Chapter 531
Thwack!
Whack!
The short boy was getting beaten under the blazing sun and thought to himself:
‘How did it come to this?’
Toto, who had been struggling to find the breathing holes of the Ratchets, luckily stumbled upon one that had been struck down by an arrow nearby.
‘Someone must’ve abandoned it!’
Upon closer inspection, he saw that the arrow was lodged deep in its muscles. It must have failed to meet Professor Grerion of Summon Materials Science’s standards, so it was discarded.
At that moment, a sudden idea struck Toto.
Of course, he couldn’t use it for evaluation, but—what if he turned this thing into a Ghoul and used it to track down other Ratchets?
Toto immediately executed his plan and succeeded in making the Ratchet into a Ghoul.
But then—
Thwack! Whack!
The Ghoul, as soon as it was completed, slammed him down and beat him like crazy.
“I forgot about post-mortem instinct! Ack!”
He desperately covered his head with his Keyzen uniform, but it still hurt like hell. His head snapped left and right, blood spurted from his nose, and a nosebleed flowed freely.
“Ah.”
Beaten by the very summoned creature he had made, Toto’s gaze wandered past the Ghoul to the shimmering sunlight above.
Me.
Am I… going to die like this?
If he really died like this, the headline would plaster across the continent’s newspapers.
<Keyzen 2nd-year Summonology student, beaten to death by his own Ghoul.>
“Noooo! I’d rather die than let that happen!”
Screaming, Toto gathered Darkness into both feet and kicked the Ghoul away. The Ghoul toppled backward, and Toto crawled on the ground, panting hard.
—Keeeeee!
The Ghoul lunged again, leaping onto Toto’s back as if refusing to let him escape.
Seeing the sharp claws flashing toward him, Toto screamed:
“Sp-spare me…!”
Thwack!
The Ghoul was struck by something and tumbled to the ground.
—Keee!
“?”
Toto jerked his head up. Strange doll-like things were pinning down the Ghoul’s limbs.
And beyond them—
“……”
A female student stood there with an expression as if she’d just witnessed something unbearable. Toto flushed bright red, all the way to his ears.
‘O-of all times, in front of a girl!’
She gave a quiet cough.
“I’ll keep it a secret.”
She muttered in a reluctant tone and then vanished. As she withdrew, the dolls restraining the Ghoul also began to disappear.
The restraints were breaking.
“Urgh!”
Tears of humiliation streaming down his face, Toto pulled a skeleton bone out of his subspace and gripped it like a club.
“Aaaaaaaahhhh!”
He screamed loudly and bashed the Ghoul’s head over and over before it could escape.
And that day—
Toto opened his eyes to Magical Combat.
* * *
Professor Grerion’s two-hour mark was drawing near.
Students were arriving at the starting point one after another.
“Assistants. Begin the evaluations.”
“Yes, sir!”
The students lined up and laid Ratchet corpses on mats. The standard: at least 9 mid-grade Ratchets.
The assistants carefully examined the Ratchets and reported:
“Student Pierre Buckley, 9 Ratchets confirmed. Pass.”
“Yes!”
The male student cheered, and the assistant wrote his name on the list before moving to the number column.
“Are there any more Ratchets in your subspace? All must be presented.”
“Oh, isn’t 9 enough? The others aren’t in good condition…”
“All Ratchets must be presented.”
The assistant repeated mechanically. The student reluctantly pulled out three more Ratchets.
“Two are substandard. Adding one more, a total of 10 confirmed.”
Then the assistant quickly stamped the Ratchets’ bodies with a mana-seal.
‘A stamp? Really?’
“Good work. Next.”
The students who finished the inspection returned to rest.
Not far away, Professor Grerion watched, while a middle-aged man flattered him, rubbing his palms together.
“Ah, Professor! Thank you so much for bringing the students here at such a difficult time! If only you had given us notice in advance!”
He was none other than the lord who ruled this region. Grerion adjusted his sunglasses and replied:
“It’s just a class, no need for thanks.”
This area had been plagued with an explosion of Ratchet numbers.
Occasionally, wandering necromancers or workers from undead factories would come claiming to make ghouls, but it was never enough.
Because ghouls lost value over time, they weren’t exactly a popular product in the undead factories either, making large-scale exterminations unlikely.
At least with students like this coming, the burden was lightened. The fiefdom could even use this as a way to appeal to merchant groups passing through.
“It’s nothing much, but we prepared a little snack!”
The lord gestured at a wagon. Inside were cool water, bread, and fruit, making the resting students’ eyes sparkle.
Grerion looked indifferent at first, but seeing the students’ reactions, he nodded.
“We’ll accept it as sponsorship. Assistants, distribute it to the passing students.”
“Yes, Professor!”
And just then, Simon also arrived.
There were about ten minutes left. He laid out his Ratchets, and the assistants wrote down his name.
“Student Simon Follentia, total 12 Ratchets. Pass.”
Finally, Simon smiled and sighed with relief. He received the mana-seal on all twelve Ratchets, along with water and snacks.
Right behind him, Loraine placed down a huge Ratchet. Students murmured at its size.
“Student Loraine Arkbold, total 10 Ratchets. Pass.”
With a Ghoul that large, she would surely have an advantage in tomorrow’s practical evaluation.
Simon glanced around lightly.
Third-rank Hector and fifth-rank Aseraz were already present. His clubmate Fitzgerald had just arrived too, pulling out 9 Ratchets.
‘What about White?’
The troublesome transfer student White hadn’t arrived yet.
Neither had Toto.
Grerion checked his wristwatch.
“Three minutes left. Only students who reach camp on time will be evaluated.”
Students munching bread perked up at those words, then began yelling at the distant figures running toward them.
“Hey! What are you doing? Hurry up!”
“Three minutes left!”
The students sprinting toward the starting point panicked and pushed themselves faster. Some even activated Internal Darkness Divergence as they dashed madly forward.
Grerion glanced at his watch.
“Two minutes.”
While the first arrivals were shouting at the others to hurry, a male student let out a weary sigh and got up.
“Tsk, everyone’s gotten soft now that we’re in second year.”
He was the only Summonology student who had secured 20 Ratchets within the first 30 minutes of the test, chewing gum lazily as he spoke.
“Why are you cheering them on to get here faster? The more who fail, the fewer competitors. We should act like true Keyzen students.”
“What are you plotting now?”
His friend asked nervously.
“Obviously, I’m going to get in their way.”
“Are you insane? The professor and assistants are watching with their eyes wide open. How could you?”
“Of course I won’t interfere directly. Just watch.”
He drew a magic circle and activated something.
Rumble—
The ground trembled, and Ratchets began crawling out of the earth. Even from the cliffs, Ratchets scrambled down.
“Wha—!”
The students who had already gathered their Ratchets and were running toward the start line wore stricken expressions. The sudden swarm of Ratchets blocked their way.
“What the hell is this!”
“Just run!”
The students blasted the Ratchets with black magic while continuing to sprint.
Grerion didn’t intervene. He stood firmly in place, watching his watch.
“One minute.”
Simon stepped forward, tension in his face. At that moment, a hand clamped on his shoulder.
“Have you seen Toto?”
It was Fitzgerald. Simon shook his head grimly.
“N-no. You?”
“Same.”
“Uwaaaaah!”
The last runners stumbled in, Ratchets clinging to their limbs.
“Damn it! Who’s the bastard that summoned Ratchets at the last second?!”
One gasping student glared furiously around. The culprit whistled innocently.
“Thirty seconds.”
Grerion announced.
“Ugh!”
From Aland, the transfer student Benz rode in atop a Ratchet he had tamed like a horse.
“How many left now?”
“We’ve got fifty here!”
And just then—
Thoom!
A giant white sphere rose into the sky. It scraped along the ground as it streaked forward—shooo!—and in an instant, it pierced the start line.
“Kyaaah!”
The enormous shockwave forced students to huddle down. The blinding orb fizzled out like a bulb, and from inside, the transfer student White landed with a dull thud.
Then, with a calm, detached expression, he glanced around at the students.
“Ten seconds.”
Now there were fifty-one.
The Summonology students began counting down for the final one.
“Five seconds!”
“Four!”
“Three!”
“Two!”
“One!”
Fwoooosh!
Suddenly, the ground split open and a massive wormlike creature burst out.
“A D-Death Worm?”
It was a rare undead summon notorious for being incredibly difficult to handle—Death Worm.
It gagged and opened its maw, spitting something out with a wet splat. A foul-smelling green slime covered a black shape.
It was a person.
“Time’s up.”
Grerion declared, and the head assistant stopped the timer.
The students erupted into cheers. All fifty-two had made it back on time.
Simon and Fitzgerald rushed forward and pulled Toto out of the green slime.
“Haha! You scared us, Toto.”
Simon said with a beaming smile.
“No way a Mutant member would fail something like this.”
Fitzgerald added, adjusting his glasses.
Toto’s eyes spun dizzily, his face twisted like he couldn’t even speak.
Grerion extended a hand.
“The last arrivals, present your results.”
White had gathered an impressive 20 Ratchets.
Toto, narrowly, had managed to bring in 9.
The ninth Ratchet, with an arrow stuck in its thigh, was questionable. Grerion walked over personally to assess it.
“Struck by an arrow, its speed will suffer, but the upper body structure is well-developed enough for strength. Borderline, but… pass.”
“Yesss!”
Toto threw both arms up, while Simon doubled over laughing. How could things turn out like this?
“That one with the arrow? I caught it but tossed it aside, thinking it wouldn’t pass.”
“Really? Thanks, Simon! You saved me!”
Thump!
Grerion stomped the ground, spreading his legs and crossing his arms in his signature stance.
“Attention, all!”
Every eye turned to him.
“As Keyzen students, this result is only natural—so don’t celebrate too much! Still, I’ll give you credit. This time, Summonology Class—52 of you—all pass. Congratulations.”
The students cheered, slapping hands with their peers.
“And furthermore—”
Grerion removed his sunglasses.
“In a Pass-or-Fail test like this, there was one who still tried to sabotage their peers.”
His falconlike eyes gleamed as he fixed them on one male student. The guilty party flinched.
“That kind of cowardly trick is not competition, it’s the work of those too afraid of fair competition! I have no patience for that. If you’re Keyzen, then act like Keyzen—compete tomorrow with skill in the practical evaluation!”
Click.
He slid his sunglasses back on and said no more.
“Thirty-minute break. Afterward, we return to Keyzen for the next class! During the rest time, use your collected materials to prepare your Ghouls in advance.”
“Yes, Professor!”
A grin tugged at Grerion’s lips.
“Prepare thoroughly. The next assignment will be far harsher for you kids.”
Simon quietly nodded. Then Benz from Aland sidled up.
“...Hey, Simon. Who exactly are these ‘kids’ he’s talking about?”
Simon grinned slyly.
“You’ll be shocked when you see them.”
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters