"......?"Simon's eyes widened.An external lecturer? Isn't this the first time something like this has happened?"Please come in."As Jane gestured, a middle-aged man walked up to the podium.He had a pleasant, smiling face and wore a work uniform with many pockets."I'd like to introduce Edward Burkebeck Hunter."Jane said."While he may be an unfamiliar face to some of you, he is an industry legend and a top-tier treasure hunter who has discovered over twenty ancient ruins."Applause erupted from various places. Dick, in particular, was excitedly pounding on his desk."Crazy! Wow! Is this for real? Edward the Treasure Hunter? Professor Jane's recruitment class is seriously…...""Is he a big deal?"Mei-rin asked with a blank expression, and Dick turned to her with a shocked face."Hey! How can you not know Edward? This is seriously a lack of common sense!""Who is he?""Ugh!"Edward, who had ascended the podium, opened his mouth with a nervous smile."Ah, um. Hello. You're the first-years of Kizen, right?""Yes!"The students answered loudly."Hahaha! The day has finally come for me to teach at Kizen! I guess I've really made it. Actually, all my success is thanks to my father. I was born into unfortunate circumstances, but…..."Ahem.Jane, who was standing behind him with her arms crossed, coughed softly. Edward's shoulders trembled slightly, and he straightened his back."Ah, yes! Let's skip the small talk and get right to it! I pride myself on having been everywhere in the Dark Alliance territory. Ah, to be precise, I've traveled everywhere across the continent. Even secretly in the Divine Federation territory…...""Mr. Edward Hunter.""Ah, ah! I'm sorry, Vice Dean! Hahaha! Simply put, I'm a survival expert. I may not have powerful Jet Black like you, but the weak have their own ways of surviving. That is thorough preparation! Now, now."Edward, who had been rambling, took out the materials he had prepared from his bag and attached them to the blackboard.Pictures and charts showed the types of monsters and vegetation found on the island.Teaching assistants walked around, distributing copies of the materials to the students."The place where you will take your exam is called 'Kera Island'."Edward said, looking at the students."It's an area restricted by Kizen, but there are a few other large and small islands nearby besides Kera Island. I've been to all these islands, and based on that, I was able to estimate the vegetation and monster appearances on Kera Island."Despite being very nervous about being at Kizen and constantly glancing at Jane standing behind him, Edward showed a very professional demeanor once he started talking about his field.Edible plants and inedible plants found on Kera Island.Monsters that couldn't be eaten, and monsters that could, and exactly which parts could be eaten and how to cook them.Weather and climate, terrain to be careful of, low and high tides, actions that attract monsters, ways to drive away wild snakes, and so on.Even the noble students, who had been sitting crookedly wondering why such a person was invited, instantly leaned forward and focused, captivated. It was, after all, survival knowledge that would be very useful in just two days.The students frantically moved their quill pens, taking notes."Alright! That's all for my explanation. Thank you for listening! Any questions?"Hands shot up everywhere.While Edward answered questions one by one, Simon looked through his copy of the materials.'Huh?'Among the various monsters inhabiting the island, there was one particularly strange individual. For some reason, it caught his eye.It was a monster with its face wrapped in bandages.As Simon stared intently at the monster, Pier's sub-body twitched and moved.[Hey, boy…...!]'Oh, Pier. When did you get here?'Pier's sub-body's eyes widened.[That picture! Bring it closer to me!]Simon held the picture in front of his chest so Pier could see it clearly.The pupils of Pier's sub-body were shaking wildly.[This can't be. It's impossible! Why is this fellow there?]"Do you know who it is?"[Of course! That fellow was an Ancient Undead who served as a commander of the Legion!]Simon's eyes widened. A commander from here? [Hmph. To think I'd see that face again.]Pier's sub-body muttered in a serious voice.[Boy! You remember the Legion's sin, don't you?] 'Yes. That they betrayed the Dark Alliance and fought the Necromancers to protect my mother under my father's orders…...'[Right. After a long fight, when the Legion retreated due to a massive offensive from the Alliance, there was one fellow who sacrificed his entire body to block the offensive and allowed us to escape safely to the sea.]'You don't mean…...'Simon's eyes returned to the bandaged monster's eyes.[This fellow's name is Bikrum.]Pier's gaze became serious.[He is the commander of the Legion's Giant Unit.]Simon listened to Pier's detailed explanation.An Ancient Undead who sacrificed himself, prepared for his own annihilation, for the Legion. He was said to be incredibly devoted and loyal to the Legion, unlike a typical Undead.[I certainly thought he had died then, but to think he was still alive. And on an island owned by Kizen, no less.]'.......'Simon stroked his chin, lost in thought.Something was indeed strange. An Undead of his father's in the place where they were going for a practical evaluation? The timing was too perfect.But to completely ignore it, the foreshadowing was too significant.[There is a connection! If you go straight inland from this Kera Island, you'll find the port city of Balot. Bikrum went missing during the battle there.]'That makes sense. Since he's my father's Undead, I'd like to take him in. Would that be alright?'[Hahaha! Of course! That fellow is an important asset. If you can get your hands on him, he'll be a great strength to you in the future.]'Alright. Nothing to lose, so let's try to make contact.'In addition to taking the island survival evaluation like other students, Simon now had a new goal.A mission that might be even more important than getting good grades.[However, a considerable amount of time has passed, so his personality might have changed, or his feelings might have shifted.]Simon nodded.Erzebet was also uncooperative with the Legion at first.[So take me with you! I'll persuade him myself.]'Hmm.'Simon looked troubled as he flipped through the guidebook.'It says here that they inspect all students' subspaces right before teleportation, right? Unnecessary items and food are all prohibited from being brought in…...'[Subspace inspection? That's troublesome.]'I'll figure out a solution. I'll have to stop by the ruin tonight and talk to Erze.'Just then, the bell signaling the end of class rang. Jane clapped her hands and walked back up to the podium."That's all for today's class. Please prepare thoroughly for the next two days. It would be good to familiarize yourselves with the detailed rules and Tongpad operation methods in advance. That's all.""Thank you for your hard work!"The students rushed out of the classroom like a receding tide.Dick and a few other students looked like they wanted to talk to Edward and get an autograph, but they whimpered under Jane's gaze and turned away."Simon, what are you doing? Let's go eat."Simon smiled and replied to Dick's words."Sorry, but could I eat with Mei-rin's group today? I have some personal business.""?"***"3 minutes and 21 seconds left for mealtime."Edward thought that this woman, the Vice Dean of Kizen, was more terrifying than any monster or trap he had ever encountered.Edward, who had crammed food into his mouth without even knowing what it tasted like, left the dining hall and walked towards the teleportation magic circle, guided by Jane.In fact, it was closer to being escorted than guided."V-Vice Dean."Edward forced a smile.He decided to at least try to speak. Surely, she wouldn't turn him into a skeleton just for speaking his mind."Five hours! No, just two hours! As a professional treasure hunter, I can't just leave this mysterious Locke Island like this…...!"Jane looked at her wristwatch with an expressionless face."Locke Island is off-limits to anyone without formal entry permission from Kizen. Mr. Edward Hunter's permission expires in 6 minutes and 23 seconds."Edward broke out in a cold sweat.How could a person be so inflexible…...! But he couldn't give up like this!"Th-Then couldn't you just extend the permission time a little? Ah, Professor Bahil asked me earlier to teach Class B as well…..."At that moment.Sparks flew from Jane's eyes.Edward realized he had made a slip of the tongue and belatedly covered his mouth, but it was too late.Jane gestured to the teaching assistant who was following behind her."Tell Professor Bahil to come to my office right now."The teaching assistant said, tensing up."W-What is the purpose of the summons…...""Tell him if he's not there in 10 minutes, I'll go myself."At her words, the teaching assistant started running like mad.Edward's lips twitched.He was done with adventuring. He just wished he could safely get off this island.After walking for a few more minutes, they arrived in front of the teleportation magic circle that led back to the continent."Is that even possible?"But the trouble wasn't over yet.Jane began to rage like fire after hearing the report from the teleportation manager, who approached with a troubled expression.The manager bowed repeatedly, as if he had committed a grave sin."You're telling me there's a load on the magic circle due to the Island Survival preparations, and you call that an excuse?""Y-Yes, I'll fix it!""Gather the entire teleportation team in my office by 6 o'clock.""Yes!"Jane sighed deeply and approached Edward. Then, with her eyes closed, she bowed her head."Due to an internal construction issue, Mr. Hunter's return will be delayed by about 10 minutes. On behalf of Kizen, I apologize.""Ah, ahahaha…... I-I'm fine! Really, really fine!"What the hell, she's punishing people so brutally just for a 10-minute delay in an outsider's departure? Is this what the organizational culture is normally like here?"I'll have to check the magic circle myself. Mr. Hunter, please wait here without moving."At her words, Edward truly felt as if his entire body was unable to move.Was this the curse he had only heard about in stories?"Ah, alright! Please go ahead comfortably! Haha!"Jane went to check the teleportation magic circle.Left alone, Edward breathed a sigh of relief. He felt his legs give out, and he squatted down."Hello!"Someone spoke to him. He turned his head to see a male student in a Kizen uniform smiling down at him."Oh! Student…...!""I'm a Class A student who attended your lecture earlier. It was a really great lecture."Edward felt his self-esteem rapidly recovering and sprang to his feet. Then, he pulled out a pen and paper from his clothes at an incredible speed."Hehe, good. What was your name again?""I didn't come for an autograph, but I came to ask a question about the content of today's lecture."Edward lowered his pen with a dejected expression.Seriously, why are both the professors and students at this school so rigid?"This monster in your materials."Simon held out the picture of Bikrum and continued."Do you happen to know anything about it?"Edward took the picture. Then he made a 'hmm-' sound and looked it over."So there was a picture of this monster too. I printed them all at once, so I didn't check them individually."Edward returned the picture, shaking his head."I took the picture because it was strange at the time, but I don't know what kind of monster it is either. I've been in this business for 30 years, and this is the first time I've seen a monster that looks like this.""......What do you mean by 'strange'?"Edward narrowed his eyes and said."The fog was thick that day, so I'm not sure if I saw it properly or not, but suddenly this monster was walking around the island, incredibly huge. When I hastily took out my magic camera, it had shrunk back down."Simon swallowed hard."How big did it get?"As if recalling that moment, Edward's face hardened."Big enough to cover the entire island."
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