Quit The Hero Party

EP.92 The Screams Echoing in the Practical Exam (3)

The forest owned by the Krepfelt family.

The students were running through the woods with gritted teeth. Screams could be heard from everywhere. However, there was no time to pay attention to each scream.

Monsters burst forth.

From the depths of the woods, from the shadows, from the fog.

No matter where they stepped, there were monsters. In fact, the types of monsters were unusual. Monsters they had only encountered in books were now right before their eyes.

These were monsters they had never faced before.

Monsters they only knew through fragmented knowledge.

Naturally, knowledge and experience are different. Few can transfer what they know into action instantly. Most of the students were bewildered.

“Ugh, AAAAAAH!”

“The ground! It’s springing up from the ground!”

“Bam, it’s a mute shadow!”

Screams erupted from all sides. The screams called forth more monsters. The students began to fall into chaos.

Monsters aside, the very forest was strange.

Sunlight barely penetrated. Everything was shadowy and exuded a damp atmosphere. The more they ran, the thicker the fog became.

“Where on earth are we…?”

“It’s dark.”

“Damp. Why is the air like this…?”

The environment itself felt unfamiliar.

The forest they saw from the outside was different from the forest they were experiencing inside. The woods they knew did not look like this. The unexpected environment heightened their anxiety.

It’s dark.

The air is chilling.

It’s damp, tightening their breath.

Now that they think about it, the shapes of the trees are also somewhat strange. Looking around, they see trees with twisted branches sprawling in all directions.

“Ugh, ugh…”

“Wait, go slowly…!”

It’s a bizarre and eerie sight.

Caw, caw, they think they can hear crows cawing from somewhere. Every time the cawing echoes, the students flinch and shudder.

“Is this… a forest?”

Someone’s question echoes everyone’s thoughts. The students, terrified, move cautiously, wary of the monsters that could spring out at any moment.

…What the students don’t know is.

The forest reconstructed through the Illusion Magic Tool resembles a certain landscape. And it is the way to depict the landscape imagined by the one using the magic tool.

The magician who created it was Raniel.

Raniel envisioned a forest adjacent to the demon world.

The landscape of the forest created with her imagination was intricate. It blended seamlessly with reality. Normally, even those who have experienced battlefields would find it hard to create such a detailed environment with magic tools…

The twisting of the trees.

The chilly fog spread throughout.

The stench of monsters wafting from beyond the fog.

If they could implement such trivial details perfectly… unless one lived in a Phantom Territory, it would be impossible.

“Hmm.”

And here is a mage.

“…Was I a bit short on my imagination?”

This mage, who thinks differently from others, rolled around in the Phantom Territory for five years. She stroked her chin while looking at the forest she created.

‘Something feels lacking.’

Raniel.

‘Is it lacking the demonic energy? Well, applying that feels a bit off…’

Raniel van Trias.

“Well, this is decent enough.”

A magician who roamed the Phantom Territory like it was her home.

She mumbled while resting her chin in her hands.

“After dying once or twice, they’ll surely learn.”

Thirty minutes had passed since the exam began.

Students were being flung out of the forest left and right. Watching them, Raniel smiled bitterly.

‘If this was the real battle, they’d all be dead by now.’

Fortunately, her mumblings did not reach the students.

2.

Thirty minutes had passed since the exam began.

Numerous students received an hour’s waiting judgment and returned to the entrance of the forest.

“…”

Some lay sprawled out on the ground, while others sat on tree stumps gazing blankly at the sky. There was no focus in their eyes.

“Hey.”

Suddenly, someone weakly spoke up.

“…What did you get hit by?”

“Mana Eater.”

Someone answered that question. The voice lacked vitality. A sense of hopelessness echoed within it. As if resonating with that voice, one by one, the others began to speak up.

“I also faced a Mana Eater.”

“…A pack of black wolves.”

“I was caught by a mute shadow. It sprang from the ground suddenly, and I got… caught and eliminated.”

Mana Eaters.

A pack of black wolves.

Mute shadows.

These were monsters known to appear on battlefields adjacent to the demon world. Why on earth were they here in this practical exam?

Of course, they could be captured.

Mana Eaters are simple pests. Though annoying if they stick to you, they are easily dealt with from a distance by throwing a fireball.

The black wolf pack has low intelligence. Not only that, but they have a narrow field of vision. If you can exploit their blind spots, hunting is not hard.

A mute shadow can be lured out and caught using spells. While they may be annoying if they tag along, they can be easily dealt with if you know they exist.

‘If you told them to capture one at a time, they could do it.’

Indeed, when viewed separately, none of these monsters are overly difficult. The methods to hunt them are so well-known that they even appear in textbooks.

‘…The problem lies elsewhere.’

There are two major issues.

‘One is, that this is a forest.’

With the fog so thick, it’s hard to secure visibility, and the thickets are so dense that you can’t know where the monsters might spring from.

‘The second is that all three types are together.’

Yes, that’s the biggest problem.

The three types of monsters complement each other’s weaknesses. The mere arrangement itself is malicious.

‘To catch the shadow hiding, you inevitably have to use spells.’

Using spells causes the black wolf pack to react.

‘To deal with the swarming black wolves, you need to create an area circuit.’

Trying to create a circuit brings the Mana Eaters crashing down from somewhere.

‘Then, what on earth are you supposed to do?’

In the forest, they were too busy fleeing to have time to gather their thoughts. But once they got outside and thought about it, the answer quickly came to them.

“You need to stock various types of spells…”

They shouldn’t stock only simple spells.

They should have a variety of spells stocked with those monsters in mind.

“Ah…”

By the time they thought that far, suddenly the words Professor Rania had warned them about before the exam came to mind.

– I recommend that you stock up on enough circuits.

Was that what she meant?

“No, even so, isn’t this a bit much…?”

Isn’t the difficulty too high?

The students sighed deeply.

The arrangement of the monsters felt so malicious.

The difficulty felt far too high for first-years.

‘Professor Mackhart wouldn’t have done this.’

And, there’s no way Professor Mackhart would come up with a test with such mind-boggling difficulty. Although he had a bit of a temper, the exams themselves were usually easy.

Then who could have designed this exam?

‘Professor Rania.’

Rania van Trias.

The nightmare of Apuria.

Naturally, the students’ gazes shifted to where that nightmare was likely seated. Surely, she must have been sitting on a large rock.

“…Huh?”

However, the students looking towards the rock tilted their heads. The Professor Rania, who had been there just a moment ago, was nowhere to be seen.

“Where did Professor Rania go?”

“Right? Wasn’t she just there?”

No matter where they looked, the Professor was nowhere to be found.

The students kept tilting their heads.

3.

Near the forest, in a tent.

Mackhart Krepfelt was monitoring the students wandering in the woods with a magic tool. This was so he could send the knights of the Krepfelt family during an emergency.

“Hmm…”

Certainly, this is a test with a high level of difficulty.

It’s no wonder the students were bewildered. This was definitely too hard for first-year students.

‘Considering the difficulty…’

It would be suitable for a second-year field practice at least. Certainly, this is not an appropriate test for first years. Mackhart initially opposed this practical exam.

‘The difficulty was just too high.’

However, in the end, the exam was held unchanged.

There was a good reason for that.

“…”

Mackhart closed his eyes, recalling the conversation he had had with Professor Rania a while ago.

– In the end, many of the students of the Battle Magic Department will end up on the battlefield, right? Even if it’s not the battlefield, at least they’ll end up in places related to it.

To Mackhart’s opposition to the practical exam, Professor Rania said that.

‘That makes sense.’

Unlike other departments, the path after graduation for students in the Battle Magic Department is heavily focused on the battlefield. Many entered with that very mindset.

Children from knightly families.

Children of minor nobles looking to make a name for themselves.

Or talented children from commoner backgrounds.

They will ultimately end up on the battlefield after graduating. Not everyone, but many will.

– Honestly, I’m not too keen on it. It’s still a long time until graduation, but what might happen if we just throw them into the battlefield like this?

They’d probably die.

– Well, as they progress in years, they’ll learn a lot. Still, wouldn’t it be better to learn this kind of stuff sooner rather than later?

Professor Rania said.

– The shock is better experienced early. Originally, while you learn through rolling on the battlefield… to learn this through practice is much more beneficial, right? Isn’t that the whole point of practical exams?

What is a practical exam?

– If you fail, you’ll get a sense of it. Ah, so this is how it should be done. Here, I shouldn’t do that. You’ll realize that kind of thing.

It’s about learning through experience on the front lines.

Of course, not everyone learns from failure. Most become discouraged after failing, losing their willpower.

But not here.

– This is Apuria, after all.

Just as Professor Rania said, this is Apuria.

“…”

Mackhart slowly opened his eyes.

– This is where the best talents in the kingdom gather, so shouldn’t they be given some trial if they’re ever going to learn something?

His gaze turned towards the entrance of the forest.

He could see students who had been flung out, waiting for an hour.

“No, here’s how you do it…”

“Once the Mana Eaters drop down, how about doing it from the get-go like this? If we do it like this…”

The students’ voices echoed through the magic tool.

Those gathered at the entrance of the forest seemed to be conferring over strategies.

“Damn it, let’s just try it.”

“If it doesn’t work, we can just do it again. Originally, it’s just a penalty for failing, not an outright elimination.”

“Let’s just give it a shot, and if it doesn’t work, we can always try again.”

Soon enough, they indiscriminately head into the forest.

Mackhart watched over them. They were students who had been eliminated in just over a minute since the start of the exam.

But this time was different.

“Here it is!”

“Fireball, fireball, hurry!”

“Lure the wolves! Let’s take out the mute shadows all at once!”

They reattempt with some semblance of strategy.

They held out for about 20 minutes before being flung again to the entrance of the woods.

“Hmm.”

Mackhart stroked his chin.

It wasn’t just them. Many students were eliminated, repeatedly attempting and pushing deeper into the forest.

“Now!”

“Quickly, shoot it down!”

They challenged again.

“Damn it, of all places…”

“I misjudged the terrain.”

Failing again.

“What if we lure the wolf pack this way?”

“Let’s try drawing a circuit like this instead.”

“Yeah, it might also be a good idea to remove some of the impact types and configure the stocks this way.”

With regretful expressions, they sat at the entrance of the forest, thinking of their next plans. They spent an hour sketching new circuits before trying again.

‘The most basic value of a magician.’

Mackhart smiled as he watched them.

“It’s about the challenge.”

Indeed, is that the case?

“Is this the picture you had in mind?”

As he asked, a voice echoed from the magic tool.

“Yes. It didn’t take us three days for nothing, right?”

“I see. That will definitely be helpful.”

Mackhart nodded.

“The reason failure results in penalties and not outright elimination isn’t that important, is it?”

It’s fine to fail.

“They’ll find a way. And once they experience it once… things look a little different, you know?”

Find the answers in failure.

Such is the purpose of this practical exam.

The girl seemed to suggest that.

Mackhart was also a magician who had experienced battlefields. While he hadn’t stayed on the front lines, he had witnessed plenty of horrifying experiences from the battlefield.

It’s horrific, yes.

But if you survive, it becomes a lesson.

‘…Every single one of those experiences is learning.’

And Mackhart knew well how valuable those experiences can be.

“I see.”

Mackhart nodded.

“That makes sense.”

Over the three days the exam takes place, the students will learn many things. It will be tough, but learning usually requires some effort.

“The students’ abilities will improve significantly.”

Mackhart felt grateful to the girl. He couldn’t have constructed such a high-level exam himself.

‘I can’t handle magic tools this intricately.’

Creating illusions to this extent is no easy task. Mackhart looked at the girl reflected in the magic tool with a newfound gaze.

‘As expected, she’s the disciple of Professor Rosel.’

There’s more to her than meets the eye.

Although he had disregarded her during their first encounter, the more he observed, the deeper her character seemed.

Certainly, it was a well-structured exam.

A good structure, but…

‘Even so…’

Mackhart slowly spoke.

“But, about the conditions of the exam?”

“Yes?”

“The condition to defeat a boss feels somewhat excessive, doesn’t it?”

As he casually shifted his gaze, a glimpse of the boss appeared in the magic tool. Looking at it, Mackhart let out a deep sigh.

‘You want them to take that down?’

He could hardly envision a scene where the students would capture that.

‘Didn’t they intend to send them rolling through the forest for three days from the very beginning?’

Such thoughts crossed his mind. Just as Mackhart was pondering, a voice from the magic tool responded.

“Oh, come on.”

The girl smiled.

“What do you do when facing an opponent you can’t seem to beat? This is a crucial question, isn’t it?”

Then, she placed a skull basket on her head, seemingly pulled from nowhere. Eventually, the illusion magic tool displayed a single word above her head.

Mackhart smacked his forehead.

“…I’m going to lose it.”

Suddenly, he felt like he understood why Professor Rosel often slapped his forehead.

The end of the exam.

What awaited the students there was no mere monster. The one who planned this exam was guarding that place.

The nightmare of Apuria, Rania van Trias.

*

As they battled through various monsters, the students made their way to the center of the forest. The journey was far from smooth. They faced failure time and again, challenging repeatedly.

And, pushing through the monsters.

Breaking through the maze-like terrain of the forest.

When they finally cleared all the fog in the forest and reached its center…

They faced an open clearing.

There were no illusion magic tools in the clearing. The warm sunlight illuminated the space. The stifling air cleared, and they felt a sense of completion.

And there, sat a girl.

The girl’s long ash-colored hair danced in the wind. She wore a mismatched, shabby skull basket on her head.

“Ah, you’re here?”

She turned her head.

At the end of her gaze stood a student.

“…Professor Rania?”

Belnoa, gripping his shadow daggers, blinked in surprise. But soon, as if understanding the situation, he let out a long sigh. Then, he slowly opened his mouth.

“No way.”

“Yep.”

“You’re the boss?”

“Yep, that’s me.”

Belnoa pinched the bridge of his nose.

‘Should I just give up?’

He seriously thought that.

---