Summoning Genius of Kizen Chapter 40 The next day. Finally, the morning of the practical evaluation dawned. Class A students were traveling by carriage to the underground dungeon. “Isn’t it amazing?” Inside the carriage, Kamibarez said, looking out the window. “To think that so many dungeons and ruins are gathered on such a small Locke Island……” Dick shrugged. “From what I’ve heard, Lady Neptis is a collector. She moves entire ancient ruins to Locke Island whenever she finds them.” “Wow! Entire ruins?” Dick and Kamibarez chattered, trying to ease the tense atmosphere, but Simon and Mei-rin didn’t say a word until they arrived at the dungeon. “Alright, we’ve arrived! Everyone, please disembark!” Finally, the carriages stopped, and the students got off. The attention of the noisy students, who had been chattering excitedly before the practical, turned to Mei-rin, who was disembarking from the carriage with crutches. “……They’re screwed.” “Didn’t she get injured, even though she’s a combatant?” The students murmured. “If a combatant is in that state, there’s no hope. Everything’s messed up from start to finish.” “It’s our gain, though.” “Shh! Shh! Hey, your voice is too loud!” Mei-rin steadfastly walked forward, trying to ignore the murmuring. The members of Group 7 followed behind her. Kizen’s underground dungeon was a kind of super-large prison that held monsters captured from the continent. Not only monsters, but also all sorts of terrible criminals from the continent were said to be held on the lowest floor of the dungeon. Walking behind the teaching assistant, the students nervously darted their eyes around. Horrific screams and monster roars could be heard from various places. “It’s an unconfirmed rumor, but they say an ‘angel’ is actually chained and sealed on the lowest floor of this dungeon.” Kamibarez flinched at Dick’s words. “D-Don’t scare me! Where would there be angels in this world!” “Hehehe. If there are demons, why wouldn’t there be angels?” Fortunately, they didn’t go deep into the dungeon. The destination was a place completely surrounded by walls made of carved rock bricks. Like the training room, a mana projector was installed on the ceiling. “This way.” Inside, Jane and the teaching assistants who had arrived first were waiting. It was Jane’s first class after the student protection period, so everyone stood at attention with tense expressions. She opened her mouth. “Alright, attention.” “Attention!” “This morning, Groups 1 to 8 will undergo the practical evaluation. Once you enter the dungeon, you will face a live Cyclops.” The teaching assistants walked around, handing out clipboards and pens to the students. It was the waiver of life that Jane had mentioned in the first class, stating that Kizen would not be held responsible for anything that happened inside the dungeon. “Of course, if your life is more precious than anything, you may put down the waiver and leave.” They had already resolved themselves when they entered Kizen. All students finished signing the waiver, and the teaching assistants distributed the training uniforms. “Again, there are three conditions for the practical evaluation to be suspended: the combatant becoming incapacitated, any group member raising their hand and declaring their surrender, or the professor or safety officer determining that further combat is impossible. And for the safety officer, Agent Andrew from Kizen Headquarters will be assisting us.” A heavily armed man standing next to Jane bowed his head. He had a very taciturn impression. “Then, we will now begin the practical evaluation with Group 1.” *** Group 1 remained in their seats, while the other group members were guided to a room on the upper floor. It was a waiting area for resting, but one wall was transparent like glass, allowing them to directly observe other groups fighting below. “I-It’s a real Cyclops!” “The scale is no joke.” “I didn’t believe it was going to be a real fight until the very end.” “What do we do, really……” The waiting room was noisy with students watching the Cyclops, but Simon’s group didn’t have time to leisurely watch other groups fight. The four of them found a quiet corner on the opposite side and discussed their plan. “Alright, alright. Let’s lighten the mood a bit! We still have a chance!” Dick clapped his hands and led the meeting. Everyone exchanged opinions in a serious atmosphere. Occasionally, cheers and screams from the students intertwined. They could tell which groups won and which failed. As expected, Hector of Group 3 succeeded in the hunt. Time flew by faster than light, and finally. “Group 7, step forward.” Before they knew how one or two hours had passed, it was already Group 7’s turn. All members of Group 7 went down, guided by the teaching assistant. The students, who had been quiet until Mei-rin went down, suddenly rushed to the transparent wall. “Mei-rin injured her leg, but they’re still going to continue.” “Is that even possible? The doctor must have restricted her.” “Uh…… wait a minute!” Someone pointed to a part of the wall with their hand. Simon was wearing the protective vest worn by the combatant. “It’s Simon! They changed the combatant to Simon Pollentia!” “Will he be alright?” “Of course not! They’ve been relying on Mei-rin’s Dark Flare all this time. This completely messes up their plan.” “But how can a Summoning Studies major catch a Cyclops?” “They’re probably just trying to show their best effort until the end.” Just then, Hector, who was occupying two seats, narrowed his eyes sharply. “Simon Pollentia is the combatant?” “Y-Yes, that’s what they say.” The male student from Hector’s faction said with a forced smile. “Isn’t he the guy you’ve been concerned about? Don’t you want to watch?” “……” Hector closed his eyes without answering. *** “Huuuuh.” Simon took a deep breath, calming his trembling chest. As he put on the vest, a barrier gauge appeared from the mana projector on the ceiling. If this gauge reaches 0%, the combatant is automatically deemed ‘incapacitated,’ and the test is immediately stopped. Behind Simon, Dick, Mei-rin, and Kamibarez stood in their respective set positions. Fortunately, Mei-rin had persuaded the doctor, allowing her to take on a stationary support role. “Not much changes.” Simon looked back at his group members and said. “Even if the situation has changed a bit, our efforts won’t go to waste. Let’s do our best until the end.” The three nodded. Mei-rin, who had been dazed for a while, seemed to have regained her focus once the evaluation began, wearing a terrifyingly serious expression. Agent Andrew, the safety officer, looked at his wristwatch and said. “Next Cyclops. Please bring it in.” Drrrrrrrk! The dungeon’s iron gate rose. From the unseen darkness, a real Cyclops, bound by chains, appeared. Four guards were straining, pulling the chains to guide the Cyclops’s steps. Gulp. Facing the monster, Simon swallowed dryly. The appearance itself was exactly as he had seen in the simulation, but the real thing was definitely different. A foul smell stung his nose, and unpleasant breathing sounds were heard irregularly. His heart pounded wildly with tension. Imagining encountering something like that in the mountains…… it was terrifying. And he saw the Jet Black magic circle floating above the Cyclops’s head. The monster’s pupils were unfocused due to that curse, but the moment the curse was lifted, its reason would return, and it would begin attacking anyone in sight. Click! Click! The guards removed the chains and quickly fled the dungeon. -Then, we will now begin Group 7’s practical evaluation. Jane’s voice came from the ceiling. -There’s no need to overexert yourselves. If you feel you absolutely cannot continue, anyone may raise their hand and request to stop the test. “Yes, Professor!” Agent Andrew also became transparent and disappeared at some point. Now, only the four members of Group 7 and the Cyclops remained in this space. -Curse解除. Test begins. The magic circle floating above the Cyclops’s head shattered with a *clang*! At the same time, the monster’s unfocused eyes gleamed and returned to normal. -Kwoooaaarrrrgh! It let out a massive roar. The sheer wind pressure felt like it could blow his body away. “Simon! Focus!” The battle began immediately. Simon pulled an imaginary lever and summoned his skeletons. Three skeletons, armed with weapons, charged from different directions. ‘Just like we practiced. Just like we practiced!’ The combatant had changed, but the overall strategy hadn’t significantly altered. While Simon held the Cyclops off with his skeletons, Dick, Kamibarez, and Mei-rin would all focus on curses. The strategy was to stack Exhaust to the extreme to incapacitate the Cyclops, and then Simon would stab its chest to take it down. But. *Thud!* The Cyclops didn’t bother with the skeletons. It charged like a tank, trampling the skeletons with its body, and immediately approached Simon. “……Huh?” “W-What?” The plan went awry from the start. The Cyclops, with bloodshot eyes, wildly swung its club. *Kwooong!* Simon desperately threw himself aside. The club landed exactly where he had been, shaking the dungeon. “Dick! Why is it doing this?” Kamibarez, who was preparing her curse, asked in a panic. “It’s different from the simulation!” “Is it trying to show us that simulation and reality are different? No, but this is……” Dick bit his lip slightly. ‘It’s as if it’s targeting Simon from the very beginning!’ *Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!* The Cyclops drooled from its mouth and swung its club like mad. Simon had to roll like a ball on the ground to avoid the terrifying onslaught. “Ugh!” His back ached from the uneven stone floor. Simon quickly stood up after dodging all the attacks and extended his right arm. *Tadadak!* A skeleton, having gotten behind the Cyclops, swung its sword and slashed its back. ‘Gah! It’s much tougher than in the simulation!’ Not even a scratch appeared on its skin. Perhaps because it didn’t take much damage, the Cyclops ignored the skeleton again and only attacked Simon. ‘Stay calm.’ Simon’s eyes glinted. ‘Diagonal downward strike.’ Simon bent his two legs and instantly tilted his body sideways. The club sliced through the air directly above where he had tilted. ‘Long-breathed horizontal swing!’ Simon took short steps and moved backward, causing the Cyclops’s attack to miss again. The students watching from above gasped at Simon’s dazzling movements. Of course, Simon himself was having a terrible time. ‘To think that analyzing the Cyclops to help Mei-rin would be used on myself!’ -Woooooah! Just as the excited Cyclops turned around and was about to charge. “Exhaust!” The three people in their set positions finally activated Exhaust. The Cyclops’s movements momentarily slowed, and Simon seized that fleeting moment. Simon, leaping by treading on Jet Black, extended his arm backward. A spear thrown by a skeleton landed directly in Simon’s hand. ‘Chance!’ *Whoosh!* Simon’s spear shot towards the Cyclops’s eye like lightning.
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