Chapter 42 Entrance Exam (3)
The summit of Grace Mountain wasn’t particularly high in elevation. However, one had to travel a long time up a gentle incline due to its extended ridgeline.
‘Do we really need to go to such lengths?’
Cecil held considerable dissatisfaction with Eternia’s testing methods. She believed the test itself was unfairly skewed in favor of departments like Combat and Magic that boasted superior combat abilities. Departments like Magic Engineering and Alchemy, less equipped to handle Plantaras, were relegated to trailing behind others.
‘They ought to conduct different tests for each department.’
Cecil herself was following someone right now. A few paces ahead was a man wearing a mask. They had crossed paths by happenstance. Like passersby on a street, there had been no greetings or exchange of names.
However, when the Plantaras appeared, they cooperated to an extent, each handling their own domain, ensuring they did not completely ignore each other. With the leading group being quite small and scattered every which way to avoid packs of Plantaras, it was beneficial not to part ways upon meeting someone. Since it seemed this man was from a different department, there was no specific reason for competition.
And so, a quiet alliance began.
Cecil had been watching him fight the Plantaras. He dealt with them efficiently, even when outnumbered, employing a particularly unusual method. He would jab his wooden sword into their joints and twist, effectively dislocating them. It felt more like disassembly rather than cutting them down. More a technician than a swordsman perhaps. Lacking elegance, but certainly effective in its own right.
One way or another, thanks to the man, she was able to conserve her magic bombs and magic stones.
The man would occasionally turn his head to check on Cecil, as if ensuring she was still following. Whatever thoughts he harboured, Cecil had no intention of remaining with him until the end. She had no thought of forging a friendship— their association was merely a matter of convenience until they reached the first waypoint marked on the map.
Continuing on, the man in the mask took a break to sit on a boulder. Cecil, catching the hint, also stopped about ten paces away. She took this break as an opportunity to deal with something that had been bothering her.
She hung her conical hat on a tree branch and pulled out her dagger. She then proceeded to cut the dirty hem of her black linen dress, exposing her thighs and creating side slits. Now it felt refreshing.
‘Now it will be easier to climb.’
She flung the severed piece of fabric aside, took out a stick of tobacco from her bag, and lit it. The man was attentively observing Cecil as she puffed out smoke.
‘What’s with him…’
The fact that he was masked and silent made him hard to trust. His choice to bring a wooden sword to an entrance exam suggested that there might be something off about his state of mind.
‘Might be a strange one, better keep an eye on him.’
Breaking the prolonged silence, Cecil was the one to initiate the conversation.
“Hey, you.”
The man reacted.
“What are you staring at? Never seen a woman’s thighs before?”
“…….”
No answer came.
“Are you a pervert? What’s with the mask?”
Still, no reaction.
Cecil flicked her spent tobacco away, then took out another one and put it in her mouth.
“Why do you stay quiet? Can’t you hear me?”
Even to this provocation, there was no response. The mask concealed his face, making it impossible to discern his thoughts.
‘I can’t figure out what he’s thinking.’
Strangely, it felt like Cecil was getting wrapped up in his pace.
After quietly observing her for a while, the man suddenly stood up and began to approach Cecil.
“…Hmm?”
As he closed the distance, a somewhat alarmed Cecil took a guarded stance. Since he had left his wooden sword on the rock, it seemed unlikely he intended any threat. Yet, just to be cautious, Cecil placed one hand on her bag, where she could quickly draw out a magic bomb if needed.
The man, now facing Cecil, rummaged in his pocket and then presented her with something.
“…What’s this?”
Cecil cautiously extended her hand and a neatly wrapped candy dropped onto her palm.
“Candy?”
She spoke with a skeptical look.
“You think it has poison in it or something? Haven’t your mother ever warned you not to accept candies from strangers?”
“….”
At that, the man retrieved the candy, slightly lifted his mask, and put it into his own mouth. It seemed to be a gesture to demonstrate that it was safe.
Suddenly, a faint scent of gardenia flowed from the man.
‘What kind of scent is that all of a sudden?’
He took out another candy from his pocket and placed it on Cecil’s hand. Then he walked off, leaving her behind.
Cecil stubbed out her tobacco with her foot and slipped the candy into her mouth. The harsh aftertaste of the smoke was replaced by the sweet fragrance of lilacs.
Chewing thoughtfully for a moment, it didn’t take long for Cecil to come to a conclusion.
“…Guess he’s not such a weirdo after all.”
Cecil picked up her hat and set off following the man once more.
***
About three hundred individuals had entered Grace Mountain.
A few remaining applicants in the examination grounds tried to heal themselves with potions and magic before making another strenuous attempt to enter, only to be expelled again.
Lilith looked on with a drained expression at the darkened threshold of the mountain range as the day waned.
Entry alone did not solve all problems.
From the advance party that had entered first, about forty were borne back on the shoulders of Plantaras, being unceremoniously dumped back at the examination ground.
One wondered if failing once meant a reset back to the starting point.
After witnessing this unfold, the once serene Grace Mountain now seemed like a colossal maze or dungeon.
The candidates seemed to have realized firsthand. Simply grouping up and attempting to push through with sheer numbers was not going to work.
Breaking through to the summit without meticulous strategy and systematic teamwork was impossible.
Perhaps because of this, among those remaining at the exam site, there was now a lively movement to form groups.
Close collaboration was also happening as information was shared among those who had initially made it in but were spit back out.
What they all said was very similar.
“Follow the path opened up by those who went ahead.”
They meant to say that tailing the path cleared by the advance group, people like Luna, Sion, and Gale, was the best course of action.
Due to the fact that the front-runners had to draw the Plantaras with them, their pace of advancing was incredibly slow.
For this reason, it was possible for the later groups to catch up quickly.
Lilith had also observed the other candidates closely and discovered something herself.
Plantaras did not react aggressively to those who were exhausted or were out of magic. It seemed like a mechanism installed to prevent casualties.
It was something that could be strategically used, yet no one had seemed to catch on to that.
‘I have to keep this to myself.’
There were some who approached Lilith with group invitations.
“You were here. Lilith, we just have the position for a mage left; come join our group.”
A man, without waiting for her response, grabbed her wrist roughly and pulled her with him. It was Jerome, an old acquaintance of Lilith’s and one of those who frequently sent letters and made unwelcome advances towards her.
She viciously yanked her hand away and said, “I’ll think about it.”
“Why are you like this? You’ll be too late if you think it over. Everyone’s already formed groups and they’re getting ready to leave at dawn.”
“Hmm. Thanks for the offer. I’ll handle it myself.”
He looked slightly annoyed and said, “Tch, fine. I’ll wait till night. Just decide before then. Don’t come regretting it too late.”
Lilith responded coldly. “Alright. Thanks.”
Being a woman meant having to camp out in the mountains at night, and she couldn’t do that in the company of a man who ogled her with lascivious eyes and gave her unsolicited attention.
If she were to ally with anyone, it would have to be another woman or a man who had no interest whatsoever in her.
The ones left here were unsatisfactory in both skills and intentions.
As she pondered, Lilith’s mind kept returning to the image of someone.
That man, facing off against three thieves alone. Cunning, somewhat capable as a front-runner, and completely uninterested in Lilith.
She tried to shake off the disagreeable thought, but it was no use.
She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, but the answer was the same.
‘That man is bound to be trying to break through on his own. That’s just his nature.’
Other members of the advance party would have already formed groups by now.
Out of the advance group, he was the only one who seemed worth teaming up with.
If she left now, she could join up with the majority of the advance party when they reached the first waypoint.
Finally, Lilith moved away from the clusters of candidates and stood alone.
She then focused deeply, releasing all her magic energy into the air save for a speck.
This was immediately followed by an extreme sensation of fatigue.
She had brought along a large supply of vitality potions to counter any physical strains.
Lilith gulped down twice the daily recommended dose of the potion all at once.
Then, with not a light in sight, she began trudging towards the foot of the mountain.
The Plantaras let her pass in silence, but no one witnessed this.
***
Having made a campfire and finished preparations for camping, Cecil brazenly extended her hand towards the man in the mask, who was grilling fish.
“Hey, give me another one.”
He appeared to ponder for a moment.
“Quick! Give me one more, and I’ll share some critical information with you.”
Reluctantly, he reached into his pocket and handed her a candy.
Cecil had somehow found herself in a partner-like relationship with this man, with whom she hadn’t even exchanged names.
At least until they reached the waypoint, she planned to move as one complete team with him.
Cecil popped the candy in her mouth and munched on it while looking over her letter.
There were as many as four Stitches circling the campfire.
She had finally received news from her colleagues, who had scattered in the chaos, informing her of their progress.
“They say that those who reached the waypoint tried to advance further but got blocked by the gatekeeping Plantaras.”
There was a gorge in the midst of the pathway to the summit – marked on the map as the first waypoint and a safe zone.
“Are you listening?”
He nodded his head.
“They say the gatekeeper is huge and strong. It’s posted not only at the gorge but also at all the other detours.”
Cecil received another letter from a Stitch and unfurled it to read.
“And… Gale and Victor, along with notable figures like Iris and Luna, have failed to break through and are staying at the waypoint.”
These were all candidates with enough skill to aim for the top of their respective departments.
As she finished speaking, the man quietly pulled out a candy from his pocket and handed it to her, almost as if rewarding her for giving these information.
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