17 - Rank Selection Exam (3)
Clarice Academy Student Council Room.
Lilith Larosel was humming a cheerful tune. Today was the day. Lev Denek's Mainhwa.
The rag doll meant for the freshmen selection exam was created from Professor Macleed Hizman's illusion magic. No matter how close he'd come to mastering illusion spells back in the day, he was now just a doddering old man on the verge of dementia. Without a medium like a doll, even he couldn't conjure illusions of countless magical beasts.
So Lilith had sent a lackey to tamper with it a bit.
"Wonder if all hell's breaking loose by now..."
If the rag doll reacted to the demonic circuit implanted in Lev Denek's body, that fool craving power without knowing his place would blacken and merge with a demon. Exactly the ending Lilith desired.
"Farewell, my pathetic underclassman..."
Enchant magic matters too, huh? Rifling through the goblins' belongings jogged a buried memory.
Was it my first playthrough? When the frustration meter maxed out from this unforgiving game catching me off guard, perfect timing—she approached and gave me an enchant tutorial.
A girl with a kind smile that was her charm.
'Well, the ending wasn't so great...'
Guess I'll meet her soon enough.
...
After that, things proceeded smoothly.
Encounter goblins, Aria lights up the area, I snipe the shaman, Melissa and Edwin handle the hobgoblins. How many laps had we done like that?
"L-let's rest... a bit..."
Edwin's exhaustion hit sooner than expected.
"I'll help with recovery."
Luckily, Aria's holy magic worked great for managing Edwin and Melissa's stamina too.
Having looted every goblin's stuff—
├─ [Passive] - Recluse
├─ [Basic Skill 1] - Demonic Eye
├─ [Basic Skill 2] - Fire
└─ [Basic Skill 3] - (Registrable)
[Ultimate Skill] - Mainhwa
I registered the 1-circle spell Fire to my gamer trait.
For a water-rocket mage like Lev Denek, even this counted as high-tier magic on par with Meteor.
And with this cast Fire, I lit up a goblin corpse.
Whoosh.
"What the hell are you doing now?"
Melissa approached, arms crossed. I answered without looking at her.
"Don't care if you're not helping."
"What scheme are you up to this time..."
"Might be a hidden shaman. Better burn the bodies or they could revive."
"......"
Melissa, being meticulous herself, seemed convinced and didn't argue further.
"Figured the top-scoring lady would notice..."
At my jab, her face flushed as she yelled.
"I-I knew that!"
Roar!
"I just asked 'cause you can't even handle a 1-circle Fire properly!"
She started burning the other corpses with her specialty fire magic.
Mana saved. Sweet.
Then Aria, done healing Edwin, approached me.
"Where to next, sir?"
She skipped the tank and asked me directly. Party orders were already my domain.
"Hm..."
What does it feel like when words take root? She seemed less focused on the exam results and more expectant of me. Like she wanted me to Mainhwa and reveal everything hidden.
So to dispel suspicions, better be straight.
"Gonna catch the tagger."
"The tagger... sir?"
Catching the rag doll gives Hazel her spotlight. Only way to clear the side quest.
Thud!
Thud!
???!!!
No need for more words. Ominous footsteps echoed.
For some reason, the rag doll was already close.
The difference between regular and named monsters? Names, obviously.
Regular ones have generic labels like goblin, cerberus, troll—extensional traits. Named ones get unique proper nouns: 'Rag Doll', 'Flame Demon', 'Scarface', 'Flatnose'.
Ranks use letters for both, but no way a regular F-rank matches a named F-rank. Named are at least 2-3 ranks higher.
...
Thud!
Tremble...
Spotting us, the rag doll convulsed.
Groooar!
Sewn from scraps of goblin and other hides, its massive potbelly and 5-meter giant frame radiated pressure.
"Eeeek!"
This time, Hazel's scream hit home. These academy folks had strong stomachs.
"It shouldn't move unless we split up..."
Melissa was right. This was unexpected.
"Lilith's handiwork."
Demonic Eye only showed that much.
Retaliation for what I did to her, clearly—she'd messed with the rag doll.
Groooaaar!
The rag doll raised its club vertically.
"Everyone, back off!"
Roar!
Boom!
Melissa's chant speed was still fast. Damage strong enough for Trial 1.
Guuh?
But the refined fireball did no damage. Or rather, its regen outpaced it.
One-shot or bust.
The rag doll eyed Melissa; Edwin stepped up.
"Over here!"
Guy's got protagonist vibes, sword out and all. But if you die here, game over?
I tossed at his shitty stance: "Hey, you run—"
Bam!
One hit.
Crunch...
Execution trait or sheer grit—he blocked the club, but tumbled 10 meters back.
Tat!
Aria dashed over, shielding Edwin with barriers.
Total mess. Even as a vet, in this novel diverging from game timeline with author power creep, hard to gauge the rag doll's strength.
DPS calc uncertain.
[Crit Damage: 150% ~ 250%]
In Reborn Hero, crits dealt 1.5x to 2.5x. Sneak fixed crit at 100%, 3x damage. Vets abused sneak archer so much it got nerfed to 1.5x later, but closed beta ruling means I'm good.
"So calc roughly... no wait."
Crit means extra damage from weak points. But game judgment gives me pure crit on hit.
What if I hit weak points too? Rag doll's high stats but F-rank means tons of weak spots from stitched parts.
Target those for compound crits: 3x x 3x = 9x damage theoretically.
Plus enchants? I headed to Hazel without hesitation.
Bam!
Bam!
Bam!
'Ah... Aria!'
Lady Melissa Prominence was in full panic.
Why? Part of the test? Monster right there, fire magic useless. Edwin out, Aria barrier-blocking attacks. But test doesn't stop—the thing's gunning for them.
Bam!
Aria buying time, but straining.
Something wrong. Her insight saw no illusion—just real monster.
By the time she snapped to—
Tremble...
Her legs gave out.
"Hic..."
Hazel beside her stifling screams.
'Where's that guy?'
Lev Denek watched silently, then approached low-voiced: "No choice. Gotta take it down."
"How?!"
"Eek, eeeek..."
His gaze fixed on Hazel as Melissa replied.
"Hey, alchemist. Snap out."
"H-huh?"
"Yeah, you. Only alchemist here."
"Me...? Why...?"
Lev squatted before Hazel.
"You're disqualified anyway."
"..."
"What've you done so far?"
Hazel couldn't retort. While others pulled weight, she'd just screamed. Alchemy useless in combat, plain fact.
"Time's short, alchemist. Listen up."
"Uh...huh?"
"Make poison."
"Huh?"
"Poison—neurotox, anti-heal, burst, whatever deals damage."
"How in this mess?!"
"Do it. You're the alchemist."
Truth: Hazel picked alchemy out of fear, no real talent.
"Can't! With these materials... need base from scratch..."
Couldn't admit she'd broken her prep vials falling earlier. Too burdensome.
Lev pulled a leather pouch.
"Goblin loot. Medium for rough brew, right?"
Stuff from earlier corpses.
"This might... work."
"Fast as you can."
Ignored Melissa felt weirdly confused by his calm.
'Why no panic...?'
Thought it his trap at first. But he seemed intent on surviving too.
'What... is he really?'
Vets in Reborn Hero meta'd ranged jobs into sneak/stealth, ignoring all else. Limit: one crit shot before aggro explodes. But switching enabled compound magic for one-punch bossing. All enchants in one arrow—pure spectacle.
Endgame gear vets always tried sneak archer once.
One shot, fail means solo death. Proceed with caution.
"D-done... but this is all..."
[Rarity: D-]
[Remade via alchemy. Reduces healing by 30%, deals fixed DoT for 5 sec]
Usable
Hazel's poison was a messy mix, effects diluted.
"DoT gets crit damage too, but..."
Game knowledge: DoT spikes aggro instantly, breaks stealth. Sneak archers forced burst bolts over sustained.
No time for that. One chance.
"Good. Enchant my arrow."
"F-first time, might be sloppy..."
"Fine. Hurry. Wanna watch us die?"
"Y-yes!"
Quick work. Ancient runes chanted, arrow glowed.
Side char speed impressive. Prep done, I aimed true.
Bam!
Aria at limit, pretty face twisted, eyes shut.
"Hey, lady."
"H-huh?"
"Show top-student skills."
"Uh...?"
"Fireball."
Soul-crushed Melissa spawned and fired one.
Shoo...
Thud!
Damage negligible. But enough to grab low-IQ rag doll's eyes.
Grooo!!
Thud! Thud!
Shaking head, it charged.
"Wh-what? Huh?"
Melissa clueless what she'd done.
"Eeeek!"
Hazel head-down screaming.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
I steadied breath. Simple—no mana, just hand motion.
Obvious weak spot: clear stitch at solar plexus.
Thud thud thud!
Closing fast on rhythm. Best weak-point shot...
"What're you doing?!!!"
"Hiiiik!!"
Close range. Miss harder than hit.
Shwick!
Usual single arrow.
Pu???uk!
Weak Point Hit!
900% Damage!
[Aggro: 100]
[Enemy now recognizes you]
Gro...
Thud...
Arrow-pierced, it halted three steps away.
DoT status popped:
Gro...aaargh!
Then boom.
Bang!
Shatter!
[Named: Defeated Rag Doll]
[Remaining Named: 143]
[Demon Hunt Reward Available!]
"Haaah..."
"Thought... we were goners..."
Hazel and Melissa collapsed amid rag doll chunks.
And for the first time, I faced the reward acquisition window.