“The essence of the internal circuit is no different from that of the external circuit, and all the components are the same…”
“Trie.”
“Ah, Master.”
As Trie walked while reading her notes, she turned around at the familiar voice, smiling brightly.
“Schlus…”
“Hello, Teaching Assistant.”
“Mm. Hello.”
And it was Assistant Erwin.
‘We’ve been hanging out a lot lately.’
Have I gotten close to the teaching assistant?
Well, since we’re both commoners at the Imperial University filled with nobles, it made sense for us to bond.
“What’s that?”
“My notes! I heard there’s a surprise written exam, so I quickly summarized a few pages.”
“Thorough preparation…”
At least her habit of taking notes and her diligence were commendable. Schlus could not understand why Trie’s written exam grades were a mess.
The three of them walked side by side and soon arrived at the exam hall.
“Hey! Did you both study hard for the exam? By the way, I didn’t study at all!”
“Are you out of your mind…?”
“I’ll probably do better than you, Trie. I keep up with the classes well.”
“You…!”
Even in response to Aintz’s provocation, Trie could only grit her teeth since it was true that her grades were lower than Aintz’s.
How could he play around yet still score so well?
Maybe he actually studied hard while pretending to slack off.
‘If Aintz played around, he really must have been playing!’
On the other hand, Schlus didn’t doubt Aintz’s words at all. Aintz was the true genius who thought that if his skills were exceptional, there was no need to study separately.
As the exam time approached, students began to fill the exam hall.
Finally, when the clock struck, three minutes passed, and Sergey appeared with a briefcase.
“Alright. Today marks the final exam of the semester. Do your best, everyone. Assistant, please distribute the exam papers.”
“Understood.”
Taking the briefcase, Erwin opened it and pulled out dozens of papers.
*Flick* He fanned the papers and tilted his head in confusion.
Something was off.
Both sides of the papers were blank.
Could the questions be written using some special method?
Looking puzzled, Erwin approached Sergey and asked,
“Professor, is this a blank sheet?”
“Oh no! I accidentally brought a blank sheet instead of the exam papers I worked on for a month!”
“Professor…?”
Sergey slapped his forehead dramatically, exclaiming loudly.
A hint of amusement played on Erwin’s face.
“I never thought I would make such a mistake! Well, it can’t be helped! Today’s final exam will be a practical one instead of a written exam!”
“What?!”
“Everyone, push your desks aside!”
*…*
The students’ mouths dropped open in shock.
Amidst them, Schlus couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.
‘In the end, it’s just like the original work…’
To give a fake impression of having a written exam only to switch to a practical one.
It seemed Sergey had definitely become more playful compared to the original story, Schlus thought, as he pushed the desks.
In an instant, a large space was cleared in the middle of the training hall.
“Well, well! Who wants to be the first to take me on?”
*…*
Sergey pummeled his fists together and confidently shouted.
A retired five-star general.
A man who could take on an entire division alone.
The man who survived 32 assassination attempts.
Imagining fighting the Empire’s strongest human weapon made the students’ faces go pale.
*
‘We’re in big trouble.’
The students were panicking and causing a ruckus.
In the original story, at least a heads-up was given, allowing for some mental preparation.
But to think they came in expecting a written exam, only to suddenly face a monster, had everyone terrified.
This was a development I hadn’t anticipated at all.
I had even crafted a grand plan to cheat using Erwin’s eyes, but that all went down the drain.
Frustrated, I shot a glance at Erwin, and our eyes met.
Erwin, putting the blank pages back into his briefcase, stuck out his tongue at me.
That was a little annoying.
I’d have to punish him once the exam was over.
“Oops! By coincidence, I happen to have a damage measuring device I borrowed! The score will be awarded based on the highest damage indicated by this artifact! However, I will do my best to avoid taking damage and occasionally attempt a counterattack. Once I deem you incapable of combat, the exam will end. As long as you stay within the barrier, there will be no restrictions on your means of attack!”
Sergey carefully explained the rules.
But there was no mention of not breaking the barrier.
Thinking I could briefly deactivate the barrier and fiddle with the artifact to manipulate the numbers, Sergey suddenly turned his gaze towards me, looking utterly shocked.
“Oh! Oh no! Of course, messing with the barrier’s spell is off-limits too!”
“Tch…”
My last resort was gone.
Now, I had no choice but to face Sergey with all my effort.
The issue was that Sergey would apply a strict standard when facing me.
I could almost see the worst future of getting knocked out by Sergey’s uppercut and recording zero damage.
“Any other questions?”
“What happens if we put you in a state of combat incapacity?”
“Then obviously, you’d get a perfect score. What, are you confident, Schlus Hainkel? Step into the barrier! You’ll be the first contender!”
“Ah… Ah…”
Trie’s face went pale.
Usually, I would be the first to be called out in this situation, but thanks to Trie’s inability to contain her curiosity, my turn was slightly delayed.
If I could observe how Sergey would act, it would greatly help in scoring points.
“Can we use weapons?”
“As long as it’s a weapon you brought into the training hall, you can use anything!”
With those words, wails erupted from all around.
Some lamented for not bringing a handful of magic stones from home, while others wished they had at least brought a kitchen knife.
Why was this almost like midterm exams?
The only difference was that the opponent was Sergey.
“Professor, may I step out for a moment?”
“Er… That’s fine.”
“Thank you.”
At that moment, Erwin made an awkward expression and exited the exam hall.
Was he hurrying to the restroom?
Or were the asylum people calling him?
Either way, it didn’t matter.
If it’s an urgent matter, I could use Erwin’s sight to check the situation and run over.
“You’ll take it easy on us, right…?”
*…*
Trie cautiously stepped into the barrier with her shining longsword.
She looked tense but soon steadied her posture, and her body showed no signs of trembling.
It seemed she was used to fighting powerful opponents.
“Once you step forward, I’ll consider that the start of the match.”
“Huu…”
Trie took a deep breath.
And the moment she opened her eyes wide—
*KABOOM!*
Trie’s new model shot out like a flash.
Simultaneously, several yellow flashes whipped out like whips in all directions, rushing towards Sergey.
Just from looking at Sergey’s gaze, one could tell he was quite caught off guard.
*Whack!*
The first two flashes had Sergey attempt to dodge, but he soon realized there were too many follow-ups and began to block with his body.
At the same time, the numbers on the measuring device shot up.
Next, Trie’s sword came flying in, but Sergey seemed to have no intention of taking that hit either.
Instead, he dodged every swing of her blade as he approached, forcing Trie to step back instead.
“Hah… Hah…”
Trie was panting heavily.
She must have intended to end everything with that initial charge.
Even though her ultimate attack that combined the internal and external circuits was potent, Sergey remained without a scratch, looking perfectly fine.
“Are you feeling disheartened? Is the thought of not being able to win creeping in, Schlusenburg?”
“No way!”
Trie yelled defiantly and charged again.
But this time her speed was reduced, and the firepower from the flashes had lessened.
From just watching Sergey’s movements, it was apparent he was preparing to finish things.
*GRAH?!*
*THUD!*
In an instant, Sergey swatted away Trie’s incoming blade with his hand and then punched her in the face.
However, right before his punch hit Trie’s nose, it halted.
“With that, you’re dead, Schlusenburg.”
“I concede…”
Trie lowered her sword.
It took less than a minute for the match to conclude.
With so many people, they seemed to want to quickly wrap things up and move on.
The damage indicated on the measuring device was 250.
Because there was no comparative reference, I couldn’t gauge if that was high or low.
Regardless, the only hit Sergey took was from Trie’s flash-like output that resembled a whip.
Even if it landed several times, the damage didn’t seem significant.
‘I’ve figured out the strategy.’
To score high in this exam, the key was to deal low damage multiple times.
Charging in full power like Trie would surely get Sergey to overwhelm her quickly.
If you try to land a strong blow, Sergey would dodge it effortlessly.
The focus of this exam was efficiently accumulating damage through difficult-to-dodge, minor attacks.
“Any other applicants? Then, Schlus Hainkel, come on in!”
“Yes.”
As expected.
If there are no applicants, I always end up being first.
“Master. No matter what happens, don’t be scared.”
Trie briefly tapped my shoulder as she passed by.
In the end, it’s not like I was fighting for my life, so why should I be scared?
“Ha ha ha! I’m looking forward to it! Move when you’re ready!”
*…*
However, my arrogance melted away the moment I stepped into the barrier.
How was this a professor competing against students?
What stood before me looked like a gigantic grizzly bear intent on tearing me apart.
Even though I knew Sergey wouldn’t kill me, my body trembled involuntarily.
This was a fear that fell into the realm of instinct, something I couldn’t overcome unless I repeatedly trained like Trie.
‘I’m going crazy…’
Did my story even have a fortitude type of setting?
Even when I fought Hertlocker and almost died, it couldn’t compare to this level.
I clenched my teeth and did my best to suppress my trembling.
After all, we had to take the exam.
I wondered if any memories of facing such an overwhelming enemy existed among Schlus’ recollections.
If only my ‘Memory of True Self’ would activate now and suppress this fear.
Regrettably, no matter how long I waited, nothing happened.
‘Hmm?’
At that moment, a strange mana ripple flowed in.
It was a faint ripple, so faint that one wouldn’t notice unless their mana sensitivity was fairly high.
This was the ripple emitted by the spell embedded in Erwin’s heart.
Whenever Erwin felt fear or anxiety, it would automatically radiate.
I immediately shared Erwin’s sight and hearing to eavesdrop.
– “I’m really not a spy, I swear! I passed the test where I killed someone last time!”
– “What’s so big about killing a single slave…? The higher-ups believe you’re suspicious since information keeps leaking out. If you quietly die, we can ensure your family’s safety. Decide. Will you skip out quietly or resist and endanger your siblings?”
‘Damn.’
This was an emergency.
How could they try to kill the spy I had secured?
I had to rush to Erwin immediately.
There wasn’t even time to think about accumulating damage with small spells or any nonsense like that.
I would completely unleash all my strength to take Sergey down.
With that single thought, I prepared myself and preheated the internal circuit.
‘Selection and Concentration.’
Whether I win or Sergey wins, this exam would end within five seconds.
Before I knew it, the fear that filled me had completely disappeared.
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