Chapter 9
The children nodded in agreement with his opinion.
However, Elester just gave a faint smile.
"Well, besides those two students, is there anyone else who broke through the maze?"
"..."
There was no response.
It was to be expected. No one else had done it, except for us.
"Why didn't you do it? The door to the second stage of the exam is so large that it would have been visible from about halfway through the maze. Why did everyone wander around the maze, struggling needlessly?"
"Well, that's because..."
"Let's be honest. You just didn't think of it."
Mazes are usually made of solid materials like stone or ore.
So it's not easy to think of breaking through a maze made of shrubbery.
"Thinking inside the box is dangerous. It limits you."
Elester's argument was flawless.
The student who asked the question hung his head low.
"Who asked that question?"
"Me, it was me."
"It's not good to disparage others' efforts as foolish. But asking a courageous question is excellent. I hope you pass."
"Th-thank you! I will definitely pass!"
The child's expression brightened instantly.
However, many children were still visibly unhappy.
Elester, recognizing this, continued.
"You've just finished the first stage of the exam. If you don't have the skills, you'll either fail this exam or the next one anyway. Right?"
"But..."
"You don't expect to be outperformed by someone who barely passed the first stage, do you? If so, it might be better to give up now."
"..."
Only then did all the children fall silent.
They had no choice but to agree.
Because Elester's words were entirely logical.
'Seeing him in person, he's even more impressive.'
In fact, the hidden piece of breaking through the shrubbery to pass the first stage exam was a seldom-used hidden piece.
There was no special reward for it.
At most, it extended Elester's dialogue a bit?
But I often used this route. Why?
Because he was the second stage examiner, a great Archmage, and...
'My favorite teacher in the game.'
That was evident from the recent event.
Kind, rational, and while he scolded, he also allowed time for reflection.
But he was merciless to arrogant, ignorant children.
'It's an odd way to put it, but... he's a gracefully aged old man.'
If only all teachers in South Korea, including my own school teachers, were like that.
It was then that I enjoyed looking at Elester's face, the only illustration of him in the game.
'Huh?'
Why did he suddenly have that silly expression? And why is he looking at me...
That's when I snapped back to reality.
The second stage of the exam. 'Illusion Magic.'
It had already started. Or rather, it had started a long time ago.
"Ugh...!"
"Argh!"
"Don't come near me!"
The test had started suddenly without any signal.
Everyone, including Luna, was in agony.
Except for one person.
Me.
"..."
"..."
The [Mental Defense] skill provides complete immunity to both drug and mental magic attacks.
Meaning, I don't fall for illusions.
That's why I didn't need to prepare for the second stage. Or rather...
'I was going to act at the right time...'
I missed my timing while admiring the game character.
It's late, but I still have to do it.
Well, it's only a little late.
"Argh! My head...!"
But no one responded. Instead, their gazes grew even stranger.
Elester, as well as the instructors surrounding us, were all looking at me with the same eyes.
It seemed like they all knew. This guy, right now.
Is just acting.
"Heh."
Elester stepped down from the platform and glided towards me.
In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of me.
"It's probably best to stop the act now. Well, there's no need for it anyway."
"Uh-huh..."
That wasn't my voice. It was Luna's, who was beside me.
She had started to cry bitterly, lying face down.
The other children were in a similar state.
In fact, Elester had used a stronger magic than usual for some reason.
Now that it had come to this...
"Keke, you commit such cruel acts without a second thought. Fitting for the empire's top academy."
The line could be taken as somewhat sarcastic and provocative.
As if to prove it, the instructors' expressions slightly frowned.
But this was the right approach.
'Elester likes confident children.'
Not to mention those with real skills.
Seen as the pillars of the empire's future.
So, this line was appropriate.
"You must have had a rough life."
"Keke, it can't be helped with eyes like these."
"Well, that may be part of it, but to me... it seems more problematic that you're always grinning."
"Is that so? I'll try to correct that."
If that were even possible.
What can I do when the character is designed this way.
I was born... no, created with a smiling face!
"What's your name?"
"I'm called Zero."
"Heh, a good name indeed. I'll remember you. This batch has many remarkable kids."
Elester floated up and gently landed back on the platform.
The children began to regain their consciousness from that moment.
"What the..."
"Was it illusion magic?"
"I brought a defensive artifact, but why... no, I mean. Ahem."
But not everyone had woken up.
After a little while, at Elester's gesture, the waiting instructors picked up the fainted children one by one and disappeared.
They had failed. In the second stage of the exam.
Thud-.
Luna had survived. But she was still not in her right mind.
"Are you alright?"
"Don't touch my body. I'll bite you to death."
She was even more irritable than before.
A terrible illusion... rather, a taste of the past.
"Many of you survived. Impressive. When we meet again, it won't be as students but as entrants. Let's meet again with smiles then."
The children cheered and chanted Elester's name.
The second stage of the exam had thus ended.
* * *
"Hah, unbelievable."
Elester muttered to himself.
The magic he had used was a high-circle spell that triggered trauma.
Seeing that some children had come prepared, he had infused stronger magic power than usual.
Meaning it wasn't a spell that students could wake from.
For reference, the rules of the second stage were as follows:
Cancel the magic after 5 minutes.
After that, score them in the order they wake up.
Fainting means disqualification.
'But that kid...'
The child with slit eyes, whose pupils were not visible.
It wasn't that he was unaffected by the illusion magic. If that's the case...
'Did he break through my magic himself?'
And he was still pretending to be affected by the magic.
A long curve formed on Elester's lips.
A very interesting chick had entered the fray.
"3rd stage... no, inform Sir Caron in charge of the secret test. Tell him to watch closely. He's a student to be wary of."
"Yes!"
A student who seemed to need special attention, both positively and negatively.
Elester was well aware of the portraits and legends of the beings that had once plunged the continent into despair, terror, and screams.
That's why he approached carefully and secretly used magic.
Scanning with magic, it was clear that Zero didn't possess any artifact to block illusion magic.
'Then it means he's seen, experienced, and felt things more horrific than anything illusion magic could show...'
Elester knew exactly what that was.
It was 'reality' itself.
Illusion is, after all, a world filled with falsehoods. It can never surpass reality.
"So he has a past so terrible that he recognized the illusion immediately? Or could it be..."
Someone with greater skills than himself, a 9th circle Archmage?
As this thought crossed his mind, Elester couldn't help but let out a wry laugh.
"That's impossible."
The scan result showed that the biological age was undoubtedly that of a 15-year-old boy.
It's impossible for someone of that age to be stronger than him.
The weight of experience, named time, is not something easily surpassed.
"But... Sir Elester. What about the student's score?"
There was no category on the scoring sheet for 'breaking the illusion magic on one's own.'
It never occurred to set such a rule. It was thought to be an impossible occurrence.
Gulp-.
The instructor swallowed nervously.
Elester, though rational and kind, was strict about the rules as a great Archmage.
But emphasizing the rules would mean losing a talent like Zero.
It wouldn't be easy for him, one of the pillars of the empire, to admit his own mistake.
So, the instructor was cautiously observing.
"A score... I see."
Elester decided to humbly acknowledge his mistake.
Even as a great Archmage, he is still a human.
Just a 9th circle, far inferior to dragons.
'I can't fail that child because of my mistake.'
At an age closer to the earth than the sky.
Learning from a child at this age, realizing another truth.
Elester felt it was right to be at the academy, beyond his regular duties.
How to score Zero? Naturally.
"Full marks, of course."
* * *
"I'll kill them... kill them all..."
On the way to the third stage of the exam.
Our Luna is not in a good state. Quite the opposite, in fact.
"Um... Miss Luna?"
"Do you want to die?"
"No. Please continue what you were doing."
Muttering under her breath.
Terrifying. Is she planning to summon a demon?
Too scary for a poor, innocent soul like me.
'But it's not just her; the other children are in bad shape too.'
The slime maze and illusion magic test.
The gap in difficulty was like heaven and earth.
If the second stage is this hard, how much more difficult will the third be?
The children's faces couldn't help but look troubled.
'The third stage is tough too. Well, I plan to piggyback on Luna, so it doesn't bother me.'
So, it was time to improve Luna's mood.
"Miss Luna, look over there. Isn't the sky beautiful?"
"Shut up before I send you there."
Oh, how terrifying.
I decided to just keep quiet and proceed.
With this level of combat power, passing the third stage should be no problem.
"Oh, look over there. The instructors are there. We must be close."
"Ugh... Already the third stage? It's going to be harder and tougher than the second, right?"
"Wait... that is...!"
A faint groan escaped from the children's lips.
It was clear at a glance what the third stage was.
A square-shaped arena. It meant only one thing.
'A duel, no doubt.'
Yes, the third stage was a duel.
A mock fight disguised as a duel where ten people form a team and fight until the last victor emerges.
It was when the children lined up under the guidance of the instructor.
"Nice to meet you, I am Caron, the instructor for the third stage."
There he appeared.
The character I dislike the most in this game.
--TL Notes--
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