Simon felt in his heart that the worst case scenario had arrived.
SA3.
A man who was only defeated by the likes of Lorain and Serene.
The man who is the closest competitor of the couple who has surpassed the student level.
In fact, rumors say that he is even on par with them in terms of fighting prowess.
The product of the best bloodline in Kizen at the moment, the half-giant Chatelle Maerre, has joined the fight.
'Will persuasion work? There's no harm in trying.'
Opening his mouth, Simon began,
"Sa—"
Chatelle appeared behind Simon's back before Simon could even finish a word.
As the half-giant threw the punch, Simon felt as if a meteor had fallen right in front of him.
Crrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Simon was brutally slammed into the ground before rising back up with enough force to be sent flying. Although he had enough time to defend with his hands, his defense was broken through in an instant, sending him flying dozens of meters.
His already reduced barrier gauge dropped even lower.
"you bastards!"
Chatelle looked to the side. Hector, having jumped into the air, had a sullen expression on his face.
"That bastard's opponent is me!"
Phat!
However, Chatelle easily blocked the powerful kick with one hand.
It felt like his attack was absorbed beneath the soft flesh or, worse, sucked in. Slightly dazed by the impact, it took Hector too long to notice Chatelle's other fist flying towards him.
Katoooosh!
Struck, Hector hit the ground, creating a large crater.
"Kuh!"
Blood spurted from Hector's mouth from the impact that even his protective suit couldn't prevent.
Meanwhile, Simon was panting as he got up.
'And you mean it's just teenagers like us?'
It seems that their starting points and initial talents are far apart.
Chatelle is like an adult racing against a group of three-year-olds.
'He's the same as Kajann. He's just made differently.'
Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!
Chatelle approaches Simon, aiming to steal his points and take first place for herself.
Despite everything, there is good news. This is a test, giving Simon some extra ways to come out on top in this fight.
Click! Clack!
Simon's fingers moved fluidly, commanding a hundred actions with even the slightest movement. Skulls shattered and flew into pieces from his subspace, floating in the air at his command.
{Bone Nail}
As the sharp bones shot out, white trails forming behind them due to their speed, Chatelle swung her arms as if she was swatting away a swarm of flies.
The wind alone was enough to send the bones flying.
'Chatelle also realized what my attack could do here.'
Even though the half-giant was the toughest of the first years, he wore a protective suit, so his life was based solely on the size of his barrier.
If the gauge reaches zero, he will be expelled, even as an SA3.
Kizen was not known for his forgiving attitude in matters like this.
'So, let's try to make him angry.'
Click. Tap.
The bones blown to the shore by the wind rose back into the air and continued to fly in Chatelle.
He swung his arms with destructive force to blow them away, but some of them pushed and hit the barrier.
Chatelle grimaced, then stomped down once more.
Thumping!
Simon felt a shiver run down his spine.
The ground around them turned pitch black. It was like entering a world of ink.
{Region Reversal}
"What kind of black magic is this?
As Simon nervously looked ahead, Chatelle grabbed the ground with both hands and pulled with all her might.
"!"
Suddenly, a dark shadow formed around Simon.
When Simon looked up, he saw a large rock falling towards him. Looking back, he saw a giant hole in the ground after Chatelle had pulled it out.
Smaaaaaassssshhhhh!!
He could barely escape into the past.
This time, Chatelle punched him in the air and a lump of thick earth was lifted up. With a powerful blow, the mass was thrown towards Simon instead of scattering into mist on impact.
Thud! Crash! Slam!
The rain of falling rocks continued, causing chaos all around. Simon frantically gathered his pitch-black legs and ran.
'Both his moves and his spells are as great as his!'
He could see Chatelle reaching for the ground once again. But this time, instead of grabbing as much as she could, Chatelle dug her hands in deep and started… lifting?
Realizing what was about to happen, Simon jumped onto the pitch black platform and flew as high as he could.
"Graaaaaaaaaaahhhh!"
With a bone-chilling war cry, Chatelle lifted the floor into a tidal wave that crashed onto where Simon stood. After the dust settled, a giant mound of earth formed beneath Simon.
'You're kidding… He basically just made a mountain!!'
Soaring through the air, Simon landed once again with a roll.
Chatelle slammed her fist into the side of the artificial mountain with a loud bang shattering the entire mountain into countless rocks that flew towards Simon.
Smash! Thud! Thud!
Gasping for breath, Simon desperately avoided the landslides in the air as much as he could. Just a few hits were enough to deplete his barrier gauge completely.
If he had more stamina or was pitch black, he might at least try something extra, but in his current state, he would never be able to defeat this monster.
'I have to go somewhere Chatelle's dark magic can't reach!'
Simon was running towards the sea, but…
Slam!
Chatelle had beaten him to the chase. A large boulder blocked her path, forcing her to stop. She threw her head back, her knees bent so she could leap away from whatever natural disaster was coming next.
'This b—!'
* * *
* * *
But there was no further attack. Without Simon realizing it, Hector had started throwing dragon scales like secret weapons.
"I told you, the opponent is me!"
Thrown into a defensive position, Chatelle raised another rock to block the attack. Simon wasn't sure what was happening, but this was his chance.
Simon entered the water and opened a subspace.
'Sorry, but I'll be counting on you once again, Deimos!'
The skeleton gods emerged from their subspace and carried Simon away on their backs.
After overcoming Hector's attack, Chatelle started running after him, but Simon had already fled into the sea.
Step on!
Chatelle stomped on the ground once more.
Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!
Then again, and again, and again.
The entire island was colored black. Not only the ground but the trees and grass looked like part of a painting drawn in ink.
Crack!
The ground split.
Not long after, every piece of land that made up this island was immediately lifted into the air.
Ouch!
Chatelle crushed and crushed the heavy mass into solid rock, then launched it into the air. The entire island was Chatelle's weapon.
But Simon didn't back down either.
'Deimos, tidal cannon!'
Squeezing out the last of its strength, the deimos' jaws opened, and pitch black and mana swirled around it.
'Shoot him first!'
Kaboooooooooom!
With a roar, a beam of water shot across the surging waves. At the same time, Hector, who was wearing the corpse dragon wings, let out his fiery breath.
Two natural enemies, fire and water, clash in a destructive duel, and Chatelle is caught in the middle.
Ouch!
They had truly squeezed out every last drop of strength left in them. Simon and Hector were panting, looking like they were about to pass out.
From the steam they could see Chatelle was sheltered behind a rock wall. And as she was about to continue her attack…
Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!
(The test is over! I repeat! The test is over! Students, please stop fighting immediately and prepare to teleport. Points will not increase or decrease from now on. Please stop all fighting and prepare in a safe area.)
The exam is over.
Knowing this, Chatelle stopped her attack. As she deactivated her dark magic, the chunks of rock she was holding in the air fell back down around her.
'Pheww.'
Simon breathed a sigh of relief.
He somehow survived.
On the other hand, Hector—who was flapping his wings in the air—pulled his hair in frustration.
'I thought this would be the deciding battle! I got bullied again!! Damn it!!!'
'…'
Chatelle silently turned and walked away.
* * *
After the exam, the students returned one by one from the teleportation magic circle inside the Kizen campus. Those who were injured and needed medical attention were rushed to the ward.
Having just taken an exam, the students were busy chatting.
Some were disappointed with their grades, but for now, the mood was cheerful as they realized that they had successfully passed the big exam without failing.
Simon took a breath after receiving a towel from a waiter.
"Simon~!"
Then he heard Camibarez's voice. When he turned around, he saw Cami running towards him with a look of excitement on her face.
"Cami! Are you okay!"
The two reunited with smiling faces. The cute little wings on their backs flapped in joy.
"What a relief! We both passed this test!"
"Yes, very good!"
He looked exhausted, but his face remained as cheerful as ever. Simon asked,
"Did you happen to meet Meilyn and Rick during the exam?"
"No, I didn't… They must have gone far away."
Both of them laughed and started telling about their experiences during the exam.
When they checked the rankings, Meilyn had risen back to the top, taking 10th place overall.
Meanwhile, Camibarez is ranked 205th. The marine environment may put him at a disadvantage, but he persists.
This time, Rick put in more size than usual, finishing in 400th place from the mid-to-high tier. With his inventions—an electric suit and a baton—he easily electrocuted and fried the monsters he hunted.
Just then, after everyone had returned, an assistant teacher rushed in.
"Attention! Attention everyone! Top ranked students, whom I will contact now, please head to the Kizen campus for an interview!"
Several students' names were called, and among them of course was Simon's.
"I'm leaving, Cami."
"Yes, take it! I'll watch your interview on screen!"
Simon followed the assistant teacher's guidance and stepped on the teleportation magic circle.
When he opened his eyes, he was standing on the stage in front of the Kizen campus entrance. Screens projecting the exam venue were spread out around him, and he could see a large audience below.
"Wow!"
A thunderous cheer erupted.
Simon looked around and saw that the crowd had jumped to their feet, giving him a standing ovation. He could hear the students' names being chanted all around him.
"Simon! Simon!"
Some of them even shouted his name.
Simon smiled and waved at them.
"…What are you actually doing?"
Then, he heard the voice of a little girl beside him.
It was Elissa, a girl with a navy uniform draped over her shoulders and wearing her diving suit. She was the captain of the Phantom Ship SA7 who had just won second place overall.
"How is 200,000 points possible?"
Elissa was confused, certain that she would be the first in the underwater battle.
Simon smiled.
"I got lucky and hunted a duke monster."
"…W-What? Monster duke? That giant beast?"
Suddenly, Simon felt a sting on the back of his head. He turned around to see the source of the deadly gaze he felt on him.
'Ugh.'
Hector is here too.
"Did you enjoy this test, everyone?"
Called the MC from where he was sitting while raising his hands in the air to celebrate.
Next to him is Jane, the day's guest commentator.
He nodded lightly as the students lowered their heads.
"Please, can we give a round of applause to the heroes of this exam, who will be responsible for the future of the Dark Lands!"
Applause rang out from all directions, accompanied by flashes of light from the cameras. The students quickly controlled their expressions and looked forward.
"Now, let's check the top 5 rankings!"
The screen displays the ranking.
5 – Hector: 9,500 Points
4th Place – Laheim : 11,200 Points
3 – July : 11,600 Points
Second – Elissa: 18,650 Points
1 – Simon: 223,500 Points
There is no doubt who is the best student in BDMAT. Of course, the gap between the first and second positions is huge.
"Now, let's meet the main character among the main characters today! The student who surpassed the limits of summoning and became the best underwater combat specialist in Kizen's first year!"
The MC extended his hand towards the man he praised so much.
"I present to you all… Simon Polentia!"
Taking a deep breath, Simon stepped to the front of the crowd.