Book 2 Chapter 13

Chapter 37

The overall ranking board seemed to unfurl in the air, then stopped at 63rd place. It was surprising that the 62nd place had 21pt while she alone had 0pt, but what was more surprising was the name.

[63. Lilian Carine: 0pt.]

One of the first-year golden generation and Rivendell's successor disciple, she… was sitting cross-legged on a sheer cliff in Sector F (Open Field), with her eyes closed. She had been like that from the very beginning.

"What could have happened, Elin senior?"

"Doesn't she just not care about her grades?"

Even Elin, who said that, actually had no interest in Lilian. Her eyes had been fixed solely on the window reflecting Rain.

[13th place, Rain Ludwig: 198pt.]

13th place just by collecting treasures… Monster hunting points were only 2pt. Elin's brows furrowed.

'What on earth are you thinking?'

At that point, the disappointment of the other students was already reaching its peak. But the professors thought differently.

"His stamina is quite good."

"That, and it seems he often climbs mountains? How curious. It's not the skill of someone who's climbed once or twice. When did he ever?"

"But at this pace, he'd only be able to chase the leading group. Shouldn't he change his strategy soon?"

Just then, a branch that traversed the air in a sharp comet-like trajectory pierced a monster's head.

[Monster Hunt: 1pt acquired.]

Trampling the creature's grotesque body, Rain retrieved the branch and briefly looked up at the lead-gray sky.

'The rain is getting heavier.'

*Chalbakh*, footsteps echoed eerily in the mountains.

It was the perfect weather.

For monsters with keen hearing to hunt, and for him to use that habit to engage in one-on-many combat.

'Ah, surely that guy…?'

Marhena, who had been sitting alone in a chair, watching everything with her arms crossed, whistled.

'Has he just been holding back until now? It's about to begin…'

But Rain wasn't the only one waiting for 'that moment'.

The sheer cliff of Sector F.

Lilian, who had been sitting quietly cross-legged, watched as a dozen will-o'-the-wisps flew from all over the mountains, circling her face like fireflies.

'Found them. All the ones in the top 10.'

Lilian's eyes, slowly opening in the rain, were terrifyingly black.

'Shall I start now?'

The moment Lilian murmured that and stood up, a map and text string were displayed from the magical testing device on the students' wrists.

[Volcanic Eruption]

- Evacuate from this area.

The Battle Royale exam was designed with a structure that made simply hiding and surviving impossible. The safe zone would continuously shrink due to volcanic eruptions.

This meant a structure where survival was only possible by continuing to compete in an increasingly confined area.

The volcanic eruption, which began in mountainous Sectors B and C, would soon engulf all areas except for one sector.

"As expected, the top two students of the second-place group are making a spurt, as if they've been waiting for this situation."

"No… wait a moment. Someone else is pushing forward."

Along with a professor's perplexed voice, the screen of one student whose score suddenly began to skyrocket was displayed in large size.

"His score is rising at an incredible speed?!"

The moment that image filled the screen, Elin Ludwig, who had been holding her breath and concentrating, trembled with a heart-stopping thrill.

"He's going to overtake them, ah, he's overtaking them! He's passing them! Overtaking 12th, then 10th, then even 9th… and 8th all at once?!"

Rain.

It was Rain Ludwig.

In Sector C, which was directly hit by the volcanic eruption, while everyone else was quickly moving to other points, he remained there alone… fighting against dozens of monsters.

"Look at that arrogant brat?"

Chief Professor Marhena's eyes slowly widened in admiration.

"What's going on?"

Logan asked Krista with wide eyes, as if they were never close. Krista eyed him slightly warily before answering.

"He's luring monsters by vibrating the earth."

"Monsters? Towards himself?"

"Correct."

"Isn't he completely insane?"

She explained in a calm tone, but Krista's eyes were also unconsciously narrowed sharply.

And no wonder, the magic circle unfurled on Rain's palm against the horde of monsters rushing in like a tsunami was no less than three layers thick.

It was a 3-star magic. And of the Jorhien type, meaning it was created through magical mental calculation.

'Did he save up his power for this one attack? Or rather, has he been bustling about for this one attack?'

As the vibration-type magic laid throughout Sector C gathered as many monsters as desired, a ring of light shattered in Rain's palm.

The magic circle was a three-layered square.

The runes inscribed were Yul (律), Gwan (貫), Du (阧).

Du (阧): Surging,

Gwan (貫): Piercing,

Yul (律): Bestowing the property of binding.

The next moment, from the earth that wrinkled like a wave, roots of giant trees vigorously shot up.

The brutal roots pierced the heads or chests of the monsters rushing at Rain, scattering their entrails through the air, or coiled around them like snakes, crushing them into fragments—a scene reflected by the clairvoyance screen.

The speed of point acquisition was so rapid that the scores were tallied not in succession but as a total sum.

[Extermination Points: +164 point.]

The professors looked at each other in disbelief, then let out hollow laughs.

"High-speed computation for 3-star magic—?!"

"To deal with that many monsters, you'd need truly outrageous skill."

"Did Rain Ludwig have a battle mage license?"

"Is that the 'Prodigy (Calamity) Young Master'?"

Elin Ludwig shook her head as if to say, "Why are you making such a fuss about this?", but her lips were on the verge of rising to the heavens.

"There was no need to get such a license. There's a saying, 'a awl in a sack,' why would you need to get a license to show off what would reveal itself anyway?"

Rain Ludwig's points were already 362pt. He had surpassed not only Gertrude, who was first in Group B, but even Krista, who was first in Group A, by a 1pt difference.

'I've definitely secured the points.'

Rain looked up at the lava flowing down from the mountaintop and thought. Would it take about 3 minutes for the lava to reach this place?

'This score should be enough, so let's start retreating.'

Caroline touched her chin, watching Rain skillfully descend the mountainside after making that judgment.

'At this pace, defending an S-grade won't be just Gertrude's problem anymore.'

Running neck and neck with her… Hmm? Caroline, scanning the leaderboard, had to blink her eyes.

"Senior Kyle? This is a bit strange, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

"The names of the students who were running in 2nd and 3rd place have disappeared."

"Haha, impossible. They should be right here… Hmm, oh, wait…?"

Kyle also tilted his head for a moment. Because the names of the students who were originally in 2nd and 3rd place had vanished.

'There should have been a considerable gap, though?'

What was even more incomprehensible was that the 2nd and 3rd placers were nowhere to be found. They weren't pushed down to 4th or 5th, nor were they anywhere in the top 10 or top 20.

They had vanished.

While everyone was engrossed with Rain Ludwig, those names had disappeared like ghosts.

"I will use clairvoyance to locate the area where the 2nd and 3rd place students were. Three minutes ago."

When that screen appeared, no one could utter a word. For a moment, everyone present could only blink in horror.

What was heard first was a horrible scream.

And what was seen… was the figure of the 2nd place student, struggling while engulfed in a lethal inferno, instantly turning into a charcoal lump.

"……!"

Next, flames swarmed like a beehive towards the 3rd place student, who was searching for treasure in the forest, and he met the same fate with a eardrum-shattering shriek.

It was in the darkness where rain poured down.

Just then, a flash of lightning gleamed eerily, illuminating the face of the being who approached the charred corpse.

Lilian Carine.

The points gained from student assassination were half of the points the eliminated student possessed. By hunting down the 2nd and 3rd placers, the girl, who had instantly risen from last place to 3rd, her eyes gleamed eerily.

'Well, three more? No, if I catch 1st and 2nd, one more would be enough.'

Even the professors seemed unable to continue speaking for a moment.

'The students who were running neck and neck in 2nd and 3rd place, so easily…'

Watching that scene, Marhena rubbed her aching body and fell into thought.

'He's certainly a strong one. Fierce in personality, just like his father.'

At one time, the Magic Alliance desired such talents. Where everything was tolerated as long as there was skill… But perhaps now is the time to reconsider.

1st place: Rain Ludwig, 362pt.

2nd place: Gertrude Fenton, 323pt.

3rd place: Lilian Carine, 312pt.

Gertrude Fenton, who checked the situation with her own magical device, also had to blink in bewilderment.

'What is this?'

Rain and Lilian's scores… No, that's a problem too, but where did the names of the guys who were following behind me go?

*Shiver*, an instant sensation like a sharp needle piercing her back muscles.

Killing intent (殺氣).

Her body initiated instinctive evasive action. Power concentrated in her fingertips, she instantly pushed off the ground, propelling her body far away.

*Kwarururururu────!*

In an instant, dazzling flames, bright enough to burn retinas, shot up where Gertrude had just been standing, licking out like a tongue.

"……?!"

Flames…? She immediately straightened up, but there was no time for confusion.

Fiery eagles plummeted from above, colliding with the ground and exploding before she had a chance to dodge.

What was then transmitted to the clairvoyance screen was a fierce, surging fire explosion, visible even from other sectors.

"Gertrude!"

When Krista urgently shouted, knowing she couldn't reach, Lilian was frowning.

'I don't feel like I burned her.'

As she walked through the curtain of rain, the hem of her robe, soaked with rainwater, hung limp and dragged on the ground.

'As expected, she's not as easy as the others.'

When Lilian took out a talisman from her pocket, *Bwooong*, the prayer beads around her neck expanded greatly and orbited around the caster.

The Rivendell school had gained renown as a "Remedierre Type," maximizing practical combat effectiveness by using talismans to simplify magic circle, mathematical equation, and rune construction times.

`Blazing Insect Lines (火蟲線)`.

As the magic circle carved into the talisman glowed, one of the orbiting rosary beads transformed into a searing fireball.

"Lan (瀾)."

Then, suddenly turning around and unleashing a talisman, the fireball burst into countless fiery flying insects, rushing towards its target.

Towards Gertrude, who had appeared from behind at some point.

But Gertrude was also not to be trifled with. As she slammed both hands onto the ground, the magic circles carved into both her palms—the Fenton family inscribes their primary magic into their palms like this—emitted light.

*Chwaaaaaak…!*

A curtain of water surged up, annihilating all the fiery butterflies that had rushed at her. Taking advantage of that moment, Gertrude crouched low and charged.

"Oh, ooooh!"

"It's a tie!"

"Both of them are amazing?!"

While the students cheered, Krista bit her lip in worry.

'I need to stay calm here. There's still quite a lot of test time left. If I pour all my strength out here…'

Gertrude, having burst through the water curtain, stretched her leg high in the air and then brought it down onto Lilian's head.

It would have ended right there, had Lilian not skillfully retreated backward.

But then Gertrude smirked. Light swirled from the magic circle carved into her sole, activating a spell, and the underground water veins surged up in a torrent, engulfing Lilian.

"Oh, quite skilled, isn't she?"

"Yes. The Fenton family is a lineage that seeks harmony between water attribute magic and martial arts. She's definitely leveraging her strengths."

With this, the talisman cannot be used. Concentrating magic power at her fingertips, Gertrude was confident of victory.

The Rivendell school's weakness was water.

Not because of fire attribute magic, but because wet talismans become prone to tearing, preventing them from exerting their full power.

"You've met the wrong opponent. Before that arrogant high horse of yours dares to approach a lady without knowing its place, I, Gertrude, will definitively break you!"

Shouting thus, Gertrude seized Lilian, who had emerged from the torrent.

She gave no time to react.

Immediately, she twisted Lilian's arm behind her back and ungracefully threw her onto the muddy ground.

"Now, if you don't want your joints dislocated, say you surrender!"

"…How naive, truly. If it were me, I would have killed you just now."

"Do you really want to see yourself in pain?"

She slowly, but surely, pulled the arm twisted behind Lilian's back.

*Udeudeuk…*

Just by the sound of bones snapping in the joint, it was clear that intense pain must have been flaring up. But Lilian remained unfazed.

"I don't use talismans because my computation speed is slow."

"……?"

"It's because I can't control my power."

Lilian stuck out her tongue. Instantly, an inexplicable unease sent a chill down Gertrude's spine.

A brand (烙印).

Was it made by fire? A complex hexagram was drawn jet-black on her tongue.

'Dangerous, this is really dangerous.'

Gertrude shuddered with primal fear, let go of the arm, and immediately retreated. The chilling sensation of death was writhing in her veins.

"Come forth, Flame Serpent (炎蟒)."

Then, the prayer beads orbiting Lilian sped up frantically and merged… transforming with a dazzling flash into a gigantic, transcendental creature.

A mane forged from flames.

Scales gleaming with sparks.

*Shhhwik*, a licking tongue of fire.

Gertrude stumbled backward, feeling her mind go blank.

Overwhelming its surroundings with a terrifying presence and revealing primeval majesty was the fiery serpent, the Imugi.

The person who summoned that Imugi calmly issued a chilling command in an emotionless voice.

"You may eat her."