The Academy’s Guide to Useless Students – Chapter 44

“Alright! Attention, everyone!”

Instructor Oliver Enishi raised her hand with a confident flourish, a strong sense of foreboding lingering in the air. She was renowned as a genius in summoning magic, yet not many students admired her as an instructor. After all, she was a bizarre, eccentric character. Talented, but almost a defective product with absolutely no redeeming qualities.

There were countless incidents in the game that left a memorable impact on players, making her a serious concern for caution.

For instance, right now, I couldn’t help but suspect she was about to obliterate students without mercy under the pretense of a test.

“Surprise! I’m giving a pop quiz! And of course, it’s a practical exam!”

Look, here it goes again, she’s throwing a tantrum. What kind of absurd twist is about to unfold?

Anyway, as the explanation for the pop quiz began, I tuned in.

“The objective is simple! You just have to go back and forth in the Greenwood Forest entrance course!”

With just one sentence, the entire class fell silent.

The Greenwood Forest?

It’s understandable that everyone had that attitude. One student raised their hand with a worried expression.

“Yes! I have a question!”

“Instructor Oliver, wasn’t the ‘Greenwood Forest’ designated as a no-entry zone for the general public by the adventurers’ guild?”

“Students aren’t considered the general public!”

“But students are treated as beginners, which means we should be implicitly forbidden from entering…”

“I’m doing this under my authority, so there’s nothing to worry about!”

That’s not the issue, is it? The students’ incredulous gazes did not faze Instructor Oliver one bit. Without hesitation, she pulled out a map of the Greenwood Forest and displayed it like a poster, drawing lines with a stick for everyone to see.

“The entrance is safe, so there shouldn’t be any threats! It’s simply to let you experience the feel of real nature, undisturbed by too many footprints!”

Safe at the entrance?

She’s planting a flag for an incident to occur. Could it be that this woman is the puppet master?

Once she finished explaining the course, Oliver smirked with one corner of her mouth curling upwards.

“Oh, by the way, this exam will be graded! There’s a reward for the first place! But the last place? You’ll be demoted, so keep that in mind!”

She’s definitely the puppet master.

It might not affect me, but for the extras who haven’t even been heard of, it might as well be a death sentence. Someone will sacrifice themselves so a standout can rise.

All of a sudden, a keyword popped into my mind regarding that standout. As soon as I opened the notification window I had ignored this morning, there it was: Kiring’s report.

[ ‘Kiring’ has fulfilled the Stage 2 of Obsession conditions. ]

[ ‘Kiring’ is about to awaken with a ‘trigger’. ]

I honestly have no idea what this means.

I manipulated Kiring. It was necessary, and I used her without hesitation. While I was conflicted about how to respond if she pressed charges, I received an unexpected report that the condition for Stage 2 had been fulfilled.

‘No clue at all.’

It implies she’s gone through all five stages of emotional change due to grand delusions.

Denying, raging, compromising, feeling depressed, and accepting it all alone?

That’s downright terrifying.

I shivered at the thought of such madness.

“Yuto, you don’t look so good. Should I take you to the recovery room?”

“No, I’m just a bit sleep-deprived.”

“With the exam right around the corner, I’m worried.”

Even with an eye patch on, Ellie’s concern was glaringly obvious.

This woman also made my stomach uneasy. While it’s good to be calm, it seems unnervingly composed.

Though it did improve from the beginning.

“Ellie, please keep an eye on Cletta. She might still be suffering from aftereffects.”

“Is that a command?”

“…Yes. It’s a command.”

“Understood. I’ll do my best.”

Ellie let out a sigh as if she was reluctant, but she agreed. It’s the same as before and now; her true intentions are shrouded in mystery.

Still, it was somewhat reassuring that she had become easier to deal with than before. My relationship with Umberto was also not bad. If I could bring ‘Claribel Krauser,’ the noble of the spear clan, onto my side, then my mid-game networking could be considered settled.

“Yuto, how about we have a set before the quiz?”

It seemed the lecture had concluded, and surrounding students were busy preparing themselves.

I accepted Joseph’s invitation and left the classroom. Joseph was also included in my networking. By the conclusion that his approach towards me was actually surveillance disguised as ‘familiarity,’ I decided to play along willingly.

“Joseph, while weight training is good, are you alright regarding the exam prep?”

“Yes. I’ve logged everything for Instructor Oliver’s course.”

Joseph tapped his finger on his head.

It was clear that Joseph’s superior was the main mastermind behind this pop quiz.

It was an unexpected class that derailed my plans. Arthur Floyd had surely used Instructor Oliver for his own ends.

Now I was curious about what kind of scheme he would pull off.

‘Let’s just let it happen as he wishes.’

I was intrigued to see what meticulous scheme he would devise. If it’s beneficial, I might use it to turn the tables.

“Now that I think about it… did I encourage you too hastily? You might need personal prep time as well…”

“It’s fine.”

Joseph’s consideration felt genuine.

Even if I ran into someone I shouldn’t come across in the Greenwood Forest, I wouldn’t be worried.

Because I’m tough as nails.

“Thank you for your hard work, Instructor Oliver.”

“Oh! Floyd-sensei! No need to say that! The idea for the round trip course in the Greenwood Forest was from the assistant instructor, right? You may seem rough around the edges, but you have a special heart for the students! Much respect!”

“Ah, yes.”

Arthur Floyd responded to Oliver’s antics succinctly and firmly. He had no time to waste on a dimwitted individual who didn’t even know he was played.

“Instructor Oliver, I’m sorry, but it seems I won’t be able to attend the pop quiz due to prior commitments.”

“Oh no! Are you very busy?”

“It’s quite critical. I would appreciate it if you could supervise in my absence.”

“No worries! I’ve got this!”

How simple-minded she is.

Arthur Floyd left the academy to check the sniper point he had preselected. The planned operation was quite simple.

To test the true nature of Yuto while simultaneously verifying whether Joseph executed his mission well.

“Looks like there shouldn’t be any issues with sniping.”

The distance from the sniper point to the Greenwood Forest was 3 kilometers. No matter how skilled Instructor Oliver might be, she wouldn’t be able to detect him from that distance. Moreover, since powerful spells and mana weren’t necessary, even if she did sense it, identifying him would be nearly impossible.

Arthur Floyd intended to temporarily incapacitate the target.

The target was Joseph—

The content delivered to Joseph was different from the instructions, so it was highly likely he would panic.

What judgment would Yuto make seeing Joseph incapacitated?

“Here they come.”

Through the telescope, he could see the A-Class gathering at the entrance of the Greenwood Forest. Arthur Floyd licked his lips, aimed his large-caliber artifact, locked onto the target, and lit a cigar taken from his pocket.

“I’ll be heading in first.”

Yuto said that, then stepped into the entrance of the Greenwood Forest. As other students began to enter the woods one by one, only a few were left behind. Joseph completed his final gear check and pushed through the thick underbrush.

“What’s with him? Why is he taking that tough path?”

“Seriously… he’s making things hard for himself.”

“He’s definitely a show-off. Let’s leave him be.”

Joseph fully understood their reactions.

Choosing a path that’s clearly not the entrance must have looked ridiculous. Yet the path he chose was actually a shortcut. It was a course he’d been informed of by the Third Class earlier, and as instructed, Instructor ‘Oliver’ was indeed not suspicious of his autonomy.

“Joseph. This operation aims to gauge Yuto’s competitive spirit. Think of it as observing how he responds when achieving outstanding results.”

Following that insight, all he had to do was achieve high scores.

“I suppose it’s time to take a break.”

If the gap were too wide, it would raise suspicion. Just as Joseph was looking for a spot to rest…

A bullet pierced through his calf.

Bang!

“Ugh!…”

The searing pain reverberated from his chest, radiating throughout his body. Goosebumps coursed down his spine as the sensation broke over him like waves.

This strange, painful discomfort…

It felt like a type of paralysis.

“What… what’s happening?”

In this forest, surrounded by greenery, it made no sense for him to be affected by a paralysis toxin.

Well, what difference would it make if he identified the cause right now? Joseph could barely turn his body around, feeling as heavy as soaked cotton.

Crack!

With his right arm, Joseph struggled to push himself up off the ground. However, before long, even that effort yielded no power.

His lips felt numb, clearly indicating his senses were dulled.

‘What am I going to do?’

The blood flow to his heart wasn’t affected.

That means it’s not a deadly poison, so the paralysis must last less than three minutes at most, he concluded.

If this continued, he’d certainly land at the bottom of the rankings.

‘It won’t just be a mission failure…’

He would most certainly be abandoned.

If he failed to protect the A-Class, the Third Class would mercilessly discard him. He had to avoid being last at all costs.

“Ugh!…”

Still, both his arms and legs wouldn’t budge. He couldn’t even feel the coldness of the dirt beneath him. Is he truly going to lose everything so pitifully?

As despair wrapped around him, someone pushed through the bushes and stepped into view.

A young man with jet-black hair, akin to ebony.

Yuto was approaching him.