Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Phantom Thief Appears (1)
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“I really need you two. Artel, Yuria. Team up with me.”
The first to react to my earnest plea was Yuria.
“Yes…! Jeron, of course!”
She stepped forward, looking moved.
“To think Jeron actually needs me… I’m so happy. I’ll do my absolute best!”
Snowy, perched on her shoulder, also made a confident expression.
Then Yuria grabbed Artel’s arm with both hands.
“So Artel’s obviously joining too, right?!”
“…Ugh.”
Artel looked flustered.
“Why pick me over two S-Ranks…? Seriously…”
She muttered in a small voice.
She lightly touched the necklace around her neck, cleared her throat once, and said,
“Well, if you’re asking that much, I guess I have no choice. Let’s do it.”
‘Okay.’
Things were going smoothly according to plan.
They all seemed thrilled to team up with a prime catch like me, their faces slightly flushed.
This was a true win-win.
Good for the sister-in-law, good for the brother-in-law, right?
“Shall we go register the team then?”
“Yes! Let’s do it right now!”
And so we headed to the team registration desk inside the auditorium and completed the process immediately.
***
The large illusion magic screen spread out in the auditorium.
It displayed the following.
[Current Team Registrations]
The previously empty space now had one team listed.
[Team 1 - Jeron Airgia, Artel Rosendal, Yuria Isolde]
Cadets’ attention immediately poured in.
“Whoa, they already formed a team?”
“That’s insanely strong. Top contender, right?”
“I was wondering who they’d pick, but looks like they just went with their usual crew since it’s a hassle. Classic Jeron.”
“Hmm. Sure, they look solid, but is an all-mage team okay? Balance feels off…”
Amid the cadets buzzing with various reactions.
“Ooh— That sword, Jeron…!”
Karen stood there, eyes sparkling.
“Teaming up with an excellent cadet like Artel…! What a matchup to look forward to! I want to face them and take them down!”
She clenched her fists, her fighting spirit blazing.
And on the other side.
“…….”
Ciel stood with her arms crossed, her face unusually pouty.
Team battle.
From the moment Professor Kate mentioned it, Ciel’s top pick had naturally been Jeron.
She found him incredibly fun, fascinating, and the friend who matched her best.
But realizing the point limit meant she couldn’t team with him, she’d felt disappointed.
Then just earlier.
When a crowd of cadets gathered to gawk at something, Ciel’s curiosity got the better of her, and she joined in to see.
That’s when Jeron napped in front of two S-Ranks and brutally rejected their offers.
Ciel, watching, giggled.
‘Classic Jeron—.’
To her, born with innate magical genius, the world was always predictable.
Thus, it felt boring and dull.
But there was one exception.
Jeron alone was unpredictable.
That’s why she liked him so much.
Up to that point, all good.
But then.
Suddenly, Jeron went over to Artel and Yuria and asked to team up.
As if he’d been thinking of them from the start.
“Hmph—.”
Watching that, Ciel felt inexplicably upset.
Had she not been Jeron’s first choice after all?
Lately, he’d been saying he had after-school stuff and hadn’t played much.
Note tutoring was off during comprehensive eval period too.
Jeron had seemed a bit neglectful lately.
“Um… Cadet Ciel. Have you decided on a team?”
“If you’re okay with it, join us…!”
At that moment, a few cadets mustered their courage and approached her.
But they didn’t even register in Ciel’s eyes.
‘Jeron, you cheater—.’
Ciel shot a slight glare at Jeron, who was with Artel and Yuria over there.
***
Right after team registration, a familiar system window popped up before my eyes.
Ding!
[A main quest has been generated!]
[Chapter 2. 1st Semester Comprehensive Evaluation]
Objective: Achieve results in the 1st Year 1st Semester Comprehensive Evaluation in a slothful manner.
Reward: ??? (Final reward improves with higher ranking!)
Ranking: -
Just like the placement exam, it evaluated not just results but the degree of slothfulness in the approach.
‘As expected.’
At this point, not predicting it would be foolish.
Naturally, I’d prepared for that from the start.
I smiled in satisfaction.
But seeing that, Artel cautiously asked,
“You’re that happy about teaming up with us? It’s making you grin like that…?”
“Hm? Oh. Yeah, thrilled.”
“…I-I see.”
Her earlobes turned slightly red.
Hm. Artel definitely has strong validation needs.
Well, thinking an S-Rank passed her over to pick her must feel like ultimate praise.
‘Anyway.’
In the original game, after team registration, a cutscene showed other teams forming, then it jumped to the next event.
But reality was different.
Plenty of prep time left for team composition.
So Yuria and Artel started discussing future plans.
“Since we formed first, we’ve got loads of time to gel as a team. Big advantage.”
“Yeah! First test is subjugation, so let’s divvy roles and plan strategies ahead!”
“Joint training too.”
“That sounds great!”
Like they said, this period was for syncing with teammates and devising strategies…
‘I’m already set.’
Having synced with them endlessly in the game, I had no worries.
Artel and Yuria’s combo was pretty stable too.
‘They’ll figure it out.’
Especially Yuria, who meshed well with any character, so she’d handle it.
‘So what I need to do….’
As always, slack off or farm sloth.
To pull off ‘that strategy’ for the first exam, I needed to buy some stuff from the sloth shop in advance.
“Yawn… Team’s registered, so I’ll rest a bit.”
I let out a big yawn, summoned Kerr, turned shadows into a cloud, and lounged atop it, floating lazily.
So fluffy.
Saw clouds from the airship and wanted to nap on one—dream come true.
Seeing that, Yuria cried out in shock.
“W-Wait, you just picked us out of laziness…!? No way, right Jeron? Jeron?!”
Artel sighed beside her, muttering,
“Really, you’re impossible sometimes.”
Ignoring their reactions, I drifted away like a cloud.
***
A few days passed after that.
Other teams slowly formed one by one, diving into serious training.
Of course, none of my business.
While Yuria and Artel sweated it out syncing up, I lounged in a shadow hammock between shady trees, farming sloth leisurely.
At least I stuck around for their earnest pleas during actual training sessions.
What am I, a mascot or totem…?
That’s when it happened.
“Jeron.”
A whisper tickled my ear.
Startled, I looked—only Ciel’s face floated there.
“Hehe—.”
‘Dullahan?!’
I thought she’d developed a head-only floating spell, but no.
On closer look, it was stealth magic blending into surroundings like a chameleon.
I whispered to her.
“Ciel, you can’t be here.”
Artel might spot us and get the wrong idea again.
But Ciel ignored my concern, whining in a sulky tone.
“But Jeron— you haven’t played with me lately—. I’m bored—.”
Fair, I hadn’t much lately.
I sighed and agreed to chat briefly.
That’s when.
“Jeron, know this—? See that mountain—?”
Ciel pointed to the massive mountain looming behind base camp.
“There’s a legend about it—. From the Mythic Era.”
Mythic Era mention hooked me instantly.
Mythic Era bait here?!
“Long ago, something vicious got sealed in that mountain—. And someday, the seal will weaken a ton—.”
‘Ah… So that’s the setup?’
Hearing Ciel, the upcoming event’s plausibility clicked a bit.
Who knew that throwaway lore had this backstory.
Ciel chatted more with me after, then bolted before Artel spotted her.
***
Thus, a week flew by, exam day arrived.
“One rep per team, come forward and get these.”
At Professor Kate’s instruction, thin mana stone tablets like slim tablets were distributed to cadets.
“What’s this?”
Cadets examined them curiously from all angles.
“Latest tech from the Magic Tower. Use it for real-time exam info.”
Professor Kate briefly explained the mana stone tablet’s functions.
First exam: ‘Subjugation.’
Hunt mana beasts appearing across the island for points.
The tablet was essential for subjugation.
Island map, beast locations and types, other teams’ scores—all viewable on it.
She added one key rule.
“Hunting a beast auto-allocates points by contribution, recorded on the tablet.”
Auto point logging plus contribution system.
Felt just like an RPG.
“And some cautions.”
Professor Kate swept a sharp gaze over the cadets.
“No cadet-vs-cadet combat or hostility. Immediate disqualification if caught.”
Monster hunt, not PVP brawl.
Some combat and assassination majors looked disappointed.
Exam rules explained.
All that remained: wait for start.
“Alright, exam begins in 10 minutes.”
Final 10-minute strategy huddle.
Yuria and Artel huddled, furiously planning.
I watched, lost in my own thoughts.
‘Just like the game.’
Most efficient—and slothful—way to rack points in this exam.
As a veteran, I already knew it.
Somehow, ended up pure freeloading again.
After busrider, proxy—now the ultimate non-meta gamer sin.
That was my core strategy this time.
‘Last-Hit Thief strategy.’
Sure, rules against last-hitters.
But to a vet, rules are just exploits waiting.
Ultimate score phantom thief.
Debuting in the exam!