Never Die Villain

Friday had its own separate schedule because it was reserved for practical exercises that couldn’t easily be squeezed between ordinary lectures.

Simply put, it was the day students put everything they had learned throughout the week into practice, although exactly what that meant depended entirely on whatever the professors had prepared for them.

Of course, not every week had Friday classes, but whenever one appeared on the schedule, everyone expected something far removed from their ordinary lessons.

Sometimes the professors arranged practical duels, sometimes they focused on a particular aspect of spellcasting, and other times they took advantage of the academy’s resources to prepare something considerably larger.

This Friday happened to be the latter.

By the time Ilya arrived, nearly every first-year student in the Magic Department had already gathered around one of the academy’s enormous practical grounds.

Several professors stood around the various magic formations while academy staff made the final preparations, checking one section after another.

At its center was an enormous stone archway easily several times Ilya’s height, its entire surface covered in densely packed runes that were already beginning to glow.

Once the remaining first-years arrived, one of the professors stepped forward and amplified his voice.

"Everyone, quiet down! I’ll explain this once, and anyone who decides not to listen can enjoy discovering the rules after they’ve already broken them!"

The conversations throughout the practical grounds quickly died down.

The professor gestured toward the enormous archway behind him.

"Beyond this gate is one of Holy Trinity Academy’s controlled hunting fields. The area has been inspected beforehand, and every magical beast currently inside has been selected according to what we consider appropriate for first-year students."

That immediately brought the murmuring back.

"A hunting field?"

"Already?"

"Are there actual magic beasts in there?"

The professor waited several seconds before raising his voice again.

"Yes, actual magic beasts. If that frightens you, good. At least some of you have functioning survival instincts."

A few nervous laughs followed.

"Your task is simple. You will have three hours inside the field, and during those three hours, your objective is to accumulate as many points as possible by hunting magical beasts."

That caught everyone’s attention.

The professor raised one hand, and a large board beside the gate illuminated.

[Lesser Beast — 1 Point

Common Beast — 3 Points

Greater Beast — 10 Points

Elite Beast — 25 Points]

Several conversations immediately broke out as students began comparing the numbers, but the professor continued before they could get too carried away.

"Every one of you will receive an identification seal before entering. The seal records beasts you personally defeat and will automatically register the corresponding points, so don’t waste your time cutting off ears, claws, tails, or whatever else you thought you were going to drag back here as proof."

"Your final score will contribute to your practical evaluation, but understand something before you start chasing the highest number on that board. This is not an examination of how suicidal you are."

"If you cannot safely defeat an Elite Beast, then don’t fight one. Twenty-five points will not matter very much if a professor has to enter the field and scrape you off the ground afterward."

The professor raised one finger.

"Now, the rules."

"First, you may use any spell you are personally capable of casting, along with ordinary catalysts, wands, staves, or other approved casting implements. Enchanted weapons or artifacts that perform the majority of the work for you are prohibited."

A second finger followed.

"Second, points are awarded to whoever lands the decisive attack on a magical beast. It doesn’t matter who found it first, who injured it the most, or who spent the last ten minutes fighting it. If your spell delivers the killing blow, the points belong to you."

Ilya could already see several students looking at one another differently.

"Third, every identification seal contains an emergency function. Break it, and the supervising staff will immediately be alerted to your location. You will be removed from the hunting field as quickly as possible, but doing so also means forfeiting the remainder of the exercise and keeping only the points you accumulated beforehand."

The professor paused before continuing.

"Fourth, leaving the designated boundaries of the hunting field will result in immediate disqualification. The perimeter has been clearly marked, so unless you’ve somehow managed to become blind after entering, I don’t want to hear excuses about accidentally crossing it."

A few students laughed.

"Finally, you will not all arrive at the same location. Once you pass through the gate, the formation will distribute you throughout designated sections of the hunting field, so don’t bother arranging some grand strategy with twenty of your friends beforehand."

That earned several disappointed groans from somewhere in the crowd.

They had three hours, limited information, unknown terrain, and magical beasts whose strength varied enough that choosing the wrong opponent could waste far more than mana.

It wasn’t a question of killing whatever appeared in front of him, especially when hunting several weaker beasts might ultimately be worth more than spending half an hour struggling against a single stronger one.

"Your score begins the moment you enter and ends when the three-hour limit expires."

The professor looked over the assembled first-years before gesturing toward the gate.

"Your ranking will be posted publicly afterward, so if humiliation motivates you more than academic credit, feel free to make use of it."

Mana surged through the formation.

The runes covering the stone archway lit up one after another, and the empty space within it began to ripple before an entirely different landscape appeared on the other side.

A forest.

The first-years immediately started talking again as everyone tried to get a better look through the gate. Ilya remained where he was and watched the professors make the last few preparations before they began sending students through.

He wasn’t particularly worried.

Compared to being chased down by Vera, hunting a few magical beasts sounded almost relaxing.

Without much ceremony, the test began. The professors sent the first-years through the gate in batches, and when Ilya’s turn came, he followed the students ahead of him and stepped through.

For a moment, his surroundings disappeared.

"...."

When Ilya could see again, there was no one around him.

"Hm."

Instead of appearing somewhere in the forest he had seen through the gate, Ilya found himself standing on a narrow stretch of rocky ground halfway down a ravine.

A shallow river ran below him, while the forest began again on either side of the cliffs, leaving him with several possible directions to choose from.

Ilya checked the identification seal he had been given earlier.

[Points: 0]

[Time Remaining: 2:59:47]

The timer was already running.

"Well, I suppose I should get moving."

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