Kamish was told to rest for two days, but he had no intention of obeying. He escaped the academy and used the time to train, focusing on enhancing his mana to 25% of his former strength.
When the principal received the news, he was secretly pleased. This year's talent is too good, he thought. He immediately called a meeting with the vice principal and all faculty members.
The academy was preparing for the annual championship, where every year the top ten academies participated. The winner would earn a chance to compete in the international championship. This was a huge moment, and all academies, along with students who had potential for S-rank, would compete. The event was scheduled to happen in one and a half months.
The academy began selecting members: 10 students for the group tournament and three individuals from each year—first, second, and third. From each year, one group and three individuals would qualify for the international stage.
After the incident between Lily and Kamish, he was in the limelight. Many teachers recommended him for the group tournament. Group selection was decided during a meeting between teachers and the principal, but individual representatives had to prove themselves in a tournament arranged for students.
To qualify, the individual competition was scheduled for 15 days. Notices were posted on the academy board: anyone from each class could participate, while the group had already been decided by the principal. Students took this as an opportunity and began preparing immediately.
Kamish knew from fighting Lily that sparring with strong opponents gave great impact on his strength recovery. He also realized that this was a national-level competition—much stronger than the international level—so he would face powerful students. He started practicing intermediate-level swordsmanship and honing his wind-element abilities.
After fifteen days of rigorous training, he had regained only 23% of his past-life power.
Before the competition, Kamish wanted real combat experience. He went to the Hunter Association Task Allotment Department, which usually assigns tasks or dungeons; the rewards, after taxes, belong to the adventurer. Kamish wanted to enroll as a mercenary, but the problem was he hadn't completed his evaluation yet.
The Mercenary Department had their own evaluation device, so Kamish decided to evaluate himself. He knew his swordsmanship was superior, but his mana control and experience were still low. He also had minimal dungeon experience and poor mana absorption.
During evaluation, he purposely injected less mana, achieving only a C-rank. This allowed him to apply for C-rank dungeons.
With five days left until the competition, Kamish's goal was simple: a speed run of a dungeon for five days, regaining one-fourth of his past power.
The first two days went smoothly, thanks to his intermediate swordsmanship and the wind-element sword.
On the third day, Kamish encountered a B-rank dungeon in front of his usual dungeon. It was being raided by his seniors, who were one member short, needing at least ten participants to satisfy the rules.
According to Hunter Association rules:
E-rank gates require 3 members
D-rank requires 5 members
C-rank requires 8 members
B-rank requires 10 members
Kamish volunteered to join, as his usual dungeon already had more than eight members. The other gate was being raided by his academy seniors. Kamish knew all his seniors were B-rank or above, and some had heard about his fight with Lily.
Upon entering the dungeon, the first monsters they faced were nagas. They were furious; nagas were typically found in top B-rank dungeons and usually raided by the top 10 B-rank teams. Despite this, they fought with confidence, believing they could overcome the challenge.
Some students felt sorry for Kamish, knowing he was only C-rank, but Kamish confidently stated, "You can't grow until you face an opponent stronger than you."
His words boosted everyone's morale. They began killing the nagas. In the middle of the dungeon, they encountered 20 nagas. The fight was 10 vs 20, but the academy students had an upper hand due to high-quality weapons and being mid-tier B-rank. They wiped out all the nagas without any casualties. Some were injured, but they had a healer on the team.
However, they had used 60–70% of their mana, which would affect their upcoming battle with the boss. Some B-rank students were already exhausted.
At the boss gate stood a highest-tier B-rank gatekeeper. They were furious; after a long fight, they still had to face a boss. The team decided that the five exhausted members would engage the boss, while the remaining four with leftover mana would focus on defeating it.
The boss was not simple; it was bulky, the commander of the nagas, with defense that beginners B-rank students could not pierce. The battle was intense. One student saw an opening and rushed in without thinking if it was real or bait. The naga instinctively reacted, delivering a fatal blow to the student's internal organs.
Without hesitation, the remaining five members jumped into the fight and defeated the naga. But the question remained: how to defeat the king naga?
Kamish proposed, "I can be bait. I'll hold it for a while; you can attack during that time."
The students were reluctant, but they had no other method. If Zhyrax Academy students failed this B-rank dungeon, they would face shame. They agreed.
Kamish entered the boss room and immediately sensed an enormous aura. All members realized this was an A-rank beast, despite being early in the dungeon. Kamish followed his plan, holding the aura. The beast attacked, but he blocked with his sword.
The beast had a fire element, but it had no effect; Kamish deflected the fire using his wind-element sword. The damage dealers fought for some time. After five B-rank members were fatally injured, the team finally pierced the beast's defense.
The beast went berserk, its fire attacks now affecting the students. Kamish instructed his teammates to hold it: he had an ultimate move ready.
From his past life, he wielded a wind-element sword known as Butterfly Fang, a single-shot attack capable of defeating an opponent in one blow. However, the attack required time to recognize the beast's movements. The leader began advancing, but Kamish stopped him temporarily, buying the time needed. The beast's berserk state reached its limit.
The skill was ready. Kamish commanded everyone to leave the beast. With a single strike, the attack cut the beast in two pieces. Kamish's mana was fully depleted, but he had regained one-fourth of his past strength.
Escorted home by his seniors, Kamish spent the remaining two days practicing his mana.
A gift awaited him from his seniors. What will Kamish do with it?
If you want to know, keep reading Hunter from Murim World. Stay safe