NOVEL NEXT Chapter 21
<21 - There Are Signs Before a Great Earthquake>
Do you know about Noah’s Ark?
In a world filled with sin, God proclaimed that he would judge it with a flood and urged Noah to build an ark for refuge.
People ignored his warnings, and it’s a rather sad story that Noah ended up with a chronic disease.
“Hey, Oknodie. Could you take it easy?”
“Jezel uncle, what if you’re weaker than me, the frail girl?”
Frail girl from all around the country is just blabbering.
With that face, Jezel shot me a glare but stubbornly kept walking.
“What are we lacking, little mouse, that we have to climb this mountain?”
“Think about it. The exam venue is way too big compared to the number of test-takers. There has to be a reason for such a gigantic exam venue!”
Right now, my thoughts are quite complicated.
Mixed feelings of Noah’s chronic disease and the craftsman’s pain of wanting to shout, “The king’s ears are donkey ears!”
In this exam venue, there surely is no one carrying a bigger burden than me.
“Those guys chasing us don’t seem to think that even a little?”
Two hours into the test.
Participants displayed three major behaviors.
“Right, we should’ve beaten the guys who were sitting at the bottom and kicked them out.”
The types gathered at the base of the mountain, like the [Major Alliance] and [Absolute Champion].
“Oh, they’re stacking it up, stacking it up.”
“Are these bastards insane? What’s the plan here?”
“See? Throwing rocks made it collapse, right? Annoying, huh? Want to fight? But we’re greater in number and strength, huh? Hehehe.”
“Ah, come on! Let’s have a round!”
At a spot halfway up the mountain, the [Minor Alliance] is in a skill battle with the [Troll Gang] who’s openly trolling.
“Hey, that eyed kid over there. Wasn’t he that swordsman fool making a scene yesterday?”
“Let’s chase him.”
“Wow, digging a grave far and wide, huh? Well, whoever dares to poke at the Southern Seven Stars Union is dead for sure.”
People are either running away to hide deep in the mountains or are from the [Fugitive Group] aiming to eliminate competitors in the [Pursuer Group].
People must think like this.
But there’s also a fourth type in this game that they don’t realize.
“Hey, you lunatics! How far are you planning to run?!”
“Can we stop fighting already?!”
A serious group of climbers, the [Climbing Group], who were so earnest in their mountain climbing that the pursuing group fell behind.
That’s right, it refers to the genius pretty girl Oknodie and her two lackeys.
“Little mouse, don’t you think you’re underestimating us too much?”
“Hmph. It’s because the uncle is a beastman that I’m getting some attention, you know?”
“Okay, okay. The longer you keep your mouth open, the quicker you get tired. Let’s fill our hunger with this.”
[[Honey Butter Jerky] has been collected in the Cookbook.]
This uncle eats pretty well.
That’s why I have to stay close to rich merchants!
[Climbed while keeping an eye on pursuers for a long time.]
[Climbing Experience Points +3]
[Breathing Experience Points +2]
[Alertness Experience Points +1]
Enduring the tough climb, the Skill Experience Points increase rapidly.
Without a month’s worth of training raising my stats and skill proficiency, the pursuing group down there would have been huffing and puffing, no doubt.
I think those who are physically weaker than me, a frail pretty girl, should really reflect on themselves.
“Since we have plenty of time, shall we casually climb while scouting out the area?”
“This guy is quite relaxed, huh? For courage, he’s like a Tyrannosaurus Rex instead of a little mouse.”
By the way, in this game, there are dinosaurs deep in the continent.
Tyrannosaurus tears ogres apart.
*
As I was strolling around the mountain, the breathless pursuing group blocked the way.
“Huff, huff, finally caught, huff, huff.”
“Y-you, you bastards,”
“Really, you guys will die…!”
These guys are gasping for air.
“So what? You wanna have a round?”
Son Ohchun, not the least bit tired, asked while spinning a staff with one hand.
The cocky guys who had shown up in force recoiled at the threatening sound of the staff.
“Hah. To think these kinds of guys have the same Gold Ticket as me. Isn’t this a scam?”
Honestly, I too can see the level difference is severe.
Son Ohchun was unlucky with the examiner.
Had it been a material collection test or a sparring test from the Senior Examiner Michael, his physical stats would easily have earned him a Platinum Ticket.
Compared to that, other examiners who aren’t of senior level have more lenient evaluation standards and easier tests.
Surely, he would have dispersed Gold Tickets like they were nothing.
“Don’t treat us the same!”
“Oh. At least there’s one who has spirit here.”
A girl with goggles and an explorer hat among the gasping pursuers pointed at Son Ohchun and me.
“Our Esornia Expedition Team has always had to accept outsiders due to the lack of a garden needed for long-term adventures.”
“And because of an accident caused by brats like you and beastmen, we failed a crucial expedition and half our members, including the captain, died.”
“It’s pathetic that we have to push the young ones to live new lives after the expedition is over.”
Is she from a fallen expedition team?
She has quite a remarkable backstory for an extra.
“Rather than carrying the burden of unsought responsibility, revenge is better. Just like the brats and beastmen who brought ruin to our expedition, this time we will destroy scumbags like you!”
Well, her circumstances might be notable, but why are they taking it out on us?
“Shouldn’t you take your anger out on the ones who caused it? Why cause a fuss in the wrong place?”
“The bastards responsible are already dead!”
“Does that mean a nice little mouse like me gets caught up in your troubles? Like y’all who are suffering because of a stupid outsider?”
Beastmen have both human appearances and animal instincts.
Because of that, they often hit the nail on the head with their words.
Such direct speech often provokes unpleasant feelings in humans trying to hide their weaknesses.
“So who should we take our anger out on!? We had no fault in this!”
Watching her cry like a child and throw a tantrum, I inadvertently realized something.
The participation condition for the academy entrance exam is under the age of 20.
That human may have been young enough to be active in the expedition, but in the end, they are still an immature child.
Mature in body, but emotionally immature.
A child in the opposite meaning of someone like me, who may be immature in body but mature in mind.
“Catch!”
I threw a rope.
The girl stood dumbfounded, not grasping the meaning.
Just then, the ground began to rumble.
Oknodie’s sensitive body had sensed the early signs of a great earthquake long before it happened.
The main tremor rocked the mountain, sweeping my vision up and down.
Animal habitat signs remain, yet no animals are present.
All that’s left are rocks and gravel on the boulder-strewn mountainside.
For those whose focus wavers, it’s the first gateway trap and the real test that approaches.
<Landslide Event>
The first gateway trap, an earthquake occurred.
No more time to guard the stone pagoda.
First, let’s survive the earthquake accompanied by a landslide!
Rumbling!
Crash!
A landslide growing larger as it descends beneath the rocky mountain crushes those confident fools who relied solely on their numbers and lazily loafed around.
The pursuing group [Young Blood of Esornia Expedition Team] also narrowly escaped disaster.
Thud.
Thud.
After the main shock, the following aftershock also passed, and the rocky mountain finally settled down.
The remnants of the Esornia Expedition Team barely held to the rope, their faces pale as they climbed onto the ridge with dazed expressions.
“Wha… Insane. To think these guys would trigger a landslide at the exam site. If we were caught up, it would’ve been instant death!”
“But this is the world’s best academy, right? Isn’t it kind of naive to believe they’d just stack stones?”
“Do you think talking solves it?! Our captain also…!”
Caught in mud and dirt while trying to protest, the leader’s eyes landed on my hand.
[You saved those in danger while holding onto the rope during the landslide and earthquake.]
[Endurance Experience Points +10]
[Perseverance Experience Points +5]
[Desperate Fight Experience Points +1]
Ouch, it hurt.
It seems my hand got scraped and bled from gripping the rope tightly with so many people hanging on.
“You, did you hold on to the rope this much?”
The young female captain, an ex-member of an expedition, trembled heavily.
“You only said harsh things! You probably wanted to eliminate me because you found me repulsive. So why?”
There are many reasons.
Characters with special circumstances often have a high chance of becoming significant figures in the respective arc.
Even if they fail the academy exam, they might reappear later as a villain.
Killing them off with the intention of eradicating potential villains is a waste of effort.
Didn’t this woman already say it?
That they are the “young ones” of the Esornia Expedition Team.
Outside, there are the “old ones” of the expedition team.
They hold grudges against the children and beastmen.
But they also cherish their young comrades.
If they hear of the death of their young comrades, do they stand a chance of not becoming villains?
“The earthquake, how can you discern how big it is? Whether it’s a big earthquake or just the early signs indicating a big one, it’s not something one can easily conclude.”
For the entrance exam, a light tremor might be seen as the signs, and a landslide could be thought of as the main shock.
But when looked back upon in the distant future, the young ones from the Esornia Expedition Team’s deaths might very well be the warning, and the vengeance from the older generation could indeed be the major earthquake.
Those living only for today can never foresee the future disasters that one single rope managed to prevent!
“Honestly, I did it because I could.”
It’s too bothersome to explain all that length.
As I mumbled that, embarrassment colored the female captain’s face.