Chapter 10
Chapter 10
The Saint of a Single Strike
“Pardon? Professor?”
[First of all, Idnia Kathe Betelgeuse. Your proposal is good, however… if you proceed that way, the path will become too narrow and cause a bottleneck.
Even if you clear out all the skeletons, if that many students move along a single route, you won’t make it back in time.
Currently, the forest paths are divided into five main routes… If you wish to use that method, each dormitory will choose one route and proceed along it.
This is not a suggestion, but an order.]
Byuremheid ordered that each dormitory select one of the five routes and proceed.
In other words, he acknowledged Idnia’s proposal.
The problem now was who would stand at the front and defeat those skeletons.
“I made the proposal, so I will take the lead. Is there anyone willing to join me?”
As Idnia looked around, Christian Dupont raised his hand.
“Wait! I was told that Lady Betelgeuse has not learned magic!”
“That’s correct. But fortunately, I’ve trained in my family’s martial arts, so I’ll be fine.”
“That won’t do. How can we let a lady stand at the front? I will lead!”
“I’m not planning to use fragile men as shields, though.”
Idnia had already earned bonus points by subjugating criminals and monsters, even skipping the entrance exam and surpassing the lowest rank.
To her, the male students looked like sheltered children raised in comfort.
But the boys refused to let her lead, volunteering one after another, and the vanguard was decided on its own.
With Christian Dupont and other students who had learned magic, the vanguard formed and began breaking through the path ahead.
“Ahh. This is getting interesting. Idnia Kathe Betelgeuse! As expected of the daughter of the former Saint and the Duke of Draken! I never had much expectation for humans, but every now and then, someone with spirit like this appears!”
Byuremheid was delighted as the students entered the forest.
Since Idnia had shared the strategy openly instead of monopolizing it, all dormitories began advancing along different routes.
Even the students from the southern kingdom’s Notos dormitory, who had previously refused to move, chose Route 3 and entered, which pleased him.
“But the leading students are actually clearing the skeletons. If your goal is to torment them, wouldn’t it have been better to leave them at the starting point and let them all take penalty points?”
Baroness Vilem, seemingly displeased by Idnia being praised, suggested a harsher approach.
“Ah, Baroness Vilem. Come to think of it, you were a classmate of her mother, the former Saint Flora, weren’t you?”
“….”
“Don’t worry. I’m not bringing it up to criticize you. Certainly, leaving those fools frozen at the starting point to rack up penalties would’ve been more effective. But I dislike the idea of them thinking they’ve managed to get one over on me by their own standards.”
If the students stayed put and took penalties, they would think they had outsmarted him.
That was an insult Byuremheid could not tolerate.
“But at this rate, they’ll all break through. The students are following the lit paths you created, and the leading group is already reaching the dormitory.”
“That’s easy to adjust. Now then—deploy!”
Byuremheid cast a spell without chanting.
Immediately, the skeletons in the forest began to change their movement.
Skeletons from other routes converged toward Route 1, and one of them began to evolve, crystals sprouting from its body.
“A C-Crystal Golem?”
“That’s a monster even high-ranking adventurers struggle with! Professor Byuremheid!”
Vice Principal Deneuve panicked.
Even experienced adventurers could not guarantee victory against a Crystal Golem without casualties.
And yet he unleashed such a creature on students?
“Relax, Professor Deneuve. I’m merely closing the ‘safe route’ they created to see what they’re truly capable of. Surely you don’t think I would actually kill the students?”
Byuremheid sneered.
Deneuve swallowed the words that rose to his throat.
“Mr. Gibles! Prepare to rescue the students. Deploy the animated armors into the forest.”
“Y-Yes.”
Gibles began controlling the armors with his artifact lantern.
Then suddenly—
Crash!
“Huh?”
Byuremheid sounded startled.
“The Crystal Golem… it broke?! Who did that?”
Amazingly, the Crystal Golem had been shattered.
Someone among the students had attacked it.
And with a single strike at that.
There were three male students who volunteered from Eouros Dormitory.
Christian Dupont, a one-star character from a noble family, known for steady growth potential.
Athos, a two-star character from a knightly background who aspired to join the Cardinal Gun Corps.
Pacifier, a three-star character, an adventurer who enrolled to study proper magic.
Among them, Pacifier was the strongest.
Though Christian acted the most boldly, both Athos and Pacifier were currently stronger than him.
Thanks to their efforts, the vanguard easily cleared Route 1, allowing students to return to the dormitory plaza.
Half the students remained in the forest when suddenly—
A skeleton blocked the mountain path.
Then, as if freezing over, crystals spread across its body until it grew into a massive Crystal Golem.
“Aaaah! That’s impossible!”
“I can accept a skeleton evolving into a Skeleton Warrior! But a Crystal Golem?! That’s against the rules!”
Some students protested using the rules of the trading card game Wizard War.
“This is bad!”
Idnia had anticipated Byuremheid’s personality and had placed a second elite group in the middle of the formation.
She expected reinforcements of skeletons to appear mid-route.
But she hadn’t expected an unbeatable monster to be deployed.
Panicked, students fled, breaking the rule of moving in groups of three.
When two groups merged while running, Byuremheid’s magic activated gleefully.
[Rule violation! Rule violation! Deploying enhanced skeletons.]
Until now, the skeletons had been low-tier.
But enhanced skeletons were different.
Infused with magic, they became stronger, their movements more extreme.
Their limbs could detach and extend unnaturally, striking with terrifying reach.
“Eek!”
“Aaaah! That professor is insane!”
“Is he trying to kill us? We paid tuition!”
“Help! Mom! Dad!”
As the students scattered in chaos, more rules were broken—
And each time, enhanced skeletons were deployed.
[Rule violation! Rule violation! Deploying enhanced skeletons.]
[Haha— I mean— ahem. Broadcast error. Students, please remain calm and follow the rules… pfft.]
Hearing his laughter, the students realized they were nothing more than toys to the sadistic dragon.
Then—
Thud!
An enhanced skeleton shattered into pieces.
“What?”
Idnia was shocked.
She had been about to act, but someone else had used their power first.
Far beyond the strength of ordinary students.
“Miss Mari?”
A halo of holy light appeared above Mari of Astraea—the original protagonist.
‘Wait… that’s a premium cosmetic item?’
Idnia was stunned. It was a halo obtainable only through heavy spending in the game.
Mari raised her spell.
[Arrow of Holy Light!]
A beam of light formed into an arrow and shot forward.
It instantly destroyed the enhanced skeleton.
“Ooooh!”
“Amazing!”
The students marveled at her divine magic.
“But doesn’t that mean she gets 5 penalty points?”
“But she’s a Saint candidate… maybe that’s not prior learning but divine magic?”
“Whatever it is, we’re saved!”
Moments ago, they had been eager to hunt down those who hid their prior learning.
But now that Mari had saved them, their attitudes changed instantly.
Humans were always weak to strength.
‘As expected of the protagonist… but those stats aren’t first-playthrough level. Could it be inherited traits?’
Idnia analyzed the situation like a game system.
However, the real problem was the Crystal Golem.
[Arrow of Holy Light!]
Mari fired again, but the arrow bounced off.
The golem was too durable and resistant.
It only cracked slightly and charged forward.
“Eek!”
As students fled, a straight path opened—
Directly toward Mari.
The Crystal Golem advanced without slowing, charging straight at her.