A few students quietly removed their accessory-type artifacts after the head instructor’s warning.
Did they seriously think they wouldn’t get caught?
Rich kids always pull this kind of stunt.
If they have access to such high-end artifacts, they must come from noble families back in their original worlds.
So why are they so desperate to cheat?
Not that it mattered to me—I was dirt poor and didn’t have a single artifact to begin with.
Since I was partnered with Iris, I was the first in line to stand before Instructor Albert.
Along with the backpack containing my food supply, I also received a special bracelet artifact.
*”This artifact continuously applies a set amount of shielding. If it gets destroyed or if you deplete all the mana stones inside, you’ll be considered eliminated.
That said, someone as physically weak as you should just forfeit when the mana stone starts fading. If you push yourself and get seriously injured, you’re the only one who’ll suffer.”*
“Yes, sir!”
*”Now, tell me what weapon you want. Just to be clear—exotic weapons like chain swords or chakrams are fine, but don’t ask for something ridiculous like an anti-materiel sniper rifle.
Technically, it wouldn’t be impossible with some time, but it wouldn’t be fair. Iris, you should also say your choice now—I’ll craft them together.”*
“Then I’d like a hammer and some nails, please.”
“I’ll take a saw.”
“A hammer and a saw? What, are you planning to build a wooden barricade or something? The battlefield keeps shifting, so that’d be pointless… but whatever. If that’s what you want, I’ll make it.”
Albert formed two transmutation circles in midair using dual casting.
Then, using pre-prepared wood and metal ingots, he quickly crafted a hammer, a saw, and even dozens of nails in an instant.
Even though they were just primitive tools and not artifacts, the way the instructor crafted them in an instant—like magic—was a reminder of just how skilled he was.
As soon as Iris and I finished our preparations, the bracelets we had received earlier began to glow, enveloping us in a water-drop-shaped barrier.
Then, without so much as a parachute, the head instructor opened the hatch and ruthlessly ejected us.
“I wish you luck. Survive until the end and prove yourselves.”
The wind howled past us at speeds of 20 meters per second as we plummeted toward the dense forest below.
Amazingly, even though we crashed directly into the treetops instead of landing in a lake, we touched down lightly on the ground with barely any impact.
*”Now is when it truly begins. That insect’s help will only get in the way, so take the saw and construct the vehicle according to the blueprint I described earlier.
Since you train regularly with 30-kilogram weights strapped to your limbs, carrying the weight of an adult male should be nothing to you.”*
“Understood, Star God! Kim Sunghoon, hand me the saw and step back for a moment.”
Iris snatched the saw from me and, with an absolutely flawless spinning kick, felled a nearby tree.
She then dismantled the log as easily as if she were slicing a radish, before using the saw and hammer to construct a peculiar structure—a hybrid between a palanquin and a rickshaw.
The terrifying thing about Iris wasn’t just her overwhelming talent in martial arts.
She was also exceptionally skilled with her hands.
I had designed the vehicle, but I never expected it to be built so precisely and in such a short amount of time.
“Kim Sunghoon, I’m sorry, but please stay inside this until the school trip is over.”
“H-here? Hmm… Alright. If I try to match your running pace, it’ll slow us down too much, so I guess there’s no other choice.”
It felt almost like some kind of Goryeojang ritual, but without hesitation, I climbed onto the jigae that Iris carried on her back.
Then, I immediately activated the consciousness of the Star God.
**”The starting location is quite good. There’s a 500-year-old evening primrose nearby. A precious spiritual herb, rich in highly concentrated yin energy.
Based on the direction Albatross passed through, it shouldn’t have been taken yet, but let’s hurry before someone else gets to it!”**
Thud!
The jigae itself, combined with the weight of an adult male, was by no means light.
But as Iris began her full-speed sprint, it was as if the weight meant nothing at all.
With overwhelming leg strength, she practically flew toward the cliffside where the 500-year-old evening primrose was located.
Then, she came to a stop and asked,
“Nameless King, where exactly is this evening primrose?”
**”It’s below the cliff. Right now, it’s hidden behind some branches, but if you descend about 10 meters, you’ll be able to see it.
It’s dangerous, so leave the jigae here and climb down carefully by embedding your feet into the rock.
And there’s something important when consuming the evening primrose—once it’s picked, its potency rapidly diminishes.
You must consume it whole, including the roots, in one go.
You’ll end up swallowing some dirt in the process, but don’t worry.
The soil around the primrose itself is another kind of medicine.”**
A sheer cliff, so deep that its bottom was obscured by darkness.
Yet Iris, trusting my words alone, immediately began climbing down.
She had no climbing bolts or specialized gear, but by reinforcing her hands and feet with aura, she dug into the rock as if it were tofu, creating footholds to support her weight.
Even from the Star God’s perspective, the scene was nerve-wracking, but I remained calm and trusted her.
**”Ah, I see it now, Nameless King. It’s a truly magnificent flower, cleverly hidden behind the leaves.
So I shouldn’t pick it—I need to swallow it whole, roots and all? Here goes—gulp!”**
Using her aura-coated hands like a trowel, Iris dug up the 500-year-old evening primrose and immediately stuffed it into her mouth.
Despite the dirt making it taste unpleasant, she forced herself to swallow the fibrous roots whole.
Then, with a surprised voice, she exclaimed,
“I just swallowed it, but I can already feel a massive surge of mana coursing through me!”
**”Is that really something to be so surprised about? There are at least ten more fortuitous encounters of this level waiting ahead.
But no matter how urgent things are, you’re not planning to meditate in such a dangerous place, are you?
Hurry up and climb back up.”**
“Understood!”
Lightly stepping onto the roots of an old pine tree growing from the cliff, Iris propelled herself upward, escaping the precipice even more effortlessly than she had descended.
Then, right beside the jigae, she sat in meditation and circulated her Moonlight Divine Art to absorb the energy of the evening primrose.
After verifying that the locations I provided actually contained fortuitous encounters, she seemed oddly excited, and her search process became remarkably swift.
From giant ginseng the size of a forearm to medicinal mushrooms that increased max HP in the game, and even wild honey that permanently boosted disease resistance—she consumed every beneficial herb herself.
Meanwhile, I only offered up spiritual medicines containing pure yang energy as burnt offerings to accumulate karma.
At first, I barely noticed any difference, but as my karma increased, I felt my field of vision expanding whenever I entered the Star God’s perspective.
I was able to sense the presence of other students before Iris did, so I immediately stopped her.
“Wait! Stop right there! There are other students nearby—a large group of them.”
“I just sensed them too. Judging by the fluctuations of mana, it seems like a fight has broken out. What should we do?”
“There’s no reason to intervene and waste our strength. Plus, the sun is starting to set, so finding a suitable hiding spot is more important. For now, retreat.”
“Understood.”
In the distance, the sound of weapons clashing and magic spells being chanted echoed through the forest.
Iris was about to leave as per my instructions, but then a piercing scream rang out—so agonizing that it was impossible to ignore.
Given the existence of the bracelet artifact, which periodically layered a shield over the skin, this situation seemed rather strange.
Iris must have felt the same unease, as she hesitated to move forward.
Letting out a sigh internally, I spoke.
**”If you’re curious, you can check the situation with your own eyes. With your skills, you can easily escape no matter how many opponents there are.
However, remember this—just because a stronger student is overpowering a weaker one in battle, it doesn’t mean that stepping in to help the weaker one is an act of justice.”**
“I’m sorry for letting this distract me, Nameless King. I’ll just take a quick look and leave immediately.”
With a single leap, Iris landed at the top of a nearby tree and bit her lip.
Curious, I shifted my focus and observed the scene in more detail.
A group of around a dozen male students was mercilessly tormenting two female students.
Since Iris, the strongest student in the Junior Division, was also a girl, it was pointless to question why a group of males would use their numbers to attack females.
Strength was the only thing that mattered here.
The real problem, however, was that they were deliberately avoiding destroying the bracelets’ shields and instead using curse-type dark magic to inflict pain on the female students.
Even if I generously conceded that forming an alliance among multiple male students was a strategic choice, resorting to such underhanded tactics was undeniably wrong.
And before I could say anything, Iris—whose sense of justice was so strong that her body moved before her mind could think—had already leaped down from the tree.