THUD. x5
Four steel plates of a sealed shipping container slammed onto the ground simultaneously, kicking up a cloud of dust. One of them, still attached to the top, banged twice before settling.
A grotesque, four-meter-tall creature stood revealed. Its bloated, muddy-yellow body was covered in fish-like scales, and its mouth, fitted with wild boar-like tusks, was clamped shut by a muzzle made of special alloy. It couldn't roar, only huff and puff heavily.
Its four thick arms and legs were all bound by chains inscribed with strange symbols. The Cursed Energy within the chains immobilized it, allowing only the slightest trickle of its own power to flow.
"Wait? No way."
When the "exam question" for his classmate Kento Nanami was officially revealed, Haibara's surprise was beyond words.
"A Grade 2 Cursed Spirit?!"
Earlier, Haibara had just been bragging in front of Kenmei. In reality, against a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit, he would just be lunch.
But they were both first-years. Why was Nanami so exceptional that his final exam question had the difficulty cranked up to max?
Kenmei leaned against the railing. Since he had to wait anyway, watching a free show wasn't a bad deal. Though, a mere Grade 2 spirit was destined to just be a time-killer.
The only thing that piqued Kenmei's interest was the silver-white metal device clamped tightly around the spirit's neck, like a collar.
Zzzt... Zzzt...
Every now and then, it flashed with purple electric light. It looked incredibly cool.
If it were just a Cursed Energy binding, Kenmei wouldn't care. His psychic energy could do that better.
But that was a purely mechanical product? That was rare.
A line of small English text on the metal casing read [SINGULARITY]. Every time the electricity flashed, the spirit let out a miserable yelp, and its unconscious leakage of Cursed Energy would drop, strictly controlled at the level of a Grade 3 spirit.
The last time Kenmei felt such pure mechanical awe was watching those unknown soldiers use thermal weapons to annihilate Grade 3 spirits. Now, some unknown company had even developed tools to limit Cursed Spirit output.
Kenmei felt that if technology kept developing like this, Geto and his fellow Sorcerers would be out of a job sooner or later.
A broadcast interrupted Kenmei's thoughts. The staff reminded the examinee that the countdown to the start of the exam was ten seconds.
Kenmei found Haibara's reaction hilarious. He wasn't even the one taking the test, yet he was gulping nervously, sweat dripping from his forehead.
This kid was clearly more nervous than Nanami down below.
Turning his gaze to Mei Mei, who was standing quietly aside with her arms crossed, Kenmei raised an eyebrow.
"Girls use such wild weapons these days?"
She had placed a massive object, nearly 1.8 meters long and wrapped in bandages, next to the railing. Through the gaps in the bandages, a cold glint was visible. It seemed to be a high-grade Cursed Tool.
When the countdown hit the final five seconds, the "examinee" Nanami also drew his weapon—a short blade resembling a dagger. While not on par with Mei Mei's behemoth, it was still a decent Cursed Tool.
"Go for it, Nanami!"
Hearing Haibara's cheer, Nanami, who had looked serious and annoyed, let the corners of his mouth twitch upward slightly.
"Guess I should get a little serious."
"Three, two, one. Exam start!"
Clang.
Except for the collar, all restraints on the spirit, including the muzzle, automatically detached at the signal.
Heavy chains and binders fell to the ground. The sudden freedom stunned the dull-witted spirit for a second, but rage followed immediately. It unleashed a deafening roar at the human before it.
It had been tortured since capture and was full of pent-up anger. It wanted to swallow this little shrimp whole.
SNAP.
Ignoring the corrosive pain in its hand, the spirit violently ripped one of the chains from the ground. Gripping it, the monster lashed out at Nanami.
Whoosh!
Several trees as thick as a person were snapped in half instantly. The sound of the chain cutting through the air was clean and sharp—pure tearing force.
The screech of the air being sliced was audible even to Kenmei far away. The brutal spirit intended to whip Nanami into mincemeat.
Facing this ferocious attack, Nanami naturally didn't tank it. The Cursed Energy accumulated in his legs exploded in an instant, propelling him backward into the surrounding trees with physically impossible agility to dodge the strike.
"The chain in that spirit's hand is a threat. It'll be hard to kill it without dealing with that first."
Seeing the shrimp dodge, the spirit grew even angrier, swinging the chain again at the tree Nanami had landed on.
"Current methods to eliminate this Cursed Spirit:"
CRACK.
Without surprise, the tree was shattered. Facing the spirit's relentless pursuit, Nanami simply kept jumping to new trees. There were plenty of them here anyway.
"Option 1: Wait for the spirit to exhaust itself, then deliver a fatal blow."
But that wasn't realistic. The Grade 2 spirit's Cursed Energy reserves were several times his own. Nanami would be the one to gas out first.
"Option 2: Destroy the chain and its body in one strike."
Only that choice, then.
Just as the spirit prepared to swing the chain again, its beastly pupils contracted. The shrimp had vanished from its sight. Before it could look around, Nanami was already rushing in.
When the distance closed to less than three meters, Nanami didn't hesitate. Like a nimble cat, he leaped from the ground, twisting his body in mid-air.
Cursed Energy Release. Technique Activation!
Suddenly, Nanami's Cursed Energy surged. A dazzling, pale green light gathered around his fist.
[Ratio Technique: Collapse!]
A heavy punch slammed into the spirit's body. Pale green flames exploded instantly. A blinding flash of azure light covered the forest as the chain and the spirit's torso were shattered by this novice student.
Kenmei laughed.
Sorcerer? More like Brawler-cer!
Nanami's attack was an extension technique that injected Cursed Energy into the target, a wide-area attack intended for mutual destruction.
But the problem was that Nanami's technique wasn't refined enough yet. The power was insufficient. Instead of killing the spirit in one hit, he accidentally shattered the final restraint on it—the collar.
Nanami was still immersed in the joy of "victory" when a terrifying chill rose from the bottom of his heart.
His vision was instantly drowned in uncontrolled, evil black light. The blood-drenched spirit, now completely free of restraints, erupted with a violently berserk aura befitting a true Grade 2 Cursed Spirit.
"Shit!"
Mei Mei, proving her status as a Grade 1 Sorcerer, reacted instantly. The spirit had gone fully berserk, and the situation was now critical.
A Grade 2 spirit breaking its limits wasn't something a first-year could handle.
She immediately reached for her weapon while channeling Cursed Energy, but unexpectedly, her previous injuries flared up under the forced exertion.
A sharp pain pierced Mei Mei's brain. Dizziness and nausea hit her simultaneously, causing the weapon she had just picked up to slip from her grasp.
"If you're hurt, just rest. Why force it?"
A helpless voice sounded right by her ear.
"By the way, let me borrow your weapon for a sec."
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