Benjamin closely examined the faces of the students.
Most of them had shining eyes while others wore expressions devoid of any particular emotion just like Shane.
“Only the most exceptional students can enter the Command department at the academy. Therefore, the criteria for the exam will be very strict.”
Benjamin continued his explanation.
From now on, the students would choose combat golems created by golem-crafters and enter artificially constructed dungeons made of illusion magic.
Their task would be to clear these artificial dungeons in the most ideal manner possible, and Benjamin reminded them that their performance would be scored and made public to all students.
“I knew it, but…”
“It’s a bit awkward that all the scores are revealed.”
Most of the students applying to the Command department were from noble backgrounds.
As a result, they tended to have strong pride.
However, this was a necessary procedure.
And it wasn’t just for this exam.
Going forward, all scores in the Command department would be disclosed to students from other departments.
The reason was closely related to the very purpose of the academy itself, which unlike typical academies, was more similar to a military school within the coalition.
The main enemies for the students were none other than the monsters of the dungeons.
This world was still largely unexplored.
The areas occupied by humans were limited while the rest were sealed off by a collection of dungeons known as the “Cradle”.
As the human population continued to grow, so did the demand for land.
This had led to prolonged periods when the continent was engulfed in the flames of war.
During such hard-won times of peace, humans decided it was better to extend their territories by conquering the “Cradle” rather than shedding blood pointlessly, and thus, a peace treaty was formed.
This led to the creation of the coalition, and naturally, the academy within this coalition focused mainly on clearing dungeons.
As such, a commander had comprehensive control over all military efforts and only those with proven abilities were granted the authority to recruit students and form their own teams.
Therefore, students in the Command department had to showcase their skills to others and prove their worth to attract exceptional team members.
It was a strictly meritocratic department.
That was precisely what the Command department was.
Shane had come here precisely because he wanted to take advantage of the power of this meritocracy.
He felt that the system of the Command department was perfectly suited to transform his image, which until now had been seen as inferior to others.
“There is only one type of dungeon. Here is the manual for the dungeon; take one as you leave.”
Following Benjamin’s words, the fifth-year students rose one by one and took a manual from the stack in front of him.
“I’ll bring yours too, big brother.”
“Go ahead.”
Seeing no reason to refuse, Shane remained seated and later read the manual Klein had brought him.
In his previous life, Shane had neither applied to the Command department nor had he shown enough interest to learn about the exam so he had no specific memories of it.
“Hmm.”
“The instructions are quite detailed, aren’t they?”
“That’s right.”
The content of the manual was simple.
Each student was allotted up to 1000 points which could be used to acquire various types of golems.
The type of dungeon specified was a Cursed Goblin dungeon. And these creatures lived in tunnels under the ground.
While it might be easy to think that these were just goblins, this dungeon differed significantly from the more ordinary ones.
“Rent golems with points and fight.”
“It seems we are only allowed to use golems that you command in combat. If you overpower a monster with your own strength, you’re disqualified.”
“Is that so? What kind of golem are you planning to bring?”
“Since the goblins travel through tunnels, I’m thinking of choosing the agile type.”
It was a good choice.
Given that the terrain where goblins live usually features low ceilings and narrow passages, it made sense.
“What type are you thinking of choosing, big brother?”
“Hmm.”
There was an idea that came to mind while he was reading the manual.
Just as he was about to speak absentmindedly,
Suddenly, he remembered Klein’s demeanor from earlier today.
The way Klein first worried about the students’ gazes.
Perhaps Klein was concerned that Shane’s stern image might not break even for Klein.
Maybe it’s time to show a softer side at times like these.
Shane then grew curious.
What kind of expression would he make if I said this?
“It’s a secret.”
“What?”
“A secret.”
With that, Shane chuckled.
Klein was so startled by his brother’s playful demeanor that he found himself speechless.
Wa-Was that just now… a joke?
How should I take this?
Having never been the recipient of such a joke from Shane before, Klein stiffened up like a stone.
Shane found his reaction amusing and smiled even more broadly.
***
Since they couldn’t use their own strength in the artificial dungeon, the students chose their golems with great care.
Benjamin who was watching them examined the faces of the students whose personal details had been checked by the other professors earlier.
The first to catch his eye was Clayton R. Klein, a prodigy known to be one of the most talented ever born.
There were other notable students as well.
Lindberg J. Anais. The daughter of the person the headmaster mentioned?
Since he was from the same imperial knights as the Lindbergs, it was a name Benjamin couldn’t possibly not know.
In fact, the Lindberg name was so well known within the empire that there was almost no one who did not know it.
Naturally, the mention of such a person’s daughter caught his attention.
Other students previously mentioned by the professors also caught his eye.
With dark circles down to his cheeks and a gloomy face, the younger son of the Bernshtein family, Bernshtein Osten.
His physical and magical abilities might have been considered hopeless, but his mind was sharp.
Weren’t the professors amazed by a thesis he had produced?
The eldest son of the Baldwin family that was guarding the southwestern part of the empire, and the granddaughter of the current magic tower master also came into his view.
However, among all these shining stars there was someone that Benjamin could definitely say was the most memorable.
“What… on earth is he doing?”
A boy with roseberry-colored eyes and black hair tied back.
Clayton R. Shane.
By the time the students had each chosen their golems and returned to their places,
Shane who had picked his golem last was not only garnering the attention of Benjamin but also that of other students.
***
Bernshtein Osten was lost in his thoughts when the noisy chatter around him snapped him back to reality.
He often wore a vacant expression due to his deep thoughts.
“Haha, is that for real?”
“He’s totally crazy.”
“Just look at him trying to draw more attention than his brother.”
“No wonder he gets called an idiot.”
The students who had already finished selecting their golems were watching someone up ahead and laughing.
Osten, with dark circles under his eyes, turned his gaze to where everyone else was looking: there was Clayton R. Shane.
He was the famous brother of Klein.
“That’s a bit… unusual.”
On average, the students chose between 10 and 20 golems each.
Up until now, the person who owned the fewest number of golems was none other than Osten himself.
He had selected a total of 11 golems.
However, Shane had chosen only 3 golems.
Naturally, this made him the target of ridicule from the other students.
“Is he trying to minimize the number for the tunnel by choosing only three?”
“And why pick a large elite greatsword warrior then?”
“He’s really an idiot.”
Osten’s gaze momentarily drifted towards the source of these comments.
The name was…
“Pollon, was it?”
He was the son of a baron from the empire.
The reason Osten’s gaze was drawn to Pollon was simple.
Osten had also chosen an elite greatsword warrior which naturally pulled his attention momentarily.
Pollon seemed displeased by Osten’s gaze and scowled.
“What are you looking at?”
“N-Nothing.”
“Tch.”
With a click of his tongue, Pollon then resumed his conversation with his peers.
Once again, Osten turned his attention to Shane and ran a simulation in his mind.
Although Osten was a magical misfit who couldn’t use magical power, he was confident in his intellectual abilities and more so than anyone else.
At that moment, his mind was filled with thousands of dungeons along with strategies for clearing them and tactics he had devised himself.
But could he himself clear a dungeon with just that amount of golems?
While clearing it was possible, doing so within the time limit was not.
However, this was all considering his condition of being unable to use magic.
What if he could use magic?
Osten’s mind raced.
He structured his original plan, adding assumptions on top of it. And the final answer that followed?
… Actually, who would turn out to be the idiot here?
In his mind, Osten added the name “Shane” to his list of those to be wary of.
The risk level was marked at the top.
***
Shane’s assessment as soon as he entered the dungeon was,
“They’ve recreated it quite well.”
It was quite similar to the real deal.
From the damp feel of the floor to the foul smell vibrating through the tunnel, and even the glowing moss illuminating the dark space.
Shane let out a short exclamation of admiration for the environment, which could not have been created without considerable skill, and then closed his eyes.
Suddenly, a faint vibration was felt beneath the ground.
It was as if a dragon was roaring deep underground.
Knowing this was not a good sign, Shane stopped and examined the situation.
Rumble—
just as expected.
The ground began to tremble more intensely, signaling that the entire tunnel was starting to shake, and Shane issued a command to the golems standing behind him.
“Hold your breath when I raise my hand.”
“……”
“……”
Though they did not respond vocally, the blue magic stones embedded at the heart of the golems turned red.
This meant they were following his command.
Eventually, when the vibrations in the ground reached their peak,
“Now.”
From the cracks in the tunnel walls, green smoke burst forth.
Shane held his breath and squinted his eyes.
At the same time, a brighter green light flowed from the glowing moss and the smoke gradually disappeared.
The source of the foul smell that filled the tunnel was the massive amount of poison buried in the ground.
The glowing moss in this place thrived on such toxins and people commonly referred to this area as the “safe zone”.
“This marks the beginning.”
Four times a day. This poison which burst out at regular intervals had become a natural fortress for the Curse Goblins.
Now, just after the poison had dissipated was the time to move forward.
Moreover, this place could not be considered safe indefinitely.
Every three days, the glowing moss would release spores and during those moments, it did not absorb the poison.
When that time came, annihilation was inevitable.
Failure in the test would be certain.
“By now, everyone must feel like they’re on fire.”
A dungeon that had to be cleared within just three days.
Such dungeons were commonly referred to as speedruns and were perfectly suited for tests.
Desperation often made it easier to discern someone’s true nature.
The tests up until last year weren’t this difficult.
The person who designed this test must have been particularly ruthless.
Nevertheless, Shane casually surveyed his surroundings and issued just one command to the golems.
“Stay on guard.”
Then he sat down and stared intently at the glowing moss emitting a green light.
To an extent that might frustrate an onlooker.
Shane kept his gaze fixed on the glowing moss for a long time.
Leave a Reply