Chapter 40
The next day.
At last, the morning of the practical evaluation had arrived. The students of Class A were riding a carriage en route to the underground dungeon.
"Isn't it fascinating?"
From inside the carriage, Kamibarez said as she gazed out the window.
"I can’t believe there are so many dungeons and ruins gathered in such a small place like Roke Mountain..."
Dick shrugged his shoulders.
"From what I’ve heard, Lady Neftis is a bit of a collector. Whenever she finds an ancient ruin, she supposedly moves the entire thing here to Roke Mountain."
"Wow! The whole ruin?"
Dick and Kamibarez chattered away, trying to ease the tense atmosphere, but Simon and Maelyn didn’t say a word all the way to the dungeon.
"Alright, we’ve arrived! Everyone, step out!"
Finally, the carriages came to a stop and the students disembarked.
As the students were noisily chatting in anticipation of the real battle, their attention turned to Maelyn, who stepped down from the carriage using crutches.
"...They're screwed."
"I heard their main combatant got injured?"
Whispers spread among the students.
"If their main fighter’s in that state, there’s no hope. Everything’s messed up from the start."
"Well, it’s a win for us."
"Shhh! Hey, keep your voice down!"
Ignoring the murmurs, Maelyn walked forward with determination. Her teammates from Group 7 followed behind.
Keyzen's underground dungeon was a sort of massive prison that held monsters captured from across the continent. Not only monsters, but it was said that the deepest level of the dungeon contained some of the most horrific criminals of the continent.
Walking behind the instructor, the students glanced around nervously. From various directions, terrifying screams and monstrous howls echoed.
"It's an unconfirmed rumor, but they say there’s actually an angel chained up and sealed in the very bottom floor of this dungeon."
At Dick’s words, Kamibarez shuddered.
"D-Don’t scare me! Angels? Seriously?"
"Hehehe. If there are demonkin, don’t you think angels would exist too?"
Fortunately, they didn’t go that deep into the dungeon.
Their destination was a space surrounded seamlessly by brick walls carved from solid rock. Just like the training room, a mana projector was mounted on the ceiling.
"This way, please."
Upon entering, they saw Jane and the instructors waiting. It was the first lesson under Jane since the student protection period ended, so everyone stood stiffly at attention.
She opened her mouth to speak.
"Attention."
"Attention!"
"In the morning, Groups 1 through 8 will proceed with their evaluations. Once inside the dungeon, you’ll be facing a live Cyclops."
The instructors walked around handing each student a clipboard and pen.
It was the life waiver mentioned in the first class, agreeing not to hold Keyzen responsible no matter what happened inside the dungeon.
"Of course, if your life is more important than this test, you’re free to put down the form and leave."
Everyone had already steeled themselves when they entered Keyzen. All students signed the waiver, and the instructors distributed their combat uniforms.
"Once again, the evaluation will be halted under three conditions. One, if the combatant is rendered unable to fight. Two, if any member raises their hand and declares surrender. And three, if a professor or safety officer determines the battle can no longer continue. The safety officer will be Agent Andrew, dispatched from Keyzen Headquarters."
A man standing next to Jane, heavily armed with various equipment, bowed his head. He had an extremely stoic presence.
"Then we will now begin with Group 1’s evaluation."
Group 1 remained in place, while the other groups were guided to an upper floor room. It was a waiting area for resting, and one wall was made of transparent material like glass, allowing a clear view of the other group’s battle below.
"It, it really is a Cyclops!"
"That scale is insane."
"I didn’t believe it was an actual live battle until now."
"What do we do…"
The waiting room buzzed with students watching the Cyclops, but Simon’s group didn’t have time to gawk.
The four of them settled in a quiet corner on the opposite side and began discussing their plan.
"Alright, alright. Let’s loosen up a little! We still have a chance!"
Dick clapped his hands to break the tension and get the meeting started.
Everyone exchanged ideas in a serious atmosphere. From time to time, cheers and screams from other groups echoed in the background.
They could tell which groups succeeded and which ones failed. Unsurprisingly, Hector of Group 3 succeeded in the hunt.
Time passed faster than light, and finally—
"Group 7, step forward."
It was impossible to say how quickly the hours had passed, but it was already Group 7’s turn.
The members of Group 7 followed the instructor downstairs. As Maelyn made her way down, the once-quiet students suddenly rushed toward the transparent wall.
"She’s still going ahead with it despite her leg injury?"
"Is that allowed? I thought the doctor put restrictions on her."
"Wait... hold on a second!"
Someone pointed toward a section of the wall. Simon was wearing the protective vest meant for the main combatant.
"It’s Simon! They changed the combatant to Simon Follentia!"
"Is he going to be okay?"
"Of course not! They’ve been relying on Maelyn’s Dark Flare all this time. Their entire plan just got thrown out the window."
"But how is a Summonology student supposed to take down a Cyclops?"
"He probably just wants to show he did his best to the end or something."
Just then, Hector, who was occupying two seats, narrowed his eyes sharply.
"Simon Follentia is the combatant?"
"S-So they say?"
One of Hector’s faction boys laughed awkwardly.
"Didn’t you always keep an eye on him? You’re not going to watch?"
"..."
Hector closed his eyes without replying.
* * *
"Huuuu..."
Simon took a deep breath, calming his trembling heart. As he put on the vest, a barrier gauge appeared from the mana projector on the ceiling.
If that gauge hit 0%, the combatant would be declared "unable to continue", and the test would end immediately.
Behind Simon, Dick, Maelyn, and Kamibarez stood in their designated positions. Fortunately, Maelyn had convinced the doctor to let her act as a stationary support.
"Nothing’s really changed."
Simon turned to his teammates and said,
"Even if the situation is different, everything we worked for hasn’t gone to waste. Let’s do our best to the very end."
The three nodded.
Maelyn, who had been dazed for a while, also seemed to regain her focus as the evaluation began, her expression now frighteningly serious.
Andrew, the safety officer, glanced at his wristwatch and spoke.
"Next Cyclops. Bring it in."
Rumble!
The dungeon’s iron gate lifted. From the darkness, where nothing could be seen, a real Cyclops chained in restraints emerged. Four wardens groaned as they tugged the chains to guide the Cyclops’ movements.
Gulp.
As the monster came into view, Simon swallowed dryly.
The appearance was exactly like the simulations, but something about the real thing was unmistakably different. A foul stench pierced his nose, and the unpleasant sound of erratic breathing echoed in his ears.
His heart pounded like mad from the tension. Just imagining encountering something like that out in the wild… was terrifying.
And above the Cyclops’s head, a floating Darkness-magic circle shimmered ominously.
The creature’s pupils were blank because of that very curse inscribed in the circle above. But the moment the curse was lifted, it would regain its mind and attack the enemy in front of it.
Clack! Clack!
The wardens unshackled the chains and hastily fled from the dungeon.
—Then, we will now begin Group 7’s practical evaluation.
Jane’s voice echoed from the ceiling.
—There’s no need to push yourselves. If at any point it feels impossible, anyone may raise their hand to request the test be stopped.
"Yes, Professor!"
At some point, even the safety officer Andrew had become transparent, vanishing from sight.
Now, only the four members of Group 7 and the Cyclops remained in that space.
—Curse lifted. Commencing test.
The magic circle floating above the Cyclops’s head shattered with a sharp clang! At the same time, the once-vacant gaze in the monster’s eyes gleamed with restored focus.
—GRUUUUUUAAAAAAAGH!
The beast let out a massive roar. The force of the wind pressure alone felt like it might lift a person off their feet.
"Simon! Focus!"
The battle began immediately. Simon grabbed an imaginary lever and summoned skeletons.
Three skeletons, each wielding a weapon, charged in from different directions.
‘Just like we practiced. Just follow the plan!’
Even though the combatant had changed, the strategy hadn’t.
While Simon held off the Cyclops with skeletons, Dick, Kamibarez, and Maelyn would apply curses. They’d build up Exhaust to its limit to disable the Cyclops, and Simon would pierce its solar plexus for the takedown.
But—
Crash!
The Cyclops didn’t even bother with the skeletons. Like a tank, it bulldozed through them and charged straight toward Simon.
"...Huh?"
"W-What the...?"
The plan went off the rails right from the start.
With bloodshot, burst vessels in its eyes, the Cyclops swung its club violently.
BOOOOOM!
Simon hurled himself out of the way. The club slammed down where he had just stood, shaking the entire dungeon with the impact.
"Dick! What’s going on?!"
Kamibarez, who had been preparing the curse, asked in panic.
"This isn’t like the simulation at all!"
"Is this their way of teaching us that simulations and reality are different? No—but this is..."
Dick bit his lip slightly.
‘It’s like it’s targeting Simon specifically from the start!’
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Drooling from its mouth, the Cyclops flailed its club wildly.
The savage onslaught forced Simon to roll across the floor like a ball just to avoid being crushed.
"Ugh!"
The rough stone floor made his back ache. After narrowly evading the attacks, Simon sprang to his feet and thrust his right arm forward.
Clatter-clatter!
A skeleton flanked the Cyclops and slashed its back with a sword.
‘Tch! It’s way tougher than in the simulation!’
There wasn’t even a scratch on the creature’s skin.
Perhaps because it hadn’t sustained any real damage, the Cyclops ignored the skeleton again and continued targeting only Simon.
‘Stay calm.’
Simon’s eyes lit up with resolve.
‘Diagonal downward strike.’
Bending both knees, Simon instantly tilted his body to the side. The club swept through the air just above where he had tilted.
‘Horizontal sweep with long breath!’
With short footwork, Simon retreated backward, and the Cyclops’s next attack missed again. The students watching from above gasped in awe at Simon’s nimble movements.
Of course, Simon himself was in pure agony.
‘Who would’ve thought that all that analysis I did on the Cyclops to help Maelyn would end up saving me!’
—RAAAARGHHH!
Just as the enraged Cyclops turned and began another charge.
"Exhaust!"
All three teammates in their designated positions finally activated Exhaust. The Cyclops’s movement slowed for a brief moment, and Simon seized that instant.
Leaping off the Darkness, Simon stretched his arm behind him. A skeleton hurled a spear, which landed cleanly in Simon’s hand.
‘Now’s my chance!’
Whoosh!
Simon’s spear shot like lightning, surging toward the Cyclops’s eye.
Superb.