Chapter 36

On the second day of the midterm exams, after finishing our final written subject, we gathered at the vast training grounds spread out behind the school building.

A labyrinth almost as large as the venue used for the Explorer License Acquisition Exam survival test I had taken the other day had been prepared. However, for the midterm exam, the practical test would use only about seventy percent of the entire area, not the whole thing.

The rules were basically the same as the training we did during summer vacation: You will be given a fixed amount of time to look at and memorize a map, then you must clear the labyrinth relying only on that memory. Along the way, you must destroy the targets placed inside. For every target you miss, five minutes will be added to your clear time. There are twenty targets in total.

The number of targets had increased slightly, and the time allotted to view and memorize the map had been extended to fifteen minutes, but even so, it was still fair to say the difficulty was quite high.

Additionally, only the very first group to challenge the labyrinth would be allowed to view the map for five minutes inside the labyrinth itself.

This was because, even while the leading group was still inside, the following groups would be sent in one after another.

Those who followed had the advantage of being able to trace the footsteps of those ahead of them, hear the sounds of targets being destroyed, and follow other such traces. In exchange, the first challengers were given this special bonus time.

“Now then, the first twenty students, proceed to the gate and memorize the map displayed on the tablets you were given. All others are to remain in the waiting room and are not to leave under any circumstances.”

The total number of students, including two advanced classes, was 180. They would be starting in nine separate groups.

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Since each group had fifteen minutes to memorize the map, plus intervals between starts, even if everyone cleared the labyrinth in the shortest possible time, it would still take over two hours in total.

Well, someone who could clear it in fifteen minutes flat… probably didn’t exist. Even for me, this one would be a bit tough.

“Akira, how confident are you?”

“Hm? Plenty. I kind of want to see if I can break the fifteen-minute mark.”

“Hugh! If I’m with you, Akira, I’ll just stick close for a while and scout out the target locations.”

Kasumi, who was in the same group as me, spoke to me in the waiting room.

We were waiting in clusters of twenty, but in the final group—mine—everyone except Kasumi seemed to be from the advanced classes.

Their tracksuits had slightly different designs. Perhaps those subtle differences fostered pride, a sense of superiority, and the responsibility of “having to stand above others.”

Well… I couldn’t care less about that.

“Bold words, Akira-kun. Everyone here is glaring at the two of you mixed in with the advanced class, but you seem totally unfazed. Hey, Kasumi.”

“Ah, Yukie-chan. You know Akira?”

“We talked a bit yesterday. He’s amazing.”

This time, Nishizaki-san joined the conversation.

So Kasumi and I were being treated as eyesores, huh.

Well, for three years straight, the advanced class students had kept losing to students from the regular classes in written exams. On top of that, since summer vacation, I’d been dominating the practical exams. I’d even beaten Nanjo in the written tests and was currently in second place.

“Wow, even Yukie-chan rates him that highly. But Akira’s always been Akira, hasn’t he? He’s just gotten a bit more fired up lately.”

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“Kasumi, I’m not losing this time. I honestly don’t think I can beat Akira-kun, but you’re within my range.”

“Oh? Big talk. It’s true our practical scores were only a few seconds apart during summer break.”

“Winter works in my favor. This is outdoors, after all. At this temperature, magic is pretty flexible.”

I see. Since she could destroy targets with wide-area magic, once she had a general idea of their positions, she could even destroy them through walls.

While it was forbidden for us to climb over or destroy the labyrinth walls ourselves, we were still allowed to fire attacks into adjacent corridors.

What seemed like a close-combat-favored test might actually allow rear-line fighters to aim for the fastest record, depending on the person.

More than an hour passed, and the group just ahead of ours left the waiting room to memorize their map.

“The group before us is about to start. Next, it’s our turn to memorize the map.”

“You okay? Got enough glucose?”

“I sucked on a glucose tablet earlier. Whew… it’s a huge area, so I really need to memorize it properly.”

“Yeah. I’ll prioritize memorizing the target locations, at least.”

I planned to memorize everything and decide on my route within the time limit.

If I didn’t move efficiently, there was no way I’d break fifteen minutes.

Eventually, we heard the signal outside indicating that the previous group had started.

“Final group, proceed to the gate. Hold your tablets and stand by.”

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It was kind of confusing that the tablet PCs and the glucose tablets I always carried shared the same name.

“Looks like it’s time. Let’s go.”

“Yeah, let’s.”

We moved out carrying the weapons used for school training.

Basically, bladed weapons were dulled, arrows had special non-lethal field-coated tips, and if you fought using magic… that was left up to the user.

Well, since all of us were wearing protective gear anyway, there was hardly any danger.

“Kasumi, just be careful. With entrance exams coming up, everyone’s on edge. Even with surveillance cameras, someone might try to interfere.”

“Hmm, I think I’ll be fine. You should be careful too, Akira.”

“They won’t even touch my shadow. I’ve got this.”

“So cool.”

Still fooling around until the very end, I stared at the tablet.

After a short while, the screen switched from standby, and a map of a vast labyrinth appeared.

Twisting corridors, dead ends and crossroads, and targets placed deep within the tangled paths.

I hammered every bit of that information into my head.

Thanks to the effect of [Experience Gained ×10], it was etched deeply into my mind.

“…Here, then like this… I’ll loop around this side first…”

I constructed an optimized route, considering the order in which I could destroy the targets without killing my momentum, prioritizing speed.

The shortest distance doesn’t always mean the fastest route.

Everything had to be taken into account.

“…Alright.”

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I closed my eyes and repeatedly simulated the run in my head.

If someone else was ahead of me and destroyed a target first, it would take thirty seconds before it could be destroyed again—an unavoidable loss of time.

Even if it meant snatching them right out from under someone else, I needed to break the targets first whenever possible.

And then, at last, it was time for us to enter the labyrinth.

At that moment, more than sixty students were still inside.

Most likely, destroying the targets smoothly would be difficult. In the worst case, there might even be lines forming as people waited for targets to respawn.

Even then, it was strictly first come, first served.

In other words, everything would be decided by burst speed, reaction time, and attack speed.

This time, I had properly rented a training dagger.

I intended to fight with speed as my absolute priority.

Unlike using my fists, a dagger let me deal damage with minimal movement.

“Now then, the exam begins.”

The students poured through the gate all at once.

But two people remained at the entrance—me, and one other.

That other person was Kasumi.