Chapter 97
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The hero awaited them at the edge of the forest, not far from the clearing.
“Oh, it’s the professor.”
They entered the clearing with faces halfway between tension and curiosity.
The moment the children could relax was only until then.
‘I’m starting to worry.’
“Hey, look at the professor’s expression. He’s unusually scarier today.”
As they aligned themselves in front of the hero, a silence naturally fell.
Once everyone was in formation, he began speaking.
“This midterm exam is about ‘building points.’ It will be conducted through relative evaluation,
and the goal is to accumulate as many points as possible within the limited time of 4 hours.”
…Building points?
The children’s heads tilted at the unfamiliar method.
Further explanation followed.
“There are two ways to earn points. First, ‘exploration.'”
Swish—
As the hero finished speaking, he pulled out something.
It was a small stone, emitting a blue light at regular intervals, just the size of a fingernail.
The children were familiar with it.
Mana Stone.
A mineral containing mana.
“I have placed five hundred stones of the same size in the forest. If you find them using detection magic, you will earn 3 points per stone.”
…The expressions of the children froze.
Even if the mana stones the hero brought out were scraps, it was an appropriate size.
Of course, at this distance, even faint mana could be felt, but the place where they were taking the test was a vast forest with a diameter of several kilometers.
Moreover…
“In a place saturated with mana like this, it might be challenging to detect the mana emanating from these small stones.”
In places with dense mana, detecting the presence of mana becomes much more difficult.
It would be like searching for something in clear water compared to muddy water.
As if he had read the thoughts of the children, the hero continued.
“But this process is essential for you. Does anyone want to explain why?”
“……”
“…Those who get the right answer will receive an additional point.”
“……”
Hands that weren’t heard before now shot up one after another.
The hero pointed to the first person who raised their hand.
As everyone else lowered their hands in disappointment, expecting the guy to answer quickly, he spoke.
“Ban, go ahead.”
“…We have to perform operations in demonic territories later. We need to be able to detect mana proficiently even in dense environments.”
“Go into more detail. Give us a simple example.”
“Well, during operations, it’s not uncommon for the reconnaissance team to scatter for various reasons.”
Casualties dropping out.
Situations where individual combat erupts.
Maneuvers to avoid pursuit.
Ban calmly continued to answer, providing enough examples that could likely occur.
“In such cases, quickly detecting and joining forces with teammates is essential to minimize risks. That’s why we need to be proficient in ‘detection within mana.'”
“A good answer.”
A subdued murmur of admiration flowed among the children.
The hero raised the mana stone again and spoke.
“Don’t just think of this as a stone. It could be a teammate you need to rescue or a rescue team waiting desperately in a fallen situation. It’s better to approach the exploration with that determination.”
“Understood!”
The children responded with enthusiasm.
Listening to the hero’s explanation, it seemed as if they were already members of an exploration team active in the demonic realm, and a sense of pride swelled within them.
Extreme lectures had this advantage.
Clear and concise explanations that directly pointed out why they were undergoing such training.
There was no choice but to follow with a strong sense of purpose.
“……”
Watching the determined children, the hero nodded slowly.
‘If you keep your detection active to find the mana stones, at least you won’t be attacked unknowingly even if you don’t understand what’s going on.’
A kind of safety measure.
It was also an opportunity to improve the proficiency of detection, a skill often neglected compared to combat techniques, even with diligent practice.
And so, the next explanation unfolded.
“The second way to earn points is ‘subjugation.'”
This was expected.
The children clenched their fists.
“Common magical creatures are worth 1 point. Other magical creatures have different point values depending on their types. If necessary, you can cooperate with your peers to subjugate them.”
“Grrrrroar!”
The distant cry of a magical creature startled the children, and they looked around nervously.
These were the creatures released for today’s exam.
The hero continued the explanation nonchalantly.
“Since they are all magical creatures we covered in the previous theory lectures, if you’ve reviewed diligently, you should be able to subjugate them easily. Any questions?”
Given the intuitive nature of the test, no additional questions were raised.
“Then, I’ll distribute the survival kits.”
All eyes of the children focused on the center of the clearing, where a pile of supplies was stacked.
“Oh, there’s a lot here.”
“Is this the kit we received during dungeon practice?”
… It was a more reinforced version.
The new survival kit contained several useful items.
First, a map detailing the terrain of the forest.
Although filled with complex symbols, map reading was one of the first things the children learned in their Parchment class.
“But what’s this here?”
The children discovered ‘refuge’ points marked in blue throughout the map, places unfamiliar to the Forest of Martial Arts.
The hero added an explanation.
“As you explore the forest, your mana will deplete rapidly. You’ll resist demonic energy while extending detection and engaging in combat with magical creatures simultaneously.”
“……”
“So, we deemed that shelters are necessary. Each shelter is equipped with a purification barrier that prevents magical intrusion. Use them to recover stamina and mana when needed.”
The children nodded in understanding.
The rest of the components of the survival kit were familiar to them.
An artifact used during dungeon practice that automatically deployed a protective spell when taking significant damage.
Emergency mana boosters and light flares.
Items thoroughly upgraded and nurtured by the hero for the safety of the children.
“Oh?”
It was when Cuculli pulled out a strange artifact from the kit.
“Professor! You didn’t explain this!”
It was a bracelet with a small dial attached to the body.
The number ‘0’ was written in the center.
The hero responded succinctly.
“It’s a score recorder. When you subjugate magical creatures, your score goes up, and if multiple people contribute to subjugation, it automatically calculates and distributes the score.”
Crafted by Noubelmag and Pia.
It includes a simple video recording function, a magical density display, and even a protective shield.
“By the way, the scores for mana stones will be tallied separately after the exam is over, so keep them in the pocket inside the kit for retrieval.”
“Ah, got it!”
“Now, everyone will wear the score recorder on their wrists from now on.”
Snap!
The sound of wearing the recorder echoed in the clearing.
Once the hero confirmed everyone had put it on, he stood before the densely packed forest.
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“Now then.”
The area they were currently in was a kind of safe zone not affected by demonic energy.
Once they stepped beyond this point, the true appearance of the Forest of Martial Arts would reveal itself.
“Open the path.”
Shh-shh-shh-shh-
The dense branches intertwined seamlessly, moving as one.
In an instant, thirty-one paths, enough for one person to travel through, were connected to the vacant lot.
The hero spoke to the wide-eyed children.
“Good luck.”
The extreme midterm exam had begun.
* * *
Dadadadada-
Ban swiftly navigated through the dense forest.
Since the start of the exam, the face of the boy who hadn’t stopped even once showed spreading drops of thick sweat.
But there was no sign of fatigue.
‘Top 3…’
…I must achieve it.
In his mind, Ban recalled the faces of his rivals.
There were three that immediately came to mind.
Leciel, Cuculli, Luke.
…Leciel went without saying.
Cuculli, with her vast mana reserves, seemed to have a significant advantage in this prolonged exam.
She could progress without needing to visit the shelters.
Before coming to Rosenstark, Luke’s usual requests were often related to exploration and subjugation, just like this exam.
The experience between him and others differed significantly.
Nothing was easy in this situation.
‘Nevertheless…’
There was a corner where he could pin his hopes.
The exam wasn’t simply about subjugation.
Ban’s specialty was detection.
He was confident in searching for mana stones.
Beep-beep-beep.
The number that was 0 at the forest’s entrance had suddenly risen to 15.
The demonic energy density was already heading towards the second level.
‘I need to find as many mana stones as possible before the demonic energy becomes denser.’
Shh-shh-shh!
Mana originating from Ban’s heart spread in all directions.
The range of perception expanded several times in an instant.
‘Huh?’
In an instant, he felt Cuculli’s mana not far ahead.
Even in the swirling demonic energy, Cuculli’s unique cool and crisp aura pierced through with a noticeable presence.
As if she had no intention of holding back, she emitted mana at a formidable level.
He nodded slowly.
‘She went to catch the high-point magical creatures marked on the map.’
He had already expected that Cuculli wouldn’t spend much time on exploration.
After all, she considered everything mundane unless it involved combat. Thud!
Ban immediately changed direction.
With such a commotion, magical creatures naturally gathered around that area.
It wouldn’t be a smooth exploration.
“……”
Ban skillfully avoided magical creatures, using detection to find mana stones.
Underneath trees.
In the crevices of rocks.
In the mud by the stream.
The places where mana stones were hidden were diverse.
When he found about four, Ban fell into thought.
‘Avoiding magical creatures and finding mana stones. It’s too inefficient.’
But there was no clear solution.
Frustrated, Ban dispersed his mana as widely as possible.
‘…Huh?’
It was then.
The edge of the extended mana, a clear indication of a mana stone, was captured.
Ban abruptly stopped.
‘F-five of them gathered in one place?’
The coveted opportunity for a high score.
However, Ban’s feet remained firmly planted, refusing to move.
It was because along with the mana stones, he also sensed the presence of a magical creature.
Ban stared into the dark forest with shaking eyes.
Night-colored eyebrows gathered and then dispersed repeatedly.
‘…Should I at least check it out?’
Once he went, who knew what opportunities might arise.
It was a chance to earn a whopping 15 points.
Unable to let fear take over, Ban pushed forward again.
…And arrived at the location.
‘Huh?’
There was already someone there.
Ban cautiously called out the person’s name.
“…Leciel?”
Under the dim shadow of the forest, her red hair swayed like a flame.
Leciel, upon noticing Ban, looked at him with surprised eyes.
“…Did you follow me?”
Excessive self-consciousness… Her popularity was too great to criticize her.
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