—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Just like that, the vacation ended.
The second semester began, and as expected, it was mostly focused on individual evaluations.
Most of the evaluations were similar to the entrance exam, where the candidates entered the trial space alone, defeated chaos beasts, and returned.
‘Not the best evaluation method for me, though.’
Without using a sword, my personal combat ability wasn’t that great.
Of course, even if I could use a sword, fighting against chaos beasts placed more importance on stats compared to interpersonal combat, so it wouldn’t be absolutely advantageous.
Still, because I was quite used to dealing with chaos beasts, my initial grades weren’t bad.
‘Especially since there are more candidates than I thought who aren’t used to the realm of chaos.’
Not to mention me, it seemed Elsie had also been entering and exiting chaos with Gwen for the past two years.
Yuseora, too, seemed to be accustomed to chaos from following the merchant guild since childhood.
However, other candidates struggled even to function within the simulated chaos realm in the trial space.
Thinking back to my first experience stepping into the realm of chaos, I could certainly understand.
‘Thanks to that, though, Yuseora is maintaining a top rank.’
Of course, since Yuseora lacked a powerful finishing move, she was at a disadvantage when it came to exterminating large numbers of chaos beasts.
Because of this, she hadn’t climbed from her first-semester rank and was currently 4th out of 32 students in the swordsmanship class.
On the other hand, Elsie was climbing up the ranks.
‘She was definitely in the mid-20s before the midterm trades…’
After the trades, 4-B team continued to win, pushing her rank up to the top 10 and solidifying her position in the mid-range.
And after defeating 1-A team to reach the edge of the top ranks, she demonstrated the results of her vacation training, quickly rising to the top 10 from the start of the second semester.
Her struggles during the first semester had clearly paid off.
‘If she maintains this rank, she’ll be able to obtain a decent relic without any problems.’
Of course, a higher rank didn’t guarantee a good relic.
But in the ‘graduation competition,’ where it was difficult to showcase one’s full potential due to the short schedule, the rank would serve as an indicator of approximate strength.
And that graduation competition was an important event that determined not only the succession of the Heroes but also the final decision on the relics they would receive.
‘That’s not the only thing I need to be concerned about, though.’
I had resolved quite a few problems during the first semester. But there were still two major issues remaining.
‘First, the absence of the constellations.’
I checked on Wilhelm, who was cleaning his bow a little distance away.
Fortunately, the absence of constellations wasn’t significantly affecting him, but there might be cases like Yuseora where it did.
I didn’t know how this situation would unfold, but for now, all I could do was wait for the God of Chains.
‘And second, the third trial.’
The unknown god had given me a warning, even adding that it would be difficult.
Since I was frequently entering and exiting the trial space due to the academy schedule, the third trial would probably be unavoidable.
I had no intention of avoiding it anyway, since trials came with rewards.
However, what mattered was its content and timing.
‘I wonder if it’s the kind of trial I can pass without Gravitus?’
I had already experienced proceeding through a trial without Gravitus in the second trial. And that experience, in a word, was uncomfortable.
There was no sword that was a better match for me, a user of the wind authority, than Gravitus.
Of course, in the end, Gravitus wasn’t absolutely necessary to pass the trial, but if this trial focused on combat power, it was highly likely to be quite difficult without Gravitus.
‘Perhaps the warning that it would be difficult included that as well.’
That would be too optimistic.
I needed to prepare sufficiently to be able to pass the trial without Gravitus.
To that end, I had been focusing on wind authority training again after a long time.
I was attempting to apply the wind authority to ordinary swords, not just a weight-reduced Gravitus.
…Just then, the professor’s voice echoed.
“It seems all candidates are ready.”
Alongside my personal efforts, the Hero Academy’s curriculum continued. And now, what lay ahead was a cooperative subjugation class, occasionally held between individual evaluations.
Across from me, Wilhelm finished cleaning his bow and stood up. It seemed his preparations were the last.
On the other side was 2-B team, including Wilhelm. The cooperative subjugation class was held with the teams from the first semester.
Of course, 2-B team was simply in the same trial space because our class times overlapped. I was with 4-B team, the team I was last assigned to in the first semester.
“We’re all ready, right?”
I checked the members of 4-B team who had returned after the vacation.
Elsie, Yuseora, the mage duo, and the trio who still had idiotic expressions on their faces.
It wasn’t the optimal team composition for cooperative subjugation of chaos beasts, as it was designed for interpersonal combat, but since it wasn’t a graded class, there was no need to be overly concerned.
‘There’s no problem keeping up with the class.’
Besides, while not optimal, there were some aspects that carried over from interpersonal combat.
Yuseora could fulfill the role of the burst-damage mage, and the remaining members were capable enough to keep up with the class level.
However, there was something that bothered me.
‘What if this wasn’t a mock battle?’
That kept nagging at me. I had somehow ended up as the leader of 4-B team.
It likely happened because I was always taking the lead in strategizing and giving orders.
It wouldn’t be fair to say that I hadn’t benefited from Seo Yoo Rang’s memories, which were familiar with games.
‘But reality isn’t a game.’
Within the current trial space for the cooperative class, I could make bold decisions with a game-like mindset since death wasn’t permanent.
But if this were reality, could I still give them bold commands? If they died because of my decisions, could I bear that responsibility?
Of course, as a leader, I had to. Freya had said that last time, and I had agreed.
But there was a difference between acknowledging that and actually feeling the weight of that responsibility.
To be honest, I was afraid. The position of a leader, responsible for the lives of others, was a heavy burden.
But I didn’t think this position didn’t suit me.
‘Rather, it might be more suitable for me than fighting directly.’
My body was ordinary, unlike the others. Even with Precociousness, the wind authority, Gravitus, and the Awakening Pill, there were limits.
So, borrowing the strength of those whose limits were far higher than mine, like Elsie and Yuseora, might be better for achieving great things.
‘However…’
I could see chaos beasts appearing in the distance. I had assigned that area to the three idiots. I had judged that they would be able to survive on their own.
But there were more chaos beasts than I had expected. And unlike Yuseora or Elsie, those three still lacked the ability to cope with such unexpected situations.
In the end, they were instantly wiped out by the chaos beasts.
It wasn’t my fault. I had devised a reasonable strategy; they were simply unlucky.
Not just luck, but their lack of training and skill also played a part.
‘It’s an unavoidable sacrifice…’
But in a real battle, would I really be able to accept it that way?
Even if it was unavoidable, a sacrifice was still a sacrifice.
At that moment, the image of the trio dying just now flashed through my mind.
‘What if it had been Yuseora or Elsie?’
I imagined Yuseora or Elsie in their place.
Of course, those two wouldn’t die easily, but what we would face in a real battle wouldn’t be at the level of these chaos beasts. In the worst case, it could be a Demon Lord.
‘Then I’d rather…’
I felt more at ease if I was the one moving a little more.
I grabbed my bow. Even if it wasn’t a real battle, it was necessary to test the strategy now, rather than changing it once a real battle began.
‘Let’s try to do as much as I can on my own.’
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
‘That guy…’
Freya was observing the candidates inside the trial space. Her gaze was fixed on Allen.
He was moving more proactively than he had during the first semester.
‘It would be good if it was just being proactive…’
At that moment, a professor, or rather a prospective professor, approached Freya.
“Hmm?”
It was Lyudmila, the prospective archery professor.
“Lyudmila?”
“Hello, Freya.”
She stood next to Freya.
Freya asked her,
“Don’t you have a class?”
Lyudmila shrugged.
“I left it to Kyle. I’m just a prospective professor, and I have the right to prioritize choosing a successor.”
“That successor is…”
Freya looked inside the trial space. There were two archers there: Wilhelm and Allen.
“Wilhelm?”
Of course, Allen’s archery was unique and not bad, but it clearly deviated from the orthodox style.
If Lyudmila was looking for someone to inherit her ‘archery,’ Wilhelm would be more suitable than Allen.
But Lyudmila shook her head.
“Well, I don’t think I can reveal that yet. I can’t deny that Wilhelm is the leading candidate, but there’s another one I’m still interested in.”
It was a somewhat unexpected statement. But at the same time, it was somewhat understandable. She wasn’t much different herself.
‘Does that guy attract attention wherever he goes?’
Just as she was thinking that, Lyudmila said,
“By the way, Freya, your face hasn’t changed at all compared to when I saw you a few years ago.”
It was a question that poked at her weak spot, though probably unintentional. But it wasn’t a question she hadn’t heard before, so she answered calmly,
“It’s all makeup. If I take it off, you’ll see a wrinkled old woman.”
“Really? You don’t look like it. If you don’t mind, teach me those makeup skills sometime.”
“That would be difficult. It’s my secret technique, you see.”
As the two were having their trivial conversation, the signal indicating the end of the practical training suddenly sounded.
Turning her head towards the candidates, Freya saw Elsie and Yuseora quickly gathering around Allen.
‘Of course…’
Allen hadn’t just been proactive during the recent practical training; he had pushed himself too hard. Elsie and Yuseora wouldn’t have missed that.
So this problem would be solved by them and Allen, without her having to intervene. She had already given Allen a warning last time.
‘In a way, this might be Allen’s last remaining task…’
That was when it happened.
‘What’s this?’
Something triggered her sixth sense.
She asked Lyudmila, who was next to her,
“Didn’t you feel something just now?”
“Huh?”
Lyudmila looked puzzled. It seemed she was the only one who had felt it.
‘Just what was that?’
She began to feel a sense of unease.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
