episode_0043

Chapter 43 – Practical Training

All first-year academy students gathered closely in front of the densely spread forest.

This was the designated location for their practical training. The academy’s explanation stated that professors were stationed at regular intervals, and only low-level monsters below level 100 were placed, so students had no need to fear death.

But as always, for an episode to become interesting, an incident must occur. The boss monster appearing this time was precisely the variable the academy had failed to identify.

Before departure, I was having a final conversation with Yas and Abel.

“Ruan, Abel, you haven’t forgotten, right? If we happen to meet in the forest, we’re allying, okay? I don’t want to fight you guys.”

“I agree with Yas too! This practical training doesn’t necessarily require us to fight! It’ll be much easier if we combine our strength.”

“Whatever.” Watching the two, who were strangely excited, I nodded indifferently.

I wasn’t sure about Yas, but Abel, at least, couldn’t have a peaceful practical training. He was bound to clash with Skadia.

‘By the way, is he really the protagonist?’ Abel had formed a team with Alisa, Uni, and Pernia for this practical training. Even though teams were supposedly formed randomly, fate, despite the variable of a transmigrator, dutifully proceeded according to the future. For reference, the remaining team member was also said to be a girl.

When he first learned this fact, Yas had envied him, calling it a “harem party.” ‘Well, I understand why.’ That’s because, directly opposite to Abel, Yas’s party was a “sausage fest” with all five members being male. He even once ran away after being asked to pick up soap while bathing together, so that said it all.

Well, it was about time to return to my team.

“It’s almost time to move. I’m going. See you later.” “Oh, right! See you in a bit, Ruan.” “I’m telling you again, it’s definitely an alliance! If you attack, you’re a traitor!” Letting Yas’s repeated emphasis on an alliance go in one ear, I returned to my team.

Just then, Deborah, who had been spreading a map of the island on the ground and explaining the strategy to her teammates, stood up.

“Are you all done?” “Yeah. You were explaining again? Even after doing it several times already.” “Because it’s that important. We need an efficient route to defeat many monsters.”

This practical training was also a form of competition. Even if students wouldn’t fight each other, their paths were bound to overlap while hunting, and in the worst case, they could have their pursued prey stolen. So, they had to choose a path that avoided overlapping with others as much as possible while also making it easy to encounter monsters.

Deborah had identified all the types of monsters inhabiting the island through its terrain and determined the optimal route. Truly befitting a disciple of the Gray Magic Tower Lord.

As I was admiring this, Sara clapped her hands together, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Alright, the practical training is about to begin. If anyone gets injured, you must immediately inform the professors waiting nearby, okay? If you push yourselves too hard just to get more points, you’ll be disqualified entirely, so be aware of that. Now, I wish you all good luck. Depart!” [Cheers!]

As soon as the signal was given, the teams that had already prepared rushed out simultaneously via their predetermined paths. The fact that they could use their learned skills in a real situation excited everyone.

Deborah unfolded the map and pointed towards the forest. “Let’s go too. This way.”

The first place they had to go was the valley. Walk along the gravel path there, then ascend a slope to enter the forest. Afterward, climb the mountain rising in the center to find monsters. It wasn’t special, but it was a route that allowed them to check every nook and cranny of the area without missing anything.

We skillfully advanced towards the valley following Deborah’s instructions.

‘By the way, if things go like this, will meeting Abel be much later?’ Coincidentally, the route Abel’s group was taking was directly opposite to ours. At this rate, meeting them would be a miracle, but since Deborah was also one of the main heroines, it was impossible for her not to meet Abel in this episode. Something would surely happen, and they would meet.

As we advanced through the forest with various thoughts, the group suddenly stopped. Coming to my senses, I raised my head and saw a group of goblins sitting around a bonfire amidst the distant bushes. The creatures were squealing and laughing, seemingly in high spirits.

Deborah immediately gave instructions. “There are four goblins in total. Lia and I will kill two of them. Then they’ll fall into confusion. At that moment, Ga-il and Shane will go out and kill the rest. Understood?” Everyone silently nodded at the question.

While Deborah was casting magic and Lia was drawing her bow, I looked around. ‘Only I get the sweet deal.’ A scoundrel was more likely to cause trouble if deeply involved, so staying out was almost as good as helping. Seeing that everyone in the group accepted it without resistance, it seemed my reputation was indeed fearsome. One really shouldn’t live too virtuously.

While I pondered the advantages of being a scoundrel to myself, Deborah’s casting finally finished. “Now!” As the word fell, a fireball and an arrow were shot. The goblins hit by the attack died instantly, unable to even scream. *Screech!* The remaining two screamed upon seeing this. As expected, they were in confusion, unable to quickly grasp the situation, twitching nervously. Ga-il and Shane quickly descended the slope and dealt with the defenseless creatures. They tried to react, but the overwhelming difference in physical power was insurmountable.

Deborah led Lia and me towards the goblin corpses. “Everyone did well. There doesn’t seem to be anything worth taking, so let’s move on. The valley is coming up soon.” It certainly seemed a bit far, but the sound of flowing water could be heard from somewhere. We soon faced the valley. The transparent surface, clear enough to show the bottom, gave a refreshing feeling to those who saw it. As everyone stared blankly, admiring the valley, Deborah roused them. “Everyone, stay alert. There will definitely be more monsters around here. We can’t help it if we want to get drinking water. Let’s hurry!” At her command, we resumed our search.

*

At that moment, a sabertooth tiger and a man were facing each other on the mountaintop. *Growl!* The white-furred, blue-striped sabertooth tiger did not underestimate the human before it, circling around and looking for an opening.

The man chuckled. “Too weak. This won’t be fun as is.” Luxurious golden hair and clear blue eyes. The man, who looked exactly like a noble prince from a painting, was named Ethan Gloucester. He was an apostle of the Dark Cult and also a transmigrator who had come here from Earth.

Ethan reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black orb. Demonic energy swirled within it. “I need to implant a Demonic Core.” This orb, condensed with demonic energy, had the ability to turn a monster into a mindless fiend if implanted.

As Ethan peered into the Demonic Core, the sabertooth tiger, sensing an opening, lunged forward. *Roar!* A roar echoed throughout the area. The cry, filled with the pressure of a predator, made prey cower. The problem was that Ethan was an even stronger predator than the sabertooth tiger.

“How dare a mere beast! Insolent creature!” Enraged by the arrogance of being looked down upon, Ethan raised his hand and pointed at the sabertooth tiger. At that moment, the demonic energy spewed from his grip descended upon the surrounding area, pulling the sabertooth tiger’s body to the ground. *Thud!* Under immense pressure, the sabertooth tiger’s body was slammed more than a meter deep into the ground. It couldn’t move an inch.

Ethan took leisurely steps and knelt on one knee in front of the sabertooth tiger’s eyes. Their eyes met. “You are weak. Very weak. So I will make you strong. Be grateful.” Ethan forced open the sabertooth tiger’s maw and shoved the Demonic Core inside. The sabertooth tiger struggled, trying not to swallow, but was subdued by overwhelming power and could only twitch. Soon, the transformation caused by the Demonic Core began. *ROOOOAAAR!!* *Crunch! Crackle!* The sabertooth tiger’s fur turned black, its muscles bulged, its size grew enormous, and its claws and teeth became even sharper.

Ethan retracted the gravity sphere and slowly distanced himself. “Hmm… still weak, but usable. This should be enough to easily kill the protagonist’s party.” Ethan felt no particular emotion towards Abel. His heart had been completely stolen by someone three years ago. To uphold his deal with the Goddess of Darkness, Abel had to die. Only then could he return. Leaving the sabertooth tiger, which was being encroached upon by demonic energy, behind, Ethan departed from the mountaintop.

*

However, unfortunately, we couldn’t encounter any monsters after that. Whether they had ascended to the sky, sunk into the earth, or if a new water source had appeared elsewhere, I didn’t know, but strangely, no monsters inhabited this place. Eventually, giving up on the valley, we ascended the slope back into the forest.

“That’s strange. Why are there no monsters? Let’s eat lunch first, then head to the mountain. From there, we should get a general idea of the monsters’ movements.” Just as we were having a simple meal in a clearing. *Plop! Drip-drip… Pouring!* The rain, which had been falling drop by drop, instantly turned into a downpour, beginning to pound the surroundings. We quickly took shelter under a tree.

“Oh, what should we do? I didn’t expect it to rain.” “There was no mention of it in the weather forecast.” “Damn it! Of all days.” The teammates expressed their disappointment, cursing the meteorological agency. With this much rain, moving would be difficult, let alone the possibility of the practical training being suspended.

To them, Deborah handed over raincoats taken from her spatial pouch. “Take these. It’s a good thing I brought them just in case. Let’s move quickly before the training is suspended. We need to defeat at least one more.” “Wow, Deborah is the best!” “That’s amazing.” “I should learn from you too!” The trio, who reacted like vending machines, put on their raincoats excitedly. I also put on a raincoat, and as soon as our meal was roughly finished, we immediately moved towards the mountain.

Just as we were passing the midpoint. “Oh? Deborah, there’s a monster corpse over there!” “A corpse?” “Yeah! But… the corpse is a bit strange. Its wounds are black and dead.” “I need to see it!”

Following Lia’s guidance, we soon stood before a corpse. As she said, the corpse’s wounds were black and dead. Moreover, it was so horribly mutilated that it was difficult to look at. Deborah examined the corpse, tilting her head. “What is this? Could another monster have done this?” This place was inhabited only by low-level monsters. There was no creature here capable of tearing something apart with such overwhelming force. Except for one. ‘The Sabertooth Tiger.’ Only that creature, which was set to cause an incident in this episode, could do such a thing. The problem was why the wounds were black and dead. Such wounds were a characteristic of fiends. Only monsters encroached upon by demonic energy could leave a curse on wounds, causing them to rot black like this. In other words, the Sabertooth Tiger might be encroached upon by demonic energy, unlike in the game. ‘Dangerous.’

No sooner had I sensed the danger. *Rustle!* A black sabertooth tiger, the size of a house, emerged, pushing through the bushes. Perhaps due to being encroached by demonic energy, the creature, boasting twice its usual size, exuded an oppressive aura that made one’s entire body tingle. “Everyone, be careful!” I hastily sent a warning, but unfortunately, it was already too late. *Rip!* The sabertooth tiger, leaping like a gust of wind, bit Lia’s neck in the blink of an eye. Her delicate neck was easily torn, flying into the air with a spray of fresh blood.