Chapter 815
“Will be expelled.”
Neftis said that, then smiled.
Did she really know the weight of that word? For a fleeting moment Simon thought so, because her expression was so calm.
The entire hall sank into a silence of shock, a deathly stillness falling. Soon whispers began to rise among the students, louder and louder, until cries and uproar burst forth.
“Th-that’s a lie, right?”
“Is it really expulsion?”
Life in Keyzen as a second-year had been peaceful. Back in the first year, when one expulsion a day was the norm, such a rule might have been accepted, but now this sudden declaration of “failure = expulsion” was shocking enough to shake everyone.
“......Are they really going to expel us?”
“Don’t you know? In Keyzen, whether you’re top of the class or a special case, you get expelled without mercy. And if it’s Lady Neftis saying it, then of course that’s how it’ll be.”
While all the students muttered in confusion,
“......”
“......”
Aseraz and Meridiana exchanged meaningful smiles.
‘Well, this just made things much easier.’
Meridiana’s lips curled upward.
Then, Neftis, who had plunged the students into panic, turned her head.
“Get ready, Jane!”
“Yes.”
Jane left her seat, and Neftis addressed the students.
“Of course, failing the test doesn’t mean it’s the end! Survival, or victory, you haven’t forgotten, right? If you capture the Lord of the Volcano Castle, then regardless of the time remaining, this test ends as a ‘student victory’.”
The students’ victory.
Without further explanation, Neftis simply said that, then spun her body lightly.
“Then let’s begin!”
Snap!
Neftis snapped her fingers. At once, magic circles spread beneath the students’ chairs, lifting them gently into the air.
“W-we’re starting just like this?!”
“Wait, hold on!”
Neftis waved her small arms playfully at the students floating upward.
“Good luck!”
And their bodies vanished in the blinding light of the magic circles.
* * *
“......”
The blurred sense of time slowly returned.
His scattered thoughts came back, the bitter scent of grass reached him, and from some distance, the sound of waves crashing. Simon finally raised his upper body.
“This is......”
It was the Lehlon Archipelago he had only seen earlier on the screen.
Before he knew it, he had been dropped right onto the stage itself. One of the five designated starting points.
Looking around, the terrain was strewn with rocks. Not far away the sea was visible, and in the far distance the massive central island volcano stood.
Rumble—
Rrrrrrr—
It let out a threatening sound, as though it might erupt at any moment. Lava rose and fell within the crater, and even from this distance, the heat seemed to reach him.
Tilting his head fully upward, he saw the sky choked with volcanic debris. Flying high in such a place would surely be dangerous.
‘The smell of the volcano.’
Rubbing his throbbing forehead, Simon tried to rise, when his foot struck something. He picked it up and brought it before his eyes.
“This is......”
It was the equipment Jane had explained at the beginning.
[The test will begin in 5 minutes.]
[For safety, please remain in place for the next 5 minutes.]
The announcement voice came from the device. Simon strapped it securely onto his left wrist so it would not slip off.
“But what’s this book?”
Flutter.
A test guidebook lay beside the device.
The author’s name was written as “Endolas Vaudeville”. It was only a few pages long, but contained all the explanations and detailed rules that hadn’t been heard earlier. Simon let out a wry laugh.
“......They don’t even let us study the details, just throw us straight into the field.”
Keyzen’s exams always had simple “core rules” related to victory or defeat. But there were also numerous detailed rules, and understanding and using them cleverly often became important.
It seemed the examiners’ intention was to prevent students from gathering together to discuss those details.
The atmosphere was one of thorough every-man-for-himself. Since there was still some time before the test began, Simon quickly skimmed through the guidebook.
“A point system, like in the Island Survival test.”
That much was familiar.
Points were gained by defeating monsters, or reaching specific regions, where glowing red light clusters would fall.
Bringing them near the device, or pressing the “collect” button, absorbed them automatically and converted them to points.
But unlike the first-year Island Survival test, “points” this time did not affect grades.
“They’re used for... purchases?”
Simon activated the device. A mana screen unfolded, with a long list of small writing. It turned out to be a catalog of items that could be bought with points.
Chocolate bar, 500P
Small tent, 3,600P
Boat, 8,000P
From simple food and water, to tents, shelters, even boats could be purchased.
“That’s... pretty generous.”
Almost too generous, he thought.
He recalled the first-year Island Survival test, which had been true “survival” in every sense. They had to find drinking water, build their own shelters, hunt monsters and eat their meat.
But this second-year survival test seemed easier in those aspects. Students wouldn’t need to worry too much, as long as they gathered enough points.
“And it doesn’t look that hard to get points, either.”
Monster hunting.
Exploring areas.
Discovering new places.
Achieving milestones.
It didn’t seem like you had to kill fifty monsters just to earn a single chocolate bar.
At that moment, the device’s voice rang out.
[All 370 students have been summoned. The test will now begin.]
Finally.
In the center of the device, a timer appeared.
[Remaining time – 47:59:59]
Simon brushed the dirt from his pants, then stood firmly to his feet.
‘First thing’s first, let’s move.’
If the difficulty has been lowered in the basics of food, clothing, and shelter, then surely it will be higher in other aspects.
And above all, failing this exam means expulsion. No matter how easy it looks, the risk is irreversible.
‘Everyone had better come out safe.’
Walking forward, Simon kept scanning through the guidebook. Worried about his friends, he checked the section about student-versus-student combat.
<Player Kill: 1,000P>
There was little to gain from defeating another Keyzen student.
In plain terms, only enough for about two chocolate bars.
In the last Island Survival test, defeating a student meant stealing all of their points, so clashes were frequent, but this time was different.
It didn’t seem worth it to expel someone, earning their lifelong grudge, for so little.
‘Seriously, what’s going on here.’
What was the examiner’s true intention?
And what exactly was Neftis aiming for?
Still, he could not tell.
“Ah.”
As Simon walked quietly, he spotted another student for the first time.
That student also noticed Simon, turned silently, and disappeared. Simon felt no need to pursue.
‘Hmm, feels awkward.’
Since there was no real competition over massive points, Keyzen students had no reason to fight each other.
Simon stopped walking, noticing a dense forest where trees grew thick.
Just looking at it, it seemed likely to swarm with monsters.
‘First, I’ll just earn enough points to buy some food.’
* * *
“Now then! It is a great honor to greet you all again like this!”
On “Camp Island”, where the students had first arrived.
After they were gone, countless cameras with memorial crystal orbs had been installed. In front of them stood a commentator’s table and chairs, and a middle-aged man sat there.
“Following yesterday’s first-year exam, I, Conrad, will be your broadcaster for this second-year group exam! I know many wanted to watch live, but for safety reasons, this second-year group exam will be shown through recorded footage. We ask for your understanding.”
He bowed toward the cameras, smiling brightly.
“Today, we are joined by two professors as commentators! First, Keyzen’s vice-chancellor and second-year professor of Darkness Dynamics, Professor Jane Olivia! Welcome!”
Jane inclined her head slightly in greeting.
“Ahaha! Meeting again, Professor! I’ve asked you to commentate once before, haven’t I? Truly an honor!”
“Yes.”
“Ha, hahaha! S-still the same as ever! And on my left, a new professor has joined us!”
He turned his head.
“Second-year professor of Summonology, Professor Aron Deia!”
Bow.
Aron also inclined his head in greeting.
“......”
“......”
Caught between the two taciturn professors, the commentator was already sweating bullets.
“T-then, let’s talk a bit about this group exam.”
He glanced at the script in his hand, then sighed deeply and tossed it into the trash bin behind him.
“With Lady Neftis’ shocking declaration, much has changed! What do you think?”
“First.”
Jane spoke.
“I believe all students will be crushed under the weight of ‘failure equals expulsion’, and will move as cautiously and conservatively as possible.”
Hearing this, the commentator turned with a smile to Aron, who smacked his lips before replying.
“I think the same. For a while, students will wander around, looking for places to hide as they adapt, but the ones who finish adapting and move boldly will gain the advantage.”
“I see! And, just as we say this! We have students on the move!”
The eyes of Aron and Jane lit up as they looked at the mana screen.
None other than the overall number one, Simon, appeared on the screen.
* * *
[Remaining Time – 46:48:03]
The exam had started peacefully enough, but once he entered the forest, the atmosphere changed. From the very entrance, hostile monsters swarmed at him.
‘Lizardmen!’
And since this area was full of puddles and swamps, most of the monsters were lizardmen.
They stood on two legs, knew how to handle tools, and were armed with spears and bows. Around a dozen of them were chasing Simon.
‘Perfect timing to test the new weapon.’
Trusting in his preparations, Simon grinned, driving his left foot hard into the ground.
‘Open Gate.’
Woooong—!
A transparent magic circle flared to life beneath his feet. Originally, Overlord could only be used while stationary, but now it had been improved, changing its usage completely.
Simon laid the formation onto the ground, then backed away. The lizardmen, unaware, kept charging after him recklessly.
‘Now!’
Slashhh!
The moment Simon raised his arm, more than a dozen lizardmen were sliced in half, as a pure-white blade burst skyward between them.
The long blade, gushing blood, swung as it rose, catching the sunlight in dazzling reflection.
‘Nice!’
Simon’s Overlord.
Originally six blades, but he had reduced them to two, fusing them to extend their length more than threefold.
It would take longer to perform body-covering movements than before, but in every other respect the specs had increased.
When Simon swung his arm once more in midair, the soaring Overlord slashed fiercely, cutting down the last two lizardmen.
At the same time, two red glimmers rose from the corpses of the monsters.
‘So these are the points.’
Simon pointed his device toward them and pressed the “collect” button. The glimmers were sucked in, and Simon’s points rose.
[Simon Follentia – 8,600P]
In just 30 minutes, already 8,600 points.
Simon was dumbfounded.
‘To think I can already buy a house, or a boat, or food, isn’t this way too easy?’
Far too easy.
There was no way a Keyzen exam could be like this. The easier it seemed, the more a chill crawled down his spine.
‘Just what in the world is about to happen here?’
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