The Academy’s Guide to Useless Students – Chapter 36

36.

The leafy, lush green forest.

A meadow filled with nameless weeds, a wondrous sight.

Cletta Barriet was busily looking around, swinging her arms.

“On a glance, it doesn’t seem distinguishable…?”

If what she heard from Yuto was true, everything happening here was nothing short of amazing.

Clang!

Soon after, a metallic clash echoed from the edge of the forest. Cletta moved her feet towards the source of the ruckus.

“Die!”

“No, you die!”

Two cadets were passionately clashing their weapons against each other. In an instant, the arm of the one who was pushed back fell limp. The defeated one howled, gushing hot blood.

“Well done… well done indeed…”

With a swift stroke, a cadet wielding a spear mercilessly cleaved the head of the swordsman attempting to fight back. There was no way he could still be alive. As if to confirm that, the spear-wielder finished the job with a satisfied “Huff…” and turned to find his next target.

Thud!

But an arrow, flying stealthily from the side, pierced the heart of the spearuser.

Losing balance, he collapsed, stepping on the body of his fallen comrade as another cadet appeared. The girl that emerged had a joyous smile on her face as she searched for another mark.

“…Mankey was really right.”

A fight for survival at the academy?

Yuto said it was nonsense.

When she first heard about the reality of it, she couldn’t believe it at all. Now, however, it was undeniable. Cadets who had never stepped onto a battlefield were now engaged in a bloody melee without hesitation. They even felt catharsis?

What a ridiculous situation.

Cletta shook off the dirt and stood up.

“Who’s there?”

An archer, realizing her presence, approached, but it didn’t matter.

She had long since caught onto the clues.

Judgment… Understanding… Action.

Everything was just as Yuto had said.

‘What the heck is Mankey really?’

The more she learned, the more it became a mystery.

But she would ask about the answer later.

“I’ll definitely ask after the exam.”

Thud!

Cletta slammed her shield down.

The aftershock caused the archer to fall.

It wasn’t that she had done something aggressive. She had struck the mechanism that was decorating the space.

Creak!━━

The “Illusion System” set up in the examination area was delightfully toying with the cadets.

The instructor created an atmosphere of fear by emphasizing the indiscriminateness of the mid-term test. And they were led astray at the early checkpoint of the mid-term test.

As proof of that, the goal revealed itself once more in front of Cletta, who had crossed the checkpoint.

[You have passed the first checkpoint.]

[500 points have been added.]

It was the moment when her mental barriers bore fruit. In short, the slaughter between cadets was a farce. The condition to enter the real game was to awaken from the false illusion. As expected, the cadets who succeeded had likely already participated in the exam.

“Let’s stay sharp!”

There was no time to relax, even though it wasn’t a slaughter. This was because Yuto had informed her of another critical point.

“This test is likely to have some malicious schemes involved. In principle, an instructor would intervene to mediate any critical hits between cadets, but it’s wise to keep in mind that this might not happen.”

The possibility of that not happening…

Yuto was certainly remembering his melee with Laura Freeze when he alerted her about this. So, it meant that she might have to stake her life on a confrontation with her. Above all, Cletta herself had no desire to harm Laura Freeze.

Suddenly, without even a moment to gather her thoughts, a presence approached.

No, she appeared in an instant.

“You’re looking rather relaxed.”

The girl, wearing a hood pulled low over her face, stood there with her arms dangling. Cletta was sure upon seeing the mace in the girl’s hand.

‘The Mad Woman…’

Her voice was unusually suppressed, but it was unmistakable. A cold, edged tone pierced her ears.

[You have passed the first checkpoint.]

[The survival rules for the next two days are still in effect.]

[However, if excessive conflict occurs between cadets, please be advised that intervention from instructors will occur.]

‘Is it because I just heard about Mankey…?’

The stability of the exam was hard to trust.

Especially due to the murderous aura emitted by the Mad Woman who suddenly appeared right in front of her.

“Hey there, Mad Woman. You know you’ll get disqualified if you break the rules, right?”

“Rules, you say?”

“You were boasting that you were aiming for Class A all confidently, were you not?”

“What use are rules that are useless when saving the world? Following them is a meaningless endeavor.”

She seemed more deranged than before.

Cletta raised [Svalinn] to chest height. A weapon enhancing the Ice Attribute to maximize the barrier’s strength. It was a famed piece more solid than a typical S-tier shield, providing her reliable protection. Yet, why did her spine shiver with discomfort?

“Could that possibly be [Svalinn]?”

“What? You recognize this?”

“Of course. It used to be my weapon because my main attribute is ice.”

“What are you saying? How can an ordinary cadet use Attribute Ether?”

And she claimed to have used [Svalinn] before?

Yuto had said he had gotten a new one, hadn’t he?

Things were puzzling before she could connect the dots when Laura Freeze sprang into action.

Swish!

She quickly turned her shield toward the approaching side. But instead of Laura, something entirely different targeted [Svalinn].

Splash!

Something emerging from Laura Freeze’s aura shot up and began wrapping around [Svalinn].

Black, wriggling tentacles pulled at Svalinn.

“You, Cletta, never were able to use the Ice Attribute, were you? So [Svalinn] is quite a luxury for you.”

“No way! Who the hell have you been talking to? What do you know about it?!”

Cletta struggled to keep her shield from being taken away, but the stickiness of the tentacles wouldn’t release its grip. Moreover, this was no mere Attribute. It was an entirely different kind of entity.

‘Damn, this feels like… when we sparred, she didn’t have such a technique, did she…?’

There was no need to panic.

‘But did you really think I’d let you have your way?’

Cletta concentrated her magic into [Svalinn]. Although her Attribute Ether was still at an early stage, she had potential methods explored with Yuto. It was about using tools to manifest the attribute.

“Damn it! Let go!”

She poured all her magic into [Svalinn].

After all, the Attribute Ether was just a medium based on magic. If she fed enough quantity, it could exert some effect.

Crack! Crack! Crack━━

Ice shards began to form around the barrier of Svalinn, starting to emanate a frigid chill.

Even the wavering tentacles began to freeze and crack.

“Did you see that, pathetic Mad Woman?!”

“You’re still using that foolish method? Have you forgotten, Cletta? You’ve never won against me even once.”

“What are you talking about? Why are you suddenly being so rude?”

“I’ll remind you of that difference once again.”

In Laura Freeze’s empty eyes, darkness began to sprout.

Swoosh!

The wicked energy rose, becoming a blazing inferno that surged forward. It spread smoke like hot vapor, blanketing the area.

“Wh-Why can’t I move?”

“I’ve learned to use some past techniques. This is a technique called ‘Freezing Binding.’ You should know since all humans are mostly made of water. I’ve bound a portion of yours.”

“…Th-That’s absolutely… unfair…”

Her voice barely escaped her lips.

Cletta felt the strength leaving her fingertips and toes.

The sensations in her whole body were gradually being shut down.

Is there really such a gap in levels?

Are we even from the same class?

“W-Wait a minute…”

Giving up was still too early.

She made a promise with Yuto.

She didn’t want to waste his efforts. She didn’t want to throw away her hard work.

[Frost Bracelet]

Yuto said it was an item paired with Svalinn. She had studied its abilities thoroughly.

━The higher the synchronization with the bracelet, the better the Ice Attribute operation rate.

Synchronization?

She didn’t care about that.

“Chomp! Chomp! Chomp!”

Cletta gently bit into the Frost Bracelet and swallowed it. That ridiculous decision was now leading to the complete freezing of her heart.

“What do we do now?”

The Class B vice-instructor asked, pale-faced, as he looked at the monitoring screen. Instructor Geoffrey brushed away his face, dismissing the question.

“I don’t know.”

“Pardon?”

“I said I don’t know.”

“…Should I prepare my resignation letter?”

The vice-instructor wasn’t joking.

The mid-term test was something akin to a ritual that the academy emphasized greatly.

Now that they had utterly messed it up…

It wouldn’t end with mere resignation.

The monitoring screen had become unresponsive since the mid-term.

The portal leading to the exam site was also unresponsive.

It had become a hopeless deadlock.

“Please…”

“What?“

“Prepare two resignation letters.”

“Understood…”

The eliminated cadets were watching their instructors’ plight with resigned expressions.