Then, Group 7's turn began.
At first, they carried out their roles properly.
But in the end—
"Exhaust!"
"Exhaust!"
Rick shouted, and Camibarez raised both arms high.
Two magic circles flared into existence and activated simultaneously.
The curse landed perfectly.
The Cyclops's movements slowed.
"We got him!"
Rick and Camibarez's faces lit up in relief.
Simon, however, did not relax.
Still fast.
The reduction wasn't as significant as they had expected.
The Cyclops continued charging forward.
Meilyn completed the black flame forming in her right hand.
The distance between her and the monster was three meters.
She let out a spirited cry and swung her arm.
FWOOOOOOSH!
The black flame erupted and engulfed the Cyclops in thick smoke and searing darkness.
For a split second—
Everyone cheered.
BOOOOOM!
Then, suddenly.....a massive club tore through the black flames.....
and smashed directly into Meilyn's head.
Beep.
[Simulation Failed]
Time Elapsed: 2 minutes 11 seconds
Damage Inflicted: 26%
Barrier Gauge: 0%
Overall Rating: F
The thick forest dissolved like a page turning in a book.
The training room reappeared.
Meilyn, who had been launched several meters by the impact, lay sprawled on the floor.
"Meilyn!"
"A-Are you okay?!"
Everyone rushed toward her.
Thankfully, she appeared physically unharmed.
She grimaced slightly and pushed herself upright.
"Meilyn! Meilyn! Are you really okay?"
Camibarez's eyes brimmed with tears as she grabbed her hand.
"I'm fine… it didn't hurt," Meilyn forced a smile.
—Well done, Team 7.
Jane's voice echoed from the ceiling.
Rick flinched at the sudden announcement. Simon and Kamibarez helped Meilyn stand properly.
—Team 7, you largely executed your initial plan. In particular, the summoner's performance in distracting the Cyclops with skeletons was commendable.
"Thank you."
Simon bowed.
—However, the rest of the team lacked overall proficiency. The idea of slowing it with Exhaust and finishing it with Dark Flare is sound in theory. But reality differs from expectation.
Everyone nodded stiffly.
—The biggest issue was insufficient casting precision. Reduce the margin of error when using Dark Flare or Exhaust. That is all.
"Thank you!"
Team 7 left the training room under the assistant's guidance.
But the moment they stepped into the waiting room—
"Wooooaaahhhh!"
A loud cheer erupted.
"…W-What the?"
The cheer wasn't for Team 7.
It came from the training room next door.
Team 3.
On the projection screen, a Cyclops lay collapsed, bleeding heavily.
Standing atop it was Hector Moore, breathing steadily.
Black smoke rose continuously from the scorched ground around him.
[Simulation Success]
Time Elapsed: 4 minutes 02 seconds
Damage Inflicted: 100%
Barrier Gauge: 98%
Overall Rating: A
"…D-Did he actually take it down?"
"The barrier gauge is 98%. That means he barely got hit, right?"
Team 3 was in full celebration mode.
Their teammates surrounded Hector, giving him high fives.
—Well done, Team 3.
A rare verbal praise from Vice-Chancellor Jane.
The students gasped in envy.
Even the usually stoic Hector allowed himself a faint smile.
After Jane finished her commentary, Team 3 exited the training room.
"Wooooaaahhh!"
"Nice, Hector!"
His faction chanted his name.
Other students clapped and congratulated him.
Then—
Simon and Hector's eyes met.
Hector glanced briefly at Team 7's result displayed on the screen.
A small snicker escaped him.
As if to say, See what I told you.
Then his gaze shifted.
To Group 8.
While most teams looked nervous or shaken, Group 8 stood out.
They were calm.
Calm, excited, confident—an unusual mixture.
Hector locked eyes with Knox.
He expected tension.
Or competitiveness.
Or irritation.
Instead—
Knox simply smiled at him. Friendly. Casual.
As if this entire situation didn't matter.
Hector felt as though he had thrown a punch—
And hit cotton.
The impact vanished.
His expression tightened slightly. He clicked his tongue. And looked away.
Team 7 began their second attempt.
This time, they moved more carefully.
But the result… was not much different.
BOOOOOOOM!
The Cyclops' club slammed into the ground, shattering soil and sending debris flying.
Meilyn executed the technique perfectly this time, twisting her body at the last second and rolling roughly across the field to evade the blow.
"The next strike is coming! Move!"
Simon shouted sharply.
Meilyn scrambled to her feet just as the burning, rampaging monster swung its club again.
She threw herself sideways with everything she had.
Crack!
The edge of the club grazed her leg.
A cold message flashed across the mana projector:
Fractured right leg.
"Ah!"
"Meilyn!"
She tried to run again—
But her leg gave out.
The training suit faithfully replicated the symptoms of a fracture. Pain signals shot through her nerves, and her balance collapsed.
"Exhaust!"
"Exhaust!"
Rick and Camibarez cast again.
This time, the slowing effect was visibly stronger.
But Meilyn, with a crippled leg, could not retreat.
"Ah… Ahhhh…!"
She crawled desperately across the ground.
The Cyclops, relentless and merciless, raised its club.
And brought it down.
[Simulation Failed]
Time Elapsed: 3 minutes 45 seconds
Damage Inflicted: 42%
Barrier Gauge: 0%
Overall Rating: E
"So close!"
As the forest dissolved back into the training room, Rick exhaled in frustration.
Simon bit his lip.
If not for the fracture…
With that level of slowing, they could have handled it.
After Jane's comments, they exited the training room.
And once again—
Team 3 had smoothly defeated the Cyclops.
This time, they had even shaved nearly twenty seconds off their previous time.
"…Next is the last one," Camibarez muttered.
Morale had clearly dipped.
Rick and Meilyn nodded bitterly.
"Gather up for a second."
Simon's voice cut through the tension.
They all turned toward him.
"We're clearing it next time. No matter what."
Fire burned in his eyes.
He had already moved on from the previous defeats.
No—
"I've got a surefire strategy."
He looked almost exhilarated.
Thrilled by the challenge.
After another round rotation, it was finally Team 7's final attempt.
If they failed again, their chances in next week's real Cyclops hunt would shrink drastically.
Everyone's determination sharpened.
Especially Meilyn.
She stood seriously warming up, focus etched into every movement.
"It's coming!"
With Rick's warning, the Cyclops burst through the thick trees once more and roared.
As always, Simon's skeleton charged first.
Just hold on. No matter what.
The skeletons caught the Cyclops' attention.
Meilyn began preparing Dark Flare.
Rick and Kamibarez readied Exhaust.
Up to this point—
Everything was the same as before.
Crack!
One skeleton was crushed under a barrage of blows.
Immediately, Simon connected to the lingering will of the skeleton behind it and issued a new command.
Slash!
A clean strike across the Cyclops' back.
The monster roared in fury and turned its attention toward the skeleton.
"Dark Flare is 80% complete!"
Meilyn shouted.
"First Exhaust completed!"
"Me too! Starting the second!"
Rick and Camibarez formed Exhaust in their right hands—
And immediately began constructing another with their left.
This was the core of the new strategy.
Simon's skeletons could only hold the Cyclops' focus during the earliest phase—before it recognized other threats.
They intended to extend that window as long as possible.
Even though Meilyn had completed Dark Flare—
She did not release it. She waited.
Rick and Kamibarez struggled through dual casting, making several small errors.
But Simon—
Simon held the line.
Seventh unit deployed. Go.
His undead control was flawless.
If his focus slipped for even a second, the Cyclops would charge Meilyn instantly.
"Simon! Now!"
At last—
Four Exhausts completed.
At their signal, Simon dismantled the active skeleton.
It collapsed with a clatter.
The Cyclops, suddenly without a target, looked around—
And locked onto Meilyn.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
It stormed forward.
At that exact moment—
It entered the curse radius.
"Exhaust!"
"Exhaust!"
The magic circles flared.
The curses latched onto the monster's body.
Its movements slowed dramatically.
Meilyn hurled her Dark Flare.
Black flames exploded across its torso, filling the air with the stench of burning flesh.
—Kyaaaaaaaaargh!
The Cyclops raised its club.
Simon's voice cut through the chaos.
"Frontal strike! Coming down!"
Meilyn stepped on Darkness and leapt.
The club smashed into the earth.
"Fall back! Sweeping uppercut!"
Whoosh!
The Cyclops twisted and swung upward.
She dodged again.
"Frontal dash!"
Simon predicted.
Meilyn moved accordingly.
Thanks to the quadruple-stacked Exhaust—
Even Meilyn, who lacked natural athletic ability, could evade.
"Another one coming!"
Rick and Kamibarez added two more Exhausts. Six total.
The once-rampaging Cyclops began to show visible fatigue.
"I'll use Haematology!"
Kamibarez drew blood from her fingertips.
A red magic circle formed.
Blood Silk.
A carpet of blood shot forward at terrifying speed, passing right in front of the Cyclops' face.
The thick scent made it hesitate.
"Now! Simon!"
Two skeletons were already on its back.
Chains—borrowed from Rick's Subspace—hooked around its neck.
The ends were anchored to nearby trees.
The Cyclops roared and tried to charge—
But the chains snapped tight.
—Kyaaaaaaaaargh!
Still burning, still enraged—
It thrashed.
Meilyn began preparing her second Dark Flare.
Did he really pull this off?
Using terrain formed by illusion.
When Simon first explained it, it had sounded reckless.
Now—
It was working.
Fwoooosh!
The second Dark Flare ignited. The flames intensified.
Blood vessels burst inside the Cyclops' eye as it shrieked like a sinner burning in hell.
"Seventh Exhaust coming!"
Rick kept stacking. Simon even joined in casting Exhaust alongside Camibarez.
Crack! Craaaack!
The Cyclops thrashed so violently that the two trees anchoring the chains were uprooted.
Dragging trees and chains behind it—
It continued forward.
"Leave it to me!"
Rick infused the chains with Darkness. His specialty. The Darkness converted into weight.
The Cyclops now dragged what felt like an enormous siege weapon.
And then—
"Just go down alreadyyyyy!"
With a rare battle cry—
Meilyn unleashed her final Dark Flare.
Boom!
The Cyclops dropped to its knees. Flames consumed its body.
Soon—
Only ashes remained.
[Simulation Successful]
Elapsed Time: 6 minutes 48 seconds
Damage Dealt: 100%
Barrier Gauge: 97%
Overall Evaluation: B
"We did it!"
Meilyn clenched her fists and shouted.
"W-Wow! We really beat it! Hahahaha!"
"You were all amazing!"
The four of them rushed together.
Everything had gone exactly according to plan.
Each role executed perfectly.
Team 7 jumped, hugged, and celebrated in pure joy.
—Congratulations on the clear, Team 7.
Jane's voice followed.
She pointed out their heavy reliance on Simon's summoning control and the lengthy hunting time.
But overall—
It was a positive evaluation.
They were instructed to refine Dark Flare and Exhaust mastery over the weekend.
"Thank you, Professor!"
When they stepped out—
Several students began clapping.
Many eyes carried envy.