Chapter 99
HEL SCANS
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Before the start of the exam.
The protective artifact given to the children was the first safety device prepared by the Hero.
Unlike the supplies provided by Rosentark for practical use, it was a much higher-grade item, suitable for noble use as a personal protective gear.
If the owner experiences a certain level of impact, a barrier of ‘Calidus’ grade is activated, and the precise coordinates are reported to the linked artifact.
Although it boasted a considerable price as a high-quality item that could be called a spare life, it didn’t matter to the Hero who had the continent’s richest person as a companion.
… One hour after the start of the exam.
The first protective artifact was activated.
Kkiiieeek-!
The Hero looked at the demon outside the impenetrable barrier, furiously scraping the ground with its hooves.
A small silhouette trembling inside is also visible.
The name of that demon is ‘Cabrera.’
Unlike its appearance resembling a deer, it had a mouth structure and freely movable blade-shaped hooves unsuitable for herbivores.
“Ugh….”
The suppression was quick.
Black hope reached out, approaching without making a sound.
Kwaaaang-!
With a heavy thud against the ground, the sound of footsteps and the demon’s scream were buried without a trace.
As the chilling scream and breathing disappeared, Aileen raised her head with her head wedged between her knees.
The Hero was casually looking down at her.
…Tock. Tock.
Drops of black blood dripped from the wide shoulders of the Black Hope.
After that, a demon corpse, torn in half, came into view.
“Uhh…”
Aileen breathed a sigh of relief, collapsing towards the ground with fatigue enough to want to lie down with her back.
At the same time, a deep sense of regret overwhelmed her.
The activation of the protective artifact meant immediate elimination from the exam.
Eliminated participants could no longer accumulate points and had to move to the designated safety zone.
Since there was still plenty of time until the end, the regret doubled.
“Any injuries?”
“Oh, none.”
“As of now, I conclude Aileen Lever’s midterm exam. Any objections?”
“…None.”
She lowered her head dejectedly, and the Hero, who alternately examined the demon corpse lying behind, spoke.
“The weakness of Cabrera is the tendons connected to the hind hooves and the dark spots on the back. You should have learned that in class. Did you forget?”
“Well… it was too fast, and the attacks kept missing, and my mana was almost depleted, so I got confused.”
Aileen frowned.
The Hero examined the traces of the surrounding battles and then matched her eye level.
“Seems like you were focusing on big attacks.”
“Huh? Oh, yes…”
Aileen’s main weapon was the Bastard Sword.
Supplementary weapons included lightweight weapons such as short swords and daggers.
However, near the terrain features, only the marks of the Bastard Sword remained.
“Aileen, as I mentioned in the last class, knowing how to choose the right weapon for the situation is also a skill.”
“Well, I was too nervous…”
“It’s okay. Since you’ve failed once, you’ll do better next time. Don’t get too discouraged.”
Aileen’s eyes became teary at the kind tone.
“I’ll practice the supplementary weapons harder too. I’m sorry, Professor…”
The Hero nodded and reached out to support her as she sat down hesitantly.
Aileen stood up more confidently as if everything was okay now.
‘…Some of them were expected to be like this.’
Hell training, practical exercises—these were really different from facing demons in real combat.
Once you start to panic, it’s hard to regain control.
‘…It’s a pity.’
The Hero’s eyes passed over the demon’s corpse—more precisely, the bluntly split fang and the stake.
For highly dangerous demons, such measures were taken.
If she had judiciously restrained with supplementary weapons and calmly approached the attack, she might have utilized that point to successfully subdue the demon.
However, she couldn’t do that, and she ultimately concluded the exam with a total of 15 points.
‘By the way, it’s about time to receive a message.’
Beep-beep!
The communication device attached to his ear rang at that moment.
[Leader, there are no abnormalities outside the control center.]
[Hero, there are no issues inside the center yet!]
They were the second safety devices he had prepared: Yussi and Felson.
Both were positioned where the possibility of the ‘collaborator’ targeting was the highest—in the Forest of Martial Arts, at the control center.
* * *
About 10 minutes ago.
Felson looked at the massive building in front of him.
…The control center.
It was the place overseeing everything in the facilities within the Forest of Martial Arts.
Unusually, all external walls were made of transparent glass panels, designed for real-time observation of the artificial core from the inside.
‘…Hmm.’
Felson’s eyes, passing through the purification magic formula engraved densely on the frame and glass, turned towards various security devices such as sensors and video recording modifications.
Even so, it was the first time he had directly seen the control center with his own eyes.
The security level was undoubtedly high, even compared to other Rosentark facilities.
‘…It’s natural for a facility that has to manage such things.’
Wuuuuuung-
The artificial core exuded a strong presence from a considerable distance above the control center.
No, it was closer to ominousness than presence.
Felson’s expression turned fierce as he felt a resemblance to the cores he had relentlessly destroyed before.
‘The invention of Zero….’
Zero was famous for devoting himself to magical research.
In response to his request, all captured demons, monsters, and core samples from the battlefield were sent to Zero’s research lab, and research continued through the numerous specimens.
The artificial core was one of the byproducts.
A device with the exact same function as a core, capable of absorbing mana from the atmosphere and converting it into demonic energy.
That moment arrived.
Ding-Ding-Ding-
The numbers on the cold magical measurement device on the wrist began to rise.
Krrrr-
Magical clouds emitted from the top of the artificial core’s pipe.
Before the start of the test, the Hero had informed the control team of how often to raise the magical concentration at intervals of a few minutes.
At the agreed-upon time, they released the magical power stored in the artificial core.
Chichijik-
Not long after, the voice of the Hero echoed through the communication device attached to the ear.
[Yussi, get ready for entry.]
A slightly trembling voice responded, “Uh, it’s been a while since we carried out a mission… It’s nice.”
[Felson, stay on standby. How’s the situation over there?]
Felson also muttered quietly, “Everything’s normal.”
HEL SCANS
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Currently, Felson was concealed in a high place near the control center, atop tall trees.
It was a location that could monitor not only external personnel approaching the control center but also the movements inside and the artificial core.
Felson did not let down his guard, recalling the final briefing from the previous night.
“As you know, the control center oversees everything in the facilities within the Forest of Martial Arts.”
By manipulating the artificial core, the concentration of demonic energycould be adjusted.
It was even possible to release the monsters they were managing for practice.
If they could control the control center, they could turn the Forest of Martial Arts into a field of chaos without relying on external forces, or so the story went.
“So, most likely, they’ll aim for the control center. There’s a considerable chance of an insider among the center staff. No, assume there is and act accordingly.”
“Felson, take care of external intruders, and Yussi, rush to the center when I give the signal.”
“Don’t let your guard down. If you make a mistake, the kids are in danger.”
…End.
It was inevitable that his son’s face momentarily invaded his mind.
[Arriving at the control center entrance in 3 minutes]
[… Yussi]
[Why, Felson?]
[I’m counting on you.]
After a moment of silence,
Yussi’s cheerful voice continued.
[How about expressing that deep fatherly love directly?]
“What are you talking about?”
[The academy offers counseling regularly these days. It seems like your son needs more attention and love from his parents, right?]
Felson’s expression seemed as if he had been hit but then turned into a bitter smile.
“Learned that through theft. It’s not easy even if you try.”
[Blame it on Dietrich’s bad tradition.]
“…Exactly.”
Yussi laughed at the rough but awkward fatherly figure.
Well, it was said that Felson’s personality had changed to be more likable after meeting Jenny Dietrich.
[He became human too.]
Even Felson couldn’t refute the remark from Noubelmag, who had been silently listening.
Having a casual conversation before the operation was one of the long-standing habits of the Dawn Knights.
Since they knew it was to calm excitement and tension, the Hero didn’t discourage it.
Once they entered the operation, they were more immersed than anyone else.
[Arriving at the control center entrance in 10 seconds]
“Hmm.”
Felson, who let out a brief sigh, focused his mana on his eyes.
Near the main entrance of the control center,
Yussi’s vibrant blue hair and slender figure were distinctly present.
The guards at the main gate who spotted her seemed to be in a rush.
“Hey, you’ve all been working hard.”
“P-Principal?! Um, why are you here at our center…?”
“Oh, I should’ve reported while I was at it? I didn’t know that.”
A moment of deathly silence fell over the communication devices.
To them, Yussi was nothing short of a troublemaking companion.
To the staff at the academy, she was practically a deity, controlling their livelihood with her words.
“I absolutely did not mean it in that way…”
“Ahaha, just kidding, just kidding. The reason I came… It seems like this test has some experimental elements and is a bit risky, right?”
“Y-Yes.”
“As the overall responsible person, I felt a strong sense of duty. So, I want to monitor the forest with our hardworking control team to ensure the safety of the students… Is there anyone dissatisfied?”
Of course, there wasn’t.
“Now, let’s go in.”
That’s how Yussi entered the heart of the control center without anyone’s objection.
If there were a traitor or someone colluding, they would have been surprised.
Yussi was known to be absent today due to external commitments.
The Hero asked straightforwardly.
[How’s the situation inside?]
The members waited in hushed anticipation for Yussi’s response.
“Hee-hee~”
A lively snort.
It was a signal that everything was going smoothly.
“Where’s the secure watch?”
“W-Why do you need the secure watch…?”
“Oh? A staff member answering back?”
“I’ll guide you immediately!”
Beep-beep-!
Following that, a series of mechanical sounds came through the communication device.
Yussi was seen sitting in front of the secure watch in the control center.
The secure watch was a device that could monitor all hundreds of video recording points installed in the forest.
This allowed them to be prepared for unforeseen dangers to the children, even if they didn’t anticipate them.
‘All right. Now, let’s see how this unfolds.’
Felson recalled the events from yesterday once again.
“The artificial core going haywire, or the release of isolated monsters. You just need to be cautious in these two cases.”
“I understand that those two are the most likely scenarios. But couldn’t they try other methods? Like hiding in the forest in advance and launching an ambush… or introducing external personnel the moment the test starts?”
“I’ll handle the response to that part, so don’t worry.”
The Hero shook his head.
The two examples he mentioned could be dealt with using Astera Vision.
“Anyway, I won’t be away from the kids. It’s for their safety, but also because I need to be away from the control center for them to move actively.”
The Hero’s sunken, ash-colored eyes turned toward his comrades.
“So, your role in identifying the traitor is the most important. Yussi, if you notice anyone showing suspicious behavior inside, observe them closely. Felson, stay in ambush outside and be vigilant.”
Of course, if they didn’t care about the children’s safety, they could have prepared a more definite trap.
But that wasn’t what Yussi, Felson, or the Hero wanted.
‘So, let’s seize this opportunity.’
Felson extended his mana, enveloping the entire area of the control center’s premises.
The movements and presence of isolated monsters in the building’s underground were as clear as if he were right in front of them.
The problem was on the artificial core side.
Due to the nature of the core, which absorbed mana from the atmosphere, detection in that area was futile.
It had to be visually inspected.
Felson moved a bit closer to the artificial core.
The only visually distinct feature from the real core was that its color was precisely divided into halves.
One half was a vivid blue, and the other half was a deep violet.
Woo-woo-woo-woo!
From the pipe at the top of the core, a continuously billowing demonic energy cloud, close to black, spread out.
Given the need to spread demonic energy across a giant grove with a diameter of several kilometers, the concentration was substantial.
Certainly, it wasn’t an immediate burden for Felson.
However, if the demonic energy stored inside the core were to burst out all at once, it would undoubtedly be perilous.
“Umm….”
Highly concentrated demonic energy is as deadly as a potent poison.
Just being close to it can shake a person’s mind and have detrimental effects.
For instance, it can momentarily manifest unwanted illusions.
Familiar scents and a warm touch.
Hair that tickles the nose.
The clear sound of laughter.
Felson took a deep breath.
[Leader, currently, there are no abnormalities outside the control center.]
HEL SCANS
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