Episode 47. Goodbye, everyone~
The written exam was over. Although it was a difficult task that required memorization until the corners of my eyes turned black, few people were interested.
This is because the performance of the students of the Magic Academy, including Alighieri, is not measured by written exams or anything like that.
The only thing that matters is actual combat. You need to know how much combat talent you have as you walk the academy to fight monsters.
If you lack talent in that field, it doesn’t matter if you get extra points by doing well on the written test. Then, you can find talent in other areas.
Because the Academy respects the cadets’ choices.
But a man who only cared about power and had no respect for anything visited the academy.
“This place has changed a lot too.”
A person got off the carriage that passed through the main gate of the Academy.
Just looking at the majestic appearance of the carriage, it is clear that he is no ordinary person, and his title is none other than that of the king of a country.
“Welcome, Your Majesty Talema.”
The principal, Heidern, came out to greet him at the entrance and greeted him politely.
Talema End Hall Papyrus.
Although it was a small country, he was clearly the king, but he did not seem to have any elegant aspects.
This is because he simply looked like a savage chieftain with his upper body naked and the fur of an animal wrapped around his neck.
In fact, his disposition was also ruthless. If necessary, he was a being capable of even eating his own children.
“Nice to meet you too.”
Talema greeted him curiously and extended his hand. Thus, the handshake with Heidern was completed, and all the spectators of the practical test gathered.
“… … .”
Ruska Mad-Eye watched the scene from afar, calming down the murderous spirit that was almost released upon seeing King Talema.
* * * * *
The final exam practice test for this semester will be in a race format.
It can be seen as very simple in that the highest score is achieved by arriving at the destination first.
The course starts at Jungang-dong Stadium and scores are determined by reaching the Purgatory Volcano Park.
You can’t go through Alighieri Town to get there, because there is a set course.
The race course is a forest that surrounds the village like a round table.
You advance through the forest, defeating monsters that attack you one after another, and then settle down in the Alighieri Tower.
There, you must subdue various spirits and obtain spirit stones that they drop with a low probability.
Because without it, you won’t be able to pass through the barrier blocking the next path.
The test will end when you break through the barrier with the spirit stone you obtained and climb to the middle of the Purgatory Volcano.
‘As expected, the heat is killing me.’
Since it was a similar event to a marathon, all the cadets were wearing gym uniforms.
It’s hot now, but I’m wearing more layers than others because I know it’ll rain soon.
This is because there was a scene where it rained on the field while playing.
“Radon, why are you wearing such long clothes? Aren’t you hot?”
Jenny, who was stretching on the same line as me, asked a question with concern.
While I was wearing tracksuits that reminded me of a test taker, Jenny was wearing summer gym clothes that exposed her knees and arms.
It wasn’t necessarily her, but it was the same for everyone, regardless of age or gender.
“If you do that, you might catch a cold and not even know it.”
“What’s wrong with a cold? It’s so hot!”
Of course it’s hot now.
But by the time they reach the Alighieri Tower, they’ll be sorry.
Because it was raining so heavily, I even had to wear a hat.
“Ah… I’m dying from the heat.”
Next to her was Mary, who was looking irritated and crossing her arms. Unlike her usual cheerful self, her personality changed drastically when she got hot.
Additionally, this exam does not have a rule like the midterm exam where you cannot disturb other participants.
There, Mary will surely rush forward, firing magic bullets in all directions.
Of course I have no intention of getting involved.
“Radon, you’d better be nervous today. This is strictly an individual competition.”
“Don’t get in my way. You might get caught up in it and die, you never know.”
At the end, Mary’s tone of voice, with the knife in her mouth, was very unfamiliar.
Of course, no matter what the situation, Mary is still a dangerous child.
Then suddenly a question occurred to me.
“But why can’t I see Crona?”
“……?”
I couldn’t see Crona, who always had to appear in front of Jenny and act arrogant.
By now, she would be flaunting her luxurious gym clothes and provoking Jennie.
I wondered why there was no competitive spirit at a time when both sides should be burning with each other.
“Mary, have you seen it?”
“Well, I haven’t seen his face lately either.”
I had a really bad feeling.
Could it be that this damn variable has swept through again and is making a mess of things?
Anyway, I hope you’re safe. Crona is definitely needed in this chapter.
“Well, he’ll participate even if it’s late. There’s no way he’d miss such an important test.”
“That’s true. You can participate anytime, anywhere as long as you have your student ID.”
A student ID card proving that you are an academy cadet. You must bring it with you when participating in a race in order to receive grades.
In fact, in the main story, the main character, Lyman, joined late and started from last place, but as soon as he entered the course, his student ID card automatically tells him his ranking.
The principle is that it all goes back to the archive system. At this point, it was almost like a supercomputer disguised as a magic trick.
‘There actually is an artificial self in the archive.’
Anyway, what I have to do now has been decided.
Like other cadets, they share the same need to race to the Alighieri Tower, but after that they will move separately.
Because you have to complete a mission to become an ‘outlaw’.
-Wear at least one of the main items on your body.
At first glance, it may seem easy.
First of all, thanks to the effect of the ‘Talisman of the Dead’ that I recently received, I can easily absorb the spirits.
Even near the tower, there are spirits scattered about like pebbles in a gravel field, enough to be kicked underfoot.
However, I have no intention of absorbing just any guy.
‘If I’m going to give it away, I should get the best one.’
The tower contains the most powerful upper-level spirits sealed within.
The Shadow of Gluttony, ‘Muto’, that guy is my target.
In the main story, Muto suddenly wakes up in the aftermath of a battle between cadets who arrived at the tower. He is a sort of elite monster that appears while hunting mobs.
Moreover, as a high-level lord, he is extremely powerful. He is by no means an opponent worthy of being included in the test.
There is no one else who would secretly bring in such a guy other than Enviel. He must have hired him because he was afraid that the cadets would interfere with his plans.
‘The problem is that Muto must be absorbed while still sealed.’
As mentioned before, Muto is very powerful. Therefore, it must be absorbed carefully so that the seal does not break.
In order to do that, we need to start with the other participants. This is because we can wake up Muto by causing a commotion just like in the main story.
So I have to get to the tower first. And I’ve already prepared for that.
“Anyway, since it’s an individual exhibition like you said, I guess we can’t be considerate of each other.”
“Radon is looking out for me? No way! I’m looking out for Radon.”
Jenny has been provoking with a playful smile.
It doesn’t really mean… …that I’m burning with competitive spirit.
“By the way, this test is different from the last one in that there are people who can interfere with each other. This is going to blow up as soon as we start, right?”
“Well, wouldn’t it just freeze instead of bursting? Hehehe.”
“Oh, I don’t know. It’s so hot, I’ll just blow it all away! Radon and Jenny, everything!”
The other contestants were also keeping an eye on each other. No one knew what kind of surprise they would drop as soon as they started.
Some alchemy students and cadets were already sprinkling reagents on the floor, while some combat students had their defenses raised by surrounding themselves with an aura to keep themselves from being blown away.
Some magicians and cadets were secretly setting traps with earth magic and then hiding them with illusion magic.
The psychological warfare was intense, regardless of whether you were with me or not. However, it would be a big mistake to think that the professors could not have predicted this situation.
I raised the corners of my mouth as I thought about what would happen when we left.
Whirriiiiiik─
Finally, the whistle sounded, signaling preparations for departure.
Then, the cadets, including me, took a stance to run as a group, but some cadets took a stance as if they were going to do something strange.
In particular, a coldness was already felt from Jenny’s body. An evil aura was emanating from it.
But it’s all useless.
“You know.”
“What’s wrong, Radon? Are you scared already?”
I told them concisely.
“I won’t do anything.”
Jenny and Mary have question marks on their heads as I speak.
That was the moment.
Bang!─
A gun rang out signaling departure.
The cadets tried to sabotage the other participants by using ghostly methods.
Kururung!─
A bolt of lightning struck from the clear sky and swallowed up all the students. This was not a metaphor, but a clear change.
Since it was a lightning strike intentionally arranged by the test organizers, it couldn’t have been ordinary.
As soon as you are hit, all your powers, including magic, are neutralized, and even your movements are completely paralyzed, making it impossible to move for a while.
This is to prevent the cadets from explosively stepping on the starting line. That is also a kind of trick.
As expected, it had no lethal power whatsoever.
The cadets, who had not expected such action, just grumbled.
Jenny and Mary also fell to their knees. It would take twenty minutes for even them to move again.
Of course, it would be normal for me to be like that too.
“I guess… the professors read our minds.”
“Ugh! My body won’t move! I have no strength!”
“Radon, are you okay… huh?”
“Huh? Are you a friend…?”
Mary and Jenny, who had been complaining, tilted their heads.
Everyone else was lying down… …but I was the only one who stood up. Very well.
“Phew~ I almost got in big trouble.”
“Ra, Radon… How did you…?”
“If I hadn’t worn this hat, I would have ended up like you.”
It wasn’t just a hat worn to avoid the simple rain. It was a magical tool made by requesting it from the village workshop during the remaining exam period.
The hat has the property of repelling approaching conductors like a magnet, so the lightning that was supposed to hit me went to the wrong place.
“I told you, I’m not doing anything.”
“…….”
“…….”
They looked up at me with blank expressions. Weren’t they the ones who said it was a solo exhibition in the first place?
I crossed the starting line alone. I turned my head toward the kids who were running and stretching out, and I waved my arms and spoke cheerfully.
“Goodbye, everyone! I’m going to throw off all the shackles and restraints of this world and go on a comfortable race all by myself! You too, cheer up!”
“Radon you damn bastard!!”
“Kuaaaah!! Hey buddy!!”
The two screamed as if they were possessed by a pterosaur, feeling betrayed. The other cadets did the same, but their voices were not as loud as hers.
[Erosion rate decrease: -4000%]
[+40000 Credits]
[Experience points have exceeded a certain amount! 2 stat points have been acquired.]
* * * * *
They move again in 30 minutes at the longest, or 15 minutes at the shortest.
Since there is a gap between the participants, the high-level cadets will get up as quickly as possible. The time given to me is not that long.
But I cleared Devil’s Ark several times.
I have completed all the walkthroughs for the main character as well as other playable characters.
This final assessment is just one of them.
The first course is a forested path outside the village.
Wild monsters have a pattern of swooping down from the ground, but they are clearly visible.
There may be a powerful monster along the way, but he knows how to avoid being noticed.
Simply put, it is a shortcut that does not shed a single drop of blood. Even though it is difficult to find, it is just a flat land among veterans who are longing for a new record.
In the first place, there was no rule that said you had to fight.
Although I will be forced to fight the lords, I plan to take it easy.
The problem is whether you can hold out enough lung capacity to reach the tower within the time limit. However, since your ‘Guts’ stat is high, it’s practically a solved problem.
“Heh… Heh… It’s still hard.”
It took me eight minutes of intense running to reach the Alighieri Tower. Because I arrived too early, the spirits were still asleep.
They were plentiful, either looking like zombies with twisted limbs or like failed chimeras that were a botched composite of several animals.
The more I looked at it, the more bizarre it became, and it was a waste to absorb such worthless guys.
“If Jenny saw that, she’d be shocked.”
By the way, high-ranking bachelor’s students will also be watching through observers. It’s only natural.
However, the cadets are still unable to wake up.
In consideration of this, the observer is not moving right now. It will turn on in about 30 minutes, so you won’t be able to see me right now.
‘Then shall we go eat some Muto quickly?’
The place where Muto was sealed was the top floor of the tower. It took 3 minutes to get there.
There was a cracked wall there, and when I hit it with the Leviathan, a hidden room appeared.
This is the room where Muto is sealed. Or, this room is Muto itself.
[Cursed Aura]
The transparent aura flowing through my hand merged with my main power and became a dull purple.
As it struck the ground, the floor split into spiderweb shapes and something became visible.
The ground was dyed black around the spot where the fist had struck. The thing that looked like it had been poured with black dye was a shadow, gradually changing into a reptilian form with a sinister glare in its eyes.
This guy is Muto, known as the Shadow of Gluttony.
BAM─!
Suddenly, the wall was breached. At the same time, the shadow disappeared.
Beyond the broken wall, a running shadow was visible.
“Where is that…!”
-I’m going to miss you!
I jumped down from the tower through the broken wall and chased the guy.
Even though it was sealed and weakened, it was still quite agile. After chasing it out of the course for 7 minutes, I finally caught it.
“Got you, you punk!”
It was quite amazing to be able to touch the shadow with my hand.
The guy in my hand looked like he was struggling even though he had no legs.
I took out the ‘Amulet of the Dead’ that I had received from the assistant professor and sucked the guy into it.
[The ‘Talisman of the Dead’ absorbs the spirit.]
[Absorbed Muto, the ‘Shadow of Gluttony’.]
[When you change your profession to ‘Outlaw’, you will be able to freely use Muto.]
Finally, one thing has been solved.
By the way, where am I? I was chasing so frantically that I ended up in a remote forest.
But if you go back the way you just came, the course will appear again.
It was at that moment that I was about to turn back, thinking that way.
“……!!”
“Don’t move!”
I lifted my Leviathan at the sudden sensation. A loaded arrow shot out of the thick darkness and aimed at my head.
A design I’ve seen many times… … A familiar voice.
“you……!”
“Ruska?”
Since someone did it, both she and I were surprised. And I couldn’t help but be astonished when I saw another girl being supported from behind Ruska.
“krona?”
Why are you here?
That too, covered in scars.
Surviving as an Academy Fraudster
