Chapter 150: Second Day of Practicals

Orion Academy Practical Exam, Day Two dawned.

An hour before the exam started, Rohan began his warm-up, consuming the supplements Clara had prepared and the candies Shion had packed for him.

‘The atmosphere is different from yesterday.’

Looking around, there was a clear difference from the previous day.

There were more cadets meditating or standing still, focusing their minds, than those loosening their muscles.

Perhaps they were preparing for Instructor Marcel’s exam, which more than half had failed.

─ Commencing Orion Academy Practical Exam, Day 2.

The same announcement as yesterday played as 9:00 AM arrived.

Today, the cadets scattered, seemingly with their own plans.

Unlike the first day, the area around Juyeon was empty. The most cadets were headed towards Instructor Marcel.

‘Our Instructor must be bored.’

Unfortunately, Rohan wasn’t planning on going to Juyeon today either.

He’d decided on his destination yesterday.

His current plan was to head to Instructor Falkenhain, who specialized in Defensive Arts.

Instructor Falkenhain possessed blue bells, 100 in total.

According to the Community, about 30 had been given out on the first day.

Even if that was true, there was a high possibility of minor discrepancies. Depending on the momentum, today’s supply could be completely depleted, so now seemed like the opportune moment.

‘Let’s go.’

Quite a few people seemed to have a similar plan to Rohan.

Many cadets were walking in the same direction.

After walking for a while, a male instructor standing with his arms crossed came into view.

Short hair, tightly closed lips, large build, a large scar on his face.

In short, he was a man with a sturdy and solid impression.

He had the appearance and atmosphere that everyone would recognize as a Western special forces soldier.

Thud. Thud.

The cadets stopped at a line drawn on the floor.

The instructor, looking over the flock of cadets, channeled his Mana and began to explain.

“The way to obtain a bell is simple. Break the barrier I’ve erected. I’ll give a bell to any cadet who breaks it.”

Instructor Falkenhain used his Mana to create a translucent membrane.

A physical barrier now separated the cadets and the instructor.

“Any cadet who wishes to challenge, step over the line.”

Since Rohan had secured a front-row spot with a clear view, he decided to observe for a moment.

A cadet immediately stepped forward.

“You may attack at any time. As there are many participants, the time limit will be 1 minute from the start.”

“Yes, sir!”

The cadet reached out and touched the barrier Instructor Falkenhain had deployed.

Waves spread from the point of contact with his palm.

Rohan watched the situation, stroking his chin. He continued to ponder the part that had been bothering him since yesterday.

‘Will Skills work on the barrier? What’s the ruling? If they work, this exam is practically tailor-made for me.’

Considering the number of cadets, Instructor Falkenhain would likely be adjusting the hardness of the barrier.

As Rohan continued this train of thought, the cadet taking the exam drew a sword.

As expected of an Orion Academy student, their Mana capacity was quite impressive.

“Haaap!”

The blade, accompanied by a shout, began to strike the barrier relentlessly.

Clang! Clang!

The slashes continued uninterrupted for a minute. Still, the barrier wouldn’t break.

It only received scratches.

“Time’s up.”

“Haaah… ! Pant…!”

The barrier instantly repaired itself, erasing the scratches.

If they had properly targeted the same area for a minute, they might have achieved a decent result, but minimizing errors while maximizing power wasn’t easy for a cadet.

“It’s not that you lack Mana. You can do it if you focus your power. Try to condense it more cleanly next time.”

The breathless cadet bowed their head and retreated.

Several more cadets attempted the challenge after that.

While Rohan watched, two cadets received bells.

‘Should I try now?’

As soon as one cadet stepped back, Rohan crossed the line.

The instructor’s gaze turned towards him.

“The time limit is 1 minute. Attack whenever you’re ready.”

“Yes, sir.”

Rohan drew his Handgun, Brand, from its holster.

He checked that the chamber was empty, took out the magazine, and replaced the topmost bullet with a special bullet.

After switching to a bullet with strong Mana hardness, he racked the slide.

Click!

He aimed Brand’s muzzle at the barrier.

Since the cadet was using his own weapon instead of the standard issue, Instructor Falkenhain increased the barrier’s hardness by one level.

“Hooo…”

He focused his Mana, meticulously applying Weakness Inducement to the bullet. Mana filled the bullet.

Here, expensive special bullets weren’t the only weapons.

Rohan’s personal weapon, Brand, had a special effect.

‘Bullet in loaded state enters Fire Mark (火印) state, increasing Mana capacity and resistance.’

The combination of the special bullet and the weapon’s effect was excellent.

‘This should be enough.’

The moment the Skill-infused Mana filled the bullet,

Rohan pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Bang—!

A gunshot echoed.

A round hole appeared in the barrier.

··

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Rohan collected the bell he received from Falkenhain Instructor and left.

‘I used quite a bit of Mana.’

His plan was to rest until the afternoon and focus on recovery. He had no intention of rushing in carelessly.

Rohan headed to where Ed Instructor was and watched the exam from a distance.

Ed Instructor’s impression hadn’t changed since the Placement Exam.

His eyes that looked like he was struggling to endure boredom, his messy beard, and his shaggy hair.

It was probably rare to see someone’s personality so clearly reflected in their appearance.

“Hmm.”

Despite his appearance, Rohan felt he was indeed skilled.

Rohan continued to observe the Instructor’s movements, but there were no obvious habits or weaknesses he could discern.

Even if there were any, the Cadets’ skills weren’t enough to expose them.

‘Ichinose and Noa passed, huh?’

Like Carrot Instructor, Ed Instructor conducted a simple test, but during the entire morning Rohan watched, Ed Instructor didn’t give his bell to anyone.

‘···.’

And there was one thing that made Rohan a little perplexed.

Perhaps word of what he did yesterday had spread, because several Cadets started using Explosives.

It didn’t cause any significant changes, though.

Using a new weapon cleanly and at the right time wasn’t something that could be done overnight.

On the contrary, it became entangled with the weapons they originally used.

This situation had a positive effect for Rohan.

The radius at which the Cadets kept their distance increased.

‘There’s no one who buried something in the ground… is there?’

It wouldn’t be easy to do it inconspicuously.

Even if they came to the Academy targeting the early morning hours, they’d have to work alone.

‘Alright. Shall I get ready?’

Rohan got up and headed to the Academy Cafeteria.

He had an early lunch and took a nap.

4 PM.

With an hour left before the exam, Rohan went to find Ed Instructor.

The number of Cadets had significantly decreased, making the area less crowded.

As Rohan boldly crossed the line and put his bag down, Ed Instructor, who had been staring blankly at the sky with his hands in his pockets, lowered his head.

“It’s been a while.”

“Hmm, Cadet Rohan. This is the first time we’ve properly faced each other since the Placement Exam.”

“Can I take the exam?”

“Of course. And I’ve heard enough about you to make my ears ring. Excellent.”

“Thank you. I’d like to hear the explanation of the exam.”

“Nothing special. Just take this bell I’ve attached…”

Ed Instructor began explaining the exam.

The content was similar to Carrot Instructor’s, and Rohan already knew the entire exam procedure.

But this was a Cadet’s right.

It would be foolish not to make reasonable demands and utilize those opportunities.

‘First move advantage.’

As Rohan watched Ed Instructor continue the explanation slowly, he pressed the hidden detonation button.

Kwaaang—!!!

The ground overturned, and black smoke billowed up.

Unlike Carrot Instructor, Ed Instructor was slightly off the designated location, but it wasn’t a reason to refrain from using the already planted bomb.

“Huh, so Cadet Rohan was the source of that noise from Carrot’s side on the first day.”

Ed Instructor emerged through the pitch-black smoke.

Rohan had already put on a gas mask.

“A flashy firework is necessary for the beginning, isn’t it?”

His voice was muffled by the gas mask.

Still, it reached the Instructor’s ears clearly.

“Just like those two yesterday, kids these days are really scary.”

“Please finish explaining the exam. I missed the last part.”

Ed chuckled, seeing Rohan claiming his rights as a Cadet after setting off a bomb.

“What should I do? I don’t really feel like it.”

The moment Ed Instructor finished speaking, Rohan threw three can-like objects, which rolled on the ground.

Ed tried to confirm what they were, but Rohan had already painted over the letters written on them.

He had also changed their appearance by attaching CBRN stickers.

Chiiiik—!!!

The unidentified objects emitted green smoke and spun in place.

The colored smoke filled the surrounding area.

The gas mask Rohan was wearing naturally led to speculation about what this smoke was.

Ominous imaginations accelerated.

‘Poison gas? Judging by his disregard for the surroundings… could it be Samhwa-guk Sangongdok?’

But unlike Ed’s expectations, it wasn’t such a sophisticated gas.

Just a simple colored smoke grenade.

Before the Instructor could realize it, Rohan closed the distance through the smoke.