Chapter 126
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 126
Chapter Title: Zero Tolerance for Cheating
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Of course, the regular cadets merely whispered briefly while glancing at Leon, who sat quietly in the supervisor's seat with his eyes closed. They didn't pay him much mind.
"Look at his build. Too neat and tidy, huh?"
"He's handsome."
Just as the murmurs began to grow louder...
Leon, seated in the central spot with his eyes closed, slowly opened them.
At that moment, the academy cadets all felt an inexplicable, eerie sensation.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Leon, the temporary assistant overseeing the exam for Professor Rommel's Introduction to Monster Studies."
He spoke in a low mutter, yet his words vividly echoed in everyone's ears.
"No need for a lengthy introduction. I'll just cover three key points and get started."
Without changing his expression, Leon straightened the exam papers before pulling a thick belt from his pocket.
It was packed with sharp daggers.
"First, no talking. No turning your heads either."
"Second, once you're finished, you may leave."
With each word, the cadets felt an incomprehensible chill.
"And finally, the most important third: cheating."
At that single word, Buren and a few others flinched.
Leon’s icy sky-blue eyes seemed to pierce right through them.
"If you want to cheat, go ahead. Peek at your books or crib sheets, whatever."
The students immediately began murmuring.
Some protested that they hadn't heard about this, while others darted anxious glances around.
Those like Buren mistakenly assumed someone from Professor Pivian's side had pulled strings.
If only the next words hadn't followed.
"However, the moment you're caught cheating, you'll be escorted out and given a zero. Keep that in mind."
No one failed to grasp the meaning.
Cheating was allowed—at your own peril, since you'd score zero the instant you were caught.
Tap, tap!
Leon then strode around, swiftly distributing exam papers to the desks, before returning to his seat.
"Begin the exam."
His voice carried no overt threat.
Yet the cadets instinctively bowed their heads and unsealed their papers.
At the same time...
In another room, the students stared blankly at the girl donning black gloves in the supervisor's seat, exchanging glances.
"Exam starts now. If you're caught cheating, your head gets smashed."
Her face was hidden by a mask, so her age and identity remained mysteries—but to the cadets, that hardly mattered, so no one asked.
And for good reason...
Thud!!!
She effortlessly lifted a hammer that looked far too heavy for any human with one hand, freezing everyone in place.
A slender frame, a young girl's voice, and monstrous strength that defied all logic.
Biological instinct screamed that getting on her bad side meant your skull would literally shatter.
Even those who'd prepared crib sheets on Professor Pivian's word—and others who'd heard rumors and made their own—gulped and tore up or swallowed their papers on the spot.
Cursing their rotten luck for drawing this exam hall.
"You may begin."
As Luna exuded overwhelming presence in Exam Room 3...
The atmosphere in Exam Room 4 was chaotic for entirely different reasons.
Rattle!
It was all because of the madwoman seated in the front-center chair.
Draped in pitch-black rags that made it impossible to tell if she was man or woman, the grim reaper figure exhaled, and a blue mist trailed from her skeletal mouth.
Is that even human? It was less scary and more absurdly out of place.
And what was with that massive scythe?
As the students murmured...
The silent reaper finally spoke, gazing at them.
In that instant, the cadets intuitively sensed a girl lurked within that guise.
"Juniors, no chit-chat during the exam, got it?"
Her voice was soft and cheerful, contrasting her menacing appearance.
But some students jolted at the sound, exchanging confirming glances and nods.
"And any junior who cheats..."
She tapped the scythe leaning against the wall with her pale, slender fingers.
"Takes responsibility themselves."
It was a brutally chilling warning.
"Who the hell is that?"
No sooner had one cadet mutter in confusion than a returning senior gulped.
"Guys, shut up and focus on the exam. That's her."
"Senior? What do you mean?"
"Mielephon's mad bitch."
The one who acted without hesitation, backed by her ducal lineage.
At those words, every cadet buried their heads in their papers as if the confusion had never existed.
She claimed a chunk of the academy's ghost stories, after all.
"Damn it. Why is that psycho here all of a sudden..."
Some broke into cold sweats.
"Good, juniors. That's the right attitude."
Get caught, and she'd crush you. Legends from graduated or lingering seniors warned that tangling with her was endless hassle.
Professor Rommel had lost many assistants, and these replacements were no ordinary folk.
Unaware of the chaos in Rooms 2, 3, and 4, Professor Rommel distributed papers in Room 1 with a brief sigh.
Isna was trustworthy, so he'd accepted her proposal... but recalling Melissa's tales of her brother made him doubt even that.
And the pink-haired girl? Her background was a total unknown.
Ask if they were strong? Neither emitted aura or mana.
Still, no choice. This mess was his fault.
Written exams just needed cheating patrols, so no major issues.
He planned to recruit more for the practicals.
What nagged him: Suspected cheaters were all clustered in Rooms 2, 3, and 4.
Professor Pivian had likely lobbied the administration to avoid Rommel's rooms.
His oversight was clear.
"Exam begins. Solve honestly, no cheating."
At his signal, heads bowed to papers.
About ten minutes of quiet scratching quills later...
Commotion erupted from a neighboring room. Professor Rommel's instincts screamed trouble as he shot to his feet.
Buren wiped away cold sweat without thinking.
'Ugh, unnecessarily tough.'
Not just tough—over half were beyond his current level.
He'd barely prepped for the written exam anyway.
Practicals drew on trained skills; studying was another beast.
If he'd taken it straight, he wouldn't have qualified for this academy.
'Never planned to anyway.'
He eyed Leon, silently seated with eyes closed.
The vibe felt off, but no aura emanated from him.
Just a fancy weakling? All show?
Buren, born privileged yet barely an entry-level aura user, could still gauge that much.
To him, Leon was average human stock.
Glancing aside, he spotted similar cases.
Those who'd bribed Professor Pivian for crib sheets, no doubt.
Like him, they watched warily.
'What now?'
'What do you mean? All bark, no bite. Stick to plan.'
'True. Can't trip on the written after bragging at home.'
Buren slyly pulled out his prepared crib sheet.
Premium paper with perception block—answers invisible from afar. He smirked and copied away.
Cheat if you want? Zero if caught? Bring it, punk.
Atmosphere means squat.
The moment Buren and a few others began cheating...
Leon, eyes still closed, snatched a dagger from the desk.
Shing...
The chilling sound spread in under 0.1 seconds.
"U... Uwaaack?!"
Buren's startled scream was inevitable.
His quill, paper, desk, and hidden crib sheet—all neatly bisected as if pre-sliced.
Even creepier: utter silence, no clatter.
His scream slipped through, naturally startling everyone.
Gazes locked on the source.
"Cheating. Zero. Leave. And stay quiet during the exam."
There sat Buren, wide-eyed on the floor, beside his halved paper and exposed crib sheet fluttering down.
Not just him—every other cheater's desk was machine-cut clean.
"Wh... What the..."
Bewildered, Buren trembled at Leon.
What just happened?
His eyes reached Leon's hand—and understanding dawned.
Several daggers, half-melted, formless wrecks.
Leon hadn't thrown them—he'd swung, wreaking this havoc.
Swing a throwing dagger to slice like this?!
"Focus, everyone. Time keeps ticking."
The culprit calmly drew fresh daggers.
"You messing with me?! Do you know who I am?! This insane threat?!"
Then one cadet bellowed.
Unlike others, no crib sheet near him.
"Ah. Dissatisfied?"
"...Damn right! I was taking it fair and square! Disrupting like this? Assistant or not, that's overreach! I'll report to admin right—"