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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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The second day of the selection exam arrived, and as noon passed, most parties were making their way through the golden reed fields of Area 2.
The vast land shimmered under the blazing sun.
“I’m dying.”
“The demonic pressure in the atmosphere is so thick…”
For some reason, Area 2 had significantly fewer monsters than Area 1, but the increased demonic pressure had the cadets wilting from what felt like heatstroke.
“Dylan… I seriously…”
“Give up, and you die, Raymond.”
Two men, relying on each other. Dylan, the spearman, and Raymond, the shield knight, both S-rank, had formed a party.
Due to their injuries and being first-years, they hadn’t been able to find a suitable party.
And just a few days prior, the mysterious woman walking gracefully ahead of them had extended a hand.
“Hey, hey. That senior doesn’t even seem tired.”
“Don’t you know? She was the student council president. Well, I heard she didn’t make it to chairperson.”
“But why did she suddenly shut herself away in her dorm room?”
“Who knows? Rumor has it, it was a man.”
“Juniors?”
-Glance.
“What are you talking about without me?”
-!!
Turning to face them was a woman with long, black hair and an alluring voice. Adorned with red ribbons on either side of her head. A second-year from the Magic Department, Liris Larochelle.
“Oh, it’s nothing. We were just admiring your stamina, being from the Magic Department and all. Haha!”
“Hmm? This much?”
“This much… you say?”
Liris tapped her finger on her lips thoughtfully. The atmospheric pressure was a bit bothersome, but… it was nothing compared to the training she received from Lev Denec.
“Junior Lev… my master…”
She felt like she could even endure that pain now. Ignoring Raymond and Dylan’s gazes, Liris licked her fingertip and thought,
‘Even if left alone for too long… a dog will break its leash to see its master.’
Her only goal was Lev Denec. It was too much. He only sought her out when he needed her, then left her alone.
‘Someone more intense than Kaelan…’
Anyway, thanks to her,
“Hey, you two. Hurry up.”
“Yes!”
“…Yes.”
Even Gailon Shaftie, the elf archer who wanted to show Selena his improved skills, had joined Dylan’s party.
Since their reputation within the school wasn’t the best, they couldn’t secure a healer, so they compensated by buying a large supply of health potions from Hazel, recently hailed as the academy’s top alchemist.
Just then, Gailon, the sharp-eyed archer, muttered while looking ahead,
“What’s going on over there?”
“What? What is it?”
“Everyone’s gathered up ahead.”
Cadets were clustered at the spot Gailon pointed to.
To reach Area 3, the wasteland, they had to descend a slope at the end of the reed field and cross a large bridge spanning a massive cliff. Even with a crowd, there shouldn’t be a queue to cross the bridge.
“Did the bridge collapse or something?”
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As Dylan’s party approached the bridge, they were met with an unbelievable sight.
…
‘What should we do?’
‘We have to kill it to cross.’
‘Isn’t this part of the exam?’
A three-headed hellhound, a massive Cerberus, stood guard at the bridge, flanked by a pack of wolf monsters that should have been in the Area 1 forest.
“This is messed up.”
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Meanwhile, panic ensued at Clarice Academy as they suddenly lost contact with Areas 2, 3, and 4.
“I-Interference from the monster’s magic wavelength! Communication doesn’t work near that Cerberus!”
“How many personnel can be mobilized immediately?”
“Only the twelve intermediate guardians dispatched as the advance team and the student council cadets from each department…”
‘There’s no way to defeat that monster without the war hero…’
Twelve intermediate guardians weren’t nearly enough to handle a monster directly under Pandemonium’s command.
While student council chairpersons like Violet D’Crescent, Yellody Latasia, and Macleod Heisman possessed skills surpassing even high-ranking guardians, they were still students.
They lacked experience, so expecting them to handle this was unrealistic. Intervening prematurely would only worsen the situation.
“What are you doing? Contact someone, anyone! We need to rescue the cadets, even if it means deploying the war hero!”
“Yes, sir!”
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“I-I’ve relayed the order to mobilize everyone in Area 0, leaving only the minimum personnel, but it will take about twelve hours…! Support from the Empire will take days…!”
-Smack!
“Are you bragging?!”
Bella slammed a wad of paper she was holding against the man’s forehead.
‘Damn it…! If someone provokes it, and it starts rampaging…!’
If the demonic barrier, a characteristic of high-ranking monsters, activated, the rescue would take even longer.
Gnash.
What was this mess, right after her promotion from assistant instructor to instructor? The cadets on Mystic Island all came from prestigious families.
Bella wasn’t worried about them simply being from wealthy families. If anything untoward happened, the families would exert immense pressure on the academy.
The fact that these cadets had applied for the aspiring hero selection exam proved they possessed considerable potential to fight demons… Losing these elite cadets would be a disaster, spelling doom for Clarice’s future, and the Empire’s.
In times like these, certain individuals came to Bella’s mind.
‘Senior Sylvester, and Professor McClone… what should I do?!’
Where had they gone at such a crucial moment?
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Morning came too soon. Despite spending the entire night with Yeriel, she refused to leave my side.
Yeriel, Aria and Edwin will be waking up soon.
‘…Lev, you playboy. You naughty playboy.’
…… Even while preparing breakfast, she would glance at me and puff out her cheeks. A happy moment amidst a precarious situation.
‘She was cute, but… I couldn’t face Aria.’
As afternoon arrived, shattering the dreamlike dawn, I couldn’t bring myself to look at Yeriel or Aria. I felt especially guilty towards Aria.
‘Aria, here’s some water!’
‘Thank you, Yeriel.’
Thankfully, Yeriel was taking good care of Aria as I’d asked, and they didn’t seem awkward around each other when I wasn’t around.
And since our party had recovered well in Area 1, we easily overtook other groups in Area 2. But this smooth sailing didn’t last long.
‘What the…’
At the passage between Area 2 and 3, a monstrous Cerberus awaited us.
-Growl!
The Cerberus, with its jet-black mane and body, let out a small burp.
Oh my god!
-Eek!
Most of the cadets flinched and stumbled back. As we’d learned at the academy, Cerberus was a monster that guarded the gates of hell.
Its presence here was beyond absurd. Fortunately, despite acknowledging our presence, it remained motionless.
‘It must have been ordered to guard the bridge.’
It seemed it wouldn’t initiate combat unless we entered its territory.
What should we do? Shouldn’t we ask the academy?
I’m trying to send a signal, but it’s suddenly dead.
How are we supposed to kill something that big…?
Well, maybe overcoming this trial is part of the exam?
It’s not moving, after all.
‘No.’
This was definitely not part of Reincarnated Hero. In the original story, there were no major events until Area 4, the Valley of Death.
Edwin, who had been asking other cadets about the situation, sighed and approached me.
“Apparently, the advance parties are also waiting here. I heard Group 6 hasn’t arrived yet…”
“Group 6…”
That was Kaelan, Melissa, and Abelline’s group. That confirmed it.
“Lev, what should we do?”
“Wait a moment.”
I interrupted Edwin and activated my Demon Eye on the monster.
Ding.
Judging by the boss status window, this was the real deal, not an illusion. Yellody Latasia. She was starting to show her claws.
In Reincarnated Hero, Cerberus was an S-rank monster. Currently, it was weakened to A+ due to the field penalty and Yelodi’s spell.
And as I’d learned from previous monster battles, monster-type strategies inevitably resulted in casualties, either through patterns or gimmicks.
‘So, they sent Kaelan in first and are using this to distract everyone while he reactivates the magic tower.’
Judging by the gimmick that weakened the Cerberus over time, this was just a stalling tactic. They hadn’t anticipated the cadets defeating it.
The demons’ plan was obvious. Since demons were inherently stronger than humans, they preferred straightforward fights.
Due to their weakness in sanctuaries, they would only reveal themselves after creating their own domain, by corrupting sacred grounds, establishing dark colonies, or constructing demonic barriers.
‘Hmm.’
As I was pondering how to exploit this,
“Everyone…! A-Are we just going to stand around like this?”
A timid-sounding man suddenly spoke up.
“O-Our party is going to try taking it down. Any other p-parties want to join?”
Navy blue hair, an ordinary face, and glasses. I recognized him. The man who recently proposed to Yeriel’s family, the Artinas. A character intentionally designed by the author to be frustrating…
‘E-Edwin, please…! Just this once…! You have everything!’
‘Yeriel! Look at me! If you don’t, I-I’ll die! W-We were engaged! You should perish along with me, your husband!’
‘Kaelan!! Actually, I’m o-on your side!’
‘I’m s-stronger than my brother? So you’re mine! Mine!’
Nikolseta Heisman. One of the characters I needed to eliminate. He hindered the protagonists’ growth by constantly causing trouble and later became a half-demon, serving as Crow Fey’s lackey.
“We m-might get a lot of points?!”
‘…Bingo.’
The man famous for his trollish clichés had just raised his own death flag.
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