Chapter 148: First Day of Practicals

“Uwaaaang──!!! It’s over! Freedom! Freedom!”

As soon as the Written Exam ended, Noa jumped up and stretched.

It was a far cry from the mighty roar of a tiger dominating the snowy fields; her voice was loud, but the situation was rather meager.

“Noa. Good work today.”

“More! More! Praise me more!”

Rohan, witnessing Noa, who was a head shorter than Ichinose, craving praise,

Organized his writing utensils with a satisfied smile.

“Hmm···.”

Rohan was quite confident about this Written Exam.

Not only did he receive full support from Ichinose, but he also actually studied hard.

And with the revision of the curriculum, the scope of the theory had been reduced.

As always, the questions that determined the top ranks required deep understanding, but the amount of memorization needed was significantly less compared to the midterm exam.

That much made things easier for Rohan and Noa.

He wasn’t sure about the ranking, but just looking at the scores themselves, it seemed clear that they would be higher than last time.

‘Well, higher scores always feel good.’

Above all, wasn’t Orion Academy focused on nurturing combat specialists?

Even though the scope of the theory was reduced, there weren’t any trivial questions meant just for differentiating students.

If there were many perfect scores on the Written Exam, they could just clearly distinguish the ranks in the Practical Exam. That was their tendency.

“Rohan. Good work. How was the exam?”

“A lot of what you pointed out came up. Thanks to you, I think I’ll get a good score. Did Ichinose get a perfect score, as always?”

“Perhaps. If luck is on my side, I think so.”

She said that, but the upturned corners of her lips revealed her confidence.

“What about Noa?”

“She’s on the phone with her parents. She seemed satisfied that there were a lot of questions she could solve on the Written Exam.”

That’s good. With that thought, Rohan finished preparing to return to the Dormitory.

Ichinose quietly watched him, then spoke.

“Rohan.”

“Yeah?”

“In tomorrow’s Practical Exam, you’ll… collect all the Bells, right?”

“Of course.”

“Me too. And so will Noa.”

“Then it’s a competition.”

Just by watching Rohan ask questions when Juyeon explained the Practical Exam, one could guess what his goal was.

Seeing it as a good opportunity, the girls would have definitely challenged Juyeon. That aside, their mindset now was different.

It would be accurate to say that both Ichinose and Noa were stimulated by Rohan.

“Competition… I like it. I won’t lose.”

Rohan was quite pleased with the smile on the girl’s face as she closed her eyes.

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The first day of the Practical Exam began.

The First-Year Cadets gathered not in the classroom but on the Academy grounds, each warming up.

‘Did the Second-Years go to a completely different location?’

Rohan double-checked the harness holding the Sheath of Radiance and his Handgun holster, then checked the time.

The exam time was from 9:00 to 17:00. Mealtimes were free.

It wasn’t long until 9:00.

“Huu!”

As Rohan warmed up by rotating his shoulders,

Ichinose approached, her beloved Sword embraced in her arms.

Today, Ichinose wasn’t wearing the Academy Uniform, but the training clothes she wore in the Training Room. It seemed she was focused on movement.

“How’s your condition?”

“I’m good. Are you alright, Rohan?”

Rohan nodded and looked around.

“I don’t see Noa.”

“She’s over there.”

Rohan followed the direction Ichinose’s slender finger pointed.

Amongst the bustling Cadets, he saw the tiger girl wolfing down a hamburger.

There was a pile of wrappers next to her, showing just how many she had already eaten.

“She’s eating that much right before the exam…?”

“Noa can move right after eating her fill.”

“Doesn’t her stomach hurt?”

“I asked her that before, and she said she’s never felt uncomfortable or had any pain even after running at full speed after eating. I haven’t stopped her since. It’s her own way of managing her condition.”

“Wow…”

Even if she was a descendant of the Grand Emperor of Snow, it was still amazing.

What kind of body did she have? He could only express pure admiration.

Even the other Beastkin Cadets were watching Noa with curiosity.

“…Rohan. I actually came here to tell you something.”

“I’m listening. Tell me comfortably.”

“My mother just called. She told me to be careful, and to tell you to be careful as well.”

“Me?”

Rohan wanted to ask how she was doing first, but he couldn’t help but show his confusion at her words.

Ichinose nodded with a serious face.

“Among the Dungeon Survivors, there have been people caught in the Monolith twice. Just like you, Rohan. There’s no news of them returning yet, though.”

“People, not person?”

“That’s right. Not one, but two people. It’s an unbelievable probability.”

“Hmm…”

“Seeing this incident and your case, Rohan, a hypothesis has emerged. Isn’t it possible that those who have been to a Dungeon even once have a higher probability of being caught in a Monolith again…?”

This was the first time Rohan had heard of this. He hadn’t seen it in the settings either.

It could be a coincidence that defied all odds, or the hypothesis could be correct.

It wasn’t as if one could avoid a Monolith by being careful, but it might become a good excuse if he fell into a Dungeon again in the future.

“Make sure to thank her. I’ll be careful.”

“Alright.”

“Ah! Shion and Clara also went to the Dungeon with me once. Would it be alright if I told them?”

“My mother said she would call them separately, so don’t worry.”

“…?”

Rohan was momentarily speechless.

Shion and Clara were that close with Ichinose’s mother? How did they even get her number?

Just as the question formed in his mind, an announcement echoed.

─ The Orion Academy Practical Exam will now begin.

“I’ll be going now. I thought about going together, but··· it’s a competition, after all.”

“Good luck.”

After watching Ichinose walk away, Rohan turned his head to see the cadets moving in droves.

Were they aiming for the Bells with the lowest points first? More than half were headed in Instructor Marcel’s direction.

‘Should I follow the flow for now?’

Three days should be enough time to look around.

Rohan followed the moving cadets.

He saw a male instructor sitting on a chair in the spacious grounds.

Experienced-looking eyes and a well-groomed beard made a strong impression.

Instructor Marcel held as many Bells as there were first-year cadets.

In front of him was a box filled with yellow Bells.

Instructor Marcel specialized in Healing and Detoxification.

With valuable abilities that were highly sought after anywhere, he could have lived a comfortable life in a comfortable position, yet he was a veteran who volunteered to suppress the Dimensional Rift and took the lead in eliminating Monsters.

Rohan heard that cadets who were struggling to incorporate abilities deemed suitable for the rear into combat were learning from Instructor Marcel.

‘What’s the exam about?’

Here and there, he saw cadets lying down, groaning and complaining of dizziness.

Perhaps it was related to the exam.

As Rohan made his way through the throng of cadets, he saw a thick line drawn on the ground.

Beyond the line, a translucent space shimmered, formed by Instructor Marcel’s Mana.

“Come in and just take a Bell.”

Instructor Marcel announced once more.

‘There’s something to this.’

Seeing the large number of cadets around complaining of dizziness, Rohan suspected something would happen upon entering the space.

At the same time, he felt a sense of regret.

The things he had set up here would have to be retrieved later.

‘Whatever it is, I can’t use this place.’

It was something he had been worried about. The exam was different from what he had imagined.

Recalling Juyeon’s explanation, he had anticipated that there would be instructors who would test cadets and distribute Bells in ways other than combat.

Furthermore, there was the rule against excessive destruction or injuring other cadets.

Because of this, the things he had prepared in the early morning had limitations, and they didn’t give Rohan complete satisfaction.

‘···It’s a relief that the instructors don’t share information with each other.’

The instructors were dispersed across the large academy building and its extensive grounds.

They couldn’t see each other directly.

‘Even if they heard sounds, they would only be able to guess the situation or the weapons. It’s also possible they’d simply attribute it to a cadet’s ability.’

No one would be able to make a perfect guess with certainty.

The things he prepared in advance became a new tactic each time.

Thinking so, he extended his foot.

He entered the space. The cadets watching focused their attention on Rohan.

Wooong──!!!

Vibrations shook his entire body. It felt like his body had transformed into a cell phone.

Rohan’s lips curved upwards at the strange sensation he was experiencing for the first time.

‘Indeed.’

It was a bizarre place.

Enveloping his body with Mana negated the effects of the vibrations.

However, the vibrations continued to create irregular flows, attempting to unravel the Mana surrounding his body.

‘That’s why everyone’s lying down, dizzy.’

A test to see if one could properly control their Mana.

Simple yet effective, it required considerable skill in control itself.

Rohan strode forward and approached Instructor Marcel.

The instructor looked up from his chair and at Rohan.

“You’re Cadet Rohan, the one who’s been to the Dungeon twice, right?”

“That’s correct. May I take a Bell?”

“Of course. Your Mana control is impeccable. You pass.”

Rohan pocketed the Bell Instructor Marcel handed him and moved on.

Afterward, Rohan decided to find a place with minimal people.

Completely polar opposites.

Perhaps because the exam had just begun, the cadets were flocking to Instructor Marcel, who had the lowest difficulty, and Instructor Juyeon, who had the highest. Was it because of the single Bell that they were gathered like that?

The other areas weren’t exactly empty, but the difference in numbers was clear.

“Oh my! Cadet Rohan!”

Instructor Carrot waved as she saw Rohan approaching, seemingly pleased.

Rohan passed by a cadet who had just been kicked and sent flying.

His gaze was fixed on the silver Bell hanging from Instructor Carrot’s waist.

Rohan bowed and immediately got to the point.

“Instructor. How should I take the exam?”

“Show me an attack or action that I, Instructor Carrot, would like. But if you attack me, I’ll kick you!”

Her rabbit ears twitched! She swung her legs in the air.

Her legs moved so fast they were invisible, even without using Mana.

“Simple, I like it.”

Facing an exam he liked, Rohan smiled, his lips curling upwards.

Looking around, he saw the cadets keeping a safe distance, as expected.

Other cadets, who appeared to be friends, had taken care of and carried away the cadet who had been kicked unconscious.

“Right? No matter what anyone says, one-dimensional is the best!”

“You’re absolutely right.”

Rohan drew his Handgun and nonchalantly put his hand into his magazine pouch.

Staring at the instructor standing in the pre-determined spot, he manipulated a small device.

It was instantaneous.

A very brief moment.

Kiiiing!

The ground cracked, and hot light poured out in streams.

With an explosion, the ground where Instructor Carrot was standing flipped over.

Kwaaaaaang───!!!