Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Being the Older Brother of a Hero**

**Chapter 9: Department Exam (2)**

Benjamin carefully examined the faces of the cadets.

Most of them had bright eyes, while some, like Shane, wore expressionless faces.

"Command Studies is a course that only the most outstanding cadets in the academy can enter. Therefore, the standards for the exam will be very strict."

Benjamin's subsequent explanation went as follows:

From now on, the cadets would select combat golems created by golem mages and enter an artificial dungeon made of illusion magic.

The evaluation would be based on how ideally they clear the artificial dungeon, and the results would be open to all cadets.

"I knew that..."

"Still, it's a bit much to have all the scores revealed."

Most of the students applying for Command Studies are from noble families.

As a result, they tend to have strong pride.

However, this was a necessary procedure.

Not just for this exam.

In the future, all scores in the Command Studies department will be open to cadets from other departments.

The reason for this is closely related to the purpose of the academy.

The academy in the Federation is different from ordinary academies and is more akin to a military academy.

The main enemies of the cadets are the monsters in the dungeons.

This world is still largely unknown.

The areas occupied by humans are few, and the rest are sealed by the 'Cradle,' a collection of dungeons.

As the human population grows, the demand for land increases.

This has led to the continent being engulfed in war for a long time.

With the hard-won peace, humans decided to clear the 'Cradle' and expand their territory rather than shed more meaningless blood, and they signed a peace agreement.

The Federation was formed by several countries coming together, and the primary goal of the academy in the Federation became clearing dungeons.

As such, the commander, who oversees all forces, is a position that only thorough experts can hold, and they have the authority to recruit cadets and form their own teams.

Therefore, cadets in the Command Studies department must demonstrate their skills to other cadets, and to attract outstanding teammates, they must show their own excellence.

A department of thorough meritocracy.

That was the Command Studies department.

Shane came here to borrow the power of such a meritocracy.

To change the image of being inferior to others, this system of the Command Studies department was perfectly suited.

"There is only one type of dungeon. Here is a description of the dungeon, so take it."

At Benjamin's words, the fifth-year cadets stood up one by one and took the description from in front of Benjamin.

"I'll get yours too, sir."

"Go ahead."

Since there was no need to refuse, Shane sat still and read the description that Klein brought.

In his previous life, Shane did not apply for Command Studies, nor was he particularly interested in the exam, so he didn't have much memory of it.

"Hmm."

"The explanation is quite detailed."

"I see."

The content of the description was simple.

Each cadet would be given a total of 1,000 points, and they could use these points to select various types of golems.

The type of dungeon was a goblin dungeon where kus goblins live in underground tunnels.

While it might be easy to think of it as just a goblin dungeon, it differed significantly from other ordinary dungeons in many aspects.

"Using points to rent golems and fight."

"It seems that only golems can be used in battle. If you defeat a monster with your own strength, you will be disqualified."

"I see. What type of golem are you planning to take?"

"Since it's a tunnel where goblins live, I plan to focus on agile types."

It was a good choice.

The terrain where goblins live is mostly low-ceilinged and narrow passages.

"What type are you planning to choose, sir?"

"Hmm."

While reading the description, an idea came to mind.

Just as he was about to speak casually,

he suddenly recalled Klein's attitude today.

Klein, who worried about the cadets' gazes.

Perhaps he was worried that his rigid image might not be enviable.

'In such a situation, it might be okay to show a softer side.'

He was also curious.

What expression would the kid make if he said this?

"It's a secret."

"Huh?"

"It's a secret."

As he said this, Shane smiled.

With such a playful expression, Klein was so surprised that he couldn't say anything.

Just now, that...

Was it a joke?

How should I react?

Klein, who had never experienced such a joke from Shane in his life, froze like ice.

Shane found his reaction amusing and smiled even more.

* * *

Since they couldn't use their own strength in the artificial dungeon, the cadets were very cautious in selecting their golems.

While observing their cautiousness, Benjamin looked for the faces of the cadets he had checked with other professors earlier.

Among them, the first person who caught his eye was Clayton L. Klein.

A genius among geniuses, known for being born with the greatest talent in history.

There were also other cadets he could identify.

'Lindtberg J. Anais. Is she the daughter of the person the chancellor mentioned?'

As a fellow knight from the same empire, he couldn't be unfamiliar with the name Lindtberg.

In the empire, the name Lindtberg was so well-known that almost no one was unaware of it.

Naturally, his gaze was drawn to the daughter of such a person.

Other cadets he had heard about from the professors also caught his eye.

The second son of the Bernstein family, Bernstein Austin, with dark circles under his eyes and a gloomy face.

While his physical abilities were despairingly poor, he was a boy with exceptional intelligence.

He had even written a paper that surprised the professors.

The eldest son of the Baldwin family, who guarded the southwestern part of the empire, and the granddaughter of the current tower master also entered his field of vision.

However, among them, one person stood out the most.

"What is he doing?"

A boy with black hair tied back and roseberry-colored eyes.

Clayton R. Shane.

By the time the other cadets had chosen their golems and returned to their seats,

Shane, who chose last, was drawing the attention of not only Benjamin but also the other cadets.

* * *

Bernstein Austin, who was lost in his thoughts, was snapped out of it by the noisy voices around him.

He often had a dazed expression due to his frequent deep thoughts.

"Haha, is that real?"

"He's completely crazy."

"Look at him trying to draw attention away from his brother again."

"That's why he's called a fool."

The cadets who had finished choosing their golems were watching someone in front, mocking them.

Austin, with his dark circles, turned his gaze to where Clayton R. Shane was.

The famous older brother of Klein.

"A bit... unusual."

On average, the number of golems chosen by the cadets ranged from 10 to 20.

Until just a moment ago, the person with the fewest golems was Austin himself, with 11.

However, Shane had chosen only 3 golems.

Naturally, this drew the cadets' ridicule.

"Is he trying to minimize the number because it's a tunnel?"

"Then why did he choose a large elite greatsword warrior?"

"He's really stupid."

Austin's gaze was drawn to the source of the voices.

Clearly, the name was...

'Polon, right?'

A son of a baron from the empire.

The reason Austin's gaze was drawn to Polon was simple.

Austin had also chosen an elite greatsword warrior, so his gaze naturally drifted that way.

Polon, noticing Austin's gaze, frowned.

"What are you looking at?"

"Ah, nothing."

"Tsk."

Polon clicked his tongue and resumed his conversation with his companions.

Austin, turning his gaze back to Shane, ran a simulation in his head.

Although he was a mana-null, unable to use mana, Austin was confident in his intellect.

His mind was filled with thousands of dungeons and their clearing methods, including strategies he had devised himself.

Could he clear the dungeon with such a small force?

Clearing it might be possible, but within the time limit, it was impossible.

However, this was under the condition that he couldn't use mana.

What if he could use mana?

Austin's mind raced.

Formulating his original plan and adding assumptions, what would the answer be?

'...Who, after all, is the fool?'

Austin added Shane's name to his list of targets to watch.

The risk level was marked at the top.

* * *

As soon as he stepped into the dungeon, Shane's evaluation was:

"Quite well done."

The damp sensation of the floor, the pungent smell vibrating through the tunnel, and the luminescent moss that illuminated the dark tunnel.

Only someone with considerable skill could create such an environment. Shane let out a short exclamation of admiration and closed his eyes.

A faint vibration was felt from below.

As if a dragon were roaring deep underground.

Since it was not a good omen, Shane stopped and observed the situation.

Rumble—

Sure enough, as the vibration from the ground intensified, the entire tunnel began to shake, and Shane gave an order to the golems behind him.

"When I raise my hand, hold your breath."

"..."

"..."

Although they didn't respond verbally, the blue mana stones embedded in the golems' chests turned red, indicating they were following the order.

When the ground's vibration reached its peak,

"Now."

Green smoke burst from the walls.

Shane also held his breath and narrowed his eyes.

At the same time, the luminescent moss emitted a brighter green light, and the smoke gradually dissipated.

The source of the pungent smell that enveloped the tunnel.

It was due to the large amount of poison buried underground.

The luminescent moss here lived primarily on this poison, and people often referred to this place as a save zone.

"Now, it begins."

Four times a day, at regular intervals, this poison burst, serving as a natural fortress for the kus goblins.

Thus, the best time to move forward was now, just after the poison had dissipated.

Moreover, this place couldn't be considered safe for long.

Every three days, the luminescent moss released spores, during which it did not absorb poison.

At that time, it would inevitably lead to a total wipeout, and the exam would be a failure.

"Everyone must be in a hurry now."

A dungeon that needed to be cleared within just three days.

Such dungeons were often called speed runs and were well-suited for exams.

There was no better time to see a person's true nature than in a hurry.

'The exams until last year weren't this difficult.'

The person who planned this exam must be a very ruthless individual.

Still, Shane leisurely surveyed the surroundings and gave the golems a single command.

"Be on guard."

Then, he sat down and stared intently at the luminescent moss glowing green.

To the point where it made the observer feel anxious.

For a very long time, Shane did not take his eyes off the luminescent moss.