[Vol. 7] Chapter 146: You, Go Take Her Down!
Since both Xiao Guang and Lenka were in this class, Violet had always paid some attention to the [Experimental Class] students. To be honest, while they were all unique in their own ways, most of them had some pretty obvious weaknesses.
Take Yogg Hardstone, for example, the [Magic Rock] race kid. His physical defense was impressive for his age, roughly at Tier 4 level (earth-level), but his attack power was practically nonexistent. His rock-hard muscles might look intimidating, but in reality, he was just a walking brick wall, purely a defensive tank.
He reminded Violet of someone she had seen in Ancient Spirit Realm, a disciple of the [Shocking God Sect] who had mastered the “Golden Bell Shield Technique”.
But Yogg’s case was even more extreme, with even glaring weaknesses. Of course, this wasn’t his fault. It was just a natural limitation of the [Magic Rock] race. Until they fully matured, they lacked any real offensive power, making them completely reliant on allies to survive. No wonder their race was nearly extinct.
Then there was the deer girl, another ancient species on the brink of extinction. Compared to the [Magic Rock] race, the [Snowstep Forest Deer] were much more balanced in terms of offense, defense, and speed. However, they had a huge flaw, due to an ancestral bloodline defect, their ability to absorb mana from the air was less than one-tenth of normal magical creatures.
And that never improved, not even after reaching adulthood.
This meant that after every battle, they needed an extremely long time to recover their mana, or they had to absorb ready-made magic energy from magic cores, monster crystals, or rare magic stones. But where would they even find those so easily?
If Xiao Guang weren’t in this class, then most of the students, Lenka included, wouldn’t be fit to compete against other academies.
But… That didn’t mean their weaknesses were impossible to overcome.
Violet casually raised her hand and pointed at the tallest, most muscular figure in the group.
“You, step forward.”
“...Huh? Oh—oh!!!”
The [Magic Rock] race boy froze for a second but then nodded excitedly, stepping forward in huge strides without hesitation.
“Yes! Please guide me!”
…Why does that sound so weird?
Violet ignored the odd phrasing and calmly raised her hand again, this time pointing at a golden-haired loli standing at the very end of the girls’ line. Her face remained expressionless.
“You, go take her down.”
“......”
Out of nowhere, the air became dead silent.
Everyone present, including Priscilla, looked as if they had just been scared out of their wits, their mouths hanging open in shock. Even Xiao Guang, the one who had just been called out, raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, glancing at her master standing in front of them with a puzzled expression.
The fact that Violet was going to teach the [Experimental Class] wasn’t exactly a secret. After all, both Xiao Guang and Lenka had already told their classmates about it. Well, mostly Lenka, with her nonstop chatter, but Xiao Guang hadn’t bothered stopping her, since it wasn’t something that had to be kept under wraps.
That said, all they knew was that Violet had casually mentioned it over a meal. As for what exactly she was planning to do in class? Neither Xiao Guang nor Lenka had any clue.
“Huh? You want me to duel Sister Light? Seriously?”
Of course, the most shocked person in the room was none other than Yogg Hardstone, the one who had just been called out as Xiao Guang’s opponent.
Sure, his name had "Hardstone" in it, and he might not look like the smartest guy around, but that didn’t mean he was so dumb that he couldn’t tell how much stronger someone was than him.
Even though she had only transferred in a month ago, this golden-haired loli had already wiped the floor with all the top fighters from the Seventh Academic District, and even those who had come from other districts for exchange programs.
Her overwhelming power and speed, combined with her flowing golden hair, had left such an impression that some students had secretly started calling her [Golden Flame].
She was small and cute, but at the same time, she was so ferociously strong that she felt almost unbeatable. The contrast was so striking, and given all her dragon-like traits, it was no surprise that the name [Golden Flame] had spread like wildfire.
Most people at Sainz Academy might not have heard the name Xiao Guang, but if you mentioned "Scorching Dragon Golden Flame", who climbed to the top of the Sainz Seven Tower at nearly the fastest speed in history, then you’d immediately get a reaction. She had already become a hot topic of discussion across the academy.
As a fellow [Experimental Class] student, Yogg had once challenged Xiao Guang himself, thinking his defense was more than enough to handle her.
The result?
She slapped him straight into a wall, twice.
It took their classmates half a day to dig him out.
After that, the [Magic Rock] race boy had been bedridden for over a week, but instead of holding a grudge, he had been completely convinced of her strength. From then on, he had been calling her "Sister Light" out of pure respect.
After all, not even most academy instructors could make him feel that kind of absolute pressure.
Sure, Xiao Guang might have a lot to learn when it came to knowledge and other studies, but when it came to combat, she was more than ready to graduate on the spot.
Compared to her, Lenka Dorgon, another student who had enrolled at the same time, was definitely strong, but she was nowhere near Xiao Guang’s level.
In fact, many students secretly speculated that Xiao Guang was actually a real dragon hatchling, but nobody dared to say it out loud.
The priestess, who was already well aware of each student's strengths and weaknesses, including Yogg’s previous duel with Xiao Guang, nodded slightly.
“Yes, it’s a one-on-one match between you and her. What’s wrong? You already lost to Light once, and now you don’t even have the courage to stand in front of her? Is this all the pride the [Magic Rock] race has?”
“W-What?! I-I'm not scared! Fine, you want a fight… then let’s fight! This time, I won’t go down in just two moves!”
Just a few casual taunts from Violet were enough to make the young man’s blood boil. His single eye blazed with determination as he strode to the battlefield, facing off against the golden-haired dragon girl, who looked utterly unbothered as she calmly followed instructions and took her position.
“Urgh…”
But the moment their eyes met, Yogg let out a low, involuntary whimper, one that sounded oddly weak for someone so big and tough. It was an instinctive reaction, as if he were a wild beast facing its natural predator. His gaze instinctively darted away, and he subconsciously took a half-step back.
Meanwhile, the other students, who had already started clearing space for the duel, whispered among themselves.
“Wait, wait… are they really gonna fight?”
“Two moves? C’mon, last time, Light let Yogg punch her on purpose just to test his strength before countering. If we’re being honest, he didn’t even survive a single proper attack.”
“Yeah, no way a month of training is gonna make him last even one more move.”
“You think Lady Violet is just setting him up to get beaten half to death? Maybe she wants to show off her holy healing magic afterward? I mean, isn’t she the strongest holy magic spellcaster in the world outside the Holy Empire?”
“Damn… that’s brutal.”
Their whispers naturally didn’t escape Violet’s ears. Even Priscilla, who had stepped aside to observe the lesson, twitched at their words and shot her a questioning glance.
But the black-haired priestess simply responded with a calm smile, silently gesturing for her to stay patient.
Then, just before the fight could start, she spoke up again.
“Hold on, Yogg. Before we begin, drink this.”
She casually pulled out a small vial of golden liquid and tossed it to the visibly nervous [Magic Rock] youth.
Yogg instinctively caught it, staring at the tiny vial in his massive hands. Compared to his huge frame, it was so small it wouldn’t even be enough for a single gulp.
“…Is this… a potion?”