Chapter 198
Chapter 198
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 198
Chapter Title: Equalizing the Starting Line
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“Got it.”
The students nodded with determined expressions.
Leo fiddled with the Mimesis control panel and brought up the screen showing the field options in front of the students.
“The field hasn’t been decided yet. Both our team and Team 3 can only start planning their strategies after the exam begins, so in those first five minutes right after the start—while Ascanien is looking at the field and setting up his strategy—we charge straight in and seize the advantage.”
At that moment, one student raised a hand and asked,
“But what about Yulia and Elias? They can plan strategies too. Isn’t it a gamble with Narke’s ability? They say only Lucas handles ranged attacks on their team.”
They couldn’t openly reveal the peculiar fact that Narke’s ability worked on Lucas even without seeing his face, so Narke had conveyed that detail to the students with some ambiguity here.
Leo shook his head.
“Yulia and Elias are opponents we can’t ignore, that’s true. But in a normal game, maybe—but when the team’s control tower crumbles, it’s a different story. Fighting on flat ground is worlds apart from fighting on collapsing terrain. Even if they try to make a move in the chaos, the situation will already be in our favor.”
If they topple Lucas, everything falls apart.
The others are excellent too, but since the strategy is built around Lucas, once it crumbles, recovery will take time—they won’t be able to respond immediately.
That was the point.
One student tilted their head, looking confused.
“Is Ascanien really that crucial? Team 3’s kids aren’t all depending on him. Why keep talking about him like this….”
Narke, lost in thought, stared into space and muttered,
“You don’t get it. This is how far we have to go.”
“…Really…?”
“Of all the strategies the 24 newcomers in the third round could come up with, Lucas’s are the most polished and destructive. And the success rate isn’t low either. Leo, you agree, right?”
Leo nodded vaguely, not wanting to show how close he was to Lucas.
“And even if Lucas doesn’t make the strategy, it doesn’t matter to us~”
Narke raised an eyebrow and smiled, as if everyone should already know this. Excluding the student who asked, the three others sitting around him nodded solemnly.
Even if Yulia, Elias, or someone else from Team 3 devises the strategy, it’ll end up in Lucas’s ears anyway. They can’t exclude Lucas from team activities entirely.
So what comes next?
The strategy Lucas recognizes gets transmitted straight to Narke.
In other words, no matter who makes the strategy, Team 3 can’t escape Team 1’s grasp.
“Guys. As our 1st Training Institute seniors said, some of Team 3 will come looking for us, and the rest will search for victims. Let’s make one thing clear here.”
The students’ gazes turned to Leo.
Leo placed his hands on the table and continued slowly.
“We won’t encounter anyone from Team 3 in this field.”
“…….”
Dropped in the same field, yet no encounters.
The students swallowed hard.
Only Ulrike, the top student in Class 1-A, let out a chuckle.
“Ah, this is fun. If Team 3 comes looking for us, we read that and move somewhere else first, right?”
“Exactly. The longer we clash, the more time it takes to deal with them and the more unnecessary damage our forces take. Plus, since the exam’s theme is victim rescue operations, we need to finish even a second faster. So we….”
Leo stared at the muted 1st Training Institute training footage and spoke in an emotionless voice.
“...won’t tolerate even a minute of Team 3 holding us back. We let them flail around uselessly while our team focuses on finding victims.”
Silence fell.
He’s always vying for top in the department, the students thought admiringly as they looked at Leo with satisfied eyes. Of course, only the skilled ones were gathered here, so their thoughts aligned with his.
Then Ulrike smiled and said,
“Wow, you were on the same team as Yulia until this morning, and now you’re going full savage. Come to think of it, class rep, you don’t like Lucas much either, do you? Is that why?”
“…….”
“When I saw you two getting friendly at the magic potion contest, I thought wrong, huh.”
At those words, Leo swallowed as if holding something back and shook his head.
“…No time for chit-chat. Any more questions?”
“Lucas is probably factoring in Narke’s ability and planning his strategy by now too. They know about it, right?”
At Ulrike’s words, Leo shook his head with a blank expression.
“Doesn’t matter. From the moment we enter the field, his mind will be racing—thoughts aren’t something you can block.”
“Exactly~”
Narke agreed.
There was no counter here.
The more you try not to think, the more you can’t escape it—and above all, it’s not a situation where you can avoid thinking.
So consider this.
‘What if Lucas, factoring in my ability, voluntarily steps back from the strategist role?’
Wouldn’t Lucas think that far?
But they hadn’t prepared only for marking Lucas. They had countermeasures for countless variables too.
Even if he steps back, their response wouldn’t change much—and the reason was this.
Even following others’ strategies, Lucas always finds more successful paths in the same situations. Just like always, he’ll follow his teammates’ plans but constantly judge and think based on the surroundings.
‘Like in the second round.’
She couldn’t forget that moment when he’d gone from just listening to Yulia’s orders to instantly taking over as team leader.
In Team 3’s most awkward, decisive moments—pinned down or in prolonged standoffs—his strategy would emerge.
Whether joining strategy-making from the start, from the critical moment, or deliberately not voicing his brilliant ideas to erase them while conscious of her—they’d capture the fleeting moment those thoughts cross his mind and make Lucas’s ideas their own.
That was their answer to Lucas’s ability.
‘Sorry about this… but it’s a match.’
With that thought, Narke activated her authority.
[...Then a massive wave crashed in and swept the boy away. And then nothing. What? Did he get washed away? …The boy vanished, and the beach was peaceful. For real….]
A random thought.
It wasn’t crystal clear, but she vaguely caught what he was thinking.
‘As expected, he’s already dodging thoughts considering I’ll read them.’
But there are limits.
Right now, he seemed to be deliberately imagining a novel, but when the exam starts, he won’t be able to help it.
Of course, whether Lucas would let himself be taken advantage of like this, or…
‘Pull off another unexpected idea.’
That was truly intriguing.
Even using foresight, she only saw visions of their team winning.
Leo tapped the bulletin board to refocus attention.
“Alright, let’s summarize one last time. We reverse Ascanien’s strategy entirely to minimize direct contact with Team 3. We can read their strategy from afar without clashing, so we break through and end it all in short order. Just remember that.”
“Ah, kinda scummy, though. Basically stealing their strategy outright to cut it at 15 minutes.”
Ulrike laughed.
In the second round, he’d been tossed around as Elias’s team leader, but afterward—maybe an awakening—he’d started showing more playfulness, like at the magic potion contest.
Leo shook his head, giving Ulrike a look at her casual, cheeky tone.
“It’s a legitimate strategy. Reading the enemy’s moves and letting them proceed anyway isn’t mercy—it’s arrogance and a blunder.”
“Yeah, he’s right.”
The students nodded at Leo’s words.
Ulrike leaned her elbow on the chair arm, grinning like it was already fun.
“Man, game over. I thought you and Lucas were buddies at the potion lab contest.”
“Don’t let emotions sway you.”
“Of course not. How could I waste this fun chance of reading the enemy’s thoughts and using them myself over some sentiment.”
Ulrike herself had always been top of Class 1-A, so she knew well what not to do during exams.
Right on cue, the lights in the situation room went out one by one. Only sunlight from the wall-spanning windows kept total darkness at bay.
Beep—
[Exam starts in 5 minutes. Students, proceed to the waiting room immediately.]
The students exchanged glances. Tension hung thick in the air, but clear confidence in their skills shone in their eyes.
Soon, faint smiles crept onto their faces.
Narke smiled as she stood.
“Time’s up. Let’s go.”
* * *
“Narke’s ability seems to work especially well on Lucas.”
In the exam proctors’ waiting room, a 1st Training Institute professor watching the situation room feed smiled and looked at the seat beside him.
“Professor, what do you think? No way out, right?”
“None. Wow, this is…”
“Even the professor who set the exam feels stuck, huh.”
“Yeah.”
Hollow laughs erupted from the 1st and 2nd Training Institute professors watching the situation room cameras.
The lead proctor from the 1st Training Institute nodded, stroking his chin.
“It’s exactly as Team 1 analyzed. No matter what Team 3 says or where they lead silently, it all gets transmitted to Lucas’s brain as thoughts. It’s like handing all secrets to the enemy—no secrecy at all. Completely disadvantageous for Team 3.”
“Why set it up like this, then….”
“We didn’t know Narke’s ability worked so well on Lucas.”
The professor smiled at the surrounding professors.
“But it worked out. Even if it’s not a perfect counter, it’s a chance to see how well Team 3’s kids come up with alternatives in a crisis.”
Alternatives.
The professors listening with arms crossed nodded.
Finding even an alternative would be fortunate.
Team 3 losing this game was inevitable.
No—starting from different points, losing was a given.
What mattered was how hard they tried to overcome during the process, even in defeat.
‘Hope Team 3’s students don’t get too discouraged already.’
The professors thought as they watched the students move.
At the same time, Team 3 waiting room.
[Exam starts in 3 minutes.]
“Uwaaaah!”
“What do we dooooo….”
Upon arriving at the waiting room, our team’s students began wailing.
Still, they hadn’t wasted the strategy planning time allotted.
We’d shared our unique abilities, attack and defense methods, and extracted info on Team 1 members from the students who’d been on other teams until yesterday—now ours—and compiled it.
Of course, I’d just listened while reading a book. Same now.
They’d all done their parts properly, yet here they were.
“Lucas! Why are you so chill?!”
Oswald grabbed my shoulder while I read and wailed.
“Should I cry too?”
“No… Narke reads all our thoughts! Especially yours in real-time! You’re still reading there?!”
“My ears are gonna fall off, Oswald.”
“Sorry, but whether you use the strategies popping into your head or not, they’re all viable—and now they get to steal them all! Dozens of those breakthrough ideas you showed in the second exam vanishing! Anyway, we’re screwed from the start before we even get there?!”
“Yulia and Elias are here.”
Oswald shook his head despairingly at my nonchalant reply.
“But Lucas, listen. Any strategies Yulia or Elias come up with, you’ve probably already thought of, right?”
“What?”
Elias turned with a hollow laugh.
Oswald ignored Elias and everyone, firing words at me like a machine gun.
“No, even if not—even the strategies we share with you go straight to Narke’s brain? So not only do they steal our playbook, but constant interference every moment? You’ve already figured that much!”
“Thanks for the high praise.”
“No! That’s not it!”
“Yeah, you’re right. We’re totally screwed. End of the line. That’s what you wanted to hear, huh.”
“Uwaaa….”
Oswald finally let go of me and started banging his head against the wall, mumbling something.
“What do we do? What do we do? Is it really over like this?”
Auguste and Florian looked a bit worried but maintained more composure than Oswald.
Elias slung an arm around my shoulder and laughed.
“Haha, Lucas is so chill~”
“Have to be. Until 30 seconds before start.”
“Hmm, planning against Narke only from 30 seconds prior? Not prepping now and waiting, but actually starting to think right at 30 seconds?”
“Yeah. My head’s empty right now.”
“Man, looking forward to it~”
“Yeah.”
Cherlingen, who’d been listening, replied with a subtle smile.
He could’ve been pissed at my carefreeness and distraction, but he just watched amusedly.
Like Elias, he fully trusted me.
[Exam starts in 1 minute.]
“Uwaak!”
[59, 58….]
Whirr—
The door separating us from the exam hall opened.
Blinding light flooded the dim waiting room, lit only by flashing red guide lights.
[55, 54, 53….]
We entered the vast white exam hall that seemed endless.
Then, a sudden thought made me raise an eyebrow slightly.
“Hm.”
“Yeah…?”
Oswald reacted with his face ashen.
I turned to my teammates and said,
“Thought of it a bit early.”
[45, 44, 43….]
Oswald, staring blankly at me, widened his eyes. Auguste and Florian reacted the same.
“What?! You got it? What is it?!”
“But there’s some risk. Promise me something?”
“What is it? I promise.”
Elias opened his mouth first on his own.
Fortunately, the other teammates seemed to agree.
“Yeah! Gotta block that cheating ability—risk’s inevitable! Just tell us what!”
Oswald yelled like he’d give his liver.
But it wasn’t time to voice the risk and solidify the thought.
[23, 22, 21….]
I looked at my teammates and said simply,
“I’ll trust you guys. Trust me.”
* * *
[3, 2, 1. Begin.]
Kwaaaang—
Narke opened her eyes amid the fierce wind.
She saw Team 1 students rubbing their eyes like her, scanning around.
The sky above, a red brick structure blocking it. The city sprawled below.
“Clock tower. Narke.”
At Leo’s instruction, Narke nodded.
This was the moment to unleash the power she’d conserved for the next roughly 15 minutes of ability use.
Narke, who’d been clutching her head with eyes closed for a while, snapped her eyes open.
“…Hm?”
Team 1 students, led by Leo, turned to him.
Leo scanned Narke’s face and asked,
“What? Problem?”
Narke didn’t answer. Instead, her mouth gaped in disbelief at what she’d read.
“Wha-wha-what?!”
“What. What is it?”
“What? What’s wrong….”
At the bizarre reaction, confusion spread across Team 1’s faces.
“Why’s it so jumbled? Like standing blindfolded in the middle of a marketplace… And what’s with the coffin?”
“Huh? Don’t use metaphors—speak clearly!”
Ulrike said in a voice full of bewilderment, understanding nothing.
No reply came. Narke stood frozen, staring blankly into space, then slowly turned to Leo.
“…‘From the moment we enter the field, his mind will be racing—thoughts aren’t something you can block.’ You said that earlier, Leo.”
“Yeah.”
“You’re right. Can’t block thoughts. But… what if we enter the field while delaying judgment and disrupting senses?”
“Where’s that possible?! Might as well go in eyes closed like you said earlier, that’d be more effective….”
Ulrike stopped mid-sentence.
Smiles vanished from her and the teammates’ faces.
Leo’s flustered expression turned to horror.
* * *
‘Full mummy experience.’
Now just find a coffin and hop in.
Half-mocking my choice, I focused on the surrounding magic and sounds.
Wind like when I met Strauch. Faint magic, as if untouched by people.
“Clock tower, huh.”
“Yeah, Lucas. You know that much~”
The voice from behind moved forward.
Elias was right in front of me.
“I know, but I’m slow. Probably figured it a beat later than you guys.”
“Right! We’d been scoping below for 5 seconds when you finally got it~ Anyway….”
Something like a finger touched then left my nose bridge. Gauze texture brushed my skin.
“Curious about Team 1’s reaction~”
I replied with a smile instead.
Around now, let’s mimic Leo’s thinking.
Imagine I’m Leo.
They’d focused on the exam intent and format.
Sync with near-strangers, rescue multiple victims—the most effective win points here over other exams is time spent.
Less time proves team unity and skill, faithfully following the victim rescue theme.
So Leo would reverse-use all our team info and strategies in my head to find victims fast without touching us, wrapping it up.
“So, what’s the strategy from now on, Lucas?”
Not letting that happen.
Gonna let them nose-pick without lifting a finger?
If they swing, we swing back—won’t let it easy.
One way.
Turn incoming info to mud.
Make it unreadable valuable intel.
My restricted movement and their one-hour strategy time wasted—call it even trade.
Key point.
Now, starting line equal.
I slightly lifted the cloth over my eyes, smirked at Elias and the teammates.
“What else. Textbook divide and conquer.”