<202 - The Reason for the Declining Rank>
Kasia asked before crossing the river.
“Why did you make such a weird contract?”
“Why did you say you wouldn’t start the competition until 100 people passed?”
“Yeah, that.”
“If you pass alone, your score would be fine, but that’s a trap!”
“Trap?”
“Remember how the principal’s lecture didn’t mention any particular test?”
“I remember.”
“Well, actually, it’s combined with the Upper Class Physical Training!”
“…Two grades for one test?”
“Yep. They also calculate the score rankings of the people in your group and the students in the same group! So if someone from the border region passes alone, their score will drop.”
Kasia couldn’t wrap her head around it. Instead of clarifying her doubts, more questions popped up.
“How do you know that?”
“I have a friend who’s good at eavesdropping!”
Eavesdropping on the principal, not some other professor? The more she thought about it, the more absurd his answer sounded.
“So you’re not going to pass?”
“There’s no reason to refuse if they give me points.”
“Irene is passing too. You won’t let a warrior get a good score, right?”
“…I can’t let that happen. If it’s about keeping an eye on her, leave it to me.”
At that, all the front runners crossed the river. Thanks to that, Oknodie also felt relieved.
“Hehe, got a freebie.”
Everything was set for fulfilling the solo block on the student army. Sending strong competitors ahead, securing the notary with divine speech to prevent hostile NPCs from messing things up, while hiding Mamok beneath the river to lower the guard. From now on, whether students can cross the river or not will be decided by my will.
‘It’s a bit regrettable to lose points, but I can always make it back in other ways!’
Using Mamok’s branches, I caught a ton of underwater monsters swimming in the river.
Ink-squirting octopus monster, Ink Octopus.
Squid monster that sticks to your body, Sticky Squid.
Starfish monster that zooms in for a body-to-body crash, five-pointed star.
All of them can be grilled and eaten.
I’ll make sure to give a hard time to the students from the empire who have it too easy.
I’ll also take care of students from the border region.
While I’m at it, I’ll grab some test scores.
And collect entries in the monster encyclopedia at the same time.
If things go well, I might even get to the finish line on a golem while the first 100 members are wasting time looking for broken vessels that escaped!
Then I’ll get the scores for two Upper Class tests at once.
Making tons of gains at once like this, isn’t this the true mark of a veteran player?
Oknodie’s shoulders shrugged up, lost in pride.
*
Arcadia muttered vacantly while enjoying the comfortable ride on Mamok between whirlpools.
“Is this really right…?”
Leading the latecomers from the border region while taking the test, Arcadia felt an odd mist of tears as the second-year main team chased her with remarks like, “Please go ahead, Princess!” and “I’ll take care of this.” It was only an acknowledgment of the exam that made it worse.
And on the other side, Andersen, the Grand Duke’s group, also looked like a wreck after hefty sacrifices.
“Arcadia. You look terrible.”
“Hmph. And you, Grand Duke Andersen, have blood gushing from your head, you know? …That’s a lot of blood. Shouldn’t you treat that?”
“Ah… is this the amount of bleeding to worry about? It’s fine. It happens all the time during lecture time.”
What kind of lectures does this guy attend?
Noticing, all the remaining male students around the Grand Duke seemed to be regular students in those classes.
Those who managed to escape from a class where over 80% of students ditched out were of a whole different caliber, their glares were no joke.
“Ah, Arcadia! I’ve been waiting for you. Hurry and pass!”
“Oknodie!? You’re still lingering in a place like this; what are you doing?!”
“Come on. I wouldn’t leave you behind, Arcadia!”
“Oknodie…!”
“Grand Duke Andersen was kind enough. Let’s pass together!”
It was like a market vendor throwing in extras just because they’re generous, resulting in an embarrassing chuckle. But when considering the power Oknodie wielded at this river, it couldn’t be brushed off as a joke.
Looking at the imperial students and second-years just standing there, staring blankly and wasting time, Oknodie’s kindness was more than welcomed.
“Did you see Zhuang and Sing on your way?”
“Are they still running?”
Pointing to the circular forest beneath the spiral staircase made her smile wryly.
The path indeed winds inwards like a funnel rather than a perfect circle, and it’ll eventually reach the staircase and the river.
However, if one follows the proper path, the time wasted is ridiculous.
It’s an exam where wisdom is more valuable than strength.
Those who only focus on physical training will surely get lower grades.
But then again, for the entire border group to score well, even those fools need to score high.
“Looks like we have no choice. We just have to wait a few more hours!”
“Oknodie, are you really planning to hold this spot until all the border students cross?”
“Of course!”
She looked like she was asking why that was even a question.
‘You foolish child. Why do you continuously put yourself at a disadvantage?’
Is belonging that important?
With the foundation not fostering connections,
Not wanting to lose the bonds formed without someone trying to kill each other.
Is that why you’re desperately participating in the exam like this?
Arcadia made a decision.
She would protect this foolishly pure child.
“Go ahead. I’ll help Oknodie here.”
“Arcadia, you’ve given me rib-flavored canned food, lobster-flavored canned food, and scallop-flavored canned food! You think I’m leaving that behind?!”
“The Thunderbolt Celestial Divine Church does not teach that grace must be repaid with grace, but as a person, I want to help. You wouldn’t turn me down, right?”
The beast fighter Xenia and Sister Nise from the Thunderbolt Celestial Divine Church were the first to show their willingness to assist.
Following suit, the remaining male students following the Grand Duke expressed their desire to help.
“That’s how it is, Di. You’ll accept our help, right?”
“Hmmm… No!”
Oknodie cheerfully rejected them.
Dazed faces from the students.
Behind them, Mamoks emerged from the water, stretching their branches and placing the students atop pillars.
The subsequent result was like drifting on a boat, ending up on the other side!
Watching this scene, the instructor pulled out a grading sheet and began scribbling something down.
Arcadia only hoped that it wouldn’t lead to any point deductions.
*
[Information Transmission - Location of Transportation]
<1000p Signature Fee Deducted>
“Damn it. What a waste.”
“C’mon now. If you save it, you’ll waste even more time looking for your transport.”
[Genege’s Tactical Studies] midterm exam.
The students listening to a professor, a former professional gambler, felt their spirits dwindle as they saw the information popping up like a gambling board.
In this chosen lecture, the students would limit the [Prediction Targets] and record their [Expected Rankings] to earn grades based on the odds.
As the prediction targets increased, the expected comprehensive ranking could be loosely estimated, but with fewer targets, the expected comprehensive ranking had to be more precise.
However, to obtain a better score compared to others, one either had to take risks on higher odds or hit as many details as possible.
With these dilemmas, the third-years’ choices were split wildly based on preferences and the odds.
“It’s shocking that the warrior deemed as a sure bet is struggling; Oknodie isn’t ordinary either.”
“Hmph. It’s just that the fool fell for his own trick. Who’d have expected third-years would interfere with students using their credit investment?”
“True.”
Among the sure bets, the third-years who placed their bets on the lowest odds warrior felt relieved watching the warrior reach the finish line first.
“What good is an upset? They’ll lose all those points and blow it.”
“Exactly. Look at Oknodie. She genuinely wouldn’t pass until sending 100 people first.”
The third-years who bet on Oknodie for first place merely began to repeat malfunctioned sounds of “Fail? Why? Fail? Why?”
Originally, Oknodie’s odds weren’t that high, but one student praised her skills, causing those gullible individuals to invest heavily.
“Hey, Felix! You said Oknodie was a solid investment! What now?!”
One of those already confirmed to fail protested against the student who gave Oknodie praise.
A suspicious figure dressed in a distinctly black robe.
Even a passing heretic inquisitor would feel the urge to grab the thorny mace after glancing at him.
“Without a doubt, that kid possesses the finest qualities.”
“Then why can’t she finish first and is dropping to the top ten?!”
“To become the finest ‘Dark Priest’.”
A third-year who formed a connection with Oknodie.
Owner of the Red Fanged Mushroom Secret Breeding Ground.
Regular member of the Dark Cult, Felix.
As he created countless testing dropouts with his catastrophic rhetoric, he pondered over Oknodie’s record.
“Yet I don’t see any traits of the ‘finest student’.”
“Hey, you trash! You’ve tricked me well!!”
Thinking Oknodie would take first, betting safely on her to place in the top three, everyone lined up to fail.
But just in case, Felix was still scheming, betting on Oknodie to place within the top fifty and formulating plans to complete credit by scoring higher than relative failures.
However, even the flowing plans faced one problem.
Oknodie was moving to send 100 people ahead in the second zone.
If this continued, her rank could plummet indefinitely.
Feeling anxious, the other third-years passed on their transportation location info to their chosen students to help them cross the finish line.
Otherwise, he too would end up in the same pathetic fate as those other fools.
“Time for motivation.”
Felix began to manipulate his magic watch.
Passing on the location info of Zhuang and Sing waiting for Oknodie.
“?”
Felix wondered if he was seeing things.
He blinked.
Rubbed his eyes.
Slapped his cheek.
Yet the output on the magic watch still seemed off.
“…This batch of first-years is full of strange kids.”
Zhuang and Sing’s locations were astonishingly mid-way through the forest where everyone else has already escaped.
Moreover, the signals from the nearby second-years began to dim at a terrifying speed. The previously bright red signals throughout the forest were rapidly fading into silence.
The only reason couldn’t possibly be anything else.
The food chain had flipped.
They didn’t seem late due to getting lost; rather, the first years were hunting down the second-years and taking them down instead!
