There was always a peculiar atmosphere in the Vermilion Bird Hall.

Trinia, the top student of Vermilion Bird Hall.

And Elias, the second-ranked.

The strange current between the two of them.

That current was so harsh it couldn't be described positively.

"Trinia, can you be quiet during class?"

"I was just responding to what the professor was saying."

"What’s with that idiotic tone? Are you mocking me?"

"If that’s how you’re taking it, there’s nothing I can do about it."

"You're always acting like you're better than everyone else, can't you stop showing off? It's annoying."

"I've never acted superior."

Usually, the tense atmosphere was mostly generated by the second-ranked Elias.

But Trinia, the top-ranked, had no intention of easing that tension.

To Trinia, Elias was already someone she had surpassed.

Elias was no longer someone of interest, so Trinia didn’t bother to mend the rift between them.

Eventually, feeling neglected, Elias crossed the line.

"Heh… This insolent girl, it’s about time she changed her ways, isn’t it?"

On the uninhabited island where the mid-term ability assessment was taking place.

A group of seven, led by Elias, surrounded Trinia.

"I'll beat you to a pulp and turn you into a well-mannered puppy, Trinia."

Trinia looked at Elias.

She stared directly into Elias's eyes, as if piercing through her.

‘That gaze, it's been so long.

This feeling, like a grip on my heart.’

"Heh… Alright, let's have a showdown once more…"

‘Just like when we were young, those days when you were struggling to surpass me.

I’ll return it to you.’

Elias wore a sinister smile as she anticipated seeing Trinia flee from her, imagining herself as ultimately superior.

However.

By now, the gap between them was too vast for Elias to bring Trinia to her knees.

Trinia spoke up.

"Elias, is this all you have?"

"...What?"

"This is not even a challenge for me."

Trinia took out her Unique Armament, the Crystal Sphere.

Within it, the three primal elements of fire, lightning, and wind began to gather, forming the Trinity.

"Don't be so smug, I can do that too..."

Trinity.

Combining the three elements into one. It was indeed a difficult process.

However, Elias was also known as the second-ranked student.

She had mastered Trinity long ago.

She drew out her own Unique Armament, a staff, and formed her own Trinity at its tip.

Those standing nearby were the same. Those able to wield elements prepared to launch either Trinity or Dual Core magic, but...

They did not fully grasp whom they were up against.Trinia.

Six crystal spheres appeared behind her.

“I have worked hard for a long time to be able to handle seven Unique Armaments simultaneously.”

“…What? How…”

“Elias, you can only manage to lift one element with your staff.”

“Th-this is insane!”

A cry mixed with fear burst from one of the cadets surrounding Trinia.

Seven Unique Armaments?

Such a thing was unheard of.

“This, this can’t be... it’s impossible…”

Elias.

This wasn’t the Trinia she knew.

The Trinia she remembered couldn’t even use elemental magic properly and used to take private lessons from her.

And now... in just a little over five years, she had grown this much?

“No... Trinia... how could she…”

The gap between imagination and reality hits hard.

They had been close, and Elias mistakenly thought Trinia would remain ordinary like herself.

What it meant to be of the lineage of the world's strongest superhuman, Iscaliote…

Trinia, she lived in a completely different world from an ordinary human like Elias.

Elias finally realized this.

“It’s disappointing, Elias… You could have become stronger.”

Seven crystal spheres rained down like a shower.

A loudspeaker resounded across the uninhabited island.

[Vermilion Bird Hall's runner-up, Elias, eliminated!]

“Elias, since you have talent, it would be best for you to put in more effort.”

Three weaklings from Vermilion Bird Hall gathered together. Although they were weak, they had the advantage of looking intimidating. Their plan was to band together to intimidate the opponent with their unified front, then exploit any openings.

The three put their heads together and imagined the scariest looks they could muster.

Once they were confident anyone would be terrified, they sprang into action.

“Whoa~ Hey there! Found a cute girl!”

“Hey~ Hand over that girl and leave~”

“Are you showing off in front of a girl? Huh?!”

‘What are these guys up to?’

I encountered three cocky young men.

…I am a member of the Disciplinary Committee.

Are they picking a fight with the Disciplinary Committee? Do they want to be disciplined?

And, what? Hand over a girl and leave?

I was momentarily dumbfounded, too stunned to react.

Among them, a guy with a peculiar way of speaking approached and said,

“What’s up, punk! Are you scared? Seems like you are.”

“Hand over everything you have and leave~!”

“If you’re scared, just surrender!”

Scared?

It wasn't me who was scared; it was Antaterica.

-Clutch.

Antaterica, who I was carrying like a sack of rice over one arm.

I found her hiding in a cave and made her my ally.

I needed someone to keep watch at night… and I was planning to recruit about two more people to form a team...

But I have no intention of recruiting these guys.

-Click.

I drew out my Unique Armament.

“…Is that a, a shotgun with a collapsible shield? I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere… oh no!!!”

“C-could it be... the Action Leader… sir?”

“W-wow, the armband, the armband, he’s wearing, w-wow, the armband…”

Did someone here recognize my face?

As soon as I pulled out my Unique Armament, their expressions changed.

I felt a sense of displeasure at how quickly their attitudes shifted.

‘What if they had encountered a cadet without power, instead of me?’

Nothing good would have happened.

Such things shouldn’t happen while I’m around with my eyes wide open.

'I should break them enough so they won't appear in the story at all.'

I resolved myself.

"Let's find out properly, after the test ends."

I had filled my shotgun shell with lightning-attributed mana and aimed at their heads.

However, their actions were a step faster than me pulling the trigger.

"We, we'll take our own lives!!! Please forgive us!!!"

"I-I'll do it too!!! I just wanted to seem strong… Please, just spare my life!!"

"Me too!!! I’ll do it, so please!!! Spare us!!! I don’t want my life to end here!!"

“…Take your own lives?”

Why are they saying something so grim?

I can't understand it...

The Action Leader had someone tailing him.

‘Originally, I didn’t intend to tail the Action Leader...

He’s reliable when he's on our side, but terrifying as an enemy.

I didn’t have the slightest desire to tail him or cause him harm.

After all, he was the idol of us Disciplinary Committee members.’

The girl who decided to team up with him, Antaterica.

If she hadn’t been so helplessly caught like that... She would have fled immediately, instead of tailing...

'What should I do?'

While she was pondering, a voice nearly screaming could be heard from beyond the bushes.

“We will take our own lives!”

'Taking their own lives... does that mean voluntarily dropping out?'

They dared to provoke the Disciplinary Committee’s Action Leader and yet hope to walk away unscathed...

It's ridiculous.

Sirius, a regular member of the Disciplinary Committee.

She made sure to memorize the faces of the three behind her blue sunglasses.

'I'll finish them after the test ends.'

[Vermilion Bird Hall Damascus, eliminated!]

[Vermilion Bird Hall Hedner, eliminated!]

[Vermilion Bird Hall Akin, eliminated!]

‘I’ll drag them along and reform them into model citizens.’

Laurent, Gardner, and Trinia.

Among the top candidates excluding these three.

Saccharin of Blue Dragon Hall.

She discovered a strange creature in a cave.

"It’s strange that my taming doesn’t work on it... Is it a mind-type monster?"

Her Unique Armament has an unusual form.

A kind of collar.

Even just taking it out gives nearby opponents a strong mental suggestion.

It didn't work well on opponents stronger than herself, but she could make those weaker pledge their loyalty. Of course, if someone had strong willpower, they could resist.

And if they had deep resentment against her, it wouldn't make them loyal, no matter how weak they were.

However, if the collar was fastened, the situation changed.

With only the collar, she could handle monsters that had a strong aversion to humans as she pleased.

Thus, Saccharin roamed the cave, looking for a monster to become her companion for this test...

“What kind of species could this be? A parasite?”

She found a monster that wasn't physically strong but emitted strong mental waves.

A monster that looked like a pure white worm or maybe a parasite.

It was a monster she'd never seen before.

'Hmm... It can't be used as a companion, but...'

Strong mental waves.

This could be used as an EMP to weaken mental barriers.

'If I use this creature to shatter the opponent's mental barriers...'

She might even cast mental domination on the top three candidates, the biggest threats.

If she could mentally dominate even just one of them... naturally, she would claim the top spot.

Humming with satisfaction, Saccharin shook the collection box containing the parasite back and forth.

“Hehe… I'm suddenly looking forward to meeting everyone!"

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