Episode 138. The Extraction Test (4)
‘Pondrian is starting to notice me.’
In the first two steps, Rubin’s intention was to grab the attention of the testers.
So in the first stage, he found consistency faster than anyone else and passed, and in the second stage, he surprised them by using the dark smoke to find the exit and showing off his underwater skills.
It didn’t matter that Pondrian was out of the room at that moment. We already knew that the test content would be recorded and reported.
‘He must have tampered with the test tool to make sure it was working properly.’
There was one rule that had to be strictly observed for the test magic tools that displayed the peak of phenomenon magic. That was that they could not be tampered with arbitrarily after activation.
‘Because manipulation directly affects the overload of the test magic tool.’
If it gets overloaded, it can explode at any time, making it unusable.
According to what Rubin had confirmed in Cancion Village, the overload had not yet accumulated to a large extent, so even if it exploded, the power would be minimal.
‘Break the test magic tool, get a first-class magic stone, and reduce casualties. Kill three birds with one stone. Now all that’s left is to stimulate Pondrian.’
Rubin’s plan was to increase the number of manipulations, increase the possibility of explosion, and stimulate it more than before.
“Sir Pondrian.”
As they stared at each other, Rubin opened his mouth.
“I have a question.”
“I never gave you permission to ask questions.”
“Why isn’t Chloe here?”
“…her”
Pondrian burst out laughing at the absurdity of it all. Not only was he continuing to ask questions without any concern, but the fact that Chloe’s name came out of Rubin’s mouth made him frown.
I know Chloe’s cheerful personality and that she’s here as an exchange student, but I still find that indiscriminate attitude hard to accept.
“What is your intention in asking this? Are you trying to say that it is unfair?”
“No, we’re in the same class, I’m just worried. That’s all.”
Pondrian’s expression was completely crumpled. He was angry that she called the Witherspoon’s daughter a friend, but he was even more angry at her arrogant attitude of constantly talking back.
Even the nobles of the nearby regions, such as Ielos and Delinga, would bow down to the Imperial Army officers. Rubin’s attitude seemed to be opposing him.
The cadets around him began to stir. Even Oscar was so flustered that he tapped Rubin on the arm.
But Rubin had no intention of stopping.
‘This isn’t enough to make Pondrian manipulate magic tools even in Stage 3. He needs to be stimulated more.’
From stage 3 onwards, it was a stage where the test magic tools directly caused pain to the examinees. It was also a stage where the magic tools’ mana concentration also became stronger, which meant that they were more vulnerable to overload when operating them.
“What’s your name… No, I don’t need to know your name. There’s a high chance that you’ll be eliminated in the next stage.”
Pondrian’s gaze, which had been glaring at Rubin, then turned to all the examinees.
“Hey, Capotini’s students. Let me give you a word of advice. Just because you’re in the same classroom as the Imperial Aristocrat, don’t think of him as your friend. Even if he approaches you without formality, don’t lose your sense of reality.”
Rubin didn’t miss this moment and intervened again.
“What if I win this test?”
“…what?”
“So, can I think of Chloe as a friend? Or does that mean that since I’m a Samhwi, I can never be a match for Wonhwi’s wizard?”
For a moment, Pondrian’s face turned red.
‘Huh, how did you end up in such a low-level school, Miss?’
It was Pondrian who had taken this exam as a student eight years ago. Even though it was the most prestigious magic school in America, the Jang Gyogyo Seongwi that he encountered as a student was an elite group with unapproachable authority. At that time, no student could have said such things to the stomach.
‘To Principal Keegan, and that black hair. This school is a total mess.’
Pondrian shook his head to calm his excitement.
I could have immediately eliminated the black-haired cadet with my stomach qualifications, but I wanted to make him feel hopeless during the exam.
‘A magician… a worthless mongrel.’
Even though he had just seen the unrealistic swimming, to Pondrian, Rubin was just another inferior student of Samhwi.
“Then I guess it would be good to show off that arrogant confidence properly.”
“I will show you properly from now on.”
“Don’t expect it.”
Pondrian turned around and headed upstairs. The examiners followed him.
Thud thud.
As Pondrian was climbing the stairs, he remembered something he had forgotten and called his adjutant.
“Give your order, Your Majesty.”
“There are a few cadets that Miss Chloe is particularly interested in. Check to see if any of the cadets I’m talking about have dropped out yet. Their names are… Dahlia Delin, Oscar Tunio, and Luden Poinen. There are three of them.”
But the immediate adjutant hesitated to answer while holding the examination list. Pondrian stared at him.
“Is there a problem?”
“All three candidates are there. But… … .”
“however?”
“Of the cadets you mentioned, cadet Luden Poinen is the black-haired cadet you mentioned earlier. He did some ridiculous swimming in the second stage… … .”
“what?”
Pondrian stopped climbing the stairs and turned his gaze towards the cadets.
That guy was Luden Poinen. Now I understand what he meant by ‘friend’.
Before the start of stage 3, there was a short break. Oscar grabbed Rubin and shouted.
“Luden. Are you crazy? Don’t you know what kind of people these are?”
“They are the ones who select officer cadets.”
“Yes! If you get selected here, you won’t just be an officer, you’ll be able to advance straight to a high-ranking officer in the Imperial Army. See how well-behaved Eric is? This is a huge opportunity for the great Ielos family.”
Just then, Dahlia approached them and joined their conversation.
“It’s a chance to put down roots on the Empire’s mainland.”
“Yeah, you heard what Dahlia said? Look, Dahlia’s already got a lot of discipline.”
“… Keep quiet. Anyway, it’s different from when Professor Gaizen was here. Don’t hurt that officer’s pride for no reason. If you hurt that person’s feelings because of him, I’ll get hurt too, right?”
“Yeah, well.”
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Since I had already scratched his pride enough, I was going to wait and see if things would turn out the way I wanted.
‘The only question left is at what point Oscar will be eliminated.’
As Rubin watched, Oscar himself had not yet decided what attitude he should take toward this test.
Perhaps he would seek revenge on the Emperor and seek a commission as a high-ranking officer in the Imperial Army, but Rubin thought that was too risky.
Or, is he just trying to stay still and then intentionally fail the exam?
‘What was it like before the regression? Maybe Oscar’s identity was exposed because of the Jang Education Committee.’
Even though Rubin’s significant involvement this time around had changed things considerably, there was no guarantee that it wouldn’t happen again.
Even before the return, the two magical geniuses, Chloe and Oscar, would have been close to each other. That closeness could have been poisonous and provoked Pondrian, and that could have been the cause of Oscar’s identity being discovered.
‘Even if it’s not yet, no one knows what will happen in the future. It’s best to eliminate them as quickly as possible.’
Rubin was determined to eliminate Oscar at this stage. He folded his arms and waited for the third stage to begin.
“Is that Ruden Poinen?”
“That’s right. It’s him. The one with black hair.”
Because of the friction with Pondrian, the cadets’ attention was focused on Rubin. In particular, the cadets from Class D, including Eric, were looking at him with displeasure.
“Are you really crazy?”
“Did you see the Jang Gyo-Yeok Seong-Wi fight back against the disguise?”
“What are you trying to do? What kind of nerve do you have?”
Rubin didn’t care. No matter what anyone said, he was going to be the winner of this exam anyway.
That was when.
Light began to spread from the floor where the cadets were standing. As Phase 3 began, the testing room was reconfigured.
* * *
Stage 3 of the extraction test.
Just like the ‘black river’ in the second stage just now, a muddy, unfathomable black river was blocking the examinees.
In addition, there are stepping stones scattered here and there above the water.
“So, you’re telling me to step on it and cross over?”
The distance to the exit was about 100 meters, and the only way to get there was by stepping on stepping stones.
and.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Arrows appeared out of thin air and continued to strike the river at regular intervals. The target point was, of course, on the stepping stones.
“That arrow… it can’t be real, right?”
Unfortunately, contrary to Oscar’s fears, they were all real. Magic arrows that made you feel complete pain when you hit them.
‘Of course it’s not real’
So, even if you get hit by an arrow, you won’t die. Just like the cadets who lost consciousness in the water in the previous test didn’t drown.
“It’s going to hurt anyway. That officer said it earlier. It’s an illusion, but the sensation will be fully conveyed.”
Oscar’s face turned pale as Dahlia explained while tying up her loose hair again.
‘There’s one more there.’
Rubin turned back and waited for something to creep into his darkness. Something approaching slowly, revealing sharp claws.
Krrrrrr.
“Oh, you’re crazy!”
“Kill him! Kill him!”
“If you’re going to kill me, you should run away, you idiot!”
There was another uproar among the students, much more chaotic than when the skeletons had first appeared.
After Mana was blocked, the cadets became weak in both mind and body. They couldn’t help but be terrified by the appearance of a giant black panther that looked like something you would see in a jungle.
Grrrrr.
A black panther was approaching, step by step, with a roar echoing on the ground.
‘No hostility. Are you trying to tell me how to take the test?’
The next moment.
The black panther leaped up from the ground and dashed forward, then leaped toward the stepping stones on the black river.
There are nine stepping stones in total. I wondered if the black panther would step on all of them and move forward.
Push!
The sound of an arrow piercing into skin rang out.
It was on the third stepping stone. The arrow pierced the black panther’s right foreleg and became lodged in the stepping stone.
Because of that, the black panther ended up nailed to the stepping stone. Its limp body was swallowed by the black river.
“That’s the role of the leopard.”
Dahlia said. With those words, Rubin and Oscar also looked into the air where the arrow was being fired.
“It shows the interval between arrows flying.”
“crazy!”
“Hey, there’s another one?”
The second black panther to appear also jumped over the stepping stones like the previous one did. Then, at the eighth stepping stone, it was hit by an arrow again.
Rubin rethought his plan.
‘I guess I’ll have to drop Oscar here. The moment he lands on the stepping stones, I’ll be able to distract him with darkness.’
So that it falls into the river by itself.
Rubin waited silently until the other cadets came forward one by one. If he wanted to get Pondrian to operate the test magic tool during Rubin’s turn, it would be better to do it later.
* * *
Upper level of the examination room. Professor Eggler, who was watching the situation with the examiners, nodded quietly.
I had an idea of what abilities they were trying to test in Step 3 of the test.
The arrows that are fired have a certain interval. If you measure the interval and jump over the stepping stones, you can reach the destination.
However, even if a method is devised, whether it can be put into practice is a separate issue. After all, victory or defeat on the battlefield depends on how much of the strategy in your head can be implemented. This stage was to select the power of action.
At that moment, Pondrian’s disguise approached him. Eggler said.
“The cadet who just passed is the child of hunter parents.”
“Yes, you really have a diverse background. Do you know the cadet who just left?”
“That guy… … .”
Although it seemed as if Pondrian was mocking Sam-Hwi, the old professor calmly ignored it. Eggler paused for a moment.
“He’s not a student in my class, but I know him because I taught that class. He’s a chatterbox and a slacker.”
Oscar ran towards the stepping stones with his hair fluttering. He landed on the first stepping stone while shouting, “Euraraaaaah!”
But his next move was foolish. He took a small step forward, judging the distance between the arrows, but he ended up stepping wrong and falling into the water.
It was an obvious mistake.
“Eww! Hey, save me, guys!”
Several officers burst into laughter as they watched Oscar screaming while barely hanging on to the second stepping stone.
“He’s the kind of guy who’d float even if he fell into water.”
Professor Eggler also shook his head as if he had expected it. Soon, Oscar sank deep into the black river.
“hmm…….”
The Pondrian disguise turned to his immediate aide and nodded. Oscar Tunio was one of Chloe Witherspoon’s close friends whom she had been keeping a close eye on. So she had instructed him to mark down when and how he was eliminated.
‘Is that Eric?’
Next to take the starting line was Eric Ielos.
If it’s Eric, then the name Fondrian is also well known. It is said to be the most influential magical family in the current Samhwi wizard society.
He was said to have influence over the Capotini administration and to have been so successful in business that he owned quite a few business rights in the area.
Occasionally, I’ve seen Ielosga on the attendee list at wizarding events held on the mainland.
‘I thought you were the leader of a gang, but you’re also very agile and fearless.’
Eric quickly crossed the stepping stones, accurately timing the arrows. He maintained his balance even on the stepping stones that were not easy to land on.
Although it was not comparable to that of a person without a guardian, it meant that he usually took care of himself separately within the family.
Eric passed the third stage safely. There was a natural arrogance in his eyes as he turned around.
“This time, Dahlia Delin.”
Pondrian turned his head again and winked at the adjutant. Dahlia was also Chloe’s close friend, so he had to look closely.
Dahlia jumped onto the stepping stones without hesitation, and soon reached the spot where the first leopard was.
But the problem came next.
Push!
Dahlia misjudged the spacing of the arrows. The arrows sank into the back of her calf. She bit her lips hard to keep herself from screaming.
“Hoo… … .”
Egeler looked at her with interest. He had thought she would be an arrogant child, as expected from the Delin family, but he was surprised. Dahlia did not give up even with an arrow embedded in her calf.
I was moving forward, throwing my body forward. I was clinging to the stepping stones and struggling.
“That’s okay. If you look like that in stage 3, you’ll probably survive for a long time in later stages.”
Pondrian spoke honestly. He seemed like a cadet with a strong desire to win. The immediate adjutant next to him was quickly recording the situation.
“Eww!”
Dahlia never gave up, and eventually threw herself over the last stepping stone, some of her loose hair being cut off by the arrowhead that had strayed.
Anyway, it was a pass. Dahlia gasped for breath. As she passed, the arrow embedded in her calf naturally disappeared, and her pain completely disappeared.
“Sir.”
The aide approached and whispered to Pondrian. Pondrian felt Eggler’s gaze, but shrugged calmly.
“Speak.”
“It’s almost time for Cadet Luden Poinen to turn. Really… should we proceed as you said?”
“Is there a problem, Adjutant?”
“If I suddenly change the spacing of the arrows… … .”
“It’s necessary. We need to find the best material. If what we saw in the second stage is true, shouldn’t we raise our expectations accordingly?”
“But… I understand that the purpose of this stage is to measure appropriate behavior in a predictable attack situation.”
Pondrian didn’t hide his irritation. He put his hand on his immediate adjutant’s shoulder with a distorted expression. His grip tightened.
The immediate adjutant opened his mouth with difficulty, looking troubled.
“Besides, if you manipulate magic tools arbitrarily… … .”
“aide.”
“… Yes, sir.”
“I just told you why I have to do that.”
“… … .”
“Go down quickly and do what I tell you to do.”
The immediate adjutant had no choice but to step down. It was clear why this was not the case, but he could not disobey the order.
“All right…….”
The immediate adjutant went down the stairs and walked towards the examiners who were controlling the test magic tools. He felt uneasy as if he was carrying out the tragedy that was to follow with his own hands.
