Chapter 58: Midterm Evaluation (3)

A low growl rumbled out. The wolf-like demonic monster crouched low, its body tense, as it glared at me with wary eyes.

I held back a chuckle as I looked back at it. “What’s this? It’s been so long, and you don’t even say hello?”

Instead of a reply, it let out a ferocious roar. Its eyes searched for an opening, then it sprang forward, launching itself at me. In my previous life, I wouldn’t even have managed to resist before those terrifying jaws tore into my throat.

“Man, that’s kinda cold,” I said.

I used the Berald Combat Style: Sky Flip, turning it around midair and sending it crashing violently into the ground. The wolf rolled on the dirt with a screech of pain, then it staggered to its feet, looking at me with dazed, disoriented eyes.

Does it not even understand what had just happened to it? I wondered.

“Man. This brings back memories.” I couldn’t help but laugh to myself as vivid memories of my past life resurfaced, memories of a powerless me and a weak, pitiful self.

“They say time softens old wounds and turns them into fond memories. Guess that’s not always true.”

Despite how much time had passed, more than I could even measure, those memories lingered, just like a stubborn stain on a shirt.

I clicked my tongue and walked toward the demonic monster. The monster growled and backed away, its steps shaky with fear. All three of its blood-red eyes were now wide with terror.

“What’s wrong? You scared?”

It just whimpered.

“Don’t worry.”

I was scared too, once. A sharp swing of my sword sliced through its front leg. Blood gushed out of the cleanly severed stump. The wolf let out a pitiful scream and writhed on the ground in agony.

I stepped closer to the fallen beast and raised my sword high. “Alright then, for starters… Let’s get one point.”

I drove my sword straight through its skull. The resistance gave way as the blade shattered bone and burrowed into brain matter.

“Ahh! Now, that was satisfying.”

Whoever said revenge was hollow had been full of crap. In my past life, I had died helplessly, my throat ripped out by this monster. But now, I had just driven a sword through the same monster’s head. Could anything feel more cathartic?

Seriously, the only people who said revenge is meaningless were the ones scared it would happen to them. There was nothing hollow about paying someone back twice over for what they did to you.

“Phew!”

Feeling thoroughly content, I opened my Hero Watch. I checked the “Score Status” to see the points I had earned. However, the number reflected on the status was zero.

“Huh?”

The Hero Watch was supposed to automatically recognize when a cadet defeated a demonic monster and send an alert. But I remembered that I hadn’t heard any alert.

What the hell?

“It’s not like the beast is still alive.”

Unless it had a Blessing of Resurrection like me, there was no way a creature with its skull split in half and brain matter leaking out was still breathing. It naturally made me wonder if something had glitched.

I tilted my head and examined the demonic monster’s corpse. “There’s nothing.”

Normally, demonic monsters used in exams had a marker attached to their bodies that identified them as exam-purpose monsters, but this one had nothing. There was no sign of it falling off, either. Those markers were fastened tightly and securely. They wouldn’t just fall off without leaving any trace.

“So, it wasn’t one of the demonic monsters prepared by the academy?”

With that realization, a few strange things started to click. Like Professor Kane had warned, this exam was dangerous. Careless cadets could die. But as long as you weren’t reckless, you wouldn’t.

The academy was supposed to use relatively less aggressive monsters for the exam. The monsters wouldn’t be entirely passive—like Bianca’s one-horned familiar, which didn’t attack unless provoked—but ambush attacks were rare. And this monster had ambushed me. Moreover, I hadn’t even walked into its territory.

In my past life, I couldn’t tell if I had entered the monster’s turf or if it had chased me down. I didn’t have the sense to know. But now, I could tell with certainty: This thing came here specifically to kill me. It had tracked me by scent, from quite a distance away.

“So, that means… This monster probably entered the exam zone from outside.” A laugh escaped me, hollow and bitter.

The monster that gave me my first death in my past life had come from beyond the exam perimeter?

Regardless, this was something the academy needed to know. So, I took a photo with my Hero Watch and sent them a report.

“Ugh! Hope they don’t cancel the whole exam over this.”

It was probably going to cause a headache, but what choice did I have? I couldn’t just ignore a monster without a marker wandering inside the testing grounds.

This could interrupt the exam too. However, even in that case, if I slayed the one-horned monster, the so-called hidden boss of this midterm, before the exam got called off, it would likely still count toward my evaluation. So, I had to take down the one-horned monster as soon as I could.

Scanning my surroundings, I kicked off the ground and climbed up a nearby tree. “Now, let’s see.”

I looked out over the vast forest spread below like a sea of green, focusing my vision with mana. The most basic effect of mana was physical enhancement. But it didn’t just make the body tougher; it also heightened one’s senses.

Even from this high up, the dense trees blocked my view. I couldn’t see the one-horned monster anywhere with the naked eye.

“Well, there’s another way.”

I took a deep breath and spread my arms wide. Spreading mana evenly through my body and into my hands, I used the Berald Combat Style: Thunder Clap and clapped with all my strength.

A deafening blast thundered through the mountains. Birds hidden between the tree branches burst into flight, and I heard startled cries from both cadets and monsters across the forest. Amidst that chaos, I saw a flicker of blue lightning above the trees.

Found it! Wind Step!

This time, I poured mana into my legs and kicked off the branch beneath me. My body became as light as the wind. Leaping from branch to branch, I dashed toward the place where the blue lightning had burst forth.

After a few minutes of sprinting, I spotted a white horse standing near a quietly trickling stream. It was covered in snow-white fur. A sharp horn protruded from its forehead, and fierce bolts of lightning crackled around it. Three pairs of eyes stared out from its face, which was partially concealed in shadow.

The beast I had seen before via hologram was now right before me, warily scanning its surroundings, one hoof raised in warning. As it stood alert, its white mane bristled. This was probably due to the sound I made.

I decided to wait until the beast calmed down. While I could fight it head-on if I had to, there was no reason to forfeit the element of surprise and challenge a high-alert monster in a straight-up brawl.

The unicorn, still glancing about nervously, eventually lowered its raised hoof. With graceful steps, it trotted toward the stream. Its earlier tension seemed to have melted away.

For a monster, it was surprisingly gentle. Demonic monsters were creatures mutated by mana. They were usually ferocious and aggressive. That aggression tended to be stronger in monsters who had absorbed large quantities of mana, in other words, those with many “eyes.”

However, this one-horned monster was not releasing any killing intent and was even managing its internal mana well. It made sense that Professor Bianca would choose this unicorn as her familiar.

Though now that I think about it, unicorns are supposed to have a thing for virgins, don’t they? I wondered.

Generally, a monster retained traits of its pre-mutation animal form. For example, a wolf-type monster would form packs like actual wolves. A mole-type would dig tunnels and hide underground. But that was not always the case.

Occasionally, mutated monsters developed strange traits entirely unrelated to their original species. The unicorn before me was a perfect example. Monsters mutated from horses with a single horn, commonly known as unicorns, were rumored to have an absurd obsession with human virgins.

I muttered, “Don’t tell me the reason Professor Bianca can control this monster is…”

Ahem. Let’s stop that train of thought, for Professor Kane’s sake, I told myself.

Soon, I had finally confirmed that the monster had relaxed. “Alright. Looks like it has let its guard down.”

It was time to start the hunt for real. I inhaled slowly and spread mana throughout my body, carefully muffling my footsteps as I crept closer to the unicorn.Once I was close enough, I kicked off the ground and drew my sword.

The unicorn flinched, startled by my sudden presence, and stumbled back.

“You’re too slow, buddy,” I muttered.

Grinning, I thrust my sword toward the bell hanging from the unicorn’s neck. The Sun Sword Style Fourth Form: Flash unleashed its might, and the blade of my sword transformed into a streak of light, slicing forward with deadly precision.

Just before it struck, however, with a sharp shout, a golden blade of energy shot in from the side.

“Hyaah!”

A clear, ringing sound echoed as my sword was knocked aside. Instead of the bell, my blade only grazed the unicorn’s cheek. The unicorn let out a furious cry, and blood trickled from the shallow cut on its face.

Clicking my tongue, I backed off slightly. My one-hit plan had failed. I turned toward the direction the golden sword aura had come from. There stood Yuren, panting heavily.

“Ha, you followed me?” I asked. He had most likely seen the blue lightning flash earlier and rushed here as well.

I glanced at Yuren and chuckled. “Sorry, but I’m taking first place, Yuren.”

At that moment, something surprising happened. I was within striking distance of the unicorn. Yuren was more than a hundred meters away. Moreover, I had landed the first blow on the beast. So, the unicorn should have been focused on me. Yet, it suddenly whirled around and charged straight at Yuren, snorting aggressively.

It surprised me. “Huh?”

No, wait.

I yelled at the top of my lungs, “Why the hell are you running over there, you damn horse-headed bastard?”

I am the one who pulled the aggro!

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