Chapter 149: Akensom (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 149: Akensom (7)
The Reason Men Die Young.
Just as Daisy and Violet had felt a sense of urgency, the RoFan Male Leads also began to feel the pressure as the third day dawned.
“…At this rate, we’re going to finish the exam having done nothing but camp.”
Unlike Adam Smith, these were individuals who cared quite a bit about their grades.
Of course, considering their social status, they were the type of people who would live well even if they did absolutely nothing. It was a mystery why they felt the need to snatch away the opportunities for commoners or low-ranking nobles to rise above their stations.
They remained blissfully unaware that their "purely doing their best" was a catastrophe for someone else—or rather, for a vast majority of their academy classmates.
And so.
“Let’s get moving.”
The catastrophe began to move.
Two swordsmen, one magic swordsman, and two mages.
The party composition was balanced, but their individual skill levels were absurd. Four of them were ranked within the top five of their respective departments, and even Esid, who didn't make that cut, was a high-ranking student in the Magic Department.
It was just that the people around him were monsters; even the "weakest" link, Esid, was a daunting figure to other students, even if he lacked a certain air of authority.
Those monsters had joined forces.
Of course, they hadn't teamed up for the sake of grades; they just happened to be a group of close friends.
“Aaaagh!”
“Run away!”
To the ordinary academy students, the reason for their alliance didn't matter.
Even though a Losers' Revival Match remained an option...
“If they catch us, it’s over!”
According to the rules, to be revived, one had to reclaim their token from the person who took it! If you were going to lose it, you had to lose it to someone you actually stood a chance against.
Therefore, the only option for the students who spotted the RoFan Male Lead party was to flee.
“…Don’t run!”
“You’re making us look like the bad guys!”
Watching the students scatter in panic the moment they saw them, the RoFan Male Leads debated whether they should give chase or not, but…
“If we keep this up, we’re going to fail the exam!”
Esid’s cold, rational remark put an end to their hesitation.
However.
“…There’s no one here.”
“They all ran away.”
The moment the rumor spread that they were on the move, not a single student remained in their vicinity.
“It looks like they’ve even set up surveillance magic.”
Arwen sighed as he identified and destroyed the traces of surveillance magic around them, but the numbers were significant.
“At least the silver lining is that there aren't many mages nearby?”
He only said that because he didn't know that most of the mages had been deployed to catch the mages' public enemy number one.
“Still, this isn't enough.”
Despite their efforts, the magic spread around the area was hindering the group from achieving the grades they desired.
“In the end, do we have no choice but to aim for the special points?”
This was information they had been given before arriving at Akensom. There were special events hidden within the testing grounds where one could earn a massive amount of points. If they could just trigger them, they could secure a huge score all at once.
And the place where those special points could be earned was…
“It’s here.”
“Indeed.”
“It’s obviously here.”
Upon discovering a special dungeon hidden by all sorts of magic, the RoFan Male Leads were about to enter without hesitation, but...
“Doesn't this look a bit too suspicious, though?”
Esid, the only one possessing cold reason, tried to stop them.
However.
“Isn't it obviously the place?”
“There’s no reason for a facility like this to be in a place that was once used as an Imperial vacation spot.”
“It has to be hidden like this to be worth special points.”
Faced with his friends' "isn't it obvious?" reactions and...
“Even if it’s not, it’s a special dungeon. It’s not like we’re going to die, right?”
Asran’s finishing blow.
“…I suppose so?”
Esid had no choice but to nod.
…Naturally, the "events" to earn special points involved defeating professors hidden throughout Akensom.
With light hearts, they stepped into the demon hideout hidden by the Dark Mages.
“……They went in here?”
I stood speechless, staring at the dungeon entrance. It was engraved with a skull and looked like a Dark Mage’s den to anyone with eyes.
I didn't know who was worse: the idiots who just walked in, or the Imperial agent who let them.
“…I really did my best.”
According to the agent's excuse, the surveillance magic he’d attached was immediately spotted and destroyed by the Magic Spammers. When he tried to monitor them from a closer range, he couldn't evade the Magic Spammers' detection spells or Prince Ellen’s senses.
Thus, he had to maintain a significant distance while trying to stay as close as possible without being detected…
But being RoFan Male Leads, their abilities were unnecessarily exceptional, so that "distance" was quite substantial. The moment the RoFan Golden Generation moved, there was no way to stop them immediately.
“……Ugh.”
It’s terrifying how persuasive that sounds.
“So. The Empire didn't build this, right?”
“Doesn't it obviously look like they didn't?”
“I figured, but I thought I’d ask just in case.”
Honestly, I was hoping it was just some Imperial craftsman with a very questionable sense of aesthetics.
“Quiet. We’re going in.”
“Sigh…”
Apparently, that possibility didn't exist.
I gave instructions to the agents outside for any potential contingencies. Just as I was about to enter the dungeon...
“Ah. By the way.”
“What?”
“If there’s a demon inside, we can’t handle it ourselves.”
“…Why would there be a demon on Akensom?”
“They’re at the Academy, aren't they?”
“…That makes sense!”
To prepare for the worst-case scenario, I summoned the Fire Spammer, who could land effective hits on demons.
“Grrrrrrr.”
“…The emotion amplification is certainly working.”
“Doesn't she just look like the usual Fire Spammer?”
“…You, shut your mouth.”
Due to the wicked plot of a Dark Mage, he felt more like a beast than a human. Regardless, the Golden Generation Rescue Party began its entry.
“……”
“……”
“……”
About five minutes after entering.
Seeing the Dark Mage’s den already neatly cleaned out...
“Are we even needed?”
I couldn't help but wonder.
RoFan Male Leads are strong.
Although their win rate had dropped slightly because of a single mudfish named Adam Smith, these were powerhouses who had no rivals in the Academy besides Adam Smith and each other.
Not only in their own year, but even among seniors, TAs, or even professors, there were few who could defeat them. Originally, they were the ones who solved Academy incidents on the front lines.
In fact, due to the variable known as Adam Smith, they were significantly stronger than they were in the original work.
As if to balance this, the level of enemies appearing was also rising, but...
Unfortunately, the hideout of the Demon of Emotion that the RoFan Male Leads had stormed was not in a state to receive such a buff.
No, rather, it was a base for the resurrection of a Legion Commander that was supposed to influence the story long after the Academy arc. As a base force that was less prepared than in the original, they couldn't stop the powered-up RoFan Male Leads.
“I think we might have come to the wrong place.”
“Dark Mages again?”
“Do Dark Mages come to vacation spots too?”
“Idiot. Do these look like people enjoying a vacation to you?”
To make matters worse, because they had sent their already scarce manpower to deal with Adam Smith to speed up their plans, the base was breached with pathetic ease.
“There goes our exam…”
“Don’t we get points for catching Dark Mages?”
“What kind of exam factors in points for Dark Mages showing up?”
“For our Academy, it seems plausible, doesn't it?”
“…That makes sense!”
With a vibe that was far too light compared to the incidents they had faced so far...
“W-who are you people?!”
The group reached the final battle with the Demon of Emotion after eliminating all its subordinates.
“Aaargh! You mere humans!”
“…Were demons always this weak?”
“The demon we saw before wasn't like this.”
“But it doesn't seem like our attacks are landing properly?”
“Useless swordsmen, step back. From here on, it’s a battlefield for mages.”
“Says the guy who lost to Adam.”
“The one who lost to Adam Smith shouldn't talk.”
“Shut up!”
The battle with the demon, which began like that, was also resolved without much difficulty…
The Demon of Emotion.
True to its name, it possessed the ability to control human emotions to some extent, but…
Literally, that was all.
It was an existence that was utterly useless in direct combat.
No matter how I think about it, the RoFan world is definitely a world for psychopaths.
Clearly, these guys should have been raised like flowers in a greenhouse, knowing nothing of the world. Even if they were taught from a young age not to treat Dark Mages as human, to sweep them all away without a moment's hesitation…
…I’m not one to talk, but they really went all out.
“You said the report wasn't that slow.”
“…The Prince’s party is just incredibly skilled.”
“Trying to sneak Prince Esid in there is a bit…”
He worked hard for a prince, but honestly, Prince Esid fell far short of even earning the title of "Magic Spammer" from me.
Of course, the title of "Magic Spammer" usually implies a lot of mental issues. In a way, it meant he was still within the realm of a normal person.
But was he too weak to survive in this harsh RoFan world?
“Grrrrrrr.”
“At least he should be at that level…”
Perhaps because this was the source of the emotion amplification, I was in the middle of explaining while watching the Fire Spammer, who was becoming more like a literal fire-breather the deeper we went.
“Watch your back at night… if you die by magic, it’ll be ruled as death by natural causes…”
“Huh?”
Seeing the Fire Spammer return from a beast-like state to a human one, it seemed our RoFan Male Leads had finally—or perhaps for the first time—done their jobs properly.
“Since he’s back to normal, I guess it’s all over?”
“What kind of life do you lead where telling someone to watch their back at night is considered 'normal'…”
“It’s the fate of a Leonian…”
“You’re an agent of Leon, yet you’re the one destroying Leon’s reputation…”
That was hurtful.
Just looking at the perception of the heterogeneous species scheduled for admission, the difference between Leon and Dale was clear. This was proof, backed by a long history starting from our ancestors, that Leon’s character was superior to Dale’s.
And that, in turn, proved that learning the sword was better for character building than learning magic.
Come to think of it, in my past life, friends who went to math or English academies were always angry and irritable. But friends who learned Taekwondo, Kendo, or Judo were generally nice because they had discipline beaten into them from the start.
“Anyway, let’s go in.”
Along with the now-normal Imperial agent and the now-normal Fire Spammer, we crossed the threshold of a door that looked like it would spawn a boss mob the moment we entered.
“……”
There, a woman with a horrified expression was trapped in a massive ice statue. Her pupils were so dilated they were almost entirely black; she clearly wasn't human, but a demon.
“…Huh?”
As we stared at the demon statue for a long moment.
Ellen, who spotted us first, looked at me with a delighted expression and then...
“Points!”
…As if I were a point vending machine rather than a person.
He began to approach, drawing his sword.
…Ah, this is going to bring up the "Leon character" talk again.
The moment I thought that, I saw the Magic Spammers and the other RoFan Male Leads' eyes flash.
Apparently, it was a character trait common to all RoFan Male Leads.
Therefore.
“Ah, I’m already eliminated.”
“……”
“……”
I showed them once that the Badge of Survival was missing from my chest.
“Well then, excuse me…”
“Hey, you—!”
Abandoning Uncle Aeryun and the Fire Spammer.
I returned to where I was supposed to be.
