Chapter 282
"...Excellent. A perfect score is deserved."
"Thank you."
The skeleton warrior moved to the left, then to the right. It spun three times in place before doing a somersault in the air. Finally, it performed an elegant ballet move.
Fortunately, Gonadaltes kindly obliged Yi-Han's request, which could have been considered unreasonable if pushed too far.
"Thank you, Gonadaltes."
The skeleton warrior hurriedly nodded its head, seemingly wary for some unknown reason.
"You may return..."
Poof!
Yi-Han, who had returned to his seat, tilted his head. "That's a bit strange."
"A skeleton doing ballet?" Gainando looked at Yi-Han with eyes that seemed to say 'You're saying this now?'
"No, the professor's expression."
Just as Yi-Han could read the emotions of spirits, he could also read the emotions of the professor. In fact, the professor was easier to read than spirits, as she was more blatant about it.
"Well, that's to be expected," Gainando said.
"?"
"You named the skeleton warrior that way."
His friends nodded in agreement, implying they understood. Yi-Han was puzzled.
"It's not the first time you've heard it, right?"
"Even if you hear it multiple times, it's still hard to get used to, isn't it?"
As they were having this conversation, it was Gainando's turn.
"Gainando, be careful," Yi-Han said.
"Yeah," Jijel added.
Gainando, who was about to go up with a nervous expression, made a touched face at his friends' encouragement.
"Don't overdo it and cause an accident. Just give up appropriately and come over here," Yi-Han advised.
"Don't try to show off on your own. You're not a Wardanaz," Jijel warned.
"..."
Gainando snorted at his friends, who were clinging to him and trying to hold him back, as they had already failed on their first attempt.
"Hmph! You losers!"
"Gainando... You will end up coming over here..." Yi-Han said ominously.
"Gainando, when you swung your staff, did you swing it clockwise or counterclockwise? Try to recall," Jijel asked.
Yi-Han was impressed. These guys, who couldn't perform the magic they were supposed to, were first-class when it came to interfering.
"But I've already figured out the method," Gainando declared confidently. Thanks to the hints provided by his friends who went before him, he had some confidence.
Nillia, who had succeeded in handling spirits, approached them warmly with friendliness. On the other hand, Yi-Han, who had succeeded in handling undead, approached them strictly and decisively.
Since Gainando also dealt with undead, it made sense for him to follow the latter approach.
"Listen up! If you don't obey my command, you..."
The skeleton warrior immediately rushed at Gainando and slapped his cheek.
Enraged, Gainando swung his staff and started grappling with the skeleton warrior.
"That's why we told you to give up appropriately and come over here," Yi-Han sighed.
"Gainando! Break its leg! Break the thing's leg!" Jijel shouted.
—
During the swordsmanship lecture, the students were not as tense as they were for other final exams. Unlike other lectures, the swordsmanship exam was not taken directly in the classroom.
"What did you guys bring?" one student asked.
"Why are you asking that? What about you guys?" another countered.
"It's not like we'll tell you that easily," a third chimed in.
The students glanced at each other, keeping each other in check. The exam involved hunting down the strongest prey possible in the mountains and bringing back proof. Aside from grades, it was a matter of pride if other students hunted stronger prey than oneself.
"That's why they're asking each other like that, Yi-Han," Dolgyu explained.
"I see, Dolgyu. But I don't think we should ignore the grades," Yi-Han said coldly.
It was a final exam, so what nonsense was it to ignore the grades and engage in a pride battle? Grades were more important!
"Well, that's true, but... it's a pretty important issue within the White Tiger Tower," Dolgyu said.
"Dolgyu, stop talking nonsense. By the way, no one found out what we brought, right?" Yi-Han asked.
Since Dolgyu and Jijel belonged to the White Tiger Tower, they often clashed with other students. Jijel had a personality that ensured she would never let anything slip, but Dolgyu was a bit loose and naive. If his friends earnestly pleaded, he might accidentally leak information - that was the kind of personality he had!
"Don't worry, Yi-Han. No one will know what we brought," Jijel assured.
"Good, that's a relief," Yi-Han said.
In this type of competitive exam, not revealing one's hand was crucial. The moment it was known, the competition would unnecessarily intensify, and everyone would get tired, wouldn't they?
Yi-Han did not want that kind of fight where everyone ended up hurting each other.
"You understand, Dolgyu? We're being considerate of our friends," Yi-Han said.
"That's right, Choi. Keep that in mind," Jijel added.
"..."
Dolgyu looked at Yi-Han and Jijel with a complicated expression. There was something suspicious about the way the two of them were focusing on persuading only Dolgyu.
—
Dukma of the Jay family looked around. Gatono of the Dulak family scolded him, "Others will notice. Stay still."
"S-sorry," Dukma apologized.
Gulp-
The two tried to maintain their composure as much as possible and looked straight ahead. Another student from the same party asked, "But isn't it okay to tell at this point?"
"No! We have to submit it as quietly as possible. There's no point in provoking the other guys," Gatono said.
"Even so, is it possible to turn things around at this point?"
The White Tiger Tower student asked in disbelief. At most, there were only a couple of hours left, so how could they find and take down new prey in that time?
"That crazy Wardanaz guy might be able to do it," Dukma said.
"Yeah, don't provoke that Wardanaz guy for no reason!" Gatono agreed.
"..."
The White Tiger Tower student who had asked the question nodded unconsciously. Of course, it was an absurd idea, but there was a sincere intensity in the words of the other two friends.
Gatono reached into his backpack. He felt a solid texture wrapped tightly in cloth. Surprisingly, it was... a shoe worn by a giant.
'No one could have brought prey as impressive as ours!' Gatono was convinced.
No matter how skilled Wardanaz, Dolgyu, or Jijel were in swordsmanship, this was impossible. The same went for the other students.
Who would have tried to hunt a giant again after experiencing the humiliation and hardship of trying to catch one?
But Gatono and his friends were different. They did not give up.
-"Mr. Ghetse, we want to face a giant. Please help us!"-
Ghetse, a hunter from the Wasteland Stargazers, was moved by the passion of the White Tiger Tower students who kept coming to him.
In the first place, he had come to teach and help the students, so he couldn't help but find the students who took the time to seek him out admirable.
-"That spirit is very good. Then, just this once, I will help you. However, whether you succeed or fail depends on your own abilities. I can't help you with that."-
-"Don't worry! We will do anything!"- Gatono and his friends shouted enthusiastically. With their current mood, they felt like they could do anything.
-"Now, if you crawl to that beast pen and bring back the shoes the giant took off, that will suffice."-
-"Uh... we're not going to fight the giant directly?"-
-"Of course not. There's no way I would allow first-year students to directly confront a giant."-
-"..."-
-"..."-
-"Why are you like that?"-
-"It's nothing..."-
-"Back to the point, there's no need to fight the giant. The shoes the giant wore will be sufficient evidence."-
-"But isn't the exam about taking down prey and bringing back proof?"-
-"If someone managed to sneak up and take the shoes without the giant noticing, that in itself is as good as a defeat. At least, that's how it is for us Wasteland Stargazers."-
-"Is... is that so?"-
The White Tiger Tower students were intrigued by the hunter's logic. In fact, they would have accepted an even more absurd idea as long as they didn't have to fight the giant directly.
-"Wait, Mr. Ghetse. That beast pen over there is completely muddy."-
-"That makes it even better. The mud will mask your scent, so the giant won't notice. And if worst comes to worst, you can hide under the pigs."-
-"...Is there no other way besides crawling?"-
-"There is none, except for directly confronting the giant."-
The White Tiger Tower students agonized for a long time but eventually took off their clothes and crawled through the mud.
The stench was so foul that it stung their noses for days, even after washing, but it was worth it.
Shoes worn by a giant.
Who else could have brought something like this?
Gatono was so intoxicated with himself that he failed to notice another student approaching from behind.
Smack!
Another student from a different party approached and quickly hit Gatono's hand.
The giant's shoe inside rolled out.
"...!!"
"Th-that's a shoe worn by a giant, isn't it?! It looks like a shoe worn by a giant?!"
"Friends! These guys broke the promise and faced a giant!"
The White Tiger Tower students who had approached out of suspicion were shocked to see the giant's shoe.
They had agreed not to target giants together, but what was this underhanded trick?
"You coward! How can you call yourself a knight after doing this?!"
"I have a clear conscience. I can look up at the sky without a shred of shame! The promise we made back then was not to face giants because it was dangerous. We had the confidence to seek out the giant. What's wrong with that?"
"Liar! You hid it because you were afraid we would target the giant too!"
"If you're jealous, just say you're jealous. Don't be disgustingly envious!"
"Are you done talking?!"
The White Tiger Tower students started grappling and throwing punches at each other, not ending with just a verbal dispute.
Yi-Han, who was sitting a little distance away with Jijel and Dolgyu, clicked his tongue at the sight.
"How foolish. Breaking a promise and facing a giant behind your friends' backs."
"...B-but Yi-Han, we also faced a giant."
"We didn't get caught."
"We didn't get caught."
"..."
—
Professor Ingurdel expressed his gratitude to Baishada, a hunter from the Shadow Patrol, and Ghetse, a hunter from the Wasteland Stargazers.
"It's all thanks to you two."
"Ah, no, not at all, Professor."
"As a hunter, it was an honor for me to teach young mages."
'He's really good with words,' Baishada admired Ghetse's eloquence.
It was no wonder he was from the Wasteland Stargazers, who frequently appeared in imperial newspapers. His speech was on a different level compared to the hunters of the Shadow Patrol.
"Thank you for saying that. Now, shall we take a look at what the students have hunted?"
The two hunters sat with the professor.
The students taking the swordsmanship lecture took turns submitting proof of the prey they had hunted, and each time, the two hunters opened their mouths with fascinated expressions.
"This is a blood shadow bat! They don't usually come out of caves during this season, but they managed to..."
"Catching a walking flame mushroom. They must be mages indeed. Even hunters avoid that one because it's tricky."
"Bringing back the fruit of a vine hunter. That's impressive, isn't it?"
Then it was Gatono and his friends' turn.
When the giant's shoe was presented, even Professor Ingurdel exclaimed in amazement.
"The shoe that the giant was wearing...! You've done well to bring it!"
Gatono, who had a bruise on one eye, said cautiously, "We couldn't take down the giant."
"It doesn't matter. It's even more impressive that you brought it without taking it down."
Professor Ingurdel said that and looked at Ghetse.
"Mr. Ghetse, thank you again."
"Professor, I knew you were wise, but I was really surprised. How did you know?"
"If Mr. Ghetse hadn't advised them, how could first-year students have thought of facing a giant?"
Ghetse cleared his throat as if embarrassed.
Seeing that, Baishada was envious inside.
Fame, popularity, skill, and even the outstanding ability to advise mages - he had it all.
'Isn't that too unfair?' Baishada thought.
Next were Yi-Han and his friends.
When Yi-Han submitted the hair of the giant Ikurusha, Professor Ingurdel and Ghetse spat out the water they were drinking, coughing.
Then they looked at Baishada with shocked expressions.
Baishada cried out in alarm, "No, no, no... I didn't do anything."
"I know, Mr. Baishada."
"You know!"
"Things that seem trivial to the teacher can often feel insignificant. But for the learner, that single phrase can bring great enlightenment..."
"..."
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