Chapter 30: A Thug is a Thug I woke up, and my dick—the one Chika kicked—was... well, it's still a bit sore.
Still, I could manage my daily routine, so I got up and ate breakfast.
Chika was sitting far away, looking like she'd already showered and eaten while we were asleep.
"Did you get into another fight?"
Rio, who had been eating while cautiously watching her, nudged my side with his elbow and whispered.
"What do you take me for? I'm a pacifist."
"Then why is she so mad?"
"Is it always my fault whenever she's angry?"
"Well, not always, but it's your fault about 90% of the time…"
…Okay, he's got a point.
Every time that bitch Chika has been pissed off so far, I've been involved somehow.
Since when did this guy get so logical?
"Do you have any idea how worried we were yesterday? You two left and didn't come back for ages. We were about to go looking for you when she suddenly burst in, her face so red with rage it looked like she was about to explode."
"Now that's something I would've liked to see."
"Don't even joke about it. It was terrifying. She had this look in her eyes like she'd kill anyone who even spoke to her, so we just sat there, paralyzed. And then, a long while later, you came crawling in like a corpse."
The pain in my dick from Chika's kick had only gotten worse as time passed, so by the time I reached the base, I really was practically crawling.
Masayoshi had been startled and helped me onto a cot, asking where I was hurt, but how was I supposed to tell him my dick was throbbing?
"What exactly happened? Was it Takeo?"
"Nothing happened. And besides, this body of mine doesn't lose easily."
"…Right. Well, seeing as you haven't lost your confidence, I guess you're fine."
Rio lost interest and went back to his meal.
Securing more food by hunting again was definitely the right move. Everyone, including Chika, was eating quite a lot.
Meanwhile, Masayoshi, who had already finished eating, was busy managing the base, checking the smoker and various tools.
Seriously, what would I have done without God Sayoshi?
"Ah, red smoke."
Yesterday and today were just orientations, so it only happened once, but the real exam starts now.
Red smoke, which only requires one person to participate, began rising from various spots across the island. Chika and the Comedy Duo all turned to look at me.
Mmm~ Look at this. Everyone thinks of me as the leader, don't they?
Well, I have been carrying the team, after all.
Satisfied, I stood up.
"I'll stay and guard the base this time. You three head out and handle the smoke signals separately."
"Wouldn't it be better if you went instead of me?"
"No, this is part of the exam. If you don't participate in anything, your grades will obviously suffer. Chika will stay behind next time, and we'll rotate. Let's keep it fair."
Kuu— What a magnificent leader, being fair and even worrying about their grades.
And honestly, since I don't have a Mana Barrier, it's probably more advantageous for you guys to go anyway.
My dick is still stinging, making it hard to even walk…
Besides, even if I wanted to follow Akito and use my game knowledge, there's so much smoke rising that I can't tell which direction he went.
We've built up the base to a decent level and have plenty of food, so now we just need to work hard to rack up points.
After sending my teammates off, I handled the tasks Masayoshi had asked of me.
Maybe I really do have a talent for leadership?
The Mad Dog is slowly becoming human, and even the Comedy Duo are pulling their weight.
This is all thanks to the power of a good leader.
Without me, you guys would be wandering around other teams right now, begging for scraps.
I waited, feeling satisfied with my performance so far, until the others started trickling back.
"…So, what did you bring back?"
"A chocolate bar…"
"A participation prize?"
"Well, I did come in last…"
"…Masayoshi?"
"Soap…"
Masayoshi avoided my gaze as he showed me a participation prize about the size of two finger joints.
Next, I looked at Chika.
The heroine, who had reverted from a Mad Dog back to Chika, opened her palm to show me the contents.
"What the hell is this? A red string?"
"…A cherry stem…"
"… …"
Those Yggdrasil bastards are surprisingly good at mocking people.
Not even a whole cherry, but a cherry stem? What am I supposed to do with that?
These non-human teammates of mine had all come in dead last in their respective exams and brought back what could only be described as trash.
All three of them looked away, speechless, as I tried to calm my heart.
It's okay, it's okay. Mini-games can be difficult.
"What was the mini-ga… I mean, the exam content?"
"I mean, stuff we learned in class suddenly started showing up."
Well… it is an exam. Rio, do you not know the dictionary definition of an exam? Did you not go to school? Did you come straight to Yggdrasil from kindergarten?
"Mine was about class content too… They suddenly started giving me a quiz…"
Fine, people can be bad at studying. God Sayoshi, you've done enough for us so far, so I'll let it slide.
"…I don't know much about Summoning."
Then study! You're great at summoning your inner Mad Dog. If you had just barked there, you probably would've taken first place.
I swallowed the words I wanted to scream at my teammates and forced a smile.
"It can't be helped. It looks like all of today's exams will be related to our classes. Is there any way to find out the exam content before participating?"
Getting angry won't change anything.
Yes, because I am a magnificent leader.
I have to encourage these sub-human idiots if we're going to be prepared for the upcoming exams.
And honestly, seeing them all get wrecked makes me a bit nervous that I'll get wrecked next time too.
"Ah, it might just be me, but the teacher at my location was Professor Kelvin."
"Mana Structural Theory?"
"Yeah, my exam was on Mana Structural Theory."
"Huh? Mine was the same as my subject teacher too."
Good, obtaining clues like this makes things easier.
Now our goal is to run like mad to find the teachers who teach the subjects we're confident in.
"Everyone has a subject they're good at, right?"
"Y-Yeah…"
Don't look away, you bastards.
"We don't need to aim for first place anyway. We have enough food, and Masayoshi has already laid down the foundation for our living situation. Don't feel pressured. This will involve some luck, but I think it's mostly a battle of stamina and speed. That said, don't spend so much time searching that you miss the exams entirely."
It stings a bit, but I really am a generous and magnificent leader.
Receiving looks of admiration from the Comedy Duo, we started running as soon as the next red smoke appeared, leaving Chika at the base.
"So Yeon-woo came this way, eh?"
"Ah, sorry. I'm going somewhere else."
The teacher seemed to be expecting something, but I apologized and ran toward a different plume of smoke.
Since coming to Yggdrasil, I've studied really hard.
I might not know other magic, but I'm confident I've mastered the spells we learned in class, and as long as the theory is within the textbook, I'm fine.
I didn't care what the exam was, but right now, tools were a higher priority than food.
To begin with, each team only received one tool on the first day, so we couldn't really do anything through bartering.
We're still using stone knives like primitive cavemen from the Stone Age.
After pushing through the forest and passing several smoke signals, I finally found a teacher who had laid out various survival tools.
"Huff, huff… I'm not late, am I?"
"Hmm… No, you're not. Is your camp far from here?"
"Yes, that's why it was so hard running here. If… if you don't mind, could I have a sip of water?"
"Hahaha! You're asking me for water? How bold. I'll give you a sip."
The teacher laughed heartily as if he liked my attitude and created a small cup filled with water in front of me.
I'm grateful, but seriously, just one sip? Still, the moisture entering my parched mouth made me feel like I could live again.
The exam content really was stuff we learned in class.
But it was a bit malicious.
Hundreds of alchemical ingredients, mostly herbs, were laid out, and the task was to create as many different specified alchemical potions as possible within the time limit.
And to check if they were made correctly, you had to down them in one go.
If an alchemical potion is made incorrectly, it's basically poison, so even a small mistake would result in diarrhea or vomiting at the very least.
"Good. You're using your head quite a bit."
"Ah, I'm getting confused. Please don't distract me."
"Heh—understood. Work hard."
Even if I haven't been learning magic for long, I'm not that far behind the others when it comes to memorization subjects.
I looked at the types of potions I needed to make and chose ones with the most overlapping ingredients. The teacher praised me as he walked by.
As a result, I got second place. Not bad.
I figured it was better to lose some points than to make a mistake and get sick, so I focused on safety. Consequently, I had to give up first place to a talented student from another class.
"It's a shame. If you had made just one more, it would have been a tie for first."
"As long as I finished in good health, that's enough."
At my words, the teacher gave a meaningful smile.
The kid who took first place earned the points, but he looked like he was in bad shape from overexerting himself.
He said he failed twice, right? From the look of it, he won't be recovering by tomorrow.
"I'll give you the supplies… and these things in my pocket as a gift. You're quite an interesting person, Yeon-woo."
"Ah… thank you?"
The teacher chuckled, having noticed that I'd swiped a few of the hundreds of herbs.
I didn't expect much since I thought they'd just disappear, but I got lucky.
I headed back to the base with a small knife and a pickaxe—though I wasn't sure what I'd use the latter for.
The others had returned as well, looking triumphant, as if they'd earned decent scores too.
Good, good. Let's keep this up.
With our morale boosted once more, we scattered as soon as the next smoke rose, leaving Masayoshi behind this time.
This is nothing. I was worried for no reason about "hellscapes" and whatnot.
I was smoothly achieving Derek's special objective, we had plenty of food, and everyone was full of motivation.
I should start slowly preparing for the exam on the 5th day.
Having secured a fair amount of supplies this time as well, I hummed a tune as I returned to the base.
"… …"
I guess my luck for the day had run out.
Chika and Rio, who had arrived first, were standing there silently. I stared blankly at the base.
The hut Masayoshi had worked so hard to build was completely destroyed, and most of the supplies we had gathered were gone.
The smoked meat we were supposed to have for dinner was trampled into the dirt, covered in dust.
The base was a wreck, and Masayoshi was sitting in a corner, hugging his knees with his head down.
"Masayoshi, what happened?"
"…I'm sorry…"
"You don't need to apologize. Just tell me what happened."
Masayoshi, his eyes swollen as if he'd been crying, painfully lifted his head.
He said that while we were away taking our exams, Takeo had come to the base.
And attacked.
"He attacked?"
"…He didn't hit me… He attacked the camp…"
For a thug, he actually used his brain.
Takeo didn't touch Masayoshi; he only destroyed the base.
Since it was Magic Prohibition Time, he had apparently taken his time smashing everything one by one with a club he'd brought along.
Masayoshi hadn't just stood by, but because of the No-Attack Rule between students, there wasn't much he could do except try to hold the guy back by his waist.
But he was likely no match for someone whose nutrients all went to his muscles instead of his brain.
As if to show the traces of his resistance, Masayoshi's body was covered in dirt here and there.
"Wait."
I tried to stop Chika as she suddenly stood up, but she screamed at me.
"Try telling me to hold back one more time! I'll beat you to death before I go and take that bastard's head!"
"What about the exam?"
"Does that even matter right now? If points are so important to you, then just sit there like a loser. I'm going to go deal with that bastard myself."
Chika had completely snapped, not caring about the exam at all.
And honestly, I was pissed too.
I stared at Masayoshi, who was blaming himself for everything, and then I stood up as well.
"It would be a loss for us if we failed the exam because of that bastard."
"I told you, I don't care!"
"Well, I care. And I never said I wasn't going to get revenge."
"What are you going to do?"
"Let's go. Let's show that thug exactly who he messed with."
There was no point in guarding a ruined base anyway.
I helped the despondent Masayoshi up, and together we headed toward the team where Takeo was.
From a distance, I could see Takeo laughing loudly at his base.
He was bragging about the items he'd taken from our base and telling tall tales about how pathetic Masayoshi had been, but his teammates' faces were grim.
Right, so you guys weren't involved?
As we appeared, Takeo flinched for a moment, but then he stood up with a cocky smirk.
"Coming for a fight? Didn't you get enough yesterday, crawling around like a dog?"
"I'm a model student, so I don't break the rules."
"You pathetic loser. Are you scared? Come on, try me."
There was no need to fall for such low-level provocation.
Chika, you don't need to fall for it either.
Feeling Chika about to charge from behind me, I raised my hand to stop her.
"You…"
"It's okay, leave it to me."
"No, move…"
"I said it's okay."
"Get your hand off my chest."
At Chika's chilling voice, I removed my hand from her soft breast.
It just happened to land there; it wasn't intentional. Really.
Embarrassed, I cleared my throat and looked at Takeo's teammates.
"You guys weren't part of this, right?"
"Sorry. We'll return all the things Takeo took—"
"What?! I'm the one who brought them, who said you could give them back? Are they yours?!"
Sigh… You guys are having a hard time too.
As Takeo barked at them, Mio flinched and cowered, while sparks flew in the eyes of Rio, who liked her.
Meanwhile, I checked the time on my wristwatch.
The magic prohibition was about to be lifted.
Takeo, seeing me check the time, gave a greasy smile, pulled out his stick, and waited for the prohibition to end.
"Those of you who aren't involved, please step back for a moment. Yes, good. About three more steps."
After getting the rest of Team 6 to move away, I looked at Takeo.
"There's a No-Attack Rule between students. Do you know what happens if you break it?"
"Who gives a shit, you nerd?"
"If you don't know, that's fine. Why don't you find out?"
The exact moment the second hand passed the mark, Chika, Takeo, and the Comedy Duo all simultaneously transformed their sticks into weapons.
However, I kept mine as a stick and pointed it at Takeo, casting a spell.
Wuuuung—
A semi-transparent hemispherical barrier surrounded Takeo.
"…What are you doing?"
"Don't you know this? It's a basic protection spell. You shouldn't even call yourself a mage if you don't know this."
"I know it, you bastard! Why are you using it on me? Are you an idiot?"
"Now, here's a quiz for you. Would the act of destroying a spell I cast be considered an attack?"
"… …"
"If you're curious, go ahead and try."
The answer is that since he would be attacking a spell cast for the purpose of self-protection, it would naturally be considered a rule violation.
Takeo was trapped in the barrier, unable to do anything, and I leisurely walked past him.
"It's much better now that it's quiet."
"You son of a bitch! Drop the barrier, you bastard!"
However, even a thug who feared nothing seemed afraid of breaking the rules, as he didn't attack the barrier.
"You look just like a monkey in a zoo. I got some fruit from the exam earlier, want some? Ooh ooh ah ah?"
Our Mad Dog, who was good at both biting and mocking, immediately understood the situation and began taunting Takeo.
As expected of Chika. She's so reliable when she's an ally. Though she's a total bitch when she's a stranger or an enemy.
"You motherfuckers, just wait until the next magic prohibition. You're all dead."
"What was that? Attack now. You can do it. And what are you going to do when magic is prohibited? Oh~ are you going to come and demolish our place again? Manual labor really does suit you."
Leaving the task of infuriating Takeo to Chika, I told Luis that we were taking our things back.
Since he was the only bad one and the other teammates were decent, they helped Rio and Masayoshi gather our belongings.
"Are you crazy?! Do you want to die?!"
"Woof! Woof! Woof woof!"
I thought she'd finally turned into a real mad dog, but she was just mimicking Takeo's barking.
Chika's mockery had Takeo's face twisted in pure rage.
Chika, who had been mocking him with a full-faced grin, suddenly turned expressionless, radiating bloodlust.
"Hey, consider yourself lucky that barrier is there. You still have your head on your shoulders thanks to his mercy. Otherwise, you'd be dead by my hand."
"You crazy bitch. You're fucking dead once we get out of here."
"Bark some more. Are you really that scared of breaking the rules? I wonder who the real loser is. You should focus on keeping a better eye on your girlfriend. That's why in the middle of the night…"
Wait, is it okay to say that here…?
When I looked at her, Chika, who had been caught up in the mocking, realized her mistake and shut her mouth.
"Emma? Why are you bringing up Emma?"
"No—I'm just saying she looks like she's into guys, so you should keep a close eye on her."
"… …"
Why are you looking at me?
It wasn't me. It was Akito.
Takeo's eyes, which had gone beyond rage to a chilling coldness, glared at me terrifyingly.
If I had actually done it with Emma, I wouldn't feel so wronged. Why do I have to take the fall for what Akito did?
But Takeo, his eyes completely crazed, swung his greatsword and tore through the barrier.
"I am definitely going to kill you."
I said it wasn't me!!
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