Chapter 102

Chapter 102

HEL SCANS

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Clang! Clang!

The train the children were on moved swiftly.

The small magical train installed in the Forest of Martial Arts operated on a different principle than what they had been riding.

Unlike the conventional trains that ran on wheels, it levitated using a repulsive force generated by magic between the tracks and the train, using that levitation as a propelling force.

...It could even be self-controlled.

It was an advanced train that was rare in non-regulated areas due to the high cost of equipping the basic facilities.

However, because of the Forest of Martial Arts, where sudden situations occasionally occurred, the academy boldly invested in and installed it.

“Wow, it’s really fast!”

Evergreen, who came from the northeastern edge of the empire, had never ridden such a train, let alone seen one.

During the test, she hesitated whether she should really ride it, but now she was admiring the passing scenery with sparkling eyes.

As the strong wind blew, Evergreen’s golden short hair spread out like a fan.

Sitting in the cockpit, Cuculli poked Luke’s side.

“Hey, quickly insult her.”

“...What insult?”

“A while ago, you said I looked like a country bumpkin.”

Luke, lowering his voice, replied, “When did I?”

“Look at this. I was happily jumping around, and you told me to back off because I smell like the countryside... Ugh!”

Just as Evergreen, who had finished observing, was returning to the room with a flushed face, Luke promptly kicked Cuculli away.

Cuculli, crumpled in the corner, rolled on the floor with a resentful expression.

Of course, Luke paid no attention.

“Finished sightseeing?”

“Yeah! The forest looked pretty from the running train. It was scary a moment ago.”

A bright smile appeared on Evergreen’s cheerful face.

Luke, with a satisfied expression, was about to respond when he felt the gaze of an unwelcome guest and quickly hardened his expression.

Evergreen continued speaking.

“By the way, have you guys scored well?”

“More or less?”

Luke checked the score recorder on his wrist and nodded.

Cuculli’s suggestion to take the train turned out to be right.

The place where they started the test was the Forest of Martial Arts, the northern entrance.

In other words, the test progressed by heading south together.

Therefore, quickly detecting and preempting high-scoring magical creatures was the key to a high score.

Thanks to boarding a highly mobile train, they could handle the creatures much faster than other classmates.

The creatures drawn by the noise of the train were a bonus.

“Although we couldn’t gather many magic stones....”

Even with just the points earned from handling creatures, they were likely to rank high enough to stand out.

“Wow....”

As Luke explained, Evergreen momentarily had a disappointed expression.

She had anticipated it, but dense forests like this were not favorable battlegrounds for her, an archer.

Despite running around to collect magic stones with sweaty feet, she had little success.

“It seems like someone has already swept through here.”

Her collection pouch was almost empty.

“Would a hero give a disciple title to a plain kid like you?”

Recalling Lucas’s teasing from earlier, Evergreen unconsciously hid the score recorder behind her.

Luke casually said, “Want some magic stones?”

Before Evergreen could refuse, Cuculli, who had been silently watching their conversation with a smirk, intervened.

“Is it okay? She seems to be trying to cheat for real.”

“....”

“If you meet the wrong girl, you’ll be in trouble.”

Cuculli reached out and patted Evergreen’s slumped shoulders.

“It’s okay, it’s okay! You can get plenty of points from now on.”

“Huh?”

“Get ready to get off. We’re almost there.”

At that, Evergreen raised her head.

Come to think of it, she hadn’t asked about the destination.L1tLagoon witnessed the first publication of this chapter on Ñøv€l--B1n.

“But where are we going?”

“Ta-da! Here!”

Shff-!

Cuculli pointed to a part of the map while waving the map in his hand.

“Since the control center radius is restricted within 1 km, we just need to continue heading south from this point and take down everything.”

Luke nodded in agreement, tilting his head.

“There probably hasn’t been anyone else reaching this location yet. So, the first ones to get there will get more points. With the three of us, we can easily subjugate high-scoring creatures.”

“...Geez, be kind to me too.”

“Shut up, Cuculli.”

Evergreen laughed, looking at Luke and Cuculli bantering.

Amidst the enjoyment, she steeled herself.

Her friends were there to help.

She had to do her best not to be a burden.

“All right then, let’s disembark!”

“...Isn’t it ‘alight’?”

“That just sounds weird!”

So, the kids parked the train at the station about 1 km south of the control center....

Kwaaang-!

Soon, they heard an unidentifiable explosion.

For an ordinary person, exposure to such dense demonic energy concentration, even for a brief moment, could be fatal.

“Sorry, just 10 seconds.”

“...Fine.”

However, after a moment of hesitation, Leciel stopped.

Ban’s judgments were always rational.

That was something she had clearly felt today.

‘...That person.’

With a brief moment of relief, Ban silently stared at the stumbling man.

‘Something’s off.’

This hill was more than 1 km away from the control center.

The explosion was heard about 3 minutes ago.

How could an ordinary person traverse a rough forest for 1 km in that short time?

‘Especially with injuries.’

Of course, it could be that the person was lucky to escape the accident site.

But then, another inconsistency arose.

‘If that’s the case, what kind of injury would cause this? We’ve already cleared all the creatures around here.’

...5 seconds passed.

No clear answer emerged from his contemplation.

Finally, Ban, willing to bear the mana consumption, expanded the range of his sensing, which he had previously reduced.

Woo-woo-

Sending magical energy through the intensified magical concentration, the boy’s face turned pallid.

“....”

Meanwhile, Leciel became increasingly uneasy.

The man groaned in pain.

The demonic energy clouds were getting closer.

Ban remained silent.

Out of the blue, Ban uttered something utterly unexpected the next moment.

“Demonic energy.”

“What?”

“I sense demonic energy from that person.”

“What are you talking about?”

Why would a human emanate demonic energy?

“I don’t know either...”

It was the moment when they looked at the man with eyes full of doubt.

“Cough.”

He suddenly scratched his chest as if in agony and collapsed to the ground.

The rough touch tore apart the thin fabric of his uniform without mercy.

Ban and Leciel halted their movements for a moment.

It wasn’t because they were concerned about the man.

“...Huh?”

Something unfamiliar reflected in their eyes.

‘Magic circle?’

Mysterious symbols and formulas densely covered the upper body of the man.

The density was so high that almost no bare skin was visible.

‘What kind of magic circle is this?’

...If there was someone with knowledge of demon magic rituals, they would have immediately evacuated the kids.

But even Ban, well-versed in various knowledge, was not that knowledgeable.

Therefore, the kids did not flee and instead observed the man in place.

The inexplicable sense of unease kept them from getting closer.

...And soon, they realized something.

That magic circle.

“It’s not drawn, is it?”

It was engraved.

Fresh blood was still flowing from the yet-unhealed parts.

A crooked magic circle like a child’s scribble.

Leciel furrowed her brows.

It was because she realized one more dreadful fact.

“The parts that are hard to reach are even more messed up.”

In other words, someone had carved it on themselves.

But who could mutilate their own body like that?

While they were retreating in the growing unease, something happened.

Swoosh.

The man’s hand, wandering through the air, moved toward the only part on his upper body without any symbols.

Something was happening.

Ban was certain.

“Let’s go.”

So, without hesitation, Ban grabbed Leciel’s wrist.

The direction was behind them.

Tadadak-!

As the kids ran, they looked back.

The man’s hand dug into his left chest, the only area without any symbols.

Something was unfolding.

Splash.

As if responding to the man’s actions, demonic energy clouds that had been scattering throughout the forest poured down on him.

The magic circle engraved on his body glowed bright red.

HEL SCANS

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