Chapter 113: An Ordinary Midterm Exam (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 113: An Ordinary Midterm Exam (2)
Duren, a second-year in the Swordsmanship Department, watched the space suddenly split apart and thought to himself:
It’s happening again.
It was a phenomenon that would have flustered even seasoned adventurers, but Duren simply took it in stride.
He was far too used to it by now.
“Hmm.”
First, he drew his sword and scanned his surroundings.
The Academy claimed these were dungeons with verified safety, but since this wasn't a temporary dungeon created by the Academy itself, he had to account for the variables of real combat at all times.
“This looks like a decent place to set up a base.”
He did a quick check of his pockets.
He had adequate food and water, along with supplies that would allow him to camp outdoors for a few days.
The question of why someone would bring such items to an Academy midterm exam had reached a point where only a spy wouldn't understand—a level of suspicion where being stabbed on the spot would be considered justifiable.
“Well, first things first…”
Dark Mage Countermeasure Rule Number One: Keep the good stuff to yourself.
If he pointlessly informed others and people started to gather, they would only become a concentrated target for the Dark Mages.
There was a saying that you live if you huddle together and die if you scatter.
But against Dark Mages, huddling together was just a great way for everyone to leave this world at the same time.
“Now then. Let’s see.”
He began his exploration, leaving marks with his blade as he went.
Fortunately, it didn't seem like he was trapped in one of those "Rooms You Can't Leave Without Kissing" with another man.
“…Is that a relief?”
The thought crossed his mind briefly, but in a world where Dark Mage invasions had become the norm, failing to adapt to the changing times meant being left behind—just as it had always been.
“Phew.”
He spent a good while scouting the area and farming any monsters he encountered, keeping in mind that the midterm exam might still be ongoing.
“Oh?”
Upon returning to his base, he encountered an injured Academy student.
“I was attacked by a Dark Mage…”
Duren nodded as he looked at the student, who was groaning in pain and showing an arm that was turning black.
“Is it treatable?”
“I don't know. It was a Dark Magic attack…”
“Is it contagious?”
“I’m not sure about that either…”
“I see.”
Duren nodded and tossed a bottle he had pulled from his bag of monster loot.
“It’s a potion. Drink it.”
“Th-thank you.”
As he watched the "student" prepare to drink the potion, Duren asked as if he had just remembered something.
“Oh, by the way. Was the weather nice this morning?”
“It was a bit cloudy, but it didn't rain. Damn Imperial Weather Bureau. They said it was going to rain.”
“They’ve never gotten it right anyway.”
The injured student chuckled in response to Duren’s remark and drank the potion.
And then.
“……?”
He immediately collapsed, vomiting blood.
At the same time.
Thwack!
With a sharp sound, Duren’s sword pierced the student’s heart.
“Dark Mage Countermeasure Rule Number Two: Keep the crisis to yourself.”
“……?”
“You were hit by some mysterious spell from a Dark Mage, yet you managed to find someone else’s base?”
It would be one thing if he had found the student collapsed and injured.
But no Academy student would ever be so inconsiderate as to bring a potential curse to someone else's hideout.
“F-for just something like that…!”
The student, sword through his heart, spoke tearfully.
“Yeah. When someone is facing death, they might not be able to worry about things like that. Honestly, I can’t say I’d be any different.”
The desire to live is human nature.
Even the legendary heroes recorded in history were often said to have acted quite unheroically in their final moments.
“That’s why I asked. If the weather was nice this morning.”
“What does that…”
“Asking that is exactly what a Dark Mage would do.”
The Dark Mage, unaware that the students had gathered on the morning of the midterm to create a password, met his end right then and there.
“……A Dark Mage’s proof!”
Duren obtained the proof of the Dark Mage, securing a top-tier grade for the first time.
While the students were handling the now-familiar Dark Mages quite well, there were those who were struggling: the members of the Flower Arrangement Club, including the RoFan female lead.
Of course, it wasn't their fault.
“……I thought demons were just legends?”
“Aren't there way too many legends popping up lately?”
While ordinary students were dealing with basic Dark Mages, the world was sending actual demons to the RoFan group, befitting their status as main characters.
“Foolish brat. Do you really think crude magic made by humans would work on me, a Glacier Demon?!”
Arwen frowned at the attack from the demon who introduced himself as a Glacier Demon.
None of the magic he used was having any effect on his opponent.
“It doesn't matter.”
“You damn brat!”
However, Arwen wasn't the only one there.
Since the RoFan group had a passive trait of always sticking together, even if one person was sidelined, the others would step up.
Of course, the original plot didn't always go this way.
Sometimes they were separated, and crises would follow.
But there were two clear irregularities here.
“Hah!”
There was Daisy, who had transferred to the Swordsmanship Department and was absorbing basic swordsmanship at a speed that even the Sword Emperor found shocking.
“Melting the ice.”
“Urgh!”
And then there was the transmigrator, who knew the opponent's weaknesses unnervingly well.
However, the transmigrator Boradori—no, Violet—was lost in thought.
No, seriously, why is a Glacier Demon showing up already? Attribute-specialized demons aren't supposed to appear until at least the fourth year.
She had felt it last year too, but the speed at which enemies were appearing was bizarre.
Of course, she knew the reason.
Silence… maybe I shouldn't have caught him?
The presence or absence of the "villainous civil servant" who held the main threads of the storyline was far too significant.
Thanks to his absence, some incidents were resolved much more easily compared to the original work.
But other incidents, as if trying to fill the void left by Silence, began to throw absolute nonsense at them.
If this was the result of changing the original story, she had to accept it, but…
Why do I have to be the only one accepting this!
Fine, the Holy Kingdom is one thing.
But at least at the Academy, can't we all fight together?!
Violet gnashed her teeth, thinking of her boss and fellow transmigrator who wasn't here.
Of course, he was probably working somewhere out of sight.
Based on the original work, if a demon appeared, at least ten Dark Mages would show up too!
But if asked whether she’d rather fight ten Dark Mages or a demon, Violet was confident she would choose the Dark Mages without a moment's hesitation.
Besides, wasn't he out there with numerous agents, including those from the Empire?!
Seriously, if only Marie were here!
Violet didn't like the character Marie.
In fact, she honestly hated her.
An extra character who barely appeared in the original work had suddenly lost her mind, turned dark, and threatened Daisy.
Of course, after coming to this world, she had learned the backstory behind it.
But that didn't mean the frustrating and gloomy personality from the original work had gone anywhere.
She might be called a ruthless "original work purist" for this, but Violet didn't care.
She knew this world was reality, and she knew it had already deviated significantly from the original.
But that didn't mean she could forget everything about the original work.
It wasn't just about the advantages of knowing the plot.
Even though she had cursed at the ending, the novel Like a Flower Blooming in Barren Land was a precious story that had been with her through her hardest times.
It wasn't a novel only she knew, like some other protagonist.
And if asked if the novel was as precious as her entire life, like that same protagonist… the answer would probably be no.
Still, it was the only joy she had during her days as a part-timer, being harassed by nightmare customers.
That was why she had affection for it.
If she didn't, she wouldn't have stayed in this damn Flower Arrangement Club.
Because she loved and cherished the original work that much, she could be certain of one thing.
The Guardian of Dale, Marie Ekid.
If nothing else, her abilities had to be acknowledged.
After all, she was the monster who had inflicted a wound that even Daisy, who was praised for her Absolute Recovery, couldn't heal for a long time.
In terms of pure destructive power, her ability was one of the best in the original work: Hellfire.
But in a RoFan, if the female lead, the protagonist, and the male leads couldn't use something like that, it was usually used by an enemy.
Following that law, Violet had no intention of acknowledging someone who was of no help to her allies.
“Aaaaaargh!”
“……?”
At least, that’s what she had thought.
“……”
I blinked and looked down at my sword.
The blade was frozen solid.
No matter how much mana I poured into it, the frozen sword didn't react.
“It really is a demon’s power.”
I had been busy catching a fleeing Dark Mage when a demon suddenly appeared, claiming to be a Glacier Demon.
I tossed my half-delirious junior into a corner and fought the Glacier Demon, but after a few clashes, my sword ended up like this.
It was a mass-produced model that Uncle Aeryun had given me.
Even though it was a standard-issue sword used by Imperial agents and definitely wasn't cheap, seeing it in this state made me realize that even if I had used my usual sword, it wouldn't have made much of a difference.
“He’s definitely a tough opponent to take down alone.”
His physical stats were manageable, but his ability was a headache.
I remembered Boradori telling me that these kinds of enemies would show up quite often later, but I couldn't help but click my tongue at the fact that they were appearing already.
So, I was about to call for backup and ask the old man to bring me a spare weapon.
“…You’re really killing the vibe for us swordsmen.”
But the demon was already becoming a "former demon" at the hands of the Fire Spammer, who was the first to join the fray.
I thought I heard somewhere that these types of enemies are surprisingly easy to beat if you hit them with their counter.
Even considering that, the demon’s reaction was unusual.
At first, the Glacier Demon had been quite helpful, explaining his own gimmick: “This is a part of my glacier! As long as the seeds of the glacier exist, I will never die!” But as soon as one of his arms vanished in the Fire Spammer’s flames, he began to panic visibly.
And now.
“Why, why, why, why?!”
As the flames began to consume his upper body, he was in a total state of panic.
“What’s this?”
As I quietly watched the scene, Uncle Aeryun arrived with his agents.
Seeing the clear signs of battle on them, it seemed they had rushed over as soon as they heard a demon had appeared.
“He said he was a Glacier Demon. He was all confident until he got hit by the Fire Spammer’s flames, and then he started freaking out on his own.”
“What?”
“It seems he’s the type of demon that scatters parts of himself to resurrect infinitely. But it looks like the Fire Spammer’s flames are burning away his very essence.”
“…What does that even mean?”
“I don't really know either. I’m just piecing together things I’ve overheard.”
I was only saying it because I’d seen a similar scene in a novel I read a long time ago; it’s not like I actually know anything professional about magic.
“So, what’s your point?”
“Is this why I learned the sword? I feel miserable and full of self-loathing.”
“…Your nonsense has gotten worse.”
That was the sincere anguish of a swordsman. How mean.
“Then why is the Fi—I mean, Marie, acting like that?”
“Who knows? Her eyes flipped the moment she saw the demon. Maybe another one of his clones is connected to the Magic Spammer’s side?”
“And that makes her eyes flip?”
“Maybe it’s because they’re Magic Spammers.”
I watched the Fire Spammer, who was still turning what used to be a demon into ash with her eyes rolled back.
…But was it just my imagination?
Unlike before, she seemed to be controlling her output quite well.
“…Wait, could it be?”
Was this a Fire Spammer Awakening Event?
I decided to hold back the mean comment about her needing a Romance Awakening Event instead as I watched the demon burn to a crisp.