* * *
“I’m telling you, at times like this, I really realize how diverse these kids’ minds are.”
In a small office set up near the mountain, Harold, the professor in charge of Magic Engineering Class 3, was seated with Neo and Laird, the professors in charge of practical magic training.
On the table before them sat several square crystal magic tools, much larger than the ones floating above the mountain.
Functioning in synchronization with the aerial crystals, they displayed real-time footage of the students scurrying about inside the forest.
The professors watched with hawk-like intensity, recording any noteworthy observations on their rosters.
“Where there are aggressive types, there are always those who act more passively,” Laird remarked. The other two nodded in agreement.
The crystals depicted a wide array of student behaviors.
Just as Laird said, some students showed no hesitation in tracking and eliminating magic beasts, while others prioritized surveying their surroundings and moving with extreme caution.
Their behavioral patterns were split into two distinct categories.
Those who chose the former would likely have an early advantage in points, but they faced a high risk of failing to manage their stamina, leading to a drop in performance toward the end.
Furthermore, if they neglected the terrain or the situation, they ran the risk of being ambushed by the beasts.
Those in the latter category were stable in their stamina distribution and ran a significantly lower risk of being caught off guard, but they struggled to accumulate high scores.
However, neither path was the “correct” answer.
Ultimately, it was up to the students to decide what style of mage they wanted to become.
If this test could provide even a sliver of real combat experience, it served its purpose.
“By the way, Chester is impressive as always.”
Neo pointed toward one of the crystals, drawing everyone’s attention.
The Chester reflected on the surface had already reached the deep interior of the mountain and had just discovered a Grade 3 magic beast.
Although the students had been told that Grade 3 beasts were rare and scattered throughout the area, they were actually concentrated in the innermost region of the mountain.
This was a deliberate design to grant the opportunity for subjugation only to those students with the will to target high-tier threats.
If someone without that drive were to accidentally encounter a high-grade beast, the risk of an accident would skyrocket.
In other words, Chester had moved deep into the forest early on, honing his detection abilities with the intent to hunt Grade 3s.
As the professors’ eyes fixed on him, the battle began.
The Grade 3 he was facing was an avian magic beast, a particularly tricky opponent with the ability to fly.
Its destructive power increased exponentially when attacking from the air.
At first, Chester seemed to struggle.
He darted between trees, busy parrying and defending against the beast’s swooping attacks with his issued weapon.
However, he soon seemed to catch onto something.
He veered sharply to the right, leaped onto a tree branch, and thrust his sword out in a straight line.
Instantly, sparks erupted around the blade, and a sharp bolt of blue lightning shot out in the same direction as the sword.
Just then, the magic beast—which had been changing its flight path—was struck squarely by Chester’s attack.
The beast had a set pattern to its mid-air maneuvers.
After blocking its attacks a few times, Chester had deciphered the rhythm and struck the spot where the beast was predicted to go.
Electrocuted, the beast’s eyes rolled back as it plummeted to the ground.
Chester hopped down lightly from the tree and pricked the carcass with his sword to inject his mana.
“…What’s Chester’s score now?”
“With that one, he’s already at 150 points.”
“Honestly, shouldn’t we get an autograph before he becomes a world-renowned figure?”
The professors laughed at Neo’s quip.
“His combat sense and abilities are certainly outstanding. On top of that, his willpower is top-notch. He’s flawless.”
“In that case, would this friend here be the ‘unmotivated’ version of Chester?”
Laird pointed to another screen.
There stood Ruite, diligently beating down only Grade 5 magic beasts.
“Hmm… Ruite is certainly skilled when it comes to mana. I feel her brain works quite fast during combat, too.”
Neo recalled the sparring match between Ruite and Chester during the last practice.
Her reflexes were excellent; it felt as though she subconsciously understood which areas to target and how an attack would influence her opponent’s posture and positioning.
“Truly, after years of teaching, I’m still amazed by how many different types of kids appear.”
Ruite, having no idea the professors were discussing her like this, was currently cheering over having killed a Grade 4 magic beast.
Thanks to her luck in running into several beasts, she was steadily building her score without any major obstacles.
In this test, finding the beasts was as much of a challenge as fighting them.
Grade 4 and 5 beasts often got scared and tried to hide, after all.
‘I hope a few more Grade 4s show up.’
As she moved with that thought, she sensed a presence nearby.
It wasn’t the aura of a magic beast. Ruite took two steps back from the path she was on and peeked her head toward the trail on the right.
A familiar back caught her eye.
Ruite walked over and plopped down next to her classmate, who had her dark orange hair tied in pigtails.
“Ah! You scared me!”
“Rona, what are you doing here?”
“Ruite! You startled me.”
Rona breathed heavily, clutching her chest as if her heart might jump out.
“Did you think I was a magic beast?”
“Obviously.”
Rona replied tartly as she calmed down, then lowered her head back toward the ground.
Ruite’s gaze followed hers.
“…Rona, no matter how I look at it, that isn’t a magic beast.”
There, a single flower of a very peculiar shape had bloomed.
“Who doesn’t know that? I wasn’t looking for magic beasts; I was observing this plant.”
“Just checking, but you haven’t forgotten we’re in the middle of a test, right?”
“Of course not.”
When Rona nodded coolly, Ruite scratched her cheek, looking bewildered.
She knew Rona was unique, but she was feeling it once again.
“So, what’s its name?”
At that single question, Rona’s eyes flashed.
With sparkling eyes, she began to recite everything from the plant’s name to its specific characteristics.
Though it didn’t quite register in her ears, Ruite nodded along faithfully.
“But Rona, is it okay for you to be doing this? It doesn’t violate any test rules, but… if you don’t stack up points, won’t your grades suffer?”
“I’ll probably get a perfect score on the theory exam, so a little slip-up in the practical is fine. Besides, I’ve already filled my score to a certain extent.”
Looking around, Ruite noticed several small magic beast carcasses scattered nearby.
It seemed she had subjugated them before settling down to watch the plant.
“Plants that don’t grow on human land often thrive in places where magic beasts live.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. We usually can’t enter this mountain, right? Do you have any idea how much I’ve looked forward to this test day?”
Rona pulled out a small notepad and a pen from her pocket, beginning to sketch the flower and write down her observations in detail.
Perhaps because the look in her eyes was so genuinely happy, a faint smile played on Ruite’s lips as well.
‘Well, if she’s happy, a third party has no right to interfere.’
“So? Are you planning to spend the rest of the time looking for plants?”
“Yes. I’m thinking of heading a bit further in.”
“Uh… do you have to?”
Ruite cast her gaze into the distance.
Though faint, she could feel the mana of the magic beasts growing thicker toward the interior.
Because of that, she had planned to avoid that direction on purpose.
“What if you run into a Grade 3? You don’t have the skills to handle one of those proficiently.”
“Geez, you’re unnecessarily honest. I’ll be as careful as possible to avoid them. Besides, Professor Harold said it himself—Grade 3s won’t chase you if you keep a certain distance.”
“That’s true.”
If they hadn’t put such a measure in place, the risk of a serious accident would be too high.
“Well, I wish you luck.”
“You too, Ruite. If I find any strange plants, I’ll tell you about them later, so look forward to it.”
“Sure, sure. But you don’t really have to report back to me.”
Before she could finish, Rona marched forward bravely.
Seeing her back as she headed into the inner region fueled by nothing but pure curiosity felt quite admirable.
‘I’m sure she’ll be fine.’
But for some reason, an unfounded, inexplicable sense of anxiety began to prick at the back of Ruite’s neck.
“Rona!”
Unable to help herself, Ruite ran and caught up to Rona again.
“What now?”
“I’ll go with you. Come to think of it, you’re a slow runner.”
“Are you going to be my bodyguard? Are you interested in me?”
“No. Even if the world were ending tomorrow, that wouldn’t happen.”
Ruite shook her hands dismissively without a second of hesitation, and Rona burst into laughter, saying that was exactly what she wanted to hear.
“I’ve already cleared most of the beasts in this area and was going to move anyway. I’ll kill any beasts we see as we go further in.”
“I knew you didn’t just want to follow me for nothing. Fine, I’ll give all the points to you. I don’t really need them.”
“Deal.”
Rona held out her palm, and Ruite gave her a light high-five.
* * *
