*Hum—!*
The emerald-green card in Elena’s hand transformed into a streak of light, sinking into the earth beneath her feet.
In the next moment, the ground across the entire basin seemed to come alive.
Countless emerald vines, like living venomous snakes, erupted from the soil. They did not attack indiscriminately. Instead, under Elena’s will, they wove through the forest at lightning speed, snapping out like whips!
*Thwack!*
An archer hiding behind a tree didn’t even have time to pull his bowstring taut before an emerald vine struck his chest with pinpoint accuracy. The defensive alchemy card on his person instantly activated. With a flash, he vanished from the spot.
Eliminated.
“It’s tracking life signatures!”
“I can’t dodge it!”
Panic spread through the besieging group. With every strike of those emerald vines, their speed and power seemed to increase!
In the blink of an eye, three or four students were cleared directly from the exam grounds.
“Good job,” Lomio’s voice rang in Elena’s ear. “Maintain it. Clear a path for Ibuki Rei.”
“I need your direction?” Elena’s brow furrowed, a vein throbbing at her temple.
“Don’t you?” Lomio countered. “That card has a massive mana drain. Do you want to exhaust yourself in a few seconds and become a sitting duck?”
Elena grit her teeth but didn’t argue further. She had to admit that he was right. The consumption of Wrath of Nature was difficult to endure, even in an area as lush as the Southern Valley. Because of that, the power of this activation was significantly diminished.
However, against these students who averaged Level 3 or even Level 2, it was still a devastating blow!
“Ibuki, move out. Strike.”
“Understood!”
The samurai girl’s figure cut through the chaos created by the vines like a ghost. Her blade flashed once. A mage attempting to cast a spell was struck across the waist and instantly teleported out of the match.
“Lilith!”
“I know!” Lilith let out a low growl, her flaming greatsword sweeping across the air to deflect a sneak-attack fireball aimed at the casting Elena.
She felt like a bodyguard. A… thug serving as a guard for her own arch-rival. The feeling was stifling.
However, seeing the besiegers who had been so aggressive just moments ago now being routed by their makeshift team, a strange sense of pleasure bubbled up in her heart.
This was satisfying!
It was as if, right before her pride shattered, she had been dipped into superglue! It felt like there was hope in life again!
“Lomio!” Elena tried to lean into the coordination. “Right side of the woods. Two full teams are regrouping.”
“It looks like they’ve conspired together?”
“If you cared even a little about your classmates’ backgrounds, it wouldn’t be hard to see that they are all noble heirs from the Duchy’s capital circle.” Lomio’s voice remained calm. “Look at others more often. Don’t always think elf magic is invincible.”
“You!” Elena was left speechless by his sharp tongue.
Before she could respond—*Whoosh!*
Lomio’s figure blurred past Elena, moving so fast he left an afterimage. He didn’t rush toward the two full teams. Instead, he charged straight for a lone hunter who was preparing to set a trap.
“!”
The hunter’s pupils shrank, and she instinctively tried to retreat. It was too late.
*Thud.*
The hilt of the Dragon Sword struck the back of her neck with precision.
*Crack!*
“Ouch…” Hearing the sound of bone snapping, Lomio realized his mistake. This thing in his hand weighed about 40 pounds.
‘Mercy of the Buddha…’
A white light flared. Even if it was just a hit from the hilt, who could withstand that? Another examinee was out.
“I didn’t even get to ask if she wanted a credit loan… Total loss.”
While weaving through the battlefield, Lomio began his great marketing campaign:
“Failing this exam means you’ll have to spend a large number of credits to make up for the gaps in your theoretical and practical courses! It might even affect your graduation assessment! Right now, I am launching the ‘Talent Cultivation’ plan! You only need to sign a tiny contract to advance next semester’s credits. Use them to buy re-examination opportunities and review materials! Moreover, the interest will absolutely not exceed 200%! Isn’t it a great deal?”
“….”
“….”
A bizarre second of silence fell over the entire battlefield. Even the vines Elena was controlling seemed to falter. Lilith’s hand trembled as she gripped her greatsword; she desperately wanted to smack the back of this bastard’s head with her blade.
‘Not exceeding 200%?! Is that something a human being would say?!’
“Are you insane?!” a student who had narrowly dodged a vine muttered to himself.
His answer was a clean, decisive strike from the back of Ibuki Rei’s blade.
One person, out!
“Ah, one less potential consumer.” Lomio shook his head.
‘Incredibly foolish! It’s clearly such a kind and considerate financial subsidy, so why do they always think there’s a catch? To suspect a classmate without any basis and even resort to insults! Students harboring such unhealthy trends should drop out as soon as possible.’
“Quick, Elena! You currently cost 100 credits per month. You need to show your value!”
“Shut up! I’m begging you!” Elena finally snapped.
The grace of an elf was nowhere to be found. She practically screamed it. But after screaming, she had to force herself to calm down and control her mana with even greater precision.
Because… he was right.
Under Lomio’s direction, the entire team functioned like a finely tuned war machine. Lilith handled the frontal defense and intimidation. Ibuki Rei’s counterattacks and entries were the optimal solutions. Elena provided large-scale control and suppression. Kexia’s team provided long-range harassment. Karenina’s ice magic was ready at any moment to freeze any fish that slipped through the net.
As for Lomio himself, he roamed the entire battlefield, specifically hunting for those with a “Target” mark over their heads. Then, using the back of the Dragon Sword, he gave them a slightly painful lesson.
As he ensured his opponents were eliminated, his smile grew increasingly radiant. This was no longer a battle. This was a one-sided slaughter.
“LIGHT! FLAME!”
As the last resisting team was scattered by a single strike of Lilith’s sword and teleported out, everything finally went quiet.
“That was so easy…”
Taking a long breath, Lilith felt her confidence—which had nearly been destroyed by several previous setbacks—restoring slightly. It wasn’t that she had become weaker. It was that the environment had changed!
“Hah… hah…”
Lilith leaned on her greatsword, panting heavily. Her mana consumption was massive, but her spirit was strangely exhilarated.
“Did we… win?” a member of Team White Queen asked blankly. She had never felt that a three-day exam could be so long!
“What else would it be?”
Lomio sheathed his sword, walked over to an alchemy card left behind by a recently eliminated student, and leaned down to pick it up.
“Hey, look at that. A wild alchemy card.” He didn’t even look at the card’s attributes before tossing it into his storage. Then, he turned around and looked at the panting Elena and Lilith. “How does it feel? My service was worth the price, wasn’t it?”
“…..Wipe that smile off your face, will you?” Elena adjusted her glasses, feeling truly uncomfortable under his gaze.
What kind of look was that? Was it how a farmer looked at his cattle?
But… was it worth it?
Judging by the results, it was more than worth it. Without him, the best outcome they could have hoped for was being ground down by that Level 5 magic beast and the dark mage.
But the moment she thought about how she would have to work for this man for 100 credits every month in the future, she felt a sense of suffocation.
“Hmph.” Lilith turned her head away, unwilling to admit it out loud.
“……”
Behind Lilith, a team member whose nerves were already frayed rolled her eyes and nearly fainted.
‘To be able to say such things… are you really still human?’