Combat Test #091
The group had walked for some distance when another crudely made path appeared, along with a signpost that definitely hadn’t been there before.
What is the capital of the United States?
(Main Path) ← ‘Washington D.C.’ | ‘New York’ → (Side Path)
“Ugh……”
“What the hell are they even trying to do with this?”
“Beats me.”
Obviously, they took the main path again. The problem was that after walking exactly 0.2 miles, the exact same thing appeared once more.
Select the country participating in Palaestra Academy.
(Main Path) ← ‘Australia’ | ‘Austria’ → (Side Path)
“Sian, you don’t think an outsider set up these traps, do you?”
“Traps?”
“Otherwise there’s no reason to keep putting out problems that would only fool dumb Americans.”
The questions were far too suspicious. Thinking it was some outsider’s prank, I tried to yank the signpost out.
“One, two, three!!!”
I pulled with all my strength. But the signpost was fixed in place by some abnormal method and didn’t budge an inch. It just sat there, perfectly still. I even punched it, but not a single scratch appeared.
“Looks like it’s protected by magic.”
“Damn it… they’re using magic on something like this?”
I’d thought it was just a broken exam, but now it felt like the entire purpose of the test was suspicious. With growing doubts, we started walking again.
How many times did we check the problem and head down the obvious main path? Eventually, a long, stretched-out building came into view beside the road that served as the main path. The concrete structure was quite large, with countless doors. It looked like it had been built expecting hundreds, maybe even thousands of people to use it at once.
Kang Sian and his teammates peered around the building. That was when they spotted a massive sign.
Each team must enter in order and with proper etiquette!
One team per room. Please enter an unoccupied room!
New students must participate!
“……What the hell is this?”
It was incredibly sloppy. If Kang Sian had built this place, he would have placed it directly across the road to block the way. That was the only way to make new students feel like they absolutely had to stop here. The current layout felt like it was practically daring people to ignore it. It gave off the feeling of a devil tempting you to just walk on by.
When I first scouted the area, I thought they were building some kind of giant bathroom. Apparently that wasn’t the case. I couldn’t even begin to guess what they were trying to achieve.
The teammates let out heavy sighs.
“There’s a sign on the door showing whether someone’s inside. I guess we’re supposed to check that before entering.”
“The outside doesn’t look much different from when we scouted it last time.”
“The outside is fine, but the inside is the problem……”
“Hey! I hear something coming from over here!”
The female force mage shouted in front of a room marked as occupied. We hurried over and pressed our ears against the door. A chaotic mix of sounds began to reach us.
“Get that bastard right now……”
“Everyone dodge……”
“Ack! Aaaack! You crazy bone……”
“Fireball!”
The sounds of people trading blows in a frenzied rhythm. I didn’t know who they were fighting, but from the lively noise, it sounded like the enemy was getting pummeled.
“Yeehaw!!!”
“Grab his legs! His legs!”
“Knock him down!!! Hurry!!!”
“Yes! Allah is great!!!”
Kang Sian and his teammates scratched their heads. They exchanged glances that seemed to say it looked more manageable than expected. Right at that moment, a loud noise erupted from inside, followed by a string of screams. It felt like the tide had turned. Eventually the sounds stopped completely. An ominous feeling wrapped around my entire body.
Just as I seriously started considering running away, the door burst open with a heavy thud.
“Ughhhhh……”
“Krrrrrr……”
“Gehk.”
“Allah…… is great……”
Standing in the open doorway was a suppression golem. More precisely, it was holding blood-soaked new students under each arm. The atmosphere was incredibly awkward. Kang Sian and his teammates awkwardly stepped back.
The golem casually tossed the new students aside. The rag-like students rolled across the floor. And that was it. The golem closed the door, and the sign changed to “Under Inspection.”
“Oh my god……”
“D-do we really…… have to do this?”
Shannon trembled violently. She was clutching a magic staff so tightly it looked like it might snap. I had no idea when she’d taken it out.
“It says it’s required…… so I guess we have to, right?”
“Yeah, that seems to be the case.”
“I think so too.”
In the end, we had no choice but to go in. If we wasted time here, we’d just get overtaken by the others. We headed for a room that was neither under inspection nor occupied. Weapons at the ready, I carefully pushed the door open.
Creak—
The dark room brightened with a theatrical lighting effect, revealing a white hallway made of bare concrete. There was one door at the far end, a speaker on the ceiling, two ventilation fans, several lights, and……
“A person?”
A scrawny man wearing nothing but underwear. He was tied up tightly in the corner, his mouth sealed with tape. He sent a pitiful look toward Kang Sian and the others.
“W-what the……!”
“Isn’t this academy actually insane?!”
“Oh my god!”
Everyone rushed over with shocked expressions, intending to untie him from the wooden chair right away.
“What’s this wire?”
But what Cheon Mari noticed in the midst of it all was a wire running from the wall to a patch attached to the man’s chest. It looked like something set up specifically to measure whatever it was connected to. It was strange.
What are they trying to measure?
At the same time, it felt off. The fact that a person was tied up here, that such an element even existed. The instincts I’d honed through regression were sounding alarms. It wasn’t enough to mean death, but something was definitely about to happen.
“Guys? Something’s wrong here. Get ready right……”
That was when the bound man was freed. However, most of his tendons had been severed, so moving on his own was nearly impossible. With no other choice, Kang Sian helped him up from the chair and supported him to his feet. Quite amusingly, doing so revealed a piece of paper that had been hidden under his backside.
“……?”
“What is it?”
Everyone looked at the paper with uneasy eyes. The moment they read a few of the words, they froze.
[Photo of a golden-haired man]
Name: Lasmon Karl Intris
Origin: Galacotede Empire, Eastern Region
Notable Info: Affiliated with Hero Academy
Charges: Academy terrorism, rape, and murder
Federal Court Ruling: Death sentence
“You son of a bitch.”
The curse slipped out naturally. The hand that had been supporting him let go, dropping him back onto the chair. Any trace of pity vanished. He glared at the students with bloodshot eyes. Everything he had been taught and everything he had experienced brought his true nature to the surface.
Kang Sian ripped the tape off the bastard’s mouth. A mocking chuckle escaped as his mouth opened. His teeth were stained with blood. His tongue had been completely torn out. Just as hatred threatened to explode from the depths of his despair, a heavy thud sounded as the door on the side opened.
“Suppression golem?!”
It had appeared. This was dangerous. Kang Sian and all his teammates quickly retreated. They dropped their bags to lighten their bodies and drew their weapons. An extreme standoff followed.
But the golem showed almost no interest in the new students. Instead, its attention was solely on the hero candidate sitting in the chair. The golem grabbed the man’s waist with one of its blunt hands.
“K-kuaaack—”
It must have gripped him with tremendous force; he cried out in pain. He struggled desperately, but it was useless.
“Aaaaaagh!!! Aaaaagh!!”
The golem brought its other hand toward the hero candidate’s waist as well. It slowly applied pressure, and the screams gradually grew louder. Crack!
With the sickening sound of bones being torn apart, the body split in two. The upper and lower halves fell limply to the floor. Guts and blood spilled everywhere. Screams and convulsions filled the room. The golem showed mercy to the hero candidate. It stomped down, crushing his skull completely.
— BEEP —
The sound of a flatlining heartbeat echoed, like the severing of life itself. It came from the speaker and signified the death of someone who had once dreamed of becoming a hero.
The golem calmly turned its gaze.
The voice came from the speaker. It was a clear, pleasant woman’s voice that didn’t match the content at all. Just as the tension was reaching its peak, four blue lights suddenly dropped from the ceiling.
Since they had fallen right in front of them, Kang Sian and his teammates hurriedly picked up the batteries and equipped them. They removed the ones they had been using beforehand and stored them in their bags or pockets.
The tone was incredibly coercive. Meanwhile, the golem politely bowed its head.
A horrifying situation. Just taking a test in an exam this bizarre was horrifying enough. How much worse would it get fighting in such a cramped space?
Kang Sian and his teammates stared ahead calmly, without vomiting or mental collapse. They simply gripped their weapons tightly.
It was an incredibly simple goal.