Relocation Exam (3)

Damn it. No rest for the wicked. The first condition should be manageable somehow. After all, I just need to stay in first place. The real problem is the second one. Knock someone out with the caliper for acting arrogant? Wasn't fighting between students forbidden in this exam? That said, the success reward is the Sage's Guide. It's an overpowered item that lets you glimpse the future. Getting my hands on it would be incredibly useful.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I spoke to the two girls.

"I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠think it's time we divided the work."

"……Divide the work?"

"If we keep sticking this close together, our efficiency will drop."

Right now our group was in first place, but that was only because the points from three people were combined. To gain an advantage, at least one of us needed to pull more than their own weight. What we needed for that was teamwork. Or, to put it more professionally…… division of labor.

"How about we keep some distance? Seti handles scouting, I handle collection and mapping, and Rustila takes care of lookout and combat?"

"Hold on. Why are you acting like the leader?"

Seti pouted as she spoke.

"Then you do it."

I naturally handed over command to Seti. It didn't matter who led.

"……."

She let out a short hum before opening her mouth.

"Let's split the roles. I'll scout, Idel will collect and map, and Rustila will handle combat."

I knew it.

"Just what is that guy……?"

Kristin ground her teeth as she checked the scoreboard. Even though it was still early, Idel's group was surging forward with terrifying momentum. The gap between them and second place was enormous. Unless they'd found three or four massive veins in a row, that kind of score difference ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shouldn't be possible.

"It's the old corruption, right? They must've bought their way in, right?"

"Chris, don't say things like that."

Mezlen gently chided her.

"But it's weird no matter how you look at it! What if the academy already told them where all the decision points are……!"

It was certainly possible. After all, who was Idel? A notorious good-for-nothing rumored to have poor conduct and mediocre grades. Clinging to the past was petty, but people could change at any time. Kristin had seen that countless times growing up with prosecutor and lawyer parents. It was possible Idel was genuinely skilled.

But there was such a thing as probability. This didn't make sense statistically.

"Do you think there's really a vein around here?"

"There should be. If we don't find one, this whole thing's a waste…… whoa."

Mezlen, who had been studying the map, let out an impressed sound. She had a decent head for math. Using every technique she knew, she'd located the nearest vein. There was a point where the flow of Ether peaked.

"Here!"

Mezlen pointed at the map.

"This looks like the vein."

"Really?"

"Numbers don't lie."

Once the fire was lit, the two of them picked up the pace of their search. And terrifyingly, other teams seemed to have found veins as well—their scores were skyrocketing.

"……We're at a huge disadvantage."

"Let's keep looking for now."

Since Kristin and Mezlen were a team, they had to consider that their points would eventually be split in two. They needed to either split up and search separately or dramatically increase their search efficiency right away.

After wandering for a while, the two girls found something. A pitch-black, gleaming orb lay abandoned among the bushes.

"What is this?"

"Probably cheap black pearl. Someone must've dropped it."

It was an orb with a distinctly dark and exotic feel. One thing was certain—it wasn't an Ether fragment.

"We're in a hurry. Let's just go."

"Hmm."

Mezlen stared at the orb intently, but soon lost interest and followed Kristin elsewhere.

Because of that, the two of them didn't see it.

Crack.

The orb split open, and something tried to burst out at that very moment.

While they were diligently searching for Ether fragments, Vega—the constellation contracted with Rustila—gave a warning. Rustila interpreted it as the activity of a golem. At first, that was what she thought.

There were no golems in sight. Yet the air felt strangely heavy. It was suffocating, like they'd entered the territory of an Outer Deity.

"You guys…… don't you feel something strange?"

"Not really?"

When Rustila asked, Seti shook her head. Idel was the same. This unpleasant sensation. The Rheinland siblings didn't seem to notice it at all.

"I feel like something bad is about to happen."

"What kind of bad thing?"

"That…… I don't know. Maybe a monster?"

"Nah."

Seti waved her hand dismissively.

"Even if a monster attacks, this is a mountain. It's wide open. If we run, the game's over. Even an Outer Deity isn't that stupid."

There was some truth to Seti's words. If they were going to attack, they'd do it in a confined space like last time. There was no reason to cause trouble on a mountainside like this.

"But……"

"Don't worry. I heard the academy stationed inspectors all around just in case, too."

It hadn't been long since the last attack during the Relocation Exam. To raise security, the academy had received support from the government and deployed B-rank and A-rank inspectors nearby. They could easily handle C-rank or B-rank monsters. A-rank monsters were the same.

Since it was a constellation speaking, Rustila believed it shouldn't be ignored. She resolved to stay mentally prepared for any possibility.

Collecting points had been smooth sailing so far. Compared to second place, their score would be a bit lacking if split three ways, but Seti's scouting ability was improving with time. They might achieve a true first place soon.

"But doesn't something feel off?"

"What does?"

"……Wait a second."

The three of them checked the rankings at the same time.

"She's missing."

They realized the source of the unease. Zernya von Adelbein. The girl with genius-level skill wasn't showing up on the scoreboard at all.

"What's going on?"

"Maybe she's just messing around."

"……No. This is……"

Idel lightly bit his lip.

"She's aiming for it."

Right then—

BOOM!

A loud explosion rang out nearby, and the ground trembled. At the same time, the scoreboard began to shake.

Once more.

BOOM!

"It was supposed to be a B-rank golem."

Zernya clicked her tongue and placed a hand on her waist.

"They all look pretty flimsy."

This was her third encounter with a golem. Even against a giant over four meters tall, Zernya stood tall. Its upper body was disproportionately large compared to its lower half, giving it a comical rather than intimidating appearance. Its color resembled wood, but its material seemed like stone. Despite being modeled after a monster, it had a humanoid shape. Was it trying to scare them? It felt like it had a shell but no substance.

Zernya smirked.

Shing.

The silver rapier drawn from its sheath gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight. When she infused it with Ether, the blade heated up intensely. Just before the golem could assume an attack stance, Zernya lightly kicked off the ground and charged.

Contrary to its appearance, the golem was fast. The moment it spotted Zernya rushing in, it swung both arms down with terrifying force.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

THUD!

The ground caved in deeply, creating a crater. Zernya wasn't there.

"Over here."

Her figure appeared behind the golem. The golem stumbled as it turned around. A sharp silver line rushed in from the side. The golem raised its oversized hand to block the strike. But it wasn't enough. The blade, thick with Ether, expelled plasma energy as an output terminal. A heat sword capable of melting most objects. A powerful energy that even a B-rank couldn't withstand surged into the golem's torso.

Stab. Stab. Stab.

Zernya's rapier thrust and withdrew repeatedly. With each cycle, the number of holes increased. Its destructive power was impressive, but its speed and technique were exceptional.

THUD!

The golem collapsed without managing anything. The scoreboard updated accordingly.

A satisfied smile spread across Zernya's lips.

Yes. This was it. The omnipotence, confidence, and self-esteem that came from taking first place. The sense of accomplishment from stepping over others. That was the only thing that drove the Adelbein family forward.

That said, Zernya had a question.

"……Rustila Kersil."

Just who was this girl accompanying Idel?