics of the hunters and the saber’s magic.

Their strength is not apparent at first glance.

“So even without knowing the history and acting, the hurdles are low. Most quests are relatively easy.”

The quests in the first zone are like something that happens in modern times. While the scale may be larger, the quests are within the bounds of common sense.

When Amy finished explaining, she suddenly raised her hand.

“Is this the Hunter’s Night? You’ve confirmed it with this quest? Then I have something to say!”

Amy opened the screen on her phone for the Sylph party members.

[Amy’s Saber Broadcast!]

“By the way, I’ll be broadcasting from within the Gate. Are there any opposing views from the Sylph side?”

The broadcast was Amy’s purpose for joining Ji En’s party. She would never compromise. Fortunately, the Sylph party, including Lucia, accepted Amy’s broadcast.

“Hey, how are we going to broadcast from within the Gate? Are we going to bring a cameraman too?”

Chris asked, looking at Amy with a face that said “You’re just kidding.”

“Bring one?”

Amy pulled out a drone from her pocket and released it into the air. The small drone with a camera attached flew around, moving in a natural and smooth manner. The movement was so natural that even Chris, who had never seen a drone used for filming before, was amazed.

“Wow. That’s convenient.”

“It’s only 3 million coins, of course!”

Amy had invested the meeting’s sponsorship money in her equipment. She was a professional broadcaster.

“The next thing to decide is training.”

Ji En narrowed her eyes and scanned her party members one by one.

Ji En’s head contained data on the party members she had observed during the competition.

“For the next two weeks, we’ll supplement our weaknesses and maximize our strengths.”

Thanks to Deuk-bun, Jien knew exactly what kind of training each person needed.

Isabel and Chris, of course, had already thought about the party, including Selya’s party.

“Now that I’ve become the party leader. I need to digest all the schedules given to me right now. But don’t worry, it’s just a simple schedule.”

Jien’s words made Isabel and Chris’s pupils shake.

* * *

Area 1.

Gate Name: [Hunter’s Night]

As the gate name suggests, the enemies in Area 1 are often “hunters” rather than monsters. Unlike unintelligent monsters, the opponent is human. Jien looked back and forth at Isabel and Kua.

“So, the training until the virtual gate will be a one-on-one duel.”

“That’s fine. I’ll definitely win anyway.”

Whoosh!

The fire wrapped around Isabel’s hand, transforming into a gauntlet. Kua just smiled wryly.

“So Isabelle and Kua sealed away the magical tools and mana, making them familiar with close combat. But who knows what kind of handicap they might encounter at the Gate? If they’re not prepared, they’ll die.”

Kua let out a nervous laugh in front of Jeon’s cold eyes.

“Yes, alright!”

Kua clenched his fist, determination in his voice.

From noble mtl dot come

Isabelle looked at Kua with disdain.

“So, shall we start now?”

“Yes.”

Isabelle’s response was accompanied by a loud, cracking sound as she flexed her joints.

Isabelle approaching.

Kua backing away.