Quit The Hero Party

EP.19 Class Assignment Exam (3)

On the day of the class assignment exam.

At the entrance of Harmain Forest, about a dozen students have gathered. They are all those who have passed the entrance exam of the prestigious Apuria Academy with high scores.

However, just because their scores are similar doesn’t mean they are treated the same.

A strange atmosphere flows among the gathered students. This current is created by four distinct individuals.

Stella, Ayla.
Battle Mage, Lac.
Summoner, Resti.
Sorcerer, Belnoa.

Even though they are all grouped under the title of ‘students,’ their presence stands out among them.

Belnoa, the top disciple of the Master of the White Tower, and Lac. The renowned Ashen Master-to-be, Resti. And of course, there’s the noble-born Princess Ayla.

Some students gaze at them with longing eyes, while others shoot them jealous looks.

“Cough.”

A short cough.

At the sound of the cough, the students’ attention turns forward.

“I will explain a brief overview of the exam.”

The teaching assistant standing on the platform begins to explain the rules of the exam. Since the exam has been announced in advance, understanding the rules isn’t too difficult.

One, do not stray from the assigned area.

Two, points will be scored based on the time spent touching the ‘Mana Stones’ placed in each area.

Three, while interference and combat actions are somewhat permitted, do not overstep the bounds.

And lastly,

“Finally, four, do not enter the center of Harmain Forest under any circumstances.”

The assistant’s voice is stern.

“As you know, the ‘Mana Spring’ is located in the center of Harmain Forest. You must absolutely avoid entering it. I trust you all understand the reasons without further explanation.”

Even without an explanation, there were none who didn’t know the reason for avoiding that place.

‘…Why exactly?’

Except for one person.

Raniel glances at the assistant, looking confused. In her mind, there was no reason to be in Harmain Forest if she wasn’t going to use the ‘Mana Spring.’

‘Is she saving it for later usage?’

Raniel decides to think that way for now.

The assistants must have their own plans.

“Then, let’s begin the exam.”

The assistants start teleporting the students to their respective areas. Raniel, watching the circuits heating up from the ground, slowly rises from her seat.

“Uh? Teaching Assistant Rania, where are you going?”

“I’m just going to go ahead.”

“Aren’t you going to use the teleport?”

“Um… just because?”

‘If I get on, the circuit might break.’

Swallowing that thought, Raniel moves into the forest. Someone is watching her.

“Uh?”

The alchemy teaching assistant, Ellen, tilts her head as she looks in the direction Raniel is heading.

‘Rania is supposed to be assigned to the northern area, right?’

However, she is heading towards the entrance of the southern section.

“Uh… Teaching Assistant Rania? If you go that way, it’ll take a long detour.”

“Really? I can just cut through, can’t I?”

“…Huh?”

‘You mean you’ll cut through the Mana Spring?’

“Then, I’ll go check it out first.”

“Oh, okay…”

Ellen can only watch Rania’s retreating figure with a strange gaze.

2.

Belnoa is an orphan from the slums.

Like most children from the slums, Belnoa cannot recall if he had parents or what they were like. He never needed to remember.

Survival was all-consuming.

Living a life where a corpse in an alley could easily become his own.

In short, there was no luxury to ponder his past or lineage. In the time it would take to indulge in such thoughts, Belnoa would search through the trash one more time.

That was life.

Digging through rubbish and bodies to survive.

Normally, someone like Belnoa, who could barely be considered a killer in the slums, would have no reason to come to an academy like this. Even if he had the qualifications, he would have refused.

‘It doesn’t suit me.’

Everyone has their own stage.

And he thought this place was not his stage.

-That kid’s protection?
-If it meant flattening the White Mage’s nose… well, I wouldn’t necessarily refuse.

If it weren’t for that old man and the deal they made.

Belnoa would not have come to Apuria.

-What you mentioned about that kid is nothing difficult for me.
-This is a deal, Belnoa.
-Or it could be seen as a commission.

Belnoa slowly opens his eyes.

When he opens them, he finds himself in the midst of a forest. He gages the wind blowing through the shady trees.

-Overwhelm the Master of the White Tower.
-Show that black is superior to white.

A dirty battle of pride among the upper echelons.

He is merely a tool for them.

‘As that old man said, this is a commission.’

So he will simply carry out his duty as always.

“Phew…”

Exhaling briefly, Belnoa takes a step forward. The moment he steps forward, shadows ripple and distort.

Sorcery, Shadow Weaving.

Thin threads of shadow wrap around Belnoa’s body. The shadow cast between the trees is the path Belnoa can move through.

Step by step, quietly walking, the sound of footsteps catches Belnoa’s ears.

-Slurp.

He looks towards the source of the sound.

White hair, it’s Lac, who has also been assigned to this area.

“………”

Belnoa silently approaches him.

There’s no need to fight head-on. Before being a Sorcerer, Belnoa is an assassin. If he can end it without being seen, that would be the best option.

As he crosses between shadows, Belnoa pulls out the prepared spell from his fingertips.

Shadow Needle.

A handful of the shadow he was encased in slips away.

The moment Belnoa aims the sharply honed spell.

Whoosh.

Lac turns his head.

The slight glint in his eyes accurately spots the hidden Belnoa.

“There.”

Lac unsheathes the axe at his waist. The motion is fluid. Grasping the smoothly drawn axe, Lac shifts his shoulder.

“Stop hiding and come out. Warriors do not hide.”

As his arm swings, Belnoa’s spell is also released. A clash occurs in the air between the spell and the axe. The victor is Lac.

Crack! The axe shatters the shadows.

The axe continues flying towards Belnoa.

Kaang!

Belnoa, who was about to deflect the axe with his shadows, panics the moment it collides with him.

‘Why is it so heavy…?’

Shock.

“Ugh!”

Boom! The shockwave released from the axe’s handle pushes Belnoa back, causing his surrounding shadows to scatter. He is pushed away.

Rolling on the ground, Belnoa gathers the scattered shadows. As he regains his composure, he looks up.

‘Where is he?’

Lac should be right in front of him, but he is nowhere to be found.

In that moment, Belnoa’s instincts warn him. Following his intuition, he looks up at the sky.

Lac is descending, holding an axe in each hand, the handles spinning in mid-air.

‘What kind of mage is that, damn!’

Belnoa bites back the curse creeping out from his lips. And just as if to answer his question, Lac releases a spell.

Acceleration.

Weight.

Lac’s fingers glowing have the axes held firmly.

It’s a simple spell.

However, combined with superhuman physical capabilities, its force is far from light.

Boom!

With a thunderous sound, the shadows dispersed once again. This time, the shock is transmitted beyond the shadows, and one of Belnoa’s fingers breaks.

‘My index finger.’

Before his index finger could completely snap, Belnoa released the spell stored in it.

Smite.

The most basic attack spell.

Its power isn’t great. However, it is enough to knock aside the axe that was already losing momentum.

Clang!

Lac stumbles back a few steps.

Observing him, Belnoa thinks.

‘Seems they weren’t just rumors about him tearing trolls apart.’

It’s indeed hard to win head-on.

And he realizes that he is too keen. The method of hiding and striking from behind will be much tougher than he thought. The options available to him are already significantly reduced.

However, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to win.

‘That’s not the case.’

“Phew.”

Belnoa sighs as he prepares to leap again. He didn’t really want to use it, but to ensure he carries out his commission, he had no choice but to do so.

Sorcery.

Belnoa stretches his hand forward. His fingers begin to bend in odd directions.

‘That old man told me not to use it if I’m likely to be exposed…’

The sorcery Belnoa uses is not easily recognizable. Unless one is a mage capable of dealing with a star, it’s nearly impossible to notice beforehand.

‘Such mages are hardly common.’

At the very least, if there were such a mage, they wouldn’t be working as an academy assistant.

‘Offering.’

Crackle, crackle.

With twisted fingers as the cost, the shadows ripple.

3.

“Oh…”

Kids nowadays know how to fight well.

I perched on a tree to watch Lac and Belnoa’s duel. The skill level was higher than I expected.

‘They’d be able to hold their own on the battlefield right now, without a doubt.’

Especially Lac’s combat instincts were impressive. His sense was too sharp, like that of knights who had crossed dangerous fronts multiple times.

‘In fact, he might even be better than them.’

Indeed, a worthy disciple of the White Tower.

When I first met him at the café, he seemed a bit sickly.

“Hmm.”

As I pondered these things, I stood up from my seat.

It was about time I stepped in.

‘That Belnoa kid seems to be hiding something.’

Sorcerer.

The class is so rare that little is known about it, but I’ve often encountered them on the battlefield.

Lizard Sorcerers.

Psychopaths who sacrificed their kin to bring about disasters. I still remember how troublesome they can be.

‘Damn sorcerers.’

Honestly, I never liked sorcerers much. The reason they’re so malicious is that they always seem to be hiding something until the bitter end.

Just like right now.

Crackle, crackle.

As I watched Belnoa’s fingers twisting strangely, I clicked my tongue. That’s a sign of using the basic spell, Offering.

‘Practicing like it’s the battlefield is good, but…’

That’s a bit over the line.

“Stop.”