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Episode 27
Screening Test (2)
“Oh, what the hell is this… … .”
Becky frowned and spoke sharply to Riley.
“hey.”
“yes?”
“No, you really, haa… … .”
Becky swallows what she was about to say.
It seems like she also can’t accept the fact that she is now on the same team as Riley.
Well, he must have been looking forward to fighting Riley for quite some time, so how upset would he be if his plans suddenly went down the drain?
[Sigh… … .]
I sighed again and turned my gaze to Riley.
‘Why did I have to be on the same team as Becky?’
[… … .]
Riley was complaining about her situation.
okay.
At least on the surface.
[Erase the smile on your lips and speak.]
‘Hehe.’
Contrary to her words, Riley’s expression was one of endless joy.
He’s so happy just because Becky ate some shit.
Anyway, there is a surprisingly simple corner.
I think I’m going to have a headache knowing I’m on the same team as that murderer.
[ha…….]
I’m really going crazy.
I don’t know why, out of all the applicants, I ended up on the same team as Rebecca Duncan.
At first glance, he seems like the type of wizard who is impossible to control… … I can’t even imagine what kind of accident that guy might cause.
I could only resent the heavens for assigning me to the same team as that guy.
‘Surely you wouldn’t suddenly attack me in the middle of an exam, would you?’
[no way.]
Even if he’s a man who doesn’t care about water or fire, that’s crossing the line.
Would you attack the same team?
no way?
new year…….
[… … plague.]
I was someone who had lived for thousands of years.
As someone who has seen countless instances of ‘Surely Not’ killing people, I couldn’t say that the current situation was safe.
“Do you have any other questions?”
Suddenly, the voice of the manager standing on the stage in the distance was heard.
I didn’t realize it because I was busy with other things, but it seems like I’ve been answering each and every question from the applicants up until now.
“It’s me, admin! It’s me!”
Then Becky, who was sitting next to us, started jumping up and down and waving her hands wildly.
“What’s the matter, Rebecca Duncan?”
The manager, looking down at Becky from the stage, answered with his characteristically gentle smile.
Judging from the fact that Becky’s name popped out right away, it seems that she had memorized the names and faces of the key figures in advance.
Of course, Becky continued her questions without paying any attention to these facts.
“What happens when teammates fight each other?”
“Umm… … .”
The manager swallowed his breath for a moment and answered skillfully.
“It is natural for people who meet for the first time to have conflicting opinions. However, if we continue to coordinate our opinions so that we can both move forward on the right path… … .”
“Oh, not that one.”
“……yes?”
“What would happen if team members just fought each other by shooting magic at each other?”
“… … .”
The calm manager’s face distorted slightly.
But she quickly regained her usual smile and answered Becky’s questions sincerely.
“As you all know, team battles are a test of cooperation between each other. Therefore, if even one team member dies, the entire group is eliminated. Please take the test while keeping that in mind.”
It was a truly clear answer.
It may seem like he was beating around the bush a bit, but in reality, it was no different from blatantly telling each other not to fight.
That would be the case, because it was obvious that a fight between team members in a dangerous space like a ruins would lead to a tragic accident.
“No, there’s no such thing!”
But Becky didn’t seem to like the manager’s answer at all.
She screamed with a look of disbelief on her face.
Becky wasn’t the only one who was unhappy with this testing method.
In an instant, Daejeon began to stir with the voices of other applicants.
“What? If one team member dies, the rest of us are all eliminated?”
“No, even if it’s a team battle, that’s too much.”
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“Damn. The thing I hate the most is when someone grabs my ankle… … .”
To begin with, wizards were a very individualistic group.
They did not particularly favor cooperation among themselves.
It is especially difficult to expect teamwork among magicians who are working together for the first time today.
Naturally, in such a situation, the news that an individual’s passing or failing the exam would depend on the life of one team member would not be very welcome news to the applicants.
Groan, groan, groan─.
As time went by, the voices of the examinees grew louder and louder. Given the nature of the hall, the noise began to reverberate in all directions.
Noise tends to breed more noisy noise.
The examinees’ complaints, which had started out as small murmurs, were now gradually turning into shouts and cries.
“Quiet.”
But at that very moment.
A voice filled with magical power that resonates everywhere.
“… … … … … … .”
At the same time, an eerie silence fell over the room.
All sounds disappeared, as if the world had stopped, including the murmurs, the whispers, and even the breathing of the test-takers.
The manager standing on the stage was looking down at the examinees with a cold expression.
Although it was just the aura of a single high-ranking wizard, it was enough to overwhelm dozens of applicants.
Now everyone’s attention is focused on the stage.
The manager continued speaking slowly.
“I don’t know what kind of life you’ve lived so far.”
“… … .”
“You were probably treated as a higher-up just because you were a wizard. No matter what you did, no one else would have been able to say anything negative in front of you.”
“… … .”
“That’s because wizards are so valuable. They play an important role in any mission. No one would want to leave a bad impression on such valuable personnel.”
Some wizards flinched, their expressions as if they had been hit hard.
Either way, the manager continued his speech.
“That’s why you guys can be so free to make a fuss. No matter how much trouble I cause here, no one will dare say anything to me.”
“… … .”
“As a result of these situations continuing for decades, your character will naturally become distorted. Your personality will become increasingly broken, and your social skills will decline.”
There was absolutely nothing wrong with that statement. It was also a perfect insight into why most wizards were dog-like.
No matter how low-ranking the magicians were in the magic tower and the school, they could receive all kinds of treatment if they just came out into the world.
Mercenary groups, adventurer parties, etc… … .
In addition, there were many places where wizards were treated as valuable personnel and were used to cater to their whims. This is because the power of the asymmetrical force called ‘wizard’ was enormous.
“But no more.”
But that’s just a story from the outside world.
In the five great magic towers where the best magicians gather, they will not receive special treatment.
“Party play, co-op, and even a variety of group missions. You will no longer be acting as individuals, but as part of a group.”
The manager continued speaking slowly.
“That’s why we introduced team battles as a second test. To see how you can work together with people you’ve never met before.”
A rule where if one team member dies, all remaining applicants are eliminated.
This was a chain that forced the selfish group of wizards to cooperate.
“If you are not ready to take this risk, I recommend that you give up the exam right now.”
The administrator pointed his finger toward the portal at the far end of the battlefield.
If it’s not a test method, then just leave.
No one could dare disagree with the remarks that conveyed such firm conviction.
The test takers, who had been complaining all kinds of things until just a moment ago, were all keeping their mouths shut like mutes who had eaten honey.
But what… … .
As I said before, there are always exceptions.
Not all the wizards within the palace were silent.
“Haa, euaaaah, euaaaah!”
“… … .”
[… … .]
A scream was heard right next to me.
When I turned my head to see what was going on, I saw Becky messing up her hair as if expressing her discontent.
[… … She’s really crazy, that girl.]
It was a typical example of going my own way.
Now, I find myself admiring the way he freely expresses his personality without caring about what other people think.
* * *
“Haaaaaah… … .”
How much time has passed like that?
As the attention began to disperse and the other candidates began to greet their teammates again, Becky muttered in a slightly calmer voice.
“You… … don’t grab my ankle.”
“sure.”
“I really, really don’t feel like it, but since it has come to this… … .”
She sighed deeply and held out her hand.
“… … Please take good care of me.”
“Me too, Becky.”
Riley and Becky’s hands touched. A light handshake followed.
[… … .]
When I saw that, I thought to myself that it was fortunate.
Seeing Becky endure and take the test like that, it must mean that she has some desire to pass the test.
For her, who I thought would run wild without thinking about the consequences, a restraint was now available.
[but.]
If you think about it, Becky was secretly reluctant to fail the selection test from the time we first met.
-I don’t want to ignore the administrator’s warning and get disqualified again.
Yeah, well.
Fortunately, Becky wasn’t a hedonistic psychopath, as we feared.
‘You never know. We can’t rule out the possibility that it’s acting.’
[Um… … .]
That was also a sharp observation.
anyway.
The second test was conducted in a team format with three applicants forming a team.
I don’t know why there were three of them. It seems like the management office thought that the minimum number of people to form a team was three.
[hmm……]
With that thought in mind, I looked ahead.
A wizard I had never seen before was approaching us timidly.
“Ah, ah, hello… … ?”
okay.
I guess that girl is the last member of our team.
[… … Let’s see where.]
I took a close look at the girl’s appearance.
A bushy red hair covering her eyes. A body that is somehow hunched over. A small voice that can only be heard if you strain your ears.
[… … .]
Well, he just looked like your typical reclusive loner.
I’m talking about a hikikomori magician who turns his back on society, stays locked in a corner of his room, and only studies magic.
It wasn’t good news.
As I said before, those types of wizards have a terrible sense of combat.
While others go out to the field and fight, these are the guys who just sit at their desks and study. It was unreasonable to expect these guys to have any sense of actual combat.
Usually these guys are helpful in theoretical aspects… … .
Well, that wouldn’t be cool either, as long as I’m here.
That would be the case, since there is no one in this world who knows magical knowledge better than I do.
“Ah, ah, hello… … .”
“… … .”
When there was no reply, the hikikomori wizard greeted me again with an even more hunched appearance.
“Ugh… … . I like ancient magic.”
It was quite an unusual self-introduction.
You like ancient magic.
Suddenly, I found out the hobby of someone whose name I didn’t even know yet.
I only exchanged a few words with him, but I could already tell that he was a very socially awkward person.
“And also, what should I say… … .”
“Okay, tell me your name first.”
“Ah, ma, that’s right… … .”
Only after Becky, unable to stand watching, intervened did we finally hear the name of the last team member.
“Hi, my name is Olivia.”
“… … .”
“Ah! That, that, and I belong to the Blaze Arcane School!”
“……what?”
Becky suddenly raised her voice.
“Blaze Arcane?!”
Becky glares at Olivia with her eyes wide open.
Judging from her reaction, BlazeArcane seemed to be a fairly famous school.
Of course, in a bad way.
“They’re just a bunch of idiots who only know ancient magic! Ah, this is really a mess! Why did you put such idiots on the same team as me… …!”
“… … .”
Riley, who had been silently listening to Becky’s screams, asked me.
‘Is ancient magic that bad?’
[… … Well, the perception is a little bad.]
Isn’t the name itself ancient magic?
It is a magic system that was mainly used in the past. It is rarely used now. To put it nicely, it is traditional, and to put it badly, it is old-fashioned.
There is no need to explain it in a complicated way.
Ancient magic was simply an old system that was pushed out by modern magic.
‘Those who learn such ancient magic… … .’
[They’re just a bunch of idiots chasing romance.]
A story that only appears in fairy tales.
For example, you could magically destroy a mountain.
Or stories like the sea split in two, etc.
Those who indulge in such absurd illusions are often called ‘myth-chasing idiots’ and treated with contempt.
[… … How are these guys still around?]
Such ‘myth-chasing idiots’ have been found from time to time throughout history.
I thought it would have disappeared after 300 years, but it’s still alive and well.
Anyway, they were guys who boasted a really cockroach-like, jingling vitality.
what.
Either way, one thing is certain.
[haha…….]
I let out a hollow laugh and quietly looked around the team.
A hallucinogenic, homicidal maniac with intermittent explosive disorder.
An ancient magician with poor social skills.
And Riley too.
[They’ve gathered only the best members, really… ]
This is a truly fantastic team.
I guarantee you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better team than this one.
[… … It’s hopeless.]
Actually, it’s a lie.
To be honest, I want to cry.
