Chapter 37

Chapter 37

From Cosmic Rascal to Professor.

Episode 37: Reassignment Test (5).

Real-time Scoreboard

I. Aidel von Reinhardt / Ceti von Reinhardt / Rustila Kersil: 2406 points.

II. Zelnya von Adelwein: 1500 points.

III. Matus Baitling: 1278 points.

IV. Christine Herseth / Merlin Whiritia: 1272 points.

V. Welton Yuseford: 1266 points.

Zelnya frowned.

The score increases for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th places were expected. It didn’t seem to be something to pay much attention to.

The only problem was one thing.

Why had she dropped back to 2nd place?

She had definitely caught five golems, hadn’t she?

So, the 1st place…

“2400 points?”

The moment she uttered it dumbfoundedly, 600 points were added to Aidel’s team.

I. Aidel von Reinhardt / Ceti von Reinhardt / Rustila Kersil: 3006 points.

“Isn’t this outright cheating?”

It was ridiculous. But it’s fine. If three people equally share 3,000 points, the points allocated to Aidel would be just over 1000.

Considering that, Zelnya has the upper hand. Yes, indeed. Definitely.

[The score has been updated!]

I. Aidel von Reinhardt / Ceti von Reinhardt / Rustila Kersil: 4506 points.

“…?”

Hold on.

I. Aidel von Reinhardt / Ceti von Reinhardt / Rustila Kersil: 5712 points.

Something is happening.

“I-it’s manipulated.”

The scoreboard must be incorrect. Or it could be that Aidel is up to some strange tricks. Otherwise, there’s no way such an abnormal increase in scores could occur.

What’s going on? What could it possibly be?

It was when Zelnya was clutching her head, moaning in frustration, that a boy shot out from the bushes on the right.

“…these crazy supervisors!”

He had a wild look, with hair as red as if it had been soaked in a vat of dye. It was a face Zelnya recognized.

Was he a student in her class? She remembered his name was Matus.

“What kind of B-grade is that? It’s easily A-grade! Are you doing this to me on purpose right now? Huh? Did you deceive me because I’m from the Frontier?”

Matus scowled and shouted. His gaze was directed towards where two golems emerged from the bushes.

Zelnya smirked as she drew her sword.

“Aha.”

It was just when she was having trouble due to the absence of golems. Regardless of the reason, it was a good opportunity.

Zelnya, with her sword drawn, lunged forward.

Matus saw it.

A tail shaped like a scorpion, a body resembling that of a lizard, but with the upper body in the grotesquely elongated form of a human—an immensely large monster.

It was a dark, bizarre lifeform, its entire body appearing to be encased in blade-like skin.

Initially, he mistook it for a B-grade golem and attacked. It was a judgment made on the premise that one should not estimate an enemy’s capability solely by its appearance.

However, that judgment was spectacularly wrong.

The creature was as formidable as its appearance suggested. It was strong. With just a single exchange, Matus’ sword was sent flying.

“…kuak!”

He felt a numbness in his arm. In the next moment, the monster’s tail lashed out.

With a tearing sound, Matus’ body was cleaved through the air. There was ringing in his ears and a sharp pain in his abdomen.

What exactly happened? What was he hit by? Without any time to think, the monster had already closed in on him.

He needed to move his body to survive. Matus shook his head, got up, and then he ran. He ran as if his life depended on it, seeking refuge in a place where a supervisor might be.

Along the way, he even encountered a real B-grade golem and suffered the misfortune of being chased, but that was almost endearing in comparison.

Monster. Without a doubt, Matus was being chased by a monster.

“Euk, euk, damn it…!”

Running mindlessly, he eventually reached the small, slightly elevated clearing where Zelnya was.

2. Zelnya von Adelwein: 2100 points.

“Lucky me.”

Zelnya, who had swiftly defeated two golems, grinned. This victory allowed her to seize the top spot once again.

However, she wasn’t satisfied with just that. She aimed to increase the gap even further. Zelnya was determined to reclaim the valedictorian position she had lost at the entrance ceremony, intending to do so with a commanding lead in the practical test.

“Just wait, Aidel. I’ll definitely surpass you.”

Holding onto that vow, Zelnya turned around to find Matus, who was panting heavily.

“Sigh.”

Zelnya sighed.

“Pathetic, failing to catch even a single B-grade golem.”

“…What?”

Matus turned his head, his expression souring. He, too, had something to say.

“Pathetic, to a laughable extent.”

“Do you really think I can’t catch that thing?”

“Well, yes.”

Zelnya, having sheathed her sword, slightly tilted her chin up. Her demeanor was effortlessly serene yet also haughty.

“If you’re looking to make excuses, go talk to that tree over there.”

“It’s not an excuse… There’s something strange in the bushes, not just the golem!”

“Ah, is that so?”

She doesn’t believe it. Why would she? The words of a loser who ran away from a B-grade golem.

Of course, by looking at the scoreboard, one could indirectly learn that Matus had also defeated a few golems. But what of it? Could it not be that he barely managed to defeat them? Catching them by surprise and winning a fight head-on are clearly different things.

Zelnya, after kicking away the golem, scrutinized the path Matus had taken. There didn’t seem to be anything resembling a monster. To begin with, the thicket he had emerged from was dense. It was difficult to secure a clear view.

Zelnya shrugged her shoulders and turned around to hunt the next golem. Watching her back, Matus gritted his teeth.

“Damn it…”

That was when it happened.

Thud!

A sound that shook the heavens and the earth. Birds flew out of their nests in flocks. Zelnya’s vision shook slightly.

“What’s that?”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The dull sound refused to stop. It was as if a giant was forging the world itself with his iron hammer.

The reverberation continued even as Zelnya looked around, soon ejecting two girls from between the bushes.

“Huff, huff…!”

“We’re screwed!”

One was a tall girl with brown wavy hair, and the other was a girl with dark green bobbed hair. They lay prostrate in front of Zelnya and Matus, vomiting. Their faces were bright red, even though it was unclear how fast they had been running.

“You are…”

They were also familiar faces. They had seen each other in class.

“…Run, run away!” the girl with brown hair, Christine, screamed.

“We’re all going to dieee!” the girl with green hair, Merlin, continued to shout.

Is everyone making such a fuss over a mere B-grade golem?

“Seriously.”

It was ridiculous. Somehow, the more it went on, the more Zelnya couldn’t shake off the feeling of being placed in the same class as those who were below standard.

To be honest, it felt repulsive.

“Are you scared of golems?”

“…No, I’m not!”

“I can’t tell at the moment. It’s not even an A-grade, trembling at merely a B-grade. You fools will probably boast about being alumni later on. Tsk, the school’s admission standards must have dropped.”

“What are you talking about?! If we don’t run now, everyone will…!”

Christine fell silent. A chilling sensation. A dark shadow loomed over her head.

“Ah, ah, ah…”

Behind Christine and Merlin appeared something monstrous. It was a creature with the color of ink, resembling a scorpion, a lizard, a centipede, or even a human.

Like the Chimera from myths, a steel harbinger of death, a mix of various animals, had manifested on the earth.

“Shit, that’s it, that! That’s what I saw!” Matus yelled, swearing.

Unlike everyone else who was panicking, Zelnya calmly nodded her head. She lifted her head to examine the monster’s form.

“What’s this now? A golem?”

“Do you think a golem would look like that?!”

“It could be made to scare the students.”

The intention was clearly visible. A field boss was created to test crisis management skills. For Zelnya, who had received a gifted education, it was expected.

Of course, for a B-grade golem, it looked quite eerie, and it was huge, too. The amount of armament it carried seemed significant, without even having to mention it.

“Woah, what is that?”

A boy who emerged from the other side of the bushes exclaimed in surprise. He was wearing sunglasses, and his name was Welton Yuseford. He had been wandering around hunting golems and had just arrived at this clearing.

Welton said, “The appearance of that monster is absolutely insane, eh?”

“Ugh.”

As Zelnya watched a classmate vomit, she was deep in thought.

This one and that one. They’re all nothing but idiots who don’t meet her standards. The only one worth acknowledging is Aidel alone.

Zelnya smirked as she drew her sword again.

“He’s a big one. I wonder if catching him would earn us about 1000 points?”

300 points added!

Rustila and I were literally hunting golems.

Rustila would tank, and I would finish them off with Calipers.

Of course, Rustila alone is more than enough. She takes down 3-4 golems at once. Her potential is off the charts. That’s what you’d expect from a Sword Saint.

Anyway, thanks to Rustila’s consideration, I gained a deeper understanding of the ‘Calipers of Wisdom.’ These Calipers are effective not just against humans but against all beings with consciousness.

“Sis, you’re incredible!”

Rustila and I were perfectly in sync. As a result, our score skyrocketed.

“Phew, that’s it.”

Rustila said after taking down the last golem.

“Aidel, do you feel that strange energy?”

“Energy?”

‘The God of Wisdom and Curiosity’ senses the energy of its kin.

“…Certainly.”

“Unpleasant. A rat has sneaked in.”

It seemed like a monster had somehow crept in.

Right, I wondered why nothing had gone wrong until now.

[Notice]

An urgent quest has been assigned.

[Objective]

Complete at least one of the following sub-quests:

[Quest 1]

Eliminate the monster that has invaded the reassignment test (0/1)

[Quest 2]

Remove the unknown anti-Ether barrier surrounding the site (0/1)

[Reward]

3,000 Pron each

“Aidel, I think we need to move somewhere else.”

I nodded.