Chapter 537: Episode 537
They stepped through a teleportation circle and arrived in a new, desolate location. Though it was daytime, the sky was dark and overcast. A thick fog clung to the ground, and the landscape was dominated by lifeless earth and the skeletal branches of bare trees.
’This place is...’ Simon thought.
[The Deathland, it seems,] Pier’s clone stated abruptly.
Simon lowered his gaze. ’This is it?’
[Mhm! Still, it looks like we’re quite far from the center where Prince’s mansion is. They must have cleared out the naturally occurring undead like zombies beforehand.]
A large mana screen had been erected in the clearing, and Kizen staff bustled about, making final preparations. The involvement of headquarters staff confirmed that this was a major test. Once all the students had arrived, Aaron stepped forward.
"Attention. I will now explain the theme of this test."
’Rumble...’
Teaching assistants approached, pushing wheeled carts. The students craned their necks and stood on their tiptoes, trying to get a better look. On top of the carts sat three trays, each covered with a silver lid. The TAs lifted them in unison.
"This is..."
"What is this?"
On the trays lay broken, dirt-caked plates and shards of pottery. They looked ancient, their colors faded and surfaces worn smooth by time.
"The theme of this test," Aaron announced, "is ’Relic Scramble’."
Relics? Question marks popped up over the students’ heads.
"Precious relics are buried throughout this test site. You will participate as treasure hunter teams, and your objective is to secure more valuable relics, and to do it faster than the competing teams."
Simon immediately understood and smiled to himself. ’He said they’re buried in the ground?’ This test would almost certainly rely on the ghouls’ advanced sense of smell and detection abilities to unearth the hidden artifacts.
Aaron activated a device in his hand, and the mana screen flickered to life, showing a panoramic view of the vast test site.
"This is the test site. It’s a square, and the areas now being marked are your starting locations."
Four markers blinked in the corners of the square map.
"At each starting location, there is a structure called an ’altar’."
The screen now showed an image of the altar: a massive, hollowed-out skull with its mouth agape.
"You must use your ghoul’s detection abilities to find the ’relics’ buried throughout the test site and bring them back to your altar."
Countless blue and yellow markers now blinked across the map, indicating the locations of the relics.
"At the end of the test, the points of the relics in each altar will be tallied. The team with the highest score wins. All other teams will receive grades corresponding to their final rank."
Lorraine, who had been listening intently, placed a thoughtful hand on her chin.
"The rules are simpler than I thought."
"Yeah," Simon agreed.
"Next are the points per relic," Aaron continued. "The blue relics scattered everywhere are worth one point. The rarer yellow relics are worth three points."
He paused, letting his gaze sweep over them.
"And at the altar of each starting location is a red relic, worth fifteen points."
A female student immediately shot her hand up.
"Aseraz Mikel! What are those red relics?"
"Those are the relics stored at your respective starting locations," Aaron answered dryly, the corners of his mouth turning up in a faint smirk. "All of your teams will begin the test with a fifteen-point relic already in your possession."
The quick-witted students immediately understood. This was an intentional setup, designed to encourage conflict from the very beginning.
"To summarize: find the relics buried in the ground and place them on your team’s altar. The team with the highest score at the end wins. Any questions?"
"None!" the students chorused.
Aaron crossed his arms.
"I’ve explained the broad strokes. The rules themselves are simple, but as always in a Kizen test, the ’detailed rules’ are what truly matter."
As if on cue, the TAs fanned out, handing pamphlets to the students.
"Study these rules thoroughly. Your movements are being monitored by observers from headquarters. The first infraction will earn you a warning. A second will be considered cheating, and you’ll be given an F and removed from the test."
Simon took a pamphlet and began to read.
"Next are the test matchups," Aaron said, bringing up a new screen. Simon immediately found his team.
[Match 1: Team 1, Team 4, Team 10, Team 13]
’The first match...! And what’s more...’ Simon turned his head. Across the clearing, a student from Team 1 was turning to look at him. It was Hector.
"Aww! Why did we have to be in the first match!" Eshe groaned, bouncing on her feet in frustration.
Lorraine, ever the calm one, said, "Being first isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We’re all on the same footing as our opponents when it comes to being awkward and hesitant."
"R-Right?" Toto stammered.
Just then, the head TA’s voice rang out.
"You now have a thirty-minute break! You are free to move around, but be careful not to go too far, as you may be attacked by naturally occurring undead."
It was less a break and more a thirty-minute strategy session. The four members of Team 10 quickly found a spot and huddled together, pamphlets in hand.
"Before we make a plan, let’s master these detailed rules," Simon suggested.
"Sounds good!" Eshe agreed.
The pamphlet was dense, but the key rules were as follows:
- The examinee cannot directly participate in the test.
- The examinee can only use skills that apply to their ghouls.
- The examinee can control up to three ghouls simultaneously. Once summoned, a ghoul cannot be returned to the subspace.
- The examinee must maintain at least one active ghoul at all times.
"I think these four are the core principles," Simon said.
Toto, who had been poring over the pamphlet, looked up.
"S-So, since this is an exam for evaluating ghouls, we have to use ’only’ ghouls."
"That’s the idea," Simon confirmed. "Let’s get a headcount. How many ghouls does everyone have left? I have nine."
Lorraine raised her hand.
"I have nine, too."
Eshe and Toto answered sheepishly.
"Four, President."
"Sorry, Simon. I have three left."
On average, most students had about three or four ghouls remaining. Losing even one would mean a sharp drop in combat power. Few students had an arsenal of nine or more like Simon did.
"As I recall, Hector has nine as well," Simon said. "Whittling down his forces will be tough."
Hector had lost more ghouls than Simon during Necrology, but he had started Materials Science with a staggering thirteen.
Eshe shot her hand up with a flourish.
"Me! Me! I have a tip! Pierre Buckler has seven ghouls!"
Simon, now accustomed to her hyperactive energy, took it in stride.
"How did you find that out?"
"I overheard it during our chat session while we were pulling an all-nighter yesterday!" she said proudly. "Everyone was talking about how many ghouls they had left. Ah, but I guess there’s a chance it was a bluff?"
"I-I’ll write it down," Toto said, taking out a notebook and meticulously recording the estimated number of ghouls for their opponents.
Simon opened his mouth to speak.
"Alright, let’s go over the detailed rules. There are a few other things I want to cover."
- All relics on the test site can only be moved by ghouls.
- The red relic on the ’altar’ cannot be moved by the possessing team.
"This last one here," Lorraine noted, her expression turning serious. "It seems the fifteen-point red relic must remain on our home base’s altar. That means someone will have to stay behind and guard it."
"Exactly," Simon affirmed.
The fifteen-point red relic was immensely valuable, equivalent to fifteen one-point blue relics or five three-point yellow ones.
"Hmm, if that’s the case, everyone will prioritize protecting their relic," Eshe chimed in. "Won’t this just turn into a boring relic hunt? It sounds like everyone will just search for relics near their own base, maybe fight off an enemy ghoul if one ventures out too far, and that’ll be it."
"No."
Simon shook his head, his tone decisive. "Hector will come for us."
---
"Our target is Simon Polentia," Hector declared, his voice chilling. Pierre Buckler nodded in agreement, while the other two students on his team visibly stiffened.
"D-Do we really have to fight the Student Council President’s team?" one of them stammered.
"There’s no need to take such a huge risk, Department Representative," the other added nervously. "It would be safer to prey on Team 4 or Team 13 and secure first place..."
"No."
Hector shook his head. "Make no mistake, this test is a battle between my Team 1 and Simon’s Team 10. Since we’re both fighting for first place, we’re bound to clash at least once, no matter how this plays out. It’s only natural to move against a top contender."
"Th-Then what if we attack Team 4 and Team 13 first, and then go after Simon’s team?"
"And what happens if Simon’s team attacks our altar while we’re busy with those weaklings?"
The two students fell silent, their expressions growing complicated.
"All that would accomplish is depleting our own strength," Hector continued coldly. "And even if we manage to wipe out Team 4 or 13 within two hours, it’s all for nothing if our home base gets taken."
"Then what should we—"
"We do the opposite." Hector’s eyes flashed. "Early in the test, while everyone is scattered and searching for relics, we’ll launch a surprise all-out assault and take Simon’s altar."
"B-But won’t Simon just attack our altar to get it back?"
"We’ll fend him off. Besides, it’s unlikely to happen," Hector snorted. "That bastard always thinks rationally. He knows that with the time remaining, it’s far more logical to attack Team 4 or 13 than to pick a fight with a stronger opponent like us."
"Hmm."
"Don’t overthink it." Hector pressed his fingertips to his forehead. "This isn’t a four-way battle. From the very beginning, this has been a true duel between Team 1 and Team 10."
---
Simon’s Team 10 was also deep in strategy discussions, though Eshe seemed more interested in craning her neck to scout the other teams.
"Ah!" she gasped, ducking her head. "It’s Pierre! Pierre Buckler is on the move! What do we do? He’s heading toward Team 4!"
’Good information.’ Simon pretended to continue their conversation while glancing over at Team 4, where he could see Pierre speaking with them.
"He must be proposing an alliance," Toto whispered, his shoulders trembling. "What if three teams attack us at once? Hector could easily pressure the other two to join him..."
"I doubt that’ll happen." Simon shook his head coolly. "Team 4 and Team 13 are Kizen students, too. They’re not the type to bow to Hector’s pressure, and more importantly, Hector wouldn’t stoop to that."
"Y-You think so?"
"Yeah. His fiery temper from first year might have made it a possibility," Simon mused, resting his chin on his hand with a faint smile. "But now he’s the department representative. He won’t intimidate his peers. He’s probably just telling them to stay out of his way."
Lorraine chuckled. "You two are in the same class, aren’t you? You seem to know each other a little too well."
"Haha."
Eshe, who had been watching the other teams like a meerkat, snapped her head back. "Hey, everyone! Breaking news! Hector Moore himself is approaching Team 13! ’Ugh’, shouldn’t we be doing something? This is making me nervous!"
"Alright. Let’s do something, then." At Simon’s words, everyone’s eyes widened. He grinned. "Unlike Hector, let’s make them an offer they can’t refuse."
---
When the strategy session ended, the head teaching assistant’s voice boomed across the hall. "Will all students participating in the first match please proceed to the teleportation circles!"
As it was the first match, every student’s attention was fixed on them. The four teams, including Simon’s group, stepped forward toward the four teleportation circles prepared for them: Team 1, Team 4, Team 10, and Team 13.
"I trust you’ve all familiarized yourselves with the rules," Aaron announced as he walked out to address them. "There’s no need to hold back now. Compete fiercely and focus on achieving the highest possible score."
"Yes, sir!"
"The test will now begin."
An assistant activated the magic circles, and the bodies of all sixteen students lifted into the air.
’Alright, the first major performance evaluation,’ Simon thought, his resolve hardening. ’I have to finish in first place, if only to defend my top rank.’
He glanced to the side and saw Hector staring straight ahead, a grim smile playing on his lips. He, too, seemed supremely confident about this ghoul evaluation.
’Of course he is.’
’But with my new ghoul,’ Simon countered in his mind, ’I can beat any opponent.’ He had no intention of losing, either.