Heroine-Saving System: Reborn In A Third-Rate Manga As The Protagonist-Chapter 40: Registering Weapons

"This is... your fault," Kōya said as he massaged his head with a wince. Taking a straight punch from a red-liner was pure hell, even if Tetsuya had held back.

Renji had it worse... he was laid across the ground like a corpse with saliva bubbling out of his mouth.

He’d gotten hit in the stomach and looked ready to meet his ancestors.

"Now... this is the major focus of the Magic Weapons Class," Tetsuya announced while folding his muscular arms. "Take a weapon from this rack that you like and would want to use. Pick what suits you, and then you shall spar with a partner. After that, I will teach you how to properly use your weapons based on your performance."

He gestured to the shelves with a sweep of his hand.

"Don’t worry... none of those weapons are those deceptive swords or katanas."

The students approached the long shelves cautiously, and Renji sat up with a pale face, still clutching his stomach. The professor glared directly at the two troublemakers.

"I’ll personally decide who you two spar with," he said while grinning devilishly, then walked off to supervise other students.

Kōya had a really bad feeling about that grin, but Renji seemed to ignore the implicit threat and stood up with a painful wince.

"Come on, let’s pick some weapons before he changes his mind about not killing us," he said.

They approached the shelves together.

From afar, it had looked like there were many different weapon types available, but in reality, there were just multiple copies of the same basic weapons.

Renji looked between a staff and a war axe, weighing his options.

"Y’know, I never really liked swords to begin with," Renji said as he reached for the war axe confidently.

He gripped the handle and tried to lift it... only for the weapon to immediately fall to the ground with a heavy thud.

Renji gritted his teeth in embarrassment. It was heavy as fuck, way heavier than it looked.

"I urge you to take weapons you can actually handle," Tetsuya said from directly behind them.

Renji flinched violently... the bastard had just left and he was already back?!

He was also carrying a big wooden box in his hand now, along with that same unsettling smile.

Renji gritted his teeth and kept the war axe back on the shelf, then eyed the staff before taking it instead. It felt nice and balanced in his hand, light enough to maneuver too.

Though like all the other weapons, the weapon was completely white and unmarked which was standard Academy issue.

"Kōya-kun, have you cho—"

He turned to ask, but Kōya was already standing there with a classic spear, facing the professor.

Renji quickly adjusted his grip on his staff. Soon, the other students had finished selecting their weapons as well.

"Very good..." Tetsuya said, then tore open the wooden box he’d been carrying. "Everyone will be participating in one-on-one sparring matches."

He threw something small at Kōya, and Kōya caught it reflexively.

"This is a protective armband that will protect you from life-threatening strikes to vital areas by erecting an emergency barrier," he explained, pulling out more from the box. "It’s something all of you will wear while sparring with your weapons. Your main focus during this spar should be either destroying your opponent’s protective band or disarming them completely."

He began distributing the armbands.

"If the barrier is erected to protect you, you have lost the match. Understood?"

Everyone nodded, strapping on the white armbands and only after everyone was wearing theirs properly did he continue.

"Now, Kōya and Koichi... how about the both of you spar first?"

Kōya fixed his armband securely and walked to the center arena.It would be the second time he’d been here... the last time, he’d destroyed Tanaka in a one-sided spar.

Koichi stood on the opposite side, gripping a war axe that looked natural in his large hands.

’Fuck it.’ Kōya thought as he mentally purchased the skill.

「Unique Sub-skill: Flowing Dragon’s Spear has been purchased for 15,000 FP」

「121,000 FP → 106,000 FP」

A spear wasn’t honestly a bad weapon... it was actually quite practical, and it was a nice variation from the sword. The moment the skill integrated, knowledge flooded his mind.

Stances, thrusts, sweeps, defensive forms, footwork... all of it became instinctive.

In everyone’s eyes, Kōya, who had been standing with the spear as if he’d never held one in his life, straightened up immediately.

His posture corrected itself, his grip adjusted, and any gaps in his defensive stance closed perfectly. Misora’s eyes widened with recognition.

’Did he... just learn proper spear form? How did he do it so quickly?’ she thought, biting her lip slightly.

It would need more observation and study.

"Right, before you start!" Tetsuya-sensei announced loudly. "You can use Mana Breathing like you learned in Saki-sensei’s class, and even enter Mana Mode if you’re capable! Impress me with what you’ve learned!"

He raised his hand.

"Now... begin!"

Koichi shot in Kōya’s direction with surprisingly quick steps for his size and immediately began chanting under his breath.

The ambient mana flooded his body at an alarming rate, and he reached Mana Mode though like before in Saki’s class, it was incomplete with visible gaps but he didn’t need full coverage for this.

He focused the gathered mana specifically into his war axe, and the weapon glowed with intense blue light.

Then Koichi swung it at Kōya in a powerful overhead strike, clearly aiming for his head without hesitation.

Kōya immediately activated the skills he’d bought earlier... it was better to be safe than sorry against someone of Koichi’s size and power.

「Unique Skill: Calm Mind (C) has been activated」

「Unique Skill: Enhanced Strength (C) has been activated」

「Unique Skill: Enhanced Speed (C) has been activated」

「Unique Skill: Sensory (C) has been activated」

He felt much better now, his senses sharpening and his body strengthening and if he added Mana Mode on top of this combination, he was confident he could one-shot him even with the barrier but there was no need to show all his cards.

He brought his spear up horizontally in a defensive position, and there was a visible shockwave as the mana-powered war axe collided with the body of Kōya’s spear.

The force was impressive but manageable. Using that contact point as leverage, Kōya pushed back hard, creating separation.

His spear spun expertly in his hands as he slashed forward diagonally with fluid precision.

Koichi leapt backward reactively, but the spear’s tip whistled past the front of his torso anyway.

It cut cleanly through his tracksuit, drawing a thin line of blood across his chest.

Koichi winced and glanced down at his armband instinctively.

’This thing won’t protect me unless it’s a life-threatening strike,’ he realized with growing concern.

That meant everything else would actually hurt. Kōya closed the distance immediately with Enhanced Speed, pressing his advantage.

Koichi rolled to the side desperately, and Kōya’s spear stabbed down where his head had just been.

The point made a small crater in the training hall floor. Koichi immediately rose to his feet and swung his axe in a wide horizontal arc but Kōya leaned to the side with minimal movement, and the blade passed harmlessly through empty air.

Koichi followed up with another horizontal slash from the opposite direction.

Kōya hopped onto the flat of the swinging axe with a burst of speed while it was still mid-strike, using it as a platform.

He pushed off it into the air with a backflip, his body rotating gracefully.

The war axe, now unbalanced from the unexpected weight, shot downward and embedded itself in the ground.

As Koichi reached down to pull it free, he felt the cold blade of Kōya’s spear pressing against his neck from behind.

"I concede," Koichi sighed, raising his hands in surrender.

"YEAHHH!!!!" Several cheers erupted from the watching students as Kōya won decisively.

Koichi looked down at his war axe still stuck in the ground, and his hand trembled slightly.

He’d been completely outclassed.

Kōya withdrew the blade professionally and sighed as he deactivated his skills, feeling the enhancements fade.

Tetsuya-sensei gave him an approving nod.

"Very good. You barely relied on the spear’s reach advantage, but you held it with excellent form and control," he assessed. "You have impressed me, Amagi. You will receive 4,000 IP as a reward."

Kōya’s Academy phone pinged immediately, and he brought it out. Sure enough, 4,000 Individual Points had been added to his balance.

"I hope I see other interesting matches amongst Class 5," Tetsuya continued, addressing the whole class. "If you keep improving like this, you have the potential to challenge even the upper classes."

’I’m lying out of my ass...’ he thought privately. One upperclassman from Class 3 would be enough to completely destroy a majority of the people here.

Koichi and Kōya cleared the arena, returning to the sidelines.

"Alright, next up... Renji and Mio!"

Tetsuya announced it with barely concealed amusement. The two students made their way to the arena center.

Kōya sweatdropped as he watched. It seemed that the professor was really out for blood with these match-ups.

"Yo, Mio! We’re friends, right? Take it easy on me!" Renji said while taking on a stance with his staff.

His form was sloppy but enthusiastic. However, Mio did not reply at all, her tired eyes focused and emotionless.

She was holding a staff as well, gripping it with familiarity.

"Begin!" Tetsuya announced.

The match started with Renji taking a straightforward rush at Mio, holding his staff ready to strike.

The staff really didn’t have much complexity to it apart from the fact that it could be swung around and thrust, so he didn’t have much to worry about in terms of technique. He closed the distance quickly and thrust his staff forward at her face.

She tilted her head minimally and dodged it with precise timing.

What followed was a series of quick thrusts from Renji that actually had quite some decent form to them... he’d clearly practiced with sticks before. Mio, however, moved with minimal wasted motion and managed to dodge each thrust by the smallest margins then she threw her foot forward in a quick side kick.

Renji used his staff to block it defensively but a blue glow suddenly surrounded her foot.

’When did she activate Mana Mod—’

He was sent flying to the side from the mana-enhanced kick, skidding across the ground hard.

But he managed to hold onto his staff, and as he looked up desperately, a staff had been thrust directly at his head like a spear.

It was coming straight for him, and the protective barrier erected outward instantly, shielding him with a translucent dome.

However, blue mana visibly seeped into Mio’s weapon, and the staff charged by Mana Mode looked as if it was actually going to break through the supposedly life-saving barrier then she leapt back gracefully and gave an innocent smile, as if she had not just been trying to kill him.

"Sorry, Renji-kun," she said sweetly and Tetsuya clapped his hands together.

"A very amazing performance... you reached Mana Mode after only a few basic chants. That’s very impressive, and you clearly know how to use the staff very well," he praised. "You have been credited 6,000 IP."

Her phone dinged, and she gave a thankful nod before walking off. The other students got visibly riled up at the IP rewards being given out.

"Are we ignoring the fact that she literally tried to murder me...?" Renji asked weakly as he pushed himself up.

The barrier band slackened and deactivated.

"The reason you were given the bands was specifically to protect you from life-threatening strikes," the professor shrugged without sympathy. "There’s no rule saying that the barrier itself can’t be attacked or tested. Consider it a learning experience."

Renji sighed deeply before walking off with his staff, muttering under his breath.

...

It took thirty more minutes, but the whole class finally finished their testing matches.

The class was now divided into two distinct sides: The winning group had 13 students, and the losers numbered 12.

Misora had been automatically placed on the winning side without even fighting, as Tetsuya had said it would be a complete waste of time for her to spar.

That was simply how talented she was... acknowledged even by a red-liner instructor.

"The losers are going to take extra lessons during our next class period," Tetsuya announced. "As for the winners... here."

He distributed scrolls to the thirteen victors... basic weapon style manuals with proper stances and fundamental techniques illustrated.

"This is me helping you out. Study these, get used to your weapons, and practice the forms," he instructed. "Before I forget... on the sides of your weapon, you will see a circular sensor. Please press your thumb on it."

Kōya looked to the side of his spear shaft. There was indeed a small circular sensor embedded there.

He pressed his thumb firmly on it, and the spear beeped as a robotic voice sounded clearly.

「Identified: Student ALI-2026-C5-017」

「Weapon registered to: Amagi Kōya」

The spear immediately shrunk with a shimmer of blue light, transforming into a small metallic orb that fell into his hand.

The people on both the losing and winning sides were visibly surprised by the transformation.

"Well, this is ALI... what did you expect?" Tetsuya said with a slight smile. "They are called Magic Weapons for a reason. This compact form is known as rest mode for your weapon. They have that same automatic rebuilding magic that you’ve seen in the classroom furniture. As long as your weapon is able to enter rest mode, then it can be repaired from almost any damage."

He demonstrated with his own weapon.

"Press the orb two times quickly to reactivate the weapon to its full form."

He then turned to the losers with a stern expression.

"You will not be allowed to use this rest mode feature with your weapons until I deem you worthy and skilled enough. Until then, you carry them manually."

Several students on the losing side groaned then Tetsuya smiled widely as he placed both hands on his waist.

"We have a little time left to burn... how about I tell you another story about my life?"

He then glanced directly at Kōya and Renji with a warning look.

"If you laugh... I will kill you. And this time, I won’t hold back."

...

RING!!!

It was closing time, and the instant the bell hit, Renji gave Kōya a quick salute.

"Later, dude! I have something important to do right now!" Renji said urgently then he ran off without explanation, leaving Kōya standing in the classroom with everyone else.

’I’ll go to my dorms later...’ Kōya thought as he checked his Academy phone.

The time displayed 2:00 PM.

’I’ll just spend the next four hours grinding in the Outer Zone to make up for lost time, and I’ll buy some new skills too.’

With that plan in mind, Kōya got up and walked out of the classroom, heading toward the Academy exit.

...

Renji had run all the way to the main building, sneaking past several disciplinary committee members to reach his destination.

He ascended the staircase leading to the roof access, tugging nervously on his bag with textbooks weighing it down.

He felt genuinely nervous for the first time in a while.

In his locker where he’d kept his uniform earlier, there had been a letter which wasn’t supposed to be possible since only his fingerprint could open the locker.

The door to the roof was slightly ajar, and he walked through it carefully.

It was his first time up here, and a strong gust of wind kicked up immediately, blowing his green hair wildly.

There was actually a girl standing there, waiting for him. She had beautiful black hair and magnificent breasts, barely contained by her uniform. She was also wearing glasses that gave her an intelligent, mature look.

It was absolutely his type of girl.

She was only slightly shorter than him, and she was wearing the yellow tie of Class 4... meaning she was technically an upperclassman, though not too far apart in status.

All the Class 4 students still dined in the regular cafeteria after all, not the elite section.

"Were you the one?" Renji asked as he pulled out the note from his pocket. It was cut in the shape of a heart.

He’d almost half-expected it would be Kōya pranking him or something, but it was an actual girl... an actual big-breasted girl.

’It’s actually my first time being asked out like this... I barely have any experience with women.’ he thought nervously.

He had lied to Kōya about his experience.

He had only ever really talked with his childhood friend who was a girl, and she didn’t even live in this supercity anymore.

"Mhm." She nodded as she bent over slightly to look at him. The wind was much stronger up here on the roof, whipping her hair dramatically.

"I have something to tell you, Renji-kun."

"Go on," Renji said, his own hair practically blowing in the wind like an anime protagonist.

"Will you... go out with me?" she asked with a cute, hopeful expression.

Just then, several fireworks went up in the sky in the distance... colorful explosions lighting up the afternoon.

’Where the hell did fireworks come from at 2 PM?’ he thought with confusion but he focused back on the girl, who had moved herself forward into a bow.

Her breasts hung prominently and were barely restricted by her uniform.

"Is that a... no?" She looked up at Renji with glistening eyes that looked ready to tear up.

Her breasts bounced once from the movement and Renji fell to his knees dramatically.

’This is a dream... I know it is,’ he thought desperately.

There was absolutely no way this was actually happening to him.

"W-why did you ask me out? We haven’t even met each other before this," he asked, needing to understand.

The girl walked over gracefully and knelt in front of him, taking hold of both his hands gently.

"You may not know anything about me yet..." she said softly, her eyes sincere. "But I know everything about you, Renji-kun, and I’m very interested in you as a person. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know me right now... we can get to know each other along the way, can’t we?"

Her smile was warm and genuine.

"O... Okay," Renji managed to say, his voice barely working.

He had officially gotten a girlfriend.

His first girlfriend ever.