The Test Takers' Group
The pillar of fire looked as if it would set the very sky ablaze, like the arrival of purgatory itself. But everything has an end, and since the pillar was magic, it was not eternal. The orange clouds gradually settled, the swirling dust sank, and the flames died down.
What remained was pure white smoke, clean air, and the half-destroyed academy. Anyone could see that next year’s enrollment was a lost cause. Hell, it was questionable whether they could even open the year after that. With thousands of corpses strewn about and more still being made, this place was nothing short of a graveyard. No one in the world would want to receive an education in a tomb like this.
Yet the survivors were still receiving their education. Not by choice, but by force—and through a brutally harsh process at that.
Kang Sian crouched low and pointed toward one of the buildings.
“There are quite a few knights over there. Let’s move carefully.”
The nine test takers crouched behind him nodded in unison. Even though they had exchanged names—except for Shannon—he couldn’t quite remember them all. It meant they didn’t have any particularly standout traits. Still, the way they looked at him was incredibly serious.
“No Sword Squires, one Spear Squire, two Magic Squires, and three Arrow Squires.”
“Are we going after them?”
“Wouldn’t it be better to take them out? We all need their weapons to arm ourselves anyway.”
“But three of us already have swords… Maybe we should just head to the armory instead…”
“Looking at the current situation, we’re definitely going to end up fighting together. The sooner everyone’s armed, the better.”
Come to think of it, how had it come to this? When he first climbed the stairs, it had been just him. Shannon had joined midway up, so that was understandable. But he had no idea where the other eight had come from.
“Still, the rest of them only have sticks for weapons…”
“Those guys aren’t that strong anyway. Just smack the steam engine on their backs and they’ll drop like flies, right?”
In truth, it wasn’t a particularly complicated observation. These were the people who had overheard his conversation with Shannon during her joining, given up on hiding, and approached. The ones who had been on the verge of getting roughed up by the knights and were rescued. The two types who had stayed in the testing ground until the end had followed Kang Sian.
In other words, he hadn’t intended to form a group. ‘If it had just been me, I would’ve ignored them and moved on… but considering these people need to be armed, we have to take their gear.’
The test takers had latched onto the strongest-looking person around—Kang Sian. And since he couldn’t exactly refuse them, he had reluctantly accepted. To him, it was absurd. He had assumed everyone was only focused on their own practical exams. He never expected them to have paid such close attention to someone else’s.
He hadn’t thought they would even remember his face, let alone his name. That left him wondering if he really stood out that much. He seriously considered whether this was racial discrimination against Asians, but it was nothing more than a fleeting thought.
Anyway, with broad-minded generosity, Kang Sian moved with them. After sneaking around and heading toward the World Gate, they had finally reached this point.
“I’ll go in first and take out three or four of them. The rest of you, please hold down the others.”
There were no objections or backtalk. Kang Sian took the lead, kicking off the ground and charging forward. His movements, accelerated by distorted time, led straight to piercing one Squire’s steam engine. The moment steam began to leak, he swiftly shifted and struck another Squire’s engine.
“Aaaagh! Behind! Behind us!”
“Wh-what the hell?!”
“Fuck, that bastard just… huh?!”
Only then did the Squires realize they were under attack. But it was already too late. Even the one who had just drawn his bow had his steam engine burst open. The two with staves hurled magic at Kang Sian, but it was futile. The school of magic they used was fire. What flew toward him were small fireballs. They were fast, but their color made them painfully obvious. In other words, they were far too easy to see.
On top of that, their trajectories were ridiculously predictable. He simply stepped aside, and the spells slammed into the wall and vanished. It was pathetically weak. In essence, the foundation of magic was how one locked onto a target. If Kang Sian had cast those spells, he would have predicted movement first and created a net of fire as a backup. But they hadn’t done that.
This was proof of how terrible they were as mages, and a glimpse into just how degraded their quality had become. This level was on par with elementary school kids from the neighborhood.
Kang Sian recovered some of the mana he had poured into his sword. There was no need to waste that much power. The brass-colored blade slipped into the gap at one mage’s neck, drawing a thin, long line of blood. In the end, the two mages had their lives cut short by the hands of a pure-white Quarter Elf.
“Uh… uhhh…”
The last one remaining. He held a spear and shield. There were many ways to deal with him. He could fight him head-on with raw power, destroy his equipment, or use extreme intimidation to force a surrender. However, the fact that there were many ways to handle him also meant there were many ways for the opponent to evade.
The Spear Squire backed away, trying to avoid death. Just like the others. He was clearly intimidated by the extreme height difference and the unfavorable situation. As Kang Sian continued to advance, the boy trembled and pointed his spear at him. It was pointless.
Kang Sian strode forward indifferently and grabbed the spear. The boy panicked and tried to yank it back, but it was useless.
“Ugh… ughhh…!”
“You think that’s gonna work?”
In the end, the spear was taken. He swung his shield in desperation, but that was seized as well.
“This is confiscated too.”
Even though he was using a steam engine, the fundamental difference in physical strength was clear. Was it because he was a knight but simply weak? Because low-ranking Squires weren’t given high-performance steam engines? Or because this was the result of years of grueling training? Whatever the reason, the fact that this Squire was at a disadvantage did not change.
The moment Kang Sian confirmed the gap in power, he twisted the boy’s arm and slammed him into the ground.
“Suppression complete! Everyone, it’s safe now. Hurry over and grab the weapons.”
“Ack! Fuck, fuck!!! Let go of me!”
“Oh, and whoever wanted to use a shield, take this one.”
He set down the stolen equipment on the floor and continued pinning the Squire down. Steam poured endlessly from the engine as the metal gears spun uselessly. Kang Sian prodded a corner of the steam engine with his sword, as if daring him to try something more. Of course, he avoided the parts that would cause an explosion if touched.
Chrrrr—
‘I thought there might have been some structural changes. But it’s exactly the same as the game?’
The part that boiled the water. It looked ordinary, but it was the most crucial component of a steam engine. If outside air flowed in or water leaked out through here, it was as good as shutting the whole thing down. Sure enough, the boy’s fierce resistance gradually faded, and he became docile.
The other test takers who had gathered weapons stared at Kang Sian with awe. As if asking how he knew about that. As if wondering how he had taken down all three by himself when he said he would handle a few. But no one here was bold enough to ask such questions outright. In this situation, useless questions were a luxury.
They had captured them, so they were captured. They had obtained equipment, so it was obtained.
“Once you’ve all grabbed your gear, help me move these corpses and this guy into that building over there.”
“Yes, sir.”
The test takers who now held weapons followed Kang Sian’s instructions. Meanwhile, when the suppressed Squire screamed, Shannon filled the inside of his helmet with water magic to shut him up.
“Glug, glug—”
One by one, corpses piled up inside the building. Several people worked together to rip off the armor by force. With each layer peeled away, their emaciated bodies were revealed. It was hideous—the fate of those who relied on magic.
“Check if there are any memos or orders!”
The test takers rummaged through every pocket on the armor. What they needed now was information—more information. If they ran into a group of knights while heading to the World Gate, things could go south. To avoid that, they had to know the enemy’s movements.
“Here! I found something! It’s a tactical map!”
At the word “map,” everyone rushed over. Soon, a map drawn on yellowed paper was spread across the floor.
“Holy shit, how do these guys have a map when we don’t even have one?”
“They really came thoroughly prepared this time…”
“Looking at this, it seems like most of their forces are concentrated east of the academy. Doesn’t that mean we, on the western side, have a relatively easier time escaping?”
“No. If you look closely, they’re surrounding the World Gate. At this rate, we have no way out either.”
“Then maybe we should detour east and look for a weak point… No, we don’t have enough information. This won’t work.”
“Um, you’re Mr. Sian, right? Could we ask what you think?”
In the midst of the chaotic opinions, someone spoke up. All eyes turned to Kang Sian. He rolled his eyes, reading the room. Their gazes clearly said, ‘We have no idea, so why don’t you just decide?’
‘What the hell do you want from me?’
Asking him wouldn’t yield a good answer, but it wasn’t entirely illogical. Among hunters, the idea that someone good at fighting would also be good at planning surprisingly often held true. The problem, of course, was that there were just as many counterexamples.
No matter what he said, it was obvious nothing would come of it. After a brief moment of thought, Kang Sian found a strange escape route.
“Why don’t we just catch a few of them, torture them for information, and then decide?”
It was utter nonsense that barely registered in their ears. Even to the speaker himself, it was ridiculous and inefficient. But that was exactly why he said it. If Kang Sian’s idea was unrealistic, it would give someone more creative the chance to take the baton.
“……”
“……”
“……?”
“That sounds good!”
But Shannon nodded, wagging her dragon tail as if it were a wise suggestion. For a moment, Kang Sian wore an expression that said, ‘What the hell is this politically correct lizard talking about?’
“Honestly, if we can’t make a proper judgment, we just need to gather more information, right?”
“Right?”
“Then wouldn’t it make sense to kidnap a few of the ones patrolling and quickly extract information from them?”
“Well… that’s true!”
Contrary to the speaker’s expectations, she somehow managed to sway everyone. It was an unexpected development for Kang Sian, but to the test takers, it was surprisingly convincing.
“That seems like the best option.”
“It’s the most realistic one. Alright, let’s go with that.”
“Wait, hold on—”
“I agree.”
“Me too.”
“They say people who are good at practical exams are also smart. Looks like it’s true.”
His belated attempt to retract the idea was completely ignored. The multinational, multiracial, easily swayed test takers pushed the plan forward. Now it was time for a deep investigation into whether water truly held the answers.