Chapter 21
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: The Stage is Set
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All the first-year students of the Knight Department, and all the first-year students of the Magic Department. And with them, the professors and teaching assistants who managed and supervised them.
A massive group, easily exceeding two hundred people, had gathered in one place.
“Starting today, for one week, you will all be in this forest for a survival…”
“The monsters…”
Aint listened to the professors’ final instructions as he carefully observed the crowd.
- That one looks useful.
- That one is utterly useless. Pathetically weak and without talent.
- Oh, who’s that one?
To be precise, his gaze followed the words of Sir Gardner Alpenparsen.
Even though they attended the same academy, it was rare for such a large group to assemble in one place, and Sir Gardner wanted to gauge the current standard of the Empire.
- Among these, two stand out from the rest.
- The one approaching now, and that one over there they call the Saint. Those Dragon God Cult fanatics have always been madmen.
“Aint.”
As if on cue, the moment Sir Gardner finished speaking, Valoci approached.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay on your own?”
“Conflict between students is forbidden anyway. I want to try it alone.”
“Still, be careful. Conflict might be forbidden, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t loopholes. This place is full of shady characters.”
“Thanks for the advice.”
After Valoci offered his counsel and left, an elf appeared.
“Aint, have you changed your mind by any chance?”
“No.”
“That’s a shame. But if you do, be sure to contact me.”
Without even waiting for Aint’s reply, Aria pressed a small sphere into his hand and disappeared.
- A communication sphere.
- Just crush it.
“Hmm.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Aint pocketed the communication sphere.
- What do you think you’re doing?
“You never know, sir. There’s always a ‘what if’.”
- You weakling. A descendant of Armian should be able to cut down even the ‘what ifs’.
Sir Gardner merely clicked his tongue and said no more.
- Let’s review the plan one more time.
- The lake we’re heading to is Parden Lake to the west. We must make it seem like a coincidence to avoid suspicion, so at first, we’ll wander around to throw off any watchful eyes…
“Huh…?”
Just then, a familiar face caught Aint’s eye as he was listening.
- Are you listening to me?
“Isn’t that Pernyan over there?”
- It’s the nouveau riche, alright. Why is he here?
“From what I understand, upperclassmen can act as teaching assistants for underclassmen exercises. Maybe that’s what he’s doing?”
- The scion of a nouveau riche family doing something like that for no reason?
“It wouldn’t be for no reason. He’s probably aiming for course credit or bonus points.”
After all, those were the goals of every student who served as a teaching assistant.
- Not for money?
- That’s even more suspicious.
While the reason seemed plausible at a glance, Gardner’s suspicion only deepened.
“The exercise will begin in thirty minutes. Assistants, to your positions.”
“To your positions!”
At that moment, the teaching assistants scattered in all directions.
The exercise was about to begin.
* * *
The professors and teaching assistants managed the students by assigning zones.
Each would take their position in their designated zone and be responsible for the safety of the students who entered.
“Pernyan.”
“Yes, Professor.”
Grad called out to Pernyan, stopping him as he was about to head to his zone.
“Why didn’t you come to me? If you’d told me, I could have made it much easier for you to get the TA position.”
Pernyan shrugged at the disappointment and greed filling the professor’s eyes.
“I’ll be sure to ask you next time, Professor.”
However, if another path was available next time, he had no intention of using Grad.
Grad was an all-purpose professor who could get anything done with money, but that also meant that money was always required.
Pernyan’s philosophy was to spend when necessary but save whenever possible.
“I don’t know what your purpose is, but don’t do anything that might interfere with the test… No, you’ll handle it well. You’ve never caused any trouble before. I trust you.”
“Thank you.”
“You may go.”
Arriving at his designated zone, Pernyan surveyed his surroundings. There was no lake, and he could feel the presence of monsters from all directions.
From now on, the students would have to survive here for a week by fending for themselves.
He unfolded a map. The map for professors and TAs displayed the students’ locations in real-time.
The students who hadn’t yet departed were gathered at the starting point. After about thirty minutes, they finally began to move.
Pernyan watched the number 38 intently. For now, likely due to watchful eyes, it seemed to be wandering around, repeatedly meeting and parting with other students.
“Alright, Aint. Which lake is it? Show me.”
But Aint didn’t immediately set a course for a single lake. While that was happening, someone called out to him from beneath a tree.
“Hyeongnim, I’m here.”
It was the red-haired man, Jace Baintz.
“You’ve come.”
“So, shall we start right away?”
“Yes.”
Jace opened his subspace and took something out. It was a dummy in the shape of a person.
“I’ll need some of your blood and mana.”
Pernyan bit his finger and let his blood drip onto the dummy. Immediately after, he infused it with mana, and a faint light began to emanate from the dummy.
“That’s enough.”
Jace placed his hand on the dummy’s chest and began to cast a spell.
Various magic circles enveloped the dummy’s entire body, and soon, the clay-like figure slowly began to take shape.
It was Pernyan’s face.
“Did you bring the clothes?”
“Yes. They’re identical to the ones I’m wearing today.”
Once clothed, the dummy’s eyes opened. At a glance, its appearance and the aura it exuded were indistinguishable from Pernyan’s.
“It won’t be discovered, will it?”
“Don’t worry. There won’t be any problems for at least five hours.”
“What’s the basis for that confidence?”
“Would you believe me if I said I learned this spell so I could sneak out and have fun without His Holiness the Pope noticing?”
Seeing his resolute expression, Pernyan asked again.
“You’re saying you fooled His Holiness the Pope?”
“No, he was never fooled once.”
Pernyan’s brow furrowed.
“But he usually only found out after several hours had passed. Before that, even His Holiness was uncertain.”
“That’s sufficient.”
The Pope of the Dragon God Cult was officially the world’s greatest mage. The fact that this spell could make even him hesitate, however slightly, meant it was exceptionally effective.
There were no mages in this academy superior to the Pope, so the chances of being discovered were remarkably low.
“But please remember. The limit for maintaining this is five hours.”
“That’s plenty of time. You’ve familiarized yourself with all the duties of a teaching assistant, correct?”
“Of course.”
Pernyan handed over all the items necessary for the TA duties. He naturally had a spare set he had prepared separately.
“I’ll see you later then.”
“Yes. I’ll be sitting tight right here until you get back.”
“If a problem arises…”
“I’ll handle it myself before any of the other assistants even need to step in.”
He pulled his robe’s hood down deep and checked the map again.
“…Perfect timing.”
The dot labeled 38 had now moved a considerable distance from the others. It was still moving in a zigzag pattern, conscious of its surroundings, but there was only one lake at its ultimate destination.
Pernyan’s eyes gleamed coldly.
He took a magic sphere from his subspace and infused it with mana. It was a type of communication sphere where infusing mana into one would cause the other to vibrate.
It was time for the second piece he had prepared to make its move.
* * *
A breeze blew through the dense forest.
Fallen leaves drifted down between the two figures facing each other.
One of them, Verian Calburden, clutched the signaling device vibrating in his chest and swallowed hard.
‘Right, why am I doing this again…?’
It was because of Pernyan. He’d had no choice but to listen to the threat he’d made a while ago, and so, despite two defeats, he once again stood before his opponent.
‘I never dreamed I’d be standing here again so soon.’
The first time, he had been certain of victory, yet he had lost.
The second time, he had sworn not to be careless, yet he had lost.
Those two defeats had forced Verian to admit that a skill gap had opened between him and Aint.
That was why. Facing Aint now, his sword lacked its former confidence.
And yet, he had to fight.
“Your job in this exercise is simple. When I give the signal, you’re to latch onto Aint and not let go.”
“Let me make this clear: the longer you hold out, the better it will be for you. Last an hour, and I won’t report your little secret to the Inquisitors. Last two hours, and I’ll give you a reward.”
“No pretext, you say? Just say you can’t accept defeat and you’re challenging him again to protect your honor as a knight. For a knight, what better pretext is there?”
It was blatant blackmail, and of course, there was no choice in the matter.
‘This is so unfair…!’
He had wanted revenge. He couldn’t accept his own defeat at Aint’s hands.
But he could swear he had never sold his soul to a demon. Why on earth did he have to suffer like this?
It was unfair, but there was nothing he could do. As long as that damned recording sphere existed, he had to obey Pernyan’s words to the letter.
“What is it, Verian.”
His opponent, Aint Armian, looked at him.
“You want to go another round? You should know it’s pointless, right?”
Those were words he should have been the one to say. Verian gritted his teeth against the surging feeling of shame.
“…I cannot accept defeat.”
Honestly, he was now even a little afraid of Aint, who grew stronger each time they met.
“Wasn’t twice enough for you?”
“It wouldn’t matter if it were a hundred times.”
Twice was already more than enough. Still, he forced his fear far away.
“Losing to you has dragged my honor through the mud. I will fight you again to protect my honor, to reclaim it.”
“And if you lose again?”
“…A knight speaks with his sword.”
Because Pernyan was more terrifying than Aint.
Losing to Aint was just losing. In the worst-case scenario of having already lost twice, one more loss wouldn’t make things any worse.
But the moment he got on Pernyan’s bad side, his life was over. He couldn’t imagine what kind of bizarre methods that vile merchant would use to drag him to hell.
“Come at me, Aint. This time will be different. You will not pass this place until you defeat me.”
Vrooooom—
Verian’s sword began to vibrate. A grayish aura rose from it.
- The spirit to keep challenging, unyielding in the face of defeat!
- I didn’t think much of him at first, but now I see he is a fine knight.
- His willingness to face defeat for the sake of a knight’s honor and will is an example to all. If you are a knight, you will face him with all your strength!
Sir Gardner, moved by his determination, urged Aint on. But Aint just shook his head.
“…That’s all well and good, Verian.”
A sigh escaped him.
“But you haven’t forgotten that conflict between students is forbidden during this exercise, have you?”
“……”
He knew.
Even though he had drawn his sword, Verian had no real intention of fighting.
“How can we fight when it's forbidden in a survival exercise? That’s your problem, Verian. If you want to live, you’ll find a way to stall for time. Nothing in this world is impossible. If you can’t, you make a way.”
“……”
He was merely using the name of honor as a cover to stall for as much time as possible.
“I-It doesn’t matter! For the sake of my honor…!”
- What do rules like that matter, Aint! A knight seeks his honor! Do you intend to trample on the honor of a knight who has mustered his courage!
Aint sighed.
‘I’m in a hurry, what is this?’
It felt like a troublesome leech had attached itself to him.
* * *
Rumble—
In the dark underground, Pernyan ran through the earth. His magic drilled a tunnel through the dense soil, then filled it in behind him again and again.
It consumed a lot of mana and was relatively slow, but it was the best way to avoid being detected by the students, professors, and assistants scattered everywhere.
‘Keep him busy, Verian.’
He checked the map from time to time. He could see the dots labeled 2 and 38 meeting. For five minutes now, the two dots had remained motionless in that spot.
So far, everything was going smoothly.
‘The distance to the lake isn’t far, thankfully.’
It wasn’t the closest lake, which was a bit of a shame, but thankfully, it wasn’t the farthest one either.
He ran for a while longer, and even then, the two dots were still locked in a standoff.
‘He’s doing better than I thought.’
Pernyan mentally revised his assessment of Verian slightly upward.
And at that moment.
──!
Water began to seep through the hole he had just bored. He had reached the lake.
He tore a scroll inscribed with a breathing spell and threw himself into the water. It was a place he had searched once before, yet had been unable to find what he was looking for.
‘Let’s see if I can find it this time, or not.’
Pernyan opened his subspace.
────!
A massive arm and leg shot out.
It was a worker he had specially prepared for this job.