In My Second Life, I Rule from the Shadows

Chapter 27: Understanding of Combat (2)

Tap.

Carl, perched on a tree branch, leaned his back against the trunk.

Ahead of him, the cadets who had participated in the final operation were fleeing, drawing Prahan's attention.

Carl was currently hiding his presence while tracking Instructor Prahan's movements.

Analyzing the enemy’s information and finding a strategy to take them down was the most basic method of an assassin.

"I’ll be looking forward to it."

The quietly uttered voice echoed in his ears.

Carl smirked as he recalled Nerian’s face staring at him.

‘Who’s judging who here?’

That fledgling dared to try to evaluate him?

Still, it seemed he had achieved his goal of drawing the attention of the main cadets.

Even Nerian, who was considered the most difficult to approach, had begun to take notice of him.

If someone as prominent as Nerian showed interest, the others below him would naturally follow.

‘Now then…….’

How should he handle Instructor Prahan?

Fulfilling Nerian’s expectations might not be a bad idea.

He was also curious about the sword techniques that were supposedly going to be taught.

……However, he had no desire to take the spotlight.

If he personally took down Instructor Prahan and completed the task, he’d attract far more attention than necessary.

What Carl wanted was to slowly seep into their ranks, gradually blending in.

Standing out recklessly to grab attention wasn’t a good move.

‘In that case, the target is—’

A suitable target came into view.

Lightly finalizing his plan in his head, Carl pushed off the branch and dropped down.

Sensing a presence from behind, Instructor Prahan glanced back and grinned at Carl.

"Done with your analysis?"

"I won’t go down as easily as before."

"That’s what I like to hear."

Carl’s role was a continuation of the rabbit chase.

His task was to lure Instructor Prahan to a designated spot as the most tempting prey.

It was a rather burdensome position if grades were the concern, but he had taken it on thanks to Nerian’s suggestion and Laysis’ support.

Swish!

A sharp sound sliced through the air and struck down.

Instructor Prahan blocked Carl’s attack with his greatsword and immediately reached out with his other hand.

It was the same move as before—grabbing the opponent’s body to hurl them and neutralize them.

It was a simple move, yet no cadet had escaped that grip before.

Until now.

Whoosh.

Instructor Prahan’s hand grasped at empty air.

With a strange movement, Carl twisted his body and instantly widened the distance to escape.

"……."

The smile on Prahan’s lips deepened.

No cadet had ever avoided that move before—was there indeed a hidden trick?

It reminded him of what Instructor Andreas had said, claiming Carl was no ordinary one.

"Good. There’s still some time left, so a game of tag isn’t a bad idea."

Instructor Prahan pushed off the ground and chased after him with fierce momentum.

As expected, Carl confirmed that he was being pursued and picked up speed.

‘Feels like a boar is charging at me.’

The pressure behind him was immense.

Even a moment of carelessness would lead to being hit and sent flying.

To avoid such disgrace, Carl moved his feet quickly.

And now—the destination of the rabbit chase.

Louis, who had been waiting in ambush to play the trap, narrowed his eyes and looked ahead.

"……Carl, was it? I think he barely made it into the top 50."

"There are values in this world that can’t be measured by grades."

Nerian responded as he tidied his disheveled hair.

"……Hmph."

At the unusual behavior, Louis showed a bit of interest.

He rarely paid attention to others, let alone talked about them.

‘Carl.’

Louis watched the fast-approaching Carl intently.

‘An unexpected one popped up—but this might be better.’

Nerian was, like him, from a ducal family.

They had similar talents since childhood and had walked nearly identical paths.

But their lives diverged drastically at Bayern’s entrance exam.

Due to being placed in a later group during the third practical test, Louis didn’t get to enter the Magic Labyrinth where the terror incident occurred.

Thus, unlike Nerian, he had no achievements to show and ended up ranked 5th.

Furthermore, the medal personally awarded by the Emperor had driven a wedge into the delicate balance between them.

He had always thought himself superior, yet it flipped in an instant.

‘……No, this is actually more interesting.’

When had he ever struggled this hard from a challenger’s position?

This too was an enjoyable experience.

They were lifelong rivals—there had to be this much of a gap to make catching up feel satisfying.

"He’s coming."

At Nerian’s low murmur, everyone drew their swords.

There were not just the two of them here but a total of seven top-ranked cadets lying in ambush.

Among them, Laysis hid behind a tree while intently staring at Carl.

‘Amazing.’

Just by subtly shifting his body’s balance, how could he move so mysteriously?

The way he continuously slipped from Instructor Prahan’s grasp while fleeing was almost supernatural.

‘Could I do that too?’

Feet, legs, waist, torso, shoulders, arms, even the head.

Each moved independently as if they had separate minds.

Yet, they all formed a single balanced motion as they adapted.

She couldn’t even grasp how to begin imitating Carl.

"……."

A chilly silence settled among the cadets.

Carl and Instructor Prahan had reached the narrow passage where they were hiding.

Soon, Carl passed through, and as Instructor Prahan arrived—

Swish!

Six cadets simultaneously leapt out, launching themselves at Instructor Prahan from different directions.

Faced with a near-omnidirectional attack, Instructor Prahan smiled broadly.

"I was wondering what all that rustling was. Quite the adorable welcome party you’ve prepared."

However, this wasn’t enough.

Even if attacks came at the same time, there was always a slight delay between them.

A master of coordinated techniques would minimize that gap to make them look like a single strike, but to Instructor Prahan, the cadets were far too clumsy.

Swish!

He ducked low to evade the two closest attacks, then raised his greatsword to deflect the strike coming from the front.

“Ugh?!”

Another cadet, pushed out from the side, was tripped up by his own teammate, leaving that side neutralized as well, and Laysis’ sword—aimed at his back—was blocked without much effort.

Thud!

Instructor Prahan’s hand swung sharply.

He struck each cadet who had come at him with a single blow.

Just as he was about to burst into laughter and mock them, a strange chill ran down his spine.

‘Six?’

He had sensed seven presences in total.

That meant one was unaccounted for...

“……Above!”

Instructor Prahan immediately looked up at the sky.

And there, backlit by the sun, he spotted a chilling shadow falling toward him.

Shiiiiing!

Nerian, having somehow conjured it, used a massive chunk of ice as a foothold as he launched himself at Instructor Prahan.

As the fallen cadets quickly retreated, he tightened his fist, his forget-me-not-colored hair fluttering.

“Explode.”

Cracks spread through the ice block, and it shattered into hundreds of pieces.

Each fragment turned into a sharp dagger aimed at Instructor Prahan.

Whoosh!

The greatsword spun like a windmill, smashing all the falling ice shards to pieces.

Meanwhile, Nerian landed on the ground and flattened himself, aiming for Prahan’s lower half.

“That won’t work.”

As he jumped high to evade the ambush, Nerian raised his fingers and his eyes gleamed.

“Rise.”

Crash!

A thick pillar of ice shot up toward Instructor Prahan.

That had been Nerian’s plan all along.

Even Instructor Prahan couldn’t possibly avoid everything while restricting his power.

“The follow-up is well done, but...”

He stepped onto his spinning greatsword and blocked the top of the ice pillar.

Then, standing confidently atop it, he looked down at Nerian.

“Your tactic is too obvious. For someone ranked top, you lack creativity. You could’ve used your head a little more.”

It was his way of saying the power was wasted.

Nerian gritted his teeth and raised his sword, but then Instructor Prahan’s eyes widened slightly as he tilted his head.

Thwack!

A sword suddenly shot out from the empty air.

Carl had approached silently, exploiting that single opening.

‘……I missed his presence?’

Even though he had been focused on Nerian, it didn’t make sense that he hadn’t noticed Carl at all.

However, the finishing move was lacking.

If he had aimed for the waist or legs instead of the face, it could’ve been truly dangerous.

Clench.

Putting power into his legs, he kicked up the greatsword into his hands and leapt off the ice pillar.

To make sure Carl didn’t try anything else, he struck his side with full force midair.

This time, it was a decisive blow—one he wouldn’t let slip.

“……Urgh!”

Carl, hit with a deadly counter, was thrown aside helplessly, and Instructor Prahan, who had jumped from the ice pillar, also descended toward the ground.

…Or rather, just before landing.

‘The only gap I can aim for.’

As if swapping places with the falling Carl, Laysis clenched her teeth and sprinted in like lightning.

The other cadets had already been neutralized in the previous clash, now lying sprawled on the ground.

That’s how heavy and lethal Instructor Prahan’s attacks were.

Laysis herself felt like vomiting from the repeated strain, but she dug into the ground with desperate determination.

‘Instructor Prahan is focused solely on Nerian.’

He likely thought they were already down for the count.

That meant now was her only chance.

Rustle!

Carl smiled faintly as he watched the golden wave pass in front of him.

‘Sometimes, desperate resolve can make the impossible possible.’

Those blue eyes were locked solely on what lay ahead.

In that moment, Laysis was probably risking her life to forge that single strike.

Just for a class, just for a sparring match, just for a sword technique—risking her life?

Some might say that.

If so, Carl wanted to ask them:

If you can’t even risk your life for something like this, then what can you risk your life for?

Desperation gave rise to resolve.

Resolve gave rise to potential.

Sometimes, it even allowed one to leap over the wall in front of them.

Just like now.

Slash─!

A golden flash shot past Instructor Prahan at blinding speed.

Even Carl couldn’t help but be impressed by the sharpness of that strike.

Of course, no wounds were left on Instructor Prahan’s body.

The mana that had surged just before had shielded him.

“……Ah.”

For a single moment.

Laysis, who had exhausted all her strength and collapsed on the ground, also realized it and let out a breath of disappointment.

The more desperate one is, the greater the disappointment.

She had to grit her teeth and hold back tears from the emotions rising within her.

“Ha ha.”

Instructor Prahan lowered the greatsword he was holding.

“Cadet Laysis.”

He then looked at her with an expression of pride and spoke.

“You pass.”

After all, opportunity belonged to those who dared to seek it.