Chapter 90

The professor mentioned that I can’t directly attack and must utilize indirect methods or the opponent’s attacks instead.

In other words, I can go as far as to ‘subdue’ them. So, I just need to avoid any intent to attack.

It may sound like a crafty scheme, but they placed absurd conditions on me first.

So, isn’t it fair to give them a taste of their own medicine?

‘If they get injured more severely, the one who pulled this ridiculous stunt will also get a bad rap.’

Trying to match the standards of fairness and justice might just end up getting us all burned down.

If I had the right to attack, I could have knocked everyone out equally—one punch for you, one punch for me!

But right now, I have to take a beating like that human shield from earlier just to barely pass out. That means even more people are heading to the hospital.

“Uh, what do we do now? The vanguard is gone…!”

“Shouldn’t we just run? After all, they can’t do anything!”

In the blink of an eye, the vanguard took a hit (friendly fire), leaving the support team in a panic. I looked down from the second floor at their chaos.

With a quick glance, I could tell there were two mages and one rogue. It was a bit much for the rogue to hold the front line.

I started to think about how to swiftly take them down. Considering what I saw earlier, using a human shield is off the table.

‘But what would happen if I launch a direct attack?’

This piqued my curiosity. I seized the moment while they were confused and jumped high.

With just one jump, I easily reached the second floor, and their eyes went wide as saucers.

“What, what…!”

First, I focused on the rogue. He reflexively lunged with his dagger, but I easily turned my head aside to dodge.

Then I placed my hand on his perfectly smooth forehead and lightly flicked him with a bit of strength.

Smack!

“Ugh!”

It was just a flick, but it produced a surprisingly satisfying sound. The rogue stumbled backward, flailing as though I had really hurt him.

Just as I thought it looked like it would hurt, I heard a noise coming from the bracelet on my left wrist.

[Direct attacks are not permissible. Penalty applied.]

I was about to raise an eyebrow at that penalty notification when I felt a significant change in my body.

It felt slightly heavier, and at the same time, magic power started leaking from the bracelet and flowed through my body.

It seems that if I directly attack, my body gets heavier, and my magic power gets all messed up as the penalty.

Thank goodness it doesn’t mean instant elimination the moment I attack. Otherwise, I would have caused a ruckus claiming it was unfair.

‘For now, it’s not worth worrying about. I need to save my strength for the latter part.’

The weight doesn’t build up every time I knock someone out but rather every time I attack.

With this one ruling, I have a reason to conserve my energy until the end. Otherwise, it might be hard to prepare for unforeseen circumstances.

“Ugh…”

“…”

The rogue was rolling around on the floor while the mages stood frozen. Now I understood the penalty for attacks; all that was left was determining the rulings.

How far would the rules allow my attacks? For now, I definitely can’t throw a punch.

So, would it be okay if I took them out using the explosives I collected at home? That idea crossed my mind as I surveyed the vicinity.

Since I had been waiting here, I surely must have picked up some loot. It should be around here somewhere.

“That one.”

“What, what?”

“Hand that over.”

The bag was behind the male and female mages. As soon as I pointed to it, they began exchanging nervous glances.

Then, the male mage slowly reached for the bag, and in that brief moment, he shouted.

“Fire! Burn bright!”

“Water! Pour down!”

Immediately following the male mage, the female mage began her chanting. Water and fire began pouring down from above me.

If this continued, I would be hit straight on. The rogue, who had been groaning next to me, had finally regained his senses and hastily darted away.

Boom!

The magical force wasn’t particularly impressive. But then again, it was never intended for offensive use.

When water and fire meet, they turn into steam. These spells were just smokescreens to obscure my vision.

Apparently, they made their move to escape. I might have over-explained it a bit too kindly.

But aside from assassins, the mages have no physical capabilities.

I immediately sensed their intention and followed right behind them. It didn’t take long.

“Run quick…Ack!”

It was the rogue who had taken a flick from me earlier. I grabbed him by the back of his neck as he tried to flee out the window.

The mages must have already gotten outside because I could hear them panicking.

To them, it must have felt like a horror movie. They witnessed their teammate being grabbed by a monster just before escape.

If it had been night, it would have been even more immersive, but too bad it’s morning.

Boom!

Pulling on the back of his neck, I yanked the rogue hard, sending him flailing on the floor. Then I peered out the window.

Just outside, I locked eyes with the two mages. As soon as they made eye contact with me, their faces went pale with fear.

I pointed at them with my index and middle fingers, signaling, “See you later.”

They quickly scrambled to escape in another direction. With no vanguard or assassins around, it was just a matter of time before they got eliminated.

‘They didn’t even grab the bag.’

After glancing at the assassin who was attempting to sneak away, I rummaged through the bag. Just as I expected, there were quite a few valuable items.

Among them, of course, I needed the explosives. If hit correctly, they would pass out and sustain significant damage.

I wonder if using these would still be considered an attack? I became slightly curious.

Thump!

“You poor thing.” I grabbed the assassin by the collar and dragged him along.

For a moment, I thought about stuffing a grenade in his mouth and blowing it up, but that seemed too cruel.

Of course, since it’s just a test, it wouldn’t have high lethality. But even a blank can cause serious injury up close.

“Um… A!”

A brilliant idea popped into my head. However, I’ll first need to check on the grenade before proceeding.

I bound the rogue tightly with the rope from the bag to prevent him from escaping. I wasn’t sure how to tie it properly, but I made do with sheer force.

Click!

Next, I tossed the grenade in and jumped out the window. Of course, I didn’t forget to grab the bag.

Exactly five seconds later…

Bang!

With the explosion of the grenade, the window shattered into pieces. Since it went off right next to them, elimination was surely guaranteed.

Now, the key concern centered around the attack ruling. I quietly waited for the bracelet’s reaction.

“…”

Luckily, the bracelet remained quiet. As long as I didn’t throw a punch myself, I seemed to be in the clear.

So, I wondered, does falling from above count as an attack too? That might be worth testing out.

For now, I need one experimental subject and help from Lee Yeon-joo. She should be able to assist me with this.

‘They headed that way, right?’

I dashed toward the direction the mages took off. Those mages with low physical capabilities couldn’t have gotten far.

And, as expected, it wasn’t hard to chase them down. Taking them down was incredibly easy too.

Like a mother cat grabbing a kitten by the scruff of its neck, I was all set for my fall experiment.

“Ahhhhh!”

Boom!

Returning to the windmill, I sent the male mage tumbling down from the top. He should survive without any serious injuries.

Moreover, if it counts as a fall, a barrier would automatically be generated, keeping him safe. Thanks to the barrier, I avoided significant damage too.

‘Forced falling doesn’t count as an attack ruling either.’

Now, all that was left was to bring back the trembling, terrified female mage to my team.

Of course, I remembered to pick up the loot they had farmed. There were quite a few good items.

“Um? Ah, Sivar. You’re back… Who’s this person?”

“An experimental subject.”

“Experimental subject…?”

When I boldly revealed her as an experimental subject, Grace became visibly flustered. Then, she glanced at the female mage I was carrying over my shoulder like a sack.

The mage was too exhausted to even struggle, slumping back limply. She seemed to tremble just a bit, possibly from having witnessed the male mage’s fall just moments earlier.

“Could we eliminate her quickly…? This, this person is too cruel…”

“…What on earth did you do?”

“Defense.”

I truly was only defending myself. Just pulling a crafty move.

Even while solely defending, I had no choice but to take her down. It wasn’t avoidable.

“So, do we just need to knock her out then?”

“No. Experiment.”

“Experiment?”

“Yeah. Lee Yeon-joo.”

“Huh?”

Lee Yeon-joo blinked in surprise at my call. She didn’t expect to be summoned.

I quietly seated the female mage, who was to be the experimental subject, in a chair.

Realizing that she had entered the tiger’s den, the female mage sat there without any form of resistance.

“Is it possible?”

“…If everything is taken out, it’s hard to understand.”

“This one and this one.”

I pulled out bombs and various trap devices from the bag. There turned out to be more than I expected.

Among them, the essentials included the explosives, some rope, and an easy-to-press button device.

Originally intended for setting traps, I aimed to turn them against them.

“So, we bind her like this. Cover her mouth. When we free her, just press the button. And then—boom!”

“…”

“How about that? Good, right?”

Although it was a rather pathetic explanation, Lee Yeon-joo seemed to understand what I meant.

Hence, she looked startled as if her jaw dropped. For reference, she is quite adept at creating such traps herself.

So it should be possible for her to make the ‘human bomb’ I mentioned too. While I’m somewhat skilled with my hands, I figured it’d be easier with her help.

“So, then… you mean we make a ‘human bomb,’ right? Something only criminals would do?”

“…Sounds about right.”

Grace asked, her voice trembling, and Lee Yeon-joo nodded in agreement. That was exactly what I wanted.

Though it was somewhat malicious, what could I do? Without the right to attack, I had to shoulder it for the sake of efficiency.

“Absolutely not! Don’t teach them this! We’re Academy students, not terrorists!”

“I, I know! But since Sivar asked me to teach him…”

“Still not okay! I have no idea who taught you this, but it’s utterly contrary to the Academy’s principles! I’d rather take the fall!”

Rejected immediately. I thought it was a pretty good idea, but I felt a bit disappointed.

After that, I wrapped up the female mage for elimination and moved on to another plan. A less malicious one.

“Sivar, why not just kidnap one person at a time and drop them into another team? That seems much more gentlemanly.”

“Yeah.”

That method didn’t sound too bad.

******

Meanwhile, the faculty was closely monitoring the entire situation.

As with the survival training, cameras were installed throughout the examination ground, making it easy to observe everything.

Additionally, there were far more cameras than during the survival training, allowing them to catch every little detail. Moreover, there were audio devices too.

“…How about we exclude Sivar from the final exam? Alternatively, transforming it into a special event wouldn’t be a bad idea either.”

That was Godin’s suggestion, who had been watching the whole scenario unfold. It might be seen as a preferential treatment, but the professors couldn’t refute it at all.

And who could blame them, given that everything Sivar had shown so far was well beyond any expectations. Starting with the methods of elimination.

“Using explosives aside, I never saw the forced falling coming…”

“His physical abilities aren’t unreasonable, it’s just that his brain is sharp too, you know?”

Those were the opinions from Malboro and Yeonhwa. I already felt like I needed to draft an incident report because it all seemed so overwhelming.

While restricting Sivar’s right to attack was intended for fairness and equity, it only seemed to backfire tremendously.

If they had been fair to begin with, the students’ injuries could have been reduced.

“I should’ve just suggested to stick to one student. That way, complaints about unfairness wouldn’t have surfaced regardless of what we did.”

Sara made a sharp remark. Rather, this exam merely highlighted Sivar’s maliciousness and backfired.

If attacks were limited, the only option was to resort to underhanded tactics. That’s a universal understanding, timeless across cultures.

The ‘human bomb’ that Sivar mentioned was likely just one such tactic. Even if the method is incredibly dastardly, it remains an efficient solution.

Grace had bellowed that it absolutely wouldn’t do, but had they given him the right to attack from the onset, this situation wouldn’t have occurred.

“Who was the odd idea presenter again?”

“Professor Delphoi.”

“That guy has made it painfully obvious that he dislikes Sivar since the last time…”

The system that aimed to foil Sivar ended up backfiring and led to trouble for the faculty instead.

With tactics like this, assessing them properly became nearly impossible. All they had learned was that Sivar had a sharp mind.

“If he were awarded the artifact, things would change entirely. Depending on who gets it, Sivar could also be eliminated.”

“Then ultimately, battling is unavoidable, huh?”

“Exactly.”

There remained only one artifact, located in the center.

As Malboro witnessed Sivar executing the ‘gift’ strategy, he let out a deep sigh.

“Let’s just leave him to his own devices. That would be for the best.”

The entire faculty agreed with this sentiment.

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