Reincarnation Code Breaker

"Hehe~," Mira puffed up her chest. "Who's the best now?"

"That's a genius for ya," said Frank. "Being born with talent and then training like a weird battle junkie."

"Want this battle junkie to beat you up?" asked Mira, clearly annoyed by what Frank just said.

"Urk!" Frank tensed up. "S-sorry."

"Come on guys. I don't think this is the time for this," said Emilia trying to ease up the tension while Ace simply observed them like a spectator.

As time went on, other students faced their own tests, and the monsters that appeared varied depending on the students who were taking the test.

It went from goblins to dire wolves among other monsters. Each student fought their own battle and though randomly, the monsters' strength was somehow proportional to the students' strength.

Frank defeated his opponent, a troll, with accurate evasion and good use of stone spikes that pierced its skin, skewering it from every limb and body part possible as Frank dealt the killing blow straight at its head.

"Frank Wellberg. You pass," announced Isabella, from her loudspeaker.

"You see that! That's how you use your brain!" announced Frank, his gaze focused on Mira.

"But it still took you 4 minutes to end it," retorted Mira with a piercing comment.

"Now, now," said Emilia, still trying to ease up the tension.

"We can say what we want but it's still a fact that his strategy is highly efficient. He used his surroundings and magical attribute to his advantage and perfectly analyzed how his opponent fought and reacted. A perfectly crafted plan with almost no controversy," analyzed Ace, replaying the fight in his mind. "Now I understand what Emi meant by him being a brainiac."

After another dozen students, Emilia's turn finally came. What came out of the magic circle in response to her was a buzzing sound that anyone would be all but too familiar with.

It was bigger, stronger, faster and more menacing than an ordinary bee.

"A Hell Bee, huh? Talk about a bad match up," muttered Frank.

"What do you mean?" asked Ace, his crossed arms opening up as his curiosity took hold.

"Don't misunderstand. He means that it's a bad matchup for the monster, not Emi," Mira added. "Well, just watch you'll understand soon enough."

After those words, Ace understood immediately what they meant.

The hell bee flew at an incredible speed as it tried to distract and destabilize Emilia.

"She closed her eyes?!" Ace questioned what Emilia's strategy was.

It didn't take long for him to admire what she had planned. As the hell bee closed in on Emilia to take her out, it was being continuously pushed back by what seemed to be a water barrier.

The more openings seemed to be available for it, the more it got pushed back unexpectedly.

"Should be about time for her to finish this," muttered Mira as Ace glanced at her.

With a glowing blue intensity in her eyes as she opened them, Emilia raised her right hand and with it, the countless water droplets that were scattered around the combat platform, floated in the air. And with a simple flick of the arm, they pierced the hell bee like countless needle bullets, killing it instantly.

"Emilia Windsor. You pass."

"See what I mean now. Emi is a real, true-to-true genius," said Mira.

"I knew there was something about her when we first met but… I certainly didn't expect this," thought Ace as Emilia descended from the platform while Mira and Frank approached her to congratulate her.

Time passed again and all the other students except Ace had passed their tests.

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"Ace Blakelord. It's finally your turn," announced Isabella.

"I've got a bad feeling about this, and I don't like it," thought Ace as he approached the platform while glancing at Isabella, unaware that from his office, Hugo was watching him on his computer screen with a discerning eye.

"This should be interesting," muttered Hugo, his thoughts aligned with Isabella who had a playful smirk on her lips.

"The magic circle matches students with monsters that are compatible with them but who can also challenge them. Basically, their own natural enemy in a sense. What kind of monster will appear for you?"

As Ace stepped on the combat platform, the magic circle widened, and the ground started shaking.

What's happening?! was the common question that all the students had on their minds.

The magic circle erupted with light as a roaring sound resonated across the stratum.

"No time to waste I guess," Ace murmured as his shadow expanded and swirled under his feet before erupting from the ground like spikes, all headed towards the light.

The roar resounded once again. The light fading, the beast that appeared and undeterred by Ace's previous attack, went on a relentless assault.

A monster with a huge physique and enormous strength, its giant club capable of crushing a car in one hit and its visibly thick, dark-green skin that made physical attacks seem completely useless.

"A-a-a-an orc!" exclaimed Frank, fear in his voice. "Why the hell is that here!?"

"If that's here, that means the circle considered it the most appropriate opponent for him. But a freaking B-rank monster as an appropriate opponent? Isn't that too much?" Mira questioned not believing what she was seeing.

"Will… will he be okay?" asked Emilia, worry in her voice.

Contrary to them and the other students, Ace didn't have time to ask himself why or how his opponent appeared. It was there and that was all that mattered.

He dodged the attacks and darted around the combat platform, desperate to find a weak spot he could leverage or a suitable strategy to beat the ferocious monster in front of him.

In a desperate attempt to create an opening, he punched the ground to create a smoke screen, hoping to obscure the orc's vision. Unfortunately for him, the giant and heavy steps of the beast blew away the smoke effortlessly.

 "Tch," he clicked his tongue.

Ace barely had time to react as another club strike came crashing down once more with devastating force, his form dispersing into a hazy trail of shadows.

"That was a close one," Ace thought, his mind racing with any option he had as he reappeared behind the orc and created distance between them. "Why the hell am I the only one who has to deal with this freaking monster? Not only that, but they really expect me to beat that thing!?"

Ace's eyes snapped up just in the nick of time to see the giant orc approaching him as it raising its massive club high, striking it with full force as it sent a shower of dirt stone in the air.

A large sound could be heard at that moment. Amidst the cover of dust, there was grinding sound in the air.

When the dust cleared, Ace, who barely managed to block the attack with his knife, was still standing.

"Damn it! Stop it with the useless thoughts!"

The beast, taken aback by his resistance, roared in fury, preparing for another strike.

"Concentrate," he told himself, his deep breaths becoming steadier as in his eyes, time was moving slower than it actually was. "One strike is all I need. One clean strike that can take that thing down."

His gaze glinted with a golden hue akin to a beast's while he focused on channeling his strength, the blade of his knife gleaming with a radiant silver aura.

"Now!" Ace's eyes sharpened as he took a single controlled, deep breath and closed his eyes, his world narrowing into a singular point of focus. As the club came crashing down with the force of an avalanche, he reopened his eyes, and with a slight change in footing, as if it was a natural reflex, he moved with lightning-fast motion, disappearing in a blur.

"" he murmured as he reappeared behind the orc's massive frame which splattered dark purple blood everywhere after its head fell off in the opposite direction of its collapsing body.

For a moment, there was silence. The air hung still, as if in awe of the battle's end. Ace released his breath, his body cooling down from the intense heat of battle. He glanced at the massive orc sprawled a few feet away, its once fierce eyes now staring blankly at the sky as it dispersed into nothingness.

"It was quite the tough opponent," he thought as he stretched his arms. "Well, I still managed to beat it somehow."

All the other students had dumbfounded expressions on their faces. Admiring the fact that Ace had managed to bring such a strong beast down, they started to clap their hands and roar his victory as they immersed in the collective adrenaline.