The Third-Rate Academy Villain Who Refuses to Become a Beggar

After Almon and Rudger were eliminated, the situation unfolded more easily than expected.

"This is not the time to fight among ourselves. Gerhard and Luina have eliminated Almon, so they have the advantage!"

Under Carlo's leadership, the remaining Groups 1 and 2 united and charged toward Group 3's formation.

However, shortly after they left, leaving only a few members behind, Group 3's members, who had eliminated Almon and returned as quickly as possible, raided their base.

"Gerhard? Luina?"

"Why are you here?!"

"Our group members just went to attack your formation!"

"I know. That's why we came here."

Seizing Group 1's flag, which was completely unguarded, proved easier than expected.

"We'll return to our base."

It was an exquisite moment.

Dozens of lightning bolts struck in succession, and amid the waves of furious students' attacks, the base was half in ruins.

Quite a few students had already been eliminated.

"Gerhard...!"

Carlo, leading Group 2, gritted his teeth.

"You coward...!"

"You don't seem much different."

"I challenge you to a one-on-one magic duel. If you're a proud wizard, accept the duel."

"You seem to be misunderstanding something."

Gerhard shrugged.

"I'm not a wizard but a merchant. And a proud merchant always pursues efficiency."

This means I have absolutely no reason to have a one-on-one magic duel with you, Carlo Deneb.

"Luina."

-!

With a boom, the protective barrier shielding Carlo wavered. Lightning chased after the enemy, but a suddenly emerging rock blocked it.

The battle had begun.

***

The ideal collaboration between knights and wizards is for knights to firmly hold the front line while wizards pour out magic from behind.

The simplest yet most powerful combination.

But being so simple means that if the front line doesn't hold, it collapses incredibly quickly.

Group 2 had the best wizard in the department, but unfortunately, they lacked knights who could stop Luina.

But if Carlo were to focus solely on Luina, the pesky Gerhard would be too bothersome.

A chaotic battle ensued, and in such situations, knights had the advantage over wizards. Group 2, having left some members at their base, was also numerically disadvantaged.

In the end, Carlo had no choice but to retreat after losing four more group members.

"Should we pursue?"

"Wait. Let's take a moment to regroup."

From Group 3 to Group 1, from Group 1 to Group 4, and then back to Group 1 and Group 3.

They had fought intense battles everywhere they went, and most of the members were extremely exhausted.

They needed even a brief rest.

"Won't giving them time be problematic?"

"We'll have to accept that."

Even if they pursued now, they would still suffer significant damage.

Above all, the other side also had those who had been resting at their base and preparing defenses.

After sending out a few scouts and taking a short 20-minute break, Gerhard entered into a discussion with his members.

"What's the best approach?"

"We don't necessarily have to go, right?"

"Right. Defending our base is much more advantageous. I don't think we need to accept a disadvantage."

"But what if they don't move either?"

"Then it becomes a test of patience."

Not a single person wanted to willingly walk into the enemy's base. Gerhard agreed with this.

"Then first, let's strengthen our base defenses..."

That's when it happened. Text appeared on each of their maps.

[Rules have been partially changed.

First, the arena will be reduced.

Second, the flag must be held by one designated member of the team. If the flag bearer is eliminated, the entire team is eliminated.]

The field drawn on the map began to rapidly shrink.

[You are outside the field. Please return to the field within the time limit.]

[Time remaining 30:00]

"It seems we weren't the only ones with that thought."

"..."

"..."

"Let's decide on the flag bearer first."

***

It was bad luck.

The reduced field was formed slightly closer to Group 2's base, and the exhausted members had to move inside the field without even a moment to rest.

These small bits of misfortune accumulated to create misfortune for Gerhard.

"I've been waiting, Gerhard."

Gerhard, who had designated Gert Grotz as the flag bearer and moved with his members, encountered enemies who had already formed their battle lines in the field.

"Do you know, Gerhard? I'm the top student, not you."

He should have realized earlier that Carlo's incomprehensible words were merely to buy time.

"I've never claimed to be the top student."

"Yes, you've always been like that. Always standing back, with that observant look in your eyes as if you know everything."

Carlo's eyes gleamed.

"But I wonder if you can remain so composed this time."

He raised his staff.

"This time, I've won. You've walked into your own grave."

Twenty wizards were with him.

"Grave? Enough with the nonsense..."

Gerhard let out a hollow laugh at the massive flow of magic being concentrated around Carlo.

Neither Carlo nor any of the wizards in Group 2 could move such magic power alone. This meant one thing.

"Don't tell me it's a joint magic spell?"

Connecting wizards through a magic circle to make it bigger and more powerful.

The more wizards participate and the more mana invested, the stronger the firepower. But it wasn't all advantages.

As it required multiple spellcasters joining forces, it needed quite complex calculations, formulas, and magic circles, and naturally, the exhaustion from aftereffects lasted for quite some time.

"Yes, we need to settle this once and for all."

This meant it was inappropriate for use in such an exam where multiple groups competed.

Unless, like now, the remaining two groups had been completely eliminated.

"But what a shame, you've discovered it."

Joint magic also had the disadvantage of requiring a very long time for preparation.

This meant that more time was still needed before the magic could be activated.

"Luina! Stop him!"

"Where do you think you're going!"

-!

Luina's sword, which lunged toward Carlo, was blocked by Allia.

"Charge!"

"Kill them all!"

"Joint magic? What a dirty trick!"

Students charged. They collided with Group 2 at the front. The battle, which initially seemed slightly even, quickly tilted.

This was natural. One side had wizards absent, preparing the joint magic.

But what Gerhard hadn't anticipated happened then.

"Everyone, fall back!"

The preparation for the joint magic had finished much faster than expected.

"...How?"

"Magic stones aren't exclusively used by you."

"Scatter!"

Gerhard immediately struck the ground with his staff. A wave of mana spread across the earth.

Rumble rumble-

The field shook as if an earthquake had occurred. Massive rock walls rose one after another.