SWNOVELXO Chapter 108
108. Entry Exam
The blonde girl—called Laura—gazes at us with a dignified demeanor.
As before, this girl exudes a unique aura. Her presence instantly dominated the atmosphere.
“Laura…? That Laura!?”
Raize, who had been silent until now, started making a fuss upon hearing her name.
“You know her?”
“Of course! Laura joined the raid team at the youngest age and is now the strongest swordsman in the team!”
I was stunned. The girl I bumped into the other day is the strongest in the raid team? This is too much of a coincidence.
Gerda, who had been taunting us so proudly, fell silent and lowered his gaze the moment Laura appeared.
“…These two want to join the raid team!”
“So, what of it?”
Laura speaks sparingly, but her words carry weight. Gerda groaned in response to her question.
“I told them no. They’re not S-rank adventurers! We can’t allow such people to join—”
“Since when was it decided that you must be S-rank to join the raid team?”
Gerda was at a loss for words. Sweat poured down his forehead, betraying her anxiety.
“The raid team is a gathering of skilled individuals. We can’t reject participation based on rank.”
“Well, that’s true, but still!”
Gerda retorted painfully, but Laura remained unfazed. Her direct gaze made Gerda falter even more.
“That said, this only applies to those with ability. Without skill, it’s meaningless.”
Laura now turned to us. Her piercing gaze felt like a wolf’s, and I swallowed hard.
“You two can take me on together. Prove your worth by defeating me, and I’ll tell Gerda to let you join.”
The condition set was to fight and defeat Laura.
However, I instinctively felt something was off. I knew this girl was no ordinary person—but why specify a two-on-one fight?
I wondered if there was a reason, but probably not.
Laura is absolutely confident in her skills. She’s saying she won’t lose, even against the two of us. It’s a declaration to utterly crush us.
“Hahahahaha! That’s great!”
Suddenly, Gerda laughed heartily as if revitalized. His previous dejection vanished.
“Alright, if you two can defeat Laura, you can join the raid team! But only if you win!”
He seemed extremely confident. I nodded in agreement.
Still… Gerda, who was so stubborn, agreed so quickly. Just how strong is this Laura…?
*
We arrive at a grassy area outside the town. This open space is perfect for a fight.
“Come at me. Both of you at once.”
As soon as we arrived, Laura drew her sword. Raize and I faced her from a slight distance.
“Be careful. Laura is no ordinary foe.”
“I know. But we have to win to join the raid team!”
To level up, we must defeat Laura! Even if it feels a bit unfair with two against one, we can’t hold back!
“Uooooooo!!”
First, I test the waters. Drawing my blade, Scarlet Blossom, I ignite it with flames and charge.
“Wait! Something’s wrong!”
Just as I heard Raize’s voice from behind, I found myself knocked to the ground.
“What the—!?”
Realizing the situation, I understood I had been blown away by the wind.
And the one who summoned the wind was—
“What’s wrong? Weren’t you coming at me?”
Laura. With just a swing of her sword, a gale force wind had struck me like a typhoon.
“If you won’t come to me, then I’ll come to you.”
The moment Laura kicked the ground, the ground beneath her feet was dented with a crunching sound. At the same time, she charged at us!
“So fast!”
I stood up and readied Hika. Almost simultaneously, Laura’s sword came crashing down.
“!!”
Heavy. Is this really a strike from a human!? It felt like taking a direct hit from a Minotaur’s axe.
But, in close combat, this is my advantage! Through my palm, I channel lightning magic into Hika—
“Futile!”
While parrying Laura’s attack, I realized it was useless. Every swing of her sword caused a gust, nullifying my lightning!
“Ark, dodge!”
Raize’s voice hit my ears, and I quickly understood, kicking off the ground to evade.
Simultaneously, Raize unfolded a magic circle. The color was red. Fire magic.
“It might be flashy, but if that’s the case, I’ll hit her with even more power!”
Perhaps deciding that tricks wouldn’t work on Laura, Raize generated a massive fireball from her magic circle, several times larger than herself.
Before the overwhelming scale of what seemed like creating a sun, Laura remained expressionless—
“Interesting.”
She muttered.
Raize, perhaps unnerved, swiftly lowered her raised right arm, sending the giant fireball at Laura.
A deafening roar echoed across the grassland. It was like the thunderous sound of a colossal monster stomping the ground, and I crouched low to avoid being blown away.
Smoke rose into the blue sky, and for a few seconds, silence fell.
“Looks like it worked this time…”
Raize sighed in relief. But the next moment, her eyes widened in shock.
The black smoke split in two and out came Laura, unscathed.
“No way! She got out of that unscathed!?”
“Is it over? If so, that’s disappointing—”
“Of course not! Ark, now!”
At her cue, I aimed my right arm at Laura.
The reason Raize chose to use such a massive fireball in this situation became clear. First, to show that we need overwhelming power against her, not tricks.
And secondly—to obscure her vision with smoke.
“
From my hand, I unleashed a massive pillar of lightning.
Using the most powerful attack that took down the golem boy, I aimed to defeat her! This is the only way!
“Take thisssssssss!!”
The lightning shot straight towards Laura, but just as it was about to engulf her—
“
Laura readied her sword. Her blade began to emit white light, like a raptor spreading its wings.
A tingling sensation on my skin. The terrifying aura emanated from Laura. This is… in a league of its own!
“No way…! Can she really…!?”
Laura raised her sword high, the white energy growing even more intense. Then, she swung it down all at once!
In an instant, the lightning of
They seemed evenly matched for a moment. But within a second, the lightning was cleaved in two, flying straight towards us—
““Uwaaaaaa!!””
We were hit by the slash and thrown backward like rabbits snatched by a hawk.
Lying face down on the ground, I struggled to get up. Ahead of me, Laura stood, still expressionless.