CH 2.1

Episode 2 "Second Round: Group Combat Test"

02

There was no one else in the same group as me who had advanced to the second examination.

The unsuccessful applicants would have to take the general entrance examination to be held later. But because you are given added points according to the results of this examination, it is said that everyone passes.

However, if you are an honor student, you are exempted from the tuition fee. And as a poor person, I would very much like to pass the exam as an honor student.

The second test seemed a little strange.

“Number 005, 011, 016, 029. The four of you have passed the first exam. From here on, this will be a practical exam. If you feel that it is impossible, withdraw immediately."

I look at the three other people besides me, but as expected, this seems to be a good group of people.

There is one boy and two girls. They are all young, but they look a little older than those who didn't pass the first round.

The boy, number 011, with his red hair pulled up in a bun, smiles confidently.

“I'm not going to give up! I've been working hard for this day!”

The other examinees didn't seem to have any intention of withdrawing, and they all seemed to be full of confidence.

The examiners saw this and gave a small nod.

“Then we shall begin. The next test is also to hit a target with magic, but this time the target will move and launch counterattacks. It's extremely dangerous, so please don't die."

“What?"

When 011 muttered this, the door at the back had already opened and something came strolling out.

"Ahh!?"

"Whoa!?"

The other examinees were startled and took a half step back.

It was a group of moving skeletons that came in. There were about 40 of them in all.

The skeletons exposed their terrifying skulls and brandished their spears and large shields.

Well, the spears were just for practice with round pompoms on the tips. The reason why they had big shields was to make it easier to attack them. Skeletons had thin bodies with no muscle or organs, so there was no actual need to protect themselves with large and heavy shields.

The examiner retreats to the wall and tell us,

“Attack the skeleton soldiers with magic once they start moving. If you can defeat even one of the skeletons, you will pass the exam.”

This was certainly hands-on.

Wanting to get it over with early so that I could have lunch, I asked the other three.

"Who wants to start?"

"Y-you idiot! I can't take on that thing by myself!”

011 shouted in panic and the others nodded.

Come to think of it, they would all have used destructive magic in the first test.

“How many more shots can you all fire?"

I asked, and the three of them looked at each other and said.

“I can't do another one like during the earlier test. I can only do one, if it's small."

“If it's light, I can do one more.”

“I can still do it. Well…just one shot, though."

In short, everyone had one more shot to go at the most.

There are 40 enemies. Some light destruction magic will barely be able to defeat one of them, so the remaining 37 will be impossible to defeat no matter what.

If that's the case, there's only one thing to do as an adult.

“All right. Then start chanting when the enemy starts advancing. You can take your time.”

“But I can barely take out one of them?"

I laugh as the boy with pointy hair says this.

“You will pass the test if you kill one. Just think about that and nothing else."

If you thought about it normally, there is no way they would let an excellent candidate who passed the first exam die in a place like this.

The spears didn’t have actual blades on them, so they are considering our safety. This was just a mock battle.

"Don't let the appearance of the skeleton soldiers fool you. They're tough because they don't feel pain or fear, but they are otherwise no big deal."

"You're telling me..."

The girl called 005 mutters, then smiles fearlessly.

“Oh, well. It’s true that we don't need to think about anything other than passing the test right now."

“Yes, that's true. And I'm used to seeing skeletons.”

“What? 011 is scary.”

“No, It’s because my family are priests! There is a charnel in the temple back at home!”

I nodded to the examiner as the conversation seemed to be settled.

“We're ready.”

“All right. Then let the test begin."

The skeleton soldiers all raised their large shields at the same time, creating a wall of shields as they began to advance.

The spears thrust out from between the shields, which made them quite an intimidating sight.

“Hey, 029. Here they come. Here they come.”

“Wait, don't chant yet. The skeleton soldiers are slower than I thought.”

While I could precast, it was difficult for beginners to stop partway into a chant. Once they start chanting, the timing for unleashing the destruction magic is usually already decided.

Their chanting time is about 20 beats(seconds). Which was quite long.

But the speed of the skeleton soldiers is also quite slow. Perhaps they are adjusted so that the chanting of the examinees can finish in time. They really were being considerate of us.

But the examinees still seemed anxious, and they kept looking back and forth between me and the skeleton soldiers.

"But 029, if we don’t chant quickly…”

“You won't be able to defeat an enemy that is out of range, as the force of the attack will be weakened. If you can only cast one more shot, make sure that you’ve drawn them in enough. Don't worry, I'll buy you some time."

Then the strong-willed girl called number 016 shouted.

"And how are you going to buy time?"

“I'll fight.”

I then cast a strengthening spell on my entire body and walked into the ranks of the skeleton soldiers. It would be a good way to test out my new body. The magic enhanced my reflexes, muscle strength, and metabolic capacity.

“Who-whoa. 029!?”

“Hey, wait! It’s dangerous!”

“You'd better not, you'll die!”

As a finishing touch, I cast Aura Blade on both of my hands and then turned to the other three.

“This way will be faster.”

“It's not faster! I'm saying you're going to die, you idiot!"

The pointy haired boy seemed genuinely worried about me, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“I won’t deny that I’m an idiot. But I’m not dumb enough to die in a mock battle. Now, it's time to start chanting."

"Hey, wait! Why are you laughing!?”