Chapter 43

EP.43 Brain Deity Elimination (1)

Isaac was a well-known figure within the Magic Department, albeit for all the wrong reasons.

He had placed last in the D Class, with a magic power rating of E, and even if he had tried, it would have been difficult to achieve such a low score during the class assignment evaluation. Among the first-year students of the Magic Department, he was at the very bottom of the bottom.

He could be seen as the undisputed weakest in the Magic Department.

But things are different now. If you were to ask any student if Isaac was the weakest in the first year, they would shake their head.

During the sparring evaluation, he had used a 5-star spell, albeit at an immature level. Among the first-year students of the Magic Department, those who could use a 5-star spell could be counted on one hand. And Isaac, who had been considered the weakest, had managed to do it.

It was an astonishing rate of growth.

However, that didn't necessarily mean Isaac was special. If anyone was special, it was Ian Fairytail, who was also rated E in magic power. His growth rate was far superior, and he even had a light attribute constitution.

Moreover, some students could already use 5-star spells at a proficient level.

Thus, the fruits of Isaac's efforts as a diligent underachiever were naturally overshadowed. After all, people's attention always goes to the more impressive ones.

However...

'That man... Not only the top student and senior Dorothy, but even the second and third students are involved with him...?'

Eva Hailover could not believe what she saw with her own eyes.

She was hiding behind a tree in [Stealth] mode, watching the large-scale battle unfold.

It was clear that Lucy Eltania was furious about Isaac being injured.

At one point, the second student, Kaya Astraean, even joined in to support Isaac.

Moreover, the third student, Siel Cardenas, who had found the Phil Cards for Isaac, was also part of the group.

'Isaac, what exactly are you?'

Now she was terrified. The fact that all the strong students in the Magic Department were on Isaac's side was truly frightening.

What kind of man is he?

"Kyaa!"

Suddenly, Lucy's water magic grazed the tree near Eva. It was a stray shot during the intense battle.

In the struggle between whales, the shrimp's back might burst. Eva covered her head with both hands and trembled.

* * *

"Isaac, pass."

The submission point was a small transit station where the entrance met the test boundary. A young female professor in charge of the C Class was waiting there to greet me.

I caught my breath and handed over five Phil Cards to the professor. After checking all the cards, she nodded and undid my bracelet. It unlocked with a click when she placed a key-like object against it.

"I didn't expect you to come in first, even beating the A Class students. Hehe, you must have had your own tricks. You're a clever one, aren't you?"

I had anticipated being questioned about how a guy like me could come in first and had prepared many explanations in advance.

But her gentle attitude left me deflated.

"If you go straight from here, you'll see a carriage. You can ride it back to the dormitory. Good job."

"Thank you."

I bowed and left the transit station.

My struggles are far from over. I had just reached the starting line.

The sky was still bathed in the glow of the sunset. The moment the sun disappeared beyond the horizon, the Brain Deity would be summoned.

Before that, I needed to head to the Karly Hall, located on a high hill at the edge of the test boundary.

I started running at full speed, putting my well-trained calf muscles to good use.

<The Magic Knight of Merhen> "Act 3, Chapter 4: Brain Deity Elimination."

As the sun sets, the servant Bera, riding her familiar, flies in like a bullet.

The demon immediately snatches the Brain Deity-Galia from Lucy.

Lucy is drained of all her mana by the Brain Deity and faints.

Bera intrudes into the test area to kill the protagonist, Ian Fairytail, causing an emergency for the school administration.

Subsequently, the powerful Brain Deity's barrier takes over the old Merhen Academy grounds. This makes it impossible for the school administration to intervene. Anyone who approaches will be electrocuted to death by the high-voltage current, and breaking the barrier would be extremely difficult.

Bera, the servant, decides to take the Brain Deity and Lucy to the Karly Hall to observe the situation.

The inside of the Brain Deity's barrier is swarming with 'Lightning Harpies,' the Brain Deity's minions. They are monsters that grant experience points when defeated.

Lucy's unconscious body is protected by the Brain Deity's lightning barrier, making her the safest person in this Brain Deity Elimination.

Meanwhile, the exam supervisors and professors, along with the capable students, are trying to locate and rescue the remaining students in the test area.

This process is carried out swiftly, with no casualties. The students' bracelets make it easy to track their locations, and the Lightning Harpies are no match for the exam supervisors and professors.

Incidentally, familiars do not grant experience points.

However, if I manage to defeat Bera, the Brain Deity-Galia and the elimination team that fought it will be credited with fighting Bera and receive cooperative experience points.

Especially Ian, who needs to become strong enough to progress the story. I hope he gets a good share of the cooperative experience points.

"Huff, huff, huff, huff...!"

My breath was ragged, but I couldn't stop. The sky was gradually darkening.

* * *

The outcome of the large-scale battle in the semester-end evaluation was obvious from the start.

With the top, second, and third students of the Magic Department forming a team, it was natural that no one in the test area could defeat them.

In the end, only Lucy, Kaya, and Siel were standing in the battlefield.

The enemies had all fainted, and the exam supervisors were slowly gathering with their equipment.

"Mr. Isaac..."

The wand in Kaya's hand was the one Isaac had given her. Its body was made of a fine, light brown wood, with a lustrous green magic stone embedded in it.

The mana sensitivity was on a different level compared to the wand she usually used. It felt like her blocked mana circuits had been opened, and she could now channel a more powerful output of magic.

Many emotions crossed Kaya's mind. The sense of futility and humiliation she felt when she realized she was nothing to Lucy, and the excitement and relief she felt when she heard Isaac's whisper, were all tangled up in her head.

But Kaya shook her head, dispelling all thoughts.

It was a simple matter. She had lost, and Lucy had won. Whether the winner remembered the loser or not was up to them.

Moreover, she was someone recognized by Mr. Isaac. There was no reason to feel dejected.

"Thank you, Lucy Eltania."

Kaya smiled sweetly and took the cards from Lucy.

Lucy narrowed her eyes.

The second student, she thought. When they clashed in the Blue Rose Garden and when she first appeared here, Kaya's expression was filled with anger. But now, she seemed calm and composed.

What did they talk about in that short time inside the [Ice Wall] that changed her attitude so drastically?

Lucy's gaze shifted to Kaya's hand. She had long noticed that the wand Kaya held was different. It was undoubtedly a gift from Isaac.

'Is she also Isaac's friend...?'

At that moment, Lucy realized something she had overlooked.

Isaac was her first friend. But he couldn't have been her first friend. He must have built many relationships.

And it wasn't strange that the girl with the light green twin-tails in front of her was part of those relationships.

"..."

Her chest felt a little numb. It was a fact that bothered her.

She was already dissatisfied with the time she spent with Isaac. If he had many friends...

Wouldn't that make the already insufficient time even more insufficient?

With this thought, Lucy began to feel a deep aversion towards Kaya.

She knew it was just her selfishness and a childish way of thinking.

But Lucy wanted to monopolize her time with Isaac. To her, he was the only friend she had. And being with him was truly enjoyable.

"Tch."

Lucy handed the cards to Kaya, clicked her tongue, and quickly turned away.

Kaya stared blankly at Lucy's retreating back.

'Did she just get annoyed? Why?'

The top student was truly inscrutable.

──The demon appeared, standing against the sunset.

"Good morning, everyone!!!"

The students and exam supervisors all turned their gazes to the woman standing about 3 meters tall.

The gray-skinned demon, Bera the Servant, had a chilling smile on her face.

* * *

My body was drenched in sweat, and my school uniform felt heavy.

But thanks to my well-developed stamina, I could run at full speed for quite a while.

I kept an eye on the score board in the sky as I ran. It was hard to judge accurately, but it seemed about thirteen people had passed the test. This happened while the top, second, and third students were engaged in the large-scale battle.

My destination, Karly Hall, was situated at the top of a hill, in a high position. Its red palace-like exterior still exuded a majestic beauty, despite the marks of time. Along with the old Bartos Hall, it was a symbol of Merhen Academy.

The hill path was filled with flowers of various colors. I ran up the hill without stopping.

As I ran and reached the middle of the hill path,

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