Troublesome Kindness
Every examinee was thinking the same thing.
The first sub-quest had felt too dubious to challenge rashly. The second sub-quest still called for caution and reading the room. But the third sub-quest was entirely different. In the eyes of the NPC examinees—who had no idea how close the finish line was, or how many sub-quests remained ahead—the third was one they simply could not afford to pass up.
"What an immense crowd."
"Isn't this... a bit much?"
"It can't be helped. Everyone is reaching the point where they feel they'll be in deep trouble unless they make their move now."
We weren't exactly swimming in leeway either. We had earned a measly ten points so far, falling hopelessly short of the fifty-point cutoff required to pass.
Sub-Quest 3: Tag.
This challenge was a goldmine designed to flood the playing field with a massive amount of points at just the right time.
"Now then, everyone wishing to challenge the third task, gather here!"
The red-hatted instructor tapped his fingertip against the sign planted before him.
1. Simply participating in Tag awards 20 points to everyone.
2. The It loses 1 point every minute.
3. Runners gain 1 point every minute.
4. When the It tags a Runner, the It steals the Runner's points and becomes a Runner. The new It begins their pursuit after a 30-second delay upon the Ticket Watch's signal.
5. Finding and tagging the Black Hat Instructor ends the game of Tag at any time.
6. The exit can only be reached once Tag is completed.
7. Once completed, re-challenging is strictly prohibited.
Across from him, in front of the blue-hatted instructor, a relief tent and a stall were shamelessly laid out for all to see.
"Step right up, step right up! Any examinee running low on rations, wanting a place to sleep, or in need of medical treatment, come this way! As long as you have victory points, you can trade for anything!"
A method to earn points and a method to spend them had appeared at the exact same moment.
"Well, that deflates the mood."
"Hey, shrimp. Did we bust our asses for ten points for nothing?"
"The value of points has plummeted straight to rock bottom, hasn't it?"
Everyone was disheartened, but my view on the matter was entirely different. A veteran grinder always has a plan.
"You know, since we banked points in advance, there might be things only we can pull off, right?"
"Could such a thing really exist?"
Even Giselle looked doubtful.
I darted straight toward the blue-hatted instructor without a second thought.
"Excuse me, Instructor mister!"
"Is there a service or item you'd like to purchase?"
"Could you bend down for a sec?"
It would be trouble if anyone eavesdropped, so I tugged on his hem, urging him to lean down. A broad, sunny smile spread across his face.
"Of course, little examinee. What do you need?"
"Do you sell... something like this, by any chance?"
Whisper, whisper.
Hearing my murmured inquiry, the instructor’s eyes popped wide in surprise. He asked me to wait just a moment. A short while later, returning with a solemn expression, he held out an earpiece.
"It's the Chief Examiner of the Second Gate. She wishes to speak with you directly. It's enchanted with communication magic, so simply fit it into your ear."
I shoved the oversized earpiece into my ear canal, and with a soft pop, felt a connection click into place.
"Hello?"
"...Examinee Orknodi. Have you had prior experience using communication magic? It is hardly a common privilege."
"Ah."
Without thinking, I had answered it just like picking up a smartphone call. Wait, was this really that rare of an experience in this world?
"I mean, if you're a noble, you can make phone calls, right?"
"...Indeed. A noble certainly might." Examiner Minerva of the Second Gate responded in a dubious tone, then cut straight to the chase. "I thought as much during the first sub-quest, but your creativity is truly remarkable, Examinee Orknodi."
"Heheh. I'm kinda amazing, aren't I?"
"It would be even better if your humility matched at least half of that. But to answer your request first—in principle, it is impossible. That is not an item for sale."
"Ehh? Really?"
"However, I have never once received such a proposition. In nature, an original concept—an idea no one else could conceive—often becomes the deadliest weapon."
I had only tossed the request out on a whim thinking great if it works, no big deal if it doesn't, but luck was on my side after all.
"As a token of admiration for Examinee Orknodi's creativity, I shall make a special exception and sell it to you. A single One-Time Black Hat granting instructor authority, for exactly ten points."
Giselle showered me with endless praise.
"To purchase the ultimate cheat key, the one-time authority to become a Black Hat Instructor, allowing you to end the exam instantly wherever and whenever you wish... That is nothing short of brilliant!"
"Is that really so great?" Son Ocheon asked.
"Consider the implications. This game of Tag is structured so that even if you want to quit, you are forced to keep playing unless you locate the Black Hat Instructor. If you were the It, Mr. Ocheon, where would you position yourself?"
"Near the instructor, obviously. The little shrimps would come crawling straight to me on their own."
"Precisely. No matter how many points you lose along the way, as long as you mug someone for their points at the very end, tag the instructor while the new It is immobilized, and escape the game, you are guaranteed a profit."
Therefore, any It with half a brain would inevitably prowl around the Black Hat, and the Runners would have to risk being caught just to approach the instructor. In reality, this wasn't simple tag—it was a game of breaking through the It lurking near the instructor.
"Under such rules, Miss Orknodi has secured a mechanism to exit the game at any moment of her choosing by purchasing the authority to become a Black Hat Instructor herself."
"Oho! Little shrimp, you're pretty incredible, aren't ya?"
"Heheh! Now do you realize just how amazing I am?"
As I puffed out my chest and struck a smug pose with my hands on my hips, Isabelle began petting my head relentlessly.
Mmmph... Isabelle's headpats felt way too good. I had recruited her as a chef to work like a dog, but at this rate, I was the one being tamed.
"Still, it's not an all-powerful cheat key. If one of us gets designated as the It, that person will still have to hunt down another Runner somehow."
"True enough. Either way, we'll have to clash with the other Runners in tag."
Having purchased the instructor authority, we were just about to head toward the red-hatted instructor to register for the game when a group of four swordsmen stepped forward and blocked our path.
"Hey, you there. You're the kid named Orknodi, right?"
"Who are you?"
"I am Maximus Montblanc. Elder brother of Max."
"...Who's Max?"
"Haaah. I knew it, not even a blip on your radar. Poor little brother." The swordsman, whose blond hair resembled my own golden locks, grumbled about his pitiable younger brother before continuing. "Did you not board an airship on your way here?"
"Aha, I did!"
"In the Kids Zone playground, was there not an ill-mannered baby and a boy looking after that baby?"
"Right! He ripped out a whole fistful of my hair..."
Hmph. That had hurt like crazy back then.
"That boy is Max."
"Ahhh, I see. So why is Max's brother looking for me?"
"I was asked a favor. To please help Orknodi if I happened to cross paths with her at the exam site."
"I'm not really on the weak side, though."
"I know. There's no way you'd be weak after passing the First Gate as the top scorer."
Saying that, Maximus subtly exchanged glances with Giselle and gave a slight nod. I see. Dropping my name was just a pretext. In truth, he probably came over to help Giselle due to some personal acquaintance with him. A man as thorough in his preparations as Giselle could easily have lined up allies in advance like this. Wasn't that how he passed the ticket exam in the first place, after all?
Scratch, scratch.
Though apparently, he hadn't prepared for the mosquitoes. Watching him scratch the back of his hand looked quite pitiful.
"This task contains an outrageous trap."
"Mosquitoes?"
"...Mosquitoes are indeed a trap, but no, not that."
"Hmm... I have no idea!"
Of course I knew. I was just playing dumb.
"Think carefully. They gave us a generous amount of points and even established a system to utilize them, but the likelihood of actually using them is drastically low. It's pie in the sky."
Son Ocheon burst into a hearty guffaw and slapped Maximus soundly on the shoulder.
"Blondie, what're you worrying so much for? We just rack up points reasonably, meet up with the instructor, buy a ton of useful gear, and track the examiner all the way to the exit. Easy peasy!"
"Meeting that instructor is precisely the problem! What guarantee is there that the Black Hat Instructor is anywhere near here? Do you even know where he is in the first place?"
"Huh?"
"That goes for you too, Orknodi. Rule six: The exit can only be reached once Tag is completed. As long as this clause exists, you are essentially trapped in this forest."
Indeed. This was both the trap and the true nature of the Tag sub-quest. Tag wasn't played between the It and the Runners. It was played between the examinees and the Black Hat Instructor. That was the real game!
Unless you found the Black Hat Instructor, no matter how many points you accumulated, Rule 6 prevented you from leaving the forest. And according to my memories, the Black Hat was a sort of 'summon' that moved in symmetrical opposition to the chief examiner, with the center of the forest serving as the axis.
The standard walkthrough had two paths: either rush to the center of the forest, obtain this hint, track down the Black Hat Instructor to tag him, and then challenge a grueling forced march back across the entire forest to reach the exit; or use sheer strength and cunning to plunge Chief Examiner Minerva into danger so that she would recall her summon, then tag the Black Hat Instructor while avoiding a completely enraged Minerva.
Back when I ran high-strength tank builds, I almost always chose the latter.
Lure a massive mob of monsters, dump their aggro onto examinees near the exit, wait for Minerva to intervene out of duty when things got out of hand, and ambush her in the confusion. Since Minerva's summon automatically teleported back to protect its master when her main body was threatened, this was the most reliable route to stockpile massive points without wasting travel distance.
Ah, those were good times. Convenient, too. Still, in this current body, I hadn't felt confident pulling that off, so I went for Plan B instead. Fortunately, it worked.
"Uhh... Is, is that so?"
"Haha. This does seem quite troublesome."
Both Son Ocheon and Giselle wore exceedingly awkward smiles.
"Orknodi. Now that you understand, give it up quickly, and instead of gambling, try to earn points through legitimate methods..."
"Could you hold out your wrists to the Mana Board?"
"Here's my Ticket Watch."
"Examinees Orknodi, Son Ocheon, Giselle, and Isabelle! Your entry for Tag has been accepted! Twenty victory points have been credited to your personal Ticket Watches immediately, so please check them."
"Hey!! Did you even hear a word I said?! You definitely heard me, right?! You did it anyway after hearing all that?!"
Sorry, Mr. Maximus. I appreciate your kind concern, but for people like us who can turn into the instructor whenever we feel like it, that was completely unnecessary meddling.