Midterm Evaluation (4)
There was a saying that luck was a skill in itself. True to that proverb, while some teams were whining and struggling with the bizarrely heightened difficulty starting from the first gate,
others had smoothly cleared the first gate and already arrived at the second.
Kuwoong-!
"As I thought... this is it!"
Theo let out a voice brimming with joy as he watched the door successfully open. His teammates, faces lit with astonishment, jumped up and down, showering him with fervent praise.
"Whoa, Theo! You're amazing!"
"I underestimated you because you're a commoner from Class C, but you're pretty good, huh? Smart, too?"
"Thanks."
At first, they hadn't been thrilled about a commoner from Class C joining them. But from the very first gate, he'd shown unexpected prowess, and the two girls' expressions quickly brightened. At least he wasn't dead weight.
Kurur...
As they stepped through the open mouth of the statue, the portal vanished, revealing a new space. It was a vast arena reminiscent of the one used for the recent inter-class competition.
But something was off—there were no obvious test elements in sight.
"Huh? This place..."
"It's gotten bigger, hasn't it?"
"Yeah, but I don't see anything specific."
The only visible things were the wolf-headed statue in the center, like the one from the first gate, and to its right, a crude statue pieced together from random stones.
"Something on that statue?"
"Yeah, let's check it out."
The moment the rest of the team approached the statue without much caution,
Jiing.
Hero's blood...
"......!"
A chilling voice emanated from the central wolf-headed statue. Theo's body twitched slightly at the sound.
If you seek to pursue the light once more, prove your courage.
"What the hell was that?"
"Beats me."
The two girls, failing to grasp the meaning, just shrugged at each other. As silence fell again,
Passss...
"Wh-what?!"
"No way... a golem?!"
Suddenly, the massive pile of stones on the right began to move. Sand cascaded from its body, and a small gem on its chest glowed. The two female students' eyes widened in shock.
A golem. A monster commonly found in ancient ruins, powered by a mana core embedded in its center, it was one of the site's guardians. It could deflect magic below the third circle with its bare body and boasted flesh tough enough to resist most cold weapons without a scratch.
And such a formidable foe appeared at just the second gate?
Kwang!
"Gyaaak!"
One punch from the golem sent Sephie, the girl with light green hair, flying far away.
"You bastard...! Kraak?!"
Lienna, the other girl, boldly gripped her spear and charged, but she couldn't even scratch it and was sent tumbling by a casual kick.
Watching this, Theo shouted urgently.
"Guys! Let's forfeit here...! We can't win! It's impossible with our skills!"
"Ngh, but...!"
"Forfeit at just the second gate...?"
The two had realized it after just one clash. This thing was beyond their level.
But as academy students with ambitions, their pride wouldn't allow surrender at the second gate.
'I don't want to give up either...'
Theo felt the same, of course. Who would want to declare defeat here and slink back?
But pressing on would only injure his teammates needlessly. To him, their safety mattered more than some grand ambition.
"If the second gate is this hard for everyone, the others probably gave up early too. No need to push ourselves!"
"R-right. I didn't think of that."
"Yeah, it's relative scoring anyway! If the others dropped here too, we're all even!"
Even if it was a bit forced, he made excuses to sway them. Luckily, it worked—the promise of minimal point loss convinced them to forfeit.
"We forfeit the trial!"
Kung.
As the three shouted in unison, the golem, poised to pulverize them, froze mid-step. It lumbered back to its original position, shaking the ground.
Jiiing- White light enveloped their bodies. Theo managed a bittersweet smile. He still had a long way to follow in those footsteps.
＊
The moment Lena arrived at the second gate after the first, suspicion turned to certainty. Something was gravely wrong.
She could chalk up the unfamiliar first-gate trial to coincidence. But the second gate brought yet another unseen test.
I shall test your wisdom. If even one fails to answer correctly, I will take one precious memory from each of you.
Forfeit now, if you wish.
'What kind of insane trial is this...?'
Not only was the content unprecedented, but the high-risk penalty for failure left her dumbfounded. As far as she knew, failing a Hero's Gate trial just meant ejection—no risks.
No sane professor would pick this place if such a trial existed. The only explanation: the trials themselves had been altered for some reason.
"Ooh, a riddle? Sounds fun. Let's do it!"
'Does that guy even have a heart?'
Didn't he care about losing precious memories? Watching Aren smirk and raise his hand casually, Lena wondered if he was a beast in hero's clothing. At least one organ—brain or heart—was missing.
'At least it won't start with just him agreeing...'
Comforting herself that their trio meant she could persuade the saintess to avoid it—mid-forfeit was an option, after all.
But just as relief washed over her,
Very well. Let the trial begin.
"Bullshit...!"
Ignoring majority rule, the statue coolly started the trial. Lena genuinely wanted to blow its head off. This was her second curse of the day, lost to rage. Luckily, drowned out by the statue's noise, the others didn't hear.
'At least as the hero's heir, he has some wisdom. And with the saintess here, it should be fine.'
Water under the bridge—she'd think positively. Sure, they'd shown some thickheaded moments, but as hero's heir and saintess, they must have the smarts to match.
As she regained composure, the statue spoke again.
Sliced countless times, yet never opens its mouth.
But I always spout wisdom and knowledge.
What am I?
Lena knew the answer instantly. It seemed profound like a koan, but it was just wordplay. She doubted the other two would miss it.
"...Huh? What?"
"R-right?"
"......"
But seeing the hero's heir pick his ear like a dog barking in the distance, and the saintess blinking vacantly with her ditzy beauty, her hopes crumbled.
Why was she, a Silence Follower, pinning hopes on these two? Her hope should be only one: Him.
"Sliced but doesn't open its mouth... Someone with incredible faith, maybe?"
"Yeah? Anyone like that in your church? Smart ones?"
"Most in our church have strong faith. But not encompassing all... For wisdom and knowledge, maybe His Holiness the Holy King?"
"Oh, him then?"
Did they really want to see her head explode? Watching them giggle and pretend they'd solved it, Lena summed them up in one word: 'Idiots and morons.' Nothing else fit.
"Right! Answer: Holy... Mmph?!"
"Aren, calm down first? I have an idea—hear me out."
As he seriously named the Holy King, Lena couldn't hold back, lunging to clamp his mouth shut. She'd nearly caused a disaster, losing her precious memories because of this near-brainless hero's heir.
"Got something?"
"Yeah, probably a book."
"B-book? I didn't think of that...!"
As she calmly stated the answer, Yubelia clapped like a seal, eyes wide. Lena wondered why they hadn't thought of it, but no time to point it out.
"Books get worn or torn over time by hands, right? But no mouth, so can't speak. And shares knowledge and wisdom equally with all."
"Ooh, that makes more sense."
"B-Besty, you're so smart...!"
'No, aren't you two the idiots?'
The words nearly escaped, but she held them. At least they weren't hopeless—they folded like flimsy ears to her logic.
"The answer is a book."
Correct.
Warak-!
"Kyaa...! Lena, you're a genius? Thanks! Almost screwed up there."
"Whatever."
Aren slung an arm around her in excitement, stirring a mix of emotions. Relief at averting crisis? Or despair at dragging these two through the gates ahead?
Worse, as a Silence Follower helping the hero's heir—it pricked her conscience.
'Lord Nemesis, forgive me.'
Four more riddles followed. The two failed each time, but her wisdom saved them, letting the trio conquer the second gate.
Kurur...
The statue's mouth opened again, and they stepped through. Dimness lifted to bright light and a high ceiling.
What trial awaited now? Half anticipation, half anxiety, they advanced—and before them stood...
"That's..."
Themselves.