The Practical Exam (1)
The practical exam for all second-years. The Mount Galia to the west was on an entirely different scale from the North Forest I had visited before. A vast expanse of forest and canyons more than twice the size of the northern woods we’d passed through on the way to the dungeon, crowned by a colossal mountain straight out of a wuxia novel. That was Mount Galia.
Everyone in Class C, myself included, stood frozen, utterly captivated by the overwhelming scenery. Most first-year classes had focused on theory or written exams, so many students had come with high expectations for their first practical outside the academy grounds. But those feelings would vanish the moment the exam truly began.
The task was simple: locate hidden objects scattered throughout the mountain and forest. Along the way, fights could break out. People could get hurt. Of course, magical tools had been placed everywhere to handle injuries, and both instructors and safety personnel were monitoring the situation from base camps. Besides, this event held special importance for me personally.
Scoring well here would earn me favorable marks during the evaluation for promotion to Class B. In that sense, I was confident I could place in the upper ranks among the hundreds of students gathered here.
At least, I had been—until I heard the actual rules.
“This practical will not be an individual event. You will form teams of four.”
“Teams will be drawn completely at random, regardless of class or skill level, so I expect no complaints.”
“We’ve posted the team lists by class. Everyone, please check your assigned group and gather with your teammates~.”
I’m screwed.
I decided to check my team first.
“I’m number nine… let’s see… nine.”
There it was.
Team 9
Vern Flame
B-3 Group
Class B, huh. I scanned the giant board posted at our class’s base camp to see if any of my classmates had been grouped with me.
Nobody?
Well, it didn’t matter. I didn’t have any friends anyway, and even if I did, they’d probably just look at me with suspicion. Being in a different class wouldn’t change much either. I didn’t dislike group assignments, but given the circumstances, there was nothing I could do about it.
All around me, hundreds of students were busily checking their teams and hurrying toward their designated signs. I walked over to the placard marked with a large B.
With hundreds of students forming teams of four, there were over a hundred teams in total. This wasn’t going to be an easy game.
After a short while, every second-year had gathered at their respective team areas. Once the instructors confirmed everyone was present, they began explaining the exam details before it officially started.
“Let me repeat: this is a team event, not an individual one. You must work together to locate the objects we have hidden across Mount Galia. That is the objective of this practical.”
“There are four types of objects. Blue objects are worth 5 points, red objects 10 points, and purple objects 20 points. The passing score is 100 points total.”
While speaking, Caron reached into his pocket and pulled out an item that glowed with a brilliant golden hue.
“The final type is the golden object. It is a masterpiece crafted by the Magic Department working day and night. Unlike the others, it contains only a minuscule amount of mana. Ordinary detection magic cannot find it.”
“Only those capable of extremely precise mana manipulation will be able to locate it.”
“For reference, each golden object is worth 100 points.”
Tension rippled through everyone present. That was understandable. A hundred points was essentially a perfect score. But he wasn’t finished yet.
“There are only two of them in total. One has been hidden somewhere in the area, and the other is at the summit of the mountain.”
“All objects are limited in number. That means you may interfere with other teams or even steal their finds.”
“However, causing severe injury is strictly prohibited. Depending on the severity, you will receive the harshest possible disciplinary action. Keep that in mind.”
“The exam begins in one hour. Everyone, prepare yourselves.”
With that, another instructor took the mana-stone microphone and explained safety protocols and what to do in case of emergencies. Once that was over, the briefing concluded.
During the remaining hour, I began exchanging simple greetings with my new teammates. After all, we would be working together; basic courtesy was only proper.
“U-um… nice to meet you. I’m from Class D, Magic Department… My name is Ron Kais.”
“Nice to meet ya! I’m Lloyd Fowler from Class B, Swordsmanship Department!”
“H-hello… I’m from Class D… and I don’t belong to any club. My name is Elin. Please take care of me…”
“I’m Vern Flame from Class C. I haven’t joined a club yet.”
…Was that it? This was incredibly awkward. Way too awkward! Was it because of my reputation? No, these guys probably didn’t pay attention to rumors. They might not even know.
Maybe they’re just shy around strangers.
Still, it was a relief to see familiar faces. There was Ron, with his somewhat gloomy expression, and Lloyd, the hulking, muscular man whose head was so large that my own would need to be added to his height just to match. Ron was the classic gloomy support mage—grey hair, deep-set dark circles, and a robe pulled low over his eyes. Lloyd was the complete opposite: tanned skin, golden hair, a muscular giant of a swordsman with a small scar over one eyebrow.
These two were a well-known duo even in the game. If I had to compare them to a manga, they’d be the scrawny weakling and the chubby strongman. Still, they were trustworthy. Both were complete magic maniacs and sword-obsessed idiots, but that also made them reliable. They had stuck together all the way until graduation. And while they were still stuck in Classes D and B for now, their talent was easily Class A level.
For now, I’d have Lloyd act as the tank and Ron as the main damage dealer. As for the last member…
…Who was she again?
I thought I’d memorized all the named characters. If I couldn’t remember a student, it usually meant she was a common extra or a character who had already died and been written out. Still, with over three thousand students, it was impossible to remember everyone. But someone this eye-catching? There was no way I would have forgotten her.
She had pink hair that flowed down to her shoulders and deep blue eyes that felt different from Elisha’s. While Elisha’s eyes were a pale sky blue, Elin’s were the rich, dark blue of the ocean. Her appearance easily rivaled that of any heroine.
The fact that I didn’t know her could only mean one thing—she was a character who hadn’t existed in the original story. As expected, the world was diverging from the source material little by little. Even the first event of the second year, which had originally been a solo challenge, had been changed to a team format. It seemed inevitable that things I remembered would gradually shift. After all, this was reality. A world that truly existed.
Still, it was exciting. A game I’d grown tired of was changing… I couldn’t help but look forward to it.
But were we really going to stand around in this awkward silence forever?
Clap!
I clapped my hands loudly. The three who had been spacing out turned their eyes toward me.
“Let me say it again. My name is Vern Flame. I’d like to discuss our strategy for this practical.”
“S-sure.”
“Alright.”
“…”
The reactions weren’t exactly enthusiastic. Oh well. I’d just have to take the lead with this team.
“I’m aiming for a perfect score in this exam.”
“…!!”
“This practical may be called a ‘practice,’ but it’s really an evaluation of our abilities. That’s why I’m going for full marks.”
After I finished with “What about you guys?” silence fell over the group.
These idiots… If we’re doing this, we might as well aim for first place. No need to get all depressed about it.
“I will make sure our entire team gets perfect scores.”
“H-how can we believe that…? We’re all stuck in the lower to mid ranks…”
“I hate to admit it, but what this mage is saying isn’t wrong. Still, I like your guts.”
“…”
Just as I was about to speak again, the girl who had only introduced herself and then stayed silent finally opened her mouth.
“…I-I believe you!”
Huh?
I didn’t know her at all. What was she talking about? Had we met before? I didn’t remember anything. Did she mean she had met the original Vern?
“Do you know me?”
“O-of course I do! You helped me back then! But then you got punished, so I never got the chance to thank you properly…”
“D-do you… not remember me?” she asked, looking anxious.
Hmm. What was this about?
“I don’t remember.”
There was no point in lying. If I didn’t remember, I had to say so. What else could I do?
Elin’s face instantly showed every ounce of shock she felt. If this were a cartoon, there would have been lightning bolts or sound effects like BOOM! or WHAM! next to her head. It was kind of funny how openly her emotions showed on her face. She really was an amusing girl.
She kind of reminds me of a raccoon.
I’ve always loved animals, and I’m also fond of people who resemble them. The nuance might sound weird, but I really like people who are like dogs—or rather, puppies and cats. Anyway, the fact that she knew Vern, and that he had apparently helped her? This was a story I had never heard before. My palms were practically itching with curiosity.
“So, Elin. What do you mean I helped you?”
I’m the type of guy who needs to know things immediately. That’s just how I am.
“W-well, that’s…”
The moment she tried to speak, an instructor’s voice rang out from the center of the field through a magical tool.
“The time limit is until 6 a.m. tomorrow morning. Search well, everyone.”
“Points? If you want them, go find them! We left every last point up there!”
Bang!
A signal flare shot into the sky, and everyone present began to run at once.
Damn it, I still hadn’t heard the rest.
“We don’t have time for this! Everyone run! We’ll talk later!”
For now, just run! The exam had already begun.