[13th Team]
Magic Departnt, Danya Catsnesia.
Magic Departnt, Ian Blackangers.
Reconnaissance Departnt, Everidge Harf.
Priest Departnt, Yurran Alteach.
Is it still the sa?
No crazy priests have been taken away or anything of the sort.
Yurran Alteach.
He may look like a normal priest, but hes actually a fanatic cultist.
His eyes are excessively clear and blue at first glance.
I didnt like the fact that his na included teach. For so reason, guys with that pronunciation didnt end well.
The fanatical guy with clear blue eyes smiled brightly.
Im Yurran from the Priest Departnt. Nice to et you. Ahaha!
Nice to et you.
Ian shook Yurrans hand while smiling.
He knew he was the villain, but there wasnt much to worry about.
Its not ti for him to reveal his dirty fangs just yet.
No.
It must have been a misunderstanding.
A faint, subtle, dirty aura spread along the hand they shook hands with. It was so fine and delicate that if he hadnt been focused, he might have missed it.
Is it a brainwashing trigger?
The intention behind it was sinister, but thanks to that, it wasnt overwhelmingly powerful. Ian imdiately used purification with his Dishwashing technique to dispel the dirty aura.
The fanatical guy with clear blue eyes looks for his next target.
His eyes stop when they et Danya, whos looking in their direction.
Ugh!?
Ian casually grabbed Danyas tail.
Danya jumped in surprise.
W-What are you doing!
Sorry, there was almost dust on your tail.
Is that an excuse to pull my tail without saying anything!
Judging by her hand reaching for her waist, she seed really angry.
But Ian knew how to handle Danya.
The tail is as soft as it looks.
Prrr!
The complint stopped Danya in her tracks.
Ian gently pulled her back.
Regret passed through Yurrans bright, crazy eyes.
Its been a while, kid.
Ians lips curled up slightly.
After all, he had to acknowledge the mbers of the Bloodstone cult.
Bloodstone.
They were one of the prominent factions among Fantasy X Academys Thirteen Evils. To put it simply, the Thirteen Evils were groups that didnt hesitate to harm humans for the sake of their goals.
In the world of martial arts, they were like the sinister group, a kind of villainous lineup.
However, Bloodstone was notorious even among them.
They worshiped the gods of blood and darkness and would do anything for power.
They actually gained power by consuming human blood and offering their flesh. Their rate of accumulation was overwhelming, making each disciple powerful.
Of course, due to the accumulation of such achievents, they often go insane, with so going completely berserk in a state called [Blackened] or [Bloodened].
Most recently, in a publicly released scenario, Pongpong reappeared in a [Blackened] state.
ongpong, who had no knowledge of combat magic, wreaked havoc at the academy (although his talent played a significant role) that alone was enough to illustrate the power of Bloodstone.
Hello. Im Yurran. Nice to et you, brother.
Im Everidge.
Everidge, a student from the Reconnaissance Departnt, seed uneasy around Yurran. Since he took a step back, it didnt seem like hed be a problem.
Surprisingly, he showed more interest in Ian.
Could you be that Ian Blackangers?
Im not sure what you an by that, but its probably .
Nice to et you! Ive been personally admiring you.
Whats with this conversation?
As you can see, Im so ordinary that I wish I had the courage to be as provocative as Ian.
I have no words.
He continued to observe Everidge without saying a word.
Certainly, Everidge seed quite ordinary.
With his ordinary brown hair, average height, and the fact that he was left alone, he was probably of average ability too.
Thank you.
He replied casually.
Alright, everyone, prepare for battle!
The instructor shouted, leaving the 120 students who had been chattering in confusion.
Battle preparation?
Wasnt today just about forming teams?
But Ian seed to have expected this and quickly tied his shoelaces.
Tsk, tsk.
Inside he clicked his tongue.
Were students from the Lichten Academy really this fragile?
Did they have to dedicate the entire afternoon just to form teams?
Lichten Academy wasnt a place where such leisure was common.
Ian was sure there was sothing fishy going on, and this scenario confird it.
Suddenly, 30 portals opened in a row.
At the end of each was probably a makeshift training dungeon.
Its a speed run! We will rank based on the order of finishing. Everyone, go in!
While most of the students were still in confusion, Ian quickly led his team.
Get a grip, everyone, and go in first!
Ians team was the first to enter among the 30 teams.
Inside the dark cave, the 13th team imdiately started tackling the artificial dungeon as soon as they entered.
Their training objective was to clear the dungeon in the shortest ti possible, so there was no reason to delay.
Of course, so team mbers were hesitant and nervous.
Dont worry; we wont die anyway.
Really?
Think about it. We ford teams and were imdiately sent into the dungeon. They must have set up a low-difficulty dungeon. This is a speed run. We should act quickly without overthinking.
The team accepted Ians logic and began their mission without delay.
Their first obstacles were traps and chanisms, all as Ian had predicted.
Everidge, their scout, missed a few traps due to his inexperience, but there were no fatal attacks.
Clank!
Everything was useless in front of Ians moderately clad tal. Even though he was intentionally hiding his true strength, they were no match for him.
A mage at the front? This is quite an unusual experience. Its beyond common sense.
Everidge muttered as he watched Ian lead the way.
As expected, Brother Ian is amazing. He has a charisma thats out of the ordinary. Ive been thinking that for a while. Hes truly impressive!
Yurran shouted praises like he was reciting hymns.
Receiving complints from a Bloodstone cult mber sent chills down Ians spine.
Wait a minute. Sothing seems off
Everidge seed to have a similar thought, although the reason may have been different.
I sense a poisonous presence in the air.
Is that so?
Wait a mont. Let check it out and co back.
True to his role in the Scout Departnt, Everidge stopped the team, ventured forward, and soon returned.
Theres an area ahead with colorless, odorless poisonous fog. Without purification magic, it might be hard to pass. Can you use it, Yurran?
Of course, I can.
Yurran, who had been brimming with confidence, suddenly appeared uncertain.
But only one person can pass, and even thats a challenge. As you know, maintaining purification magic constantly is difficult.
At Yurrans words, Ian narrowed his eyes.
Is that b*stard playing tricks?
The idea that purification magic could only be used on one person at a ti, especially when dealing with the Bloodstone cult mbers, didnt make sense to Ian.
There was sothing fishy going on. While this was just a scenario within the academys artificial dungeon and probably wouldnt lead to anything significant, Ian considered the possibility of trying to cast that peculiar mind-control spell again.
Hmm This is a bit tricky. It might cause a significant delay.
Despite Everidges hesitation, Yurran chuckled heartily.
Dont worry. I can handle it.
?
Ian raised both his arms, telling them to hold onto him.
Grab on, both of you, Danya, and Everidge.
You know how to use purification magic?
Its not exactly purification magic, but its similar. You wont collapse while were passing through.
Everidge appeared skeptical, raising an eyebrow.
Thats right. This is the real deal. Ive experienced it myself.
Danya was the one who responded, almost bragging about the experience.
Her enthusiasm was a bit puzzling, and Ian couldnt help but wonder what had her so excited.
Everidge eventually agreed and took one of Ians arms, with Danya on the other side.
As they moved forward, Yurran asked a question with a cheerful smile.
Oh, right! Youre amazing, Brother Ian, but what should I do?
You heal yourself.
Where was he trying to get to, anyway? This Bloodstone cult guy.
After that there wasnt much trouble.
After that, it wasnt very difficult. Monsters that were tough to handle in close combat were easily brought down by Danyas grass elental bow. Everidge, whose abilities were quite average, led the team effectively through the low-difficulty dungeon. Yurran provided healing and support to the team, seemingly dedicated to his priestly ways.
The dungeon had a peculiar setup, emphasizing the importance of tanking more than they had anticipated.
However, thanks to his relentless training, Ian had little trouble handling it.
They finally arrived at their destination without much difficulty.
Thirty teams all seed to have reached the sa destination, where an intimidating instructor awaited them.
Ho, youre surprisingly fast. Team 13, fourth place.
Both Danya and Everidge looked surprised at the instructors words.
4th place, 4th place? 4th place out of 30 teams?
Its all thanks to Ian! His judgnt was truly excellent!
Good job, everyone.
Ian gave a modest response before leaning against the wall.
Frankly, he found dealing with Yurran more challenging than the dungeon.
It was a small consolation that the guy was quiet, perhaps preoccupied with his priest cosplay.
Team 7, 5th place.
Soon one more team ca in and the surroundings beca crowded. Red hair that filled even this dreary space with brightness.
Lina Rosewell.
Her expression wasnt exactly cheerful. Ian assud she wasnt happy with the results.
Well, the ranking is not good considering the team composition.
So of her team mbers seed familiar, characters with a certain degree of skill in the ga. However, the knights condition wasnt good. The plate armor was covered in dirt. Clearly, tanking was vital, and that might have caused them to arrive slightly late.
Lina walked without displaying any emotions. Then, her eyes t Ians gaze, her large green irises widening with astonishnt.
How did you do it?
The aning was evident: how did Pongpong arrive before her?
It was a clear expression of disregard.
It could have been a matter of pride, but
My team was lucky.
Ian had no intention of being confrontational.
In fact, he preferred it when she ignored him. Her disregard made it easier to challenge the gathered heroines, and he needed to beco stronger than them before causing any disturbances.
How?
Lina bit her lip, wriggled, bit her lip again, and hesitated, as if she didnt know what she wanted to ask. She appeared to be lost in her thoughts, not knowing how to express herself. Ian, on the other hand, just raised an eyebrow.
He wasnt sure what had led her to this internal conflict, but he knew the answer was straightforward.
Dont worry. I wont bother you anymore.
As Pongpong handed her a lunchbox, she responded by saying she didnt want him to bother her.
That was undoubtedly the right response.
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