Overloading the Exam
Whoosh!
Cutting through the wind, an arrow pierced a flying chaos beast. The airborne creature plummeted, dissolving into a shower of light particles.
The chaos beasts featured in the archery class's entrance exam differed from those in the swordsmanship class. While the swordsmanship exam primarily featured melee-focused beasts, the archery exam tested candidates against flying targets or enemies specializing in long-range attacks. It was only natural, given the different roles they would play on the battlefield.
“They should at least be able to bring down a flying chaos beast of that level,” Ryutmila remarked, her eyes fixed on the candidate currently taking the test.
However, she wasn't actually the head instructor of the archery class. She had merely taken on the title of temporary professor at the Hero Academy while searching for a worthy successor; the actual head instructor of the archery class was someone else.
“Though there are plenty of kids who can't even manage that much...” Kyle, the head instructor of the archery class sitting beside her, muttered. He scribbled something onto the student's evaluation sheet.
“For now, they're a passing candidate. At that level, there's really nothing to complain about.”
“Wait a minute, Kyle. You're passing them just because they managed to kill that one thing?”
“I'm the head instructor, Ryutmila. Deciding who passes is my job.”
“Still, since I'll be teaching archery alongside you, shouldn't my opinion count for something—”
Kyle pointed at Ryutmila's completely blank evaluation sheet. “We're already halfway through the applicants, and you haven't written down a single word.”
“That's because not a single one of them has caught my interest.”
“Ryutmila, I keep telling you, your standards are way too high.” He sighed deeply. “It's not like your holy relic has incredibly strict inheritance conditions. That in itself is a massive blessing. Just pick a kid who seems decent enough at shooting, pass it on, and enjoy a comfortable retirement.”
He truly couldn't understand her. There had been plenty of promising candidates among last year's graduates. It was only natural, considering that rumors of Ryutmila preparing to retire had drawn aspiring young archers from all over the continent. Yet, she had let every single one of them graduate without naming a successor, claiming none of them met her standards.
“Do you even plan on getting married? When are you going to find a husband?”
“Aaargh!” Ryutmila shrieked, covering her ears. She slammed her fist onto the desk. “I can just grab any random guy off the street, so stop worrying about my love life!”
Hearing that only made him worry more. Kyle shook his head and forced his attention back to the exam arena.
Well, speak of the devil.
The eighth chaos beast. This one was entirely different from the ones that had come before. It possessed a hide so thick and tough that ordinary arrows could barely scratch it. As expected, the candidate was struggling. It was an opponent that an average archer stood no chance against. Without the aid of a Stigma or a holy relic, victory was practically impossible.
Was it unfair? Well, you couldn't exactly rob candidates of the chance to showcase the power of their Stigmas or holy relics. Besides, defeating up to the seventh chaos beast already guaranteed a passing grade. The eighth beast was merely a bonus round.
Great if you kill it, no big deal if you don't.
In the end, the candidate failed to defeat the eighth chaos beast. They seemed to possess a Stigma, but because it was geared toward rapid-fire archery, it lacked the piercing power to penetrate the beast's hide. With a signal of surrender, the candidate vanished from the arena.
“Phew...” Just as Ryutmila was about to take a breath, the next candidate entered the virtual space.
“Seriously, aren't there way too many applicants this year?”
“You do realize they all gathered here because of you, right?” Kyle shook his head, checking the profile of the next candidate.
From Sak. Is his name... Sung Yu-rang?
This place... When I opened my eyes after entering the Lake, an alien landscape stretched out before me. No, perhaps it was a landscape that was all too familiar to me.
Is this outside the barrier?
Dark red particles drifted through the air. Scattered ruins of civilization lay here and there. The simulation of the wasteland outside the barrier was remarkably accurate.
Though it seems they didn't go as far as simulating the actual Chaos.
That made sense. There was no guarantee that every cadet taking the Hero Academy's entrance exam possessed a Stigma or a holy relic. Still, this unfamiliar, hostile environment alone would be more than enough to throw most applicants into a panic.
“So, I just need to defeat that thing first?” I spotted a small chaos beast nearby. It was a very straightforward exam. Looking around, nothing else in the vicinity was moving.
I nocked an arrow to my bowstring, drew it back, and let it fly.
The arrow streaked through the air and pierced the chaos beast. At this stage, I didn't even need to use my Wind Authority or any inherited traits. The beast wasn't fast, nor did it have a thick hide.
But they wouldn't all be this easy. As the first chaos beast dissolved into particles, the next one materialized. I was already nocking another arrow.
The seventh chaos beast. It was a frantic, erratic flyer known as a Squichi. Since it was practically impossible to strike down with a sword, it was a chaos beast typically left entirely to archers and mages.
If I used Libero's Swordsmanship, I could probably cut it down easily, but...
There was no point in taking the archery exam if I was just going to use swordsmanship. In the end, I had to bring it down with a bow.
Of course, no matter how hard I had trained my archery over the past few months, my limitations were clear. With my raw, unassisted archery skills, I struggled to hit even a stationary target if it was too far away. Fortunately, the Holy Church had provided a temporary bow relic that boosted accuracy, and my Wind Authority helped guide my shots, allowing me to easily hit slower targets.
But hitting something moving that fast is a completely different story.
Fortunately, I wasn't the only one who would struggle with this. There couldn't be many applicants capable of hitting such a fast-moving target in just one or two shots. They would either have to be incredibly lucky, or have prior experience fighting a Squichi.
I fell into the latter category. I had no conscious memory of fighting a Squichi myself. However, it seemed I had faced them quite a few times during my hundred runs of the second Trial. Thanks to those faint, lingering memories, I could roughly predict its erratic flight path.
It'll be tough, but I can hit it.
After a few missed shots, my arrow finally found its mark, bringing the Squichi down. Having defeated it, I did some quick mental math using my knowledge as a player.
To hit a Squichi, you need at least Archery (B-)...
An Archery (B-) rank was more than enough to secure admission to the Hero Academy. However, considering the massive influx of competitors drawn by Ryutmila, I needed to show a bit more. I didn't need to pass with flying colors, but I wanted to guarantee my acceptance.
In that case, the next opponent is crucial.
Right on cue, the eighth chaos beast materialized. Unlike its predecessors, this one was massive and boasted an incredibly thick hide. It felt out of place, almost as if the examiners had intentionally prepared a beast that an archer couldn't possibly defeat.
So, the real test is whether I can bring this thing down or not.
Of course, defeating the Squichi was likely enough to pass. But if I managed to slay this beast as well, my acceptance would be absolutely guaranteed.
I nocked an arrow. It was obvious that a standard shot wouldn't pierce its hide. Repeatedly hitting the exact same spot? I wasn't some genius capable of such a feat. I was merely a novice archer barely scraping by with the help of my Wind Authority and a holy relic.
However, I had one advantage that set me apart from the others. I still had an inherited trait I hadn't used yet.
I channeled my inherited trait into the nocked arrow.
Overload (Minor)
Instantly, a dark, turbulent energy began to swirl around the arrow.
◈ Temporarily boosts the performance of a weapon.
◈ In exchange, the weapon's durability is drastically reduced.
It was a trait that pushed a weapon's capabilities to their absolute limits. The only difference between this and the original Overload (Major) was its efficiency relative to the durability consumed. To put it simply, if the original version allowed a weapon to withstand three enhanced strikes, the inherited Overload (Minor) would shatter it in a single blow.
But there's an easy way to bypass that penalty.
The perfect example was the weapon I was holding right now. Or rather, the ammunition. For consumables like arrows, which were meant to be discarded after a single use anyway, the durability penalty of Overload was practically nonexistent.
“This should do it...”
The arrow, crackling with the dark energy of Overload, shot forward. The arrow itself was imbued with divine power equivalent to a 1-star relic, and the overload effect amplified it exponentially. It tore through the air and successfully pierced the chaos beast's thick hide.
But a single arrow wasn't enough. I immediately began firing one shot after another. It would be foolish to hoard consumable arrows in a test like this. After taking over a dozen overloaded arrows to its body, the massive chaos beast finally collapsed.
Watching it dissolve into light particles, I nocked another arrow, preparing myself for the next opponent.
I had undoubtedly passed the exam by this point. Still, I was curious to see what would appear next. Depending on what it was, I might at least try to get a shot off.
But the moment the next opponent materialized...
A curse slipped past my lips reflexively.
You've got to be kidding me.