Chapter 135: The Test Paper
“Mr. Kimura?!”
Words laced with surprise came from the young girl. The tall figure emerging from the shadows was the chief examiner for this test, the powerful Professional Hero 【Kimori Kage】, who possessed the ability to control forests.
“Damn it! Am I this unlucky?!”
Looking at the familiar figure before her, Kazumi’s delicate eyebrows furrowed.
Regardless, now that she had accumulated enough points, Kazumi absolutely did not want to encounter this Professional Hero, who was also the examiner.
According to these bizarre test rules, setting aside the points earned by hunting wild beasts, the most effective way to gain points within the entire examination area was from the chief examiner standing before her.
The large red marking on his light gray combat suit indicated his vital spot. Successfully shattering that marking on his chest under 【Kimori Kage’s】 attack meant that she had successfully defeated him, earning one thousand points from the chief examiner himself.
Of course, Kazumi had never considered this obviously protagonist-centric rule of showing off.
Professional Heroes were always Professional Heroes; they would not, and could not, be touched at their defensive weak points by these brats who had never participated in hero activities, not even the most powerful graduates.
It was as simple as a benchwarmer in the NBA, no matter how bad or how much they didn’t play, playing against a Chinese university team would be like eating and drinking for them.
It was said that the test’s closest record was set by their senior, 【Thundery】 Hamano Tsukasa. But even he, who was now the Symbol of Peace, could only barely hold back the examiner for two seconds when he teamed up with several powerful Psychic classmates. Just as they were about to reach the marking, they were all taken down by the teacher’s abilities.
Even many seniors who possessed abilities and aimed to be heroes had never accomplished this goal. Such an event CG should be left for the destined protagonist who might appear later; she didn’t need to join in the fun. Honestly completing the test was the most important thing.
As for defeating 【Kimori Kage】 and obtaining the tempting points from him, Kazumi hadn’t even considered it. She could only call herself unlucky to have been encountered by the examiner.
The role of the chief examiner was a “capturer” who randomly pursued all examinees in the forest. The original Kazumi had also noticed this early on. If she were chased by the “capturer,” although it wouldn’t directly result in elimination, escaping would still cause her a lot of trouble. Furthermore, inappropriate handling would be detrimental to her overall score.
“So, this is quite a troublesome matter!!”
Looking at the approaching Kimori Kage, Kazumi’s actions did not stop at all. In the unseen bushes, she was dealing with something.
“This is… Kiyomizu-san, I’m very sorry, but you are about to be captured by me.”
A polite and gentle voice came from before her. Kimori Kage, wearing a wooden mask, had arrived before the young girl. He looked at her face, seemingly comparing it with the name in his memory, but extended his right hand, which transformed into countless wooden thorns, stabbing towards Kazumi’s location.
“So fast!!”
Just before she felt Kimori Kage’s movement, the young girl had nimbly dodged. The spot where she had been was already pierced by countless wooden thorns.
“As expected, running away is absolutely out of the question, isn’t it?”
Feeling the attack speed displayed by Kimori Kage’s movements, it basically extinguished any thought of turning to escape. After all, the reason for showing such attack speed was to tell you that if you exposed your back to him, there was only death.
As an outstanding student in the class, Kazumi could naturally understand the information that Mr. Kimura was conveying. Moreover, being under surveillance, she knew that every action and movement at this moment would have a significant impact on her overall impression score.
“Let’s try it, if it works!”
Looking down at Kimori Kage’s feet, Kazumi’s eyebrows twitched. Finally, she raised her dagger and charged towards the tall figure before her.
“What is this?”
Kimori Kage tilted his head, looking at the girl who directly rushed at him, finding it somewhat strange. After all, according to the intelligence provided, this target girl was not one with strong physical capabilities or a martial arts background.
But seeing a rope that Kazumi had intentionally concealed behind her, he smiled strangely. His fingers transformed into wooden thorns and he stabbed forward.
“Right shoulder slightly raised, now is the time!”
Kazumi, advancing, had no intention of attacking Kimori Kage. Instead, her eyes were fixed on Kimori Kage’s right shoulder. The moment his right shoulder moved, she sidestepped and evaded.
Sharp wooden thorns grazed the girl precariously, directly shredding the small medical bag on Kazumi’s waist. Various bottles and jars shattered and fell to the ground.
“It worked!”
With a surge of breath after dodging the attack, a hint of glee flashed through Kazumi’s mind. With a sideways roll, she once again created distance between them. The rope that the girl had been holding all along was released at this moment.
“A very clever strategy. If I were your teacher, I would probably give you a high score.”
His eyes narrowed as he looked at the girl before him. The moment the black shadow attacked from behind, Kimori Kage, as if he had eyes on his back, reached back and caught the burning fireball that flew from behind him.
The plain words from Kimori Kage’s mouth couldn’t suppress the admiration within them.
Kazumi stood up, supporting her shoulder, her facial expression showing despair as if she had seen through the plan. Her hands slowly fell, as if she had given up.
Then, a small object burning with flames dropped from Kazumi’s palm. The flames, which were destined to be extinguished, as if ignited by the liquid on the ground, instantly spread to Kimori Kage’s right hand, which had not yet returned from its wooden form.
“Boom!!!”
Boundless heat waves accompanied by a huge explosion sounded before Kazumi. Crimson flames filled the girl’s eyes.
“Mr. Kimura, it seems I’ve got this high score locked!”
Looking at the explosion before her, Kazumi let out a sigh of relief. Without waiting for the subsequent outcome, she picked up what she was holding and planned to head towards the central Black Tower.
As a Professional Hero, Kimori Kage would absolutely not be injured by such an attack. And for her plan this time, it should be enough to warrant a passing grade.
Crossing the burning sea of flames, Kazumi hurried forward. With this delay, she was worried if the time she had estimated was still enough.
“Ouch—”
But the next moment, a sharp pain shot through her leg. Kazumi looked down and found that a wooden thorn burning with flames had directly pierced her thigh.
