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Chapter 84

“Team number 21, six Lotus Boars; score distribution: 192 points for A, 108 points for B. Team number 27, eight Black Dracos; score distribution: 108 points for A, 132 points for B...”

As each pair of students hunted down monsters, their individual contributions were evaluated and points were allocated accordingly. It was an easy matter for the professors, who all possessed perception-type skills, to evaluate every single pair of students without missing anything. It didn’t matter even if there were multiple pairs in simultaneous battle.

Tap. Tap.

Listening to the professors’ assessments, the teacher assistants inputted the scores while occasionally glancing at the screens.

He seems to fight better in actual combat and is actually quite adept at taking down monsters.

His spirit-type skills are impressive, but he’s too dependent on his spirit. With such a narrow field of view...

Aside from being an assessment, the practical doubled as an opportunity for professors, acquaintances, and clients who requested special attention be paid to certain budding talents to assess the abilities of notable underclassmen.

And of those notable underclassmen, there was one pair of students that stood out.

“Team number 256, eight Lotus Boars; score distribution: 281 points for A, 119 points for B.”

“Again, Team number 256, five Black Dracos; score distribution: 30 points for A, 120 points for B.”

“Again, team number 256, seven Lotus Rabbits...”

Unlike the intermittent updates for other teams, the evaluation for team number 256 continued relentlessly. Naturally, upon hearing that a single team was earning points at an abnormally fast rate, rushing ahead like a runaway train, the attention of those nearby was drawn to the screen.

Whoosh!

Different from the majority who were cautiously maneuvering through the zone, the two students of team number 256 were effortlessly speeding through the forest.

Seeing the ridiculous scene displayed on the screen, one of the teacher assistants incredulously murmured, “They’re able to run through that place...?”

The terrain of the Black Lotus Seas was difficult to traverse; it was muddy, covered by overgrown tree roots, and coated with a mix of plant slime and moss. It was a common occurrence that students tripped while passing through. And yet, Se-Hoon and Jake were calmly running as if they were on flat ground.

It makes sense that Jake could do that, but what about Lee Se-Hoon?

Is he really from the Department of Blacksmithing?

Seeing their adept maneuvering across the treacherous paths, the staff glanced at their own assigned screens for comparison.

「Agh!」

「Hey, get up now!」

Compared to everyone else who was tumbling and rolling across the ground during their fights against monsters, the seasoned movements of the two stood out in stark contrast.

「Roar!!」

Emerging from the sticky mud in front of Jake and Se-Hoon, three monsters—each about three meters in size, with black lotus flowers and stems protruding all over the body— were moving around by dragging their legless forms with their large arms. Blocking their path were the C-rank monsters, the Lotus Golems. Standing among the pinnacle of monsters in the Black Lotus Seas, each was worth a whopping four hundred points.

“Hm. It looks like they’ll finally come to a halt.”

“I agree, those monsters are incredibly tough.”

Densely packed with lotus stems and mud, the golem’s defense against physical attacks was on par with B-rank monsters. And even if one managed to scrape it, it would just immediately regenerate by absorbing the surrounding soil.

With three such monstrous creatures present, defeating them without stopping their jog across the terrain like before would be challenging.

Convinced that would be the result, everyone watched the screen.

Whoosh!

Three white daggers shot from Se-Hoon’s fingertips, each piercing deeply into a Lotus Golem’s body. However, that was all they seemingly did—the observers were all puzzled by the attack that hadn’t even left a scratch on the massive creature.

Swoosh!

At that moment, Jake accelerated forward.

Swish-!

Seeing the blue trail extending from his waist, the staff followed the trajectory and were left dumbfounded by the sight of the weapon they found at the end.

“...A sword?”

Sparkling like starlight, the greatsword gleamed blue.

Its beauty, resembling a work of art, captured the focus of everyone watching. Meanwhile, the Lotus Golems’ bodies, which the blue sword had passed through, began to crumble.

Thud!

Thanks to Se-Hoon’s daggers piercing the cores within them that powered their regenerative abilities, the golems were split in half without even being given a chance to regenerate.

“...”

“...”

Contrary to what the observers thought, the two were far from even slowing down. They continued on their way, effortlessly neutralizing any obstacles and advancing deeper into the Danger Zone. All the staff could do was watch in stunned silence; the performance of the two students had far exceeded their expectations.

“Team number 256, three Lotus Golems; score distribution: 800 points for A, 400 points for B,” Kasar said calmly with his arms crossed. He asked for confirmation.

“Is this score distribution satisfactory?”

“Ah, yes. That should be just right.”

“Then let’s not get too distracted and focus on the scoring process. Any omissions will result in a disciplinary report, professors included!”

“Yes, yes!”

Swiftly reviving the bustling atmosphere, Kasar looked at Jake, who was running across the screen.

That boy... since when could he wield a sword?

Jake, the second son of the Myers family, was known for reducing countless mastercrafted swords to scrap metal. In the end, he ultimately abandoned the path of swordsmanship to join the Department of Martial Arts.

Yet, that unfortunate boy seems to have learned to wield a sword overnight.

Knowing that it would surely cause some sensation as soon as it became known, Kasar grew puzzled.

If that sword had been forged by a currently active blacksmith, their identity should have been known by now. Could it be...?

Glancing at the man running beside Jake—Se-Hoon—Kasar’s disbelief deepened. He was merely surprised when he heard that Se-Hoon had honed his kitchen knife, but now, upon the thought that he forged a suitable sword for Jake, his emotions went well beyond surprise since it was an achievement on an entirely different scale.

Thinking about it, his control over the pace of battle is almost supernatural.... What kind of monster is he?

Being able to use just the right amount of force where necessary during every fight might not seem like an extraordinary feat, but it was actually something so significant that even an S-rank hero like himself had nothing to critique.

It’s one thing if he’s able to cover for himself, but to adjust and match the abilities of his teammate as well...? Did that drunkard, Ma Kwang-Soo, teach him that?

Initially, Kasar had been planning on just giving Se-Hoon a cursory look, but instead of seeing the limit of Se-Hoon’s potential, he continued to discover more and more. He was unable to look away.

Tearing his attention from his sole focus on Se-Hoon, a teacher assistant urgently approached his side.

“Professor, I have something to report...”

“What is it?”

“We’ve just confirmed the eighth emergence of the Mist Forest.”

The Mist Forest was a naturally occurring phenomenon within the Black Lotus Seas that created a hazy mist that blocked all of the senses of those trapped within. It usually occurred only three to four times a day, but today, it happened eight times in quick succession.

Quickly realizing it was no coincidence, Kasar stroked his chin.

“Is it an area boss?”

“It seems so.”

Area bosses were powerful monsters that irregularly appeared in Danger Zones. They had the potential to evolve and upgrade the danger level of the zone if left unchecked.

“Weren’t we told the chances of it happening were low during the preliminary survey? It seems we’re lacking in technological capabilities on this front.”

“My, my apologies.”

“No, I wasn’t trying to criticize you or anything... never mind.”

Waving off the assistant bowing in apology, Kasar tapped on the floating panel in front of him to read the information on the area boss.

[Lotus Hive: a giant-type monster of C+ rank. ]

The plus indicated that heroes of the corresponding rank could engage it, but their victory was not guaranteed. In this case, it meant that B-rank heroes or those with equivalent firepower were needed for a successful subjugation.

The top-ranking students might be able to handle it together, but the real issue is the Mist Forest.

The appearance of the Lotus Hive also expanded the Mist Forest’s reach, making the monsters within more active. It was a daunting situation for the students who lacked real combat experience.

When his thoughts reached that point, Kasar’s eyes lit up with an idea.

Wait. This could work out fine.

Wasn’t the purpose of the subjugation practical to see how well the students could adapt to sudden real-life situations? Contemplating it for a moment, he turned to the teacher assistant by his side.

“We will continue with the exam. There are plenty of safety measures already in place and the area boss only appears in specific regions, so there shouldn’t be any significant issues.”

“Understood.”

“And...”

Turning to look at the students on the floating screens, his eyes focusing on Se-Hoon, he smiled.

“Let’s see how they adapt to this situation.”

***

[A bond has been successfully established with the subject ‘Kasar’.]

Stopping to rest, Se-Hoon was stretching when the notification message appeared before him.

It seems I’ve left quite a good impression, Se-Hoon thought, chuckling to himself.

Kasar, who was known as the S-rank hero Mist Battalion Sword before the regression, had been one of the high-ranking officials of the human alliance. He was renowned not only for his martial prowess but also for his exceptional leadership, having achieved remarkable feats on various battlefields.

He was most famous for wiping out an entire army of Demon’s Edge, one of the Ten Evils, which delayed the complete destruction of Asia by about three years.

Though, because of that, he was the first to be killed after Demon’s Edge became the Destroyer of Swords...

He naturally recalled how Kasar had died with hundreds of swords impaled through his body, but Se-Hoon quickly dismissed the scene in his head. After all, who even had a good end before the regression? What mattered currently was not his tragic demise but the help Kasar could possibly offer him.

He was always given the commander role whenever strong monsters appeared.

Along with the guilds and corporations that usually kept everything to themselves, even the Hero Association, known for not sharing command, hired him as a veteran commander for every major subjugation mission.

That was the role Kasar had in this world, so Se-Hoon began eyeing the level of access Kasar could possibly provide to the hero network.

Those guys have always hoarded the high-quality materials.

Materials from high-rank monsters that appeared on the market were usually of lesser rarity. The truly valuable resources were monopolized or sold only to those with personal connections.

I remember how I got into a lot of fights over that...

Before the regression, he often fumed over how those without the proper skills monopolized all of the high-quality materials using their connections. All they created was a bunch of worthless, rare junk.

He despised those people the most, even going as far as using his own hammer to personally deal with some. That was also why he had deep enmity with many.

I’d rather not fight them this time; it’s just too annoying. I’ll take the easier way this time.

With Kasar’s connections, he planned to build his own network and acquire some rare materials. Mentally reviewing his plan, he finished stretching and looked beside him.

“...”

There, Jake was sitting quietly on the ground with his eyes closed. While he seemed calm from the outside, a closer listen revealed a different story.

Thump, thump, thump, thump-

His heart was racing inside his chest, its speed maintained by the blood art. Initially, he struggled with controlling his breath, but after a few minutes, he quickly adapted to the fast rate.

It took me months to reach this state... seeing him adapt so quickly is slightly irksome.

Rather than being jealous of Jake’s talent, Se-Hoon was simply uncomfortable seeing Jake use less time and effort compared to himself. Dissatisfied, he glanced at Jake before clearing his throat.

“Jake, let’s get moving again.”

“Ah, okay.”

The two resumed running through the forest, with Jake scanning their surroundings.

“It’s getting harder to spot monsters. Is it because the other students are catching them too?”

“Most likely, yes.”

Given the vastness of the Black Lotus Seas and its reputation for inhabiting numerous monsters, the presence of nearly a thousand students stirring its interior meant that there was going to be some significant change to the ecosystem. It was likely that the monsters would begin to form groups among themselves when taking into consideration the monsters’ tendency to act collectively despite being different species.

This seems like enough training for Jake for now.... Maybe it’s time to wake up the Divine Tree, thought Se-Hoon.

Before the regression, the Divine Tree remained hidden in the Danger Zone thanks to being dormant deep underground and perceived as an ordinary plant. Thus, like a plant, awakening it from its dormant state required Se-Hoon to find its roots.

There’s an easy way to find it, but... that method is kind of difficult right now.

Rather than relying on the slight chance of finding the root coincidentally, he decided that diligently searching for it would be the better approach. Deciding to use the Eyes of Clairvoyance, he prepared himself, but at that moment, a voice sounded.

—Ah, ah. This is an emergency announcement.

Kasar’s voice emanated from the emblem on their cloaks.

“Emergency announcement...?”

“Let’s stop here for a moment.”

Halting their run, the two paid close attention to the announcement flowing from the emblem.

—Currently, throughout the Black Lotus Seas, there are multiple signs of a possible appearance of an area boss. And although this is quite unexpected, we believe the situation is manageable, so we’re going to be adding a few new rules.

Whoosh!

The emblem pulsated with mana and a blue window appeared before them—it was a map of the Black Lotus Seas with blue, white, and red dots marked on it.

—As you can probably tell, on the map, the blue dot represents your current location, the white dots are where the Mist Forests have emerged, and the red dots are the potential locations of the area boss.

Alongside Kasar’s explanation, each mentioned dot lightly glowed. Then, the white dots began to twinkle.

—Those who enter a Mist Forest and destroy the Lotus Tree within will receive a reward of three thousand points each.

“Three thousand points...?”

Jake’s eyes widened at the announcement. An additional three thousand points on top of the points earned from normal combat was a pretty substantial amount, significant enough to shuffle the rankings of even the current top-ranking students, let alone those in the middle tier.

—And if the area boss, the Lotus Hive, is encountered, there will be no limit on the number of participants. Each participant in the subjugation of the Lotus Hive will receive a reward of one thousand points. Furthermore, the total points allocated to the battle will be...

Pausing briefly, he let the anticipation grow before he continued with a hint of amusement in his voice.

—A total of fifty thousand points, distributed based on contribution.

“...”

—Based on the data, the Lotus Hive is expected to appear within the hour, so it would be best to move quickly. That is all.

Digesting the information, Jake quickly came up with a strategy.

Fifty thousand points distributed based on contribution.... It sounds like it’ll be split thin, but it definitely won’t be.

The Lotus Hive, while less formidable in combat, possessed robust durability and regenerative capabilities. Hence, only those who could leave a significant scratch would be rewarded with points, likely concentrating the contribution scores among the top-ranking students.

A single person might even receive tens of thousands of points...

For the students in the lower ranks, it might simply be a daunting challenge, but for those at the top, participation was essential.

Fully understanding the situation, Jake looked directly at Se-Hoon.

“I think we should head towards the area boss right now to prepare in advance. What do you say?”

“...”

Instead of responding, Se-Hoon examined the map.

The Graveyard of Lotuses, the location where the area boss would probably appear, was only a ten-minute run away. They could easily reach it now, but his focus was elsewhere.

It seems today’s my lucky day.

His gaze settled on a white dot near them, a marker of a Mist Forest. Within it would be a Lotus Tree, the core of the Mist Forest, which was unbeknownst to most as a root of the Divine Tree. Now, when everyone was focused on the area boss, was the perfect opportunity to approach the root unnoticed and awaken the Divine Tree.

I can just wake it up and make it seem like I just somehow stumbled upon it. Then, I can call the professors to come subjugate it.

Even if he wasn’t directly responsible for the subjugation, discovering the hidden threat could earn him far more points than defeating the area boss. Plus, if he negotiated it well with Ludwig, Ludwig could secure a significant amount of by-products from the Divine Tree for him. It was flawless.

Trying his best not to grin, he pointed toward the white dot.

“Let’s make a detour to this Mist Forest before we go.”

“What? We could easily secure first place just by taking down the area boss. Why bother—”

Cutting off Jake’s grumbling, Se-Hoon quelled him with a simple reply: “So you’re saying that you don’t want me to forge you a spare sword?”

“You look a bit tired. Should I slow down the pace? Or do you want me to carry you?” Like he had never been reluctant, Jake became extremely polite.

And seeing this—Jake’s eagerness to reclaim the hostage—Se-Hoon smiled slyly.

“Great. Carry me then.”

“...”

Now tasked with carrying Se-Hoon, who was heavier than him, Jake ran toward the Mist Forest with a mix of emotions playing across his face.