Of course, no matter how extreme, for Team 5, this merely balanced the scales to the level of other teams.

‘Their situation was quite easy before.’

Isn’t it just a matter of running hard and then blasting the victim on the flat plateau?

If anything, they *should* have two victims.

But Team 6?

It remains continuously disadvantageous for Team 6.

Of course, score adjustments will likely be made, but the participants taking the exam must be extremely flustered.

Team 5, after brief surprise, quickly regained composure.

[Daniel needs to keep using fire right now.]

[So you’re saying we should process two Grade 5 victims in one spot?]

[No way. Are you trying to get us killed? Grade 5 is tough even in the field, and you want us to attack two simultaneously?]

‘He’s right.’

Leo stroked his chin, concentrating on their conversation.

But the conversation was short.

The sphere, having spotted people, was descending from the summit towards the plateau at insane speed.

The Team 5 leader shouted loudly.

[Split into four and two! Daniel and I will handle one and rejoin!]

“Oh.”

“Wow~ Great situational judgment. Charging like that, yet not falling behind at all.”

“They need to do that quickly, otherwise Vitriol will splatter all over the surrounding trees.”

“Team 6 just barely made it up there. The difference is huge without the boost from a Unique Ability, huh?”

“Aigoo, so simple~” (*Note: “Aigoo” is a Korean interjection expressing mild dismay or pity.*)

Elias muttered beside him. He seemed displeased that the students were praising Team 5.

The student sitting next to Leo asked Elias.

“Hey, do you have a better method?”

“Sure. Just throw that thing onto another peak~”

“Would that work?”

“……”

Anyway, at this rate, it’s difficult for Lucas’s team to score higher.

From what they’ve shown so far, Team 5 was better than Team 6, not worse. It was thanks to their Unique Ability, but that’s also part of their skill.

Just then, the Team 5 leader let out a scream.

[Aaaaaahk!]

“…?!”

“Whoa, that startled me.”

The Team 5 leader almost rolled down the slope.

Since he didn’t fall completely or get injured, he’ll receive some deductions but won’t be eliminated.

Elias cackled and pointed.

“Hey, look at that. They’re getting pushed back. Should’ve split three and three, why split two and four when their skills are just mediocre? Idiot?”

‘He’s right, but splitting three and three is also problematic.’

Three people handling a victim that six were supposed to?

That’s difficult.

Anyway, since Team 5 made some mistakes, Team 6 now has a chance to pull ahead.

However….

‘What on earth do they want here?’

He was asking the school authorities.

No matter how much the objective of the exam is self-preservation, it’s getting increasingly pathetic. Judging solely by the quality of the assignment design, this exam is the worst among the four.

If they simply wanted to see magic skills emerge after being pushed to the extreme limit, there surely must have been much better ways than this.

The thought creeps in, did they really have to choose *this* location?

“Ah, they just all grouped together?”

Perhaps deciding they needed to settle it with sheer Magic Power, Team 5 had already gathered all six members and were confronting the victim.

Kwaaang—!

[Aaak!]

[Don’t lose focus! One more left!]

The Team 5 students barely managed to blast one sphere away.

But having expended a lot of stamina climbing up to the plateau, they seemed significantly lacking in strength.

“What is the school thinking? Going hard just because it’s the last one.”

“The kids are gonna die…”

“Uh, uh!”

“Hey, what are they really expecting us to do~ Since it’s the last one and they’ve seen all the other teams before, they’re making it the toughest, is that it?”

Elias shook his head, laughing like he was watching someone else’s house burn down.

Now Team 6 had also reached the plateau. Team 6, like Team 5 earlier, was looking bewildered.

[Why are there really twooooooo!]

[You have energy to scream?]

Lucas, on the screen, spoke to Philip in an emotionless voice.

‘Hmm…. It would have been nice to get a preview of Lucas’s situational judgment beforehand.’

The recent version, that is.

Even though we’re different teams, honestly, it was rather absurd that he wouldn’t show his skills even to me.

Of course, I know that hiding the team’s true strategist is precisely Yulia’s strategy.

Though I think it’s a bit excessive, if it’s a habit, it can’t be helped.

Someone educated to become a king is bound to be adept at disguising their most important card to seem unimportant.

‘…Wait.’

Most important?

“Could it be…”

“What, why?”

Leo shook his head at Elias’s question.

Hiding skills isn’t critically important in this exam, yet Yulia orders Lucas to hide all calculations to an excessive degree?

He’s known Yulia for a long time, and they’ve been close due to similar circumstances.

Knowing Yulia’s usual personality…

‘He might not intend to end it just as partners for this exam.’

Could it be that he has also earmarked Lucas as his political partner?

Therefore, he minimizes situations where his skills are revealed, that’s the idea.

He must think that if Lucas frequently reveals his skills, more than just one or two people will approach him.

‘From my perspective, Yulia is the one in that situation right now.’

He doesn’t even know what kind of name Lucas has built up so far, yet he pinpoints potential with astonishing accuracy. I feel like applauding his discernment.

Leo crossed his arms and leaned back against the backrest.

‘…If I had been just a few months late, it would have been a disaster.’

No matter how much the Grand Duchy of Baden tries to recruit him, Bavaria already has him.

At least, his identity.

Though they didn’t become friends based on politics, strictly judging politically, I too find it a waste to lose such a mage.

If Yulia comes out like this, I need to be wary.

Knowing the common ground of being educated to become rulers, I understand. That guy won’t easily let go of something he has decided to grasp.

[Don’t attack. Don’t use magic, just wait. They probably sensed our movement anyway, so they’ll come down soon.]

Yulia’s voice came through.

[Let’s wrap this up quickly. It’s better to divide the personnel, one side handled by me, the other by Lucas.]

The Team 6 students visible on screen looked almost corpse-like, unlike Team 5.

“Oof…. Aren’t they going to freeze to death?”

“But they’re going the same way as Team 5 too.”

“There’s no other way, I guess.”

Leo tuned out the students’ words, lost in thought.

‘It’s about time he stepped up.’

[No.]

Just then, Lucas spoke.

A faint smile flickered across Yulia’s face.

***

“No.”

Expelling the cold air filling my lungs, I spat out the word.

My ears and the tip of my nose feel like they’re about to fall off now.

“Gather them in one place.”

“Gathering them in one place risks annihilation, Lucas. Wouldn’t splitting the team be better to minimize damage?”

“Please.”

“……”

Tsheringen smiled with satisfaction.

‘This kid…’

He wasn’t planning to refuse anyway.

There’s no strength left to talk at length.

He must have also found Team 5’s Unique Ability suspicious.

The school doesn’t want things handled simply by force.

How well can one utilize background knowledge when pushed into an extreme situation, how much ingenuity can one display? Weren’t they trying to find that out?

Otherwise, it’s too questionable for a problem set by the Imperial Second Academy.

Therefore, we need to utilize the environment we’re placed in more actively.

Tsheringen returned to his serious expression and asked.

“What do you need me to do?”

“Philip will stay here. Divide the remaining four, including yourself, into two pairs, and drive the victims descending from both peaks towards one location.”

Though a blizzard began to rage, the black smoke descending from afar was clearly visible.

“Alright. Melvin, follow me. Heike and Florian, let’s go to that peak.”

Saying that, Tsheringen started running towards the distance.

“Hey… Hey, Lucas! What are you thinking?!”

Philip, left alone, said, trembling, his face already purple.

I generated heat by repeatedly rubbing magic around me.

“No time. There’s no time, but…”

Since we’re going for points anyway, it’d be good to secure points for all teammates.

Since I was the initial proposer, my score won’t be deducted.

So, it’s worth letting the faculty know that all team members remember their textbook knowledge.

That would likely count towards the team score too.

“Philip. You said you’ve looked for water veins, right? Then, does that mean your ability can also grasp the underground composition?”

“Uh, uh!”

“Then use your ability on the ground here!”

“What?! Where’s the water vein here?! It’s just all frozen!”

“You said it yourself earlier! Limestone, karst. Don’t you get it? Did you sleep through science class?”

At those words, Philip’s friend muttered through the artifact.

[Made one wrong comment and getting hit multiple times for it….]

“Karst…?!”

[Ah.]

Tsheringen’s brief word came from afar.

He seemed to have understood my intention.

Melvin also gasped sharply, then shouted excitedly.

[A-Are you talking about dolines, Philip! The textbook said this plateau is karst terrain. And if not that, there are caves underneath too, limestone caves, right? I think Lucas means find either one of those…!]

Doline.

A typical natural feature found in karst terrain.

I memorized it tiresomely both in the 21st century and here.

Basically, it can be considered a type of sinkhole.

As expected, unlike Philip’s snipe, Melvin didn’t sleep during science class.

‘Actually, I was trying to find a moderately sized underground cavity rather than a doline.’

Anyway, since the sphere is rolling down from above, picking either a depression in the ground or a shallowly covered underground cavity works.

Because I only have one way to utilize it.

“Philip.”

“Yeah, tell me!”

The guy answered, his voice braced with readiness.

“Find it. We’ll bind their feet and finish them at once.”

***

[It could collapse if done wrong, so find a safe spot. Let’s finish this completely within the next minute.]

Tsheringen couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“We’re about to freeze to death here, and you’re talking textbooks…. Truly amazing…”

Florian, running behind, muttered as if finding it absurd.

It hurt his pride to agree with Florian, but he did.

Smiling with satisfaction, Tsheringen charged towards the victim.

Everyone thought the team leader should handle all strategy inside and outside the field, but they were wrong. His role was to pave the way for the right person in each field to fully utilize their abilities.

‘Well, personally, I had the ambition to handle the internal field strategy myself too…’

It was good that he didn’t.

This couldn’t be more successful.

If he could, he felt like dropping the exam and everything right now and just studying tactics with Lucas 24/7.

“Lucas.”

[Yeah?]

“You’re the best.”

[…….]

After a long pause, Lucas let out a faint laugh and said.

[The results aren’t out yet, isn’t it too early.]

Perhaps, but this must be the right answer.

‘With the trend of assignments hindering Unique Ability use, there’s no way they’d give Team 5 convenience now.’

It means there’s another solution the school wants, unrelated to Unique Abilities.

Right now, because of the blizzard, it’s white everywhere, making it hard to spot sinkholes easily, but blasting with magic can temporarily clear the view.

So, even without Philip’s Unique Ability, the natural environment can be sufficiently utilized.

Did Team 5 also move that way?

“Lucas, keep sending signals when you find the location. I’ll adjust speed.”

[Okay.]

Kwaang—!

The sound of rock shattering came from afar.

It seemed they found and broke into an underground cavity, not a doline.

Tsheringen narrowed his eyes.

‘The sound of mud falling is getting closer.’

The victim is now ahead.

He shouted to Florian behind him.

“We’re turning direction soon! Lure it to follow me!”

“Got it!”

Kwaang!

Tsheringen parried the attack flying towards him and turned around. Far away, through the blizzard, familiar red Magic Power shone.

‘At that distance…’

Position-wise, Heike and Melvin would arrive first. Though it would only be by 2-3 seconds.

“Heike, pass through the spot as is. Philip, lay a barrier on the ground just until the teammates arrive, then remove it immediately. Don’t lay it again.”

[What! I suck at aiming!] (*Note: Philip says “박치” (bakchi) which means tone-deaf or having no sense of rhythm, often used metaphorically for being bad at something requiring precision/timing.*)

[Understood.]

Following Philip’s panic, Heike’s nonchalant voice came through.

Though he didn’t attend the 3rd Academy and his expressionless face made him hard to read, his skills at least were trustworthy.

[Yulia, don’t be too late.] (*Note: Tsheringen addressing himself*)

“I know.”

Tsheringen smiled and poured Magic Power into his legs.

[If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you.] (*John 15:7 KJV*)

Lucas’s voice came through the artifact. The moment he felt cold air rising from below in front, Tsheringen twisted his body.

Kwaang—!

The giant black mass, changing direction, was slammed into the barrier and embedded.

Lucas lowered the Wand that had been pointing skyward and changed it into a staff. Fiery Magic Power enveloped the staff.

[Ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.] (*John 15:7 KJV*)

Kwaaaaang—! Thwump—

Tsheringen unknowingly winced.

Along with the explosion, the sound of mud clumps scattering was heard.

“……”

The students looked down at the unmoving sphere, then looked at each other.

Gradually, one or two students began to burst into laughter.

Beep—

[23 minutes 35 seconds.]

[Exam concluded.]

***

[Exam concluded.]

The team that had been lagging behind had now overtaken Team 5 and finished the exam first.

The gymnasium fell silent instantly.

“…Doline?”

“What are they…?”

The silence broke, and dry laughter erupted here and there.

It wasn’t negative laughter. It was just that they hadn’t expected to hear a concept written in textbooks here.

“……”

Leo’s lips twisted into a smirk.

Approaching it with the simple mindset of ‘dig a hole and make a trap’ would still yield positive points. After all, this kind of efficiency is what the professors want.

But more importantly, they actively utilized the environment they were placed in.

Faintly, the voices of professors from the 1st Academy who came to observe could be heard from above.

“Ah, yes. This is how you approach it~ Worth designing the assignment.”

“……”

University professors designed the exam?

No wonder….

Anyway, finishing quickly doesn’t guarantee a higher rank.

Team 5 is still processing the victim, but they won’t necessarily be ranked lower just for finishing late.

The definite results will only be known once the lid is opened, but…

‘The problem isn’t Team 5 falling behind right now.’

The moment he lifted his head towards his teammates, Elias draped his arm over Leo’s shoulder.

“Didn’t your team reserve 1st place? You were the absolute top contender.”

“…Never did.”

“What do you mean never? There was a lot of talk from the beginning.”

Elias grinned widely and spoke just loudly enough for Leo’s ears.

“How does it feel to be pushed back?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep