chapter 36
When everyone on the waiting list was preoccupied with the exam in Group A, Lillian opened her mouth in the last row of Group B.
“I have never lost.”
“… … ?”
“When I showed my sincerity, I never lost to anyone. I shouldn’t have lost. Because I was beaten to death.”
Lillian’s voice was as calm and sharp as a candle.
“Why did you hide your talent until now?”
“I didn’t mean to hide it. I just didn’t feel the need to brag.”
“As expected, it’s an idea that would be impossible if it weren’t for the young master of the Sedo family.”
Lillian’s eyes glowed terrifyingly.
“My father is Dathan Karin. As you can tell just by looking at his last name, he is the head of the famous School of Rivendell.”
Karain’s surname means flame, and the surname of Orbos Karain, the founder of the Rivendell School and the 3rd great wizard, has been handed down as it is to its descendants.
The Rivendell School is an exceptional school that has inherited bloodline succession, and the dean’s position has always been inherited by Karain’s descendants.
Lane raised her eyebrows in puzzlement. Gertrude snorted as if it wasn’t even funny.
“Isn’t that girl with a great background who sneers at Prince Lane for being the youngster of the Sedo family?”
“miss? I am not that kind of person. Rather, it should be viewed as a thing.”
“thing?”
“I am not a ‘daughter born’ because my father and mother loved each other, I am a ‘tool made’ for one purpose only.”
equipment?
Lane and Gertrude exchanged puzzled glances.
“For example, since I was young, I was confined to a room and only received magic education. I’ve never liked magic, but I’ve lived like that all my life.”
Since it was a tool, inferior results could not be produced.
Because the punishment was enormous.
He brought Lillian’s mother right in front of him and tortured her by scorching her skin with flames.
“My father is an expert on flames more than anyone else. He knew better than anyone how to inflict pain without getting seriously injured.”
The story gets serious.
It’s a story from a world completely different from the Osarius school I was in… … .
Lane swallowed dry saliva and asked.
“… … Will the same thing happen again if I don’t get the top seat?”
“Is that old man? No, if I did, I would kill you, so I can’t do that anymore.”
Gertrude narrowed her eyes. Isn’t Dadan Kaline a Glados (4-star) wizard? Are you saying you can win against such an existence now?
“After graduating from <Deleiten> with overwhelming grades, he is recognized by all students of the school. So my goal is to finally get my father out of the school.”
“Hmm… … .”
“I tell you this story as a warning. don’t get in my way I won’t let you go if I get in your way to number one.”
As Lillian left those words and was about to leave, Gertrude Panton snorted.
“You are laughing. Put an end to such dreams. Because our Christa lady is holding on. A genius of the century acknowledged by the magic world.”
“Christa Warden? The plants in that greenhouse are not my enemies.”
“I beg your pardon?! greenhouse? my lady?”
It was Rain’s voice that cut off Gertrude’s tantrum.
“I understand roughly why you are aiming for first place and how desperate you are.”
“… … .”
“But after hearing it all, it doesn’t seem like the story is desperate enough to give up the top spot.”
Then, wrinkles formed between Lillian’s brows, and sparks seemed to fly from those dark eyes. Lane said calmly.
“I mean, I made my friend wait too long.”
“friend?”
“I don’t know what kind of nagging he’ll hear if I make him wait any longer.”
Was it some kind of declaration of war?
After staring at Lane’s eyes for a long time, Lillian sighed quietly and turned around.
“Then you’d better be careful not to be seen by me in this test.”
* * *
Group A’s exam is over.
The two people who finally took the S grade were Christa Warden and Hubert. The points are 361 pt and 338 pt respectively.
As soon as Group A came out of the barrier, Group B was ready to enter the barrier under the guidance of their assistant.
“Please select a point to move to.”
When entering the phantom barrier, the candidate must choose where to start the test, from District A to District H.
‘Is it the way to move the dimensional door… … .’
Rain’s eyes flashed fiercely and he scanned the information of the movement point printed in the air.
‘The area to move to is your choice.’
There are many treasures and monsters in areas such as open fields or mountainside, but there is a high risk of getting caught up in battle from the beginning… … .
On the other hand, forests and mountain peaks will be relatively safe in the beginning, but there are advantages and disadvantages to gaining points.
As I tapped on the calculator in my brain, it beeped and honked. The wind blew, and one by one the other students began to disappear, enveloped in light.
[Current remaining personnel: 48 people.]
District A is halfway up the mountain.
District F is an open area in the mountains.
These two areas are the largest in the world, so there are many monsters and treasures. Many cadets will choose.
Districts B and C are mountain peaks.
As it is located above, it can have a visual advantage, but there is a risk of being surrounded by other cadets.
And districts D and E are forests.
The place that suits me right now is… … Now, where should we go? Lane closed her eyes for a moment, a moment, and took a deep breath.
[Current number of remaining people: 26.]
And the moment I opened my eyes again, those eyes shone silently. Just like back then, when he was on the battlefield as a great mage.
Let’s start.
* * *
All of the group B students’ dimension shifts have been completed. I got some pretty interesting results.
The battleground information was displayed in a large volume in the air by clairvoyant magic. Subsequently, area F located in the center was expanded.
“Lilian, like Christa Warden, chose District F from the beginning.”
“It is an expression of confidence. Because it is the most dangerous, it is the position where you can aim for the highest score.”
High return with high risk.
There are as many competitors as there are many treasures and monsters… … . Elin thought while resting her chin on her clasped hands.
‘and… … .’
Being the center of transportation, there is also the advantage of being able to move quickly and easily to any area.
“In contrast to Lillian, the area Lane Ludwig chose is very unpretentious.”
The F (open field) district disappeared from the window, and the outer zone of the E (forest) district, the most remote area, was illuminated.
“The intention is to avoid battles as much as possible and collect points step by step to survive, right?”
“Hmm, it’s unexpected, but it’s not particularly a bad judgement.”
The professors evaluated it that way, but only regretful words came out from the cadets who were waiting for the fight of Confucius Inseong.
“Ah, what’s not funny.”
“It would have been fun if the two of you faced each other from the beginning in District F.”
Whether it was sarcastic or not, Lane made this choice because he was clearly aware of his limitations.
‘In order to get a high score close to S, you must avoid battles with other cadets as much as possible.’
Both mana and stamina are limited.
He broke through the bushes, took the treasure from the treasure chest hidden in it, and nodded while picking up a suitable twig.
“How is it, you’re a kid who gets really upset just looking at him?”
To Elin Ludwig’s words, Professor Caroline, who was watching the situation carefully, answered.
“It certainly is. I’m too cautious. You have the skills to defeat the late Jisoo of the Eight Great Schools, and yet you go that far?”
As soon as he finished his words, Lane encountered another student on the battlefield.
“… … !”
“… … !”
For an instant, the eyes of the examinee who witnessed Lane widened in bewilderment.
She was also a talented person from a mid-level school belonging to the 8th and 16th middle schools.
Magic began to condense into her palms. Caroline’s eyes lit up with anticipation.
‘Now, what are you going to show me this time? I heard you got an S grade from Kyle senior?’
Everyone in the place seemed to have taken in a tense breath, and the hall suddenly became quiet.
“no?!”
It was then that an embarrassing incident happened that Caroline involuntarily shouted like that.
“Eh?”
“what?”
“Is it true?”
It didn’t take long for everyone who had vague expectations of the rumored prospect to doubt their eyes. It had to be.
“Are you running away?”
Elin also muttered blankly.
It was. Lane Ludwig… … Aren’t they running away from the scene at full speed?
The moment she saw that scene, Christa tilted her head 90 degrees to the point where it turned 180 degrees.
“Are you kidding me?”
What are we going to do? Everyone’s watching, what a bad prank like that?
‘Did you forget? You’re the successor of the Sedo family.’
Among the cadets, there was only bewildered hum, but as Head Professor Marhena grabbed the boat and burst into laughter, muffled laughter could be heard from everywhere.
“That guy, he must be the grandson of that goddamn Noom, Scalzi. What an eccentric Noom!”
“Head Professor, is this a laughing matter?”
“What’s wrong, Inum-ah, huh? What’s so disappointing about it? It just got more fun, right?”
“The test should be solemn, what if it becomes fun!”
Marhena looked at the clairvoyant window without even listening to the other professor’s twitches, raising the corners of her mouth as if she was interested.
‘Keep your strength… … That kid is aiming for a big shot. I don’t know what it is.’
Although Lane Ludwig created a strange situation, the cadets belonging to the 8th to 16th school began to lead one by one in PT acquisition.
This is a mountain surrounded by nature.
The red broad-leaved trees that grow only in the Red Mountains, the mountain roads that are not trimmed with their abnormally huge roots protruding, put a burden on the physical strength, and the cries of the phantom beasts eat away at the mental power.
In such an environment, the appearance of the top 10 students collecting treasures and hunting monsters was caught with clairvoyance.
“Although the best score is lower compared to Group A at the same time, it is still good enough.”
Currently, the first place is overshadowed by Gertrude Panton, the daughter of the Viscount Panton family, and Christa, but there is no one who does not know that she is also an excellent wizard.
Like Christa, Gertrude, who grew up in the eastern highlands, was accumulating points by freely walking the mountain roads based on her overwhelming stamina.
“The second place group after that isn’t bad either.”
“I hope I don’t get too caught up in the pace of the lead group. If you overdo it, you may miss the opportunity for the leading group to make a mistake.”
“By the way, where is Lillian from Rivendell?”
Then from 11th to 20th.
But strangely, even after washing my eyes and looking at it, I couldn’t see Lillian in any of the rankings.
“Kyle.”
At Marhena’s call, Deputy Professor Kyle immediately raised the leaderboard using a magic tool linked to the clairvoyance.
“hmm?”
“uh?”
“is this right?”
The professors doubted their eyes and stuttered. It had to be. That would be too.
“The point… … 0 pt?”