Surviving as a Con Artist at the Academy

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29. Who the Hell is the Crazy Person in This Area? (2)

Two hours on the clock.

In practical exams, there were plenty of students who got injured. Most of the time, it was due to their reckless ambition to score high by charging at strong monsters.

Sometimes, instead of fighting the designated monsters, students would turn on each other, and those cases obviously resulted in punishment.

The exam area was set up so that anyone who received significant damage would be automatically expelled. Thanks to this system, major tragedies were avoided, and the hard work of the professors to implement it was absolutely crucial.

Having such a system in place is great, but that doesn’t mean fighting among students is allowed. Openly disregarding that rule would certainly earn disapproval.

Such acts were unacceptable in front of Jenny Chain Silver, who always led by example.

“Luska. Are you out of your mind?”

The onslaught of arrows that charged forward was blocked by a wall of ice.

As the barrier finished its task and crumbled, Jenny Chain Silver, wielding a blue sword, revealed herself.

She shot a fierce glare at Luska.

“Why did you attack a student who wasn’t doing anything?”

“Hahaha… Did I not see what I thought I saw? You suddenly protecting that guy?”

Luska laughed in disbelief, as it was quite a well-known incident that Jenny’s belongings had been destroyed because of me.

“Weren’t you originally at odds with each other? Or did something happen that I don’t know about?”

“We made up. Now we’re friends, so we need to help each other out.”

Loyalty was something Jenny couldn’t overlook.

She was the only one who believed in Radon when he boasted about being a descendant of a swordsman before his possession.

Jenny’s character was quite pure.

Although they initially had a rocky relationship, everything had been resolved, so there was no reason not to side with me.

“I don’t know what the problem is, but don’t touch my friend.”

“……”

“You’ll die.”

Wow… crazy.

Even if the line was cringeworthy, an overwhelming aura was palpable. It caused spasms not just for Luska but for my face too.

The atmosphere turned icy as if it was clear that this wasn’t an empty threat.

As Jenny took a step forward, the air cooled, and a cold vapor spread around her.

With a sinister silhouette emerging from the mist, she walked slowly, evoking a sense of foreboding.

She looked just like a ghost.

“You’ll die? Me?”

But rather than being unnerved, Luska smiled instead. The chill from her threat wasn’t enough to break Luska’s spirit, who had drenched her hands in blood from a young age.

Instead, she notched an arrow, exuding a similar fierce energy.

“Why don’t you just shut up and get lost? You’ll die.”

A purple wind swirled around Luska, blowing away the coldness that approached her head-on.

Both sides felt their powers collide and cancel each other out, neither giving an inch.

“……”

“……”

In the tense silence… the stillness was shattered in an instant.

Twang!—

The sound of the bowstring plucking became the signal of battle.

An arrow sliced through the air but was cut in half by the blue sword.

However, Luska had the ability to multiply her arrows from one to many. Shoot one, and it becomes ten; shoot two, and it becomes twenty.

Jenny, with her lightning reflexes, managed to deflect them all, but a few of the arrows curved unexpectedly and flew at her side.

Jenny’s gaze wasn’t sharp enough to predict them all. However, the arrows that changed direction suddenly slowed down, as if hindered by something and… froze.

Even if Jenny couldn’t respond with her eyes, the coldness in the air could respond for her.

The cold air leaped and swirled, ensuring the arrows didn’t reach her.

“Snowfall…”

Jenny’s figure seemed to evaporate.

Luska barely perceived the fact that she had approached with the swiftness reminiscent of a storm.

Immediately, she lifted her bow and blocked Jenny’s blue streak of attack.

However, still affected by inertia, Luska was pushed back as she slid. Jenny’s sword strikes followed relentlessly.

What I was witnessing before my eyes was a battle I had already seen in the main story. Even though the circumstances of their clash were different, the nature of the battle wasn’t too dissimilar.

Luska’s only means of attack was arrows. Thinking this, Jenny decided to close the distance to not give her any opportunities.

She figured she could respond just like when facing a magician specialized in long-range combat.

Having sparred with Crona many times, she felt a surge of confidence.

[Chain Silver Style – Sleet]

A technique that rapidly closed distance and slashed multiple times at the opponent. Considering Luska’s skills, Jenny didn’t think it would result in anything more than a serious wound. It was meant to prompt an expulsion from the exam.

With sword strikes coming down like a chilling rain, I couldn’t even follow it with my eyes. It was impressive that Luska could manage to react and block them.

But Jenny had overlooked one thing. The opponent hadn’t revealed their true strength yet.

“Sunshining…”

Muttering quietly, Luska faced the outpouring aggression of Jenny.

“……!”

Suddenly, the arrow transformed. Jenny was astonished as it was something she had never seen before.

The taut bowstring vanished, and the bow elongated. The ends of the newly extended bow became sharp blades.

The bow had transformed into a double-edged sword.

No one would have known this. How could anyone guess that the practice bow Luska used during training could change form like that?

Seeing Jenny panic, Luska wore the calculating expression of a cunning fox. With the double-edged sword tainted by a sinister aura, she swung it with lethal precision.

Bang!—

Jenny barely managed to block that strike with her sword. However, the impact was too much for her to withstand, and her stance faltered.

She gripped her sword again and focused on the front, but it was already too late.

“Bloodstorm…”

Luska’s figure evaporated. Just as Jenny turned to glance back, she was struck by the double-edged sword and sent flying.

Though she wasn’t cut by the blades, the force still left her breathless. But there was no time to recover as Luska’s relentless assault continued.

“Why so surprised? Is it already over?”

“Ugh…!”

“I expected a little more from the heir of a renowned martial arts family. Turns out, you’re just a flower grown in a greenhouse.”

In the face of those overwhelming reflexes and incredible strength, Jenny found herself swept up in a tempest, unable to escape.

Seizing the moment, Luska straight-up kicked her away.

“Gah!”

Jenny gasped as she was sent reeling, crashing through several trees and ultimately slamming into a rock.

Luska quickly caught up to the considerable distance Jenny had been sent flying.

“One tough cookie, huh? Even after that hit, you didn’t get expelled.”

Despite taking such a tremendous shock to her body, Jenny stood firm.

No matter how badly one was hurt, they wouldn’t be expelled immediately as long as they didn’t exceed the set damage threshold.

The intent behind the exam was to ensure they had at least some harsh experience.

“I don’t know why you’re doing this… but don’t touch my friend.”

Rising her exhausted body, Jenny said.

Creak—

At that sound, Luska, enraged, gritted her teeth and transformed her double-edged sword back into a bow.

“Friend? Don’t mess with people. Where in the world is there such a thing?”

Seeing Luska genuinely infuriated, Jenny’s eyes widened. The arrows and the bow shimmered with a red aura, as if they were reacting to that rage.

Even I, who had lagged behind, could see that situation. And I felt a strange sign.

“Why isn’t Lyman showing up?”

In the main story, before Jenny could be kicked, Lyman would jump in and intervene almost instantly. But now, at the moment of conflict, everything was completely thrown off from the original plot.

Damned protagonist. Where the hell are you slacking off that you’re not here?

“That’s something only those who’ve grown up in luxury like you can spout without a thought!”

Luska’s expression contorted with annoyance.

The red aura cloaked her weapon, transformed into a bow. If the purple hue was just a light shot, then the red signified she was putting her all into it.

Which means… she had completely disregarded controlling her power!

If Jenny got expelled right here, Lyman would be furious.

I can’t let that guy get mad. The reason why I did everything according to the flow of the original story was to keep him calm.

I needed to minimize his rage gauge.

If Lyman’s anger increased, it would all be over. The Academy, the neighboring countries, the continent…

He must remain ‘human’.

[Buster Arrow…]

The moment that arrow, imbued with tremendous mana, was about to be shot.

– Fishing Line Manipulation Lv6

Suddenly, a thin line shot out and ensnared Luska’s arm like a lasso. Naturally, her skill failed to activate.

“Impressive that you haven’t run away, Radon Crawler.”

Luska, glancing at me standing behind, gave off a chilling vibe. Even bound, she didn’t appear the least bit rattled.

It was enough to give me goosebumps.

“Friendship really runs deep, huh?”

“Is this girl seriously out of her mind? Is she aiming to kill?”

While nowhere near as ferocious as a lycanthrope, she was incredibly powerful. The fishing line felt like it was pulling my veins, and I didn’t think I could hold on much longer.

“Radon…?”

Jenny noticed Radon’s figure rushing in to save her.

Seeing that he chose to come help rather than just focus on taking the exam while she held Luska down filled her with pride.

“Cut it out, you damn girl!”

– Howling Thunder Lv2

“Gahhh!”

Just as I evaded death from the lycanthrope, the power of lightning surged. Thanks to that, I could unleash lightning magic at the perfect time against the fishing line.

The current flowed through the line, striking Luska head-on. She seemed to struggle from the shock as it connected directly.

I didn’t care if she passed out and got expelled. After all, Luska’s actions wouldn’t stray too far from the original plot.

Her purpose was merely to eliminate the Shadow Brigade hiding among the students. The shadows were the Prince Totema’s guards.

Even if she got expelled now, it wouldn’t significantly hinder her goal of dealing with them. Thus, I wanted to expend more mana and intensify the current.

“Damn it… those damn brigade members!”

What’s happening? Luska suddenly displayed immense strength and swung her arm.

The fishing rod I tightly held was whipped around, sending me soaring.

As Luska swung the fishing rod like a flail, I was flung towards Jenny.

“Ugh!”

“Ouch, ouch…”

My head collided with Jenny’s like marbles clinking together.

Jenny, who had unintentionally head-butted me, clutched her head and rolled around.

“Sorry, I couldn’t stop it.”

“It’s fine. By the way…”

Seeing the groaning Jenny, I immediately apologized. Despite getting hit directly, Jenny didn’t seem angry with me.

There was no energy to nitpick over something so trivial. The crimson aura was already flickering again in Luska’s hand, having severed the fishing line.

‘What the hell is that thing!’

I didn’t expect her to withstand that electric shock. Of course, Luska wasn’t an ordinary human.

Her bloodline was certainly peculiar, but…

“Radon Crawler. You should really show us your true self soon. The self hidden in the shadows.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Hurry up. I’ll give you ten seconds.”

Half out of her mind, Luska pulled back her bowstring. In those ten seconds, my brain began to race.

‘The hidden true self? What does that even mean…?’

I couldn’t figure out what she meant.

From the nuance just now, it felt like she was trying to ascertain something through me.

At this point, the only thing Luska could be trying to uncover would be the Shadow Brigade…

‘Then, could it be…?!’

Now I realized what Luska mistook me for.

I needed an explanation right away, but escaping this predicament while she was already suspicious of me felt impossible.

However, plainly dropping the term “Shadow Brigade” would just earn me even larger doubts.

A fox created by the turmoil that would do anything for its goals. That was Luska Mad Eye.

[Buster Arrow]

“Stop for a second! Just let me explain…”

Twang!—

Ten seconds passed. That intense arrow that had just failed to release now fired off without a hitch.

The red aura surrounding the arrow gradually morphed into a form bearing fangs. It soon appeared to be a gigantic beast charging right toward us.

I wanted to intercept it with the fishing rod to lessen the shock, but in the hurry of the moment, I dropped it from my hands.

As the arrow got closer… I cursed that bastard who wasn’t showing up during this critical moment.

Why isn’t he appearing when I’m trying so hard to buy some time?

“Lyman, you bastard!!”

Swish!—

At that moment, something approached, leaving afterimages in its wake. He appeared like a flash and blocked me and Jenny from the monstrous arrow, intercepting it with his leg.

Boom!—

The kick that deflected the skill belonged to the person I longed to see most in this game. It was Lyman Begilius.

Though he arrived late, just his presence washed over me with an extraordinary sense of relief. But suddenly, Lyman turned to face us.

“Hey, you.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, it’s you, you scammer.”

Lyman spoke with a fierce glint in his eyes.

“Did you just call me a bastard?”

Oh, no.