113 – Attack (1)
Group B-2, which Mari and Tina belong to, succeeded in finding the mark earlier than expected.
It was a result obtained thanks to meticulous exploration, hiding as much as possible with an original route, while others were making a traffic line focusing on open places, as if revealing that they were warlike.
“Okay. I found it earlier than expected.”
As Joe’s representative, Marie poured magic power into the sign, and the white dagger-like shape carved on the wall fell out.
It is as if the object contained in the painting materializes and appears outside.
Before long, the mark floating in the sky moved to Mari’s left wrist with the bracelet on, and settled on the back of her hand.
It took an instant for the dagger’s shape, which had been white just a moment ago, to change to pink, the color of Mari’s magical power.
“Now I just have to protect it, right?”
“Right. But don’t let your guard down. Because now is the biggest hurdle.”
Marie responded with a serious expression to Tina’s words as if she had put her mind at ease.
The other two members who were watching her nodded as if they understood.
As she said, fighting will be indispensable in the end, and there is a high possibility that you will become the enemy’s first target just by finding the mark in advance.
In the end, as long as you can’t protect it, you’re nothing more than a nuisance.
“Anyway, don’t you think this test is a bit strange?”
“Strange, what do you mean?”
After carving her mark on the back of her hand, Marie got up from her seat, muffled her voice as much as she could, and talked to herself to ask her teammates for her opinion.
The first one to react was a female student named Enya from Class C, who is currently a friend of Lone from Class A-17.
“If it was this way, I wondered why we had to learn ancient characters. You haven’t been able to use it until now.”
“The instructor told me about that in advance. If you can dig up about ancient ruins in this basement, you’ll get extra points.”
Her enya added her explanation to her, who felt that she had doubts about the matter she had already mentioned, but her doubts showed no signs of dissipating.
Far from disappearing, she just pointed out what she had just said, frowning at her even more forcefully.
“That’s weird. Do you think it would be possible to discover something in a site that archaeologists have not been able to dig up so far with ancient texts and documents that a mere cadet learned on the surface?”
“That….”
Certainly.
Enya, who was chewing on Marie’s words, showed a sign of agreement as she combed her light green hair.
If you think about it, it’s a little strange.
Even though this temple was chosen as the test site, it wouldn’t be unnatural for her to naturally choose the extra points.
But even so, if possible, wouldn’t it be correct to put in the bonus items within the realistic range that the cadets can realize?
No matter how many cadets are interested in ancient texts, it is clear that it will be difficult to extract something from a site that even professional archaeologists have not been able to dig up.
However, it was as if they had deliberately designated that point as a bonus item and emphasized the learning of ancient characters for the cadets.
“… Maybe he wanted to borrow a cat’s hand?”
“What? What are you talking about?”
Tina, who was overhearing the conversation between the two, opened her eyes wide at the words she inadvertently spilled.
Did you want to borrow at least a cat’s hand, from the academy?
Then what the hell are you doing?
Tina’s eyes trembled for a moment as if overwhelmed by Marie’s intense gaze demanding her explanation, then calmly continued her words.
“Sometimes that happens. It’s when advice from someone who is completely outside of the industry turns out to be unexpectedly helpful.”
“Yes.”
Whether it’s like a beginner stepping backwards and catching a mouse, or a completely unexpected idea that you can come up with as an outsider, it can be advice.
Marie could understand what the case was, so she nodded her head vigorously.
“So, I think the academy was aiming for that and made us learn ancient characters and put them in. It would be better if the exams were taken as they were, and the cadets brought unexpected results.”
“Then what were you aiming for?”
“I’m good at that….”
‘Ehehehe.’ Tina scratches the back of her head as she let out a cheesy laugh.
In response, Marie looked at her for a moment with her cold eyes, then let out a sigh and shook her head.
If it wasn’t for Tina in the first place, it would have been difficult for her to even come up with this.
“Well, good. Anyway, since we found the sign, she decided to move on. She might actually be the reason she’s not very good at it.”
First of all, since she had to focus on the immediate test, Marie, as her group’s representative, urged her teammates to move on with her steps again.
According to the map, the way back isn’t too far, so even if a battle breaks out on the way, if you avoid it as much as possible and return to the test site, you’ll earn points and you’ll be fine.
With that thought in mind, I passed through the dark passageway and was about to leave the small room made like a secret space.
“He’s quick-witted for a mere cadet, but that’s right.”
The voice of a man who was looking down from atop a long rock that seemed to be twice as tall as the height of a person who had no one before just now rang in the ears of the four of them.
“… ! My friend!”
Sensing a sense of danger, Mari uttered a command to summon her comrade-in-arms, and at the same time, a huge tremor was created inside her underground.
The dust clouds that engulfed them were thick enough to rise for a while unless a typhoon came from somewhere and washed them clean.
* * * *
Same time.
Similarly, due to an outsider’s attack from nowhere, the C-12 group, which Aden belongs to, also fell into trouble.
Fortunately, there was no secondary damage such as the ceiling collapsing due to the impact due to the barriers inside the basement, but it does not change the fact that many of them were damaged by unexpected surprise attacks.
“Mr. Ferbell! Are you okay!?”
At least Aden, who had the most experience in combat among the members of Team C-12, was able to protect himself with a quick response, so he took care of the injured members in the quiet situation.
The first person she approached was a young boy named John Ferbell who was also in the same group.
He groaned as he held on to his torn shoulder blades, then nervously cursed at him.
“Kuh, yes. Somehow…. More than that, what the hell are those bastards doing?”
“Probably followers. They must be colleagues of the guys who raided the academy a while ago.”
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Although they didn’t reveal their existence, it was Aden who judged that they were the only ones, judging from the unique sticky and unpleasant magic that I just felt and this bold action.
John had also heard a little about her status, so she could not hide her wry smile, saying that as the child of an official in the society, her words would surely be correct.
“A follower? These guys really don’t even try.”
“Who said no… ! Ok.”
At his muttering, which seemed to be talking to himself, an In-young approached with his hand on the wall in response.
A cadet from the same D class as John, and a woman named Pieri whom he was in love with.
On her back, a fainting Namsaengdo was being carried almost like a piece of luggage.
Pierri also didn’t seem to be in good shape, but compared to the half-corpse on her back, she seemed to have somehow managed to bring her back.
“Pieri, are you okay? What about the guys?”
“Still there. Fortunately, he escaped by hiding himself in the dust, so he survived, but he’ll come after you soon.”
Pieri’s stern answer, which had neither dreams nor hopes, made her frown without saying anything first.
Fortunately, it was possible to counteract to some extent to see if it collided with the enemy’s main force, but if we pushed through with numbers, this side would soon collapse as well.
Aden, who was worried about whether there would be a suitable way for her, stroked the bracelet, which is the symbol of CEO
“… ….”
Then, when the other three members came into view, he nodded his head with a resolute expression on his face.
In this state, it is almost certain that the test will be stopped.
In that case, it would be right to give priority to those who want to live without being bound by the formality of joe.
What she needs most is bait to pass the time, and in this situation, there is no one more suitable for her than she is.
Whether you look at it in terms of physical condition or in terms of power.
“Captain, what should I do? To be honest, I don’t think we’ll have any chance of colliding.”
After Aden was decided as the group’s representative, Pierri, who had always used the title of captain, sought his opinion and carefully expressed his thoughts.
Coincidentally, Aden’s thoughts were the same, so she agreed as she placed her hand on the sword she wore around her waist.
Her proud light blue hair shone especially cold today, not just because of the cool underground air.
“I think so too. So, it would be better to split into two groups here.”
“Two pairs?”
What does it mean to divide a group of only four into two?
Aden added, one step faster than Pierri, who was trying to guess that.
“I’m sorry Miss Racers, but I’ll take care of the two injured. I will be dealing with that side for a while, so run away in that gap.”
Aden, who herself followed the actions of Lorne during her exchange meeting, spit out her words, but she herself was dumbfounded, so she stopped laughing.
The reaction to come after that is also fully expected.
That’s right, because it will match what she said at the time.
“What? Are you going to deal with them alone? It’s crazy?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll see the gap and I’ll run away too. It’s just to buy time.”
Just because he’s Aden, he’s not so reckless as to blindly attack those groups.
I haven’t confessed to the man I’ve had a crush on in the first place, and I refuse to die at the hands of those who killed his father.
In order to increase everyone’s survival rate even just a little bit, this is an action you take on your own initiative.
Pierri is also aware of this, so even though she expressed negative opinions at first, as she slowly regains her composure, she makes an expression that is hard to argue with.
“Besides, running away won’t always be easy. You never know when you’ll run into them. So I’ll take my time as much as possible and join you there as quickly as possible.”
“… Okay. I’ll take the burden.”
Realizing he couldn’t afford to procrastinate, Pierre quickly lifted the sitting lover up and she turned her back on him.
At first, John also said that he would stay, but he had no choice but to follow her at Pieri’s scolding that he should follow her if he did not want to be a burden to Aden.
As soon as the mutual course of action was decided, the sword pulled from Aden’s scabbard appeared, boasting a sad blade.
“It’s over here!”
“!?”
However, as if the opponent wouldn’t give it a chance, it was right after they followed in their footsteps.
Aden’s eyes widened at the black figures of the followers who had arrived before her, and she lost her composure for a moment.
Her dark purple spear, which flew from the edge of her gaze, rushed with the momentum to pierce her.
John and Pieri, who opened their distance to run away as soon as possible, witnessed the scene belatedly, but they were already too far away to protect Aden.
The moment Aden inadvertently tried to close her eyes, thinking that she would lose her life like this because of her carelessness.
Broke.
The flying spear became fragments of magical power and scattered into dust with a weak sound.
Using the bright light cast in this dark basement as a halo, someone’s reliable back filled Aden’s eyes.
Even at this critical moment, Aden felt that it resembled her father’s back, on which she was carried and carried so much when she was a child.
“What if the guy who wants to avenge his father closes his eyes with this thing?”
Soon after, Aden was able to recognize the identity of her partner at the demanding voice that she heard a lot from somewhere.
Even when her death was right in front of her eyes, the man she most desperately sought had arrived here.