<432 - The Pitfall of the Exam>
Honor Fried Chicken barely managed to get up, but he hadn’t recovered enough stamina to continue the exam.
His trembling arm muscles and the bruised palm he was trying desperately to keep the spear from slipping away needed immediate healing.
He took out the healing potion he had been keeping tucked away.
“Ugh, to think I’d have to use this precious item here…”
Someone of high standing, like a member of one of the Empire’s three noble families, is relatively free from the pressure of points.
They could bring in an expensive healing potion and use it like an extra life.
With the Medical Building capable of treating any injury, this potion was usually something you wouldn’t use for anything less, but now, being unable to go to the Medical Building, any amount of points was needed to procure it.
“Poor thing.”
“You should have chosen your opponents wisely.”
The second-years clicked their tongues.
But the timing felt off. Right after he was hit, they said nothing—why were they talking now that he had pulled out a potion?
“W-why isn’t it working?!”
“That’s because while you were growing, I was growing too.”
[No Retreat, No Surrender]
[The benevolent deity Immanuel will not grant the enemy another opportunity if you do not retreat.]
[In a fight where you do not flee from the enemy, they cannot gain recovery effects through unholy means.]
Through a life of deep faith, a new power granted by the benevolent deity Immanuel—nullification of regeneration!
“If you pledge to become a faithful servant of Immanuel, the benevolent deity will bestow grace upon talented individuals. If you devote yourself to faith, you too can recover.”
“…A devotee wouldn’t be able to enjoy the life of a noble, right?”
“Immanuel does not deny a noble life. He merely imposes punishment on unjust lives.”
Then, a life as a noble was impossible.
Just as a duck cannot float on water without flapping, a noble who does not know how to scheme cannot remain in their place.
If one possessed overwhelming strength, there wouldn’t be a need to use annoying tricks, but Honor Fried Chicken was not that strong.
Still, he could not give up the life of a noble.
In a brief moment, he realized a loophole.
“Saintess Yufi, I ask for your help…”
The power of God is taken away by the power of God.
Saintess Yufi, who serves the [Golgotha of Decapitation].
With her help, he could surely sever the recovery curse.
The White Knight Roe looked on with a disappointed face, as if he had lost out.
“What do you think?”
Yufi turned to Ishtar.
The warrior’s reaction was cold.
“The Empire’s three noble families chose the Second Princess.”
It was an undeniable truth that the Second Princess Masugaki was now deeply immersed in Dark Mana.
The warrior had no intention of showing mercy to the students who joined hands with the princess.
“Well, that’s how it is. I don’t feel sorry for it.”
“Ugh… The chance to burden me with debt is rare. I may look like this, but I’m someone who learned spear techniques from the Imperial Sinchang. When I grow at the academy and return to my family, my position will be unshakable.”
“What does that have to do with Ishtar? You’ll be living in the Empire’s safe systems, and Ishtar will never cross paths with you in the border region’s major incidents.”
Crack.
Honor gritted his teeth and presented his conditions.
“I will support the family’s elite organization, the Spear Brigade, for five years post-academy graduation.”
“Spear Brigade!”
“Does Jezel even know about the Spear Brigade?”
Oknodie was impressed, thinking it was impressive that she knew.
Though surprised by Oknodie’s reaction, Jezel saw the skeptical looks from other students and explained instead.
“It’s a private military organization made up of top-tier spear wielders. They possess combat power comparable to a regular knight squad and are known annually to participate in monster hunts, achieving remarkable feats.”
“How useful is that? Monsters are things I might as well catch for fun in the rocky mountains.”
With Son Ohchun’s uninterested expression, Jezel realized her explanation had missed the mark.
They needed a more intuitive comparison.
“Five members of the Spear Brigade can hold back one first-year senior class student. Sure, those on the other side won’t grow any further, but even that is considerable firepower.”
“Oh. That’s a bit impressive.”
Such subordinates with that kind of specs would hold high value.
But Ishtar’s standards were more stringent.
“I’ll accept it. As long as they can be used regardless of life or death.”
“…Then so be it.”
As Honor managed to nod with great effort, Yufi presented the soul contract.
After completing the contract, he was finally free.
“…Who would be the second weakest senior?”
“Who do you think it is?”
“Take a guess.”
“Why would asking tell me anything?”
Amidst the mockery of the second-years, Honor was huffing.
There was no reason for Jezel to answer him just because he turned to look at her.
Frustrated by seeing him get humiliated, another member from one of the Empire’s three noble families, Cheddar Potato Pizza, pointed at a senior.
“The senior sitting with arms crossed in the front row, pretending to be strong, is the third weakest senior. Honor, depending on the conditions, you might still have a chance to win.”
“No way, how did you know?!”
Before the senior could show his face of despair, Honor threw down a challenge.
“Let’s have a spear duel. Whoever throws the spear from this line on the floor and embeds it deeper into the wall wins in a piercing power spear duel.”
Though it was burdensome to meet weapons, Honor calculated smartly that he couldn’t possibly lose in a competition requiring a single powerful hit.
The senior who wasn’t so strong beyond appearances lost, and Honor gained 1100 points, half of 2200 points.
“Then I, Cheddar Potato Pizza, will challenge the second weakest senior.”
“Since points are plentiful, I’ll finish it quick. I, Leff Iron Charcoal Barbecue, will also challenge the same target consecutively.”
Even if they were in the same class, half of 1000 points and half of 1100 points were different.
With just 100 points, you could eat the cafeteria’s full meal (5p) 20 times!
The challenges from Cheddar and Leff put the students in a bind.
Should they pinpoint a new weakling and challenge them?
Should they hastily challenge the well-known weakling?
Or should they, like Honor, take a risk and challenge the strong?
“Oknodie, are you aiming for a big player too?”
“Of course!”
“Do I need to step aside?”
“If you have the courage to challenge Senior Mandela, I’d want to rather cheer for you!”
Unlike the other students who were busy trying to get ahead in the line to challenge, Oknodie showed no sign of impatience.
Playing around, twiddling her fingers with a drill head, was the second-year top student, Mandela Castera, and knowing this, no one dared to risk being held back by a possible flunk.
“Oknodie. How about a competition where the first to kill the other wins?”
“That sounds good! The seniors can’t just freely harm a first-year student, so it’s a duel they can’t win typically.”
Bolstered by that comment, Jiang pointed out a powerful senior just below the four kings of classes.
“Senior. The winner is the one who kills the other first.”
“Did I seem easy to deal with?”
The second-year senior laughed in disbelief.
“Well done thinking. A second-year student would face disciplinary action if they killed a first-year. Even if you truly tried to kill me, I can’t.”
“But you made one mistake.”
“Choosing a loquacious opponent?”
“If you just run around aimlessly without winning or losing, then it won’t matter how long it takes, you won’t escape. So your mistake was not putting a time limit on it.”
At that moment, the senior’s form melted away like water.
“Did he just disappear?!”
“Where did that senior go?”
“That’s no ordinary water magic. An act of transforming their flesh into liquid without any premonition is close to spirit magic.”
Instead of desperately searching for the senior, Jezel confirmed the direction of Oknodie’s gaze.
Oknodie was intently watching a training area attached to the homeroom classroom.
Splish, splash…
With subtle sounds, moisture appeared on the floor.
In an instant, the senior moved that much distance while remaining undetectable.
Whoosh, Bam!
Oknodie caught the senior’s movement without looking at her, astonishingly memorizing the movements.
“How did you find me? My concealment shouldn’t be visible even with a Search Eye.”
“High-ranking assassins are not your ordinary targets. I’ve learned about assassinating those who have mastered spirit magic from my mentor. For instance, a spirit magician who exchanged the location of their body with water in the spirit realm can manipulate the water turned into gas.”
At that moment, opaque liquids began to swirl in the air, rapidly turning green.
“In that case, you can spread poison. Spirit magicians must forcibly regain human form until they send back the same amount of clean water to the spirit realm when the borrowed water is contaminated.”
With indifference, Jiang approached the choking senior, dagger in hand, causing her to panic and shout.
“I surrender!”
“Good job, senior. This is an antidote.”
Having won in a frighteningly convenient manner, Jiang had outdone herself, yet others felt they couldn’t even attempt such a thing.
“That’s something Jiang can do alone. We don’t possess the ability to handle that level of poison.”
“What if her main body hides in the spirit realm and controls only the liquid? If she disperses it all into gas, how do we catch her?”
Determined to endure, a pesky senior with such an ability seemed impossible to catch even after a day!
If they jumped in carelessly, they could be caught by such trap abilities, instilling fear among all the students and keeping them to safe and conservative choices.
Then, something unexpected happened.
Thud!
“Oof!”
Kicked out of the Empire, the fighter Lotto crawled into Oknodie’s organization.
She was hit in the stomach by the weakest second-year senior’s fist and doubled over, gasping for air.
“That person used to be the senior who forfeited against Son Ohchun, right?”
“She’s got terrible luck. How does she keep getting hit by lucky punches?”
“Even so, she’s winded enough to lose now.”
The three students from the Empire, who had confidently taken on the challenge, fell one after another to the senior.
Realizing the situation was going bizarre, the students stopped challenging.
“That senior looks like she’s about to fall, yet she’s not going down at all.”
“What’s going on right now?”
Among the panicking first-years, Jezel noticed Oknodie smiling cheerfully, undeterred.
“Little lady, do you know why that senior is unexpectedly holding out?”
“Of course!”
“What’s the reason?”
“I won’t say! If I give a tip, I’ll just get scolded!”
“Then how about telling me secretly?”
“If it’s just you, then it’s fine!”
Oknodie cupped her hands around Jezel’s ear and whispered the secret.
“Other second-year seniors are secretly casting healing spells or buffs to recover her!”
Jezel’s eyes widened in shock.
“Wasn’t the duel against your exam opponent supposed to be a 1v1 duel?”
“By principle, yes. But there’s no rule saying you can’t intervene while watching your team lose, right? Helping without being caught is just fine!”
Especially since second-years who were close to each other would likely unite under Mandela Castera’s command.
Some of those who passed earlier possessed powerful single-hit abilities that couldn’t be muddled with buffs or covert support.
In short, it meant that unless one had strength to break through the whole second-year’s secret support, passing the exam would be impossible.
“So be cautious about entering this as an information power contest!”
“…Did you figure it out?”
“Of course. In this duel, it’s up to the challenger to determine the method of confrontation. No one ever stated it had to be through physical means, right?”
Like Jezel, someone specialized in information could challenge through an information power contest.
As long as they had confidence they could handle the secret support of the rest of the second-years alone.
