Chapter 42
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 42
The next day.
Early that morning, we huddled together to discuss our next move. The question was simple: should we continue toward the flag at the mountain’s summit, or give up and retreat to the base camp?
The situation could no longer be considered a normal exam.
A pack of Dire Wolves—monsters far too powerful for this environment—had appeared out of nowhere. To make matters worse, we had no way to contact the faculty, let alone receive help from the instructors who were supposed to handle such anomalies.
Continuing under these conditions was undeniably dangerous.
However...
“Still… we can’t just give up on the exam like this.”
After some deliberation, the consensus was to push forward for now.
Yuliana was particularly adamant, and her teammates—perhaps feeling guilty that the group might have to forfeit because of them—voiced their agreement. The plan was to see how far we could get.
They had clearly calculated that as long as an exceptional talent like Freya was with us, no monster would pose a real threat. After all, they had witnessed her power firsthand when she cut down the pack of Dire Wolves in an instant.
Besides, with our teams merged, our numbers had doubled from five to ten, providing a much-needed sense of security.
And what if we gave up and retreated, only to find the other teams proceeding without issue? We would be the only ones to fail, gaining nothing for our efforts. While showing the faculty the Dire Wolf corpses might be considered an extenuating circumstance, it certainly wouldn't guarantee us a high rank.
I also argued in favor of continuing. But for me, there was a more pressing issue than just passing the exam.
…I need to analyze this situation carefully.
I narrowed my eyes, staring into the fog, which had grown thicker than usual.
Retreating was the safe choice, but if we left now, I wouldn't be able to gather any information about this new variable. I needed to find out why this anomaly—something that never happened in the original story—was occurring. If there was a mastermind behind it, I needed to know who.
Information is power, and unexpected variables are nothing but obstacles.
In the end, we all agreed to continue. Even Freya didn't object.
“Understood. For now, we will proceed with the exam.”
With the decision made, our team began moving through the forest once more.
“So, where are we headed? Does anyone know the way?”
“Should we hunt some monsters first?”
“How about we head for the summit? If we follow the river, it should be easier to find the path.”
Watching the team wander aimlessly without a clear destination, I fell into thought.
“…”
I had originally planned to lie low and just go with the flow during this exam, but with things as they are, I have no choice. We can't abandon the exam, and we have to be ready for whatever is coming. In that case, I need to step up.
Having made my decision, I spoke calmly to my disoriented teammates.
“Everyone, focus.”
“?”
As all eyes turned to me, I made a confident declaration.
“From now on, I will decide the team’s route. You will also follow my instructions for all combat and monster tracking.”
Yuliana looked at me with skeptical eyes. “I don’t really care who the leader is, but… do you actually know what you're doing?”
It wasn't that she was annoyed by me taking the lead; she was questioning whether I had the qualifications to lead in a crisis. The other team members seemed to share her doubt.
It made sense. Although my reputation had improved slightly, I was still "Roen the Scoundrel" in their eyes. It was only natural they wouldn't trust me. In times like these, I had to prove myself with results.
“Yes. I know many things. For example...”
I nudged a pile of monster droppings on the ground with my foot.
“Owlbears have a habit of hacking up pellets nearby because they can’t digest fur and bones. They also always drink from a stream after a hunt. If we follow these tracks, we’ll find a water source.”
It wasn't difficult. I had memorized almost every piece of lore and monster ecology from the Myrillin Saga.
“What do you think? I can provide this level of information. Will you follow my lead?”
“Hmm… Gaurel, Hakone. What do you think?”
To verify my words, Yuliana turned to Gaurel, who hailed from the mountains, and Hakone, who was raised in the Sea of Trees. After a moment of thought, they both nodded.
“That’s pretty detailed,” Gaurel admitted. “He seems to know more than I do. I was a warrior, not a hunter.”
“I’ve never hunted an Owlbear, but it can’t hurt to have someone who knows their habits,” Hakone added. “How about we follow Roen’s lead for a bit and see how it goes?”
Hearing their opinions, Yuliana decided it was a reasonable approach.
“Alright. Let’s track the Owlbear for now. You lead the way.”
“Right.”
And so, under my command, the team began to track the Owlbear, following its droppings and footprints through the brush.
*
It didn't take long.
“Ah, over there! A bear with the head of an owl!”
Hakone, who was scouting ahead, spotted the creature drinking from a stream. The Owlbear was pecking at the gravel with its beak as it drank.
Yuliana stared at it blankly, muttering in genuine admiration.
“It’s… actually there.”
“Of course it is. Did you think I’d come all the way to an exam site just to spout nonsense?”
“…You really can’t let a single comment slide, can you?”
Yuliana shot back a retort, clearly annoyed, then unleashed her magic on the Owlbear to vent her frustration.
“Magic Arrow!”
Thwack!
“Screee!”
As the magical bolt struck its flank, the Owlbear let out a piercing, owl-like cry and charged.
And then.
Slice—.
In a single flash, Freya’s blade lopped off its head, granting it a swift, painless death.
Searching the carcass, we found a magic stone the size of five or six low-grade ones. Garfield handed the stone to me and addressed the team.
“It is just as Sir Roen said. What do you all think? Shall we continue to follow his lead?”
“I think it’s a great idea!”
“Not bad.”
The rest of the members, their doubts extinguished, accepted me as the leader without further resistance. I thought I heard Karon and Yuliana grumbling a bit behind me, but it didn't matter.
“Very well, Roen. We will move according to your command.”
With the approval of Freya, the de facto pillar of the group, there was nothing holding me back. I nodded and looked down at the headless Owlbear.
“Its stomach contains the remains of a Gremlin. It was drinking from the stream to quench its thirst after the hunt. If we backtrack its movements, we should find a Gremlin colony. They always live in groups.”
“Oho, I see.”
“Then let’s move. It came from upstream, so we just need to follow the river up.”
“Got it!”
From then on, the team moved with purpose under my direction.
“Gremlin tracks. We press forward.”
I tracked the monsters’ movements and gave directions.
“There, over there!”
Hakone and Gaurel, acting as scouts, would locate the targets. Then, Freya and the other combatants would rush in and neutralize them. Once a monster was down, the non-combat members would collect the magic stones and dispose of the carcass.
With this clear division of labor and my precise commands, we began to accumulate magic stones at a rapid pace. Before long, our pouches were bulging. We hadn't even hunted any high-point monsters like Golems yet, but we had already collected over a hundred magic stones today alone.
As things progressed smoothly, Hakone approached me while returning from a scout.
“Amazing! How do you know more about monster ecology than I do? I’m a hunter’s daughter, you know.”
“It’s not that strange. The ecosystem and the types of monsters here in this uncharted territory are different from the Sea of Trees where you lived. It’s natural you wouldn't know them. On the other hand, I need monster byproducts as ingredients for alchemy, so I have to be knowledgeable.”
In truth, there was no connection at all. Alchemy ingredients had very little to do with tracking habits, but the answer sounded plausible enough.
At my response, Jimmy, the Holy Knight from Yuliana’s team, showed a newfound interest in me.
“Ho, Sir Roen. You possess a remarkable talent. It seems the rumors are not to be trusted.”
“It’s nothing special. Just don’t tell anyone outside about what happened today. It’ll become a hassle.”
Some of the information I had shared today wasn't even known in academic circles yet. I issued a gag order in advance to avoid the trouble of people asking about my sources. I intended to sell this kind of information for a high price later on.
“Sure thing!”
As we made our way through the forest in high spirits, Gaurel, who was in the lead, suddenly stopped.
“Hey, come take a look at this.”
When we checked, we found traces of crude tools, small footprints similar to a human’s, and a leaf stained with sticky saliva.
Traces of Goblins.
“Goblins? Do Goblins live here too?”
As Hakone suggested, there was likely a colony nearby.
“…”
A Goblin colony in a place like this.
Though I found it slightly odd, I had a gut feeling that this could be a clue to understanding the current situation. I stood up and spoke to the team.
“If we follow these tracks, we’ll reach a Goblin colony. Goblins are weak, but their numbers present various risks and variables. Shall we go?”
No matter how pathetic Goblins were, a group of several dozen could be dangerous. A moment of carelessness could lead to a serious injury from a stray blade or a poisoned arrow.
“How many magic stones do Goblins carry?”
“About one low-grade stone per Goblin. A colony will have at least thirty, so dozens of stones are guaranteed.”
At that, Jimmy and Gaurel confidently pushed to move out.
“We can easily wipe out a bunch of Goblins.”
“Let’s just go mess them up.”
Freya didn't seem to object either.
“Even in large numbers, Goblins are not a particularly threatening foe. Besides, our team is equipped to handle poison and traps.”
Hakone, with her hunter background, could detect and disarm any traps. The students from the pharmacology department on Yuliana’s team could neutralize any poison the Goblins used. If worst came to worst, I had health and antidote potions ready. Plus, Jimmy could use healing magic.
Garfield and Karon also agreed.
“If that is what you all wish.”
“Doesn’t matter to me. Let’s go.”
*
At the base camp, located at the entrance of the Howling Mountains.
Professor Verdandi and the other instructors looked grim. It wasn't just the camp; all the students participating in the exam were currently in a very precarious situation.
An assistant ran up to Verdandi to report.
“Professor, we still can’t make contact with the outside. It’s the same even when we switch channels.”
“…What’s the status of the Golems?”
“Seventeen have been destroyed so far. Communication with the rest is unstable. Someone is destroying the Golems at an incredible speed.”
“Who on earth…”
Verdandi gripped the hilt of her sword, her teeth gritted in frustration.
About a day ago, all connection to the outside world had been abruptly severed. It was due to an anomaly in the thick fog covering the Howling Mountains. Neither communication signals nor mana could penetrate it. Anyone who tried to venture through the mist would either get lost and end up back where they started, or disappear without a trace.
This is clearly a magical barrier.
Someone had used the fog as a medium to cast a powerful barrier over the entire exam site. It was a barrier capable of blocking communication and mana transmission, physically trapping even professor-level experts.
Moreover, it was a massive construction, large enough to cover the entire mountain range. It was a truly absurd, artificial manipulation of mana. Even if it was man-made, a phenomenon of this scale was practically a natural disaster.
To dispel or destroy such a barrier would require at least two or three Tower Master-level mages, or individuals at the upper echelons of the Master rank. There was no one of that caliber within the base camp.
Verdandi clenched her fists, her expression fraught with anxiety.
At this rate, the students…
The base camp itself was in danger, but her greatest concern was for the students scattered across the mountains. And among them was her younger sister, Freya.
After a moment of deliberation, Verdandi stood up, intending to leave the camp. The other instructors and assistants hastily tried to stop her.
“Professor, if you disappear into the fog too, the entire chain of command will collapse!”
“…”
As the assistant said, they had already sent several instructors to rescue the students, but there had been no word from them. If Verdandi also vanished, there would be no one left to manage the crisis.
But Verdandi could not wait any longer. Her resolve hardening, she pushed aside the tent flap.
“…Sitting around here won’t solve anything. I will go and bring the students back myself. Do not try to stop me.”
“Professor!”
Shaking off their hands, she gripped her sword and strode forward into the blinding white fog.