The joint exam is conducted in teams of three. Only the first 70 people to pass the previous exam can select a token, and those with a token become team leaders. Naturally, those who do not make it into the top 70 are out.
With around 300 people passing the second exam, it means that over 90 people won’t even get a chance to participate in the third exam. Having secured a token, I checked the time leisurely. There were 40 minutes left until the start of the third exam. Although few, examinees began to enter, including Erucel.
Erucel started complaining immediately.
“I couldn’t find you anywhere. You could have waited at the second exam site if you were done. I was just standing there aimlessly!”
He still didn’t know I was in the magic department. With so many examinees, the knighthood department must have also divided people for the exam.
“Stop talking and grab a token.”
“A token? What’s that?”
“…You’ll find out soon enough.”
When Erucel picked up a token, I faintly smiled. Now, he became the leader of another team. Since we’re not on the same team, he won’t be able to mess things up properly.
I was observing the people entering when I locked eyes with a woman who was glaring at me intensely.
Feeling uneasy, I kept my mouth shut, and she quickly turned her head and disappeared. Erucel, oblivious, mumbled next to me.
“Oh, come to think of it, we met by chance during the exam.”
“Shut up and focus on the exam.”
As time passed, the entire hall filled with examinees. While everyone waited with puzzled expressions, Professor Rockefeller appeared and scanned the crowd.
He maintained his sharp gaze, forcing a smile. The examinees, thinking he was being kind, gave him some mild compliments. Little did they know he would soon drop the act.
“Those who arrived early received a token numbered from 1 to 70. Congratulations. You are qualified to form a team. Each team consists of three members. Once the token holders recruit two people, you are permitted to take the third exam.”
More than half of the examinees started murmuring. Their faces clearly showed they didn’t understand what he meant. A female examinee raised her hand and asked Rockefeller a question.
“So, what about those who don’t have a token?”
“Beg to join someone who does. For you empty-handed ones, that’s the only way to take the third exam.”
“But… There are 70 teams, and each team has only three members. Can we accommodate everyone here?”
Rockefeller sighed in annoyance and answered.
“There are 323 people who passed the second exam. Only 210 will take the third exam. The remaining 113 who aren’t chosen by a leader will be eliminated.”
A male examinee raised his hand and began to protest.
“Wait a minute, Professor! Is it fair to give such benefits just for arriving early?”
Rockefeller’s eyes, which had been gentle, began to sharpen.
“Do you have a problem with that?”
“Of course! None of us were late, and we arrived exactly on time. This is unfair!”
His expression fully transformed into that of a sly fox.
“Answering the questions of these blockheads one by one is tiresome.”
His irritable tone and expression shocked the examinees who had thought he was a kind professor.
“Alright, since teaching is my job, let me explain kindly. But first, let me ask you this: Do you rush to a battlefield where life and death are at stake without any preparation, just to arrive on time?”
Rockefeller conjured a chair with magic and leaned back into it.
“A soldier might. All they need is a head to take orders and a body to carry out missions. But a leader is different.”
He continued his explanation.
“A leader must prepare in advance, know the dangers of the place, and devise strategies. The ones with tokens demonstrated these qualities by arriving early.”
“But if you had told us beforehand, I would have gotten a token too…”
“Really? If this answer isn’t satisfactory, let me ask you.”
Rockefeller sneered at the examinee.
“Do you think you would perform well if you got a token now? You likely wasted time chatting and barely made it on time because it was cold, didn’t you?”
The examinee flinched, his shoulders trembling.
“Do you think subordinates would follow a leader who carelessly rushes to the battlefield without preparation? I wouldn’t even want you as a subordinate. Someone like you, who only complains and disrupts the atmosphere, is just a pest.”
Token holders gave the questioning examinee cold stares. Watching this, I thought Rockefeller was incredibly ruthless. He had publicly declared that the examinee was unfit to be a leader or even a soldier. After this, no leader would want to team up with that examinee.
Meanwhile, Erucel spoke to me.
“Brother, I’ll drop my token. Will you take me on your team?”
“Well, it’s right for siblings to take the exam together.”
I sneered at the transparent idiot.
“Why? So you can follow me and get me eliminated too?”
His face fell as if the world had collapsed. It must have been a shock. He had probably planned to sabotage me in both the first and second exams, but now, his last chance, the third exam, was slipping away too.
“Did you think I wouldn’t know? You really are stupid.”
I turned away from my foolish brother, who was gasping like a goldfish, and listened to the rest of Rockefeller’s speech.
“Now, you have 1 hour and 40 minutes to form your teams. Once your team is complete, request a professor to guide you.”
As soon as he finished speaking, examinees began gathering around those with tokens. Even after 30 minutes, no one approached me. Some looked interested but quickly turned away with disgusted or fearful expressions.
But I was confident. As time passed, the available spots would dwindle, and eventually, someone would come to me as a last resort. I only needed one useful person. The other spot could be filled with the one I had already considered.
An hour passed as I waited.
…Why isn’t anyone coming?
They’d rather be eliminated than join me. Looks like it.
With only 5 minutes left, I anxiously moved to scout team members myself. I had someone in mind, even though I was reluctant to involve him, fearing it might ruin the story. He was a playable character, after all.
There shouldn’t be any issues. If the player didn’t pick or control him, he would fail on his own. Even if he died, it wouldn’t impact the main scenario.
“…No, I really don’t want to meet him. Should I give up?”
The ticking of my pocket watch felt unusually loud.
The person I was looking for was a short man named Limberton. It wasn’t difficult to find him. As expected, he was acting like a creep, hitting on a woman.
“Seems like neither of us will take the third exam. How about a cup of tea together?”
“…I have a boyfriend.”
“That’s just a common excuse women use to brush off guys, isn’t it? I don’t believe it anymore.”
The woman made a face of disgust. Then, a man, presumably her boyfriend, approached and kicked Limberton in the head.
“I can hear that disgusting voice from a mile away.”
“Whatever, he’s gross. Ignore him. Let’s go.”
After they left, I approached Limberton.
I extended a hand to the guy clutching his head in pain, speaking softly.
“Let me help you up.”
But his response was so disgusting that I almost retracted my hand.
“So, 73 women left to hit on.”
Just hold on a little longer.
Despite the physical revulsion, I had to endure. Even though he was repulsive, he was a playable character and better than an average person. I helped him up and made a proposal.
“Seems like no one is accepting you. Want to team up?”
“I’d appreciate that. Do you have a token?”
As he dusted off the snow from his face and met my eyes, his expression turned to shock, and he stepped back.
“Hello. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, my ass! Are you here to torment me again?”
Oh, right. I had forgotten. When I first fell from the cliff, his recollection also surfaced.
‘I attended that jerk’s funeral, and the staff at the mansion were all smirking. Of course, I laughed too. That’s why I went. At a ball, he called me a hick and poured wine on my head. It’s all karma.’
He must still resent me deeply.
“So, will you join me or not?”
“What? Am I crazy to join your team?”
I tried to be charitable and threw a bait for this disgusting guy, as he had some decent skills for the third exam.
“It’s a pity. I have some valuable information. The better you do in the third exam, the better the dorms. There are many pretty women, especially this year. A lot of talented female applicants.”
I planted the bait and turned my back. True to form, the woman-crazy Limberton took the bait.
“Ahem, considering the situation, I’ll accept your proposal. If that’s the only way to pass.”
He pretended to be serious but couldn’t hide the twitching of his lips.
“Remember, I can’t forgive you. I’ll tolerate you only for a while, okay?”
Reaching the limit of my patience, I narrowed my eyes and snapped.
“You think you’re tolerating me?”
This guy was hopeless. I moved to find someone else, but he scurried after me like a fly.
“Hey, don’t be so harsh. I admit I was wrong. Just give me a chance, Hersel!”
“This is your last chance. Annoy me again, and you’re out. Got it?”
Limberton nodded vigorously, keeping his mouth shut. Despite being disgusting, he was easy to handle.
“Alright, just follow me.”
“Is it just the two of us?”
“Don’t worry. We’re going to get someone I have in mind.”
I took Limberton and approached a tall man in a full robe standing alone in the corner. Recruiting the last person wasn’t difficult. Showing him the token, he nodded in agreement.
With the team formed, a professor guided us to an iron door marked with the number 70.
After stepping through the door, it shut firmly behind us with a bang.
“Hersel? I can’t see anything.”
At that moment, Professor Rockefeller’s voice echoed from all directions.
– You took your sweet time. Team 7, you’re the last ones.
Did he have to point that out specifically?
– Well, it doesn’t matter. I’ll explain the third exam once, so listen carefully.
Even though I knew it, I paid attention to remind myself of its seriousness.
– Your task is to escape from here within three days. Collect hidden coins along the way. Both escape time and the number of coins collected will be scored.
– Good luck surviving in the dungeon. Try not to die from monster attacks or traps.
It was a real dungeon where one could die from monster attacks or traps.
Torches on the walls flared to life. Simultaneously, high-pitched screams echoed through the walls.