Before long,

  over twenty figures emerged from the surrounding area.

  They formed an encirclement, trapping the three in the center.

  Hulim glanced at them and spoke slowly:

  “So this is your plan—unite to eliminate the strongest first, making the rest of your tasks easier.”

  “It’s good that you understand—no need for us to explain,”

  one student said.

  “Sorry, but you’re too much of a threat. We had to join forces. Otherwise, we’d all end up as your prey in the end, wouldn’t we?”

  “Is that so?”

  “Don’t deny it. You should know the nature of this exam.”

  “......”

  Hmm, that was the truth.

  Still, she’d never dreamed of hunting down other students on a large scale. Enough points were enough—there was no use in collecting more than necessary......

  “So sorry, Top Student. Please exit the exam here!”

  With that, all twenty-some students surrounding Hulim and her companions raised their wands.

  “......Even so, do you really think you can win?”

  “Anything’s possible! We’re all top-tier C-rankers. You may be a high-ranking B-rank, but you can’t take on this many of us at once. Everyone—attack together!”

  Hum! Hum! Hum......

  Blazing lights of magic flared to life in the forest.

  Boom! Boom......

  After a series of explosions, silence returned to the forest.

  “D-Did we get them?”

  “You fool! That’s a jinx!!”

  “Wait! Look...... they’re still standing!”

  As the smoke cleared, a Light Barrier stood before the students’ eyes—and behind it, the three were completely unharmed.

  “I-Impossible!”

  “Our combined attack couldn’t even break through their defense?!”

  The students stared in shock, their eyes wide.

  Their confidence, which had just moments ago been unshakable, shattered instantly.

  If their joint assault couldn’t even pierce the defense, how could they possibly defeat their opponents?

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  Boom——!

  A shockwave swept outward.

  All twenty-some students were sent flying,

  crashing haphazardly into the forest floor.

  “Why...... We’re only one rank apart!?”

  “Is the gap between C-rank and a high-ranking powerhouse really this big?”

  “......”

  Looking at the group of demoralized opponents, Hulim hesitated to attack further.

  It felt like bullying to keep going......

  “Hulim,”

  Miko patted her on the shoulder and said:

  “Leave the rest to Alicia and me.”

  “Are you two sure?”

  “Don’t worry—if we can’t beat a bunch of demoralized foes, we’re weaker than we thought~!”

  “Miko’s right. We can’t let you handle everything, Hulim. At the very least, Alicia and I are more than enough for opponents like these.”

  “......”

  Hulim silently watched the two, then nodded.

  “Then it’s up to you......”

  “Alright, let’s go!”

  Miko and Alicia charged forward together.

  “Strengthen!”

  “Fire Lance!”

  “Ah!”

  Cries of pain echoed through the forest.

  “Damn it—everyone, stay calm! Regroup——”

  “Storm Spear!”

  “Ah, damn it......”

  Continuous explosions rang out in the forest once more......

  Hulim stood atop a tall tree, silently watching the battle unfold below.

  Though the twenty-some students’ formation and morale had completely collapsed, their sheer numbers still posed a significant threat to Miko and Alicia.

  Aware of this, Miko and Alicia avoided direct confrontation with their concentrated forces, instead using the terrain to circle and harass them, picking off stragglers one by one.

  As time passed, fewer and fewer of the twenty-some united students remained standing.

  When only a handful were left, they finally abandoned all resistance and fled for their lives.

  But the two quickly gave chase, taking them down one by one......

  “Good work,”

  Hulim descended from the tree and said to the two who’d won the battle.

  She activated her Healing Magic to mend their injuries from the fight.

  “Thanks, Hulim.”

  “Having your magic is so convenient—we don’t even need to carry healing potions.”

  “......I can heal you, but it’s best not to get hurt in battle at all,”

  Hulim reminded them.

  “I know. Oh, look—we even got a bonus!”

  Miko pulled out a pouch and showed it to the others.

  “Magic Crystals?”

  “So these guys collected some too,”

  Hulim thought, glancing at the Manacos students scattered across the ground.

  In the end, they’d just delivered crystals to them......

  “But what do we do with them now? Should we send out a distress signal for them?”

  “Better not,” Alicia shook her head. “They’d never thank us for it.”

  “Exactly. Let’s just gather them under the tree. They should wake up after a while. Once they do, it’s up to them to decide whether to signal for help or continue the exam.”

  “Hmm, fine then!”

  The three then moved all the students to lie under a large tree.

  Hulim casually cast a Concealment Magic Circle around them to prevent wandering monsters from eating them.

  With that done, the three continued deeper into the forest.

  “......Wonder if anyone else will attack us? This way of getting Magic Crystals is way faster than searching for them ourselves,”

  Miko mused.

  “Probably not,” Alicia replied. “These are the academy’s strongest students. Gathering this many people was hard enough, and after this incident, no one will be foolish enough to pick a fight with us.”

  “Aww, what a shame~ I thought it’d be easier......”

  Their voices faded into the distance, eventually disappearing into the forest.

  In the newly silent woods, the group lying under the tree rested as peacefully as if they’d passed away......

  ...

  Deep in the forest.

  “Roar!” “Roar!” “Roar......”

  A large troop of Rock-Strike Demon Apes surrounded two figures on the ground from the trees, letting out constant, deafening cries.

  Though they knew the apes were trying to intimidate them, the noise was more annoying than terrifying.

  “Ah! Shut up! Storm Spear——!”

  Miko, who’d been covering her cat ears this whole time, could stand it no longer. She raised her hand and launched an attack at one of the apes.

  “Roar——!”

  But the Rock-Strike Demon Ape dodged nimbly.

  The trees were their territory—defeating them here would be no easy feat.

  Furthermore, Miko’s attack had thoroughly enraged the apes.

  “Roar——!”

  A figure that seemed to be the leader let out an especially loud roar at Miko.

  Then all the Rock-Strike Demon Apes conjured chunks of hard rock in their hands and hurled them forcefully at her.

  Faced with the dense hail of stones, Miko had no choice but to dodge constantly.

  ...