Royal Rumble (1)
While Sivar was causing fires(?) here and there, Grace and Lee Yeonju searched every corner of the house. There were plenty of places to check, but if Sivar kept buying them time, they could find it.
"F-F-F-Found it!!"
While combing through the third house, they discovered an artifact in a drawer. It was about the size of a tangerine, looking like nothing more than a stone with a gem embedded in it—an appearance easy to overlook. But since the exam was in its latter stages, she immediately recognized it as the artifact.
'We won the exam.'
The win rate had skyrocketed the moment Sivar reclaimed the offensive, but finding the artifact sealed the deal. All that remained was figuring out its function. Most artifacts activated by infusing them with mana.
Grace channeled mana into the artifact and waited for the effect to trigger.
Kaboom!BOOM!
But she couldn't relax just yet. Explosions like bombs going off outside made her flinch. Even if Sivar was faithfully playing tank, she had no idea what was happening out there. Could a crudely made firebomb really make that much noise? Curiosity mixed with fear.
'Still, we need to head outside... right?'
With the artifact secured, it was time to regroup. Grace thought so as she moved toward the door. Screams echoed from outside, but it should be fine. Sivar could break through any obstacle. The only worry was Lee Yeonju. She needed to inform her quickly for a swift rendezvous.
'Just in case...'
Grace gripped the artifact tightly in one hand and prepared the other for instant spellcasting. Bad luck might mean running into another team right away. She couldn't let go of the artifact anyway, thanks to the ongoing mana infusion.
Finally reaching the door, Grace slowly reached for the knob.
That was when it happened.
Creak!
Without warning or presence, the door swung wide open. Too sudden—way too sudden. Naturally, it was Sivar who'd opened it, but Grace had no way of knowing. Startled, she reacted on reflex.
"Eek!!"
Her hand shot out to cast a spell. A scream escaped her lips, but the motion was enough. The problem? She thrust out the hand holding the artifact, not the empty one. Panic had reversed her hands.
The recoil sent the artifact flying straight toward Sivar's mouth, spinning perfectly.
"Grace. I'm ba— Mmph?!"
Gulp!
Sivar unwittingly swallowed the tangerine-sized artifact whole. A freak accident from stacked coincidences. An irreversible one.
Artifact damaged!
Artifact damaged!
And that was the result. Sivar and Grace stood dumbfounded amid the artifact's pleas for help screaming from inside him. Sivar, who'd swallowed something tangerine-sized. Grace, who'd flung a spell only to hurl an artifact instead. It wasn't a fantasy harmony—it was a mad one. Even timid Lee Yeonju seemed normal by comparison.
"……"
"……"
Sivar stared blankly at the artifact wailing in his gut, then looked at Grace. She met his eyes with an equally incredulous expression. Both frozen, brains stalled.
"Grace!"
"Y-Yes?"
"The barrier's shrinking fast! Other teams will swarm here!"
Thankfully, Lee Yeonju's quick arrival snapped them out of it. Grace grasped the situation from her shout. The artifact was in Sivar's stomach—getting it out would be tough. Make him puke? He'd barely managed to swallow it; forcing it up could be dangerous, like getting lodged in his esophagus.
Time attack was better.
Artifact damaged!
Lee Yeonju's eyes widened at the pleas for salvation. Realizing the source was Sivar's belly, she muttered in bewilderment.
"...Where's that noise coming from?"
"Quick summary: I accidentally threw the artifact at Sivar, he swallowed it. Digestion in progress."
"...Pardon?"
"Not a summary. That's exactly what happened."
"……"
Anyone else, and she'd call bullshit. But Sivar? It just made sense. Bottom line: respond before the artifact fully digested in his gut. Problem: no clue when it'd finish.
It probably wouldn't digest easily normally. But he'd snacked on collected junk food to stave off hunger—including edibles.
"How fast is the barrier shrinking?"
"Nearly double speed."
"Double..."
Grace's mind raced. Best move now: run. If they outlasted, other teams would get pushed out and auto-eliminate. But the artifact's digestion time was the wildcard. Or if it stopped working before fully digesting, game over anyway.
'Rush to eliminate rivals, or just evade...?')
No one knew the damage timeline—pure agony. If only they had a damage readout. Grace sighed, then spotted her bracelet.
Maybe the bracelet shows damage...?
Artifact: 80%
"Eek!!"
It did. And the damage was brutal. Not even three minutes since ingestion, and already 20% gone. Rough math: minimum 15 minutes left. Factoring variables, barely 10.
What kind of digestion was this? Or was the artifact weak to acid?
"We gotta hurry! We're short on time too...!"
Creak!
As Grace urgently spoke, the door burst open. Sivar's full team was gathered here, so intruders meant enemies. They all turned toward the door.
"There you are. Running out of time?"
It was Kara. She grinned her usual refreshing smile while glaring at Sivar's team. Scorch marks dotted her from Sivar's mini-meteor.
Artifact damaged!
Perfect timing—the artifact wailed from Sivar's gut. Kara frowned curiously, then asked suspiciously.
"What? That from his stomach just now?"
"No?"
Grace denied it flatly, but the stiffness made it sound like a yes. Kara glanced at her bracelet—apparently, all showed damage. She nodded, grasping it, then acted.
Slam!
She shut the door quietly.
Sivar swallowed the artifact!! Run and auto-eliminate!!
She bellowed it loud enough for all teams to hear via bracelets. Normally dismissed as a lie. But the damage readout proved her true. Even if false, outlasting worked fine.
Grace grimaced, realizing it.
'This exam is insane...!'
Sivar had botched the main midterms. Now their turn.
Sensing the chaos outside, Grace shouted to her team.
"Head to an open area, not the busy streets! Staying here's bad for us!"
"O-Okay!"
"Sivar!"
"Yeah."
Speed was life now. For the exam, Grace was ready to sacrifice herself. Arms wide, she declared boldly.
"Carry me, please!"
"?"
What now? Sivar blinked in confusion. But Grace was serious, waving her arms insistently.
"Just pick me up! I'm slow— you carry me and run!"
"Ah. Okay."
Fair enough. Sivar scooped her up as requested. Normally a piggyback, but urgency demanded the more embarrassing princess carry.
"W-Wait! Th-This is...!"
The classic princess carry. Grace realized belatedly, but too late—Sivar was already sprinting to the open area she'd mentioned. Lee Yeonju followed.
"Wh-Where'd you learn this?!"
"Dunno."
"E-Even in a rush, this is...!"
Like a fairy-tale princess and knight. Grace's face burned red. As a duke's daughter, she'd attended balls and danced with men. But never this close.
Embarrassed and flustered.
"R-Right! It's the exam! I'll allow it 'cause it's the exam!"
"……"
"You hear me?! Say yes! Normally this is...!"
"Quiet."
"……"
Sivar's blunt note shut her up. She was still relying on him either way. Just yelling to hide her shame. Felt sorry now.
"Chase 'em fast! Can't let 'em escape the barrier!"
"O-Other teams there...!"
"Fight now?! Losers eliminate themselves!"
As the barrier moved, other teams pursued Sivar's. Waiting out the artifact was pointless if it shifted. Thus, eliminations happened en route. By the time Sivar arrived at the open field, princess-carrying Grace...
"Phew... Good thing I predicted this."
Kara, who'd chased to the end like she knew.
"Haa... Haa... Ugh..."
Luna, late to catch on, barely surviving the pursuit.
"Seriously... Is this even an exam?"
"Beats me."
Antonio, Elvin, and more students gathered—quite a crowd.
Meanwhile, Grace—set down by Sivar—checked her bracelet. Her flushed face stood out even from afar.
Artifact: 50%
Already 50% gone. Time to eliminate the rest.
Grace voiced it immediately to Sivar.
"Sivar."
"Yeah."
"Eliminate all other teams from now on. Can you?"
"Can."
And how. Sivar nodded, eyeing the others. Grace smiled proudly at her reliable knight.
But other teams eyed back warily. No alliances allowed. Facing Sivar also meant chances to eliminate rivals? Instant takedowns.
"Damn. Gotta endure?"
"You tank, I eliminate you first."
"What about him?"
"Expiration date anyway, right?"
Exactly. This mess stemmed from Sivar swallowing the artifact. If intact, they'd have quit early.
"Backstab me, you're dead."
"You too, sis?"
No allies, only enemies-who-were-teammates. Sivar's team wasn't comfy either—all outsiders were foes.
"...Midterms like this—what's finals gonna be?"
Someone muttered. The theme shifted real-time.
"That artifact pricey?"
"Nah. Incident report covers it. Budget cut too."
"President swinging his sword with a smile?"
The professors just chuckled from afar, spectating.