Students formed ranks at the entrance of Whist Forest.
It was quite far from the minefield area.
Of course, I had removed most of those mines myself, so it was unlikely anyone would accidentally step in and blow themselves up.
“This exam is about hunting magical beasts!”
“Hunting magical beasts…?”
“All of a sudden?”
At Sergey’s boisterous shout, the students began to murmur.
They probably had an inkling of what was coming.
Whist Forest was notoriously infested with magical beasts.
But I suppose they hadn’t expected to be thrown straight into a real battle.
“Don’t worry too much! The magical beasts you will face are black hounds! They thrive in relatively low mana energy environments.”
“If it’s just black hounds…”
“That’s a relief.”
The mood, which had been quite agitated, suddenly calmed down.
They were the ones I had faced the night before.
In terms of single entities, you could say they had the combat power of a rabid dog.
It would be a bit tricky since they travel in packs, but with their nearly nonexistent intelligence, if we used the terrain well, a party could definitely handle hundreds of black hounds.
“Just because they’re lower-grade magical beasts doesn’t mean you should let your guard down. You’ve all probably seen black hounds at places like magical beast farms. What was your impression of them there?”
“They just looked like weak old dogs.”
“Exactly. It’s not a suitable environment for them. The area you will be entering now is saturated with low mana energy. In there, you’ll feel heavy, queasy, and dizzy. Meanwhile, the black hounds will be charging at you in peak condition, eager to bite your neck.”
“Ah…”
“It’s truly an extreme situation. Remember: if you start gasping for breath, breathing quickly will only stack more mana energy in your body. And always be aware of your exit. If you catch all the black hounds but can’t escape and pass out, you’ll be dead.”
“Ugh…”
“You’ll be going in as teams of five! If you catch 20 black hounds, you’re free to leave! If it seems like too much, you can retreat and re-enter, but don’t forget this exam is a race against time! Now, I’ll announce the teams I’ve arranged!”
I felt a bit tense here.
Worried about ending up in a team with Aintz.
We needed to act separately from Aintz, and if I ended up in the same party, I’d have to abandon him in the forest.
That was something I had to avoid.
“Last team! Schlus Hainkel…”
Luckily, that disaster did not happen.
Aintz, Trie, and I were all assigned to different parties.
It seemed that they had balanced the power dynamics by picking the top three students from Battle Magic class.
They must have carefully thought through the party arrangements.
“Now, the first team.”
“Yes!”
The five students, including Aintz, stepped forward in response.
They were given one bottle of mana energy antidote.
That should be plenty for hunting 20 black hounds and coming out alive.
But who knows if that’ll actually work…
“The individual who performs the best in the party will receive extra points. Now, Team 1, you may enter!”
With Sergey’s signal, Aintz’s party charged into the forest.
Extra points for the best performer…
This was a trap Sergey had cleverly set.
What this drill demanded wasn’t individual prowess but teamwork.
If team members were too eager to jump in seeking extra points, that team would be wiped out in no time.
Would Aintz be able to suppress the desire to stand out?
“Go ahead now.”
“Yes, professor.”
Soon, trailing behind Team 1, the assistant squinted slightly as they set off.
If an emergency arose, the assistant was probably prepared to evacuate Team 1…
But this time, the assistant probably wouldn’t be much help.
“Now, the rest of you, stay on standby. As soon as Team 1 finishes their exam, Team 2 will follow, so don’t relax.”
“Professor.”
“Do you have a question?”
“What if mana energy starts to surge during the exam? I heard that mana energy periodically flows in and out of Whist Forest.”
Trie raised her hand and asked.
True to her nature, she was sensitive about safety.
But when she was beating me up, she didn’t seem to care about safety…
“Ahahahaha! That question is exactly what I was waiting for! Don’t worry about that today! It’s one of the two days a year when the mana energy mist doesn’t move!”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Exactly! So it’s effectively layered. The areas where the black hounds operate are strictly defined, so if you feel too much strain or see other magical beasts besides the black hounds, just retreat. You won’t be exposed to high concentrations of mana energy. And just in case you’re curious, I’ll tell you…”
Sergey seemed to become excited and started rambling on.
But I was too busy keeping an eye on the surroundings.
Wondering if the intelligence agency folks were lurking about.
In the original story, they followed Hertlocker and kept an eye on the exam.
Today, the chances of them being here were exceedingly high.
But finding them was another issue altogether.
“Should I just let it be?”
Even if I was lucky enough to find them, I wouldn’t have any way to deal with them.
They’re not the type to just wander away if I told them to.
If I ended up fighting them and activated ‘Selection and Concentration,’ I would have a hard time dealing with the mana surge.
I could only hope they would quietly observe.
If they tried to obstruct things, then I would have no choice but to fight…
*Hiss…*
The communication artifact in Sergey’s hand crackled with noise.
The expression on his face grew serious as he brought it to his ear.
Should I eavesdrop?
– Something’s off, professor. According to the calculations, the area up to the rock mountains should be the black hound zone, but we’re already seeing orcs?
– Are you sure it’s the first rock mountain?
– Yes, for sure.
– Where’s Team 1?
– Team 1 is still within the black hound zone.
– Then…
– Uh-oh? Something’s not right. A pack of orcs is rapidly heading south!
Sergey’s face turned pale.
“What? What is that?”
At that moment, one student’s voice made everyone look up.
In the distance, a black cloud was forming.
It was too low and dark to be called a rain cloud.
Rather…
Yes. It would be more appropriate to call it black mist.
“This is nonsense. How can such thick mana energy mist…!”
The mist began to creep downward.
As sunlight was obscured, shadows slowly descended.
An instant night-like darkness enveloped the area, and the mist rolled in as if to cover the entire sky.
“Mana energy surge…! Why must this disaster happen right now!”
Oh, so this is what they mean by a mana energy surge.
Seeing it up close felt suffocating.
If we were engulfed by that mist, survival would be impossible.
My instincts, or perhaps Schlus’s instincts, screamed that warning.
“Everyone evacuate! To the village’s bomb shelter!”
“Professor! What about Team 1?”
“Team 1… should be fine. I’ll go.”
“Professor.”
Seizing the opportunity, I grabbed Sergey’s arm.
His arm was so thick that I couldn’t even grasp half of his bicep.
I found myself doubting if this was really human physique.
Hertlocker could probably hold his own in a brawl, but I felt like I’d never stand a chance against this guy.
“You don’t need to go.”
“What?”
“The assistant is carrying multiple bottles of mana energy antidotes, right? I believe the assistant can lead Team 1 and hold out until the situation stabilizes.”
“How can Schlus be so sure about that?!”
Sergey fumbled with his expression, gripping my shoulders tightly.
It was a question I couldn’t easily answer.
In the original story, Sergey, who had rushed into Whist Forest to rescue Team 1, ended up isolated due to the magical beast wave and, unable to contact Team 1, ended up in a solitary battle that left him permanently injured.
But I couldn’t say that.
“I can’t be sure.”
“Then…!”
“But if you’re not there, I can predict what will happen to the village.”
“What do you mean?”
“This surge will reach the village. The magical beasts will easily break down the bomb shelter doors and invade. We’re the only ones capable of stopping it, and what can students do alone? You need to lead us, professor.”
“….”
Sergey tightly closed his eyes.
Honestly, deep down, he must have realized that what I was saying was true, even if he hated it with all his might.
“Is anyone scared? If you are, go into the bomb shelter now! And don’t ever come out!”
“….”
Sergey slowly surveyed the faces of the students.
Everyone seemed tense, but none of them took a step back.
“It’s going to be a hard fight. If we get surrounded by magical beasts, we might not be able to get into the bomb shelter at all.”
“….”
Sergey warned them, lowering his voice.
Still, no student moved.
So this is the grace of the imperial university students…
Honestly, I was quite impressed.
If I were them, I would just run away without a second thought.
“Hah. These guys seem to have lost their fear. Alright! We’ll start checking our defenses to block the magical beasts! After that, I’ll explain the strategy for defense! You three over here! You guys…!”
Sergey began to calmly direct his commands.
With his overwhelming physique, I had temporarily forgotten…
He didn’t rise to the position of general in the imperial army just because of his sheer strength.
They say his exceptional military tactics could transform a thousand farmers into a hundred elite cavalry overnight.
“Move quickly! Position the oil barrels no more than two steps from the fire! Gather up all the food from the shops and stack it at the main camp! The villagers will understand!”
Seeing the students move in an orderly fashion, I felt the weight of reality setting in.
The worst event so far was about to begin.
I clenched my fists tightly, gathering my resolve.
‘Things are about to get really hectic.’
I had so much to do.
