〈 Chapter 106 〉 The Third Trial (1)
*
And thus, the vacation came to an end.
The second semester had begun, and, as expected, the evaluations focused on individual battles.
Most evaluations consisted of entering the trials alone and defeating Chaos Beasts, similar to the entrance exam.
‘Not the best evaluation method for me.’
Without using my sword, my solo combat ability isn’t that great.
Of course, even if I could use a sword, facing Chaos Beasts is still a situation where the importance of status increases compared to combat against people, so it’s not entirely advantageous.
Nonetheless, having faced Chaos Beasts long enough, my initial scores were looking pretty decent.
‘Especially since there are surprisingly many candidates who aren’t accustomed to the Chaos Realm.’
Not to mention me, Elsie seemed to have followed Gwen around for the past two years, getting used to the chaos. Yusera also appeared to have accompanied the Merchant Guild since she was young, making her familiar with chaos.
However, candidates who were not like that struggled even with the mere act of navigating through the manifestation of the Chaos Realm during the trials.
Thinking back to my first experience stepping into the Chaos Realm makes this understandable.
‘Thanks to that, Yusera is keeping her place in the top tier.’
Of course, Yusera was at a disadvantage when it came to exterminating multiple Chaos Beasts due to her lack of powerful single-hit skills, leading her to rank fourth out of thirty-two in the archery class, without making any progress since the first semester.
On the other hand, it was Elsie who was climbing the ranks.
‘She was definitely in the mid-20s before the mid-trade…’
After the trade, Team 4-B had continuously achieved victories, soaring into the top ten, solidifying their mid-tier position.
Then, after defeating Team 1-A, they found themselves at the edge of the upper tier, and starting from the second semester, they rapidly ascended into the top ten, showcasing the results of their training during the vacation.
There was definitely a payoff for all the struggles I endured in the first semester.
‘If they can maintain this ranking, they should smoothly obtain a good Relic.’
Of course, just being high in rank doesn’t guarantee great Relics.
However, due to the short schedule, it would be hard to show everything one has during the ‘Graduation Tournament’, making the rank a relatively good indicator of strength.
And that Graduation Tournament was an important event that would ultimately determine the designation of successors among heroes and the Relics received.
‘But that’s not the only thing I need to keep an eye on.’
I had resolved quite a few issues during the first semester.
Yet, two significant problems still remained.
‘First is the absence of Divine Seats.’
I spotted Wilhelm a little way off, tending to his bow.
Fortunately, his case didn’t seem to be majorly impacted by the absence, but there were certainly others like Yusera who might not be as lucky.
How this situation would unfold, I didn’t know, but for now, there was no choice but to wait for the God of Chains.
‘And the second is the third trial.’
An unnamed god had warned about it beforehand, even alluding to its difficulty.
Due to the school’s schedule, I was facing the trial often, so the third trial was likely unavoidable. I never intended to avoid it anyway since there would surely be some rewards from the trials.
What mattered were the specifics and timing of it.
‘I wonder if it’s a type of trial I can pass without Gravitas?’
Going through a trial without Gravitas was something I had already experienced during the second trial.
That experience was, quite frankly, uncomfortable. There was no sword that suited me better than Gravitas when using Wind’s Power.
In the end, it wasn’t necessary to have Gravitas to pass the trials, but if this one was combat-oriented, it could very well be tough without it.
‘Perhaps the warning of difficulty might include that as well…’
That might be too optimistic a thought.
I needed to adequately prepare to pass the trials without Gravitas.
To that end, I was focusing once more on training my Wind’s Power. I was attempting to apply Wind’s Power to a regular sword instead of a reduced-weight Gravitas.
…Just then, I heard the professor’s voice.
“Well, it seems all candidates are ready.”
Amidst those personal efforts, the educational schedule of the Hero Academy was also progressing.
And now, what lay ahead was a cooperative hunt class, which intermittently took place among the individual evaluations.
Across the way, Wilhelm was rising from his seat, having finished preparing his bow. It seemed he was the last one ready.
The group across from me was Team 2-B, which included Wilhelm. The cooperative hunt class would be conducted with the team I was part of during the first semester.
Of course, it was merely a coincidence that our class times overlapped, and I was still with Team 4-B, which I had been a part of last semester.
“Are we all set here too?”
I checked on the members of Team 4-B, who had returned from vacation.
Elsie, Yusera, the magician duo, and the trio, who still wore their silly expressions.
Though this was a combination intended for individual battles, it wasn’t necessarily ideal for a coordinated hunt against Chaos Beasts, but since this wasn’t an evaluative class, I didn’t need to worry too much.
‘It won’t hinder keeping up with the class.’
Moreover, while it may not be optimal, there were aspects that could apply in individual battles.
The role of burst damage could be handled by Yusera, and the rest could keep up with the level of the class training, so there wouldn’t be any issue.
However, there were still some things on my mind.
‘What if this isn’t a mock battle?’
That thought kept nagging at me.
Somehow, I had found myself in the position of leader of Team 4-B.
I had been taking the initiative to devise strategies and give orders, so it was likely the natural outcome.
I couldn’t deny the influence of Sung Yoo-rang’s memories from when I was used to games.
‘But the reality is not a game.’
In the trial proceedings where the cooperative class was taking place, even if one dies, it’s not truly fatal as if in a game, allowing for bold decisions.
But if this were reality, could I still afford to give them orders boldly?
If the judgments I made led to their deaths, could I handle that?
Of course, as a leader, I must be prepared for that.
That was something Freira had mentioned last time, and I had agreed with it.
But the perceived weight of acknowledging that versus really shouldering it felt entirely different.
To be honest, I was scared.
The position of a leader responsible for someone’s life is undoubtedly a heavy burden.
However, I didn’t think this position was ill-suited for me.
‘It might even be a role I’m more fit for than directly fighting.’
My body is quite average compared to others.
Even with everything at my disposal, like precociousness, Wind’s Power, Gravitas, and Awakening Pills, there are still limits.
So, borrowing the strength of someone like Elsie or Yusera, who had a higher threshold than mine, might indeed be more beneficial for achieving great things.
‘However…’
In my peripheral vision, I noticed the emergence of Chaos Beasts.
That area had been designated for the trio.
Because I had judged that they could survive well enough on their own.
But there were more Chaos Beasts than I had anticipated.
And while Yusera or Elsie could handle it, the three of them still lacked coping skills for such unforeseen situations.
In the end, they were quickly exterminated by the Chaos Beasts.
That wasn’t my fault.
I had set a logical tactic, but they just happened to be unlucky.
Not only luck but also their lack of training and skill played a part.
‘In the end, it’s an unavoidable sacrifice…’
But in real combat, could I truly accept that?
It was an unavoidable sacrifice, but ultimately sacrifice is still sacrifice.
In that moment, the image of the trio who had just fallen crossed my mind.
‘What if that were Yusera or Elsie?’
I pictured Yusera or Elsie in the trio’s place.
Of course, they likely wouldn’t die easily, but what they would confront in real combat wouldn’t be the same level as these Chaos Beasts.
If things went wrong, it could be the Demon King.
‘If that’s the case, then…’
Moving a little more on my part would make me feel better.
I grabbed my bow.
Even if it wasn’t real combat, I thought it would be necessary to test the tactics now rather than waiting until we were fully engaged in battle.
‘For now, let’s do everything I can.’
*
‘That guy…’
Freira was watching the candidates within the trial.
Among them, her eyes were fixed on Allen.
He was moving even more actively than he had during the first semester.
‘If he were just being active, that would be fine…’
At that moment, a professor, or rather, a trainee professor approached Freira.
“Hm?”
It was Ludmilla, the trainee professor of the archery class.
“Ludmilla?”
“Hello, Freira.”
She stood beside Freira.
Freira then asked her, “By the way, don’t you have a class to teach?”
To which Ludmilla shrugged and replied, “I left that to Kyle. After all, I’m still a trainee professor, and I have the right to prioritize the selection of a successor.”
“That successor you’re talking about…”
Freira scanned the trial ground.
The archers present there were Wilhelm and Allen.
“Wilhelm, I see?”
While Allen’s archery was unique and fairly decent, he still deviated from the fundamentals.
If Ludmilla was looking for someone to inherit her ‘archery’, Wilhelm would certainly be the more suitable choice over Allen.
However, Ludmilla shook her head.
“Well, I think it’s still too early to reveal, but I can’t deny that Wilhelm is a strong candidate; however, there’s one more person I’m still interested in.”
That was somewhat unexpected.
But at the same time, I could understand it to some degree.
Considering I wasn’t any different myself.
‘That guy draws attention wherever he goes, doesn’t he?’
Just then, she continued, “By the way, Freira, you haven’t changed a bit since I saw you a few years ago.”
Whether intentional or not, it was a question that struck at her vulnerabilities.
But since she had answered this question more than once, she responded nonchalantly, “It’s all makeup. If you strip it away, you’d find a wrinkled old lady underneath!”
“Well, I don’t think you look particularly old. If you don’t mind, could you teach me that makeup technique sometime?”
“That would be a problem. That’s my little secret.”
As the two chatted idly, the signal indicating the end of the practice session was suddenly heard.
Turning her gaze toward the candidates, she saw Elsie and Yusera quickly gathering around Allen.
‘As expected…’
Allen had not only moved actively during the practice just now, but he had also pushed himself.
Elsie and Yusera surely would have picked up on that.
So this problem should resolve itself without me having to step in; they’ll figure it out among themselves.
I had already given Allen a warning last time.
‘In a way, this might be Allen’s last task…’
Just then, something caught her instinct.
‘What was that?’
She turned to Ludmilla beside her and asked, “Did you feel something just now?”
“Huh?”
Ludmilla had a puzzled expression, as if she didn’t understand.
It appeared that she was the only one who felt it.
‘What was that just now?’
Somewhere, a sense of alienation began to settle in.
*
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