You think you're worthy of saving the world?

"Karim is a member of the Duel Club!"

The Duel Club is one of the oldest student societies at St. Cromwell Theological Seminary.

As the name suggests, the members of the Duel Club are a group of students who are passionate about simulated duels and have rich practical experience.

"I see. It seems the Child of Prophecy's winning streak is coming to an end... Look! Princess Cecilia is here too!"

When the male students noticed the girl behind Euryphus, they all let out a low gasp.

Cecilia Valentine Augusta is the unshakeable absolute pinnacle of St. Cromwell Theological Seminary, and the focus of all the male students' attention.

He is an impeccable superman, whether in terms of family background, appearance, character, or talent.

"Sword Maiden" is as dazzling and unattainable as a star in the night sky. Even as the top student of the seminary, some people say that she is the strongest top student in the 1500-year history of St. Cromwell.

Cecilia is wearing a Lily Cross uniform today.

The white swordsman's uniform with gold trim exudes a heroic and awe-inspiring air, while also outlining the full curves of a budding flower, radiating the charm of a young girl who combines bravery and beauty.

In Yuri's eyes, Cecilia was a very kind girl, but in the eyes of the male students who were watching her from afar, she had the exact opposite aloof demeanor.

Add to that her controversial, authoritarian mother, and those who don't know Cecilia often imagine her as a haughty, aloof, ice-cold genius girl—

It is said that "Sword Maiden" only smiles in front of Euryph.

Cecilia is so outstanding that she naturally has many suitors at school, but they generally don't feel jealous of the Child of Prophecy.

After all, anyone with eyes could see that Cecilia's feelings for Euryph were not romantic love, but rather the affection of an older sister for her younger brother.

However, recently, this situation seems to have quietly changed...

At this moment, the "Sword Maiden" standing behind Eurythus, carrying his bag, seemed to gaze at the black-haired boy with unusual affection—

That wasn't just the look of a sister worried about her brother getting hurt in the duel; it was the look a woman gives a man.

That adoration and fascination, the passionate light in his eyes, was something that would never have been seen in the past.

That's how it is...

Camus suddenly realized.

But that's quite normal. If I were a girl, I'd definitely fall for Euryphus too...

He continued to focus on the simulated duel on the playground.

"Let's duel for the sake of our academic credits, Euryphus Falción!"

As Karim shouted, he drew the longsword from his waist.

"Okay."

Yuri tossed his schoolbag to Cecilia and then drew his sword from his waist.

[St. Cromwell Standard Steel Sword - S]

[Type: One-handed sword - slashing]

[Level: High (Green)]

[Attribute: None]

[Characteristics: None]

[Description: A well-rounded longsword, bearing the emblem of a special admission certificate from the seminary.]

"Genius is merely an admission ticket to see me."

While studying at the seminary, Yuri wore the knight's sword that the school issued along with his student ID at his waist.

Every student at St. Cromwell receives a standard-issue sword upon enrollment.

All students' swords are identical in performance, except that those admitted through special admissions have more elaborate patterns on the scabbard and hilt.

Students are not required to carry a sword at all times. However, the young ladies from the Lily Cross family generally carry their family heirloom swords.

Yuri had no illustrious ancestors, and for him, this special admissions sword was the greatest honor he had earned through his own efforts.

The student who challenged him to a mock duel today is named Karim.

He had already advanced to the second rank three years ago when he was still a first-year student, but he has not yet made any further progress.

Perhaps doubting Euryphus's admission as a special student, he challenged Euryphus to a duel.

Although he is one rank lower than Yuri, his experience in simulated duels is probably far superior.

Yuri had also heard of the St. Cromwell Duel Club and was very interested: "Let me take this opportunity to see how good you guys are, seniors."

"Yuri! Do your best!"

Cecilia's encouraging voice came from behind.

Yuri rotated his neck and shoulders, and said calmly, "Sorry, I'm in a hurry. I'll take care of you before the school bell rings."

118 Attention from all

"Don't be so arrogant, freshman!"

Karim yelled and charged at Yuri.

His steps were incredibly fast; in the blink of an eye, he was in front of Yuri, and the blades he gripped tightly in his hands came slashing down.

Yuri dodged his fierce slash by sidestepping.

The so-called simulated duel is actually a competition conducted within a duel barrier created by both duelists using the "Oath Technique".

In the simulated duel, the health points of both duelists will be quantified, and the duel ends when one side's health points are depleted.

Even simulated duels can produce a certain degree of real pain, so it's not uncommon for people to admit defeat.

Damage sustained in simulated duels is ultimately settled as energy depletion and does not cause actual damage.

That being said, Karim's slash was also exceptionally powerful, creating a strong wind within the barrier.

Yuri felt that if he were to be hit head-on by him, he would lose at least half of his health.

Karim launched a fierce attack, and Yuri retreated and dodged continuously while analyzing his opponent's swordsmanship.

So that's how it is; this is the practical swordsmanship.

He was indeed much tougher than the opponents who had challenged me before... by student standards.

Before Yuri could continue analyzing, he caught a glimpse of Karim's expression turning ferocious.

"How dare you underestimate me!"

Karim noticed that Yuri was observing his movements, which was why he hesitated to make a move and kept avoiding him. He was immediately furious.

The longsword in his hand was enveloped in golden light.

It's a "blinding slash"!

Yuri was startled. Karim had already raised his longsword, which was wrapped in golden light, high and was slashing it down at him head-on.

He quickly retreated, using all his strength to create distance.

The next instant, the golden light from the longsword exploded before his eyes.

The blinding light even illuminated the playground during the day. Needless to say, the audience surrounding Yuri and Karim were affected, and even Camus, who was in a classroom on the second floor, had to shield his eyes from the glare.

"Blinding Slash" releases a holy flash while attacking, with a certain probability of causing the target to be temporarily blinded.

In the game, the chance of being blinded is about 30% of that of a player of the same rank, but in the real world, it is not a "certain probability".

If Yuri had reacted any slower, he would have been blinded on the spot and left to Karim's mercy.

Fortunately, he managed to distance himself in time, which prevented him from being blinded on the spot, but he still lost more than 80% of his vision.

"Eulifusa's eyes can't see Karim's movements anymore! This is an opportunity!!"

Karim's stealthy yet decisive "Blinding Slash" elicited gasps from the spectators on the field.

Knightly duels are not free fighting; attacking the eyes is a perfectly reasonable tactic.

"Since you refuse to attack, then let me defeat you!"

Karim roared and pressed his advantage, launching an even more ferocious attack.

His swordsmanship is not only fast and efficient, but also fierce, a practical combat skill honed through countless duels.

On the other side, Yuri, whose eyesight was impaired, had to stagger backward quickly.

Despite his desperate attempts to dodge Karim's repeated attacks, he was ultimately struck in the chest by the sword, leaving a gruesome, gaping wound.

"...!"

Yuri felt a sharp pain in his chest; the wound was deep, and several ribs were clearly broken.

Fortunately, this was just a simulated duel, and there is a limit to the pain one can feel; otherwise, Yuri would probably have lost his balance and collapsed to the ground from the pain.

"He's badly injured! Is Karim really going to win?" the male student next to Camus shouted excitedly.

Another audience member nodded: "Not necessarily. If Euryphus can get through the next 30 seconds and his vision recovers, he still has a chance!"

"I see. So, Euryphus hasn't wielded his sword yet. After all, he's a third-tier rank. Once his eyesight recovers, he should be able to go toe-to-toe with Karim, right..."

"Eulifis initially just wanted to test Karim's strength. He was too confident and arrogant, which led him to a passive position. Even if he lost, he doesn't deserve any sympathy."

The students discussed the duel animatedly and watched it closely. Even though the school bell was about to ring, a large number of people still gathered in the corridors of the teaching building.

Cecilia clenched her fists, swallowing nervously: "Yuri..."

……

……

……

"----hiss."

Yuri took a deep breath and placed his left hand on his chest to cast a "healing spell".

In simulated duels, healing skills have limited effectiveness: only physical injuries can be healed, and lost health points cannot be restored through healing.

Now, Yuri could barely see Karim's shadow, and he was already doing his best just to dodge the attacks.

The best tactic, as some people have suggested, is to stall for the next 30 seconds as much as possible.

Wait 30 seconds, and your vision will return to normal before you can launch a counterattack.