Chapter 37
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Final Exam (2)
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The scenery beyond the screen changed in an instant.
Roel, who had been sitting in the classroom, was suddenly plopped down in front of some beach.
"...Is this the exam?"
Roel stared in a daze.
A pristine white sand beach, a blue ocean, seagulls wheeling through the sky.
The resort-like atmosphere didn't feel like an 'exam hall' at all.
"For real?"
Thud.
The magic scroll that had activated moments ago dropped in front of the still-bewildered Roel.
Magic scrolls usually vanished after use.
The fact that it hadn't meant some special mechanism was in play.
Probably the exam rules written on it.
Roel picked up the scroll.
"..."
As expected, the scroll had the rules inscribed on it.
"Survive...?"
It was curt, to say the least.
Roel eyed the paper dubiously and examined it more closely.
She flipped it over, folded it, unfolded it again.
No other changes occurred.
"An island?"
Unlike the flustered Roel, I calmly speculated on the exam's nature.
Being just a spectator, I felt no pressure.
From checking via the mouse's viewpoint shift, the place Roel was now was an uninhabited island.
About the size of Jeju Island overall.
Mountains alongside the sea, rugged terrain untouched by humans.
A few caves that looked like dungeons, monsters lurking in spots around the island...
Yeah, now I got why the rule was 'survive.'
One slip-up and your life was on the line.
"Hero Academy sure is different."
Cadets selected as heroes would eventually set out to subjugate the Demon King for real.
The closer they got to the Demon King's castle, the more the surrounding terrain resembled the demon realm—an environment brutally harsh for humans, of course.
To become a hero, one needed the ability to adapt to any condition.
Not quite demon realm levels, but tough enough for barehanded survival.
Dropping them here raw like this screamed 'adaptation test.'
"D-does this even make sense?!"
Roel started denying reality.
Unlike the midterms, there'd been zero prior notice for this final exam.
Every cadet, Roel included, had been dragged here completely in the dark.
And, if my guess was right...
"Hey!"
...an exam this big wouldn't just involve the Knight Class.
"You're Knight Class, right?"
Roel had run into a Magic Class cadet.
The massive uninhabited island selected as the exam site.
All of the Academy's 1st Grade cadets were currently inside it.
Cigarette spoke up.
"Is this really okay?"
This exam boiled down to pure survival.
No extra stipulations—just outlast everyone else.
But simple rules didn't mean it was a pushover.
"That island's too much even for professors."
The island was far too dangerous.
Monsters started at mid-grade, with high-grades popping up occasionally.
Food had to be foraged personally, weather shifted constantly—it was a true extreme environment.
Inexperienced cadets would struggle to survive.
"That's why we're here, isn't it?"
Another professor responded to Cigarette.
"I've cast my magic on every cadet. If anything critical happens, I'll know right away, so no worries."
Dillon Forest, the 1st Grade Magic Class professor.
The youngest 3-circle mage, who'd once set the kingdom abuzz.
And...
"Or does Professor Cigarette distrust her own cadets?"
He was also the type to pick fights with Cigarette whenever he got the chance.
"Didn't the other professors help prep for this exam too? Patrick especially worked himself to collapse mid-shift. Distrusting too much is rude."
"Doesn't make the exam any less dangerous."
"The Magic Class will be fine."
Cigarette let out an overt sigh.
Mages had a notorious habit of looking down on knights.
They saw themselves as more refined, wielding intricate spells instead of brutishly swinging swords like us.
That mindset usually faded naturally with real experience... but.
"The Magic Class lacks experience with sudden crises too, you know."
"With proper training, they can handle it."
"...Professor Dillon, you're awfully optimistic."
It was ridiculous.
Did they have to flex pride even here?
No one questioned Dillon's elite credentials, but moments like this made you wonder about his qualifications.
"The results will speak for themselves."
Any more chit-chat and she'd start puffing up her own pride.
Cigarette cut the conversation short before that.
She just hoped her cadets wouldn't get rattled.
"You're Knight Class, right?"
A stranger called out to Roel, who still couldn't process the situation.
"Why aren't you answering?"
A woman in Academy uniform topped with a mage's robe.
Her robe's cape fluttered as she strode forward aggressively.
"You. Yeah, you."
Her overbearing tone felt oddly familiar.
The kind who treated looking down on others as default.
It was just like...
early-term Sera.
"Not answering?"
Felt like she'd gone back home.
Yeah, Sera'd had her phase like this.
Now she was just a bit prickly, but a good person at heart.
"Yes, I'm Knight Class. You're Magic Class?"
"I ask the questions. You just answer."
"Don't wanna."
Of course, familiarity and manners were separate issues.
She didn't want a second round with someone like Sera.
"What?"
"Don't wanna. Let me ask questions too."
"Hah, you have no idea of your place."
The mage shook her head pityingly.
"This island's way more dangerous than you think. You'll need a mage's help to survive."
"And?"
"I'm offering to take you on. Don't talk back, Knight Class."
"Hmm..."
Roel pondered for a moment.
Sure, she could sense high-grade monster auras scattered around the island. Some even felt threatening to her.
Having a mage along would definitely make things easier.
Well, Roel could manage fine without one anyway.
"Still no."
"What?"
"We're strangers. Be polite."
"...Looks like words won't cut it."
Mages were said to be prideful.
They ignored knights by default, always eager to flaunt their superiority.
She'd thought it was just talk, but the rumors weren't baseless.
The mage quietly amped up her presence.
Mana began to churn. In the sudden 'combat situation,' Roel just blinked blankly.
"You're serious?"
"Of course se──"
Before she could finish, the hitherto-still Roel drew her sword.
She slipped behind the swaggering mage and prodded a cold blade into her lower back.
It all happened in under a second.
"You'll be polite now, right?"
The mage nodded frantically.
Roel smiled and stepped back.
The mage crumpled to the ground, barely managing to catch her breath.
"...Okay, first things first—what's your name?"
"Roel."
"Damn it..."
Not every mage could dismiss every knight.
The Academy had a few whose skill demanded respect, like it or not.
Roel was one of them.
"Why'd it have to be you..."
"Lucky for you it is. And use polite speech."
"..."
Roel knew.
If it'd been Sera meeting this woman, it'd have been a hundred times uglier.
Probably not ending at a warning.
Wonder how Sera's holding up.
"Hm."
A sudden twinge of worry hit her.
There'd be plenty more mages in the exam site besides this one.
By Roel's knowledge, Knight Class and Magic Class numbers at the Academy were about even.
Sera was bound to run into at least one...
Nah, probably not.
.
.
.
"C-crazy bitch..."
"Ah, shit, we're screwed."
In a forest near the island's center.
After a scuffle, Sera was venting her irritation with a sour expression.
"You guys kept poking, so this happened. Not my fault, right?"
Three mages lay defeated.
Sera sat on one, tapping his head with her scabbard.
"...No disciplinary action, right?"
Stuff like 'I'll make use of you'...
She'd snapped and beaten them after their arrogant cooperation pitch.
Now she felt guilty for causing trouble.
"Cadet Sera."
As she stewed in anxiety, Cigarette appeared before her.
"P-Professor."
"Doing this on purpose?"
"Not exactly, but..."
"Get up first."
"Oh, right."
Sera stood.
The mage she'd been sitting on couldn't.
"...Expulsion?"
"No. Not a rules violation."
"Huh?"
"Didn't check the rules?"
"I did, but... Is this even the rulesheet?"
Sera showed the magic scroll.
Just 'Survive' scrawled on it. The barebones explanation had her doubting from the start.
"Yes. That's the entire rule set."
"Really...? Wait a sec."
Sera realized something.
Cigarette left her with the incapacitated mages and vanished.
"Good work."
That was all Cigarette said.
As if the whole thing was no issue at all.
Sera grinned.
"So that's how it is?"
A quick way to wrap up the exam popped into her head.