Chapter 89

The setup is just like the Survival Training. Blindfolded, following the guidance of the professors and assistants.

But unlike Survival Training, we’re supposed to take off the blindfold once the broadcast begins. If we don’t, we’re immediately disqualified, they warned us.

[The test is about to start. All students, please get ready.]

The announcement blared. I pulled off the bothersome blindfold and looked around at the scenery.

“Wow… this is also… magic?”

Just like Lee Yeon-joo’s admiration, the scenery around us was breathtaking.

The landscape appeared to be an ordinary, run-of-the-mill village. Not quite a city, but a thriving little town.

Houses were built everywhere, and in the distance, a giant windmill caught my eye. Not to mention, there was a lush, green forest nearby.

To someone unfamiliar, they would simply think they’d arrived at a nice village, but this was all an illusion created by magic.

“It’s magic. The principle is probably the same as what we saw in the Special Dueling Arena. But to replicate it on such a grand scale…”

Grace also genuinely admired the perfectly rendered village.

Being knowledgeable in magic, she seemed to quickly realize just how impressive this magic truly was.

While they marveled, I scanned the surroundings. A blue curtain, presumed to be the Magic Barrier, was visible in the distance.

For now, we were safe, though it was expected to gradually shrink. We needed to either find a map or get to a high place to assess the terrain.

“Let’s head to that house first. The professors mentioned there would be various collectibles.”

“Okay.”

I guess we should listen to the leader. Taking our time to strategize isn’t a bad idea.

I followed Grace toward the nearby house. At first glance, it resembled a medieval European wooden structure.

Creeeak—

We cautiously entered the house. Just in case, I led the way instead of Grace.

What I thought would only look good on the outside turned out to be furnished just as well inside. There were tables, a hearth, and all sorts of furniture.

We admired the sight and thoroughly searched the interior. It was incredibly extravagant to have the interior realized as well.

“Hm? Ah! It seems this is a map.”

While rummaging through the table drawer, Lee Yeon-joo found a map. Grace and I quickly made our way over to her.

The size of the map was neither too big nor too small. It would be inconvenient to carry around without a bag.

Once we examined it, the overall shape was just as expected, a village.

However, there were areas where the houses were clustered and others where they weren’t, and in the center stood a massive windmill.

“Ummm… we need to go outside to know our location. Speaking of which, I think I saw the windmill outside.”

“Grace, can you read a map?”

“Uh… somewhat?”

Grace answered with a lack of confidence. It didn’t seem she was entirely sure.

Lee Yeon-joo wasn’t any different. After all, there aren’t too many situations where you need to read a map.

It might only be useful for soldiers or explorers. Plus, maps in this era are often unreliable.

“It’d be good to determine our direction first. Let’s see if there’s a compass. There should still be plenty of collectibles left.”

“Yeah.”

Following Grace’s lead, we started rummaging through the corners of the house again. Since we weren’t in the outer area, there were quite a few items that popped up.

The compass I mentioned earlier turned up, along with backpacks that had ample storage space. We managed to gather most of the necessary items for a battle royale.

I found one thing myself, but it looked like a fist-sized rock.

I should probably ask the team about this. I returned to the center, holding the rock in my hand.

“Grace.”

“Huh? Did you find something?”

“This.”

I showed Grace the rock. She and Lee Yeon-joo looked at it curiously.

Grace took the rock from me and examined it from different angles. Then, suddenly wide-eyed, she spotted something.

“There’s a button here?”

Curious, Grace pressed the button. As soon as she did, a sense of dread washed over me.

The Wilderness Instinct whispered quietly to me. Throw that out the window right now.

Trusting my instincts, I immediately snatched the rock from Grace.

Ka-chunk!

And threw it outside the window without hesitation. Since it was a magically constructed house, the sound of the wood breaking echoed.

“Wha-what are you doing…?!”

Grace seemed shocked by my sudden action, but it was too late.

KABOOM!

A massive explosion erupted from the rock I threw outside.

It wasn’t that large of an explosion, but it had enough power to incapacitate a few people.

Now that I think of it, it did look a bit like a grenade. With the loud noise that echoed, we needed to get out of this house.

“…We should be careful of traps too.”

“Y-yeah…”

Grace was startled by the explosion, but she quickly regained her composure. She truly seemed quite useful.

Especially for me, who couldn’t attack, this would certainly be helpful. It’d be important to figure out if there are more weapons like that.

“Let’s change locations. That noise probably attracted the attention of other teams.”

“How about heading toward the windmill?”

“That’s a no-go. The windmill is too eye-catching, so a team will definitely approach it. For now, let’s go to a house a bit farther away.”

Grace made a surprisingly wise decision. She was already pinpointing the key aspects of this battle royale.

We left the original house behind and moved to another one. Luckily, we didn’t run into any other teams along the way.

“Here’s another weird rock. This one looks longer than the last one…”

Bang!

“Ahh!”

“My eyes…!”

Well, why did you press another button? Are you some curious cat?

Though I realized that the long rock had a flashbang-like effect.

Furthermore, while actively scavenging, I found various tools, mostly weapons.

As I mentioned earlier, since we weren’t in the outer area, the quality turned out to be quite good. Among them, I obtained an axe, of course.

[The Magic Barrier is moving.]

After rummaging a few more times, the Magic Barrier began to shift. We had no need to move since we were inside it.

But those outside would have to hurry. As soon as Grace heard the broadcast, she directed us.

“Let’s stay here for a while. It’d be smart to set some traps.”

“Okay.”

“Yes?”

“Oh, um… never mind…”

Lee Yeon-joo answered casually for a moment and then quickly shrank back. Having spent too much time together, Grace seemed to have relaxed around her.

Grace was startled by the question, but her expression turned stern, which led to some misunderstandings. It made for quite an amusing combination overall.

“Sivar, can you scout near the windmill? There might be better items around. If you see anyone, run away immediately.”

“Sure.”

“Make sure to remember our house. If anything happens, I’ll blow up the bomb.”

With a backup plan established, I cautiously stepped outside and gazed over at the windmill.

Due to the windmill’s design, the nearby area was completely empty. So, if anyone approached, they’d be easily detected.

Even for someone like me, getting any closer to the windmill would definitely draw attention. So, it was wise to make a quick visit.

‘Who could be out there?’

There might be a lucky team starting by the windmill. I crept up as stealthily as possible.

In the distance, I could faintly hear explosions, but I tried my best to ignore them. That wasn’t what mattered right now.

Finally, as I approached the windmill, I noticed something on the ground.

‘Indentations…’

While not quite footprints, there were clear marks made by something being stepped on. They led directly to the windmill.

It seemed someone was indeed inside the windmill. It would be more suspicious if there wasn’t anyone.

Following Grace’s orders, I could just run away, but now that I was here, there was something I wanted to try out.

They said I could only defend and not attack, so I wanted to cleverly use that defense.

Thus, I headed straight for the windmill. Its blades were spinning busily.

‘This is too obvious.’

Sneaking a peek through a window installed at the center of the windmill, someone’s face briefly popped into view.

Trying to hide my presence, I quickly realized I had been spotted in an instant.

[Hey, that’s him. What are we doing?]

[What do you mean? That guy can’t attack anyway.]

[While I face him, you guys provide backup from the back. Then we can catch him.]

I could hear their conversation clearly. They hadn’t ignored my heightened senses; they just didn’t realize it themselves. Normally, I shouldn’t have heard anything.

Soon, I reached the door in front of the windmill and sensed how many were inside.

‘Exactly four of them.’

Since they just referred to each other as “them,” there must be two close-range and two ranged attackers.

I quietly opened the door and stepped inside. Various mechanical structures greeted me within the windmill.

“Now!”

“Ice, pierce him!”

“Flame spear, ignite!”

As soon as I opened the door, the chanting of magic filled my ears. Just as I had suspected, there were mages waiting in the ceiling above.

Two mages was a pretty decent combo, but they had made a critical mistake.

Kwaak!

“Ugh?!”

As the magic was shot out, I quickly grabbed the collar of the person who was hiding behind the door.

It looked like they were waiting to strike me as soon as the magic hit. But what a rookie error that was.

Blocking the magic’s speed with a person was way faster.

Kwaak! Fwoosh!

“I-AAAAH!”

The ice spear stabbed into the warrior, and flaming arrows penetrated him from multiple angles.

He wouldn’t die, but I cleverly used the human shield to make sure they hit his most painful spots.

With a grunt of pain, it seemed the warrior finally lost consciousness, slumping over. A protective barrier activated, encasing him.

“Th-that…!”

“Wasn’t that an attack? What kind of…!”

The students were aghast as I used him as a human shield. I replied firmly to their shock.

“This isn’t an attack.”

I didn’t attack at all.

“It’s defense.”

You guys just happened to friendly fire.

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