Chapter 110
By afternoon, the Rank 1 regular mage exam had ended.
The Reinhart students clustered together, discussing the exam.
We planned to stay one more night at the inn before setting out the next day.
“Yaaawn, how boring.”
“It was pretty easy!”
“Even the final exam, the sparring match, was far too easy compared to Yumia or our professors.”
“The written exam was pathetically easy too. Of course, the questions themselves were neat and well-made.”
Linia shook her head.
“I wish it had been a little harder. Maybe I should have taken the battle mage exam too?”
“Haha, you’re quite the joker.”
“I’m not joking.”
“What?”
“Anyway, it seems Yumia’s exam won’t end until late tonight, so let’s visit various places around the city!”
“There are a lot of magic bookstores I want to visit too. I’d also like to get a water magic formula.”
“It’s a relief that it was easier than expected. Thanks to that, I won’t have to write a report.”
The high-ranking students looked at the top-ranking ones with bewilderment.
“…Wasn’t the exam tougher than you expected…?”
“Even on Karnarof’s exams, we’re doing well if we get half the questions right.”
“How much did those guys solve to call it easy?”
“Could it be a perfect score?”
“No way. Where would you find the lunatics who could get a perfect score on that insane exam instead of merely scoring high?”
“Should we ask? Karnarof tells you your score, right?”
“Let’s ask the top student!”
“T-the top student is kind of scary…”
“It’s fine. The top student won’t hit you if you slam your head into the ground right from the start.”
“Weren’t we nobles…?”
“If we’re nobles, then she’s dragonkin and imperial royalty. Didn’t you see how even the princess took an interest in her last time?”
“T-the princess!?”
“She asked if she could call her big sister.”
“Is that really true!?”
“I’m telling you it’s true. Have you been deceived your whole life?”
And so they approached the top-ranking group.
Then they heard an unexpected answer.
“Yumia? That brat isn’t here right now.”
“But she goes everywhere with you guys.”
“That’s true, but something came up.”
“What?”
“She applied for the wrong exam.”
***
A shattered target, contestants unable to take their eyes off it, and the examiners’ quills moving faster and faster.
This is it.
‘This is firepower.’
Precision, projectile speed, and firepower.
I nailed them all.
“How was that?”
I turned around and asked.
Kren laughed as though he couldn’t believe it.
“The density of your mana is on an entirely different level. So is your skill at controlling it.”
“Right?”
My mana had stopped growing much at some point.
But that didn’t mean all the mana from the western forest had gone nowhere.
It was continuously condensing inside my body, little by little.
Along with the dragon’s mana.
“Now I understand why Karnarof sent you. I wasn’t a vessel large enough to accommodate you… I just hope we don’t meet only as enemies.”
“I’d like to have a match with you, though.”
Honestly, I was curious how strong a Rank 5 mage was.
“If you’re asking for a spar, I’ll accept anytime.”
“Be prepared for later.”
“You’re bold. But Rank 5 might be too much for you.”
“You won’t know until you try.”
Of course, I would lose in a straightforward battle using magic.
But as always, I would find a way.
“Hmph, that’s true.”
Kren muttered and turned away.
“I see you’re looking forward to it.”
With those words, Kren left.
I returned to Elena, who was still dazed.
Elena looked at me and asked,
“That… was basic offensive magic?”
“What else would it be?”
Of course, I had modified it a little, but it was undeniably basic offensive magic.
I had also mixed in a little dragon mana.
But without those tricks, I couldn’t produce enough firepower.
To produce enough A-rank-level firepower to destroy that, basic offensive magic alone wouldn’t come close.
“What are you?”
“If you’re asking about my true identity, then it would only be right for me to tell you.”
“Don’t joke around.”
I told her my real identity.
“I’m Yumia, a Grade D Hunter.”
“Hun…ter?”
“Heroes who fight monsters and protect the public.”
“…What kind of job is that?”
“I told you.”
“Is it like being an adventurer?”
“It’s similar in my hometown.”
“Hmm… So you were an adventurer too?”
“I spent quite a long time roughing it.”
Elena stared at me for a while, then looked away and said,
“O-okay. It doesn’t look like you’ll hold us back.”
“Anything else to say?”
“You’ll probably be helpful in the fourth exam too.”
“No, there’s something else.”
“Ah! Right, sorry for looking down on you! Happy now!?”
Elena turned her head away like a tsundere.
She was kind of cute.
“Hahaha.”
“Why are you laughing!?”
“You seemed like a newbie.”
She reminded me of a newbie who had just started working as a Hunter.
Ah, now that I thought about it, I wondered if they were doing well too.
They used to follow me around, calling me big bro.
I hadn’t seen them since some time after they awakened.
* * *
The third exam involved choosing one class from among a Rank 2 warrior, mage, and rogue, then sparring against them.
“Choose one of them and spar to the best of your ability.”
It didn’t matter if I couldn’t win.
They had said they would merely observe how I performed on the exam.
If my performance was good, a perfect score would naturally follow.
“But is there any need to do that?”
My goal was a perfect score anyway.
And to get a perfect score, I had to win.
“Which class will you choose?”
I smiled and answered,
“All of them.”
The instructions never said anywhere that I could choose only one class.
Therefore, I would earn a perfect score.
“…Are you confident? You’re saying you’ll take on an entire party?”
“Of course.”
My experience wasn’t so limited that I failed to understand what that meant.
I immediately headed out to the exam grounds.
It was a small arena built for the exam.
“You all know the rules! The spar ends the moment the protector activates!”
“I never thought someone would choose all three. Looks like you’ve underestimated us adventurers.”
“Huh? You’re adventurers?”
“What? You’re saying you chose us without even knowing what kind of people we are?”
“Who cares?”
“I’ll make you regret that arrogant choice!”
…I hadn’t meant to provoke him, but the swordsman wearing a yellow headscarf turned red in the face.
Hmm.
I could play around a little, but…
“I want to finish quickly and play. I need to beat the boss.”
“What are you talking abo—”
“Ready, begin!!”
“Encode, Bullet, Guide, Triple.”
—KRAAAASH!!!
“Encode, Shi— AAAAAAAAH!!”
The shield activated, but it was still too late.
The shield had been battered from blocking the first mana bullet, and it was no match for the remaining two.
“Mage Klein, magic tool activated! Retired!”
“A four-syllable incantation!? What kind of speed is that…?”
“I’ve been through the wringer just like you guys.”
For a mage, the biggest issue was which magic to use.
Therefore, taking out the mage first was common sense.
“Come at me.”
“Arts, Gale Barrage!”
The rogue attacked from my blind spot.
—Clang!
“What!? You blocked it!? What kind of reflexes…?”
“You came within melee range?”
A look of confusion appeared on the rogue’s face.
Once someone got this close, I didn’t even need to use a sword.
“Die.”
With a crunch, my fist sank into his abdomen.
With a sound like the air exploding, the rogue landed several dozen paces away, near the swordsman’s legs.
“The protector’s impact is pretty underwhelming.”
Even though I had held back, it still blocked that?
I shook out my hand.
“Rogue Tolk, protector activated, incapacitated!!”
The swordsman wearing the headscarf backed away.
“A m-monster? No, it makes no sense for a mage to beat a rogue in close combat!”
I cracked my knuckles and said,
Then I summoned my wand.
“Since this is a magic exam, I’ll finish you with magic.”
“W-wait, big brother, it still hurts even with the protector… Gaaaaah!!”
A white beam of light enveloped him.
I didn’t even use dragon mana, yet he was making such a fuss.
* * *
The fourth exam site was at the top of the exam building.
And there wasn’t even an elevator.
We simply had to walk up.
“Huff, huff. How are you still so fine?”
“Maybe because I’m sturdy?”
I was an Awakened.
Even if my Endurance stat was low, it was still much higher than an ordinary mage’s.
“The stairs… they’re too high… Huh? What are you doing!?”
I decided to simply pick Elena up and carry her.
She was too slow.
And so we climbed the seemingly endless stairs and arrived at our destination.
A man in uniform stood there with a grim expression.
“I’ll explain the fourth exam.”
The supervisor for the fourth exam was Kren.
He opened a door.
“This is the airfield of the examination facility belonging to the Water Mage Tower.”
Then the wind battered my face, accompanied by a roar that struck my ears.
“A-ba-ba-ba-ba.”
I applied Riding the Wind to disperse the airflow pouring into my face.
‘Oh, that’s better.’
The others weren’t doing much better.
Some had their faces covered by their cloaks, while others had barely managed to catch hats that nearly vanished down the stairs.
Look at that old man Kren, clearing the wind with magic.
He’s subtly stingy. If he’s going to do it, he should do it for everyone.
“And that is the Ormes Mountain Range, where the ruins are located.”
It was a ridiculously tall mountain.
He turned his gaze toward the objects placed on the airfield.
“You will ride these Bima to get there. As an additional note, it would be best if you arrived quickly.”
There were impressive magic tools resembling horses with saddles.
I directed my Observation Eye at one of them.
[Bima (SSR)]
A flying magic tool made by an Imperial craftsman.
Operates using magic stones,
Warning: lower section detached, fuel tank open, insufficient magic stones
Oho.
It was an interesting magic tool.
But what was that warning?
If we rode that, wouldn’t we fall to our deaths?
“However, the Bima aren’t in perfect condition. You will need to repair them.”
Ah, so that was part of the assignment.
I had thought those wicked noble bastards were trying to kill all the mages.
“If the reserve gliding magic tool we’ve provided activates, you will be disqualified immediately.”
I looked at the protector strapped to my arm.
No wonder the protector’s specifications seemed a little high.
So you could add functions like this too.
“Repair the Bima and head to the Ormes Mountain Range. Your task will be waiting for you there! Now, begin!!”
I immediately went to the number written on my nameplate.
“I’ll fix the Bima.”
I said this confidently to Elena.
“I can fix it too, though…”
“I’ve received training in this, so I know it better. Instead, memorize the map.”
We needed to be able to read the map in order to fly.
And I planned to have Elena calculate our direction.
I picked up the tools and started tinkering.
“Hmm. If I do this…”
I used my Observation Eye, and I had also learned some tricks from Senior Chloe.
The repairs progressed quite quickly.
I connected the detached magic-stone tank and filled it with magic stones taken from the corner.
I closed the fuel tank properly as well.
And then… hmm.
I looked straight at the Bima.
“Done! Let’s go!”
“They say it’s better to go fast! Let’s set off quickly!”
The Bima belonging to the other groups began departing one by one.
Whoooosh.
They disappeared into the distance, making a sound like a scooter.
“I’ve memorized the entire map. How long will it take?”
“Wait a second.”
“If it looks like it’ll take too long, how about handing it over to me…”
“Hey, I said I’m done!”
“I fixed everything, but wait a moment. If I touch here and disconnect this line… okay!!”
“What did you do?”
Elena said this while looking at the numerous tools lying beside me.
Unlike the other groups, we had spent quite a lot of time on it.
“Actually, I could have finished it quickly if I wanted to.”
I gripped the controls in the front seat.
—Vroooooom…
Then I started the engine.
The Bima rose into the air.
“You were just trying to be thorough, right? Good. We shouldn’t lose much by being a little late.”
“No, it’s not that. Since this is for an exam, it had a limiter on it.”
“Huh?”
“So I removed it.”
“What?”
I pulled a small lever on the controls.
—ROOOOOAR!!!
The Bima began making a monstrous sound.
It was a deep, heavy voice that seemed to rise from its depths, as if challenging us to control it.
“Hold on tight!!”
“Wh-what, whaaat!!! Aaaaaaaaah!!”
—BOOOOOOM!!!!
Mana exploded, and everything around us vanished backward.
Along with Elena’s shrill scream.