I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City – Chapter 91

The act of defeating a monster of printed characters on a blank sheet of paper, armed with the knowledge and theories accumulated in one’s mind.

Ah! The written exam! A truly desirable creature, as bitter as its name suggests.

How diligently one must have stuck their butt in an invisible seat. Without shedding a single drop of blood, one can prove themselves, and there’s even time left to vent their frustrations.

“10 minutes remaining.”

The voice of Juyun, the exam supervisor, smoothly seeps into the cadets’ ears.

There’s only one exam supervisor in the class, Juyun.

But no one dares to cheat. They don’t even think about it.

Because they know that even if Juyun’s back is turned, they’ll be caught the moment they try anything funny.

“…”

With the feeling of a gas burner flickering outside, Rohan double-checked if he had written his name and number correctly.

Even though he didn’t know how many times he had checked, he felt reassured by the neatly written personal details and returned to the questions.

‘Last two questions…’

The end of the written exam is in sight. To maintain focus, he had only a light supplement for lunch.

The slight hunger sharpened his consciousness.

Although there were a few questions he couldn’t answer due to insufficient depth of study, he felt that the overall flow was quite impressive.

“5 minutes remaining.”

By the way, Noah Frozenheart had been sweating profusely since the exam started.

As soon as the first subject ended, she buried her head in the desk. It was impressive how Ichinose Yui calmly fed her snacks without being surprised.

It was her first serious attempt at theory.

The time invested and the vulnerable parts being tested seemed to gnaw at her mind.

“Exam over. Put down your pens and place your hands on your head.”

Everyone moves. No cadet begs for more time.

Because such behavior would be mercilessly caught by Juyun.

“Hmm.”

Juyun, who had collected the exam papers, finished checking the count and the names written on them.

She placed the exam papers into a thick envelope.

She smiled faintly at the visibly exhausted Rohan and Noah.

“Everyone worked hard. You can rest comfortably until departure. Just gather in the classroom by the notified time.”

Juyun, with the paper envelope tucked under her arm, left the classroom with a clacking sound.

The cadets, their tension released, let out sighs close to lament.

“Wow, I’m dead.”

“Ugh…”

Rohan and Noah slumped over their desks like slime.

“Noah, you worked hard.”

“Hug me…”

“That’s a tough request. Instead, I’ll treat you to some snacks.”

Ichinose didn’t hold back her praise for Noah, who was tackling studying for the first time.

And then there was another one.

Knowing that Rohan, who always bombarded her with questions via messages, had also put in considerable effort, she glanced at him briefly.

— Rohan. What you’re about to say next is… “Let’s take a quiet break. What else are you trying to do?”

— Let’s take a quiet break. What else are you trying to… Huh?

— Hahahaha!!!

Gilbert let out a joyful shout.

Rohan, having poured everything into the exam, was slumped over, only managing to cover his ears.

‘Impressive.’

Ichinose, with a slight smile, averted her gaze.

She then started tending to Noah, who was sprawled out beside her.

Numerous transport ships were landing and waiting at Orion Academy.

These ships, hailed as the best in flight by both allies and enemies, were models produced by the Sepia Nation. They were shaped like boats but could fly through the sky at high speeds.

“Attention.”

Each class stood in front of their assigned transport ship.

Under the darkening sky, they listened intently to the instructor’s explanation.

“Before departure, I’ll explain the practical exam. Questions will be taken separately, so focus.”

Juyun continued her explanation while glancing at the paper in her hand.

“First, we’ll randomly pair you up in teams of two. Only Orion Academy’s standard-issue weapons are allowed. If you have an unavoidable reason to use your own weapon, inform the instructor.”

In such cases, you’d likely face a hefty point deduction. Even without that, it was clear that permission wouldn’t be easily granted.

No cadet had ever brought their own weapon into Abyss City.

“And the monsters on the uninhabited island are only those we’ve covered in class so far.”

Orion Academy operates on the premise that cadets understand how to handle and the characteristics of these monsters.

That statement alone made the exam feel all too real.

“Food and water are to be self-supplied. Even though I say this, some cadets might try to rely on their magic to endure, given the short duration.”

Juyun flapped the paper in her hand to straighten it.

“But since this exam is based on the anomaly of the Monolith, the instructors will intervene. Fail often and learn a lot from it.”

While the exam has a clear end time, the scenario itself is designed to feel like an unpredictable moment with no end in sight.

Moreover, Rohan knew exactly what “intervene” meant.

“By the way, I’ve hidden small amounts of food and water all over the uninhabited island. There might also be times when supplies are distributed openly for everyone to see. Any problems that arise here will have to be solved by the cadets themselves.”

The purpose is clear.

It was obvious that we were witnessing the moment of conflict and strife.

“Given the nature of the situation, I can understand if there are clashes of opinion and non-lethal physical disputes during this exam. Even that is part of the education in the current circumstances. However…”

A fiery heat flickered at the sharp edges of Juyun’s gaze.

An overwhelming aura flowed out, warning everyone.

“Do not try to kill each other in earnest, fellow cadets.”

A single word etched itself deep into their consciousness.

Rohan could feel Dick, seated in the back row, nervously gulping.

“Instructors and other personnel will always be watching.”

Juyun’s gaze swept over each cadet of Class 1.

Even with instructors present, blind spots exist, and her eyes carried a heavy mix of worry and concern.

“The most important point is this: If you have a physical problem, don’t push yourself and immediately use a signal flare. The instructors hope there will be no casualties in this exam.”

Juyun toned down her intense aura and softened the atmosphere.

She brushed her red bangs aside, lightening the mood.

“Now, I’ll inform you of the evaluation criteria and scoring.”

The exam’s theme was to treat the uninhabited island as a dungeon created by the Monolith and survive well.

The evaluation criteria included cooperation, health condition after the exam, the number of monsters dealt with, and partner evaluations after the practical test, among others.

Juyun folded the paper, tucked it into her pocket, and spoke.

“That’s all. I’ll now take questions.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Ichinose raised her hand.

After receiving permission from Juyun, she asked.

“I’m curious if pairing up in twos will be classified as front and rear positions.”

“That would be good for balancing against monsters. But this exam is, as the name suggests, random. We won’t be doing that.”

“…”

“Until today, the education conducted at Orion Academy had basic conditions and assumptions.”

When going to a location with monsters to exterminate them, full preparation is essential.

Even if you encounter them suddenly on the road, those who make force their profession should at least have some basic preparation.

However, a dungeon as a location shatters those conditions and assumptions.

Helpless civilians may find themselves mixed in, and factors that rapidly deteriorate individual conditions coexist.

Supplies quickly run out, and the ability to fight…

It’s pure luck when the characters gathered don’t overlap in formation.

“The anomalies caused by the Monolith don’t take those things into consideration. If the rear support teams are grouped together, they’ll need to establish their own countermeasures and survival rules, and the same goes for the opposite scenario.”

“Understood.”

“I’ll take the next question.”

The Q&A went back and forth in a serious atmosphere.

Confirming that no more cadets were raising their hands, Juyun led Class 1 onto the transport ship.

“It’ll take quite some time to get there. You can sleep except during roll call.”

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The pairs for surviving together on the deserted island were decided by a lottery inside the transport ship.

The method was to reach into a box and draw a number.

If you drew the same number, you became partners.

“What’s your number?”

“Number 12!”

If the total number of people in a class was odd, one team of three would be formed, but Class 1 had an even number.

“Next.”

It was Rohan’s turn. He stepped forward and reached into the box.

He closed his eyes tightly as he felt the pieces of paper.

‘Please.’

He hoped to draw a friend who could communicate properly.

──Thud.

He grabbed one piece of paper and pulled his hand out. Gilbert, who was watching, stared intensely.

“What number is it?”

At Juyun’s voice, he unfolded the paper.

“It’s number 3.”

Gilbert clicked his tongue in disappointment.

Rohan let out a sigh of relief.

“Number 3 has already been drawn.”

“I want to know who it is.”

“Look to your right.”

At Juyun’s words, he turned his head.

A girl with her eyes closed showed her number.

The number 3 written on the paper.

Rohan’s partner for the deserted island survival was decided to be Ichinose Yui.

“Please take care of me.”

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