Chapter 21 (2)
"I will call out the names. First, Team 1..."
Rene, who was listening, poked my shoulder with her finger.
When I turned around, Rene whispered in a small voice.
"...Good luck."
I smiled and replied.
"I\'ll be counting on it."
* * *
『 Team 33\'Captain\' Adel.
\'Members\' Kina, Chris, Shancie. 』
After the team assignments were complete, I recalled what Ares had said in my head.
The names of the cadets assigned to my team.
\'I don\'t recognize any of these names.\'
They must be the ones who acted as an extra to make the human heroes stand out.
I felt a strange sense of compassion, but I quickly shook it off.
It was more important to figure out how to use them than to feel sorry for them.
"My name is Adel. It\'s a pleasure to meet you."
I approached them, who were already gathered, and greeted them politely.
My original plan was to act friendly and use informal speech, but my body instinctively told me that this was a time to be humble and respectful.
It was a similar feeling to when I first met Rene.
It was a bit awkward since it wasn\'t my natural way of speaking, but it wasn\'t unbearable.
Besides, there was no harm in being seen as polite.
There was no need to force myself to change.
"Hello. The one next to me is Kina and Shancie, and I\'m Chris."
As the boy named Chris greeted us, the girl introduced as Kina nodded her head.
Chris had an innocent-looking impression with sky-blue hair.
The girl named Kina had ruby-colored eyes that contrasted with her blonde hair.
On the other hand, Shancie...
"Tch."
As soon as our eyes met, she turned her head away as if she was feeling sick.
And then, she uttered words filled with discontent.
"How can a half-breed like you be our leader? You\'re a disgrace to our family."
I thought she was from a family of seven deadly sins since she used the term "disgrace to the family."
However, it didn\'t seem to be the case, so I simply ignored her.
I turned my head and spoke to Chris and Kina.
"Let\'s give it a try."
"Let\'s do it."
"Yeah, let\'s work hard."
Although she might not like me deep down, she seemed to be paying attention to me in her own way.
I guess Shancie is the only one who openly shows hostility.
Even so, she doesn\'t seem to be planning to attack me right away, so I don\'t have to worry about it.
"First, let\'s decide on our positions. Please tell us about the weapons or talents you use."
From now on, we were a team, so we needed to share our information with each other.
Since the students of Sytan were a community of shared destiny, there was no need to hide anything about our fighting styles.
Perhaps we could even be called comrades who would face death together.
After a moment of contemplation, Chris used his mana to extract a triangular shape from his palm.
"This is my ability, Mana Transformation."
Then, he began to transform the triangle into various shapes.
He attached it to his body to create a form of armor, and he also made it into the shape of a sword.
Finally, he spread it out thinly to create a defensive barrier.
"It\'s not very lethal, but it\'s versatile and can be used for a variety of purposes."
"That\'s true."
It didn\'t seem like a bad ability.
Rather, it was quite useful.
It\'s just that the human characters I created, as well as Crete, are too strong, so this level is passable.
It was good enough to pass.
"Is it my turn now?"
As Chris finished his introduction, it was naturally Kina\'s turn next.
"My ability isn\'t a combat ability, but a support ability."
"A support ability?"
"A support ability, you say?"
"Yeah, I can ask the spirits to bless our allies."
Kina closed her eyes and began to chant a spell.
Then, I felt a faint flow of mana enveloping me.
Kina\'s mana was absorbed into my body in small amounts, and only then did she stop chanting.
"Huff...huff... How is it... Do you feel lighter?"
"Yes, I do."
I nodded at Kina, who was gasping for breath.
In truth, it was difficult to sense any major difference...
But I did feel a subtle lightness in my body.
"My spell can increase the speed of our allies. Of course, you shouldn\'t expect a huge change..."
"I can see that."
"You\'re being mean!"
"Just kidding."
I chuckled at Kina, who was pouting.
However, on the contrary, my insides were burning.
\'It\'s better than nothing.\'
On the battlefield, even a slight physical advantage can determine life and death.
That\'s why a buff ability that enhances physical abilities is definitely a good ability...
However, Kina\'s spell was so minimal that it was difficult to sense unless it was in a non-routine situation.
In fact, I even wondered how she passed the first test.
"Wasn\'t it Shancie? It\'s your turn now."
While I was feeling discouraged inside, Chris spoke to Shancie.
Shancie tried to ignore him, but only opened her mouth when she received our sharp gazes.
"...This is my ability."
At that moment, Shancie\'s body began to be covered in black rock.
Shancie\'s ability was hardening.
Judging from its appearance and hardness, it seemed like it could be used effectively as a tanker.
"Now, it\'s your turn."
As Shancie retracted her ability, the attention turned to me this time.
Their gazes were filled with curiosity.
They must be curious to see how strong I am, who passed as one of the final 8.
I don\'t mind meeting their expectations a little.
"Designate-"
I designated the earring hanging from Shancie\'s ear as the target.
"Move."
I exchanged positions.
Shancie\'s earring fell to the floor, and her trembling pupils came into view.
She seemed very flustered as the distance between us suddenly narrowed.
I whispered softly in Shancie\'s ear.
"Teleportation, that\'s my ability."
Adding a little bit of a lie.
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