After the misunderstanding with Leje, quite a bit of time had passed.
And finally, it was the day of the final exam.
“That’s enormous…”
In front of Leje was a forest so vast that it was hard to take in at a glance.
It seemed larger than the entire Count’s Domain.
Located quite far from the Royal Road, this place was called the Maze Forest because once you got lost, it was nearly impossible to find your way out.
“Indeed, this is a truly massive forest.”
[W-Well, I hope we don’t get lost… ?]
“Even if we do, as long as we have faith in the goddess, she will show us the way.”
Kurt and the rest of the group also looked around, sharing their brief thoughts on the stunning scenery.
At that moment,
“Everyone gather!”
With a familiar voice, the attention of the students around turned to the source.
There stood Fernand along with other first-year professors.
Professors from classes A to E.
The teachers from the five classes having their exam today were gathered there.
Amidst the evident tension among the professors, Fernand, dressed more neatly than usual, shouted.
“As previously announced, the final exam will be conducted here. You will form teams and complete assigned goals to earn points. Those points will determine your final exam grades.”
At his declaration, murmurs spread among the students, and Fernand lightly tapped the podium with the sheath of his sword.
“Silence! Before we begin the exam, let me share a few important notes! Assistants! Distribute the notebooks!”
Simultaneously, the assistants walked among the students, handing out small notebooks.
They looked worn-out, as if they had been used for ages.
“In those, you’ll find a brief overview of the exam’s content, rules, and important notices!”
With the students focused on their notebooks, Fernand continued speaking.
“First, coins are scattered throughout the forest, which are your targets for this exam! Your goal is to collect as many coins as possible.”
“Hmm…”
So far, it sounded just like the source material.
Rudell thought this as he focused on what came next.
“However, gathering coins won’t be easy! The forest is home to monsters, traps, and various obstacles.”
As previously announced, everything from low-level monsters like goblins to dangerous monsters like ogres and giant wolves were lurking within.
“As noted in your notebooks, the strength of the monsters increases as you venture deeper into the forest. But with that, more coins are hidden, so if you can break through, you’ll gather coins more easily.”
“Indeed, with great risks come great rewards.”
Leje nodded, seeming to understand.
High risk, high reward.
There couldn’t be a simpler or clearer rule than that.
“Of course, there are other ways to collect coins. By solving riddles and puzzles hidden throughout the forest, you can discover the locations of treasure chests!”
At that moment, several students let out a sigh of relief.
Since this exam was not just about evaluating each student’s individual abilities but also their diverse skills, such adjustments were only natural.
“Moreover, it’s allowed to steal coins from other teams! However! There’s a limit to how many coins can be stolen in one go, and you can only steal once a day!”
“As expected…”
This meant that while teams could collaborate, they could also turn into competitors.
Survival with no friends in sight.
That was the essence of the Philsberg Academy’s first-year final exam.
“The exam lasts a total of four days! Each team will have an assistant professor assigned to them, and the teachers will stay hidden, supervising only when it’s not a dangerous situation, so keep that in mind! Any questions?”
“What if there are injuries?”
“Let me be clear, this exam is a survival test. Unless it’s life-threatening, you’ll need to solve any problems yourselves!”
“How many members are allowed in a team?”
“A maximum of five! No more!”
…
After a brief Q&A,
“It seems there are no more questions, so I’ll end my remarks here.”
Fernand said this and turned to face the students, a silence settling among them.
As he scanned the students’ expressions, he slowly took a deep breath.
“Now, let’s give our best and achieve great results.”
With that, he announced the start of the exam.
*
Several minutes had passed since the exam began.
[Kieeeek!!!]
[Gr-Rrrrr!!!]
And then, Rudell and his group were met by the quintessential low-level monster: a horde of goblins.
Without needing to say more, a battle erupted…
“Leje! Over there!”
“I know!”
At Rudell’s shout, Leje yelled back as she swung her sword.
The blue-glowing blade sliced through the air in a clean arc, cutting down three goblins charging toward her in one sweep.
With a splash, the severed bodies dropped to the ground…
“Fireball!”
[Keek!!]
[Kyahhh!!]
Rudell unleashed a fireball that exploded, turning the goblins caught in the blast into ashes.
[Kiick!! Kree!!]
[Kieeee!!]
Of course, since goblins were notorious for their numbers, some avoided Rudell and Leje’s attacks and charged toward Silphier and Eleor at the back.
“…”
But standing there was Kurt.
Without a word, he pulled out the pair of hand axes he carried at his waist and swung them at the charging goblins.
Thwack!
[Kieek!?]
[Keeek!!]
One axe lodged into a goblin’s head, blood splattering everywhere.
Though some blood hit Kurt’s face, he continued to stomp down on the approaching goblins, unfazed.
He looked every bit the part of a true Nord warrior.
[Hiiik…!!?]
“Goddess… Have mercy on these dark souls that have fallen beyond your grace…”
Meanwhile, Silphier, watching in horror, and Eleor, with her hands clasped, calmly prayed to Goddess Gaia.
Before long, the horde of goblins that had attacked them was completely dealt with, and Rudell’s group began to search for any loot.
“I found a coin!”
“Here’s another one.”
“I found one too!”
Rudell discovered coins in the pouches of the goblins and stuffed them into his own.
In this skirmish, they managed to secure three coins.
Not bad for a start.
“Isn’t this too easy? At this rate, we might not even need to go deeper into the forest?”
“That’s not true; the outer monsters will eventually be wiped out over time.”
Low-level monsters like goblins were basically as incompetent as children wielding weapons.
Unless one was a complete amateur with no combat ability, they were merely cannon fodder to well-armed students.
Thus, the low-level monsters in the forest’s outskirts would naturally dwindle over time.
“So, what now?”
“We need to head deeper into the forest.”
At that point, the real competition would shift to defeating the dangerous monsters within.
To secure a favorable position, it was essential to move into the forest as swiftly as possible.
‘The Church members will be on the move too…’
Most importantly, they needed to venture deeper to locate the Church’s forces lurking within.
“Hmm…”
As Rudell pondered their future strategy, he was interrupted.
“Rudell.”
“Huh? What is it?”
Suddenly hearing Kurt’s voice, Rudell turned to look.
He noticed Kurt was scanning their surroundings cautiously.
“Are you thinking what I think you are?”
“Seems like it.”
Rudell, picking up on something from Kurt’s demeanor, asked, and Kurt nodded.
Turning back, Rudell focused his magical energy, spotting faint glimmers among the nearby bushes and trees.
“As expected…”
Seeing that sight, Rudell let out a short sigh.
When it came to sheer fighting power, no other team could match Rudell’s party.
That meant they were a strong contender for the top ranking.
It was only natural they would attract attention from other teams.
Facing the Church was already stressful enough; now they had to worry about other teams as well.
Feeling a headache coming on, Rudell spoke.
“The surveillance is over there, over there, and also over there. They don’t seem likely to attack right away, so let’s leave them for now.”
“Agreed.”
There was no point in fighting unnecessarily when it would only complicate things for them.
Since it didn’t look like they had any intention of attacking first, there was no need to poke the bear.
“Alright! Let’s move everyone! We need to get deeper into the forest before sundown!”
Rudell shouted that, and the group followed his lead, heading deeper into the forest.
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