Goblins—those were monsters I fought a long, long time ago.
Back when I first formed my hero party and started gaining combat experience.
The very first monster I ever killed.
‘Well, not like I had any reason to fight them after that.’
I probably cut them down along the way while slaying other monsters, but I never had to fight goblins specifically, one-on-one.
After all, these creatures weren’t meant for heroes to handle—they were taken care of by defense corps and mercenaries.
Goblins just weren’t worth my attention.
My sword had become far too valuable to waste on them.
—Kirik.
—Kik, Grrrk.
Disgusting little things, no matter when I see them.
Their green-skinned, twisted faces were bad enough, but for such small creatures, they were unnervingly violent.
Kidnapping villagers every day to increase their numbers—insane, breeding-obsessed monsters.
They were humanity’s enemies, just like the demons, but in a completely different way.
That’s why they were marked for extermination on sight.
‘So, what should I do about this?’
They were just illusions, so I had no hesitation about killing them.
The only issue was—how much strength should I show?
A minor dilemma, stemming from first impressions.
[‘The Balance of Order and Causality’ holds great expectations for the Hero’s hidden strength.]
Hidden strength? No, come on.
Throwing my full power at a goblin? That’d be ridiculous for a former hero.
Sure, I was being mindful of how others perceived me, but more than that—it was a matter of efficiency.
A true miracle could be achieved with only a fraction of my power.
There was no need to reveal everything.
Tap, tap.
As I lightly tapped my sword hilt, lost in thought, I quickly reached a decision.
Right now, I was only at about ten percent of my peak strength.
So, I’d use just about ten percent of that.
“May the blessing of the gods be with me.”
Out of habit, I offered a prayer to the Goddess, then muttered to myself.
Honestly, goblins and hobgoblins weren’t even worth one percent of my true strength.
—Srrrng.
I drew my sword.
By the time the illusionary magic had bared its fangs, sending every student in the lecture hall into a frenzy—
Professor Shin Arin of the Combat Studies Department was no longer there.
Instead, she had moved to the conference room.
Despite her overwhelming titles—S-rank Hunter, High-Ranker—she was, at her core, a physical-type fighter.
She could react to magic, but understanding its manifestation and intricacies was beyond her.
“Oh, you finally made it.”
“I thought my neck was going to fall off waiting.”
“Hey, hey, get over here already. Hurry.”
In other words, they needed help.
Inside the conference room, dozens of screens floated in the air.
Shin Arin clicked her tongue at the unexpectedly large number of people gathered.
Only the magic faculty needed to be here—so why did it feel like the entire Combat Studies department had shown up?
“I still had to tidy up the lecture hall.”
“Yeah, yeah, we know.”
“Professor Arin, come sit down. As the supervising professor, you can’t afford to miss what the students are doing.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Shin Arin squeezed into the bustling space and turned her attention to the glowing blue screens.
As the goblins emerged and the confrontation began, several professors grew animated, chattering excitedly.
“Oh, so the level test is starting again this year.”
“Last year, it was a golem. This time, they lowered the difficulty a bit but increased the number of enemies.”
“That was too tough back then. Even if they couldn’t win, they at least needed to be able to assess the situation. But golems are just too sturdy.”
“Yeah, and living creatures are a better choice than constructs. Some students can destroy objects just fine, but panic when facing real, living monsters.”
“Besides, even goblins let us assess how they handle outnumbered fights.”
After confirming that nothing was amiss, Shin Arin absently nodded along to the conversation while sneaking a glance to the side.
The gathered professors were all buzzing with excitement, but the one who had designed and deployed the illusion magic remained indifferent, simply observing.
Most mages were known for their sensitive personalities, but this one seemed unbothered.
“Inexperienced students get overwhelmed when they’re outnumbered. And many can’t even respond properly to a higher-tier Hobgoblin.”
“Unless they’ve done special training at home, that’s only natural.”
“Well, students from prestigious families always come prepared. Damn, times have changed.”
“Back in the 20th century, people kept saying the system would collapse, cities would fall, and economies would crash. Now, everything runs so smoothly.”
“These kids today wouldn’t understand the struggles we went through.”
Shin Arin, who had been absentmindedly agreeing up until now, narrowed her eyes as the conversation drifted into 20th-century nostalgia.
What’s with these old-timers? Were they seriously implying that she was part of the ‘kids these days’ crowd?
Considering their usual nagging, there was a high chance they were sneaking in a jab.
The way they chuckled slyly made them even more irritating.
‘If my old teachers weren’t still around, I’d have flipped this whole place over already.’
Besides, assessing the students’ abilities was far more important than their amusement.
Even though Shin Arin now outranked them in both ranking and Hunter grade, she had once been a student under these very professors.
That made it difficult to openly express her annoyance.
‘I’m letting this slide just this once.’
Holding back a sigh, she refocused on the desk displaying the illusion magic’s projections.
The other professors, despite their idle chatter, were also keeping an eye on every screen.
The standoff didn’t last long—before anyone knew it, the battle between the freshmen and the goblins had begun.
The dynamics and skill levels quickly became clear.
“Hmm, as expected.”
“The well-trained ones handle things cleanly.”
Among the dozens of students and screens, a few stood out—
The so-called geniuses, born with exceptional talent.
With the background chatter fading into white noise, Shin Arin focused intently on the screens.
—Full-range designation. Rapid cooling.
The Iceflower from the Azure Tower, the moment the standoff ended, froze the goblin horde in an instant
—A testament to her unique magic and incredible casting speed.
Swift and solid.
Considering how many mages fail at both, her talent was remarkable for someone who had just turned twenty.
Elsewhere on the screens, others, though not as fast as her, displayed destructive prowess, wrapping up the test in their own ways.
—Boom! KABOOM!
A spirit-wielding sorcerer, borrowing the power of an elemental, mercilessly crushed the goblins with sheer brute force.
Similarly, the summoner from the prestigious Allabad family commanded a massive hunk of metal, methodically wiping out the goblins before moving on to the Hobgoblin warriors.
Crunch.
Amidst the chaotic battlefield, there was something even more unsettling—a sight that went beyond mere destruction.
Even though the method was similar, something about it felt deeply disturbing.
“Oh, so that’s this year’s top student.”
“As expected, dark magic is different.”
“That was an interesting way to cast a spell just now.”
A goblin’s twisted corpse lay on the ground, blood pouring from its mangled body.
Nearby, a hobgoblin warrior stood, its body shriveled like a dried husk, all moisture drained from it in an instant.
The darkness that had created such gruesome sights slithered back into the shadows.
The owner of those shadows—
A girl, wearing the same composed smile she had when delivering her speech at the entrance ceremony, stared at the glowing blue screen in front of her.
“When did the level test turn into a horror show?”
“That child is… quite something.”
Hearing the murmurs of the surrounding professors, Shin Arin couldn’t help but agree, at least a little.
Dark magic was always a controversial subject due to its potential for criminal use.
But this student… she had something even more unsettling about her.
A cold, calculated air.
Still, she’s definitely strong enough to enter this academy as the top first-year student.
Her will was immediately translated into action, her casting speed almost instantaneous.
But what stood out the most was the sheer intensity of her magic.
Unlike the prodigy from the Blue Tower earlier, this level of destructive power felt wasted on mere goblins.
With this, she could easily take down gnolls, orcs, maybe even trolls.
“I heard someone call this year’s class the ‘Golden Generation.’”
“Hmph, people say that every year, but this time… they might actually be right.”
The professors, who had been observing various students, finally paused on a particular screen.
They had already seen the pre-evaluated elites finish their tests—
So now, they were searching for a dark horse.
And one student stood out.
While other cadets struggled against the goblins, fighting hard just to keep up—
One male student stood there, completely at ease, quietly watching the green-skinned monsters approach.
“Who is he? Where did he come from, acting all high and mighty?”
“He entered as an individual. No special background.”
“What? Seriously?!”
“Damn, he looks like he walked straight out of a fashion magazine.”
Shin Arin nearly nodded in agreement before catching herself.
No, no.
She had to maintain her dignity as a professor.
She quickly shook her head to regain focus.
Instead of his face, she examined his waist—
A sword.
As the goblins cackled and slowly closed in,
The student absentmindedly ran his fingers over the hilt, his gaze locked onto them.
“He looks too relaxed for a swordsman.”
“He’s slower than you, Professor Arin.”
“Oh, come on. Can you all focus, please?”
The other professors chuckled, but Arin paid them no mind, turning her attention back to the screen.
She had been distracted for just a moment—
And in that moment, the sword had already been drawn.
In a single, fluid motion, the curved blade sliced clean through the nearest goblin’s neck.
Shhk.
A flawless cut.
No unnecessary movement, no wasted energy.
The hobgoblin’s eyes widened in shock,
And the other goblins recoiled in fear, realizing too late the danger before them.
Once the blade had been drawn, it didn’t stop.
Like a flowing stream, the sword moved effortlessly from one goblin to the next.
A dance of death.
With each swing, heads flew.
The lush, illusionary grassland became a crimson field of blood and mist.
It was dazzlingly beautiful yet devoid of any excess motion—
A perfect execution of slaughter.
Shin Arin, who had spent her life honing her body and reaching the peak of martial skill,
Realized what she was seeing and felt her breath hitch.
That’s a… freshman?
Regardless of the professors’ reactions,
The blade continued its merciless waltz.
It cut down the outer goblins first, then wove into the center,
Effortlessly deflecting incoming daggers while slicing through arms, legs—
And finally, heads.
Even his elbow and knee movements were incorporated into the fight,
Seamlessly mixing in hand-to-hand combat techniques.
It was impossibly efficient.
Unrealistically refined.
“Kiiek… Kraaah…!”
A hobgoblin, utterly terrified, tried to flee—
Only for a sword to pierce the back of its skull.
“Ah.”
Shin Arin, for the first time, forgot to look at the other students.
She had been completely captivated.