Class Assignment Exam
The exam had been underway for roughly three hours now. Alissa prowled through the forest with fire blazing in her eyes.
“Where the hell is he?”
She felt like she had already combed through half the woods, yet that detestable face refused to appear. Worry was beginning to creep in.
“Don’t tell me he already got eliminated?”
Considering the rumors about Luan Priulri, that possibility actually seemed the most likely. She had held some faint hope after witnessing the abnormal strength he displayed in that back alley, but it looked like nothing more than pointless attachment after all.
Alissa suddenly recalled what had happened yesterday.
“If only that woman had helped…”
Right after the entrance ceremony ended yesterday, she had hurried to find Skadia Maryland. After hovering around her for a while, she finally couldn’t hold back and asked directly about Luan Priulri. The answer she received was utterly ridiculous.
“Why are you asking me that? It’s unpleasant.”
“If you want to see him so badly, go to his mansion. I won’t care what the two of you do.”
At first glance the words seemed neutral, but her eyes had clearly labeled Alissa as the woman having an affair with Luan Priulri. For Alissa, it was extremely offensive.
“She doesn’t know anything.”
If Skadia had only managed her fiancé properly, none of this would have happened. Alissa ground her teeth hard before letting out a long sigh.
Just as the thought of giving up and focusing on the exam began to surface, she shook her head fiercely.
“No. It’s still too early to give up.”
Saying she had searched half the forest meant the other half remained unchecked. She had to keep looking at least until the exam ended. The only area left was the north.
She had spotted harpies in the distance earlier and avoided approaching because dealing with them would be annoying, but now she had no choice. The moment she began heading north—
The sounds of frantic combat echoed from up ahead, and multiple presences entered her detection range.
“Abel! Hold on just a little longer!”
“Yeah! Don’t worry about me!”
“I’ll help too, nyang!”
While a male student wielding a sword held off the monster from the front, a cat beastkin circled around looking for openings, and a female student cast magic from the rear. The three of them formed a perfect party.
Alissa’s steps faltered.
‘Should I avoid them?’
None of the three were particularly high level, so she could probably handle them alone, but she didn’t want to waste time. Her target was Luan Priulri and Luan Priulri alone.
But another thought crossed her mind as she hesitated.
‘Wait. They might know where Luan Priulri is.’
She didn’t know how long they had been active in the northern zone, but it was likely longer than her. There was a chance they had spotted him.
Having made her decision, Alissa stepped into the clearing where the fight appeared to have just ended.
“Ah! Alis… It’s someone else, nyang!”
“Yuni! Pernia! Get behind me!”
“Abel, be careful!”
The moment Abel saw her, he rushed forward to block her path, sword leveled. Tension thickened the air. Both sides knew exactly who was stronger. The fact that she had gotten this close without them noticing was proof enough.
Just as the overwhelmed Abel prepared to strike first—
“I have no intention of fighting you.”
Alissa took a step back. Caught off guard, Abel faltered, then gripped his sword tighter as relief washed over him and asked,
“Then why did you appear in front of us? You could have just slipped past unnoticed.”
“I have something to ask.”
“Something to ask?”
“Yeah. Have any of you seen Luan Priulri?”
The party exchanged glances. Abel and Yuni, who were merely commoners from a rural village, knew very little about nobles. There was no way they would recognize Luan Priulri. Pernia deliberately pretended not to know.
Reading their confusion, Alissa frowned slightly and explained.
“A guy with black hair and silver eyes. He’s about the same height as you. Haven’t you seen him?”
“Hmm… Sorry, I haven’t. What about you, Yuni?”
“Me? I haven’t either. The first person I met was Abel, you know?”
“I don’t know either, nyang!”
Students preferred hunting ground monsters over the harpies that flew through the sky. It let them gather points faster. The immediate negative answers were the opposite of what Alissa had hoped for, and disappointment washed over her.
“Sigh… I see. Thanks anyway.”
“No problem. It wasn’t a hard question.”
“That’s right! But why are you looking for him? Are you close?”
Yuni’s eyes sparkled. Her girlish imagination had already begun spinning romantic scenes between Alissa and Luan Priulri.
Alissa shattered those expectations completely.
“I’m going to kill him the moment I find him.”
“H-huh?”
“I’m going to kill him. It’s allowed here, right? Anyway, I’ll be going now. You guys keep hunting hard.”
“Ah! W-wait—!”
Alissa firmly ignored Yuni’s attempt to stop her and left the clearing. She already knew what the girl was going to say. If Yuni started lecturing her about how killing was wrong or that they should talk it out, she might just slaughter the three of them on the spot. Right now, Yuni’s persuasion was nothing but an obstacle.
‘I must have my revenge.’
Ever since her purity was stolen, Alissa had been obsessed with revenge. It was the only salvation that could soothe her anxious heart.
At that same moment, inside the grand auditorium, the professors were watching the students’ performances through magic. A real-time point leaderboard was displayed on one side, making it easy to see who was in the lead.
Sara Caiman, who had been calmly observing the situation, suddenly thought of Luan Priulri. Despite the rumors that he was a womanizer, he possessed an incredible drive for growth and surprising tenacity. His combat ability was terrible by comparison, yet for some reason she found herself expecting something from him.
‘Has he already been eliminated?’
When she checked just in case, she found his name in the middle ranks. Curiosity surging, Sara immediately pulled up Luan Priulri’s location.
“A harpy nest?”
That was an area where surveillance was impossible. The fact that he had been dragged there of all places made Sara click her tongue. Right then, a presence suddenly appeared beside her.
“How interesting.”
A seductive voice that tickled the ear. Feeling a chill run down her spine, Sara turned her head and discovered a woman. It was Roxana, the Master of the Gray Magic Tower.
Her wavy, deep purple hair reminded one of the night sky just before the sun fully set, and her blue eyes sank as deep as the ocean. Overall, she gave off a mature yet decadent impression. Even the gentle curve of her lips possessed a magnetic charm that made it difficult for men to look away.
Sara stared at her as if entranced before belatedly snapping back to her senses and asking,
“…What do you mean by that?”
“I’m talking about student Luan Priulri. Isn’t it fascinating that he’s still alive inside a harpy nest?”
She smiled sweetly as if seeking agreement, but the expression only irritated Sara. She replied rather curtly.
“That’s because harpies don’t kill men right away. You know that, don’t you? Weren’t you the one who designed it that way?”
“Hehe… That is true. But what I’m referring to is how long student Luan Priulri has been surviving. Just so you know, this student was captured by harpies before even an hour had passed since the exam began.”
The exam ran from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.—a total of seven hours. If he had been captured before the first hour, that meant he had already endured for over five hours. It was quite strange that Luan Priulri was still alive.
Sara was visibly shocked.
“You’re saying he’s held on for more than five hours?”
“That’s right. Isn’t it amazing? Just how strong must his stamina be for the harpies to keep him alive? Should I take a little peek?”
With a playful smile, Roxana reached toward the hologram. Even though Sara knew it was just an act, she couldn’t help but shout.
“Stop that! It violates imperial law.”
As if that was the reaction she wanted, Roxana curved her eyes into crescent moons.
“Ahaha! I was joking. Just joking. I know that. Women are simply drawn to strong men. It’s only natural to want to see, don’t you think?”
“…Not at all. He is merely one of my students.”
“Is that so? You have such deep affection for your students.”
The look that said there was no need to be so modest annoyed Sara. She had never once harbored such thoughts toward Luan Priulri. Lusting after a student was unbecoming of a teacher.
‘There’s no need anyway.’
Things were progressing nicely with Verdan Roosevelt—even if it was still just the early stages—so she had no reason to cling to a student. Once Sara regained her composure and began openly ignoring her, Roxana shrugged and turned away.
“Aah… I really want to see.”
Roxana let out a regretful sigh. With just a flick of her finger she could satisfy her curiosity, yet her last shred of conscience refused to allow her to spy. To think that a mage capable of deceiving anything and everything would be so hung up on something so trivial. How pathetic.
‘Still, it can’t be helped.’
If her beloved disciple found out, she would be disappointed. Roxana’s gaze drifted toward the point rankings.
Do your best, my disciple.
[0:30]
“Time to head out.”
After enduring an unbearably boring stretch of time, I checked my magic bracelet and stood up. By now most of the students would have been eliminated, and the northern zone where the harpies lived had very few people. There shouldn’t be any problem leaving.
I glanced sideways at the harpy lying dead, covered in semen, then exited the nest.
I had to be careful from here on. If I moved carelessly I might get caught by harpies or slip and fall off the cliff.
A short while later, I safely reached the ground. After scanning my surroundings and confirming there were no abnormalities, I let out a sigh of relief.
“Phew… No problems for now. Guess I’ll find a place to rest.”
I had already rested plenty, but with thirty minutes left there was nothing to do. Rather than wandering around aimlessly, it would be wiser to pick a suitable spot and wait for the exam to end.
As I wandered through the forest, I soon discovered a clearing. A large rock stood in the center—perfect for hiding behind. Just as I approached it—
“What a coincidence?”
A familiar voice rang out, and Alissa stepped out from behind the rock. Warning bells screamed inside my head.
“Why are you here…”
“You’re asking because you don’t know? Obviously I came looking for you. Lucky me. I was just about to give up after checking all the way to the cliff.”
Srrrng—
Alissa smiled brightly as she drew her rapier from her waist. She intended to kill me.
“Wait. Calm down.”
“Calm down? Have you forgotten what you did to me? I won’t kill you easily. I’ll carve off every single piece of your flesh until you’re begging me to end it.”
Her eyes had completely lost it. Alissa, driven mad by revenge, was beyond reason. If things continued like this, I would be brutally tortured to death.
‘Fuck. What do I do?’
Even though this was a virtual space and I wouldn’t actually die, enduring torture might break my mind from the pain. If I developed trauma toward Alissa, I wouldn’t be able to intervene in the main story at all. That had to be avoided.
‘But I can’t fight her either.’
Putting aside the fact that the professors were probably watching, I had no chance of winning in the first place. Even if I used Rape Declaration, I would only gain raw strength. I wouldn’t be able to handle Alissa, and I would end up suffering torture along with the penalty.
For now, I decided to appeal to Alissa’s conscience.
“I feel bad about what happened back then too. But that was because you didn’t keep your promise. Right? If you had cooperated, there wouldn’t have been any problem.”
“……”
Alissa’s steps suddenly stopped. After a brief silence, she spoke with a twisted smile.
“So you’re saying it was my fault?”
“I’m saying you provided the cause. But none of that matters now. Does it? I have no intention of arguing about who’s right or wrong. I’m just saying you’re not exactly in a position to act all righteous either.”
So give up on revenge.
Alissa seemed to understand the implication behind my words. Her expression hardened and her eyes widened.
“You only know one thing and not the other? I don’t need justification. All I need is to be able to kill you. Is that all you wanted to say? Then die.”
Killing intent erupted from her entire body. Combined with the visual effect of her rapier radiating lethal energy, the pressure was enough to make my legs go weak. I stumbled backward.
‘Persuasion isn’t working.’
Have you ever heard that those with nothing to lose are the most terrifying? Right now, Alissa believed her future was already destined for ruin. That was why she could openly display her hatred even while knowing others were watching.
There was no way out like this. In the end, I had no choice but to resort to my final option.
“If you do that, you won’t get away unscathed either.”
“…What? What are you talking about?”
“You think I’ll just stay quiet if I get tortured? Do you know what will happen if that fact gets out? If you don’t want that, you should stop.”
Alissa’s face stiffened. Having been threatened in return by the very rapist she hated, she let out a hollow laugh as if it was absurd, then revealed her rage.
“Then I’ll just have to turn you into a complete idiot. I’ll make sure you can’t even open your mouth.”
“What? Wait. Hold on. That’s—”
Before I could finish speaking, Alissa closed the distance faster than my dynamic vision could track and swung her rapier.
Slash!
Along with a spray of blood, my right leg flew into the air.