We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
The traps hidden within the exam.
“Hey hey, about what happened during the day, I realized something?”
Running while eating the lunch Cadis bought for us, and diligently hydrating, we continued our energetic run in the afternoon.
This time, we ran around the perimeter of the vast Sword Saint Academy grounds and visited temples in the academy city.
As we ran through the city, we repeatedly passed other applicants. However, perhaps because Srain and Cadis glared at anyone who approached, no one challenged us to a practice match.
Meanwhile, I remembered something that happened when I asked Cadis to buy lunch.
“We’re constantly being watched by examiners, right?”
As I got used to it, I began to tell the difference between the presence of examiners hidden in the city and the presence of ordinary people.
No matter how much they pretended to be civilians, the quality of their presence was different.
The way they maintained their composure towards their surroundings, and the subtle incongruities in what they focused their consciousness on while being in that location – I could discern these through their presence. And unfortunately, the examiners were full of such incongruities.
I told the other three about this, and we even played a game of guessing where the examiners were hiding and who among the passersby was an examiner.
And so, I had an idea.
“The examiners are stationed in various places in the academy city to grade us.”
I believe that after observing us individually at their respective locations, they will later collate the data to determine an overall evaluation.
“But, in other words, this means that those who are not examiners observing us here don’t know where we are or what we’re doing?”
Cadis showed exceptional speed when he went to buy lunch.
The examiners absolutely could not have followed Cadis’s movements.
Then, a gap in observation was created.
Cadis, whom the examiners couldn’t follow, must have bought lunch somewhere in the city. The examiner whose post was there might have observed him.
However, no one could evaluate Cadis during the time he was away from us and moving to the place where he bought lunch.
“So? Lunch was only for a limited time, but what if we completely disappeared from the examiners, both in presence and in aura?”
As I told Cadis, if the examiner is not fulfilling their role as an examiner, it’s not our demerit, but the examiner’s fault, right?
As I said this, Srain grinned maliciously.
“As expected, it’s never boring with you. That’s an interesting perspective. It’s a thought that wouldn’t occur if you just acted as you were told without thinking about the essence of the exam.”
So, the other three were not thinking at all! I teased them, and Cadis replied, “Is it not foolish to waste our thoughts on such a trivial exam?”
Putting that aside.
I felt a bad feeling from Srain’s smile.
And that feeling was soon confirmed.
“I’ve come up with an interesting idea. Instead of those vulgar examiners judging us, we’ll test the examiners.”
“S-Srain!?”
“From now on, I’ll seriously hide. If anyone appears who can find and grade me, I will personally deal with them.”
“W-w-what!?”
“I’ll go along with Srain’s idea. If there are those who can track us, I will acknowledge them as examiners.”
“Cadis-kun!”
“Hahaha, that’s a good idea. I’m getting tired of just running, so why don’t we make a move this time?”
“Ruilala too!!”
The three demon folk, as if speaking loud enough for the examiners hiding nearby or pretending to be passersby to hear, all looked at me.
“So that’s how it is. The rest is up to you, run by yourself.”
“I’m being left out!?”
Before I could even say “Wait a minute!”, the three of them vanished in an instant.
Needless to say, a ripple of shock spread among the surrounding examiners.
“Boo hoo… I can’t move at that speed right now, so I’ve been left behind.”
I could use Spatial Jump to evade the examiners, you know?
But, I still want to keep my abilities hidden.
And so, betrayed by the three demon folk, I continued running alone.
The sun, which had been shining brilliantly in the zenith, had already tilted significantly towards the west.
I continued running alone.
I ran along the main street, circled parks, and kept my legs moving as if chasing the aqueducts that crisscrossed the city.
“Those three are definitely hiding somewhere and resting.”
They disappeared, their forms and presences gone, knowing that they couldn’t possibly run for a whole day honorably.
They’re probably enjoying the cool air somewhere in the academy city, waiting for tomorrow morning.
“If you want to simply deceive the examiners’ eyes, you could just leave the academy city and hide somewhere in the desert, right?”
But the examiners would have thought of such a simple trick.
They must have examiners deployed in the surrounding desert, watching for any slackers.
But that’s precisely why, if Srain and the others, who truly hid themselves, can’t be found by the examiners, then no one has the qualification to evaluate those three.
“No, I should be the one to find them!”
“Oh, who are you going to find?”
A voice called out from behind me, and I turned around while running.
And there was Birumeia, running up with a light gait.
“Hello, Birumeia-san.”
“Hello, Elnea-kun. Are you running alone?”
Birumeia said she thought I was still running with my demon folk friends. I explained the situation to her.
“My, my, indeed.”
Birumeia gave a bitter smile.
“You’re quite something for coming up with such an outlandish idea, but I’m even more astonished by the three who can turn the tables on the examiners with it.”
“I’m just speechless.”
This is why they’re demons. If everyone from my hometown heard this, they would surely sympathize with me.
Birumeia also said, pressing my shoulder as if to comfort me, “What troublesome people.”
“By the way, Birumeia-san, since we met here, I have something I’d like to ask you?”
“What is it?”
Birumeia, being a warrior of the Dragon Race, ran at a faster pace than I did. While keeping pace with me, she chatted with me.
“This exam where we run all day, is it a regular event?”
“Yes. First, the applicants’ basic abilities are tested like this.”
Well, I doubt anyone anticipated someone would appear who would test the examiners in return…
“Then, perhaps, are the subsequent secondary exams also decided on specific items?”
The exams at the Sword Saint Academy have no written tests.
Applicants are selected through a comprehensive evaluation of their physical abilities, combat skills, ideology, and willpower.
Birumeia nodded clearly at my question, “That’s right.”
“Next, there’s an exam where you show your skills to the examiners.”
“Your skills?”
“Yes. You demonstrate the forms of your sword style and your favored techniques to assert your prowess.”
I nodded in understanding, but Birumeia cautioned me, “If you take this exam lightly, you’ll regret it later.”
What do you mean? I tilted my head, and Birumeia explained without hesitation.
“Think carefully. Demonstrating your techniques and skills in front of examiners means exposing your hand to the other applicants gathered around, doesn’t it?”
“So, for the secondary exam, we have to perform in front of everyone, not individually?”
“Yes. In the large plaza of the Sword Saint Academy, we will demonstrate our abilities. The examiners will observe and evaluate us there.”
“So, unlike this first exam, where the examiners collectively evaluate us while we move freely?”
“That’s right,” Birumeia nodded.
And she continued.
“Now then. The problem lies with the third exam.”
“What kind of exam is it?”
The exam content seems to be exactly the same every time.
Therefore, not only seasoned exam-takers but also those who have gathered sufficient information in advance have prepared their strategies.
Birumeia said that how one perceives the problem between the second and third exams in their preparation will lead to the final outcome.
“The third exam is a free-for-all among all the applicants.”
“Eh…!?”
A free-for-all exam?
A free-for-all, unlike one-on-one matches or practice bouts, means a complex battle where multiple people engage in a match all at once.
Is that the content of the exam?
And with all the applicants!?
“In actual combat, you will sometimes face multiple enemies, won’t you? If you aim to be a Sword Saint, you must be prepared for such battles.”
Upon entering the Sword Saint Academy, there’s no doubt that everyone possesses top-tier skills.
In one-on-one combat, they would likely be overwhelmingly strong.
But what happens when it becomes a free-for-all?
Are everyone around you your enemy?
Do you gather allies and survive by skillfully utilizing the situation?
The third exam might test your adaptability in such battlefields.
And then, I realized the problem with the free-for-all exam.
“I see. Before the free-for-all exam, we will have already demonstrated our sword techniques and skills in front of everyone. This means our opponents will know our abilities!”
That’s right.
The better you want to score in the second exam, the more you have to expose yourself.
But if you do that, in the third exam, other applicants will know everything about you, putting you at a disadvantage.
“On the other hand, if I slack off in the second exam, I won’t get a good evaluation…”
“Not only that, but if you don’t take the exam seriously, you might incur significant demerits.”
“W-w-wow, it’s a simple-looking yet difficult exam.”
The same exam content is repeated every time.
However, understanding the depth of the exam makes one realize how difficult it is to prepare for it.
“Hmm. This is troubling. If I underestimate the exam, I’ll definitely fail.”
Seeing me in deep thought, Birumeia tilted her head.
“Are you underestimating the exam?”
“No, not me. Ruilala and the other three demon folk, my companions, are underestimating it.”
I was fortunate to be able to run with Birumeia.
Knowing the content of the upcoming exams or not will surely make a big difference in the situation.
“Hehehe, I wonder if I’ll get to see the troubled faces of those three who think they’ll pass and are being careless?”
“My, my, what a wicked smile for such a cute face.”
Birumeia, running beside me, looked at me and smiled.
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