Chapter 148: Semester Exam (2)

“Hey, what do you think will happen?”

I heard the voices of my fellow teammates walking beside me.

“Even if it’s Professor Rokel, wouldn’t it be overwhelming to be mobbed like this?”

“More than that, the problem comes after obtaining the professor’s bracelet. It seems like it will be a complete mess…”

Judging from the atmosphere, it was already a foregone conclusion for them that we would get the bracelet from the professor.

With this many people gathering, even a professor would naturally be unable to handle it.

But I wonder if the professor really didn’t expect the students to work together.

I don’t think it will be resolved so easily.

Everyone rushed, and at the end of the passage, Professor Rokel stood still, waiting.

“Hmm.”

Professor Rokel, who looked around at the students gathered at the main entrance, calmly opened his mouth.

“I see. You made a reasonable judgment.”

I was certain as I looked at his expression, Professor Rokel had been expecting this outcome.

“There was no rule saying that teams from different groups couldn’t cooperate, right? So there shouldn’t be a problem, Professor?”

A leading student cautiously asked him.

A faint smile appeared on the professor’s lips.

“Of course, there is no problem.”

And then he suddenly raised his hand in the air.

As he did so, a line was drawn on the ground, forming a boundary between the professor and the students.

Amid the curious gazes of the students, the professor spoke.

“The rule is simple. Regardless of the method, I will give the bracelet to the student who successfully crosses this line first.”

A line?

The method to obtain the bracelet proposed by the professor was extremely simple. It was so simple that the bewildered students glanced at each other, and one student dashed ahead first.

Kwaang!

But before taking a few steps, the student floated in the air and tumbled heavily to the ground.

The professor, who effortlessly bounced the students away with a shockwave spell, continued speaking.

“Of course, it won’t be easy. I will only unleash three types of magic. Give it your best shot.”

As soon as those words were spoken, Lea took the next action.

She gathered her mana with such force that her hair stood on end and shot a lightning spell at the professor.

Zap!

The lightning bolt extended energetically, but the professor easily blocked it with a simple defense barrier.

I figured out her plan.

Is she trying to quickly deplete the count of the three types of magic restrictions?

If we knew which magic he would use, we could respond accordingly.

He had already used shockwave magic and barrier magic, so there was only one magic left.

Poof!

At that moment, the students rushed towards the professor in unison, but once again, they were all bounced away by the shockwave unleashed by the professor.

Though the impact was controlled, the students quickly got back on their feet, but none of them could get close to the professor.

After several failed attempts, someone shouted,

“Mages, support us with magic from behind! Spread out while defending, and then charge in together!”

Yes, that could be the best approach.

I didn’t just stand still; I cast an appropriate offensive spell.

Meanwhile, the students from the swordsmanship department, who were observing the timing, charged forward once again. But…

Bang!

Poof!

The professor defended against all flying spells while repelling the rushing students one by one.

The students’ combined attacks did not manage to distract the professor even slightly.

“You’re still pushing with sheer numbers. You need to strategize.”

With expressions of frustration, the students looked at the professor, overwhelmed by the immense difference in strength.

I was a bit bewildered. Did these kids genuinely believe that they could defeat the professor just by overwhelming him with numbers?

Of course, the professor was still holding back to some extent.

If he really wanted to stop them, he could have just spread out his barrier and blocked their access.

“What is this? It’s just impossible…”

However, whether due to their will being broken or not, nobody made any further attempts to approach the professor.

What followed was an eerie silence.

The collaboration between the two teams had initially been aimed at taking down the professor. But if they realized it was impossible…

“…”

The students split up into their respective teams, beginning to guard against each other.

Watching this pathetic scene, Professor Rokel unleashed a spell.

Kwaaang!

With an indiscriminate shockwave bombardment, the students screamed as, one by one, they were expelled from the battlefield.

***

Thus, the attempt to obtain the professor’s bracelet ended in failure, and the students, who had been expelled from the battlefield, scattered in disarray.

“Phew, this won’t be easy.”

Kaen said, brushing the dirt out of her hair.

Esca sighed, and I shrugged my shoulders.

If it was up to me, I could get a bracelet from someone on the other team and finish the test.

“What about Rigon, though?”

“He’s on the opposing team. Why look for him?”

“Well, can’t we just go together, anyway?”

“Is that possible? Let him handle it on his own. So, what do we do now?”

At that moment, Vaion spoke up.

“I’m not interested in the other guys’ bracelets. I want to get the professor’s bracelet and pass the exam.”

Kaen nodded.

“I feel the same way. Shall we take a break and try again later?”

“I’m talking about Professor Gaon’s bracelet, not Professor Rokel’s.”

“Gaon… Ah, the professor from the Swordsmanship Department? Why?”

“Because we’re both swordsmen. I want to confront the professor with swordsmanship using my full power.”

It was typical of Vaion, who had no interest in magic.

Kaen burst into laughter and said, “Well, I don’t mind either way. Shall we go challenge Professor Gaon this time?”

Was it really going to be like this?

At that moment, Esca chimed in and said, “Hey, Kaen. Wouldn’t it be safer to just get a bracelet from a student on the opposing team?”

“Well, then it would be too easy, right?”

“It’s not about it being easy or not, this is an exam…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Who cares about grades? Let’s try to defeat the professor somehow. Let’s all join forces.”

“…”

Esca nodded with a darkened expression for some reason, but Kaen didn’t notice and seemed excited.

Kaen shouted in a lively voice, “Well then, let’s go!”

***

Meanwhile, there was another person who was still eyeing the professor’s bracelet.

Lea, leaning against the corridor wall lost in thought, raised her head at the sound.

“…Oh.”

The students from the opposing team who had been roaming around together stopped as they noticed Lea.

Lea turned her gaze away with an annoyed expression, as if telling them to go their own way.

However, her reaction caused the students to look at each other and start chattering among themselves.

“Hey, should we give it a try? She’s all alone.”

While she was an object of admiration to some, she was also a target of jealousy toward others.

Considering her usual attitude toward other students, it was only natural for some to feel displeased with her.

“Look at her reaction. She must have used a lot of mana earlier, and she wants to avoid a fight.”

They approached Lea confidently.

“Aren’t you ignoring us too much, Lea Herwyn? You’re all alone right now…”

Bam!

As Lea waved her hand, the student who was standing in front of the group was violently knocked back.

The remaining students hurriedly tried to unleash their magic, but even that was slower than her second spell.

“Don’t act so annoying. I don’t even need your bracelets.”

The students who had been rolling around on the floor in unison paled and staggered to their feet.

Lea looked at them as if they were pitiful and spoke.

“More than that, there’s no rule that says you can’t take someone’s bracelet if it’s from the same team, so why are you running around like that?”

The students looked at each other, startled by those words.

Lea let out a snicker and turned her head away.

From the opposite corridor, other students were now approaching.

“That person has such a bad personality, saying nonsensical things.”

She furrowed her brow. Kaen waved her hand and spoke.

“We don’t really want to fight you, either. We’re just on our way to challenge Professor Gaon.”

“And what does that have to do with me?”

“Just saying. The way you’re talking, I’m guessing you’re after the professor’s bracelet, too, so do your best.”

Lea glanced at the crowd of students heading towards the corridor and clicked her tongue.

Ignoring the bothersome individuals, she immersed herself in thoughts of her own strategy.

“It’s not impossible. There must be a way.”

The professors wouldn’t have set up an impossible exam.

Professor Rokel had instructed them to devise strategies, not just rely on sheer numbers. So there must be some way.

She thought there must be a reason behind the joint examination between the Swordsmanship Department and the Magic Department.

Considering Professor Rokel’s usual teachings, he always had valid reasons for his actions.

Moreover, crossing lines and physically engaging in combat would put mages at a disadvantage.

So maybe there was a solution to obtain the bracelet through cooperation with the Swordsmanship Department students.

“……”

Cooperation.

For a moment, someone flashed through Lea’s mind, but she quickly sighed and erased the thought.

Indeed, she didn’t need a team. As always, she was confident enough to accomplish things on her own.

Lea, who had been contemplating for a while, moved back to the passage where Professor Rokel was located.

“There was a rush of people earlier, and now is it just one person?”

Professor Rokel, standing with his back to her, smirked.

Lea didn’t reply, but instead drew up her mana. Her magic struck the shield.

Kwaang!

Of course, not even a small dent appeared on Professor Rokel’s barrier.

Observing the scene, Lea took a step forward.

As far as she was concerned, there was only one way to make a breakthrough.

Distracting the professor’s attention was not an option. It was impossible to break through the barrier and directly strike the professor.

The previous attempts were futile. Even if all the students had gathered, she couldn’t succeed alone.

She was well aware of the gap in skill between herself and the professor.

Although Professor Rokel would not unleash lethal magic that would harm the students, if she so desired, she could deploy field magic to prevent any approach.

But he didn’t do that.

Professor Rokel only erected the barrier when defending against the magic flying towards him.

The only method he used to repel the charging students was a shockwave spell.

So, without any residual defense, she should move forward, blocking the professor’s magic from the front.

Perhaps the least plausible answer might be the correct one. A method that relied on individual ability rather than numerical advantage.

Of course, even if the professor allowed it, it would be impossible to gain an upper hand in a pure magic confrontation.

However, blocking did not simply mean straightforwardly deploying defensive magic.

Kwaagwak!

Lea rotated her field magic, as if narrowing it into a hemisphere.

The shockwave magic was scattered by the rotational force and bounced off in all directions. Professor Rokel looked intrigued.

“……”

Even when dispersed, it still has this much power?

Lea regulated her breathing and moved again.

Professor Rokel once again released a shockwave, and Lea defended herself in the same way.

However, this time, the impact was stronger than before. Her defense barrier couldn’t completely block the shockwave and was shattered.

“Ugh…”

Lea staggered, but managed to regain her balance.

The distance to the line was now about ten paces. Could she stop it one more time?

Lea clenched her lips and took a step forward. And the professor’s magic came flying towards her.

Kwaang!

The defense barrier ultimately failed to block the shockwave and shattered into pieces.

Thrown backward by the unmitigated impact, Lea rolled across the floor before coming to a stop.

She pushed herself to her feet, trying to recover from the dizziness.

“……!”

A blast of magic shot out of the common entrance, aimed at her. It wasn’t the professor’s magic.

She had no time to defend herself and was exposed to the attack.

Thud!

A newly arrived figure suddenly leaped in and deflected the flying magical force.

Lea held her ringing head and looked at the person who intervened. It was none other than Rigon.

“No matter what, that’s too cowardly. Isn’t it?”

Rigon twirled his sword and spoke to the student hiding near the entrance.

The student turned around hurriedly with a look of defeat and ran away.

Lea stared blankly at the back of Rigon.

Rigon turned his body and reached out his hand to her.

“Are you okay?”

“……”

She frowned and stood up without taking his hand, standing up on her own.

Rigon withdrew his outstretched hand as if he wasn’t particularly worried.

“I helped you, but you don’t even say thank you.”

“I never asked for your help.”

“Oh, I see.”

Rigon glanced briefly at Professor Rokel and spoke.

“By the way, I was also aiming for Professor’s bracelet. But when I came back, I saw that you were already fighting.”

“…So?”

“No, it’s just that I think this is a test that requires the Department of Swordsmanship and the Department of Magic to cooperate. So, I was actually looking for someone to team up with.”

Lea’s eyes widened. Rigon’s thoughts were exactly the same as hers.

Rigon looked at her and smirked.

“So, what do you think? Instead of doing it alone, would you like to do it together?”