Surviving as a Con Artist at the Academy

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72nd Episode. So, what is your request?

Most of the academy’s buildings served as residences for professors.

Not only the students but also the faculty were respected, evident in any of the buildings. That room was being used as a spectator area for the practical exams.

The professors checked on the students showing noticeable changes as they observed the exams.

There were numerous students to keep an eye on, yet the observers only broadcast the most prominent or interesting scenes.

Thanks to advancements in magical devices, there was no longer a need to physically enter the void space. If there had been no development, those magical devices to manifest the void space would not have existed in the first place.

“….”

It was inevitable for several discussions to occur among the observing professors.

If they were silent, it was a testament to how immersed they were in one particular battle of the exam.

“….”

They were watching a fight between the Class A and Class C students.

A fight that would end in no time.

A scene that did not warrant attention.

A waste of time, akin to focusing on someone stepping on an ant.

It was the kind of moment where one of the three professors above should offer an opinion. Yet, the professors were wide-eyed, fixated on the scene.

Then they realized why the observer was long broadcasting their fight.

Based solely on their grading labels attached to their chests, the two students seemed practically mismatched.

The black lightning and shining rays of the sun were desperate to consume each other.

As time passed, the lightning began to weaken, and then a gigantic snake appeared to devour the rays of light.

The light lost its strength, but its user barely managed to infuse mana into the mace, creating a barrier of light.

The lightning, having pushed away the light, was barely stopped, but it cracked. There was no way to fend off the snake’s headbutt that followed.

Incredible enough, the winner turned out to be Class C.

In fact, even before that, it was a fight astonishing enough to widen one’s eyes. Class C and Class A were not capable of exchanging blows so evenly like this.

Even Class B would break their wooden swords easily. Otherwise, they wouldn’t even respond to Class A’s movements and would lose their badges.

As a professor, witnessing such duels from those students had long since adapted to my eyes. However, a peculiar duel was unfolding after quite a while.

“Isn’t that… really a fishing rod? Professor Radian?”

“That can’t be. If Radon had taken out a fishing rod at any point, the observer would have informed us immediately. Wasn’t it set up so that way by us?”

Professor Cerix from the Magic Department asked, and Radian responded without hesitation.

“If that were the case, our Combat Department head would have noticed it all at once. Isn’t that right, Cage Department Head?”

Given that it was the Combat Department’s exam, it was only natural for its authority figure to be observing. He stared at Radon’s arm wielding the wooden sword and his smiling expression on the screen.

“Have you finally developed the will to rise?”

He whispered as if he had pierced through the opponent’s thoughts.

*

Explosions and loud sounds erupted across the exam field. Although it had been selected as the eeriest of locations, it had transformed into a battlefield.

“Hahaha! Freeze! Let it all freeze!”

Though the ominous atmosphere was diluted, Jenny still roamed around, freezing everything in sight. Once you’d seen something frightening, your sanity wasn’t strong enough to handle it.

Initially, she froze everything visible—bats, graves, and trees. Students caught in her spell abandoned their badges and exited as they couldn’t endure the cold.

Even as a dramatic defensive mechanism, the effect was truly top-tier. Jenny, already strong, had gained the power reminiscent of an ice queen from a fairy tale, preventing anyone from approaching.

Moreover, in her crazed state, she was akin to a natural disaster to lower-ranking students. If you didn’t want to be frozen, you had to avoid her.

“Huff… huff… have they all frozen sufficiently by now?”

However, the limits of mana were unavoidable. Gasping for breath, Jenny surveyed the glacier she had created.

The chilling aspects, including the graves, were now covered in ice, birthing a new atmosphere.

“Phew~ I can finally breathe easy. Now, shall we start the exam in earnest?”

The students, having been quietly watching, collectively began to flee, as if sensing an imminent crisis.

Except for one.

“What is she even doing?”

Luska sat in a tree, watching Jenny’s battle from a distance. No, it wasn’t even a battle; she was merely decorating the natural scenery.

Her stupid expression, releasing mana, was a show only a madwoman like Mary could pull off. And now that she finally showed a desire to pass the exam, it was outright laughable.

“Only 10 minutes left, what does she think she’s starting?”

Contemplating whether to shoot an arrow at her, it was evident she’d freeze just like last time.

With sneaky ones also targeting her, there was no room to shift my focus there. Under the tree where Luska sat, there were several badges lying around.

Boom!—

In that moment, a sound reminiscent of thunder erupted. Turning in that direction, black lightning shot up like a pillar.

Realizing that was Radon’s mana, Luska smiled.

“Luckily, he’s still alive.”

With a covert objective in mind, Luska leaped in that direction.

*

After overwhelming him with my best skills, Kent fell before me.

Though I stood tall in the end, surprisingly, Kent was not knocked out.

In an exhilarating display, he had blocked Muto’s charge with a narrow defensive stance.

“You’ve won… Radon Crawler.”

Somehow managing to raise his head, he ultimately remained seated. He lacked the strength to move, conceding victory.

Kent gazed at the spirit hovering near Radon.

“I never thought you’d contract with a spirit. I’m curious how you obtained it.”

“Just… well.”

[Erosion Rate Decreased: -2%]

[+ 200 Credits]

“You’re not willing to share.”

Those who easily divulged information were rare treats. Especially higher-ranked spirits like Muto.

“Anyway, I accept my defeat. I’m curious about why you wish to rise to Class A now… But why do you scam around like this?”

“You’ll find out at graduation.”

“….”

Large-scale lies are often not just bothersome but also treacherous and cowardly acts. Tactics favored by the weak, which Kent despised the most. Hence, he saw me as a thorn in his side.

However, to suddenly target me with a wooden sword was utterly shameless. Moreover, believing that the strong and weak couldn’t mingle was foolish.

What if we were childhood friends? Such idiotic behavior personally irked me.

“Prepare to bow when you return. Also, gather all those who fed you that nonsense. Got it?”

“Understood.”

Kent slowly began to close his eyes like a fallen soldier… what a joke!

“What is with this dying act!”

“Gah!”

It was useless posturing. It felt like the tension slipped away only after I struck his forehead.

Then, I swiftly swiped his badge. I wanted him out of there quickly to avoid the hassle.

“Still, it’s a noble death….”

“No, it’s being eliminated.”

What is this, a noble elimination? That concept was hard to trust.

Even as he vanished, Kent was still caught up in his showboating. Still, he gained high marks, standing among the first-year representatives. He was at a level where he could compare favorably with Lyman or Mary.

There were about 7 minutes left until the exam ended. As long as I remained hidden until then, I’d be fine.

‘Your body isn’t cooperating either.’

“Right?”

Having excessively pulled my strength, I wasn’t in great shape either. The wooden sword had become a rag due to its fatigue, and my body felt heavy, as if burdened by lead. And the manifested Muto gradually began to fade.

Sure enough, that guy was ridiculous in his drain on power. I had even exhausted my mana causing brain overload. It would be best to avoid engagements.

Swish!—

I turned my head to dodge an arrow that suddenly flew by. Now that I think about it, Kent had deployed an archer to catch me.

Seeing me falter, he likely thought I was weakened. And with Muto being the biggest obstacle gone, there was nothing left to stop them.

An array of arrows cut through the wind, flying towards me. I was trying my best to compress my leg muscles for thrust to evade.

Tatatatata!—

At the very moment I was about to bolt, numerous arrows seemed to bounce back as if blocked by an invisible wall.

And something rushed through the forest at incredible speed, sweeping all the archers away. They flew up into the trees, their badges separated as they were ejected.

The girl responsible for handling that in an instant emerged gracefully from the woods. Her glossy black hair and blood-like eyes looked all too fitting in such a place.

“This makes it the second time already. Being helped by me when you’re defenseless.”

Seeing Luska appear made me strangely relieved. Though all the students were rivals in enemy territory, Jenny and she always made me feel secure.

“Did you take down the first-year representative just now? You weren’t just twiddling your thumbs during break.”

“I already mentioned that before.”

About 4 minutes remained.

I anticipated that most had been eliminated except for the top tier. Luska and I leaned back against a tree.

“What about the others?”

“Jenny was acting foolishly and managed to survive, while that guy Lyman… no need to bother talking about him.”

Luska seemed to have been surveying the movements here and there with her quick agility.

Most would falter when facing weaknesses, but Jenny had somehow survived this horrifying place by pulling off the craziest stunts.

“Anyway, congratulations. Now that you’ve taken down Kent, your upgrade to Class A is guaranteed.”

“Yeah, now I can catch those spreading false rumors.”

If they came out when I asked nicely, I’d let it slide with a friendly scolding.

Otherwise, well… it would escalate from a playful smack to something resolved with a fishing spear.

Taking a moment to reflect on the remaining time, I wore a relaxed expression.

“One minute left. This exam is finishing comfortably.”

“Really think so?”

With a sudden upward curl of her lips, Luska negated my statement. She typically delivered such lines in a cold manner, yet here she was, speaking sweetly with warmth.

That jarring vibe made me gulp. Her fox-like demeanor radiated discomfort.

Then she added,

“I said I’d fulfill any request from someone I had eliminated, right?”

The words that came from her smile sent chills down my spine.

I realized the source of the previous anxiety signal and that I had made a tremendous mistake.

The subject of that request wasn’t strictly limited to the lower-ranking students.

Of course, the upper-ranking students weren’t relaxed enough to catch me and tear me apart. If there was even one, holding through until time ran out would be enough.

Even if all the Class A students came after me, there was no guarantee they would collaborate. Eliminating me was akin to a competitive auction.

I only had one badge, and for them to secure it, only one could remain alive. Initially, they might shake hands, but in the end, they would aim their weapons at each other.

Utilizing Muto and hallucination skills, it’d be possible to withstand until the moment they break away.

Naturally, it would have been horrifying had the protagonist Lyman shown up. He’d likely annihilate everyone and seize my badge for himself. However, it was expected he wouldn’t meddle in such petty disputes despite having lived for so long.

“Hehehe.”

“….”

With a ladylike smile, Luska held the badge in her hand. The one she had pierced into her chest—whose could it be?

I nervously touched my chest, but… I felt no badge.

They say it’s not over until it’s over. Having taken my opponent lightly, I had let my guard down too much.

“Alright, what is your request?”

I couldn’t help it. Accepting my mistake, I asked the victor what her wish was.

But, does it even matter? After all, what could she wish for from someone who was no longer a bad connection with her?

“It’s not a difficult one.”

“….”

“Let’s share a room!”

But the moment I heard that, my entire body froze.

With a shocked expression, I was evicted from the exam field.

Surviving as an Academy Scammer.