ALL NOVEL Chapter 47
47. Goodbye Everyone~
The written exam has come to an end. Even though it was a grueling task to memorize to the point of dark circles under my eyes, there were few interested in it.
This is because the achievements of the students at the Aligieri Magic Academy, including those from Aligieri, aren’t measured by written tests.
What matters is practical experience. Since we walk the path of scholars to fight monsters, we need to know how much combat talent we possess.
If you’re lacking in such talent, then it’s fine to score well on the written test to gain bonus points. That way, you can search for your talents elsewhere.
The academy respects the choices of its students.
However, someone devoid of any respect, solely coveting power, visited the academy.
“This place has changed a lot.”
A man stepped down from a carriage that passed through the academy’s main gate.
Just by looking at the impressive appearance of the carriage, it was clear he wasn’t an ordinary person, and his title was none other than the King of a nation.
“Welcome, His Majesty Talema.”
Vice Principal Heidern, who came out to greet him, bowed respectfully.
Talema End Hall Papias.
Though he was indeed a king of a small nation, he lacked an aura of nobility.
His bare upper body, merely adorned with a beast’s fur cape around his neck, made him look no different from a barbarian chief.
In fact, his disposition was just as cold. He was a being who wouldn’t hesitate to devour even his own children if necessary.
“It’s nice to meet you as well.”
Talema greeted enthusiastically and extended his hand. With that, the handshake with Heidern was completed, and the observers for the practical exam had all gathered.
…….
Luska Mad Eye watched the scene from a distance, calming the murderous intent that almost burst forth upon seeing King Talema.
*
The practical test for this midterm evaluation is a race.
It can be summed up simply by the fact that the highest score goes to those who arrive at the destination first.
The course starts from the Central Dong Gymnasium and ends at Purgatory Volcano Park.
You cannot cut through Aligieri Town to get there. A designated course exists.
The racecourse consists of the forest that encircles the village like a round table.
While defeating monsters that attack in sequence from the forest, you advance towards Aligieri Tower.
There, you need to defeat various spirits and acquire spirit stones that drop from them at a low probability.
Without those, you cannot pass through the barrier that blocks the way to the next destination.
Once you have the spirit stones, you break through the barrier, and the exam ends when you reach about the midway point of the Purgatory Volcano.
‘It’s so hot, it’s killing me.’
As expected from a marathon-like event, all the students were dressed in gym uniforms.
It was hot now, but I wore more clothes than others, knowing it would rain soon.
This is because there are weather effects in the field where rain can be summoned.
“Radon, why are you wearing such long clothes? Aren’t you hot?”
Jenny, who was stretching next to me, asked with concern.
While I was clad in a tracksuit reminiscent of a test taker, Jenny wore summer gym clothes that exposed her knees and arms.
It wasn’t just her; it was the same for all ages and genders.
“You all might catch a cold like that.”
“A cold? It’s so hot right now!”
Of course, it was hot now.
But by the time they reached Aligieri Tower, they would regret it.
It rains heavily, after all, and some of them even wore hats despite it.
“Ah… I’m dying of heat.”
Beside me, Mary crossed her arms, looking irritated. Unlike her usual energetic self, she changed completely when it got hot.
Moreover, there were no rules this time like during the midterm evaluation that prevented participants from interfering with each other.
Mary would surely rush in while firing mana bullets everywhere.
Of course, I had no intention of getting caught up in it.
“Radon, it would be wise to be on your toes today. This is unequivocally an individual competition.”
“Don’t get in my way. You might end up dead just from being caught up in it.”
Mary’s tone, which had an edge in it at the end, felt very strange.
Of course, it doesn’t change the fact that Mary is a dangerous girl in any state.
Then, I suddenly wondered.
“But where’s Crona?”
“……?”
Crona, who typically appears in front of Jenny and acts arrogantly, was nowhere to be seen.
By now, she would have been showing off her luxurious gym clothes to provoke Jenny.
I started feeling suspicious as to why she wasn’t here at a time when both should be igniting their competitive spirit.
“Mary, have you seen her?”
“Well, I haven’t seen her face lately either.”
It felt unsettling.
Could that damned variable have swept through and caused chaos again?
Anyway, I hoped she was safe. Because Crona was essential for this chapter.
“Well, she’ll probably join late. There’s no way she’d miss such an important exam.”
“True. As long as she has her student ID, she can participate anytime, anywhere.”
The student ID that proves one is a student of the academy. It must be carried to receive scores during the race.
In fact, in the main story, the protagonist Lyman ends up showing up late and starting from the last position, but as soon as he enters the course, his student ID automatically indicates his rank.
The principle works through the archive system, essentially a supercomputer disguised as a spell.
‘They say an artificial consciousness actually exists within the archive.’
In any case, the task I needed to accomplish was set.
Like the other students, I needed to sprint to Aligieri Tower. But after that, I would move separately.
Because I had a mission to fulfill in order to class change to ‘Outlaw.’
– Absorb at least one spirit.
At first glance, it seems easy.
Thanks to the effect of the ‘Amulet of the Dead’ I received recently, I could easily absorb spirits.
In fact, spirits were as common as pebbles in the gravel around the tower.
However, I had no intention of just absorbing any old spirit.
‘If I’m going to absorb one, it better be the best one.’
The tower is sealed with the most powerful upper-tier spirit.
The Shadow of Gluttony, ‘Muto,’ is my target.
In the main story, due to the chaos caused by the students arriving at the tower, Muto suddenly wakes up. He’s regarded as an elite monster that appears while hunting trash mobs.
Moreover, being an upper-tier spirit, he’s exceedingly powerful. Definitely not a suitable opponent for this exam.
The one who secretly called him out was none other than Enviel. He probably hired him because students might interfere with his plans.
‘The problem is absorbing Muto while he’s still sealed.’
As I mentioned earlier, Muto is very powerful. Therefore, I need to absorb him carefully so that the seal doesn’t break.
To do that, I must deal with the other participants first. Just like in the main story, I can create chaos to wake Muto.
Thus, I have to arrive at the tower first. And for that, I have already made my preparations.
“Anyway, just as you said, since it’s an individual competition, we can’t watch out for each other.”
“Radon watching out for me? Never! It’s me watching out for you.”
Jenny provoked me with a mischievous smile.
Not that it particularly meant igniting a competitive spirit.
“By the way, this exam is different from last time, where we couldn’t interfere with each other. It might explode right as we start.”
“Well, instead of exploding, it might freeze? Hehe.”
“Ugh, I don’t care. Since it’s hot, I’ll just wipe everyone out! Radon and Jenny, all of you!”
Other participants were also cautious about each other. You never know who might unleash a thunderbolt right from the start.
Some alchemy students had already sprinkled reagents on the ground, while some combat department students had surrounded themselves with aura to increase their defense.
Some magic students set traps using Earth magic and hid them with Illusion magic.
No matter who it was, the psychological warfare was palpable. However, thinking that the professors wouldn’t anticipate this situation would be a significant misunderstanding.
Recalling what might happen at the start, I couldn’t help but smile.
Whoosh──
At last, the whistle signaling the start was heard.
As a result, students, including myself, readied themselves to run, but some were poised to do something strange.
Especially, I could already feel a chill emanating from Jenny. There was an ominous aura about her.
But it was all a waste of effort.
“Hey.”
“What is it, Radon? Are you scared already?”
I succinctly told them.
“I’m not going to do anything.”
Upon saying this, Jenny and Mary had question marks floating above their heads.
That moment.
Bang!──
The gunshot that announced the start rang out.
The students were like ghosts, working to sabotage and hinder other participants.
Boom!──
A bolt of lightning suddenly struck down from the clear sky, engulfing all the students. This is not a metaphorical expression; it’s a clear shift in reality.
Since this was lightning intentionally set up by the organizers, it wouldn’t be ordinary.
Upon contact, all powers, including mana, were nullified, and even movement became completely paralyzed, rendering them unable to move for a time.
This was to prevent the students from explosively stepping on the start line. It was also a sort of trick.
Naturally, it couldn’t be lethal at all.
Students who hadn’t anticipated such measures were moaning in pain.
Jenny and Mary both knelt down and plopped to the ground. Even for them, it would take about 20 minutes to move again.
Of course, it should be normal for me as well.
“It seems… our professors have read our minds.”
“Ugh! I can’t move! I’m out of strength!”
“Radon, you’re okay… huh?”
“Eh? Friend…?”
Mary and Jenny, who were complaining, tilted their heads in confusion.
Everyone else was down, but… I was the only one standing. Quite fine at that.
“Phew~ That was close.”
“R-Radon… how…?”
“If I hadn’t worn this hat, I would’ve been like you.”
It wasn’t just a hat to shield from rain. It was a magical device I had commissioned from the town atelier for the remaining duration of the exam.
The hat had the property of repelling approaching conductors like a magnet. Therefore, the lightning that was supposed to hit me flowed elsewhere.
“I told you, I’m not going to do anything.”
“…….”
“…….”
They looked up at me with blank expressions. After all, it was they who had mentioned it was an individual competition.
I crossed the start line alone. While running, I turned my head towards the downed students and cheerfully waved my arms.
“Goodbye everyone! I’m casting off all ties and shackles of this world and off to enjoy my own comfortable race! You all do your best too!”
“Radon, you coward!!”
“Ughhh!! Friend!!”
The two screamed with betrayal, as if possessed by a wyvern. Other students were similar, but none screamed as loudly as those two.
[Consumption Rate Drop: -4000%]
[+40000 Credits]
[Experience exceeded a certain amount! Acquired 2 Stat Points.]
*
It would take the others at least 30 minutes or as little as 15 minutes to move again.
Given the gap between participants, the high-level students would recover as quickly as possible. Thus, the time I had wasn’t particularly long.
However, I had cleared Devil Arc several times.
Not just the protagonist, but I had cleared all strategy paths as other playable characters as well.
This midterm evaluation was just one of those.
The first course was a dense forest path on the outskirts of the village.
Wild monsters have a pattern of attacking from the ground, but they were all visible.
There might be a powerful monster along the path, but I knew the way to avoid detection.
To put it simply, there was a shortcut that didn’t involve shedding a drop of blood. Even if finding it was tricky, among the veterans chasing records, it would just be flatland.
There was no explicit rule that forced a fight.
Admittedly, I would be forced to engage with spirits, but I intended to easily bypass them.
The challenge was whether I could endure the lung capacity needed to reach the tower within the time limit. But with my high ‘Grit’ stat, it was practically solved.
“Heh… heh… still, this is tough.”
After running hard for 8 minutes, I arrived at Aligieri Tower. I arrived so quickly that the spirits were still asleep.
There were plenty of spirits that looked either like zombies with twisted limbs or failed chimera-like amalgams of various animals.
The more I looked at them, the more bizarre they became, and I declined the idea of absorbing such unimpressive spirits.
“Jenny would faint if she saw these.”
By the way, the high-ups in the academy would also watch through observers. It’s only natural.
However, the students still hadn’t regained consciousness.
Out of consideration for that, the observers wouldn’t move just yet. They’d turn on about 30 minutes later, so my appearance wouldn’t be visible now.
‘Then should I quickly go absorb Muto?’
Muto was sealed on the top floor of the tower. Therefore, it took 3 minutes to reach there.
Upon arriving, I found a wall with cracks. Hitting it with Leviathan revealed a hidden room.
This was the room where Muto was sealed. Or rather, this room was Muto itself.
[Cursed Aura]
The transparent aura flowing in my hand fused with my spirit power, becoming a murky purple.
As I struck the ground with it, the floor shattered like a spider’s web, and something became visible.
The area where I punched turned black. Pouring black pigment like a dye, it revealed a shadow that gradually morphed into a reptilian form, opening its sinister eyes.
This was the Shadow of Gluttony known as Muto.
Bang─!
Suddenly, the wall was broken. At the same time, the shadow disappeared.
Beyond the broken wall was a rushing shadow.
“Where the heck is that going…!”
-You think I’d let it slip away!
I jumped from the tower through the broken wall and chased after it.
Even in a weakened state being sealed, it was still fairly swifter. After running outside the course, it took me 7 minutes before I finally caught up.
“I got you, you little rascal!”
It was quite fascinating to touch the shadow with my hand.
Though it had no legs, it seemed to struggle as if it were flailing.
I took out the ‘Amulet of the Dead’ I received from the instructor and drew it into the amulet.
[‘Amulet of the Dead’ is absorbing the spirit.]
[You have absorbed ‘Shadow of Gluttony’ Muto.]
[You will be able to manipulate Muto freely upon class changing to ‘Outlaw.’]
Finally, I managed to resolve one matter.
By the way, where was this? I had entered a remote forest in the chaos of the chase.
But if I retraced the path I just took, I would surely emerge back onto the course.
Just as I thought to turn back, that moment happened.
“……!!”
“Don’t move!”
Feeling an explosive presence, I lifted Leviathan. Emerging from the dense darkness was an arrow, already nocked, aimed at my head.
It had a familiar design… and a voice that sounded familiar.
“You…!”
“Luska?”
I was startled, as was she. And then, I was astonished by the sight of another girl being supported behind Luska.
“Crona?”
What are you doing here?
And covered in wounds too.
Surviving as an Academy Scammer.