A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

The method of deployment is the same as the survival training. Blindfolded, we followed the professors and teaching assistants.

However, unlike survival training, we had to remove the blindfolds only after the broadcast started. Any early removal would lead to immediate disqualification.

"The exam will begin shortly. All students, please be ready."

The broadcast signaled the start. I removed the frustrating blindfold and surveyed the surrounding environment.

"Wow… is this also… magic?"

Yeonhwa's admiration was understandable, as the surrounding scenery was breathtaking.

The landscape looked strikingly like an ordinary village. It wasn't exactly a city, but a thriving village.

Houses were built everywhere, and from afar, a huge windmill stood out. The presence of a dense forest was an added bonus.

To the uninformed, it would just seem like a nice village visit. But it was all an illusion recreated through magic.

"It's magic. It works on the same principle we saw in the specialized dueling ground. To recreate it on such a broad scale…"

Grace, too, marveled at the pristine depiction of the village.

Having a keen understanding of magic, she quickly realized the magnitude of the magic used.

While they marveled, I looked around. From afar, I could see what appeared to be a blue barrier, probably the mana field.

Safe for now, but the mana field was set to shrink gradually. We needed to find a map or climb to a high vantage point to get the lay of the land before that happens.

"First, let's head to that house. The professors mentioned there would be various collectibles."

Leadership has its place. It's not bad to slowly develop a strategy.

Following Grace, I headed towards the house right in front of us. It appeared to be a wooden house, aligned with medieval European styles.

Creak-

We carefully entered the house. I went in first as a precaution, not Grace.

Despite my initial assumption, the interior seemed to have everything. A table and hearth, along with various pieces of furniture.

We expressed our amazement at the precisely reconstructed interior once again and began to thoroughly explore. Even implementing the interiors was delightfully meticulous.

"Uh? Oh! This looks like a map."

Yeonhwa must have found a map while rummaging through a table drawer. Grace and I turned our attention to it.

The map was of a size that was neither too big nor too small, somewhat cumbersome to carry around without a bag.

Upon examining the map, it displayed the overall layout of the village as I had anticipated.

However, there were areas where houses were clustered together and areas that weren’t. A giant windmill stood at the center.

"Hmm… We’ll have to go outside to know where we are. There seems to be a windmill outside, though."

"Do you know how to read a map, Grace?"

"…Sort of?"

Grace replied with an uncertain voice. She seemed unsure.

Yeonhwa was no different. Cases that require map reading are less frequent than one might think.

Perhaps only soldiers and explorers would find maps truly valuable. Plus, maps of this era often contain many uncertainties.

"Let's figure out the direction first. We'll look for a compass. Since we’re not on the outskirts, there should still be plenty of collectibles left."

"Right."

Doing as Grace instructed, we began to scour the house once more. Being somewhat central rather than the periphery, we found quite a number of things.

We discovered compasses and spacious backpacks, among others. Most items necessary for battle royale were at hand.

I found something, too – it was shaped like a fist-sized rock.

This is something I'll have to consult with the team about. I held the rock in my hand and returned to the center.

"Grace."

"Huh? Did you find something?"

"This."

I showed Grace a rock I had found. Grace and Yeonhwa looked over with curiosity.

Grace took the rock from me and inspected it from all angles. Then, her eyes slightly widened as if she had discovered something.

"There's a button here?"

Click-

Unable to resist her curiosity, Grace pressed the button. As soon as she did, an ominous premonition came over me.

A whisper from my wild instincts told me to throw it out the window immediately.

Trusting my instinct, I quickly snatched the rock from Grace.

Crack!

And threw it straight out the window. The constructed house made a sound as if wood was being shattered by the impact.

"What, what are you…!"

Grace couldn’t even finish her sentence of surprise.

Boom!

The rock thrown outside caused a huge explosion.

Although not a massive explosion, it was potent enough to knock out several people – somewhat like a grenade. Given the noise it made, it seemed wise to leave this house.

"…We should be wary of traps, too."

"Right… Yeah…"

Grace quickly regained her composure after her initial surprise at the explosion. It seemed rather useful.

Especially for me, who doesn't have permission to attack, it might be quite handy. It seemed important to identify if there were more such weapons.

"Let's move on for now. The sound has probably drawn attention from other teams."

"How about heading to the windmill?"

"That would be difficult. Since the windmill is so noticeable, at least one team will definitely approach. Let's go to a house that’s a bit farther away for now."

Grace was making wiser judgments than expected. She had grasped the key points of battle royale.

Following her decision, we left the house behind and moved to another. Fortunately, we didn't encounter any other teams along the way.

"Here’s another strange rock. It looks more elongated than the last one…"

Bang!

"Kyaa!"

"My eyes…!"

That's why you don’t just press buttons. Overflowing with curiosity like a cat.

But thanks to that, we understood that the elongated rock had an effect similar to a flashbang.

Through diligent farming, we discovered various tools, and I primarily found weapons.

As mentioned before, being more towards the center rather than at the outskirts meant the items were of decent quality. Naturally, I ended up with an axe.

"The mana field is moving."

After a few rounds of farming, an announcement informed us the mana field was on the move. We were situated inside, so there was no need for us to relocate.

But those outside would need to hurry. Immediately upon hearing the broadcast, Grace commanded us.

"Let's stay here for a while. Setting up traps would be a good idea."

"Yes."

"Huh?"

"Ah, nothing…"

Yeonhwa quickly shrunk back after her casual response. It seemed she had grown comfortable with Grace after spending so much time with her.

Grace, surprised by the familiarity, frowned, causing a misunderstanding. It was, in many ways, an amusing setup.

"Sivar, can you scout towards the windmill for a moment? There might be better items, and if you see anyone, run away immediately."

"Okay."

"And please remember our house. If anything happens, I'll set off a bomb right away."

Armed with contingency plans, I cautiously went outside and observed the windmill.

The area around the windmill was clear and open. If anyone approached, they would be easily spotted.

Even for someone like me, too close an approach to the windmill would get me detected. So it’s best to go and return quickly.

‘Is there anyone there?'

There might be a team lucky enough to start at the windmill. I approached, concealing my presence as much as possible.

I ignored distant sounds of explosions, focusing on what was important.

Eventually, when I approached the windmill, I found something on the ground.

‘Trampled marks…'

Not footprints, but clear indentations from being stepped on. These traces led straight to the windmill.

It seems there's someone inside the windmill. Not surprising, really.

I could just run away as Grace instructed, but now that I was here, I felt compelled to experiment.

Not to attack, but to cleverly use that defense that I was allowed.

Without hesitation, I headed towards the windmill. Its blades were spinning tirelessly.

‘So noticeable.'

Glancing through the window at the center of the windmill, I caught a glimpse of someone's face.

I tried not to be seen, but in a fleeting moment, everything was exposed.

"Hey, it’s that guy. What do we do?"

"What do you mean? He can’t attack anyway."

"I’ll engage from the front, you guys support from behind. We can catch him."

I heard every word of their conversations.

Not because they disregarded my keen senses, but because they didn’t know. Normally, it shouldn’t be audible.

I then reached the door of the windmill and assessed the number of people inside through my keen sensations.

‘Exactly four.'

If they just said ‘you guys,' then it's probably two close range and two at a distance.

I quietly opened the door and entered. Inside, various mechanical structures comprised of gears and levers greeted me.

"Now!"

"Ice, pierce through!"

"Burning spear!"

As soon as I opened the door, the incantations assaulted my ears. Just as I predicted, two mages were waiting overhead.

Having two mages is quite a good combination. But they made a mistake.

Crash!

"Guh?!"

As soon as the magic was fired, I grabbed the collar of a person hiding behind the door.

It seemed they were waiting to land the finishing blow as the magic hit me but were far too sloppy.

Using the warrior behind the door as a ‘shield' was much quicker than the magic’s velocity.

Crash! Whoosh!

"Aaah!"

An ice spear skewered the warrior's body, and several fiery arrows buried into him.

They wouldn't kill him, but I cleverly manipulated the human shield to make the warrior get hit in the most painful spots only.

Drag-

Whether from pain or fainting, the warrior collapsed, and a protective shield started to form around his body.

"That, that…!"

"Isn’t that an attack? What the hell…!"

The students were aghast that I had taken a human shield. I responded firmly.

"Not an attack."

I did not attack them.

"It's defense."

It was teamkill from their own hand.