Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: The Command Department Exam (6)**

As rumored, the problems of the Command Department were quite difficult.

'They’re using examples of situations that occur in dungeons to test the cadets' judgment.'

However, the difficult part was that the situations presented in the problems were far from ordinary.

Shane seemed to understand why the department had allowed access to the library.

Indeed, it was unlikely that any of the cadets would be able to provide proper answers to such problems right away.

That was why they allowed access to the library and gave a week's time.

Especially, the last problem, which required a method to clear a dungeon from start to finish, meant that if time was wasted, it would be highly likely that one wouldn't be able to solve all the problems.

"What to do..."

But for Shane, these problems weren't particularly difficult.

All the characteristics and methods to clear the dungeons mentioned in the five problems came to mind.

The only issue was how much the knowledge in Shane's head differed from what was currently known to humanity.

A comparison and verification were necessary to avoid writing down knowledge that humanity had yet to discover, which could lead to troublesome situations.

That wasn't the outcome Shane wanted.

What Shane needed at the moment was a reputation sufficient to stand by Klein's side without any shortcomings.

Any more attention than that was unwelcome.

"There's no choice."

Shane got up from his seat and headed to the library.

It would take some time to gather information on these problems.

Of course, he didn't intend to be too casual. He wanted to create some controversy but not to the point of causing trouble.

He needed to maintain that balance.

Also, there was someone he wanted to meet at the library.

When he moved to the library, he saw that a few of the Command Department applicants had already arrived.

They sent sharp glances at Shane as he appeared.

From the perspective of these elites, who had heard praises in their previous departments, Shane, who cleared dungeons at a speed they couldn't even imagine, seemed suspicious.

Shane, ignoring their gazes, sat down and opened a record book.

A blank, white sheet of paper.

Shane wrote down keywords related to the books he wanted.

The names of relevant books began to appear on the blank sheet, and Shane checked one of them.

Flipping to the next page, he saw the opening lines of the book he had checked.

Most of the books registered in the academy could be found through this record book, a convenient system.

Shane quietly focused on his task.

How long had he been reading?

By the late hours of the night, most of the cadets had left, leaving only a few behind.

Thinking he had done enough for the day, Shane closed the record book and stood up, speaking quietly.

"Is there something you want to say?"

"...Ah, you knew."

Ouston, who had been sitting behind Shane, stuttered, closed his record book, and stood up.

"How could I not know, with you sending glances at regular intervals? What's going on?"

"Um, can we, can we have a talk?"

The second reason Shane came to the library.

Having waited for Ouston's approach, Shane nodded and said quietly.

"Then let's move to a different spot."

* * *

In his previous life, after his fall, Shane met Ouston only once.

And that one meeting was more valuable than meeting dozens or hundreds of times.

At the time, the war between the organization and humans was in full swing.

Or rather, it seemed that the organization was massacring humans one-sidedly.

It was around the time when the princess, thanks to Klein, escaped from the city surrounded by the organization, and the humans began to regroup.

The humans approached Shane, the commander of the organization's First Legion, with a proposal for a meeting.

The content was a suggestion for a conference.

Shane, who had never accepted such proposals before, accepted for the first time and went alone to the human camp.

The reason was that the organization's advance had started to face obstacles after the princess was rescued by the humans.

In fact, such a situation had existed even before that.

No matter how hard the organization tried to find the problem, they couldn't find an answer.

That's why he accepted.

He was curious about why mere humans, who usually died when stepped on, were starting to affect the organization's advance.

When he arrived at the conference, the first person he saw was Ouston.

Behind Ouston, the princess and Klein were visible.

It was wise.

With Klein's presence, Shane couldn't act rashly, even with an army of thousands.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ouston."

"I'm Nameless."

Nameless (無名).

Shane's name at the time, a name that meant he had no name.

Ironically, no one cared.

The conference didn't involve declarations of peace or surrender.

It was a struggle to gauge each other's authenticity.

When the one-hour meeting ended, Shane had a perfect understanding of Ouston.

The conversation between people.

The history behind the name.

His past.

Shane's darkness was sensitive to human emotions and was superior to all other legion commanders.

Thus, at least after his regression, Shane could confidently say that he knew this stutterer better than anyone else in the world, even better than Ouston himself.

* * *

"How did you come up with the methods to clear the dungeons?"

At Shane's question, Ouston nodded with a simple-minded look.

"Yes, yes. If, if it's not too much trouble, I, I'd like to hear it."

To Ouston's question, Shane didn't hide his answer.

"I learned from someone."

"Learned, learned from someone?"

"I learned from someone who is more brilliant in thinking than anyone else."

"More, more brilliant than anyone... Who, who is that person? Can, can I ask?"

Shaking his head, Shane replied.

Ouston's mind, as in his previous life, would undoubtedly be the sharpest sword to pierce the organization, but not right now.

And Ouston's senses, though superior, also made him cautious.

However, while Shane couldn't fully grasp Ouston's emotions without the power of corruption, he could distinguish to some extent.

A certain level of caution and an overwhelming curiosity.

For now, he was hiding behind a simple-minded appearance for some reason.

Sharing too much information too suddenly would only confuse him.

Slowly.

But not so much that he would become overly cautious.

Shane gave the most fitting response.

"I don't think we know each other well enough to share such things."

"Ah, I, I'm sorry..."

"That's fine. Instead, I have a game to propose."

"A, a game?"

"Yes. Who will get the higher score in this written exam? It's a simple and childish method, but straightforward."

"Is, is there a reward for the winner?"

"I said it's a game, not a bet."

After a moment of thought, Ouston's eyes lit up, and he nodded.

"I, I'm fine with that."

* * *

Back in his room, Ouston's usually simple-minded face was replaced with a cold sneer.

"A game..."

Clayton R. Shane.

After the practical exam, Ouston had gathered information about him.

Most of the information was what Ouston already knew.

That he envied his younger brother and made many rash decisions because of it.

That he was usually arrogant and treated people coldly.

However, there was relatively recent information, about a dungeon wave in a village on the outskirts.

The content was that a knight corps led by Klein had suppressed the dungeon wave and saved the village.

Most of the information was about Klein's prowess spreading again in the academy, but Ouston found Shane's performance even more astonishing.

The appearance of a rotten tree spirit and the twin-headed ogre, which was devoured by a dark spirit, being defeated in a single blow.

While most cadets dismissed it as a rumor, Ouston didn't think it was something to be dismissed so easily.

This was a merit-based society.

A twin-headed ogre required skilled knights to take on, and veteran mercenaries had to hunt it with the risk of injury.

And to defeat it in a single blow, with a dark spirit inside?

The United Nations Academy had many talents, and there were certainly others who could achieve similar results.

At least a dozen names came to Ouston's mind.

However, Shane's skills, up until last year, were at a level where he couldn't even clear a goblin village alone.

'Can a person change so much overnight?'

That wasn't all.

During his time at the academy, Ouston had never seen Shane exchange a single word with his younger brother Klein.

But recently, something had changed. Shane was often seen with Klein, and there were even rare instances where he smiled at Klein.

This wasn't just a matter of a person changing.

Ouston's keen intuition told him that there was definitely something about Shane.

However, this was still just a matter of interest, and Ouston wasn't someone who acted on interest alone.

He also had a healthy dose of caution.

But the conversation with Shane piqued his interest enough to crack his cautious wall.

'A game?'

Shane's sudden proposal.

Ouston immediately understood why Shane had made such a suggestion.

Shane had recognized Ouston's caution.

So, let's get to know each other slowly.

He proposed a game to see who would get the higher score in the written exam, a way to learn about each other.

It might seem strange at first.

Friends could just talk and get to know each other, right?

In the academy, people often made friends and formed cliques quickly.

Why go through such a cumbersome process to get to know each other?

But for Ouston, it was necessary.

To get to know someone casually like others, Ouston's intelligence was too sharp.

As a viscount's son, he had met many people, and his intelligence allowed him to understand their personalities.

People who trembled at the sight of money.

People who felt superior because of their wealth.

People who flattered such individuals.

People who tried to rule the world with a tiny bit of power.

People who, despite having great power, still craved more.

In Ouston's view, the world of humans revolved around one thing: greed.

Greed led to jealousy, and jealousy fueled growth.

But these emotions were dangerous, and if mishandled, they could lead to the loss of humanity.

Of course, there were always people who lived well without humanity.

But Ouston believed that a minimum of humanity was necessary.

Without it, a person couldn't control themselves.

And without control, there was only destruction.

Ouston, lacking magical power, didn't want to be around such people.

At least, those who wanted to use him needed to have the qualifications.

That's why he acted like a fool.

The reason he acted like a fool rather than just being ordinary was to make it easier to observe others.

People often let their guard down and showed their true selves to those they considered inferior.

Of course, acting ordinary led to being ignored and causing trouble, but Ouston had no trouble understanding such people.

Until a few days ago, that is.

Until he met Shane, who showed no emotion at all.

Ouston had seen Shane many times during his five years at the academy and thought he had a good understanding of him.

But when the new semester started after the break, Shane had changed into someone Ouston couldn't understand at all.

He had never seen someone change so much.

Ouston looked down at the exam paper on his desk.

"Such a game is always welcome."

Ouston picked up his pen and started solving the problems.

Meanwhile, Shane, sitting at his desk, was lost in thought.

"It's difficult."

Initially, he planned to solve the problems to a level that matched the current human standards.

That's why he went to the library.

But after meeting Ouston and proposing the game, his thoughts changed.

He hadn't intended to make such a proposal.

First, he needed to understand Ouston.

But the Ouston of this era still had a simple-minded caution.

Simple-minded caution.

If it were clear caution, a deal might have been possible, but the current Ouston was different from the future Ouston.

So, he proposed a game about the written exam scores.

Ouston showed interest.

Certainly, Ouston's interest wouldn't end there.

Unnecessary attention could be troublesome and even dangerous.

But the annoyance and danger were worth it when considering the potential of the future Ouston.

Ouston picked up his pen and started solving the problems.

Shane, sitting at his desk, was lost in thought.

"It's difficult."