Chapter 68

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on January 22, 2025

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“Sunday evening.”

After finishing their meals, the students gathered in clusters to chat or rest in their rooms. Some model students were also preparing for the lecture scheduled for tomorrow.

Ulan was one of them.

“So, that’s all the news.”

Next to him sat a silver-haired girl.

Delia had just wrapped up her lengthy explanation.

She took a sip of cocoa piled high with ice, then turned back to Ulan.

“Did you understand everything up to this point?”

“Um, got it,” Ulan nodded.

Then he replayed the explanations in his head. Specifically, the upcoming ‘Practical Hunting’.

‘April, second week, Monday.’

So that means tomorrow at 6 PM.

The practical exam for the Practical Hunting lecture taught by Professor Stella was set to begin.

The location was the forest beyond the academy’s north gate.

A place swarming with monsters of rank 2 and lower.

Here, students would pair up in twos to hunt the monsters.

‘But it’s not just about hunting.’

The purpose of this lecture is to cultivate excellent hunters.

Thus, this exam would assess hunting skills along with teamwork and, further, survival skills with their assigned colleagues.

Is that why the hunting exam was notably longer than other tests?

‘A total of 72 hours.’

The main content of the exam was to survive in the forest for up to three days while hunting monsters.

At that time, students would be provided with a backpack full of survival supplies and just two weapons.

All other necessary items had to be procured from the forest itself.

‘And the final grade is…’

Determined by how long they survived in the forest and how many monsters they killed.

That was the information Delia had shared.

As I was recalling everything, suddenly, she said, “Oh, right.”

Her eyes widened slightly.

It seemed she had remembered something she had forgotten.

“Depending on the results, there are benefits too.”

“What kind of benefits?”

“The first place team gets exempted from the written exam.”

Ulan’s eyes sparkled.

Of course. For him, who could faint after reading just a few pages of a book, the written exam was a terrifying challenge, second only to the Trial of the Hero.

But wait, they could get exempted?

“I definitely have to aim for first place then.”

“Yeah, if it’s just the two of us, it’s possible.”

Delia smiled faintly.

Then a silence fell over them. The main conversation had ended, leaving them with nothing to say.

But the silence didn’t last long.

“Hey, Ulan.”

“Hmm?”

“What are you going to do now?”

It felt a bit sad to part ways like this.

So, she slyly dropped a question. If he was free, she was thinking of suggesting a walk together. That’s when Ulan replied.

“I’m going to the library.”

“The library?”

“I have a book to return.”

And one more thing.

There was a reason for going to the library.

About ten minutes later, at 8 PM, she was supposed to meet Noa in the reading room.

‘She said she had something important to discuss.’

Her face was serious, unlike usual, as she recalled Noa’s expression from earlier in the dining hall when Delia replied.

“Then I’ll go too.”

There wasn’t a particular reason to go to the library.

But still, wanting to be with Ulan a bit longer, Delia volunteered to accompany him. Meanwhile, Ulan nodded, seeming indifferent.

“Alright.”

“Okay.”

With a faint smile blossoming, the two headed straight to the library.

2.

Meanwhile, at that moment.

Noa was already in the reading room.

She had no particular task at hand, and there was something she wanted to organize.

Scritch-scratch!

She opened her notebook and began to jot down notes quickly. It was a summary of the major events occurring during the mid-term exam period.

How long had it been?

“Alright, this should be good.”

After wrapping everything up.

Noa had a satisfied expression on her face.

There were two main events during the first semester mid-term exams. Among them, the one Noa was most focused on was the ‘Dirk’s Rampage’ incident.

‘It happened on the last Thursday of April.’

The location was the Source of Magic, Zone 2.

Professor Dirk, arriving here for a practical exam, suddenly vanished after assigning students a high-level task.

‘To enter Zone 3.’

He had some secret mission to accomplish.

Shortly after, Dirk returned to Zone 2 as if nothing had happened.

But just as the scheduled exam time neared, an unexpected magic overload occurred, leading to his body collapsing.

‘Soon after, he turns into a monster.’

An event boss that indiscriminately commits slaughter, a monster of rank 7. That’s the overall outline of the incident.

If you succeed in defeating him, you’ll get significant rewards, including a special ‘Key’ with unique powers.

Noa was aiming for this key.

‘Of course, the difficulty level is high.’

It’s a rank 7 monster.

In fact, it was considered a low-probability event even in the original work. Many gamers skipped the reward because of the odds, but Noa couldn’t afford to do that.

She had never received a proper reward until now. So she was determined to get this one no matter what.

‘So, this time…’

She must be honest with Ulan and seek his cooperation.

To ensure a safe hunt, his strength was needed without fail. Plus, it’d be troublesome if she ended up with a failed plan again and missed out on the rewards.

Noa made a solemn vow.

Just then.

Ding! Dong!

The clock tower rang.

The sound announcing it was exactly 8 PM. This made Noa recall her appointment with Ulan.

She had called him out for just one reason.

To tell him something.

The Practical Hunting exam scheduled for tomorrow.

In this exam, a second major incident during mid-terms would occur involving Ulan.

After recalling this, Noa’s complexion noticeably hardened.

‘…The Abyss Worshipper incident.’

Abyss Worshippers, as the name suggests, are beings that worship the Abyss.

Their goal is to open the Gate of the Abyss and summon Abyss entities, ultimately receiving grace from the Abyss to become Apostles.

‘They can be a major pain in the early game.’

Abyss Worshippers are mostly mages.

Among them, many are mad mages that have succumbed to forbidden magic, making them formidable foes if encountered early on.

The problem is that these Abyss Worshippers, and particularly, a group of them, are expected to pass through the Northern Forest tomorrow night.

Not alone, but in a pack.

After arriving at this thought, Noa opened her notebook. She wanted to recall the flow and outline of this incident once again.

‘The incident kicks off around Tuesday at 9 PM.’

Suddenly, something strange happens in the forest.

The forest unexpectedly turns into a maze, with hallucinations appearing. The Abyss Worshippers did this upon discovering the students.

‘Their goal is to abduct the students.’

To prepare offerings for the Abyss.

However, the reason they specifically chose students as sacrifices was never revealed in the original work.

Regardless, as a result of the ensuing battle.

All five agents from the Special Operations Division assigned for protection died, and sixteen students were abducted.

‘If you look at it from just this point…’

It doesn’t seem like such a significant incident.

There are no notable rewards, and to be frank, the deaths of the Special Operations agents and the abductions of the students don’t affect the main scenario whatsoever.

But the real problem lies elsewhere.

This Abyss Worshipper incident represents the ‘Death Branch Point’ for a certain Named Character. And that Named Character is someone Noa knows well.

‘…The Star Witch.’

That’s Delia Arpen.

She is given a ‘chance of death’ in this incident. Of course, it’s not an absolute death, but rather, a probabilistic chance of dying during the fight.

‘But if she dies here…’

It gets very complicated.

One of the seven Heroes would be lost, creating the Hero party as if it started with only ‘six members’ from the beginning.

Would they face a battle that’s already tough even when all seven Heroes came together, with only six members? That spells a sudden hike in difficulty.

‘So she absolutely can’t die.’

The best way is not to attend the exam in the first place. This way, she wouldn’t encounter the Abyss Worshippers and escape the threat of death.

While it would be tragic for all students aside from Delia to either die or be abducted, losing Delia is still worse.

‘But…’

I can’t use this method.

She wouldn’t follow a word he said anyway. Besides, there was a reason why he didn’t have to resort to such an approach this time.

A variable whose very existence mattered.

That was Ulan.

‘So that’s why I asked to meet.’

To hint at information about this incident and even hand over items that could be helpful.

As those thoughts settled in her mind.

Thud! Boom!

Sudden heavy footsteps echoed.

No need to see, she already knew who it was. With a soft chuckle, Noa stood up.

“Welcome, Ulan. I’ve been waiting…”

But just as she was about to greet him with a smile, Noa quickly shut her mouth.

For a good reason.

Because standing next to Ulan, glaring fiercely at her, was none other than Delia Arpen.

“Ulan?”

“…?”

“Why is Delia here…?”

“She said she had business. Don’t mind her.”

But how can you not mind someone glaring straight at you?

As Noa wore an awkward expression, Delia spoke up.

“More importantly, what did you want?”

That’s not the important question here. Regaining her composure, Noa cleared her throat briefly.

Then, a little while later, she spoke with a serious face.

“I saw a grim future.”

“……!”

“On the night after tomorrow, a terrible incident will occur in the forest beyond the academy’s north gate.”

Facing Ulan’s stiffened expression, Noa conveyed the sequence of events.

The story about the Abyss Worshippers. And their attack’s timing and motive were all laid bare.

As the lengthy tale concluded.

Suddenly, a sound of snickering erupted.

“All of this is just absurd nonsense.”

It was Delia who laughed.

She looked at Noa as if she found it ridiculous. As if saying to cut the nonsense.

“You want us to believe that?”

“…….”

Meanwhile, Noa remained unperturbed.

She had expected this reaction from the moment Ulan came in with Delia. So she replied calmly.

“Then I’ll prove it.”

“Prove what?”

“On the day of the exam, five agents from the Special Operations Division will be dispatched to protect the students.”

With Noa’s unexpected words, Delia narrowed her eyes. She realized what Noa was aiming at.

Predicting something that could be verified right away to make her previous claim seem credible.

“The Special Operations agents are two wind attribute mages, while the rest are each adept in earth, fire, and light attributes.”

That wasn’t all.

Noa also predicted other intricate details.

For instance, the benefits would extend from only the first place to the top three, and it would rain late at night tomorrow.

And at that moment, when Delia heard all this, she abruptly turned her head away.

“There’s no value in hearing more.”

It’s all nonsense.

There was no basis to it all, after all.

Delia dismissed Noa’s words as mere lies and completely cut off her interest. In contrast, Noa didn’t give up, persevering to continue her discourse.

“Next, please take this.”

“What is this?”

“It’s a talisman that indicates the direction of the opponent. Of course, it won’t work if they’re too far away, but it’s better than nothing.”

A pair of talismans.

This was a talisman specially made in preparation for the Abyss Worshippers turning the forest into a maze.

“One is for Delia.”

“…I don’t need it.”

Delia gave Noa a sideways glance.

Meanwhile, she made no retort. As if Delia’s opinion didn’t matter much.

“And this is for Ulan.”

A small pouch made of cloth.

It looked like there was something inside.

“If you find yourself in a tight spot, open it. There will be answers inside.”

“Understood. I’ll gratefully accept it.”

In sharp contrast to Delia’s obvious distrust, Ulan accepted Noa’s advice calmly.

After a while.

Once all the stories wrapped up, Noa wore a slightly relieved expression.

“That’s all I had to say.”

With that, she had completed all the measures she could take. Now all that remained was to trust Ulan and Delia, and wait for their safe return.

“Please, be careful, Ulan.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Facing Noa’s worried gaze, Ulan silently nodded.

And so, the night of Sunday came to a close.

3.

The next afternoon.

The day of the Practical Hunting exam.

Perhaps due to the fact that they would soon leave the academy to live in the forest for 72 hours?

The students gathered at the north gate displayed a mix of strange nervousness and expectation.

Delia felt the same way.

‘For 72 hours…’

She could spend it with Ulan.

This thought had kept her awake all night.

For some reason, she couldn’t sleep due to the fluttering feeling in her chest. Lost in thought about the exam, she wore an excited expression when…

“Delia.”

The low voice reached her ears.

It was Ulan’s voice. Delia turned around with a bright face to greet him. But in that moment, Ulan suddenly handed her something.

“Here.”

“Huh? What’s this…?”

A talisman inscribed with a blue pattern.

It was that very talisman Noa had given her yesterday in the library. Realizing this, Delia frowned, but Ulan continued to speak.

“You just have to carry it on you.”

“…Wait, do you really believe what she said yesterday?”

“I believe it.”

Without hesitation, Ulan nodded.

While Delia couldn’t fully trust Noa, she at least trusted her predictions, as they had never been wrong so far.

Meanwhile, could it be due to Ulan’s immediate response?

Delia had a displeased look on her face.

As she stared back and forth between Ulan and the talisman with a frown.

“Well, looks like everyone’s here.”

A cheerful voice rang in her ears.

It was Professor Stella’s entrance. She appeared with the backpacks to be distributed to the students and stepped up onto the podium while each item was being handed out.

“Now, before we start the exam, I’ll share a few changes.”

Indicating there was something to say.

Stella’s speech continued.

“First, regarding the ‘privileges’ I mentioned before, it turned out that it’s practically given to the first place, so we decided to extend the benefits to the top three.”

“Wow, really?!”

“With up to three places, that sounds doable!”

“Right? Honestly, if it was just for the first place, it wouldn’t mean much, but this changes everything.”

The students showed a positive reaction.

Meanwhile, Delia’s eyes widened in surprise, like a startled rabbit. She recalled hearing something similar just yesterday.

But it was still too early to be shocked.

“Next, I’ll introduce the individuals who will keep you safe for the next 72 hours. Please come this way!”

Stella waved her hand.

Moments later, five men and women dressed in white coats revealed themselves. The students gasped in astonishment upon seeing them.

“T-Those uniforms…!”

“The Special Operations Division from the Magic Department?!”

“Yes, that’s correct. Initially, we were going to ask for help from the guards, but the Special Operations Division had the resources available to assist.”

Stella replied with a smile.

As the introductions of the five agents proceeded, Ulan muttered in a grim tone.

“This is exactly what Noa mentioned.”

“……”

Delia shut her mouth tightly.

Just ten minutes ago, she had dismissed those words as nonsense, yet now, they were all turning into prophecies.

Mixed feelings of surprise and confusion flickered in her eyes.

With her gaze flickering between worry and disbelief, she hugged the talisman she held tightly to her chest.

A while later, after the distribution of items was complete.

Stella stepped down from the podium.

“That concludes the communications for now! I’ll share the precautions related to the exam while we move to the destination.”

Stella immediately headed to the front of the group.