Zephyr Was Itching for a Fight

Momonga was stunned at the sight of that stack of red rings.

But he quickly recovered.

He asked, "You took down all seven of them?"

Randall said, "No, I just knocked them out and took off their rings."

After all, it wasn't easy for those seven Ferocious Beasts to grow that strong."

To anyone else, that Ferocious Beast was a harbinger of death. To Randall, it was the perfect sparring partner.

Thick hides, tough flesh, able to take a beating, and incredibly satisfying to hit!

Randall wasn't some scumbag who would kill them after he was done using them.

Momonga nodded at that, already forming a rough impression of Randall's strength.

Knocking out a Ferocious Beast like that was far harder than killing it.

So Randall's strength had already surpassed those Ferocious Beasts.

For comparison, even a colonel from Marine Headquarters would have to take that Ferocious Beast seriously!

But to Momonga, that level of strength wasn't worth being surprised over.

After all, he could handle them with a slash or two.

What surprised him was how quickly Randall had grown stronger.

If he remembered correctly, Randall had only joined the Elite Camp a month ago!

And a month ago, Randall had only been... a little stronger than a fresh recruit!

At most, he could take on a junior officer!

In just one month, he had gone from the strength of a junior officer to that of a captain.

That really challenged Momonga's understanding of things.

He even wondered whether his memory was playing tricks on him, and a year had passed rather than a month.

"Hehe, sir, time to announce my score!"

Randall chuckled, snapping Momonga and his adjutant out of their daze.

The adjutant gave Randall a look as though he were a monster, silently grumbling, Does this score even need announcing...?

But his professionalism still compelled him to speak:

"Randall, one Blue Ring, seven Red Rings, seventy thousand and fifty points!"

Seventy thousand...

Milers, who had previously held first place, only had a little over three thousand points.

Didn't that mean Randall was thirty times stronger than Milers?

That was how the dim-witted trainees thought.

They just wanted an easy shortcut, trying to quantify strength in every possible way.

Still, they had gotten one thing right: Randall really was stronger than Milers now.

Under a sea of gazes that regarded him like some divine being, Randall strolled toward Milers and Aequus.

At the same time, he nodded inwardly. Looks like that was a pretty decent flex.

Milers and Aequus were still a little dazed, the lingering shock evident on their faces.

Aequus widened his eyes, punched Randall in the shoulder, and said:

"Hey, have you been taking something? Or did you suddenly unlock some hidden power? How'd you get so damn strong all of a sudden?

Look, I've heard there are ways to burn your life force to boost your strength. You haven't done anything that stupid, have you?"

His tone was teasing and mocking, but Randall could see the concern in his eyes.

Randall shrugged and said:

"Relax, I wouldn't gamble with my future!

Just face reality! I'm stronger than you now!"

Aequus sucked in a breath.

Well, look at this guy, getting all full of himself...

Fine, he really does have the strength to back it up now...

Aequus clutched his forehead in anguish and said:

"How the hell did you do it?! This doesn't make any sense!

I was clearly stronger just a few days ago!

Have you been secretly using cheats or something?!"

Randall said, "Heh, give me a break. A few days ago, neither of us could beat the other! So it's perfectly normal for me to be stronger than you a few days later!"

Milers cut in, getting straight to the point:

"Randall, let's fight once we get back!"

Over those three days, Milers had also approached the territory of the red Ferocious Beast.

But as a swordsman, his senses were far too keen.

It had felt as though a sharp needle was steadily approaching the space between his eyebrows.

With every step forward, that sensation grew stronger.

By the end, he had even begun to feel phantom pain.

That meant whatever was there was beyond his ability to handle!

If he rashly ventured in, he could even lose his life!

So he had made a swift decision and left.

Yet now, seeing Randall's Red Ring, he felt a little regretful.

Maybe I should have taken the gamble!

Wasn't finding life in the face of death the very romance of being a swordsman?

And so, for once, he wanted to fight Randall, who wasn't a swordsman.

Randall paused, then nodded.

Since you're asking for a beating, don't blame me.

Heh, he still remembered Milers slashing him when they first met!

Yep, I'm that petty.jpg

Then he looked at Aequus, signaling to him with his eyes.

Well? Want in?

Aequus immediately shot a look back.

Bring it on! Who's scared of whom?

Worst case, I get the crap beaten out of me!

Besides, he was curious about how strong Randall was now!

Even more curious about why his strength had risen so quickly...

Maybe getting beaten up would make me stronger too...

After that, Momonga continued calling people up.

But after the excitement brought on by Milers and Aequus, and especially Randall's explosive showing, everyone had slipped into a state of utter detachment.

Everything felt so dull.

When the last person's score had been announced, everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

After Randall and the other two, having their scores announced really did feel more like a public execution.

There were no surprises in the final rankings.

Randall, Milers, and Aequus took first, second, and third place respectively.

It was worth mentioning that Cotton came in last.

His score was ten points, with only a single White Ring.

Momonga shot Cotton a look of exasperation. What a headache!

Then he quickly looked away and glanced at Randall and the other two.

Ah, much better!

Thank goodness those three are holding things together. Otherwise, we might as well disband this year's Elite Camp right here and now!

"Then I hereby declare this test concluded!"

Marine Headquarters, staff quarters.

Holding the Den Den Mushi's receiver, Zephyr said in surprise:

"What? You're saying he knocked out those seven monsters?!"

"Yes, Instructor Zephyr," Momonga said on the other end.

"He said so himself, and he did indeed obtain those Red Rings.

Would you like to see the footage, sir?

The fighting was so intense that only part of the footage survived.

Still, I think you'll be very surprised, Instructor Zephyr."

To Momonga, the fighting itself was hardly worth mentioning.

But he had seen something he couldn't explain.

It had completely challenged his understanding!

Zephyr raised an eyebrow. He could hear the shock and disbelief in Momonga's voice.

That only made him more curious.

But after a moment's thought, he declined.

"Forget it! I won't watch it!

I want to see for myself just how much of a surprise that boy can give me!"

Footage was only footage, after all. Only by seeing it in person could he pick up on more.

Heh, his hands were already itching for a fight!