Chapter 144: A Scary Weapon

In the Hero Academy dining hall, Aurora looked at Vanessa, who was present.

“Are you ready for the tournament?” Aurora asked Vanessa as they enjoyed the delicacies in the academy’s dining hall.

Vanessa was not only taking part as a healer for the international tournament section of that profession, but she was also the competitor for the alchemy tournament.

That meant she would have two competitions.

Aurora couldn’t deny that she was intrigued by what the competitions for those two professions that went so unnoticed nowadays would be like.

“Yes. I feel more prepared for the healing section. I’m confident in my abilities,” Vanessa replied and, scratching her cheeks, she murmured. “In the alchemy tournament, I focus more on potions to enhance or heal the body. No attack.”

As a healer, she had already taken genuine jobs and had been to Kenya, where the situation was as complex as it was complicated.

She had gained experience even when fighting on the front lines and had experience as a healer, very different in alchemy.

Alchemists could create different potions if they had the necessary materials.

They could produce potions to heal internal or external wounds, stop diseases or cure them completely, and could even create some concoctions that gave special effects.

Such was like the concoction to see in the dark, get resistance to an element, or simply be able to sharpen the senses.

Because of the multiplicity of knowledge and branches within alchemy, it was impossible to focus on everything and needed to specialize in a specific subject.

Vanessa specialized in healing and enhancing the body, leaving those attack potions or concoctions aside.

Part of the reason was that it was expensive to cast alchemical potions or bombs and while some had terrifying effects, the materials came at a high price.

No matter how useful a potion capable of eating away at human flesh, freezing or paralyzing the body was, it was impossible to use it as a normal means of attack unless one had money.

“I think you’ll do fine,” Aurora said, giving a smile to encourage her.

She had heard good comments from Cardinal Brousseau about her and also received compliments from High Priestess Xaali, so Aurora was confident in Vanessa’s performance.

A slight smile appeared Vanessa at receiving such confidence and giving a thank you, she glanced at Clémentine and Alice who were approaching.

“How did it go?” Vanessa asked curiously.

The week was just beginning, and both Alice and Clémentine had the first challengers.

Aurora hadn’t gone to see them and the reason was simple when one noticed Alice’s indifference and Clémentine’s calmness.

“Easy. They just wasted my time,” Alice replied as she ordered her food.

Alice’s number of challengers was quite smaller than she expected, perhaps because she had beaten the best students in the academy.

Still, there was the odd student who wished to test Alice herself... Which led her to fight and waste time defeating them.

“My opponent was a student I had fought before and it wasn’t that hard,” Clémentine replied, and giving a half-smile, she muttered. “Still, I have a few opponents on my list.”

Everyone who had a seat had a list of those challengers who signed up this week.

Those bouts were split up all week so as not to tire or exhaust whoever held the position. and the academy would help them recover quickly and some rest time, so they could withstand the grind of recurring clashes.

Cithrel was to heal those who occupied the posts, leading them to recover as quickly as possible, being possible to continue with other challengers.

Among the A-Ranks, the number of opponents was not so frequent, however, it was different for the B-Ranks.

This week would go by quickly and it was possible that before they knew it, they would already prepare for the trip to South America.

The system of challenging for a position created a disadvantage for those who held that position, but at the same time, it pushed them to the limit so that they could progress at great speed.

Nicole loved it, as she had quite a few people challenging for her spot and she was getting better and better.

While Nicole’s fights were fierce, other students stood out like Niels, who snatched a spot at the A-rank that was unknown.

Marc, who would surely recover at this time, would go for a place among the B-Ranks.

But most important to the group were Érica and Leslie, who were preparing to get a place among those B Ranks and then will keep it.

“Some students have it hard,” Vanessa muttered and when they looked at her, she explained. “For example, Dalia is a mage, and a lot of students see her as a ‘weak’ target. Leading to her having several challengers.”

Those that looked weak were what most people on their list had.

That meant they would have constant bouts to keep their position and, after recovering, they would have to fight again.

It wasn’t like it was a complete disadvantage for them.

They had their advantages as was resting before any fight and lastly, the ability to challenge their opponent again to regain their spot should they lose a fight.

This time, the barrier was more active than before and the wounds would be lighter, limiting the ferocity of the combat and the wounds inflicted.

“This is a great opportunity to improve. Some see mages as weak to fighters or swordsmen, but it’s a matter of personal ability,” Aurora said without giving it too much importance.

A profession had advantages and disadvantages, and it was up to the person to try to cover their disadvantages.

As a fighter, she didn’t have a long-range ability, and that disadvantage was covered with her armor that had the ability for close-range movement.

It was the same with others and, in Leslie’s case; it was a prime example of covering her disadvantages.

“Let’s go see Leslie. I’m curious to see how she earns her spot,” Aurora invited as they finished eating.

She knew that Leslie would win, and more so when she had her cards hidden, although it was interesting to watch.

And more so when the opponent was a fighter.

******

Leslie adjusted her exoskeleton armor and analyzed her opponent.

The armor she was wearing was full body armor and the helmet that covered her adjusted automatically as the artificial intelligence analyzed her surroundings.

Changing the design of her weapon to a sniper rifle, she readied herself at a high speed.

Now, unlike before, they were fighting for a position and thus they could use their best weapon and armor, with no limit to show their capabilities.

Giving the mechanics a chance to rejoin the fight, Leslie was going to show her full capabilities.

The fighter was tense on the other side of the arena and was ready to close the distance in an instant, trying to defeat her in close combat.

A good tactic, which ended up leading to her loss in the individual tournament.

However, today would be different.

Looking at her opponent and receiving the look from the other side, she noticed the nervousness in her opponent.

It was normal when who she was facing was a master-at-arms and a mechanic who was equipped to the teeth.

As if that wasn’t enough, the students knew that Leslie was someone who came from a family with money and could use her family’s wealth to enhance her strength.

It was even possible for him to be frustrated, and that was normal.

Leslie could understand that, since she too was frustrated when she fought in the academic tournament with normal weapons.

However, to get the international tournament, students could use their best equipment to win and no one could use excuses.

“Let the battle begin!”

The host’s voice echoed through the surroundings and Leslie took her sniper rifle to aim at her target, who charged at her.

Trying to circle around her and performing zigzags to make it difficult for her to fire.

Her AI helped her predict movements and gave her a quick update on her target, but her talent helped her adapt to this fight.

Leslie didn’t fire even though she saw good moments to do so, and the fighter circled her, approaching fast.

She could tell he was tense because she had not taken her shot and Leslie just watched with her gun in her hand, always keeping her target in her sights.

It didn’t matter if her target moved; her reflexes were quick and now, with her armor that matched the ability of a B-Rank fighter, she could keep pace with her target.

Her lack of movement caused her opponent to tense up, hesitating to charge all out or just keep dodging until she found a suitable moment.

In the end, the tension was broken as the fighter began running around her and creating platforms to soar through the sky, trying to dodge the shot in an aerial zigzag.

Leslie didn’t flinch, and her finger inched closer to her trigger.

The closer the harder it was to pinpoint her shot and even with that fear and high tension, she kept her cool and waited, knowing it was the best choice.

The fighter came closer and when he was a few feet in the air, about to pounce with everything, Leslie pulled the trigger.

*Bang*

The sound echoed, and the bullet had already hit the barrier of the fighter’s armor and passed through it, causing the barrier of the arena to activate.

Then, Leslie saw how the fighter spun like a spinning top in the sky because of the terrible shot that hit his shoulder.

That shot was powerful and no doubt would have caused serious damage to the fighter’s arm if this had been a real fight.

The backlash of her weapon was not too many thanks to her armor, and she aimed at her target flying through the sky but did not fire.

She had a chance to hit her target in midair, however; she realized it would be too excessive.

The fighter fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

The bullet did not cause a serious injury thanks to the personal and academy barrier, even so, the force of impact was transmitted, leading to the fighter being wounded.

Watching the fight stop announcing her victory, Leslie took a deep breath as she realized that her weapon was terrifying.

Thanks to her armor, she could use a weapon that was not at the level of a B-Rank.

However, Leslie knew that.

The weapon and her armor were powerful tools and, as powerful as they were, they did not make her an A-Rank.

Improving her control over her weapon and accuracy, while adapting to her new armor; that was her goal if she wanted to move up in rank.

Also to gain as much experience as she could during these fights.

Leslie wanted now that she gained a position, students would try to challenge her, so that way she could improve and gain experience.

As for losing? She was confident about staying in this position, even if she had to use all her tricks.