Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Living as a Hero's Brother**

**Chapter 10: Department Exam (3)**

"Ugh, this is so frustrating. What is he doing over there?"

Assistant Professor Alphren muttered to himself as he gazed at the magical screen floating in front of him. The screen was capturing the student inside the artificial dungeon from various angles, and the protagonist was none other than Clayton R Shane, the brother of the famous Klein.

It had been five years since Alphren started his job as an assistant professor. Despite having observed many students, he had never seen one like this before.

"He's been like this for three hours now. Is he crazy or something?"

This was usually a very busy time. Professors and assistant professors were supposed to observe and record the every move of about 60 students, then grade them. However, Shane had been standing in the same spot, staring blankly at the ground for three hours.

Naturally, Alphren, who had to watch and record, felt frustrated.

"Ah... they're so busy."

Alphren glanced at his colleague sitting next to him. Unlike Alphren, who looked bored, his colleague was diligently observing and recording the situation on a similar magical screen.

The student his colleague was in charge of was Bernstein Austin. Austin was an outstanding student, unmatched in intelligence within the academy, but he had a fatal flaw: he was a mana-null, unable to use mana.

Due to his inability to accept mana from birth, he was almost abandoned by his family. His enrollment in the academy was, in fact, the last act of charity from his family.

Some might say that if he was that smart, his family should have found a use for him. However, the noble society was not so forgiving. In most noble families, once one child inherits the family name, the others are often cast out to live as commoners, as they could stab their sibling in the back at any moment to take their place.

Having a brilliant mind by your side was risky, especially in a viscount's family, let alone a marquis's family, which was related to the king's cousin.

It was unthinkable, and thus, Austin was known as a notorious bookworm within the academy. He visited the library every day, starting his day there and staying until closing time, borrowing several books each day. As a result, he always had dark circles under his eyes.

His diligence was well-known among the assistant professors.

"There are times when I envy such dedication..."

Feeling restless and wanting to do something, Alphren clenched his jaw. He noticed another assistant professor observing a different student.

Perhaps it was a silver lining in an otherwise dull situation, but there were other assistant professors observing exceptional students. Alphren, who had been occasionally glancing at other students to pass the time, suddenly noticed a new figure on the screen.

"Rintberg J Anais..."

The child of the famous Judgment Knight, Rintberg K Robert, who had passed away. Anais was one of the well-known students in the academy. If Klein hadn't been there, Anais would have been the top student.

Over the past five years, her name had never dropped from the top ranks. She always followed closely behind Klein, and while she sometimes ranked below Austin in written exams, her overall performance was always outstanding.

At that moment, Anais was advancing at the forefront, breaking through the cursed goblins with excellent tactics, even faster than Klein and Austin.

Her assistant professor was frantically recording her every move.

"I don't really envy her..."

The dungeon would take at least two more days to clear. If she continued at this pace, she would be exhausted both physically and mentally.

"Still, this isn't a good situation."

Alphren sighed, watching Shane, who was still staring at the ground in the screen.

A few hours later, a sudden change occurred.

* * *

"Is, is Anais leading the charge right now...?"

After the 11 golems had systematically cleared the cursed goblins, Austin muttered to himself. He was aiming for the top in this command exam, so this wasn't good news, but he wasn't particularly anxious. After all, this was part of his calculations.

Anais was usually quiet and obedient, but she acted without hesitation. While others would cautiously advance, wary of the traps set by the cursed goblins, Anais would likely charge through them recklessly, neutralizing the traps.

Just because she was reckless?

No way.

While Anais might be overshadowed by Klein and Austin, she was objectively more skilled than most mid-level adventuring guild leaders. Her mana control was exceptional, and her instincts were sharp, so she rarely fell for traps.

Austin's mind was running simulations based on the usual performance of various students. If someone could peek into his mind, they might feel not just chills but genuine fear. His simulations were not far off from the actual situation in the control room where the assistant professors were gathered.

The patterns, tendencies, and the types and numbers of golems chosen by the students were all predictable to Austin.

However, there was one unpredictable element: Shane.

"What is he... doing right now?"

Austin had some idea, but he couldn't easily predict Shane's performance.

"If... if what I'm thinking is true..."

And if it was going smoothly...

Shane's clearing speed might be so fast that even Austin couldn't catch up.

Austin made this judgment, and surprisingly, his prediction was proven true a few hours later.

* * *

A few hours later.

Not everyone could be as calm as Austin or as fast as Anais. Most students were either flustered by the unfamiliar dungeon or bewildered by the sudden situations they encountered, which were different from what they had learned from books or others' stories.

"Damn it..."

Polon was a prime example. Initially, he was confident as he dealt with the cursed goblins. They were just goblins, and the golems performed better than expected. Polon believed that with the golems' capabilities and his excellent command skills, he could clear the dungeon within two days.

However, this was a big mistake. Polon hadn't considered the golems' stamina, and as their "stamina" set by the golemancer reached its limit, the golems started making more mistakes and getting injured.

He realized this too late, and by the time he did, they were already deep in the dungeon. From then on, he couldn't take proper breaks because the smell of blood in the tunnels attracted more cursed goblins.

The archer golems, which were supposed to clean up traces, were sent on reconnaissance and were eliminated. The cursed goblins had already surrounded them, and the golems sent to the rear didn't return.

Now, only 15 golems remained. He had started with 21, and he had lost 6 in less than a day. Only 8 were still in good condition.

"Nothing is going right!"

In fact, Polon's skills were not bad. Considering he had never entered a dungeon or commanded before, he was a talented student. He was one of the faster students in clearing the dungeon, despite his losses.

However, Polon was frustrated because this exam was much harder than last year's.

"Tsk... the others must be struggling too."

As Polon was organizing his thoughts, a sudden announcement echoed in the air.

"Surprise! What, what is this?"

Polon, startled by the harsh female voice that seemed to ring directly in his head, quickly regained his composure.

"Wait. The manual did mention that there would be announcements..."

According to Polon, such announcements shouldn't have come this early. Had something gone wrong with the exam?

"Are you kidding me?!"

The next announcement calmly stated that there was no such incident. At the same time, the faces of the 50 or so students who hadn't been eliminated yet turned to shock.

The only ones whose expressions didn't change much were:

"Ah, as expected."

Bernstein Austin, who had predicted this situation to some extent.

"...Fast."

Rintberg J Anais, who was still focused on her command, murmured softly.

And.

Shane, who was listening to the announcement.

This happened when the average progress in the dungeon was less than one-third.