Chapter 40 The Temporary Instructor
"Good morning, everyone! Sir Brutus won't be around, so I'll be the one directing your Martial Arts Class today."
The shock written on everyone's face as they stared at the person speaking was priceless.
No one could have expected this outcome, so they could only gawk in surprise.
"Adonis is busy with the Alpha Group, so I guess you'll have to settle for me."
The one who said this, with a bright smile on his clear face, was none other than Billy McGuire.
Apparently, both Head Warrior Brutus and Grand Mage Lucielle would be away for the next few days, and there was no one left to teach the students, so they had to teach each other.
When it was first announced, everyone had thought training would be suspended for the duration of their teachers' absence.
How wrong they were…
"This is a joke, right? Why do you have to teach us? You're practically our classmate!"
As expected, Adam flared upon rage.
It seemed like he had been waiting for a moment like this where his anger would be justified.
Several other students agreed with Adam, but the majority were silent.
"I also do not approve of this. It feels a bit condescending…" This time, Trisha's voice took dominance over the entire space.
Her ebony skin glimmered under the hot sun, and her long, braided hair trailed behind her as she made her presence known.
She was undoubtedly the strongest student in the Beta Class, and the fact that Adam didn't say anything once she stepped forward proved how much influence she held.
"Can't we just train by ourselves? If we get the instructions, we can follow through. We don't need you 'Alpha' students coming to tell us what to do."
Her fierce frown caused Billy to raise his hands a little, trying to be diplomatic about his approach to the whole thing.
"Hey… I wasn't the one responsible for this arrangement, okay? The directive came from our tutors themselves."
This obviously meant one thing—that the Alpha students had advanced so far that they could serve as temporary tutors.
The very thought of this made a lot of Beta students grit their teeth in suppressed envy.
"You didn't hear this from me, but there's going to be a Joint Session coming up soon. I think it's advantageous to take advantage of this opportunity and see what we 'Alpha' Students can do."
Billy's smile was calm, but there was something oddly condescending in his tone.
Trisha noticed it instantly and frowned a little. However, despite her distaste for Billy, she could not deny the advantages his presence implied.
By letting Billy teach, they could study how much the Alpha Students had advanced, and the gap that currently existed between them.
If he was right about the Joint Session, then the Beta Class couldn't afford to slack off and be left behind.
Sure, they weren't as powerful as the Alpha Students, but they had been working extremely hard for a month now.
"Tch! Fine…" Trisha muttered, turning her back on Billy as she returned to the rest of the group.
"Teach us, then."
"H-hey! I didn't agree to this!" Adam's voice suddenly surged forth in resistance.
He had a desperate expression, as if he was trying to both obtain attention and flex his own minuscule influence within the Beta Group.
Even though it was smaller than Trisha's by a wide margin, he still had his own squad.
"Who are you to give permission on behalf of the entire—!"
"Shut up, Adam." Trisha snapped, glaring at him with apparent bloodlust.
The moment she did so, Adam stopped flapping his lips and grew stiff. Her intense gaze on him was more than enough to overpower his ambitious stance.
"W-whatever…" He muttered as he looked away.
Of course, he would never admit defeat. However, to everyone present, they already knew…
Adam was the loser.
"Thanks for quelling the rebellion, Trisha. It's much appreciated." Billy's words grew bolder as his smile widened.
He seemed to be enjoying every moment of this.
"I didn't do it for you." Trisha responded, her arms folded.
As her pitch-black hair danced behind her, she narrowed her eyes on Billy.
"Let's just begin."
Her objective was simple; learn as much from the Alpha Student and improve drastically based on what was studied.
Trisha would do anything to grow stronger—even if it meant learning under someone like Billy.
'I just have to be patient and observant…' As her thoughts trailed, an internal smile appeared.
'Let's see how strong you are!'
*********
[Several Moments Later]
As the group of students lay sprawling on the floor, Trisha's widened eyes were fixed on the grinning opponent before her.
Her vision blurred, but she tightly held her two daggers regardless of how nauseated she felt.
With her muscles aching, and sweat constantly dripped from her ebony skin, she had no choice but to revise her earlier thoughts on Billy—no, the Alpha Class as a whole.
'I was wrong…'
As her thoughts trailed, she made a few heavy sighs while maintaining proper form.
'He… he's strong! Stronger than I expected!'
It wasn't just due to his powerful Skills, but the way he expertly used them.
His base strength and speed was incomparably superior to hers, and it seemed like he could read all her moves too easily.
'How…? How did he advance so much? It's only been a month!'
Trisha's parents were expert Martial Artists back on Earth—and her father was even a Pro.
She had joined many clubs that focused on Martial Arts and Sports—both within and outside school—back on Earth, growing stronger ever since she was a little girl.
That was why she was able to easily adapt to this world.
It wasn't just talent, but dedication and constant hard work.
Yet… yet… YET…!!!
The skinny Billy that had no combat experience just some weeks prior now had enough skill and ability to utterly overwhelm her.
How was that even fair?
'Damnit…'
Trisha gazed at all the students that were already on the ground.
She was the last one standing.
'Damnit…'
Holding tightly to her dagger, Trisha inhaled deeply and dulled her exhaustion.
'… I can't lose now!'
Tightly gritting her teeth, she raised both daggers and readied her body for action.
'I won't lose!'
Chapter 41 Rey's Analysis
'Oof! This is looking bad…'
As Rey was on the ground, eating dust just like the rest of his friends, he actively observed the current battle unfolding before him.
Of course, he did so inconspicuously, since most of the people that Billy had defeated were either unconscious or too tired to watch anything.
'I made sure to get eliminated among the first batch of students. He practically one-shot me…' Rey smiled, almost as if he was proud of that achievement.
He hadn't spoken to Billy since that night when he walked back their living quarters with Alicia, but Rey constantly caught him throwing bad stares his way.
'I don't get his deal. If he wants to talk to Alicia, he can just go and meet her in the library. I'm sure they'd bond well there…'
Of course, Rey didn't like the idea of Billy sullying the sanctuary that was the Library, but it was always an option for the latter.
'Billy looks pretty well-toned now. He's also in great shape. Plus, he's strong and popular….' Rey could easily notice all these things because of the body-hugging outfit Billy was fond of wearing.
It was in direct contrast to the baggy stuff Rey constantly put on.
'I'm sure he has more of a chance with Alicia than I ever could. He should just give it a go or something…'freewebnovel.cσ๓
Once again, Rey didn't like the idea of Billy hanging around Alicia too much.
It wasn't because he felt jealous or anything, but because he knew the kind of person the guy was.
'He was able to easily abandon me—his friend from middle school—as soon as he got the chance to.'
Billy was obviously a grifter, and Rey thought he was unreliable.
He certainly wasn't the kind of person Alicia needed in her life at this point—especially with the rumors going around and her increased isolation.
'I wonder what he's doing about the rumors, though…'
All of Billy's problems could easily be solved if he just went to the Library and developed an interest in the things that Alicia also had an affinity for.
'I mean, she practically talks to a nobody like me. I'm sure if it's Billy, she'd be able to relate more…'
But Rey knew Billy would never do that.
Even back on Earth, the boy dreaded books and was constantly failing.
'I don't claim to be very smart or anything, but at least I was average.'
Billy wasn't the 'smart' kind of Nerd. He was the kind who obsessed over novels and games.
'Well, that's enough of that.'
Rey sighed as he watched Billy deliver the final blow to Trisha, who crumbled to her knees.
Despite the ebony's prowess, she just wasn't a match for Billy's superior combat.
'I see. So this is the level of an Alpha Class elite…' Rey thought to himself.
There was only one problem, though.
'This isn't impressive at all.'
Billy was one of the strongest among the Alpha Class students, but from what Rey was seeing… his overall ability wasn't particularly exceptional.
'I don't know. Could it be that he was going easy on all of us?'
Despite thinking this, Rey could clearly see Billy breathing heavily and also leaking out some beads of sweat.
'It doesn't seem like he had it too easy, though.'
Perhaps it could be argued that Billy was only acting like this to make the Beta Students feel better.
However, Billy wasn't that kind of person at all.
"You all did excellently well. I haven't been pushed like this in a while…" Even Billy admitted it as he heaved a little.
"Especially you, Trisha. You were exceptional."
Despite hearing this, Trisha didn't seem pleased in the slightest.
In fact, she had an immensely disappointing expression.
It felt like she was beating herself up for losing.
'If Billy is trying to make us feel better, he's doing a poor job.' Rey sighed.
This convinced him even further that Billy wasn't pretending to be exhausted.
He genuinely was.
'And that's what makes this whole thing surprising. I didn't expect him to get tired so easily. Especially after his mundane performance.'
Rey thought Billy's moves were too flashy and didn't properly focus on efficiency.
'Maybe it's because we've only been sparring, and no one here has any proper battle experience.'
In an actual fight with monsters, flashy and stylish moves weren't what determined a fight at all.
Techniques had to be fluid, but also impactful. Rather than focusing on style, it was more effective to cut off all extraneous material and fixate on the goal itself.
If one wanted to kill an enemy, would they focus on slicing through parts of the body, or would they simply dismember their targets and then decapitate them once they could no longer offer any kind of resistance?
'I guess it's because the Alpha Class Students have started seriously learning Martial Arts…'
The Beta Class was still in the basics, and from what Rey could see, most of what they were learning wouldn't be useful in a real fight.
It was the same way most of what students learned in school wouldn't be applicable in the real world after they graduated or sought a specific degree.
'That's why this is a waste of time…'
Rey honestly wished he could just skip Training altogether and focus on his business in the Dungeon, but he couldn't do that.
At least, not yet.
'There's no helping it. I should just be patient.'
Right now, most of the students were beginning to stir, so Rey also did the same.
They sluggishly rose to their feet at Billy's instructions, and he joined them in their obedience.
'If this is the level of the elite Alpha Students, maybe I'm a lot stronger than I think.'
However, the moment Rey thought about Adonis, and the fact that someone like him was considered qualified enough to tutor the entire Alpha Class, he changed his mind instantly.
'I shouldn't use Billy as a metric!'
Until he was certain that he was as strong as—if not stronger than—the Hero, Rey couldn't be satisfied.
'Gotta keep grinding!'