Chapter 371

As time passed, the moment of the meeting drew nearer.

Kara and Karas were subtly spreading rumors while gradually reducing the number of students.

As the saying goes, there’s no business in front of sheer numbers, so Sivar would have trouble with excessive numbers as well.

So, they slowly whittled down their numbers. They would respawn in three hours, but that time was considered quite precious.

“Let’s take a little break and then get back to it.”

“Sounds good.”

About an hour remained until the scheduled meeting time. The two found a suitable spot to rest.

But they didn’t forget to stay vigilant, whether in open terrain or enclosed spaces, danger lurked everywhere.

Currently, they were in a location not far from the gathering spot, so the chances of an ambush were quite high.

“How many treasures do you think Sivar has collected by now?”

“I heard he just found a purple treasure, so that’s four.”

“Four… by the way, a purple treasure?”

At the mention of finding a purple treasure, Karas’s eyes widened in surprise. An unexpected reaction.

Purple treasures are the highest rank. So, there must be incredible abilities hidden within that purple treasure.

I wonder how Sivar will use it. As incidents usually happen when Sivar’s unique behavior and creativity combine.

“Have they told you what ability it has?”

“They said they’ll let us know when we meet.”

“Hmm. Just how good could it be? Now I’m even more curious.”

If it were something mediocre, they would have shared it via communication. But Sivar didn’t do that.

He likes to keep secrets for impact. Exactly the kind of behavior you’d expect from Sivar.

“On the other hand, we haven’t found any treasures. This is a bit embarrassing, isn’t it?”

“Still, we’ve achieved some results, so it’s not so bad.”

Kara nodded at Karas’s words. Like he said, they actually achieved their goal to some extent.

The students were gradually gathering, and soon their strength would be directed towards them.

Having finished their break, the two stood up to return to Windmill Village.

Just as they took a step,

-Piiing!

A sharp sound of wind rushed past Kara’s ear. Without hesitation, she raised her hand and easily caught whatever was coming.

What she caught was an arrow. A non-lethal arrow made for training.

For ranged weapons, they could only use non-lethal ones just in case.

-Thunk!

Kara clenched her fist and broke the arrow. Then she surveyed her surroundings.

Was that attack a threat? As soon as Kara looked around, a flurry of arrows was launched at her.

-Piiing! Piiing! Wheeeing!

Not just one arrow, but at least five or more. Arrows were flying not just from the front, but from behind as well.

Without hesitation, Kara unsheathed her Usuk Blade and swung it from left to right. A violent rush of wind spread in all directions.

-Thwack. Thunk.

The arrows, now rendered powerless, began plummeting to the ground. Kara looked down at the arrows before resting her Usuk Blade on her shoulder.

“Did you really think this would work?”

Was Kara’s taunt effective? Or did they think it wouldn’t work, as she suggested?

From the trees surrounding the path, students began to emerge one by one. There were easily more than ten of them.

Among them were some noteworthy figures: Reina and Namgoong Seokdae.

It seemed they decided to deal with Kara and Karas before going after Sivar.

“Hey. I don’t see your sister around.”

“She’s probably off playing somewhere.”

Kara whispered to Karas when she noticed Diana was missing. Karas casually replied.

Leo needed to stabilize his mind at that moment, and Diana had never been particularly interested in the exam.

Of course, that didn’t mean she was useless. Being royalty, she’d diligently studied magic, so she could play the part of a mage.

It just seemed she was excluded from the battle. Kara shrugged and spoke up.

“Got anything to say? If not, let’s get started.”

“Just one question, please.”

Namgoong Seokdae stepped forward. Kara nodded, urging him to continue.

Namgoong Seokdae glanced at his party, then spoke in his usual serious tone.

“I’ve heard stories that can’t be ignored. The assistants’ wish is…”

“To get an exam score of zero?”

“…Yes.”

“Well done. That’s right.”

“Why are they wishing for that?”

“Well…”

-Thud!

Kara halted her response and grinned before charging forward. It was an ambush rush.

Namgoong Seokdae, seemingly anticipating her move, quickly drew his sword and took a defensive stance.

Just as Kara was about to swing her Usuk Blade down, she finished her sentence with a cynical smile.

“I don’t really know.”

“What?!”

That unexpected answer startled Namgoong Seokdae.

So why are they doing that? But his question didn’t linger for long.

Kara’s Usuk Blade had already reached close. He hurriedly raised his sword in defense.

-Screech!

“!!”

Namgoong Seokdae’s eyes widened. Normally, when swords clash, there’s a loud sound of friction as they meet.

Especially since Namgoong Seokdae’s sword was a renowned blade passed down in his family. A skilled blacksmith had forged it.

But Kara’s blade, made of Usuk material, could slice through regular steel like butter.

Namgoong Seokdae didn’t realize this and ended up regretting not infusing his sword with magic.

-Ping!

“Hmm?”

The Usuk Blade that sliced through Namgoong Seokdae’s sword then grazed his arm. But Kara found something curious.

While she had restrained herself on purpose, the sound was unusual. It rang strikingly like metal striking metal.

Thinking he might have used some hardening technique, Kara’s eyes soon widened with realization.

She saw the blue bracelet encircling Namgoong Seokdae’s wrist. The blue bracelet was glowing.

-Whoosh!

Just then, as Kara was lost in thought, Reina stepped in. She swung a battle axe larger than her own body with ease.

Even though it was a casual swing, it was a significantly threatening attack. Kara abandoned her attack and stepped back.

“Tch. You found a treasure? How bothersome.”

“It was a gift.”

“From whom?”

“I received it from those friends over there.”

Namgoong Seokdae nodded. Kara glanced back at the source of the gesture.

Behind them stood a group of students whose arrival they weren’t aware of. They were completely surrounded now.

“…What.”

Even though Kara was surrounded, she shrugged, remaining unbothered. In fact, she even had an amused grin on her face.

Namgoong Seokdae didn’t relax in response to that smile. Reina gripped her battle axe tightly and prepared for battle.

“Not bad.”

“I think it’s bad, though?”

“Then you should run.”

“Got it.”

-Thud!

Karas, always obedient to Kara’s words, immediately took off toward the forest.

It was an unexpected retreat, leaving both Kara and the students bewildered.

“I can’t pass up the chance to spectate! You gotta understand!”

“…”

From afar, Karas uttered an excuse for his flight. It seemed he was running off to catch a glimpse of Sivar’s fight.

Kara shook her head at the direction he fled.

“Nothing about this is to my liking.”

Unlike others, she truly held no affection for that situation.

******

After finding the purple treasure, I was out of my mind playing with it for a bit. Honestly, I wanted to keep it.

But it can only be used in the academy under specific conditions, so I must be patient.

Or maybe wish for it. That’s what I thought.

‘First thing’s first, I need to return to the meeting point.’

Cheerfully smiling, I made my way back. I wondered what reaction Kara and Karas would show.

Despite minor discomforts, its performance was excellent enough to erase even that.

Especially, the stronger one’s strength and magic power, the greater the effect it had. It was an excellent fit for me.

With that ecstatic mindset, I finally arrived at the meeting place. Windmill Village was eerily quiet.

‘The time… has it passed?’

Even though the time was up, neither of the two was in sight. Could they be far away still?

Just in case, I activated the orange ring on my left hand’s pinky.

-Crackle, crackle.

“Kara?”

I could connect, but strangely, no response was coming back. It wasn’t that it wouldn’t work from a distance.

This implies there was a high possibility that someone had stolen their treasures. They probably had respawn time.

Kara had run into trouble, which likely meant Karas had as well.

“Senior.”

“?”

Just when I was pondering when they might have been ambushed, a familiar voice reached my ears.

Turning my head, I found Reina staring straight at me, her battle axe resting on her back.

Her tense expression indicated she was ready to fight at any moment. I responded casually.

“What’s up?”

“…”

“Calling me and then not saying anything?”

I said this as I alternated clenching and unclenching my right hand. At that, Reina’s gaze fell on my right hand.

“Kara and Karas… looks like you took them down.”

“…”

Reina’s eyes met mine. Her silence confirmed my suspicion.

She was usually so chatty, so this made me even more certain.

In that short span of time, Kara and Karas had been taken out. It was quite a speedy affair.

The zero exam score must be effective. After all, students wouldn’t just let that slide.

“Got anything to say?”

“Yes. Zero exam score. You thought of that, didn’t you?”

Reina spoke in Frozen language, not the common tongue. I didn’t mind.

Before responding, I assessed my surroundings. I had hidden fairly well, but my senses were still keen.

Judging by numbers, there were at least 15, if not 20. They seemed to have gathered every ounce of support they could.

Were they aiming for a single strike? If they didn’t synchronize well, there might be friendly fire instead.

“Yep. It was my idea.”

“Why did you think that?”

“Because it seemed fun?”

“…”

It was the truth. I only thought it might be fun.

If the students start working together, it’s a win-win situation.

Reina maintained a serious expression upon hearing my answer, but then she smirked.

With that smirk, her face visibly relaxed. This was the Reina I knew.

Soon after, her expression morphed into her characteristic fiery smile.

“…That’s a typical senior answer. Quite amusing.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“Yes. You have this childlike innocence.”

-Swish

As she said that, Reina assumed a combat stance.

A red ring danced on her left middle finger.

“I won’t go easy on you.”

“Really?”

I said that as I slowly moved my right hand. Reina narrowed her eyes at my action.

Then, I infused magic into my right hand and performed a sudden uppercut gesture.

Though it was merely a gesture, what happened next couldn’t be dismissed as just that.

-Crash!

The house situated behind Reina shot upwards. She jumped in surprise and turned to look.

It wasn’t just a bit of dirt being thrown; the ground rose in the shape of a fist, just as I had mimicked.

-Boom! Bang!

Students who had been hiding inside screamed as they fell down. They would likely be unconscious for a bit.

Reina stared at the ground that had risen in a fist shape for a while before turning her gaze back to me.

Her eyes were wide open, clearly taken aback.

“What do you think?”

On my right hand, there was.

“Isn’t it fun?”

A purple glove adorned my hand.

*****

“What the heck. What is that?”

“That’s something we haven’t seen before.”

“No way. Is that even possible?”

“What in the world…”

The professors were astonished.

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