Chapter 83
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: Black Lotus Mire Subjugation
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A vast forest stretching to the horizon.
Towering trees easily over 20 meters tall grew densely, blotting out the sky, while shafts of sunlight poured through the gaps like streetlamps, illuminating the interior.
The ground was damp and slick with moss, shrouded in a faint mist.
The cadets stood at the entrance to this gloomy woodland—the Black Lotus Mire, a C-rank danger zone—taking deep breaths with tense expressions.
"Ugh... this place is seriously toxic."
"They said the first subjugation drill is usually in a D-rank zone. This is such bullshit... *cough cough*!"
Cadets who had never been to a danger zone hacked and dry-heaved nonstop, while even those with experience were in rough shape.
This was one of the C-rank zones infamous for its high ambient mana concentration. That was the Black Lotus Mire.
"Urk... no way..."
"I can't do this..."
Cadets who had underestimated the mire's air quickly forfeited as their condition plummeted and mana reflux symptoms hit, heading back to the terminal.
Pushing too hard here and getting seriously injured could ruin their entire first semester.
"We gotta be careful..."
"This place is total garbage..."
The other cadets watched them go, redoubling their caution as they adapted to the harsh air. That was when...
"Hm. Good enough."
Lee Se-hun, who had just arrived, dusted himself off and started walking.
"What the...?"
"No way..."
The cadets, still catching their breath, stared at him in disbelief.
Even as the top of his department, how could a Borsippa cadet—technical, not combat—adapt like that?
'Special gear maybe?'
'All I see are light greaves...'
As the others gawked in confusion, Lee Se-hun took a light breath.
Woooong.
As the mana-mixed air entered his body, the dark-attribute mana 'Moon Shadow' spread out like a net.
Shhh.
Moon Shadow swept away the infiltrating mana and expelled it cleanly. Satisfied with the result, Lee Se-hun nodded.
'Having dark-attribute mana makes this way easier than before.'
Fire-attribute mana required clashing to burn off mana, which was tricky to control. But with dark-attribute mana, it was smoother.
Not quite like his past life, but his body was adapting well. Pleased, Lee Se-hun glanced sideways.
"You adapted yet?"
Erika, walking beside him now, nodded.
"Yeah."
"Caw!"
A rough cry followed her short reply. Looking down, he saw a pure white birdcage and perch with a crow perched on it.
"Haven't seen that guy in a while."
"No need for him usually."
The crow that had wrecked the automaton under Erika's buff at the entrance ceremony. He'd remembered it as a normal animal, not a familiar, but here it was for the drill.
'Thought it was just for shows... she uses it in real combat too?'
Even with Erika's buffs, any lapse could mean instant defeat for the crow.
And losing her 'innocent armament' in a flash wouldn't be good.
"Sure a regular crow's fine?"
"It's fine. Not that dangerous here."
"Hm. Fair point."
He'd never seen her fight properly, but her entrance buff and glimpses of potential suggested at least B-rank.
No matter how tricky the Black Lotus Mire, it was still C-rank—nothing she couldn't handle.
'That's why she's so confident coming in just her cadet uniform.'
Erika looked unarmed beyond the cage. As Lee Se-hun scanned for hidden gear...
"Caw!"
The crow spread its wings in protest from inside. He stared blankly, and Erika slipped a finger into the cage.
"Kek!"
The crow hopped over, rubbing its beak against her face affectionately.
'Total pet.'
As Lee Se-hun watched the cute display curiously, Erika looked down at the cage and spoke calmly.
"And..."
Thud!
A heavy sound cut her off.
Thinking a monster appeared, he turned to see a small podium on the ground and a man standing atop it.
'That guy's...'
Over 2 meters tall with a trunk-like body, short hair streaked with gray, face etched with deep wrinkles and scars exuding age and intimidation.
Recognizing the familiar face, Lee Se-hun narrowed his eyes as the man drew all eyes and spoke.
"I'm Kasar, the supervising professor from the Swordsmanship Department and overall commander of this first-year subjugation drill! Before we begin, pay attention for a brief word!"
The rowdy cadets snapped to attention at Kasar's introduction.
This professor was practically confirmed as next department head of Aqar Quf. A top power at Babel—they reacted instantly.
"Those who know already get it, but this subjugation drill is Babel's most important test! Heroes are judged by how well they kill monsters and villains."
Kasar scanned the tense faces slowly before continuing matter-of-factly.
"Lots of you are nervous for your first one, so one piece of advice: don't sweat today's results too much!"
The cadets expected clichés like "fail today, try harder next time." But it wasn't.
"Whether you're over-tense or too cocky, the skilled ones fight well anyway! If you do poorly today, it's because your talent and skill suck—no excuses!"
"..."
"Warning you now: complain about results with lame excuses after, and I'll fail you flat out!!"
No excuses for results.
The warning disguised as advice didn't ease tension—it crushed them further.
No room for mistakes in this harsh environment, now with a bigshot like Kasar piling on pressure.
"Urk... I can't... *blegh*!"
"I-I'll do it next time."
Already struggling cadets bailed more, while others checked themselves again.
Kasar smirked at the chaos his threat caused.
'Good. Now it feels like real combat.'
With gear and overseers, drills never fully mimicked reality. So he pressured their psyches to instill battlefield weight.
'Overconfident fools get their heads chopped quick.'
No matter how methods evolved, that truth endured. Recalling it, Kasar scanned the cadets and spotted...
"No rain, so spotting monsters'll be easy."
"I can find 'em even in rain."
Two chatting casually, unfazed.
'...Already adapted.'
Lee Se-hun and Erika conversed naturally in air tough for first-years, showing no strain from his warning—not arrogance, but familiarity.
'Inoue makes sense, but... Lee Se-hun's one of a kind.'
A Forging Department cadet acting like a veteran hero.
Odd enough, but what really piqued Kasar's interest was separate.
'The kitchen knife I left with Helena. He tuned it up.'
Ridiculously sharp for a first-year's work. He'd doubted at first, but Lee Se-hun's feats since convinced him.
'Gotta watch how he fights today.'
At his level, he could gauge anyone from their style. Kasar decided to observe closely, then continued.
"Looks like most who're staying are set. Here's how it'll work."
The chaos settled as Kasar signaled assistants to project a massive screen in the air.
"Point-based subjugation. We measure how efficiently you hunt in the time limit."
Images of mire monsters appeared with points: E-rank 20-30, D-rank 60-80, some C-ranks much higher.
"Black Lotus Mire has few C-ranks for its size. Confident? Move fast."
No slacking or rivals snag them. Cadets eyed each other; Kasar nodded approvingly.
"6-hour limit. Late return deducts points—remember that. One more thing."
He took a cloak from an assistant and held it high.
"New protective gear. Absorbs all damage to the wearer."
Thump thump.
Testing activation with taps, Kasar eyed them.
"But overprotection ruins the test, so added 'forced teleport.'"
Bam!
He punched it full force. A complex magic circle flashed, and the cloak vanished instantly.
Cadets gaped; Kasar dusted his hand.
"When cumulative hits leave you combat-incapable or dead, it teleports you to terminal. Get it?"
Means ejection mid-test. Failure any exam.
"Teleported? First or last, you're failed. Dead get no points."
"..."
"Think battlefield. Know your limits. That's hero basics."
The sincere warning tensed everyone; Kasar nodded pleased.
"Start in 20 minutes. Enter sequentially with cloaks. Hate failing? Forfeit. Dismissed!"
Kasar stepped down, lifting the podium one-handed.
Whoosh!
Heavy heft from sound alone. As he headed in...
"Ah. Forgot one thing."
He paused, eyeing the cadets.
"Teams of two allowed. Form as you like."
Key bombshell last, he entered terminal. Cadets naturally looked around.
6 grueling hours ahead. A reliable ally? Points vary wildly.
"Knew it! Hey, team up!"
"Uh... weren't we three?"
"Anyone bailing?"
Prior teams formed fast; mismatches sorted quick amid squabbles. Urgency drove unpaired to snag talent.
"Chaotic."
Erika commented indifferently.
Shed heard from big brother; no worries here anyway.
"Team with me."
Lee Se-hun needed support like her for his physical limits. Confident, she stated obviously.
"Ah. Sorry. Teaming with Jake."
No hesitation in rejection.
"...Can't we?"
"Nope."
Real combat rare; wanted to train Jake properly. No need to explain. Lee Se-hun drew line quick.
"You'd rank high anyway—find better. See ya!"
Waving, he headed to Jake amid cadets. Erika stared unmoving.
"Um..."
"Don't push it, dude."
Others fled fearing her ire. Alone, she eyed the distant pair.
"Caw!"
The cage crow cried fiercely, echoing her.
Countless burrows riddled the Black Lotus Mire.
Home to D-rank Lotus Rabbits—big enough for adult men to crawl, deeply interconnected underground.
Crack crunch.
Eerie sounds echoed from within.
Bones shattering, flesh pulping repeated, then ten naked figures emerged.
"Hoo... making bodies from monster corpses never feels good, no matter how many times."
Lead man Willy grimaced but checked his body.
Frankenstein of Lotus Rabbit corpses and prosthetics. Repulsive instinctively, but he shrugged it off.
Worse bodies rotated nonstop past years.
"Boss. We really won't get caught?"
Subordinate's question as Willy stretched.
"Nah. Radar sees us as monsters. Just move careful."
"Never thought I'd go this far to kill brats."
"Yeah. But boss's orders—whaddya gonna do."
Stretched, Willy fingered a belly seam, popping it open.
Click!
Box-like abdomen revealed subspace. He pulled a black bundle, tossed to subordinate.
"Plant 'em everywhere good."
"Yes."
Half nodded, stuck to ground, vanished into forest. Willy reached in again.
Thump thump—
Fist-sized cube etched dense red script.
Unpleasant, living pulse. Inspecting, Willy recalled Puppeteer's order.
'Sacred Tree... wonder how useful.'
Endorsed by Ten Evils' Puppeteer.
Grinning at impending chaos, Willy led remnants quietly inward.