Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Prime Catch
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“Then, Brother Jeron. I’ll be heading back now.”
Justina, having shed her disguise, had returned to her flawless saintess appearance.
She gave me a perfect, elegant bow.
‘She looked more comfortable earlier, though.’
Watching her, I felt a twinge of regret.
She seemed somehow stifled.
Shedding the disguise only made her drift further from her true self. Ironic, really.
Anyway, just as she was about to leave, one problem remained.
The massive bear plush sitting on the sofa.
“But what about that?”
It hadn’t been an issue when she was just ordinary cadet ‘Tina.’
A saintess like Justina hugging a giant plush while strolling the halls? That wouldn’t fit at all.
“Ah….”
She realized it too, her face turning awkward for a moment.
“You don’t have to take it if you don’t want to.”
I said it to ease her burden, but Justina eyed the bear plush with clear reluctance.
Then, as if she’d made up her mind, she approached it.
“Great One, your daughter beseeches you….”
She placed her hand on the bear and whispered something softly.
A brilliant light flashed, and the huge bear plush shrank in an instant to the size of her palm.
‘Wait. What was that?’
It wasn’t ordinary divine magic.
It was the saintess’s unique authority: [Holy Word].
A power to pray to the divine and make a wish, capable of working miracles within a certain range.
Right now, her divinity was still weak, so she could only grant simple wishes, making it impractical in combat. But once she grew further as a saintess, it would become one of her key skills.
In the game, it was a rare skill she rarely used unless affinity was high. Even mid-team battle, she’d refuse with, “I can’t use Holy Word for personal matters.”
And she was using [Holy Word] just to shrink a bear plush?
I stared at her in disbelief.
She caught my eye and flashed a slight smile.
Not her usual benevolent, contrived one—this carried a hint of mischief.
“It’s not really meant for things like this, but….”
Justina pressed a finger to her lips in a “shh” gesture.
“You have to keep this a secret too. Hehe.”
She tucked the shrunken bear into her bosom alongside the *Theory of Divine Magic* book and left the lounge.
“…….”
I watched her go, lost in thought for a moment.
…Well, a positive change, I suppose?
***
After parting with Justina, I spent time as usual with Artel and Yuria.
“Jeron, where were you? We were looking everywhere.”
“Ah, just tired, so I rested a bit.”
“I knew it.”
They asked about my brief disappearance, but I brushed it off.
Telling them I’d eaten ice cream alone with the saintess and played claw machine? That’d shatter her perfect image.
Truth was, that wasn’t the only reason. Something told me spilling the truth would lead to massive hassle.
…Why?
Anyway.
Two days passed like that, and the airship arrived without incident at one of the islands in the Adelan Archipelago.
As the boarding ramp opened, cadets poured out.
I took my time, disembarking last—after Artel and Yuria—and followed behind them.
The salty sea air hit my nose the moment I stepped down.
Cool waves crashed in the distance.
‘Whoa. Feels like a vacation.’
I stood on the sand, taking in the view.
A dense primordial forest stretched before us.
Under the professors’ guidance, we plunged into it.
The airship apparently couldn’t land right at the final destination, so it took quite a hike.
‘Long forest trek? Ugh. No way I’m doing that diligent crap.’
Naturally, I shifted Ker into broom form and hopped on.
Vrooom—
The wind whipping my cheeks felt amazing.
“…….”
“…She’s not even walking anymore.”
A few sweating cadets nearby shot me envious looks.
[Slothful travel!]
[Sloth +1!]
…
Racking up sloth points casually while cruising comfortably, we soon reached the final spot.
A military camp-like setup.
Likely a base camp built temporarily for this evaluation.
Behind it loomed a massive mountain.
I stared at it.
‘…That the one?’
“Jeron, what’re you looking at?”
Yuria asked from beside me. I shook my head.
“Nothing. Just a big mountain.”
“Ahaha… Aren’t mountains always big?”
Under the professors’ lead, all cadets gathered in the camp’s main hall.
Once everyone assembled, Professor Kate took the podium.
“From now on, I’ll brief you on the Stella Academy 1st Year 1st Semester Comprehensive Evaluation.”
Her voice, amplified by mana, echoed through the hall.
Snap.
Professor Kate lightly snapped her fingers, and a massive illusory map of the island floated in the air.
“This is the map of the island we’re on.”
The center showed the huge mountain, its foothills marked with our current base camp.
The island was divided into various zones besides that.
“This island will be the main stage for the evaluation. It runs for a total of three weeks, with one exam per week—three in all. The first two are team battles; the final is individual.”
She continued calmly.
“Exam 1: ‘Subjugation.’ Hunt the magical beasts appearing on the island to earn points.”
“Exam 2: ‘Exploration.’ Find hidden items scattered across the island to earn points.”
“And the final Exam 3: ‘Ascent.’”
Professor Kate pointed to the massive mountain at the map’s center.
“It’s individual. Rankings are based on who reaches the summit first.”
Cadets began murmuring at her explanation.
Especially as questions about the ‘team battles’ of Exams 1 and 2 surfaced in everyone’s minds, Professor Kate spoke again.
“You’re probably wondering about team composition. Teams of 3 to 5 members, formed freely.”
She raised a finger for emphasis.
“However. Each cadet has a score based on practical combat rankings and class evaluations. Total team scores must not exceed the limit.”
No stacking the strongest together.
Team formation itself was the evaluation’s start.
“For more details, refer to the materials distributed individually. That’s all.”
The briefing ended, and the hall erupted in chatter.
First to hype up were the battle maniacs from Swordsmanship and Martial Arts.
“Kahaha! Subjugation exam! Time to show our stuff!”
Magic and Assassination cadets eyed other parts.
“Oho. Exploration? Like treasure hunt? Sounds fun.”
Some grumbled too.
“Sigh. Summit climb last? Stamina-focused. Unfair for mages, right?”
But excitement and complaints faded quick.
Cadets faced the real issue.
Team composition.
“Whoa. Team battles? Didn’t see that coming.”
“Gotta join a good team then, right?”
“Score limits, huh? Gotta calculate smart.”
Professors began handing out materials.
Each packet listed all cadets’ names with cold, hard scores from practical ranks and evaluations.
“Hm.”
I skimmed mine.
Names packed with scores.
And mine… ah, there.
[Jeron Airgia: 85 points]
85 points.
Insanely low compared to my Practical Combat A-Rank 1st place title.
Overflowing cost-performance.
Why?
Simple.
Pre-Ker, I blanked every theory exam, skipped or slacked off in class corners.
All that trolling factored in.
Which meant…
‘I’m… a total jackpot item?’
Actual combat crushes S-Rank kids, but paper score’s middling A-Rank.
Eats minimal team score, delivers max performance. Team battle cheat key?
I slowly looked up.
“…….”
Countless cadets eyed me with greed dripping from their stares.