Volume 1 Chapter
1
Hello PolterGlast here.
I noticed that my translation of this Dragon Chain WN Version is kinda bad, so I decided to do a re-translation.
---
Nice to meet you, I'm
cadet.
This novel is
something I impulsively posted from what I had envisioned in my mind.
It's my first time
writing a novel, and the writing is amateurish, but I hope you'll enjoy it.
---
Solminati Academy, a
place where young people from all over the continent gather, harboring dreams,
hopes, and ambitions.
A completely
meritocratic place where those who do not meet certain grades are mercilessly
dropped out.
Two years have passed
since I came to this place, and during lunch break, I, Nozomu Bountis, was on
the sunny rooftop, looking back on everything that had happened.
Two years ago, I left
my home village with two childhood friends and came to this academy.
One was Ken Notice, my
irreplaceable best friend since childhood.
The other was Lisa
Hounds.
A beautiful girl with
reddish-brown ponytail.
My lover, the most
important person to me.
She had a competitive
personality since she was little, and she was such a brat that she would pick
fights with the village bully and beat him one-sidedly.
I met her when I was
eight years old, while I was fishing on the riverbank near the village.
"Hey, are you
free now?"
That one word from her
was the beginning.
Reddish-brown short
hair and a competitive expression, my face gradually heating up... It was love
at first sight.
Her parents had lived
by moving from place to place, but after her father died during a journey, they
decided to settle down in this village, which was their hometown.
When she was a child,
she often played pranks and got scolded, but she never did anything that would
truly bother anyone. Rather, she was the type of person who would never forgive
such people.
The village kids who
were beaten up the most by her were the bullies and, for some reason, me.
I confessed to her
three years ago, unable to suppress my feelings any longer, I blurted out what
I felt.
That it was love at
first sight, that I had always liked her.
She was surprised by
such an impulsive confession, her eyes wide with shock, but with tears in her
eyes, she accepted my feelings.
At that time, I
decided to go to Solminati Academy with her to support her dream.
It was a dream she had
told me about when we were young.
"I want to see
different worlds, just like my father."
I knew that she had
heard about her deceased father from her mother and longed for the outside
world.
At that moment, I
decided to go to Solminati Academy.
If the girl I like
says she wants to fulfill her dream, I want to be her strength.
With that thought in
my heart, I firmly vowed to support her.
She hugged me with
tears in her eyes, saying, "Thank you... I'm so happy."
In the midst of my
dozing, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch break.
I got up, stretched my
stiff body, and headed to the classroom for the afternoon class. Forcibly
pushing the fact that that vow could no longer be fulfilled out of my mind.
My class was in the
10th rank of the 2nd grade, the lowest class in the 2nd grade.
Even within that, I
was at the very bottom, a complete dropout among dropouts.
As I entered the
classroom, the contempt and ridicule from those around me greeted me.
"He's here again.
The bottom-dweller." "Wish he'd just disappear." "Can't he
just drop out already?"
My heart ached at
those callous words, but I ignored them and sat down at my desk.
As soon as I sat down,
three male students gathered around my desk.
"Yo,
bottom-dweller, you came to attend class again for no reason?"
The large man in the
middle, Mars, spoke to me intimidatingly.
"You should just
give up on this pointless endeavor already." "It's a pain in the ass
because you make us look like we're at the same level as you."
The two lackeys beside
the large man continued to jeer.
"Well, even your
childhood sweetheart, the Crimson-Haired Princess, dumped you, so shouldn't you
just stop dreaming already?"
The surrounding
students joined in the three's mockery, and no one tried to stop them. In the
end, the three didn't stop insulting me until the homeroom teacher entered the
classroom.
That's right, Lisa
dumped me in the summer of my first year.
She unilaterally broke
up with me and immediately turned her back and left.
I didn't understand
what had happened, but since then, she started looking at me as if I were
filth.
Around us, the rumor
was that I had cheated on her.
Lisa was a woman so
beautiful and capable that she was called the "Crimson-Haired
Princess."
On the other hand, I
had average looks and my grades were poor.
I had been the target
of jealousy for dating her, but the fact that she dumped me instantly lowered
everyone's opinion of me.
All my friends
disappeared and joined the side that mocked me.
Even so, I diligently
attended classes at the academy and never neglected my self-training.
If I kept my vow,
surely someday... that's what I thought.
In the midst of all
this, I learned that my childhood best friend and she had started dating.
My beloved girlfriend
walked beside my best friend, smiling happily.
Watching them display
perfect teamwork in practical training, overwhelming other pairs, I was forced
to realize that there was no place for me beside her.
Afternoon, 2nd period
"Hah!"
I parried the side of
the mock sword swung down forcefully by the academy's automaton with my own
mock sword.
Returning the parried
sword, I struck the automaton's neck, activating the magic circle within it and
stopping the automaton.
After the lecture in
the classroom, it was time for practical training in the training grounds.
In addition to the
training grounds, this academy also had multiple magic testing grounds, etc.,
where students honed their abilities.
The training grounds
were divided into multiple areas, allowing multiple ranks to take the same
class.
Today's training was
mainly on interpersonal combat, with each person sparring against automatons
with mock swords. These automatons used a type of magic array, autonomously
fighting by channeling magic power into the array within them.
However, the
automatons provided to the 10th rank were of poor quality and only performed somewhat
fixed movements, so they were mainly used for warm-ups.
"Alright. Next,
we'll have mock battles in pairs. I'll decide the pairings~"
When Ms. Anri Var, the
10th rank's homeroom teacher, called out, the automatons stopped, so everyone
stopped what they were doing and waited for the pairings to be announced.
Ms. Anri had long,
wavy brown hair and kind-looking eyes, and her features were undeniably those
of a beautiful woman.
However, this
teacher's words and actions sometimes seemed a bit off, making her seem out of
place in this meritocratic academy.
The fact that she was
assigned (or rather, forced to take on) the 10th rank, the lowest in the grade,
was thought by those around her to be because she didn't understand the
significance of being in charge of the 10th rank.
Considering that she
was a teacher at this academy, her abilities should have been considerable.
Eventually, the
pairings were decided, and everyone began preparing for their mock battles with
their respective partners, but my partner was...
"Yo,
bottom-dweller. Bad luck for you."
It was Mars, the one
who had been insulting me earlier.
"Let's get this
over with quickly. Dealing with the bottom-dweller like you is a waste of
time."
Mars said this as he
pulled out the greatsword he had slung across his back.
Mars was a boorish
man, but his abilities were considerable, and he was in the 10th rank due to
his bad speech and behavior.
I also drew the mock
sword I wore at my waist.
My weapon was a sword
from the eastern island country called a katana. Specialized for cutting, it
was said that if a master wielded it, it could easily slice through even iron.
However, katanas
themselves were rare, and they couldn't be used effectively with mediocre
skill, so they hadn't become widespread on the continent.
For me, who couldn't
rely on strength due to certain circumstances, it was the most suitable weapon.
"Alright,
begin~~~"
The mock battle began
with Ms. Anri's listless voice.
"Uoryaaaaaa!"
With a loud shout,
Mars swung his greatsword down.
I parried the wide
swing by sliding my katana along it.
With a high-pitched
clang, Mars' greatsword was deflected and slammed into the ground.
"Hah!"
Taking advantage of
the opening after Mars' attack, I closed the distance and swung my katana at his
neck.
"Too slow!"
Mars blocked the
katana with his arm's gauntlet. The mock katana didn't have the sharpness of a
real katana and was deflected by the gauntlet.
Mars then tried to
punch me in the face with the gauntlet, but I ducked.
I tried to slash
again, but Mars forcefully swung his greatsword with one hand.
I had no choice but to
step back, leading to a reset.
A back-and-forth
exchange unfolded for a while between Mars, trying to crush me with his
greatsword, and me, trying to get inside his reach...
"Might as well
crush you already."
As Mars muttered those
words, his imposing aura swelled.
"Ki
Technique"
A technique
originating from the eastern part of the continent, it allows one to amplify
their life force and manifest various phenomena.
Mars charged towards
me in an instant. His speed was incomparable to what it had been before.
It was the result of
physical enhancement through Ki Technique.
Capturing his prey
right in front of him, he swung down his greatsword.
I also instinctively
used Ki Technique to evade, but the evaded greatsword slammed the ground with a
deafening roar.
"Tch! You dodged
it, huh?"
Annoyed that he
couldn't finish me with one blow, Mars cursed.
He pulled his
greatsword out of the ground and immediately swung it at me again.
I parried the powerful
sword strikes swung at me with physical enhancement through Ki Technique.
The sound of iron
clashing against iron told the story of the fierce battle, but the content was
one-sided.
Mars' physical
enhancement was far more effective than mine, while my own physical enhancement
was only a drop in the bucket due to my own peculiarities.
Mars had bad behavior,
but his abilities were undoubtedly among the top in the grade.
Conversely, in this
meritocratic school, Mars' behavior was so bad that even with top-level
abilities, he was stuck in the lowest rank.
Mars' enhanced
swordsmanship was something I couldn't normally handle, but the meager physical
enhancement I applied to myself made it possible.
Even the bare minimum
enhancement was enough to parry Mars' sword strikes.
"Just crumble
already!!"
Perhaps because I
resisted unexpectedly, Mars' frustration grew further, and he attacked with
even greater Ki.
"Guh, I won't be
crushed so easily!"
I desperately clung
on, trying not to get caught up in his pace.
The power of his
slashes increased, but Mars' attacks became monotonous, and due to that
monotony, it was no longer impossible to parry them.
However, I could only
barely parry them, and I had no leeway to counterattack.
And if I couldn't
counterattack, the outcome was obvious.
Eventually, I reached
my limit.
I couldn't parry one
of Mars' blows and lost my balance. Before I could recover, his returning blade
attacked me.
"Die!"
Having lost my balance
significantly, I instinctively put my katana between Mars' greatsword and my
body, but I couldn't stop his enhanced slash and was blown away, slamming into
the wall of the training grounds.
The impact made it
hard to breathe, and my vision went dark.
"Tch, you worm,
putting up a useless fight."
Hearing Mars' words, I
lost consciousness.
***
"Ouch!"
The pitch-black vision
and the hazy consciousness within it cleared up with a jolt of pain in my back.
When I came to, I was
lying on a bed in the infirmary.
"Oh, you're
awake?"
A woman in a white
coat with glasses was working at the desk in the infirmary.
She was Norn Alteina,
the school nurse, a woman who perfectly fit the description of an intelligent
beauty.
She came over to me
and moved her fingers in front of my eyes to check my consciousness.
"Good, you're
fully conscious. Do you feel any other pain anywhere?"
"My back hurts a
little, and I'm a bit dizzy, but otherwise, I'm fine."
"I see. I've
already applied medicine to your back, but if you start feeling pain anywhere
else, come see me anytime. Enduring it and letting it get worse is even worse,
you know."
She said this with a
smile. Her expression was different from her intellectual aura, more like a
reliable older sister, giving a different impression from the first one.
In fact, she wasn't
just cool, but also a caring and dependable teacher, quite popular in the
academy with both male and female students.
Just then, a figure
entered the infirmary with a drawn-out voice.
"Norn~~~, how's
Nozomu-kun doing~~~~"
It was Ms. Anri, my
homeroom teacher, who had entered the infirmary.
"Anri. This is the
academy. Please use the title 'sensei' when addressing me."
"Ehhh~~~, there's
no one else here, so it's fine~~~~"
"He's here, isn't
he? He is."
The two of them were
both graduates of this Solminati Academy, close friends in private, and
apparently had been best friends since their student days.
"Nozomu-kun is
fine. More importantly, Nozomu-kun, are you feeling alright~~~~?"
Ms. Anri looked at
Nozomu with concern.
"So, please be
more formal... never mind. He's fine, just a bruise on his back and a mild
concussion."
"Yes. I'm
alright."
"That's good~~~~.
I was worried. It would be terrible if something happened to Nozomu-kun."
Saying that, she
smiled.
Her expression was
truly relieved, showing how much she had been worried about him.
"It's alright,
Anri. He won't die from something like this."
"Oh, Norn, you're
so cold."
"I've properly
assessed his condition. It's good to worry, but don't go overboard, Anri. It's
also necessary to trust the students and let them grow on their own."
The two of them were
bickering, but Ms. Anri's tone was unusually strong, and Ms. Norn was speaking
quite casually.
Seeing them talking so
freely in a different tone than usual suggested the depth of their trust in each
other.
I watched the two of
them for a while, but suddenly realized that it was already after school, the
sun was setting, and my usual training time was approaching.
I hurriedly packed my
things, prepared to leave, and said goodbye to the teachers.
"Ms. Norn, Ms.
Anri, thank you very much! Excuse me!"
He dashed out of the
infirmary like a bullet.
***
Watching him rush out
of the infirmary, I spoke to my best friend.
"Is he the person
from the rumors? I see, rumors can't be trusted."
"Right~~~"
My best friend smiled
happily.
Nozomu Bountis.
The biggest dropout in
the second grade.
Rumor had it that in
his first year, he was the boyfriend of Lisa Hounds, his childhood friend and
one of the top students in their grade, but he was dumped after being caught
cheating.
Since his grades
weren't high to begin with, he immediately became the target of ridicule.
However, when I
treated him today, I realized that he was by no means a careless person.
When he was brought
in, I took off his clothes to check his condition, and I was unexpectedly
surprised at that time.
His body was covered
in well-trained muscles, a physique that was lean and close to a kind of
perfection.
What surprised me most
was that his physique was by no means natural.
Just like the katana
he used, it was a body honed through incredibly arduous training.
Someone who indulged
in desires wouldn't be able to achieve that.
No, there wasn't
anyone in the current second grade who trained enough to build a body like
that.
Moreover, his body had
countless scars, which might have even rivaled those of a veteran adventurer.
The rumors were
probably due to a complex mix of his peculiarities and the fact that he was
Lisa Hounds' boyfriend.
His peculiarity.
It was the
"Ability" that manifested in his first year.
Ability
A general term for
abilities that manifest regardless of race. When an ability manifests, the
person receives various benefits depending on the ability.
The content varies
widely, including improved magical aptitude and enhanced physical abilities,
and there are countless types.
Nozomu-kun's ability
is "Ability Suppression."
When it manifests, it
suppresses the person's abilities, preventing them from growing beyond a
certain point.
The suppressed
abilities vary from person to person, but in his case, his strength, magical
power, and Ki capacity were all suppressed, making it a major handicap for him.
It's an extremely rare
ability to manifest, but it offers no benefits to the person, rather, it only
hinders them.
Enhancements through items,
magic, or Ki techniques are possible, but their effects are significantly
weaker than the effects they would have on a normal person.
Due to this, his
grades dropped further, making him the lowest in his grade.
He has been able to
advance so far because his written exam results are added to his overall score,
but even then, he had to retake advancement exams twice.
"I understand why
Anri is worried about him."
"Right~~~.
Everyone says bad things about Nozomu-kun, but he works so hard. I want him to be
rewarded~~~"
Anri is usually ditzy
and unreliable, but she demonstrates extremely sharp insight when it truly
matters.
Regarding him, I only
ever hear bad rumors in everyday life.
She probably picked up
on a slight incongruity between the rumored him and the real him in their daily
interactions.
I don't know why he's
able to cling on so tenaciously, but it's certain that he's making
extraordinary efforts to do so.
Like my best friend, I
felt a genuine desire to support him as a teacher and as a human being.
---
How was it? As it's my
first novel, I think there are many areas where it falls short.
However, as I also
enjoy the novels on this site, I would be happy if you enjoyed my novel even a
little.
I've thought about
various things, but I've decided to continue this novel.
I look forward to hearing your opinions and thoughts.
---
So, what do you think of the re-translation?
If you compare it, you will notice I made a lot of mistranslations back then.
-----
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