Class Placement Evaluation (2)

The class placement evaluation.

In Märchen Academy, there were four classes: A, B, C, and D. The top-scoring students were assigned to Class A, while the lowest-scoring students were assigned to Class D.

The results of the mana measurement and the class placement evaluation determined which class a student would be assigned to.

As it was a test determining which class you would belong to for the entire semester, the class placement evaluation was of great importance.

My top priority was defeating the demons rather than worrying about my ranking.

Currently, all the first-year students of the Magic Department were in Delphine Forest.

That meant the risk of meeting other students soon was high, meaning there was a high probability of an immediate battle.

This was the ripple effect brought about by the word 'survival' mentioned by the professor. Most students knew that they had to fight when they run into each other.

Bang─!!

Roaaaar—!!

Kwaaaaaaa─!!

The sound of magic firing and smashing from all directions alerted everyone that the Battle Royale had begun.

In such a situation, it was only natural for students to band together to not only gain a numerical advantage but to also find mana grains more easily, which was the purpose of this test.

However, there was no one merciful enough to team up with me, a person with Grade E mana. If anything, I would be fortunate as long as they didn't try to take advantage of me.

Can I at least rely on Kaya, who has a misunderstanding about my strength?

…No. There were far too many variables to consider. There was no guarantee that Kaya would help me, and there was also a high risk that my true nature would be revealed, as well as the possibility of her stabbing me in the back for being dangerous.

If that was the case, I had only one choice.

'I think…'

I'll just hide.

I saw a tree with thick leaves that looked perfect to hide in, it was the place I decided on after looking around Delphine Forest in advance.

I took a magic pouch out of my pocket.

[Magic Pouch] A small pouch that stores many items using magic. Good portability.

Rank: Tier 6

Rank Tier 6. A tier was a unit of measurement for determining the rarity of an item, and the lower the number, the rarer it was.

I took a water bottle from my magic pouch and sprayed water on the tree. In addition, I used the [Ice Generation] skill to create a crude ice staircase.

My [Elemental Synergy] was at a rather high level compared to my other stats. The higher the [Elemental Synergy], the greater the effect that would appear when my elemental magic overlapped with another element.

Thanks to this, I was able to create a bigger block of ice than when I used the [Ice Generation] skill normally.

I stepped on the ice staircase and finally climbed up the tree.

'It's comfy.'

As I sat on a thick branch surrounded by a cluster of leaves, I leaned my back against the tree and defrosted the ice staircase.

"…"

This was the only strategy that I, the weakest student could use, 'fuckin' hold'1E/N: From what I understand 'Fuckin' hold' is a reference to Starcraft's Zerg Burrowing Mechanics, basically it means to persevere through anything., but what would I do if other students completely cleared out all the mana grains while I was hiding in a tree?

Okay, so I overlooked something in this class placement evaluation.

'Mana grains are luminescent. When it gets dark, it becomes easier to distinguish with the naked eye.'

As someone with low mana perception, it would be better to go looking for the mana grains later anyways.

I stayed still and focused on listening to my surroundings, to check if there were any signs of people approaching.

20 minutes later, I felt a presence. Someone was coming this way.

I reached for a frozen slingshot that I had placed out of sight within the tree.

[Slingshot] An ordinary slingshot made of wood and a rubber band. Weak durability.

Rank: Tier 9

The slingshot was fixed by attaching stones to a rubber band and freezing it while stretching the rubber band as far back as it could possibly go.

A total of 10 slingshots were installed and I memorized each location.

'Defrost.'

When I loosened the ice that was holding the slingshot rubber band, it turned into blue powder and scattered while the slingshot fired stones.

Whiiiik—

The stone from the slingshot sliced through the air, cut through the grass, and landed on the ground.

"Huhhhhh?!"

I heard the surprised exclamation of a girl.

She moved her gaze to the stone that had flown out from the grass, and appeared to be rather confident in her abilities as she immediately prepared for a fight.

There were now 9 slingshots left.

'Let's hold on…'

The constant tension kept me from getting bored.

Please, I only hope that I can hold out until the time is right.

━─━─━━─━「₪」━━─━─━─━

The sky was dyed the color of the sunset.

The sound of the students casting magic had long since faded away, and silence descended upon the forest.

The current time was 6:30 PM, and I was still alive, hiding in a tree.

'Should I sneak down now?'

Fortunately, the 'fuckin' hold' strategy worked.

I ended up using all 10 slingshots, but I didn't see it as a waste since each one performed their role faithfully.

After taking out the water bottle from the magic pouch, I poured the remaining water from it on the tree and then used [Ice Generation] to create ice in a cascading fashion.

As expected, it was difficult to control, so a sloppy staircase was created.

I carefully climbed downed the icy steps.

"Oh god."

It felt like forever since I last put my feet on the ground, and my legs were trembling from sitting in the tree for 4 hours. It didn't help that I still had muscle pain from the gym yesterday.

After massaging my legs, I dispelled my magic to remove the ice staircase.

Now I had to get moving.

'Where are they?'

I didn't know where Ian and Luce would end up fighting the demon.

In the game, you would get a cutscene after surviving the class placement evaluation. This was the scene where Ian and Luce first met, and the scenery changed automatically.

I needed to find that location quickly.

The sky above the barrier was gradually darkening as I moved forward with caution, trying to make as little noise as possible.

'I have to look for some mana grains.'

I was robbed of all my fortune in preparation for the class placement evaluation. If I couldn't earn enough gel here, I would have no choice but to starve or take out a loan from a bank and become a debtor.

So finding any leftover mana grains was also important.

'…Did I mess up?'

Ha, damn it, not a single mana grain was visible, the students must have cleared them all out.

My hope of easily finding any remaining mana grains after it had become dark was completely shattered.

I had overlooked something, this was the prestigious Märchen Academy.

It was only natural that the students had excellent mana perception.

'Please, I also need some mana grains…'

I became so engrossed in searching for mana grains that I had failed to recognize the sound of small footsteps approaching me.

"Huh?"

A woman's voice rang out in front of me and in an instant, my heart sank.

I, who had been bending down while searching for mana grains, froze while a drop of cold sweat ran down my cheek.

'What do I do, what do I do…?'

Let's think.

I still had some magic tools I purchased before, if I fought using them, it would be possible to overcome the level difference to some extent.

If the person in front of me had a level in the 30s or 40s, wouldn't it be worth trying?

I slowly raised my head and looked at the female student standing in front of me.

[Kaya Astrean] Lv: 90

Race: Human

Elements: Wind, Ice

Danger: X

"…"

"…"

What should I say?

Hmm.

Wait. Kaya?

"Ah, ah, how are you…?"

"…"

Kaya seemed very frightened, as both her voice and body were trembling.

She was the freshmen's second seat. It was impossible for me to defeat her, even if I used every trick up my sleeve.

However, she currently thought of me as a 'powerful man who had attained the level of an Archwizard, but was concealing his power.'

Let's think and act calmly, if I use that fact to my advantage, I might be able to get out of here safely.

"Move."

I had always been confident in my acting skills.

I consequently narrowed my eyes and spoke in a cold, authoritative tone, as if I were revealing my true colors.

I acted as if I wasn't nervous at all.

"Ah…! Yes, pardon me…!"

Kaya trembled and moved out of the way.

Alright, I just had to move on like this.

I started walking slowly.

A feeling of relief washed over me.

I'm glad nothing went wrong…

"Ah, Sir Isaac…!"

Suddenly, Kaya called me.

'What is 'Sir' Isaac?'

I didn't expect her to use such an embarrassing honorific, but then I thought it was only natural considering what Kaya thought of me.

I quickly composed myself.

I stopped and looked back at Kaya with a cold expression, and heard.

"Well, this is still a test so… Why don't we fight…?"

"…"

…No.

"Of course, to Sir Isaac, who has reached the level of an Archwizard, someone like me would be akin to an ant under the ground… But even then, I still wish to fight you!"

No, don't do that, relax your determined expression.

"Please do me this favor, Sir Isaac!"

No, don't deploy your magic circle, it's not like we already agreed to fight, so get rid of it.

…Please.

'In another 20 minutes, the demon will appear…'

Before I knew it, the test clock was pointing at 6:40 PM which meant I needed to quickly find where the demon would appear.

Despite my pleas, Kaya's light green magic circle deployed in the air was slowly spinning toward me.

Even though she was afraid of me, the second seat was burning with a desire to fight against the gigantic existence known as an Archwizard.

"..."

I am weak, I have Grade E mana, the lowest grade! I am the weakest student of the Department of Magic…! No matter what I do, I can't win…!

Calm down for now, calm down and think.

How could I get out of this situation? What could I tell her in order for her to dispel her magic circle?

I couldn't just say that I was the one in charge of the demons. No matter how hard I try, I couldn't even imagine how much of a headache that would become for me in the future.

Then what I can do… What can I take advantage of…

…I thought of something.

I don't know if this will work, but let's give it a shot.

"Whew."

"…?"

I started with a sigh.

That magic circle looked dangerous, no matter how I looked at it, but I stared at Kaya with the most amused expression I could muster, and similarly, Kaya was looking at me with a dubious expression.

Since this has already happened, it was all or nothing.

I crossed my arms and looked at the pale green magic circle that Kaya deployed in the air as if it were pathetic.

"With only that kind of magic?"

"…!!"

Kaya's eyes widened in shock. What I said must have hurt her feelings.

"Only that kind…?"

"You're wasting your time right now."

I turned my back.

A terrifying, murderous feeling came from behind.

Please don't kill me…

"I know you are an amazing person. But… what you said just now ignores all the blood, sweat, and tears I've put in…"

"I mean, 'for now.'"

"Huh?"

The situation changed quickly.

I felt my life fading away. Perhaps Kaya was trying to figure out what I meant.

"You're close with 'Sylphia,' right?"

Sylphia, the Emerald Fairy. It was the name of a fairy who used plant magic.

"H-how did you know that…?"

"Because I can sense the aura of [Yggdrasil] from you."

"…!!"

Even though I didn't look at her, I could feel that Kaya was very surprised.

The aura of [Yggdrasil]? What's that? I was just bluffing. How could I sense that when I couldn't even sense mana grains?

Anyway, Kaya was on good terms with Sylphia, the Emerald Fairy. It was a secret that only she knew, and couldn't be found out by anyone else.

She also wore the 'Seed of Yggdrasil' she received from Sylphia as a necklace around her neck. Kaya had to keep the seed with her at all times in order to access its plant mana.

At first glance, it appeared to be a regular seed, but unlike a regular seed, it was constantly condensing mana rather than emitting it, making it difficult to detect.

After entering her second year, she became fully attuned to the plant mana. Later on, she was able to use the 'Seed of Yggdrasil' as a catalyst to cast the 8-star plant spell [Yggdrasil], which contained both a fairy's power and the capability to destroy a nation.

Only I, who was familiar with the future, could say this now.

"It seems to be quite recognizable."

"Did you know Sylphia?!"

Of course not.

But I didn't answer on purpose and kept my eyes closed, pretending to reminisce about a great past.

"…Your true value will be revealed in the future. When that happens, if you become someone worth my time, I'll face you one day."

"…"

After that, I started walking again.

I didn't know what kind of expression Kaya was making behind me, and I didn't know what thoughts were racing through her mind.

It didn't matter. What really mattered was the little noise caused by the magic circle subsided and then disappeared. Kaya had dispersed her magic circle!

A smile leaked out from the corners of my mouth. It was relief at being alive.

I was bluffing like a middle schooler, but I was glad things worked out anyway…

"Sir Isaac."

Oh, not again, why, why!?

I tried to pretend I hadn't heard, but Kaya called out once more, "Sir Isaac!" and forced me to a halt.

"Why are you here 'pretending to be weak'?"

Certainly, that was a question worth asking.

Even though, I was really just weak.

But in Kaya's eyes, I was pretending to be a weakling.

Well, that's easy.

There was only one response I could give here.

"…You don't need to know."

That was it. In this situation, the typical response from the other person would be to just remain silent and nod.

And then, I started walking again. As expected, Kaya didn't call out to me again.

After walking for a while, when I looked back, she was out of sight.

"Wheeeeeew—"

I let out a very, very deep sigh of relief.

Kiyaaa~ I'm alive! I'm not dead.

I was lucky. Hmm, it's really awesome!

But now was not the time to be immersed in the joy of survival.

I calmed down and steeled myself. I needed to find the place where the demon would appear, as well as where Ian and Luce would meet.

Where are you? Where?

…I found a mana grain. Let's pick it up.

When I brought my watch near it, the mana grain flew off the stone like a firefly and stuck itself to the watch.

'There are only 10 minutes left.'

It was currently 6:50 PM, meaning the demon would appear in 10 minutes.

I retraced my steps.

The only clue I had was that the demon would appear in an empty lot with a low cliff.

I looked around Delphine Forest yesterday, but I couldn't find an area that matched that description due to the forest being so large.

I had to find it.

It will most likely be difficult to find it in time. If so…

I arrived at a stream that I had memorized the location of during my preliminary search. I could see the sky clearly from here, no matter how dense the trees were in the Delphine Forest.

Then I took a look at my wristwatch.

'7 o'clock…'

A dark blue hue dyed the sky as the sunset faded.

By now, the demon should have appeared in front of Ian and Luce.

It would be a waste of time to wander around here.

Let's put the search for mana grains aside for a moment. My number one priority is to avoid a bad ending.

I decided to stay where I was.

Certainly, when Ian and Luce begin to fight the demon, there would be a significant scale of magic involved.

I just needed to head to the location where the spells were being cast.

It was entirely possible for me to move further away from the fight if I were to continue wandering around.

Let's wait a little bit.

Just a little bit…

"…"

In the forest, which was gradually turning dark, I stood still and held my breath.

KUUUUUUUU─────!!!

"…!!"

A roar erupted.

I jerked my head in the direction of the roar. Since I was near a stream, there were no trees blocking my view, making the loud noise easily identifiable.

A sharp pillar of ice rose a short distance away. The pillar was pitch black rather than the cool blue normal ice would have.

Others may have been unaware, but I was certain that an ice spell with the darkness element had been cast. It was, without a doubt, the magic of demons.

The ice pillar instantly disintegrated into black powder and disappeared.

I hurried towards the location where the black ice pillar had risen.

Please hold on until I arrive, Ian! It would be even better if you win!

"Whoa. Where are you going in such a hurry?"

No, no.

Ughhhh…

"…What is it, huh. Aren't you a lowly commoner with Grade E mana?"

[Tristan Humphrey] Lv: 71

Race: Human

Elements: Wind

Danger: Medium

The person who stood in my way was Tristan Humphrey, a high-ranking freshman, and a conceited blonde aristocrat.

"…"

I shook my head rapidly.

Thanks to playing ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ so much, I kept all the characteristics of the main characters in my head.

My level was 26, the level difference between me and this guy was 45, but… If I did my best, I think I could beat him. I wasn't sure about others, though.

Let's take him down quickly.

'I'll be passing through now.'

I accelerated the flow of mana in my body, warming up my ice mana.

Footnotes:

1E/N: From what I understand 'Fuckin' hold' is a reference to Starcraft's Zerg Burrowing Mechanics, basically it means to persevere through anything.