Dragon's Roar: This Game's Weakest Unit Wants to Avoid Apocalypse

Once Atro and I made our way back to the stands, the group welcomed us with warm smiles.

"Hi, guys!" Yani waved at us and patted the seat between her and Kaida. "The next fight will start in a couple of seconds."

Atro sat next to Cole and tried to strike up a conversation.

"H-Hey, Cole... can I read the notes you took during the last duel?" Atro asked shyly.

"Sure. Here, take a look."

Atro began skimming through Cole's pages. "Wow... these are really detailed..." he said in amazement, admiring how organized and neat they were. "You've got everything — from descriptions of the fight and the movements used by both duelers, to the things we talked about during the duel..."

"Tirino is the one who helps us the most with our studies!" Tirino boasted happily, swinging an arm around Cole's shoulders.

"With notes like these, I'm not surprised."

"C'mon, man, it's not that big of a deal." Cole's cheeks flushed red from Atro's compliments.

The three of them started chatting about the last duel. Atro eagerly asked questions, clearing up his doubts while Tirino chimed in with his own comments.

"Hmm..."

"You look like a proud mother," Yani teased me with a nasal giggle and a smirk.

"What?"

"You had a big, proud smile on your face while watching Atro talking with the guys," Kaida added, giggling softly and covering her mouth with her palm.

"But a mother... not even a father?" I asked, slouching in defeat and dropping my hands on my head.

"That's what you focus on!?" Yani loudly asked with a laugh at the end.

While I kept chatting with Yani and Kaida, I glanced to my right and noticed Silva sitting there, posture straight like a noble lady.

She was silent, not interacting with anyone — she seemed completely detached from our group, staring ahead with a calm expression.

I never really questioned why she stuck so close to me after what happened. She probably needed someone to feel safe with — and who better than the guy who saved her before something terrible could happen?

I had no reason to push her away. Even if the way we met was unusual, I wouldn't turn away someone who wanted to join my friend group.

Despite that, she hadn't spoken a word to me or anyone else in all the days she'd spent with us.

It's even harder to know what to expect from her — she was just a background character in the game, used for a single plot beat and never mentioned again.

I should talk to her privately sometime.

"The two students shall enter the arena!" the teacher acting as referee announced.

The first one, Herdon Teriris, stepped in from the right side of the arena. His only weapon was a small curved sword in a fancy, expensive-looking leather sheath — fitting for someone of noble heritage. He wore the standard Aurum Academy blue uniform, with very little protection besides some metal pads on his limbs.

Then the arena erupted with cheers and applause.

On the other side, Tarian Ebenly walked in, waving at the crowd cheering for her.

"Thank you so much for your support, my dear fans!" Tarian yelled back, giving a playful wink that left most of the male students paralyzed.

She also wore the academy's blue uniform and skirt. Her light green hair flowed with every move she made. Unlike Herdon — who wielded a simple sword despite mainly being a mage — Tarian carried no weapon. The only thing in her hand was a small buckler shield with a spiked tip protruding from its center.

"A fight between two mages..." I muttered.

"Aren't we all mages, though?" Yani asked, tilting her head with a confused look.

Seems like I let my game knowledge slip for a second.

"While we all study magic, not everyone fights the same way. Tarian mostly uses spells in combat — she's different from you, for example," I explained.

"Tarian fights more like a pure mage than you do, Yani — you mostly rely on your bow."

It feels so weird explaining game classes to the characters of the game I got transmigrated into...

"Like fighting styles, but more general?" Cole asked, jotting notes in his notebook.

"Sure... that's a good way to see it."

"Is this important for my fight?" Atro asked, determined to learn more.

"Not really... You already know Ximuss primarily uses a bow, just like you. Since you know how your opponent fights, understanding which category someone falls into based on style, weapons, or armor won't give you much of an advantage here," I explained, careful not to slip into game terms.

"I'll think hard about it anyway — maybe I can get something out of what you said!" Atro said confidently, leaning toward Cole. They both reread what I said — which Cole had quickly noted down — and started discussing it in depth.

"The first fifteen seconds to cast a spell will begin..." the teacher announced, raising his hand.

"It's starting." I gave Atro a quick tap on the back of his head.

I want him to watch as much as possible and learn.

"... NOW!" The teacher snapped his hand down, signaling the start of the duel.

Without wasting a moment, Tarian began chanting her spell.

"Teriris isn't chanting any incantations!"

"What's he doing?"

The students murmured among themselves.

It was true — Herdon just kept his fist resting on his hip, balancing his weight on one leg.

"I've learned quite a lot since my defeat against Alen," Herdon said with a cocky smile.

He turned his head, scanning the stands until his eyes locked onto mine.

"Today's the day I make a name for myself!" the black-haired boy declared, adjusting his glasses.

Meanwhile, Tarian finished her incantation.

"[Lovely Scent]"

With that, she extended her arm and opened her palm. A rosy, slow-moving, heavy air drifted from the elven noble's hand.

The pink mist traveled around the arena, winding through the trees and covering it from corner to corner.

I noticed Atro's gaze flick to me — probably waiting for an explanation.

"There are two ways to start a duel. You can use the first fifteen seconds to cast a powerful offensive spell and hope it hits, then continue with a normal duel. Or you can use that time to set up something more strategic for later," I explained. Seeing Cole note down every word and Atro's eager look made me smile.

"There's also the secret third option: do nothing," Yani added. "You were the first one to pull that off."

"In our year? Maybe. But I doubt I'm the only one who didn't cast in the first fifteen seconds in the entire academy's history."

"Hmph! Such bad manners for someone who claims to be a noble," Tarian called out, following the pink trail her spell created.

Her body began to sway with every step as she slipped deeper into the tree-dense part of the arena. In just a few steps, she vanished completely, as if she'd turned invisible.

In the game, Lovely Scent was a tier-one wind spell that raised allies' evasion in a set area.

"I won't hear anything from someone who relies on tricks like turning invisible," Herdon said, stepping into the dense trees with a calm expression.

Unlike Tarian, his body wasn't affected by the Lovely Scent.

"And you seem to have forgotten the spell's biggest weakness," Herdon said slowly, pointing his index finger forward.

"This mist is highly flammable."

"Burn."

That quick incantation!

"[Lighter]"

A tiny flame flickered to life at Herdon's fingertip.

As soon as it appeared, the heavy pink mist across the arena caught fire.

"Fly away."

"[Gust]"

Tarian cast her spell, creating a small gust of wind to push the pink air away from her before the flames reached her.

However—

"Emerge."

"[Rock Wall]"

Herdon cast a tier-one earth spell.

A single, small rock wall erupted from the ground, blocking Tarian's gust.

"Ahh!" Tarian yelled. She threw her arms up to shield herself — but she knew it was too late. The flames would reach her no matter what she did.

Once the flames reached Tarian's position, instead of engulfing and burning her, they began swirling around the elven girl, rising into the air in the form of a small twister.

"I had to use more mana than I wanted on that gust. Casting an actual twister spell would've been more mana-efficient, but I didn't have time," Tarian explained as the flames finally settled.

"It just couldn't be an easy win..." the black-haired boy muttered in a low, bitter tone as his hand reached down to grab the hilt of his sheathed sword.

"I'd never betray the expectations people have of me. If I'm the second-best student in the A Class, it's for a reason, boy," Tarian said with a smug look, swinging her index finger side to side.

"Don't you call me 'boy,' knife-ears," Herdon scoffed, drawing his curved sword and pointing it straight at Tarian.

"My, my. Such a rude way to speak to the academy's first-year idol. My lovely fans will surely make your life hell for calling me that."

"I'm not worried about what a bunch of losers who stop breathing when a woman talks to them might do to me."

"My fans are all the cutest, though," Tarian said, taking a few steps back and putting her hand behind her so she wouldn't bump into a tree.