The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 60: Midterm Evaluation (5)

"Geez, the brat has no intention of waking up."

Two hours had passed since Yuren fainted from mana exhaustion.

Despite tapping his cheeks or shaking his shoulders to wake him up, there was no response, as if he were in a deep sleep.

"At this rate, isn't he practically dead?"

It was a joke, of course, born from the fact that Yuren showed no signs of waking up.

'It's well known that when someone faints from mana exhaustion, it takes a long time to wake up.'

I knew this fact all too well, as someone who frequently experienced mana exhaustion due to my minuscule amount of mana, making me almost a professional in the field.

'I need to start moving if I want to earn some points.'

About four hours had passed since the midterm evaluation began.

Out of the eight-hour time limit, half of it had already slipped by, and the number of points I had accumulated was a whopping zero.

The first wolf beast I encountered didn't give me any points, probably because it had strayed in from outside, and Yuren ended up slaying the unicorn, so I didn't even earn a single point.

'At this rate, I'll end up in last place again.'

I was desperate to rid myself of the tedious label of being the bottom-ranked hero.

"I need to start moving if I want to score some points…."

I let out a deep sigh as I looked down at Yuren lying on the makeshift bed (it was too harsh to leave him lying on a hard rock, so I made a simple one).

'I can't just leave him here like this.'

There was no choice.

"Maybe I'll set up a barrier to keep away the beasts."

In the past, I wouldn't have even thought of using a magic spell that consumed as much power as a barrier.

But lately, thanks to a noticeable increase in my mana, I could at least set up a simple barrier.

'It might not be very effective, though.'

Having already defeated the unicorn, the remaining beasts were likely to be of a lower rank.

"Hup."

I cut my palm with my sword, then drew a magic circle around Yuren using my blood.

'Finally, I get to use the magic I learned from Senior Sophia properly.'

Although I had created a barrier when fighting Astaroth before, it was less a product of all the theories and knowledge I had acquired and more a crude, hastily-formed magic curtain made from sheer brute force.

It barely qualified as 'magic.'

'If I base the barrier's foundation on the hexagram theory and adjust the structure of mana circulation according to Arcadia's circulation spell theory….'

Since theory was a field in which I had confidence, crafting the magic circle was a surprisingly enjoyable process.

"Alright, done."

Woooooong!

As I channeled mana into the core and activated the barrier, I looked with satisfaction at the gray mist that enveloped Yuren's body.

'All that time spent studying theory is finally paying off when I use it like this.'

It's similar to how, despite planning out a novel with meticulous settings and plot, the final product often turns out differently than expected.

When actually using magic, I realized that while theory and knowledge were important, having a good sense of things was even more crucial.

"I still have a long way to go."

There were many hurdles left to overcome before I could use magic as naturally as breathing, like Senior Sophia.

"Alright, let's get moving."

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I turned away from Yuren.

"Snort… Whinny…."

Just then, the unicorn, which had been lying there after being slashed all over by Yuren's sword, staggered to its feet.

"What's this? You're still alive?"

As expected of a high-ranked beast.

It seemed to have somehow survived the golden tidal wave, which was practically a natural disaster.

"Snort, snort."

Panting heavily, the unicorn began to stumble away from me as if trying to escape.

"Hey, hey. No need to run; I'm not going to kill you."

I raised both hands to show that I had no intention of attacking.

Though the average intelligence of beasts wasn't very high, a beast intelligent enough to be used as a familiar should be able to understand a simple gesture like this.

"Whinny… Snort."

"Hmm?"

But the unicorn didn’t stop, even after I showed that I had no intent to harm it.

'What’s going on?'

I narrowed my eyes and approached the unicorn.

The unicorn kept stumbling along, as if it couldn’t see me at all.

'It's not running away from me.'

For a moment, I wondered if it was because of the barrier I set up around Yuren, but the unicorn was far beyond its range.

Besides, it wasn’t the type of barrier that would work on a high-ranked beast like this one.

'Then what is it?'

If it wasn't running away from me or affected by the barrier, what on earth was it running from?

RUMBLE!

Suddenly, the ground shook as if an earthquake had struck.

"Damn it!"

Before I could think, I instinctively leaped away from the source of the tremor.

BOOM!

The ground exploded, and a cloud of dust erupted into the air.

"Whinny!"

With a pitiful scream, the unicorn was grabbed by something and lifted into the air.

SPLAT!

The unicorn's body was torn in half, spilling a torrent of blood.

"This is…."

Standing in the rain of blood, I looked up at the massive beast that had emerged from the earth.

A beast with a crocodile's head and a human's body.

Its green scales glistened like armor, and its body was packed with bulging muscles.

Sharp teeth gleamed between its wide-open jaws.

And then—

"Heh."

A chuckle escaped my lips.

The crocodile beast's head bore eight pairs of glowing red eyes, which glared malevolently at me.

'Why is a beast with eight eyes here?'

What in the world is this messed-up situation?

"Groooowl."

A low growl rumbled from its throat.

The smell of briny water and moss filled the air.

Its face, half covered by those eight red eyes, stared me down.

‘An Eight-Eyed Beast.’

It was a powerful monster, one that even heroes ranked in the top 100, known as "Rankers," struggled to defeat.

Only exceptional heroes like Professor Lucas or Professor Elisha might stand a chance against it.

'But why is a beast like that showing up in a third-year candidate's exam?'

I narrowed my eyes and scanned the gigantic five-meter-tall beast.

Just like the wolf beast I encountered at the beginning of the exam, there was no sign of any "mark" on this crocodile beast's body.

'This isn’t some surprise event set up by the professors, that’s for sure.'

That meant this crocodile beast had also wandered in from outside.

'I’ve never heard of a beast like this appearing in the exam in my previous life.'

There were two possibilities that came to mind.

Either in the previous life, no one encountered that beast before the test ended,

"Or."

For some reason, the future has changed.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

"Whichever it is, one thing is certain."

Now isn't the time to leisurely think about where that beast came from.

"Rrrr."

The crocodile beast let out a low growl and took a step forward.

Thud.

Just by taking a step, a heavy shock reverberated through the ground.

"Rooooar!"

With a ferocious roar, the crocodile beast charged.

I kicked off to the side and swung my sword at the crocodile beast.

Clang!

The sword bounced off its scales.

My palm tingled as if I had struck a lump of metal.

"Tsk."

As expected, ordinary attacks won't work.

‘I have to aim for a vital point.’

Taking a deep breath, I kicked off toward the crocodile beast.

The beast, watching me rush towards it, whipped its long tail like a whip.

'Now!'

Sun Sword Fifth Form: Variation, Sunspot-Absorption

Using the characteristic of the sunspot, which condenses mana, to absorb the surrounding energy and infuse it into the sword—a modified technique.

Shwooooo!

Like a vacuum cleaner, the wind around the sword was sucked in.

I aimed my sword at the tail, which was whipping violently through the air.

‘If I collide head-on, the sword will break.’

The tail, covered in hard scales, would shatter the sword if struck directly.

‘I need just to make contact, not hit it full force.’

I swung the sword toward the tail, not with the edge, but with the flat side.

Shwooo, slap!

When the flat side of the sword made contact with the tail, the tension created by the sunspot made the blade stick to the beast's tail like glue.

"Urgh!"

It was as if a weight tied to the end of a whip had suddenly been added, and my body soared into the air.

‘Wind Step.’

I pulled on the sword stuck to the tail and kicked off the air as if stepping on solid ground.

Using the mana expelled from my toes as propulsion, I landed on the crocodile beast’s back.

"Hup!"

I reversed my grip on the sword and aimed it at one of the beast’s four glowing red eyes.

But—

Clang!

The sword bounced off its eyelid.

‘This is insane.’

How tough was its body that even its eyelid couldn't be pierced by the sword?

"Rooaar!"

Even though the sword was deflected, the impact must have been felt.

The crocodile beast let out a horrendous scream and shook its body violently.

"Ugh."

I clung to its scales, trying not to be thrown off, but the beast's strength was overwhelming.

With a sensation of being lifted off the ground, my body crashed harshly into the dirt.

Thud!

"Gah!"

The shocking impact traveled up my spine.

I felt as if my internal organs were being crushed, and my limbs twisted at odd angles.

"Rrrr!!!"

The crocodile beast, now confident of its victory, clattered its sharp teeth and roared in triumph.

"Rrrrr."

It turned and began to approach the spot where Yuren lay.

The beast viciously whipped its tail, shattering the barrier that had been protecting Yuren from the beast.

"Rrrr."

The crocodile beast let out a low growl as it loomed over Yuren, who was lying motionless.

"Hey, crocodile head."

A voice came from behind.

"Rrr?"

The crocodile beast blinked its four eyes and turned its head.

The voice came from the human who had surely been crushed into the ground just moments ago, now standing there, seemingly unharmed.

"It's not over yet, where do you think you're going?"

Fierce green eyes gleamed.

Sssssss...

Along with the sound of flesh burning,

"Rise."

Ashen smoke began to rise.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]