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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“The nature of internal circuits is no different from external circuits, sharing all the constituent elements…”
“Trie.”
“Yes, Master?”
Trie, reciting her notes as she walked, turned around at the familiar voice.
Schlus…
“Hello, Assistant Erwin.”
“Hey.”
And Assistant Erwin.
‘They’ve been spending a lot of time together lately.’
Had Schlus befriended the assistant, too? It made sense. They were both commoners in a university full of nobles.
“What’s that?”
“My notes! Since it’s a written exam, I summarized everything onto a few pages.”
“How thoroughly prepared…”
Her note-taking and diligence were commendable. Schlus couldn’t understand why Trie’s written exam scores were so terrible.
The three of them arrived at the examination hall.
“Hey! Did you two study hard? I didn’t study at all!”
“Are you serious…?”
“I’ll still do better than you, Trie. I pay attention in class.”
“You…!”
Trie gritted her teeth at Ainz’s provocation, but she couldn’t deny it. His grades were better than hers. It was baffling how he could do so well without studying. Or perhaps he was studying secretly.
‘If Ainz says he didn’t study, he didn’t study.’
Schlus, however, didn’t doubt Ainz’s words.
Ainz was a true genius who believed studying was unnecessary if you understood the fundamentals.
The exam hall filled with students. Three minutes past the hour, Sergei arrived, carrying a briefcase.
“Alright. Today is the final exam of the semester. Give it your all. Assistant, distribute the exam papers.”
“Yes, sir.”
Erwin took the briefcase and opened it, pulling out a stack of papers. She flipped through them, her brow furrowing. Something was wrong.
The pages were blank.
Were the questions written using some special method?
Erwin approached Sergei, a puzzled look on her face.
“Professor. These are blank.”
“Oh dear! I seem to have brought blank papers instead of the exam I spent a month preparing!”
“Professor…?”
Sergei slapped his forehead dramatically. Erwin saw the amusement in his eyes.
“I can’t believe I made such a blunder! Well, it can’t be helped! Today’s final exam will be a practical assessment!”
“What?!”
“Alright, everyone! Push your desks aside!”
“…”
The students’ jaws dropped.
Schlus chuckled in disbelief.
‘It’s going according to the original story…’
He’d feigned a written exam and switched to a practical assessment. Sergei was definitely more playful than in the original story.
Schlus pushed his desk aside.
A large space opened up in the center of the training hall.
“P-Professor. What kind of practical assessment are we talking about?”
“Hmm… How about I spar with each of you individually?”
“You’re joking, right?”
“Oh! What a convenient barrier we have here!”
Sergei snapped his fingers, and a barrier enveloped the training hall, separating the arena from the spectators. It was an impenetrable barrier, its immense power palpable.
The students realized Sergei had never intended to give a written exam.
“Now! Who wants to go first?”
“…”
Sergei cracked his knuckles, a challenging glint in his eyes.
A retired five-star general. A man who could single-handedly take on an entire division. A man who’d survived 32 assassination attempts.
The thought of fighting the Empire’s strongest human weapon made the students’ faces pale.
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‘This is bad.’
The students were in a state of panic. In the original story, they’d been given advance notice. But they’d come prepared for a written exam, only to be faced with a monster.
This was an unexpected development. My grand plan to cheat using Erwin’s eyes had been foiled. I glanced at Erwin, and our eyes met.
She stuck her tongue out at me as she put the blank papers back in the briefcase. That was irritating. I’d have to punish her later.
“Oh! Look what we have here! A damage meter! The student who inflicts the most damage will receive the highest score! However, I will do my best to avoid taking damage, and I might even counterattack. The exam ends when I deem you incapacitated. You may use any attack method, as long as you don’t break the barrier!”
Sergei explained the rules. He hadn’t said anything about tampering with the barrier.
I was considering briefly disabling the barrier and manipulating the artifact when Sergei’s gaze landed on me, and his eyes widened.
“Oh! Right! Of course, tampering with the barrier is also prohibited!”
“Damn it…”
My last resort was gone.
I’d have to fight Sergei seriously. The problem was, he’d be merciless against me. I could already see myself being knocked unconscious by a single uppercut, scoring zero damage.
“Any other questions?”
“What happens if we incapacitate you, Professor?”
“Then you get a perfect score, of course. Feeling confident, are we, Miss Schultzenberg? Step into the arena! You’re up first!”
“Uh… Oh…”
Trie’s face paled. I was usually the first to be called, but Trie’s curiosity had bought me some time. Observing Sergei’s fighting style would be helpful.
“We can use weapons, right?”
“Any weapon you brought with you!”
Groans erupted from the students.
Some regretted not bringing more magic stones, others wished they’d brought a kitchen knife. It was like the midterms all over again. Except their opponent was Sergei.
“Professor, may I be excused for a moment?”
“Sure. Go ahead.”
“Thank you.”
Erwin excused herself, a troubled look on her face.
Was it a bathroom emergency? Or had the cultists summoned her? It didn’t matter. I could use her vision to check if there was a problem.
“You’ll go easy on me, won’t you…?”
“…”
Trie stepped into the arena, her glowing longsword in hand. She looked nervous, but her stance was steady. She was clearly accustomed to fighting strong opponents.
“The match begins when you make your move.”
“Huu…”
Trie took a deep breath. And the moment she opened her eyes—
Whoosh!
Trie shot forward like a blur, unleashing a barrage of yellow flashes, like whips, towards Sergei.
His eyes widened in surprise.
Crackle…!
He tried to dodge the first two, but there were too many. He braced himself, taking the hits. The numbers on the damage meter climbed steadily.
Trie’s sword followed, but Sergei wasn’t about to take those hits. He dodged effortlessly, closing the distance, forcing Trie to retreat.
“Haa… Haa…”
Trie’s breath was ragged. She’d intended to end it quickly. A desperate, all-out attack, combining her internal and external circuits. But Sergei remained unharmed.
“Are you losing your spirit? Are you starting to think you can’t win, Miss Schultzenberg?”
“No!”
Trie charged again, but her speed and the power of her light whips had diminished.
Sergei’s movements were measured, preparing to end the match.
“Ugh?!”
Thud!
It was over in an instant. Sergei deflected her sword, stepped inside her guard, and punched her in the face. But his fist stopped just short of her nose.
“You’re dead, Miss Schultzenberg.”
“I concede…”
Trie lowered her sword.
The match had lasted less than a minute. He was probably trying to finish quickly due to the large number of students. The damage meter read 250.
Without a point of comparison, it was difficult to judge if that was high or low. He’d only been hit by Trie’s weak light whips. Even multiple hits wouldn’t have caused much damage.
‘I know how to win.’
The key was to inflict multiple small hits instead of aiming for a single powerful blow. If I attacked with full force, Sergei would retaliate seriously. And he’d easily dodge any powerful attack I could muster.
I needed to overwhelm him with a barrage of weak, unavoidable attacks, maximizing the cumulative damage.
“Next volunteer? Schlus Hainkel, step inside!”
“Yes.”
As expected. I was always the default next opponent.
“Master. Don’t be scared, no matter what.”
Trie patted my shoulder as she passed by.
Why would I be scared? It wasn’t a life-or-death battle.
“Ha ha ha! I’m looking forward to this! Make your move when you’re ready!”
“…”
My arrogance vanished the moment I stepped into the barrier. He didn’t look like a professor evaluating a student. He looked like a massive grizzly bear, ready to tear me apart.
I knew he wouldn’t kill me, but my body trembled involuntarily. It was instinctual. A primal fear I couldn’t overcome without Trie’s rigorous training.
‘This is insane…’
Did my novel even have a concept of “killing intent”? I’d been terrified when I’d almost died fighting Hertlocker, but this was different.
I gritted my teeth, suppressing my fear. I had to take the exam. Perhaps Schlus had faced a similar overwhelming opponent in the past?
I hoped his memories would kick in and quell my fear.
‘Hmm?’
A faint magical wavelength.
Too subtle for anyone with low Mana Sensitivity to detect. It was the signature of the spell on Erwin’s heart. It activated whenever she felt fear or anxiety.
I immediately shared her vision and hearing.
– I’m telling you, I’m not a spy! I even passed the killing test!
– Killing a single slave is hardly an accomplishment… Information has been leaking, and the higher-ups suspect you. If you die quietly, we’ll let your family live. Decide. Will you resist and have your siblings killed, or will you die alone?
‘Damn it.’
This was an emergency.
How dare they try to kill my spy? I needed to get to Erwin immediately. I didn’t have time for a drawn-out battle with Sergei.
I’d overwhelm him with my full power in a single burst. I focused, preparing my internal circuits.
‘Selection and Concentration.’
This exam would be over in five seconds, one way or another. The fear that had gripped me vanished completely.
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Thanks for the chapter