Chapter 40
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Final Exam (5)
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Normally, I wouldn't have seized control of the body like this.
I'd have waited until Roel fell asleep or collapsed completely.
Not today.
To be precise, I couldn't.
"...This fucking hurts."
Roel's body reinforcement had toughened up enough to withstand a troll's ambush.
Most monsters couldn't even scratch it, but high-grade beasts were a different story altogether.
The Two-Headed Wolf's fangs had sunk deep into her flesh.
I could vividly feel her shoulder blade crunching and her abdominal organs tearing apart.
That was the problem.
No matter how much Roel's skills had improved, she was still only at the level of barely clearing a high-grade dungeon.
If the monsters kept ambushing and swarming like this, Roel was dead for sure.
Of course, even if she died, I could revive her with full possession. The question was whether possession's life-sustain feature could heal fatal injuries like missing body parts. Still unknown.
Besides, Roel's stamina affected me too.
Any more delays, and we might hit a point even possession couldn't fix.
"You don't plan on letting go nicely, do you?"
I patted the wolf still gnawing at me with my bare hands.
Thanks to the System, she was holding up steadily, but I had no desire to endure this pain any longer.
I grabbed the wolf's jaws with both hands.
At the same moment, the orc that had knocked Roel out slammed her head again, but I just tensed my neck and took it.
Crack, crunch.
I forced the jaws apart, then snapped them clean off.
The wolf went limp as strength fled its body. I tossed it roughly to the ground and turned to the hulking orc.
"Time to avenge Roel."
I might have stopped moving, but that thing was the one who hit her.
Between restraint and assault, which is the heavier sin? Assault, obviously.
Time to judge.
The orc swung a massive fist.
Its unrestrained power whipped up a gust, but the wide motion made it easy to counter.
I met the oncoming punch with my own fist.
A sickening crack echoed as the orc's arm twisted unnaturally.
The orc let out an agonized scream that shook the entire forest.
"Yelling at night? Not cool."
I kneed it down. Face-planting into the dirt, the orc flailed wildly, oblivious to its exposed nape.
Splat.
Finally, the orc's skull caved in.
Perfect revenge.
"Ugh, still awkward to move."
I fiddled with my injured shoulder.
It hurt like hell, but the crushed bone was the real issue.
Power just wouldn't transfer properly.
"Sitla, can you slip out without tripping the surveillance magic?"
I called to Sitla, still in hiding.
The shadows writhed briefly, then her voice emerged.
"Of course. At this level, I could just dispel it outright."
"No, not that far..."
Dispelling it outright would alert the professors.
The exam would halt immediately, and all of Roel's efforts so far would go to waste.
"...Hmm."
But did that even matter?
"Yeah, it'll be fine."
Thinking about it, the moment monsters swarmed here, the exam was already ruined.
Survival had become too easy for the other cadets.
So a retake in some other form was inevitable. A third-party intruder in a already-failed exam changed nothing.
"Sitla, dispel it clean!"
"Got it!"
The shadows squirmed again.
Moments later, a sound like shattering glass rang out, and shards of 'magic fragments' rained from the air.
That must be the surveillance spell.
Shhh...
As I admired it, Sitla burst from the shadows.
Clearly pent-up, she stretched languidly.
"Ahh! This fresh air! I missed it so much."
"Take a casual walk now and then to avoid suspicion."
"Really?! Master is the best!"
"...Master?"
First time I'd heard that title.
Different ring from 'Demon'.
Not bad, so I'd let it slide.
"What now?"
"Heal this for me."
At the curt order, Sitla examined my shoulder and side in turn.
Then she gasped in shock.
"How are you even standing...?"
"No idea."
"A normal human would be dead. As expected of Master!"
Sitla's hands enveloped the wounds.
Warm mana swirled around them, and the severed, torn flesh began regenerating rapidly.
New tissue sprouting felt raw and unfiltered.
"All done."
"Good girl."
I patted her head a couple times in praise.
Her black tail wagged gently.
"..."
What can I say? Highly unexpected.
Didn't think she'd submit so readily—or so quickly.
Come to think of it, what exactly was I?
'Inner Evil' felt too simplistic. Everyone reacted strangely whenever I appeared.
Suggestion Box wouldn't answer, and investigating solo was tricky...
"Sitla."
"Yes?"
"What do I look like to you?"
"Hmm..."
Sitla pondered briefly before answering.
"Hard to put into words. Like you're not from this world."
...
Spot on, but it felt oddly off.
"No demon could ever fathom Master."
Basically, she had no clue.
Disappointing, but fine. Sitla was plenty capable already.
"Let's go."
"Wait, what about that one?"
Sitla pointed skyward.
A wyvern still circled high above.
"Leave it."
Some monsters are like that.
So overwhelmingly powerful, they defy ranking.
Dragons were Demon King-tier by rumor, so aside from them—chimeras, griffons, hydras fit the bill.
And teetering on that line: adult wyverns.
An adult wyvern was beyond every cadet in the Academy, even ganging up.
By now, one thought arises.
"Is the Academy insane?"
Fair point. Tossing in a monster that could wipe all cadets was mad.
But that one was a hatchling.
Hatchling wyverns are docile; they won't harm humans unless provoked first.
"Even a hatchling is beyond cadets. Academy probably added it to teach 'know when to dodge.'"
Seemed drawn by the magic, but it wouldn't bother us.
More importantly.
"Professors will handle wyvern fights anyway. Killing it would cause big trouble."
Mother comes for dead young.
"So let's move."
I knew this from 'lessons'.
Academy classes covered it all politely; no reason others wouldn't know too.
"Surprising. Thought you'd just kill it, Master."
"I'm not that reckless."
I eyed the approaching monsters, then ordered Sitla.
"Sitla, wreak some moderate havoc."
"Yes."
"Don't get caught by professors."
"Yes!"
Sitla tore off the lure spell on Roel with her hand.
The monsters instantly lost their target.
They'd fall under Sitla's control soon enough.
"Be right back!"
After a long-overdue stroll, fun 'playtime' began.
Sitla rose into the air, scattering in all directions.
"Nice."
Sudden, indiscriminate attacks drew screams from across the island.
Monsters Roel had soloed now shifted to other cadets.
Those camping easy would be suffering now.
This should distract professors for a while.
A short walk later, I sensed presences.
Not monsters—multiple people.
I headed that way.
"Oh..."
Surprisingly, familiar faces.
Didn't expect to run into them so soon. Perfect.
"How did you dispel my magic?"
Ted and his mages panted in tattered states.
Ground littered with golem rubble—they'd fought one.
Golems were mages' worst nightmare.
Sky-high basic magic resistance; most attack spells bounced right off.
"Managed to take it down, huh?"
"Answer my question!"
"Shut up a sec."
"Wha—"
Something odd caught my eye.
Among the mages, a lone woman bound and collapsed.
What was her name again?
Ah, Helen Forrest.
Beat-up like the rest, but not golem wounds.
Stink of suspicion everywhere.
"...I can't take this anymore."
"Coincidence. Me neither."
Honestly, I owed them thanks.
They'd crafted perfect trials; maybe even a debt.
But that's separate.
Duty calls.
"Let's end this quick. Got some questions."
Without hesitation, I drew my sword.