Beyond M-Eclipse: Easy Mode LIVE

———Lynda———

*Swing* *Block*

I swung the axe as hard as I could, but it bounced off his shield without even causing him to flinch.

*Smack*

“Ugh!” He then thrust his shield right into my stomach and launched me back. This bastard, if I had a stomach problem I probably would’ve vomited something out!

I clutched my stomach with one of my hands while holding the axe in the other. He’s kicking it up a notch.

*Swing* *Block* *Parry*

I can only act defensively with only one hand holding onto the heavy axe, blocking incoming attack and very rarely managing to parry it. It feels like his movement is even slowing down to accommodate my weakened state. Aren’t you quite the charity case? Just delaying the inevitable at this point!

*Swing* *Parry* *Clank*

As an act of defiance I swung the axe at him, but he parried it and sent it flying off my weakened grip. Well this is bad…

*Smack* *Kick*

“Agh!” He smacked me in the head with his right hand, still holding the sword, and then a kick to the stomach, sending me tumbling down.

*Shine*

The wall of light dissipates and the nausea starts to fade. Guess that’s the end of our fight.

“Alright then, go rest up and let the next kid in.” He instructed as he took my axe. Definitely don’t need to tell me that, I could use an empty spot on the bleachers just to lay down on. Even if it’s a hard surface I still want to lay down and rest.

“You lasted a few seconds longer than most.” Kroin remarked as I walked towards the spot empty enough for me to lay down.

“Beat it. You know he’s just playing around anyway.” I said, not wanting to take that kind of compliment seriously. A guy that strong can make any one of us look impressive with none of us being the wiser. We really can’t tell how much effort he is using since the gap is too big for us to tell.

Alright… Let’s just lay down and relax. It’s no bed, and in fact trying to get a nap on a hard floor sounds like an easy way to be in a terrible condition for the rest of the day, but at this point I just want to get a nap in while I have the time…

———Glery———

And she closed her eyes, definitely not wanting anyone to disturb her. I guess she was pushing herself a bit too much just now, so it’s warranted… But I still think it’d be better if she finds a better place to take a nap. There’s literally a room for this linked up to here. I wanted to say that to her before she did it, but it’d be rude to wake her up now.

As for the others. They didn’t fight nearly as hard as her, not because they don’t have it in them, but more so because she’s the only one… I guess besides myself, who knows how to push our limits. It could be called overclocking. In that Magic Reading results, it was split into Output and Capacity. You can push past your Output limit, that one isn’t too hard once you have exerted yourself to your limit more than enough times. It’s what she was doing, and naturally it is like when you keep running after your body screams at you that it really is at its limit. It’s not pretty.

I really don’t like how she is deliberately pushing past it just because she knows the school wouldn’t let someone drop dead under its purview. This place has as much mystique and mysteries as much as those who would look at it with a critical eye. It came out of nowhere, and therefore there is a general sense of distrust and suspicion.

I honestly don’t care for any of that. I just got a gut feeling saying that this place will be fine. There hasn’t been any real incident, and lessons are pretty light and relaxing for the most part, though the math class can still be a real headache at times.

As for this class… I don’t really know. It’s weird and different. While sometimes we have regular lessons like certain types of exercise and a race, maybe even a sports class, most of it is something like this. From what I know the other schools just can’t afford any magic spells being flung around, and I have heard tales of it being very hard to detect foul play because some students use magic during a test or just to prank their classmates. This place is built to be very durable and also have the security in place like drones or androids that can subdue most students in a few seconds flat. I don’t even know where that came from. It’s a bit weird to see advanced technology and all these magical lessons side by side.

*Smack*

Oh. He backhanded that guy and that was enough to knock him out. I know he took a bit of punishment before then, but that was rather anticlimactic. 

“Hmm… I suppose we have enough time for one more duel. Anyone up to do it?” Definitely not me. I’d rather stay out of trouble, and definitely close-range combat. I’m no melee specialist.

“Me!” Thankfully someone else decided to jump into the fight. I don’t really get people who do this. It feels like I should, since I hang around Lynda, but I just never do.

It doesn’t feel like there is a lot of benefit to getting beaten down. I know it is still a kind of physical exertion if you think about it, but it just feels rather… humiliating? Maybe it’s because I always get a bad case of stage fright. Maybe if there aren’t any classmates around I’d be more willing to fight? Maybe? I’m not really sure. I feel like even then I would be afraid of any scrutinizing looks my opponent would’ve given me. I know Teacher Elrik isn’t one to mock others, he rarely expresses his emotions and prefers to stay impartial, or perhaps that is just how he is, maybe he is acting normally and comfortably as a man of few words.

I don’t think any of us really know what his deal actually is aside from being a guy who is really really strong. He isn’t a demi-human with any esoteric abilities or specialization that may come with it. He just seems to be a guy who is just really good at fighting with a sword and shield. A very classical fantasy protagonist. Not super outstanding appearance, fight with a sword, getting acclimated to the crisis quicker than most, and probably get an attractive love interest down the line… Does he have a partner, I wonder.

*Slash* *Kick*

A combo of a sword slash and a kick to a chest does the last guy in. With that the first half of… Oh crap, I need to prepare myself for a fight next week, don’t I. I need to… Should I just act like I got knocked out by the first attack?

“Alright then, class. That’s all for today’s practical training. You’re free to relax or ask any questions before the period ends.” He announced as the last guy walked and slumped over.

“I suppose we’ll be continuing next week with those who didn’t participate today?” Kroin asked. I feel like the answer to that is obvious, but I guess he is one of those people who make sure nothing goes uncheck.

“Indeed. I know that most of you that didn’t participate are more of a range specialist, but even all of you need to know to be willing to participate in melee combat.” He explained. I know that much, but that doesn’t help ease my concern. This is very much a case of going outside my comfort zone. “It would probably be better for all of you to know that more than casting magic, to be honest. You’re more likely to run into those willing to throw hands rather than flinging around magic, right now with many still having a hard time conjuring a simple fireball or enhancing their body with mana.”

“Doesn’t feel like we’re gonna run into any of that.” Trener remarked, sounding his skepticism.

“Perhaps not in this place or the area surrounding it. Besides, this is more the case of futureproofing. The school believes that this more practical training will be more useful to all of you, self-defense is something you need now more than ever.” Teacher Elrik explained. I think all of them are a bit more interested in how flashy they can be in a fight after that spectacle he and the others did on that day. It’s been… Jeez, has it been two months already? “As it stands, all of you have plenty of options for securing your safety compared to others of your age, but I’m sure none of you want to hear any sob stories of people whose faces you don’t even know, so let’s get back to the questioning. Anyone got anything else to ask?”

…There is silence. I guess that’s about it for now. He then walked to the corner of the gym and pulled out his phone, not saying anything.

It’s a bit weird to see your teacher pull out the phone, probably wasting time on social media and such, but there is nothing for him to do right now, so I guess it makes sense to relax and do something to kill time.

As for me, I didn’t participate today, so I’ll be watching over Lynda until she has enough of the bleachers.

———Munsz———

Not much going on today, just a simple day of teaching and nothing more.

The kids are thankfully less rowdy than before. After that spectacle I have no idea about, it feels like training and magic was all they could think about, I need to call out to them talking during the class or even trying to use magic during it.

“Oh, Munsz. Going back home for a good, nice sleep, I assume.” The principal greeted me as we walked down the hallway.

“Of course. I don’t have anything else planned, and I already checked the homework sent in today.” Call me plain, but if I have nothing else to do then I will just holed up in my room. I only go do other activities when it’s a free day. “What about you? Any troublemakers today?”

“Nah. Nothing like that.” She replied. “I think the students here have learned to not be too rowdy, so it’s those down the ladder that has to deal with them, which is you guys and the securities.”

“There wasn’t anyone acting out of line enough to warrant being sent to your office for a long while now. It was mostly during the early months that anyone was sent to you, in fact.” I pointed out. Should we even be talking about it at this point? “Anyway, why are you talking to me right now anyway? Asking about my schedule? Sorry if that comes off as rude.”

“No, that’s a fair thing to ask. I was just asking since some of your colleagues are going to the nearby izakaya to get wasted.” …Wait, why? And what?

“Huh? First off, what’s an izakaya? Secondly, why are they going out drinking?” Am I missing something? Who exactly is going anyway?

“Think of it as a Japanese tavern. Lots of alcohol and snacks.” …Did we have something like that previously or what? I never heard of it. “It opened up… two months back. A lot happened around that time, so I’m not surprised you didn’t hear the news.”

“So why are they going there?” That’s the more important part. I can kinda guess the first question with how she mentions the drinks.

“Beats me. I called you out in case you know. Guess you’re not talking too much to your colleague during this time.” I was never the one to start the conversation, so that shouldn’t be too surprising to her. We’ve all been working here for a few years now. “Forget I asked then. I’ll be on my way.”

…Should I go check it out to know why they’re doing that? I guess I could go for a few glasses of beer before hitting the bed anyway. I’m finishing up early and all.