Chapter 139: Final Evaluation (4)

“Wow. Did you see that? That’s Ivan for you.”

“I know, right.”

Right after the 2nd mid-term tally, I heard the conversation of two people with my heightened hearing.

It wasn’t far.

I moved there.

Beyond the bushes, I could see two 890th class cadets tending to a trap.

I knew both of their faces, but one of them was particularly familiar.

What was his name again?

Ah, I remember.

‘Devo Wagner.’

Max Wagner’s younger brother.

‘It seems they had planned to hunt Ferdons together before the evaluation.’

Watching them tend to the trap together, it was clear they had done it more than once.

It was a good method.

Most of the cadets were probably moving in pairs like that.

Just then, the guy next to Devo opened his mouth.

“Anyway, I was right, wasn’t I, Devo?”

“Huh? About what.”

“Hey. Are you going to pretend you don’t know? I told you Ivan would win. So, hurry up and give it to me. 1 gold.”

“……Senior might make a comeback.”

The guy chuckled and said.

“Are you stupid? Can’t you tell by looking at the flow? From the 1st mid-term tally to the 2nd mid-term tally just now. Ivan’s rise is much steeper, how could Gerard-senior possibly make a comeback?”

I scratched my head.

It looks like those guys made a bet on me and Ivan.

“Geez. Don’t be so discouraged. I told you. No matter how great sunbaenim is, it’s Ivan who’s getting one-on-one lessons from Department Head Pirion, so what can sunbaenim do?”

“……”

“Alright, fine. Let’s say the bet with me is whatever. I know you like Gerard-senior. But you can give up your stubbornness in the group bet with the other kids, right? Huh? Or just don’t participate at all. Why are you throwing away money?”

……What.

They even made a group bet?

So, they were doing their own sports betting.

A dry laugh escaped me.

‘Are these guys really trying to become heroes?’

Why do guys like them like gambling and games so much?

And during the final evaluation season, which is an important time for them.

……Are they dopamine addicts?

I was dumbfounded.

‘Well, right. It means it’s an issue among the kids.’

The rivalry between me and Ivan had been slowly taking shape since the mid-term evaluation, and after our conversation after the written exam yesterday became a rumor, that rivalry became even clearer.

The story of who is stronger between two people has always been a favorite topic, regardless of age or gender.

Because of this, it might not just be the cadets who were betting.

‘The professors probably did it too.’

Perhaps, some people outside the Academy might also be watching this showdown.

‘Anyway, thanks, kid. For taking my side.’

I chuckled, looking at Devo who had kept his loyalty.

I don’t know if it was because of the bond we had as team members since the Swamp Orcs, but that kid was particularly fond of me among the juniors, so he remained in my memory.

At first, I had the upper hand over Ivan.

It was only natural.

My trashy image had been laundered a long time ago and since there were so many incidents I had taken the lead in solving, my standing among the 890th class was absolute.

But when the story of Ivan receiving private special lectures from Department Head Pirion gradually spread, the tide turned.

Just then, Devo, who had been quietly listening to his friend’s bitter words, opened his mouth.

“I don’t regret it, Robin. 1 gold with you and 1 gold in the group bet. I bet a total of 2 gold, but I don’t regret that money at all. Because I’m going to win it all.”

“Whaat!? Are you crazy?”

Devo’s friend’s eyes widened.

“Why are you being so stubborn when it’s all over?”

“It’s not over. Ah. Robin, you haven’t heard that saying, have you? It’s not over until it’s over.”

“……Huh? What’s that supposed to mean? Where did you hear such nonsense?”

“You probably heard it from me.”

The two gazes fly over and land on me as I walk out of the bushes.

“Huk! G-Gerard-senior!’

“……!”

I approach the two who are startled.

Devo has his mouth open, and next to him, Robin, was it?

His face is almost pale.

“Th-that is.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. It’s quite possible to judge it that way. There wouldn’t be any subjective emotions in that judgment, right? It must be a decision made after calmly analyzing the surrounding factors and situation.”

“Th-that’s right! Exactly!”

“Then it’s fine.”

I smiled and patted Robin’s shoulder.

Hahaha…… Robin also laughs awkwardly along with me.

“However. The losses that come from that decision are also all your own to bear.”

The guy froze in that grinning state.

“Got it, Devo?”

I looked back at Devo.

“Yes, senior.”

Devo answered energetically with an at-attention posture.

“I didn’t judge emotionally either! And even if I lose this bet, I will never blame or resent anyone. Because it’s my choice! Actually, I’m not even thinking that I’ll lose! Hehe.”

I let out a small laugh at his bright demeanor.

“By the way, senior! Are you perhaps going to snatch our feathers?”

At Devo’s innocent question, Robin, who had been sweating profusely next to him, turned pale.

“Should I?”

“It’s up to you, senior. But we won’t give them up easily!”

Saying so, Devo takes two steps back and gets into a fighting stance.

Robin does the same.

He fumbles for a moment but soon grips his weapon and watches me with a serious face.

I thought for a moment and then asked.

“How many do you two have?”

“We have 10 combined, senior!”

The answer was immediate.

“Hey, you idiot Devo…… Ah, sorry. Anyway, Why would you say that!”

I burst out laughing again.

I had a feeling he would tell me everything.

‘10. That’s quite a lot.’

What should I do…….

***

I parted with the kids.

To get straight to the point, I didn’t take the feathers.

Just, putting aside the exam and the competition.

It just didn’t seem right to take away the results that my juniors had worked hard to get.

It wasn’t that Ivan was bad.

As I said, attacking classmates and taking their feathers was one of the winning strategies.

“It’s embarrassing.”

It was simply that.

Do you catch the fast Ferdon and diligently collect the feathers?

Or do you take the feathers that your classmates have?

This was simply a matter of choice.

The reason why duels between cadets were allowed was for this reason.

“Right. It’s not wrong.”

However, using the representative artifact used to catch evil, the ‘Tracker’s Seal’, to win an evaluation, on your own classmates, was actually a matter of controversy.

So it’s a matter of ethics.

Imagine using equipment like handcuffs, tasers and batons, which should be used to catch criminals, on your own fellow police officers for personal gain.

Of course, how to use the equipment is up to the owner, but it still didn’t look good.

Every object has its own purpose, and the ‘Tracker’s Seal’ was an artifact that was firmly established with the image of being used to catch villains.

It was an act that could also tarnish the honor of the original owner, Pirion Lil.

‘On the other hand, it means he desperately wants to win, to the point of having to use it. Ivan wouldn’t know that.’

He doesn’t care about the process.

Because the world values results over the process anyway.

And the world only remembers the 1st place.

If you get 1st place today, you’ll be close to being at the top of the semester.

And if you become the top of the semester, it doesn’t matter how you took the evaluation.

“Certainly, he’s a completely different guy from the kind and righteous Ivan I played.”

But this is right.

Humans are beings that cannot be defined as just one thing.

He may have been a perfect protagonist in ‘Heroes of Frey’, which was just a game, but not here.

‘Then…… does that mean he might not be the protagonist?’

I got a little scared.

So, I was just deluding myself that he had a destiny to save the world.

In fact, that might not be the case…….

“Ugh, that gives me the creeps.”

I rubbed both my forearms with my hands and shook my head.

That was a terrifying premise I didn’t even want to think about.

No matter what, Ivan had to be the protagonist who would save the world.

If he, who was wrapped in all those cheat-like traits, were to pull a stunt like ‘Actually, I’m not the protagonist, do whatever you want’, that in itself would be a tragedy, a tragedy.

“Stop. Enough of these unlucky thoughts.”

I just used one Tracker’s Seal, but I went too deep.

Enough with the stray thoughts.

Now, I decided to focus on the question of how to win.

“There’s only an hour and a half left until the end of the exam.”

The gap with Ivan is three feathers.

No.

It might have widened even more by now.

While I’m racking my brain, my body is still moving diligently and catching Ferdons.

However.

Even if I do this, there’s no way I can compete with Ivan, who is tracking specific kids with the Tracker’s Seal and also tracking Ferdons.

In that case, wouldn’t it be fine to just hit Ivan himself?

You might think.

But that’s only possible if I know where Ivan is in this vast forest.

“And nine times out of ten, Ivan will know where I am. He’ll keep checking my location. Because he’ll want to avoid a direct confrontation with me.”

From Ivan’s perspective, who was already ahead, there was no reason to have a direct confrontation with me.

In that case, there was only one way.

“I have no choice but to catch that.”

The red Ferdon.

The boss of this Ferdon Habitat and its long-time resident.

Although its body was small like a cat’s, the creature strangely used a special ability.

It was a given that it was much nimbler and faster than a normal Ferdon.

So the red Ferdon’s feather was a precious item traded at a very high price, and although there were many hunters and mercenaries who wanted to get it, it was said that the number of humans who had actually seen it with their own eyes could be counted on one hand.

That rarity was also reflected in this evaluation.

Just before the evaluation began, the examiner, Supervising Professor Chaser, said.

“The red Ferdon’s feather will count as 20 normal feathers. So for those of you who think you’re ‘lucky!’, it might be a good idea to aim for that. Because you’ll be in the top ranks right away. What you need to be careful of is that you can’t catch that guy just by being lucky.”

The cadets weren’t fools, so there were no kids who wasted precious time trying to catch the red Ferdon from the beginning.

“But I guess I have no choice but to be a fool.”

I had never caught the red Ferdon in the original work either.

In all those playthroughs, not even once.

So this was an adventure even for me.

But here, I had to attempt that adventure.

“It’s not like I’m completely without confidence, though.”

Thanks to the numerous trials and errors I experienced in the original work, I already had in my head where the red Ferdon lived, what it liked, and how it moved.

The reason I couldn’t catch it was simply due to the difference in specs.

The estimated agility stat of the red Ferdon is at least 120.

In comparison, mine is 106.

“But I have an artifact too.”

If Ivan has the ‘Tracker’s Seal’ he received from Pirion.

I have the ‘Star’s Blessing’ I received from the Dean.

Star’s Blessing.

Its special ability, [Starlight], increases the wearer’s all stats by 20% during the day and 50% at night.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep