Chapter 64

EP.64 Hunting Evaluation (1)

The opportunity for education must be guaranteed.

Even though demons have appeared several times this year, the Merhen Academy could not abandon education. It was more in line with their principles to teach the students with enhanced safety measures.

Moreover, the Royal Knights have even intervened to ensure the Academy's education.

The Academy has also increased its budget to hire renowned mages and knights.

This all stemmed from their firm resolve to teach the students no matter what.

Demons are regarded as natural disasters.

Due to their lack of intelligence, their tendency to act individually, and the unpredictability of their behavior, it's impossible to even guess where they come from.

However, the fact that demons have appeared several times this year at Merhen Academy must have a special reason. The royal court judged as much.

Thus, the 4th Squad of the Royal Knights and some members of the Fenrir Knights were dispatched to investigate the frequent appearances of demons.

They probably didn't find much.

They wouldn't have been able to uncover who the informant was, how the demons appeared, or the true identity of the black monster. It was only natural.

Alice had thoroughly prepared to avoid being caught.

The demons are formed by the dark magic of an evil spirit that barely crawls out from the depths, after existing as microorganisms underground.

There is no one in the Academy with the amount of magic power of the black monster.

Still, even so.

Since the princess is planning to enroll in Merhen Academy next year, the Knights have no choice but to intensify their search.

Merhen Academy is a prestigious institution that no other academy on the continent can replace. It is the top elite academy.

Of course, this is just a pretext. There was a substantial reason behind it. I will gradually uncover it when I become a second-year student.

If they send a capable knight to the Academy, they should be confident that they can handle any demon that appears.

Moreover, it became clear that from this year onwards, Merhen Academy would be a dispatch site for the Knights until the princess graduates. The skilled members of the Royal Knights would contribute to the security of Merhen Academy.

In any case, due to these reasons, some members of the Royal Knights will participate as exam supervisors starting from the second semester.

Seeing it with their own eyes, they couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"Let me explain the rules of the 'Hunting Evaluation'."

Elt Island is a forest that exudes an Amazon jungle vibe. However, the colors are quite diverse due to the various elemental mana-infused plants.

At one of the Elt Island docks, the Academy ships had docked at different piers, and the students were disembarked.

The students stood orderly at the dock, looking at their assigned professor, and I was among them.

Professor Fernando began explaining the rules of this exam. Behind him, the exam supervisors stood in a row, exuding a powerful presence.

"The exam will proceed until tonight. During this time, you will stay on this island.

Your goal is simple. Accumulate as many 'points' as possible until the exam ends or you are eliminated. These points will be your grades and will also be converted into gil."

Then, how do you accumulate points?

"Points can be earned by successfully hunting. This island, Elt Island, is filled with illusions of monsters that we have set up and familiars that we have summoned. Each time you capture one, points will be awarded according to their rank.

The closer you get to the center of Elt Island, the stronger the enemies will be. Consequently, you can earn more points. Rest assured, there are no real monsters on Elt Island, as we have thoroughly inspected it."

That statement also implies that there are no demons.

By the way, in this world, there is a clear difference between the concepts of 'monsters' and 'demons'. The 'ma' (魔) in 'monsters' (魔獣) has a strong connotation of magic. It means magical beasts.

On the other hand, demons are simply evil creatures with no room for compromise. Demons, with their overly prominent presence, are classified as a higher species.

"If you are hit by a monster illusion, the bracelet on your wrist will sound, and the exam will be over for you. The exam supervisors will find you, so just stay where you are."

All the students, including me, had a bracelet on their wrist that couldn't be removed. It was a bracelet that could track the students' locations, similar to the one used during the semester-end evaluation.

"Points can be used to purchase items from unmanned shops scattered throughout Elt Island. However, since these points directly affect your grades, it would be wise to save them if you want to do well. In other words, this exam will evaluate your combat skills, survival skills, wisdom, and knowledge."

"Professor! What happens if students fight each other? To steal each other's possessions, for example... Would that result in elimination?"

A male student who looked like a model student raised his hand and asked.

Professor Fernando looked at the male student and answered.

"There's no problem with that."

"......!"

The students were surprised.

"Let me repeat. The 'Hunting Evaluation' is an exam to evaluate your combat skills, survival skills, wisdom, and knowledge. Assessing the strength of your enemies, carefully looking for opportunities, or efficiently fleeing are all important evaluation criteria. You can be predators or prey to each other. If you fear having your possessions stolen, counterattack or flee."

Fernando spoke in his usual cynical tone.

"If you want to give up midway or if any unusual incidents unrelated to the exam occur, report it to us using the bracelet. We will take appropriate action.

The current time is 10:00 AM. The exam will end at midnight tonight. The time will be displayed on your bracelet automatically. Survive until then. That's all. Enter in number order."

Just like the first-semester class assignment evaluation, in a predetermined number order.

The students began entering the forest of Elt Island at regular intervals.

I also entered the forest. A jungle with various colors came into view. Trees covered in frost, flowers with electricity flowing through them, and trees with disproportionately large leaves.

I moved cautiously but quickly towards the interior.

When the bracelet glowed blue, it was the signal for the exam to start. I hid behind a giant tree with oversized leaves and focused on the bracelet.

After a while, the bracelet began to glow with red lights, one by one.

All the red lights disappeared, and a single blue light quietly took their place. The exam had started.

I have two objectives for this exam.

First, reach the 'volcano' at the center of Elt Island.

Second, meet 'Ian Fairytail'.

By the way, Ian must have arrived at the opposite dock. I knew this because I had carefully observed which direction each ship was heading before arriving at Elt Island.

Ian will meet Kaya immediately after the exam starts and form a team.

And as they move towards the center to earn points, this is the story of "Merhen's Magic Knight" Chapter 4, Part 2, "Food Chain."

The issue was that I couldn't clearly determine where Ian and Kaya were.

'I have [千里眼] (Thousand-Mile Eye).'

I closed my left eye and activated [Thousand-Mile Eye].

───── [Thousand-Mile Eye (Neutral Attribute, ★7)]

My right pupil turned silver, and my field of vision began to change dramatically.

I instantly took in the opposite side of Elt Island and scanned it. I saw Ian. As expected, he was meeting Kaya and talking to her according to the scenario.

They nodded and started moving towards the center together.

I deactivated [Thousand-Mile Eye] and opened my left eye, returning to my original field of vision.

Moving towards the center, if I can keep track of Ian's progress...

I could periodically activate [Thousand-Mile Eye] to monitor their movements.

'Since they will head straight for the center anyway.'

Ian and Kaya will move towards the center of Elt Island without hesitation. They might stop a few times to hunt and gather nutrients, but they should reach it within at least 8 hours.

The demon, Elphert of the Void, from the "Merhen's Magic Knight" Chapter 4, Part 3, "The Giant Underground," is scheduled to appear by swallowing Kaya at the center of Elt Island.

Kaya will end up inside the so-called body of the giant.

And Ian will enter the giant's body to save Kaya.

'Ian will definitely not survive.'

Inside the giant, demons swarm like cockroaches. There's no way a control freak like Ian could survive.

Therefore, the best plan is to find him just before he enters the giant's body.

Incidentally, I also considered anonymously leaving a letter with the administration stating that demons would appear at the center of Elt Island.

Of course, I abandoned that idea. There were too many variables. First, I doubted the administration would believe it, and even if they did, it would be problematic.

There was a high risk that the exam would be suspended and Elt Island would be sealed off. If that happened, no one could stop Elphert of the Void.

I couldn't be sure that things would go as I planned.

Most importantly, I didn't want any casualties. It would not only affect the scenario but could also lead to a bad ending.

I also carefully considered ways to prevent Kaya from getting into danger.

'That's also impossible.'

In "Merhen's Magic Knight" Chapter 4, Part 2, "Food Chain," if they don't reach the center in time, a bad ending is certain.

The giant is attracted to plant attributes. So, it targets Kaya, who was sensing plant mana as soon as it woke up.

If Kaya doesn't reach the center by the time the giant wakes up...

Flames and 'blood' magic will surge throughout Elt Island, causing many casualties. It would be a mass death.

I couldn't choose the dangerous option of trying to exclude Kaya from the exam.

The giant's skin is as tough as the [Thunder Strike Barrier] of the Thunder Deity Sect, which is around level 190.

Moreover, the giant has only one entrance to its body, its mouth. Without Kaya, the giant would have no reason to open its mouth.

Ultimately, even if it means sacrificing Kaya...

It would be the safest for her and to prevent a bad ending if she is swallowed by the giant.

'Let's do it.'

I took a deep breath to compose myself. Now it's the beginning.

First, I will hunt monster illusions on the way to the center and earn points, then find an unmanned shop.

Elt Island is quite vast, and a considerable number of unmanned shops are installed accordingly.

'It's so quiet.'

The only sounds were the chirping of insects and the chirping of birds. The atmosphere was different from the first-semester class assignment evaluation. It seemed there were almost no prey in the outer areas yet.

"Hild."

I summoned the ice dragon, Hild. It appeared as a tiny orb of light.

[ Ice Dragon - Hild ]

Lv: (1)

Race: Monster

Attribute: Ice

Danger Level: X

Mental State: [ Enjoying the new environment. ]

[Is this the exam site?]

The ice dragon's noble voice echoed in my head, and I nodded.

"Check if there are any monsters, monsters, or people around."

[I will.]

[Thousand-Mile Eye] consumes a significant amount of magic power, so it was more efficient to proceed while using the ice dragon.

The ice dragon began scanning the surroundings by flying through the air. As a tiny orb of light, it wouldn't be noticed by anyone if it was careful.

[No unusual presence detected.]

I emerged from behind the giant tree and started moving cautiously.

[Found it. There's a monster... but the feeling is a bit strange.]

[Squeak?]

[Chirp?]

[Stone Throw (Rock Attribute, ★3)]

Boom!

Upon discovering a monster illusion that looked like an anteater, I used rock magic to throw a rock and destroy them.

The monster illusion dissipated like smoke in the wind. It was an illusion created by a magical artifact.

[What, what is this?! Do monsters turn into smoke when they die...?]

The ice dragon seemed startled and spoke in a grandmotherly tone. Despite this, its voice was very beautiful, creating a subtle sense of dissonance.

"Monster illusions. They are fake representations of monsters."

[There, there are such things...? The times have changed a lot without me knowing... Well, of course...]

The ice dragon seemed to deeply feel the weight of the time that had passed.

The defeated monster illusion turned into mana particles and flowed into my bracelet.

At the same time, points were engraved. 20 points. The monster illusion I just defeated must have been worth 10 points each. Indeed, they are low-level mobs.

I moved on again.

* * *

Highlands of Elt Island.

Luze summoned the Thunder Deity Sect to an appropriate size, mounted it, and quickly reached the top of the cliff.

Luze, inspecting the landscape of Elt Island, saw a dark brown volcano in the center of the colorful forest.

[My master! Isaac is being searched again! Light is about to come out of his eyes! Light beam!]

"......"

Smack!

Luze punched the small beluga familiar, Velo, who was chattering like a child.

[Velo, shock! Oppose violence! Oppose violence!]

"Be quiet. I need to find my friend."

Luze searched for Isaac's traces through the gaps in the leaves. Even the smallest clue would do.

"I need to protect Isaac."

With her excellent eyesight and keen observation skills, she would definitely find anything related to Isaac.

However, the trees were densely packed, making it very difficult to find Isaac.

"Isaac, where are you...?"

She wanted to find Isaac as quickly as possible.

This is the isolated Elt Island. She could stay with him until the exam ends without worrying about other students.

Ah, how happy she would be.

Luze's mouth watered.