Reserve Platoon Power Evaluation (Part 2)
In that instant, the gazes of the other cadets locked onto Rozette.
A cute red-haired witch with a striking appearance. And she was one of the top contenders for first place in today's power evaluation. Out of nearly eighty squad members with golden wings, about fifty were combatants.
They were all elite dealers worthy of the Pantheon name. The sight of all those cadets staring at Rozette in unison was quite impressive.
Rozette handled a reserve platoon mission rated A-rank, right?
The mission I'd completed in Neuber territory had also been rated A-rank later on. But even so, the rank I'd originally chosen was B+.
Rozette, however, had picked an A-rank mission without hesitation from the start. And she'd completed it all that very day before returning to the Pantheon.
They said it was the fastest A-rank mission completion record in Pantheon history.
On top of that, she'd soloed the boss monster. Rozette's feat had been the talk of the golden wings for a good while.
And it wasn't just her skills drawing attention. Her adorable looks, combined with her witch uniqueness, made her popular even among cadets from other orders.
The ironclad defense of the magic order cadets made it hard for just anyone to approach her, though.
Of course, with Rozette flying straight to me like this, I had no such problems.
"Doesn't it feel a bit chilly today? Well, once we get inside the dungeon, the weather will flip on its own. I hope it's nice and warm in there!"
Rozette said casually, her face relaxed like she was off on a picnic. In a good mood, she swished the long sleeves of her robe back and forth.
Chloe, watching from afar, hid her irritated face behind her fan.
"Weather doesn't matter, does it? You can just summon a spirit anyway."
I glanced at Rozette. Her usual baggy witch robe, and underneath, a skirt that reached her knees paired with a pastel-toned sweater.
A perfect outfit for her as always. But flying in on her magic wand like that might get a little cold. Rozette replied,
"True, but when you're riding a magic wand around, the weather matters more than you think. It gets super windy up high! And ever since I switched to this one you gave me, Julian, my flight speed's gotten way faster! Hehe."
Rozette proudly held out the black paper wand in her hand. Of course, she'd transformed it into a proper magic wand via magic.
I envy her freedom to fly as much as she wants.
And that was part of what made Rozette so overpowered as a combatant.
In modern weaponry terms, she was like a bomber or fighter jet. Sure, regular mages had Fly spells too.
But there was a world of difference compared to a witch who could ride brooms or wands freely without massive mana drain, thanks to her bloodline blessing.
Plus, Rozette could unleash 3rd tier spells effortlessly while flying.
No wonder Chloe had lost to her in that entrance ceremony duel. And after this combat evaluation, Rozette would step into 4th tier magic.
A witch truly blessed by the god of magic. So it wasn't without reason that Chloe hated Rozette.
She even went so far as to make a cheat sheet.
That's right. For this power evaluation, Chloe had secretly prepared a cheat sheet. And two days ago, using the Cecilia contract as leverage, I'd gotten it from her.
Rozette, looking unusually cheerful, grinned broadly and said,
"You know this evaluation? Apparently, it's in a special test site made by our magic order professors and assistants. See those devices loaded with demon ore over there? Our grad student assistants stayed up all night making them, and their dark circles got even worse."
"It's not just the magic order. I heard alchemy order professors were involved too."
"Really? Even though those professors don't get along? Did Chancellor Sophia mediate well? Anyway, about this evaluation. They say it uses illusions, fantasy magic, and even a gate with debuffed monsters. Think it'll feel like a real dungeon? I hope so."
Her tone showed zero tension, as expected.
Just moments ago, when we'd entered the colosseum, Chloe had rushed over and greeted me politely, her face tense unlike her usual self. A world away from Rozette right now.
Chloe would be even more pissed seeing this.
This power evaluation wasn't your average test. An abnormal contamination gate discovered near the old imperial capital. Even the imperial guard and platoon HQ recognized its severity.
It affected the Pantheon's reserve platoons too, ramping up training levels and difficulty far beyond before.
That's why this test site was unprecedentedly elaborate, using even the colosseum instead of a regular lecture hall or training ground. It was crucial for selecting the golden wings squad leader, after all.
For the prideful Chloe, it was an evaluation she absolutely had to win.
It was the same during the demon king hunt. To beat the cheat-like witch Rozette, Chloe pulled out all the stops in the power evaluation.
And those stops were the cheat sheet.
In truth, there were no leak-based cheat sheets for this evaluation. It was a brand-new test created by professors due to the special gate I'd reported.
So the accurate term was Chloe's custom cheat sheet. She'd bribed the staff building the test site.
The evaluation test dungeon. She bought off every magic order and alchemy order grad student laying out the layout.
Professors dumping grunt work on grad students was just as real in the Pantheon.
Grad students pulling all-nighters on professors' orders to build the test site, full of resentment. Bribing them with Aiterne Merchant Group's funds must've been easy.
Probably handed out instant noodles and snacks during the all-nighters, plus "encouragement money" on the side.
Thus creating a cheat sheet bordering on illegal hacks. This evaluation was a time attack.
Enter the illusion dungeon made by magic, clear the boss monster as fast as possible—that was the goal.
So knowing the illusion dungeon's layout and map in advance, like Chloe, was a massive advantage.
Of course, that Chloe made the cheat sheet is just my deduction.
But Chloe wasn't stupid enough to brag about it. She'd silenced her bought grad students too.
I'd figured it out through the demon king hunt. Skill-wise, Chloe couldn't beat Rozette. Especially not in a time attack format, which was even worse for her.
Yet she'd barely edged out Rozette in that power evaluation. I deduced she had some cheat-level edge.
And I was right. Two days ago in the atelier, when I casually mentioned the cheat sheet to Chloe,
She'd looked at me like I'd seen a ghost and asked,
'How does the young master know about that?'
She was so flustered she couldn't even swat a fly. And once two people know, it's no longer a perfect secret.
Even if the bribes got out, a marquis's daughter like Chloe wouldn't face major penalties. But if the magic order found out, it'd bruise their pride badly.
In the end, Chloe handed over the cheat sheet for free.
With that perfect cheat sheet in hand, plus Lion Heart Sword First Chapter ultimate art, White Night, I had no intention of yielding first place to Chloe or Rozette.
"Hey... Julian. Have you gotten closer to those spirits from the contract last time?"
Then Rozette suddenly asked me.
"Spirits? Salamander, maybe a bit."
I briefly recalled the sticky anal sex with Lilia and the Dolze Order. I'd used the salamander great for heating back then.
Actually, the most familiar is Teneb.
Especially the darkness spirit Teneb—my affinity had risen a lot. I'd used it often due to its dream demon traits. Of course, I couldn't casually mention a banned darkness spirit contract in the empire.
"Salamander? But you've contracted all four elemental spirits, Julian! Wasting it on just one salamander would be a shame."
She paused for a moment, tapping the colosseum floor with her toe like she was hesitating, then suddenly blurted out loudly,
"If you need it, I can teach you how to get friendly with spirits!! Eek?!"
Startled by her own volume, Rozette jumped. Her little body jolting was adorable.
I stroked her witch hat. She flinched again. It felt good, like petting a responsive pet. Rozette said hurriedly,
"...Don't pet me like that... We're friends."
As I opened my mouth to reply, our conversation halted. Instructor Mithers had arrived at the colosseum.
"Alright... Attention, everyone! Wish it were a field trip, but today we've got the annoying power evaluation."
Mithers shouted, looking half-asleep.
"...And that's the full explanation for this power evaluation. Simple, right?"
Instructor Mithers finished. As he said, there wasn't much to explain.
The mock gate right in front of me—dive in, clear the dungeon fast, and done.
"If you retire midway, ranking based on the difficulty where you tapped out. They're monsters made with illusion and fantasy magic anyway, so don't be too scared. At least they won't stink like the real thing."
Mithers added belatedly, like it just occurred to him.
"Oh, one more thing. This mock dungeon's made with purification demon ore directly, so high fidelity. Even illusions—getting hit hurts. The grad students who built it say pain and death feel perfectly recreated. Haven't died myself, so no clue, but it'll suck, so watch out. Evaluation start!"
At Mithers's signal, the cadets moved.
Individual mock gates before each cadet. Identical layouts inside for all.
Clear it and return here for ranking.
I checked the gate's color. Green gate. Like the Neuber territory mission, a 3rd form monster gate.
But dark sparks flickered around it. Meaning not a standard 3rd form dungeon—a variant one.
Similar to that cyclops dungeon last time.
Of course, not real, so the interior's tougher. But with demon king hunt and cheat sheet intel, no tension.
I entered the gate. Surroundings went dark briefly, then lit up.
"Filthy dungeon."
First words out. Reason first place was tough: vast mountainous terrain center. Dense trees limited visibility everywhere.
Finding path harder than monsters. Plus dungeon's signature demon aura curses and ominous fog thick.
Grooooaaar—
A monster cry echoed nearby. Not normal—nauseating scream like a curse.
Demon aura mixed in. Demonized monster?
I drew the imperial sword from its sheath. The one I'd first gripped last winter in Essemont for the fever ritual. A totally new sensation transmitted through the hilt from this upgraded imperial sword.
Voooong—
Infuse mana, and the blade hummed deeply in resonance. Runes clearly emerged on it.
The newly reinforced imperial sword via Cecilia. I checked its grade through the system.
Reinforced Grade: [Grade from system, e.g., Epic+ or whatever fits]
[Effects: Enhanced sharpness, mana conductivity, etc.]