#019 Gathering Oddballs (4)
I was perplexed.
‘…It’s one thing if we’re talking about second or third years, but at this stage, someone actually scored 10 points?’
Of course, if we purely discuss talent, the members of the “Template” have plenty of potential, whether it’s physical ability or magic, to reach that genius or monster level.
Take Ligret, for instance. If I hadn’t been supporting him to increase his overall abilities, he could have easily dedicated himself to enhancing his physical skills and reached that threshold.
However, the fact that there’s already a “Template” holder who has reached such a level without my intervention is frankly… how should I put it?
‘It’s oddly frustrating.’
It’s like when you work hard to help your younger sibling or friend improve their grades, only to find out later they were studying from the textbook alone and still outperformed you.
I was determined to show whoever that “Template” holder was just how capable we were when we meet. So I turned to the two beside me.
“First, let’s grab our stuff and get off. And just in case, let’s check the other luggage compartments too.”
“Other compartments? Surely they can’t be that careless… Whoa, there’s really something here.”
Clonk! Swish.
As Ligret popped open the luggage compartment of an empty seat, another backpack containing a compass and food came tumbling out.
Fiore covered her mouth with her hand and murmured, “Well, I see now why they said ‘get off within 10 minutes.’ I thought the timeframe was a bit long, considering it was just for packing.”
I began transferring the food from the backpack I pulled out into my original one.
“Let’s grab one extra compass each and hand all the food over to me.”
The food was for four days. The time limit to reach our destination was one week.
No matter how far we actually needed to travel, having too much food couldn’t hurt.
‘It’s a shame I’ve never experienced this route firsthand.’
I thought about how it would have been ideal if I had reincarnated after thoroughly understanding the whole route, rather than at this ambiguous third attempt.
<><><>
A massive chunk of iron rolled out with the sound of the whistle, leaving the forest behind.
Once the sight of the fast vanishing train disappeared completely, the people’s reactions split into three distinct groups.
“Is it enough just to reach the destination? That’s simple!”
“I’ve hunted and roamed through forests till I was sick of it. I’ll be the first one there!”
The first group was ignited with enthusiasm and determination, racing ahead into the forest, worried they might fall behind someone else.
These were people who had backgrounds as hunters or mercenaries, or those who simply had confidence in their skills.
Their familiarity with rough conditions and the self-assurance that they could handle most situations alone drove them forward.
In some ways, they could be considered the most proactive participants in the exam, but this group was actually in the minority overall.
“Hey, wait a second! Are we really just going in like this? Leaving us in the middle of a forest like this?”
“How do we quit halfway? What if something happens on the way!”
“I… I didn’t grab my backpack!”
The second group was frozen in confusion and hesitation.
They had hurriedly gotten off after hearing the announcement that staying on the train would count as a withdrawal, but now that they found themselves abandoned right in the middle of the forest, they were at a loss.
Some among them had been chatting with other participants or had dozed off on the train, completely missing the broadcast, resulting in them not packing the necessary supplies like food or compasses.
They couldn’t leap into the forest as boldly as the first group, nor could they retrace their steps along the train tracks; instead, they floundered in confusion.
In some ways, they looked pitiful and underprepared, but unfortunately, most of the participants belonged to this second group.
And lastly, there were those who quickly adapted to the situation and aimed to utilize it to their advantage.
“Everyone! Don’t panic! Gather around here! If we cooperate, we can all pass together!”
A booming voice echoed from the central plaza, capturing the attention of all the participants.
Standing at the center was a young man in knightly armor.
With golden hair like fine gold dust, striking blue eyes, and a sculpted physique over 180 cm tall—a typical handsome warrior—one participant stepped forward to ask, “Who the heck are you to boss us around?”
Perhaps overwhelmed by the young man’s stature and aura, the question came out with a shaky voice, but it was one of the two knights standing beside him who answered, not the young man.
“You rude fool! This is Lord Alphonse Betuar of the Betuar family! Show some respect!”
With the kind of intensity that made it seem like he was about to unsheathe his sword at any moment, the guy who had just asked the question shrank back, but Alphonse stopped him.
“Wait a minute, Nicolaus. Don’t be too harsh. It’s understandable; they didn’t know.”
“Yes! I’m sorry!”
“I know it’s hard to believe. It must be confusing. But think about it; the examiner only said, ‘You must reach the destination within a week.’ There was no mention of ‘only a few can pass’ or ‘you have to eliminate other participants.’”
As the participants quieted down, Alphonse continued to speak.
“Do you see that vast forest? Rather than trusting solely in a compass and braving the wild alone, collaborating with the people here significantly increases the chances of success! So, how about joining me?”
“Please take me with you!”
“Me too!”
“Uh, can we join if we don’t have a backpack?”
<><><>
Observing how the majority of those remaining gathered around Alphonse, leaving only a few behind—including the three of us—Fiore asked, “So, what should we do, brother?”
I replied, “Do you want to go in?”
“Well, it does sound efficient,” she said, wearing her usual bright smile.
“Strength in numbers, and being here means we’ve already passed the preliminary examination, so most of us must possess at least minimal skills. Plus, that charisma derived from his noble status and looks should keep things in order.”
“Is that your type?”
“About a 60 out of 100?”
“Tough critic.”
“His attitude of looking down on people is quite off-putting.”
“Honestly, I feel the same.”
While we were chatting, Alphonse Betuar’s party was steadily growing, and soon only a few participants were left, including the three of us.
One of Alphonse’s apparent loyal knights, a young man named Nicolaus, shouted at us.
“Hey! If you’re going to join, hurry up!”
I responded, “We’re planning to go our separate way, so no need to worry about us.”
“What?”
Nicolaus’s expression twisted slightly, and among those who joined Alphonse’s team, a few murmured as if they recognized us.
Then Ligret spoke up.
“They’re the ones who got weird scores in the preliminary exam!”
“I only managed a score of 5 after living off trees in the mountains; how can that skinny dude score a 6 in physical ability? And what about that brown-haired guy next to him!”
“Didn’t they say they were from the Midas family? Did they grease the examiner’s palm or something? Ugh, that’s disgusting.”
“They seem to be planning to go off on their own. They must be feeling confident.”
“Who knows? Maybe they found a hidden path through bribery,” they speculated.
Fiore, looking a bit flustered, asked, “Do you hear that buzzing over there? It’s like they’re all mumbling in a group!”
Ligret shrugged, having an expression that said it wasn’t too hard to decipher.
Nicolaus, seemingly recognizing who we were, sneered as he spoke.
“Those Midas brats who don’t understand honor or shame are just gilding their true nature, like a stone on the street. They might have pulled a fast one in the preliminaries, but don’t think that’ll fly here.”
“Are you saying we used bribes?”
“Are you denying it? We could say anything, couldn’t we—”
“No, that’s not it.”
I widened my eyes and spoke in a deliberately loud voice so everyone around could hear.
“Are you implying that the Empire’s fair examiners received bribes at our house and engaged in biased judging?”
Nicolaus was momentarily taken aback, but after realizing only participants surrounded us, he took on a more menacing expression and yelled again.
“You coward! Grasping at straws!”
“It’s strange that this is the main exam, yet there isn’t a single examiner’s eye around. They might be watching from somewhere.”
“You little—!”
In a fury, Nicolaus drew his sword.
“Stop right there, Nicolaus!”
Actually, he was about to, had Alphonse’s voice not interrupted him.
“Lord Alphonse.”
“Step back.”
Nicolaus shot me a glare, as if to say, “We’ll settle this later,” but he didn’t disobey the command.
Alphonse continued, “I apologize for my subordinate’s rudeness. Just to clarify, I have no intention of discriminating against you for being from the Midas family. If that’s why you’re looking to break off, think again. This forest is dangerous.”
I shook my head. “Thank you for your words, but I’d prefer not to walk around on high alert unnecessarily.”
“Is that so.”
As if expecting that answer, Alphonse didn’t press further.
Instead, he asked, “You seemed to get off the train quite late; did something happen?”
“I tend to sleep deeply and can’t get up easily. It took me a while to assess the situation. But why do you ask?”
In that moment, I noticed Alphonse’s gaze flickering toward my bag and the bags of the other two.
“Well, if nothing happened, that’s good. I wish you luck.”
Watching his retreating figure, I thought, ‘He seems to suspect I picked up extra baggage but doesn’t want to clash prematurely. After all, if they’re ‘prepped,’ they should have secured enough already.’
I glanced at the participants flocking around Alphonse. I contemplated how many among them would stand firm to protect their own food against a ‘reasonable decision of their leader for the majority.’
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