A secluded fortress. Professors from Frost Heart were observing the situation through a crystal orb.
“The extermination ended quicker than expected.”
At the skinny professor’s comment, the burly, hairy professor scratched his chin.
“It’s not necessarily a good thing. Professor Rockefeller wanted this to make sure Hersel Ben Tenest wouldn’t score well.”
The three-headed wolves had long since fled their habitat.
“Actually, the extermination wasn’t really relevant. He wasn’t interested in the three-headed wolves from the start. He’s been focusing on gathering points through harvesting all along.”
Given the circumstances, no suitable sabotage plan came to mind. Acting too overtly would appear too blatant. There seemed to be no effective way to lower Hersel’s grades.
“Right? We’ve completely struck out here.”
“At least we’ve accurately assessed the students’ strengths. We can see their growth clearly. Maybe even the instructors will reveal themselves.”
Rockefeller had instructed them to observe quietly if the instructors targeted specific students. Normally, professors would intervene immediately if adults interfered in students’ conflicts. This was clearly considered another aspect of their growth.
“Let’s not be complacent. He did tell us to assist if things became dangerous.”
“True, but there shouldn’t be any immediate danger, right? They haven’t even fought the roaming band yet.”
“Hmm, that’s true, but…”
“Wait, what’s going on?”
The professors looked at the orb with surprised eyes. Students from Adelle Hall and Buerger Hall were moving en masse, heading toward the Schlaphe camp.
“What’s happening here?”
“They must be trying to join forces.”
“That much is obvious. What I’m curious about is why they’re gathering at the Schlaphe camp.”
The higher-ranked dormitories had more pride. Though they occasionally banded together for mutual benefit, Adelle Hall was always the central player, summoning others to come to them. Why now…
“It’s strange. Usually, Schlaphe would be the ones seeking help.”
“No, it must be that kid again. He’s up to something, no doubt about it.”
In the orb, Hersel was explaining something to everyone’s attention.
“What a baffling kid. He was during the entrance exam, and now he’s up to some new trick…”
The students began building fortresses again. Time passed, and the fortresses formed a circular formation.
Just then, the orb showed the roaming band preparing to attack.
The hairy professor’s eyes gleamed.
“Oh? Looks like it’s about to start.”
“What are they burning?”
The orb was filled with thick smoke, obscuring the view of what was happening.
The professors stood up abruptly. Soon, an explosion occurred inside the circular fortress.
“The self-destruct curse has been triggered!!”
“Damn, if they let their guard down, the damage will be immense.”
The roaming band would have been annihilated, and the instructors might target the surviving students. The professors hastily armed themselves.
“It seems the instructors are starting to move.”
“Wait, that guy with the scar on his lips… Could it be…?”
The hairy professor pointed at a man. The skinny professor gasped and widened his eyes.
“It’s him! The Bloody Viper, Berme!!”
Even among the roaming band, there were renowned adversaries. The Bloody Viper Berme was particularly infamous, having killed over a dozen Pathfinders. ʀ
“What are you doing? Hurry and grab your weapon!”
“Let’s move immediately!”
The hairy professor ran quickly, sighing with relief.
Berme was a formidable opponent, but with Hersel Ben Tenest, things would work out somehow.
“Thank goodness. With Hersel Ben Tenest, things will be easier.”
The crystal orb, now left alone, showed Hersel and his team emerging through the smoke.
To lure the instructors, we needed suitable bait. Therefore, the combat team was composed of a small group of playable characters, including capable allies like Aslay and Gravel.
But why was this oddball added to the mix?
“What’s with that look?”
Notably, Silla and Belman were excluded from the fight. Silla was injured, and Belman was tasked with maintaining a wide, thin barrier to keep the smoke from escaping, given our limited supply of holy herbs.
Belman was inside with the children, effectively filling in for him.
We faced three instructors in total.
“As I said, our top priority is the magician. If we don’t take him down before our holy herbs run out, all of this will be for nothing. Remember, we’re racing against time.”
I looked at Aslay, Limberton, and the bob-haired woman.
I had instructed those three to focus on tracking the magician if he tried to escape.
“Leana, Ricks, and Gravel. You remember your roles?”
The three of them were assigned to match up against one of the instructors based on their strengths. Including me, Riamon and Erucel would face the remaining man.
Our target was the Bloody Viper Berme, a foe formidable enough to challenge active Pathfinders. Even for playable characters, he was not an easy opponent.
However, I believed we had a chance due to a reliable backup plan.
I advanced through the dust curtain created by the self-destruct spell. The three instructors’ eyes gleamed. The middle-aged man with the scar on his lips licked his lips.
He was undoubtedly Berme.
“Hmm, all the targets have come out.”
“That’s not entirely true. There was also that guy with glasses.”
“He can be dealt with later. More importantly, a man we must eliminate has shown himself.”
“Judging by your blond hair, you must be the swordmaster?”
Unconsciously, I averted my gaze. The other two instructors chatted, unaware of my internal dilemma.
“So he’s the swordmaster Melin mentioned?”
“Ha, Berme seems quite interested.”
My head began to ache. My original plan was to let Riamon take the lead while I provided support. But now, due to the self-destruct spell, I couldn’t use magic for approximately 2 hours and 50 minutes.
Getting targeted by Berme wouldn’t be beneficial.
When we drew our weapons, the instructors did the same, readying for battle.
Just then, a breeze began to clear the dust. Berme looked toward the fortress and smirked.
“The self-destruct curse didn’t activate.”
Following his gaze, I saw the collapsing fortress. The explosion seemed to be starting now.
Through the gap, the children inside the barrier became faintly visible.
Berme spoke excitedly.
“The explosion smoke was your magic, huh?”
My heart skipped a beat. After my self-destruct, I had used minor explosion magic to stage the scene. Knowing that…
“The smoke in that barrier must be from burning holy herbs. Given how it’s thinning, you must have a limited supply.”
Too much information had been exposed.
“Then, the rest of the troops must be waiting nearby.”
The students hidden inside the fortress rushed out.
Berme sheathed his sword and stepped back.
“Retreat for now. It’s a trap.”
Berme turned, and the two instructors followed, looking alarmed.
As we chased them, their voices echoed in my ears.
“Something seemed off. Toland, don’t even think about fighting them.”
“Berme, what do you mean?”
“Heh, they plan to save the children by sacrificing themselves as bait.”
“Right, Toland. They set this trap to kill you and break the self-destruct curse. If we stay here, we’ll be up against their entire force.”
The two instructors laughed heartily.
“Ha ha ha! This is getting interesting!”
“Who would have thought these young ones could devise such a plan. We must kill them. Hurry up! If we’re too slow, the children will blow up.”
The Bloody Viper Berme.
I knew he had sharp instincts. Even with bad luck, who would’ve guessed he’d figure out our most hated move so quickly?
This is why I said there was no certainty in this plan. It could easily turn into a game of cat and mouse.
We chased at full speed. But they had already disappeared into the thicket.
I clicked my tongue involuntarily.
I halted abruptly and signaled the others to stop.
If we had launched a simultaneous ambush with 239 hidden students, we might have won. But as it stood, we failed.
“Ow. Why did you stop so suddenly? I bumped into you!”
“It’s dangerous ahead, Erucel.”
I told the group, except for the elite unit, to stay back.
“Don’t . This forest is dangerous. You’ll only get in the way, so wait here.”
Erucel asked in a bewildered voice.
“Their skills match those of our professors. We’re like chicks compared to them. Sending a large force into the thicket would only increase casualties.”
Everyone looked tense. Facing enemies on par with professors was daunting, especially for first-year students in their first semester.
As I said earlier, we had backup.
Our insurance was not the students preparing for the ambush, but the professors who would surely appear when the instructors showed up.
The roaming band episode was actually a tutorial designed to teach playable characters how Pathfinders fought.
“They should be here soon.”
Just as I finished speaking, the professors appeared.
Recently bested by Leana, but now reassuringly present, the hairy professor scanned the anxious students and grinned.
“The troop arrangement is good.”
The hairy professor was the one to face Berme. I felt relieved, standing behind him.
But then he did something outrageous.
“Hmm, but there are some wasted troops. You, move over there. You too.”
Following his orders, Riamon and Erucel were reassigned to another group.
I blinked in confusion at the odd situation.
“You must’ve seen him. The man with the vertical scar on his lips. His name is Berme, the Bloody Viper. He’s a formidable opponent, even among Pathfinders. The other two instructors aren’t as strong, but they’re still skilled.”
This didn’t feel right.
“So, Berme will be handled by one person, and the rest will split into two groups for the hunt. Of course, the one facing Berme will be…”
Sensing imminent danger, I tried to sneak behind Erucel.
“Hersel Ben Tenest, you’ll handle Berme alone, right?”
Are you out of your mind, Professor?