The people of the Washburn Mountains loved to talk about the mysterious old castle at the peak. They said that once you entered, you could never leave. That it was filled with terrifying monsters that could overturn the world. That its master was a beautiful woman who had hidden herself away.
The first two rumors were correct. The last one was wrong.
Inside a sulfur bath hazy with steam, a man who appeared to be in his late twenties was soaking. His pale skin, slender body, and long hair might have led one to mistake him for a woman, but he was undoubtedly male. As he tilted his head back, staring blankly at the castle ceiling, the sound of footsteps echoed through the hall.
"All preparations are complete, Lord Magnus."
It was a zombie dressed as a butler, the powerful Jet-Black energy unique to Ancient Undead shimmering around its body.
Magnus turned, his voice languid. "What about entry to Roc Island?"
"The external instructor matter, the headquarters report, and even the БМАТ exam observation have all been blocked. At this point..."
"The Witch of Death has interfered." Magnus smiled with satisfaction, stroking his clean-shaven chin. "She seems to dote on her daughter very much."
"How about we file a formal protest with Kizen Headquarters about the loss of Talaje?" the zombie butler suggested, adjusting his monocle. "Of course, we would also be reprimanded for sending our forces to Roc Island without permission, but..."
"A protest? You want me to go tattling pathetically?" Magnus let out a sharp laugh. "That’s not my style. Besides, they’re all in it together over there. Do you really think they’d risk getting on the bad side of that little girl, Lorraine, who might one day rule the entire headquarters?"
"I-I see. I misspoke."
"What about the items?"
The zombie butler turned and nodded. His subordinates dragged in four monsters bound in iron chains.
"Are these them?"
"Yes."
The monsters were ‘Hardiles,’ a level-four threat. These creatures, reminiscent of saltwater crocodiles, had their mouths bound in several layers of chains, but they had struggled so much that the restraints were already tattered again.
"The БМАТ exam location Kizen is about to use includes the Hardiles’ habitat. I’ve imbued them with a curse that leaves no trace, so they won’t find anything suspicious."
Magnus rose from the sulfur spring, white steam clinging to his body. "Yes, a subordinate died. The debt must be paid properly." He threw a gown over his wet body and turned. "Alaje. Are you there?"
The moment he spoke, the floor writhed, and a flesh-like undead shot upward. [Alaje. Talaje’s enemy. Must retaliate.]
"I know, I know. I’ll make sure Talaje’s enemy is dealt with. Tear off a piece of your flesh and feed it to those monsters."
[I will obey the Legion Commander’s order.]
Dressed in his gown, Magnus sat on the old castle’s throne and picked up a wine glass. "Well then, shall we quietly wait for the news?"
At last, the day of the decisive battle had arrived. The morning of the third БМАТ dawned.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for waiting!" On a large stage set up on the Kizen campus, a man in a flashy outfit holding an amplifying crystal shouted at the top of his lungs. Below the stage, a massive crowd of spectators had gathered. "Thank you so much for coming to observe this third БМАТ! I am Conrad Hayabon, and I will be your host for this third exam as well!"
The crowd roared with fervent cheers. The host responded with a deep bow. "Hahaha! It’s great to see you all! Oh, I see some familiar faces. Wow, ma’am, you’re here again! I heard that even for parents, getting a ticket to the observation is like plucking a star from the sky. You’ve really hit the jackpot! Hahaha!"
After hyping up the atmosphere, the host pulled a script card from his pocket. "Now! I would like to introduce another Kizen professor who will be joining me to provide commentary for this third БМАТ observation!"
He said it casually, but his heart was pounding. ’Not Professor Byulya. Please, not that woman...!’ he prayed earnestly as he looked at the card.
’Huh!’
His face lit up. He wanted to scream with joy, but he restrained himself like a professional. "We have a very distinguished guest joining us for commentary! I would like to introduce the second-in-command of the Kizen campus and the current supervisor for the first-year Class A, Vice-Principal Jane Olivia!"
At the mention of ‘Vice-Principal,’ the crowd went wild. The ’click-clack’ of heels echoed across the stage as a woman with short, restrained hair and an icy impression walked into view.
’I’ve finally escaped Professor Byulya!’ the host thought, running over with a delighted face. "Vice-Principal! This way, please! Hah-haha!"
He politely lowered his posture to guide her, but Jane walked right past him. Left hanging, the host wore an awkward expression as he quickly straightened up.
She walked to the center of the stage and picked up a communication crystal. The audience looked up in anticipation, wondering what the Vice-Principal of Kizen would have to say.
"Lighting team."
That was her first word.
"The mana screen on the side is tilted fifteen degrees to the right. The sunlight is making the audience on the left uncomfortable."
A subordinate from the lighting team started running like a man possessed.
"Sound team. Do I really have to point out something as basic as fully charging the amplifying crystal?"
"The seating arrangement needs to be redone."
"There were more than one or two defective Tonguepads. This is a matter of student safety. The seniors from the planning team, step forward."
As the seniors came up, their faces pale with dread, Jane turned off the amplifying crystal and began to tear into them in a low, cutting voice. She reprimanded them with such flawless logic that they couldn’t even open their mouths to object.
’What’s going on?’
’I have no idea.’
The audience was bewildered.
"V-Vice-Principal! I’m sorry for being late!" the lighting manager stammered, his lips trembling.
Jane coldly rebuked him. "Are you a professional? What were you thinking, setting up the mana lighting like this?"
"I-I-I’m terribly sorry! But we set it up this way for the first and second exams too..."
Flames ignited in her eyes. "Explain to me in detail if there is any reason to repeat the same past mistakes, other than your own inconvenience."
"I-I’m sorry!"
"All of you, report to headquarters after the event. It would be wise to write your reports in advance."
Jane personally directed the changes to the various arrangements. The host, standing behind her, had unknowingly clasped his hands politely, shrunk back, and couldn’t make a peep. ’...This time, it’s a perfectionist?’ It seemed like there wasn’t a single normal person at Kizen.
"I apologize for the inconvenience caused by the organizer’s shortcomings," Jane said, bowing her head to the audience. In truth, the audience hadn’t noticed anything inconvenient, but her aura was so menacing that they decided to just go along with it.
In the end, it was the host’s job to lighten the stiff atmosphere. "Ahem! Hahaha! It seems there was a slight issue, but we will start again! I would like to introduce Vice-Principal Jane—!"
"I am here to commentate in my capacity as a first-year professor. Please use my professor title."
"Ah! Understood! I would like to introduce Professor Jane!"
The audience, looking somewhat dazed, applauded. She picked up the communication crystal and spoke in an extremely solemn and serious voice. "Parents and honored guests who have attended our school’s event, thank you very much. As an institution for training elite necromancers, our school will do its utmost to maximize the students’ capabilities..."
A speech, on top of everything else. Jane didn’t let a single thing slide. After her speech ended, the host, sweating profusely, said, "N-now, Professor Jane! I will show you to your seat!"
The broadcast assistant was already frantically signaling him, making urgent gestures to cut it short. ’As if he wasn’t frozen in fear himself in front of the Vice-Principal.’ Having successfully seated Jane at the commentary desk, the host quickly proceeded with the event.
She seemed displeased with the table setup and was about to call a staff member, but he beat her to the punch.
"Alright, Professor! Could you please explain the third БМАТ for us?"
“Yes. Bring up the main screen.”
At her instruction, the main screen showed a vast ocean.
“The theme for this third test is the sea.”
A murmur went through the crowd. Unlike the students, the audience was hearing this for the first time and reacted with surprise.
“As you know, the sea is the worst possible natural condition for a necromancer,” Jane’s crisp voice rang out across the campus. “Humans cannot choose their desired battlefield or environment. You never know what will happen, and you must be able to fight under any adverse conditions. That is precisely why we chose the sea as the stage for this test.”
“Ahh! That’s incredible! A test in the sea! Does that mean the evaluation for this test will be the students’ swimming skills?”
It was a killer joke meant to lighten the mood, but Jane was glaring at him as if he were an insect.
“...I’m sorry, Professor.”
The announcer himself couldn’t believe it, but he never imagined a day would come when he’d miss Professor Byeolya.
Jane spoke again. “In this test, we will evaluate the students’ responsiveness, adaptability, and creativity in an unfamiliar and difficult environment. As we are short on time, I will now explain the test rules to our distinguished guests.”
The moment she finished speaking, the main screen flickered and changed. It seemed her earlier dressing-down had whipped the staff into shape.
“Please look at the screen.”
The main screen showed the bottom of the sea.
“Have you noticed anything strange?”
At Jane’s question, the audience widened their eyes and stared at the screen. At a casual glance, it was just a blurry, mossy, ordinary seabed. Some people claimed they saw it, while others said they couldn’t. A few even rose from their seats to stare intently.
“Zoom in, please.”
At her words, the screen zoomed in on a specific section. A single coin could be seen embedded in the seafloor, its color so similar to the sand that it was difficult to spot.
“These are the ‘coins’ used in this test,” Jane explained. “The passing criteria for this БМАТ is simple. Collect ten coins from the bottom of the sea.”
“F-From the bottom of the sea?!” the announcer exclaimed.
At that moment, everyone except Jane was thinking the exact same thing: ’This is anything but simple.’
“So it’s a kind of treasure hunt!” the announcer exclaimed.
“A crude analogy, but it will suffice,” Jane replied coolly. “And in this exam, combat between students is permitted.”
All participants would wear protective vests over their swimsuits. Any student who lost consciousness or whose barrier gauge hit zero would be eliminated, losing all their coins and being teleported to a safe zone. They could then re-enter the water after thirty minutes with a fully restored barrier.
“Incredible! This is shaping up to be a fierce competition, Professor!” In stark contrast to Jane’s composure, the passionate announcer’s voice rose, stoking the crowd’s excitement. “It seems we’ll have two groups: students searching the seabed, and students hunting ’them’! In that case, if someone collects ten coins, is the match over for them?”
A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched her lips. “Of course not. That’s where it begins.”
At her command, the main screen fractured into dozens of smaller displays.
“What is all that?” a student gasped.
“A-Are those monsters?”
The screens showed octopus-like monstrosities brandishing dozens of tentacles, colossal stingrays crackling with electricity, and grotesque deep-sea fish with gaping maws on the ocean floor.
“Collecting ten coins is the minimum requirement to pass,” Jane explained, her tone clinical. “Any student who fails to do so within the four-hour time limit will be expelled. Those who succeed must then venture into the wider sea to accumulate points.”
An adjacent screen displayed images of the monsters and their corresponding point values.
“When a monster is eliminated, the Tongpad on the student’s arm will record the points. The student with the most points when the exam ends will be crowned the winner.”
“Aha! I understand perfectly!” the announcer boomed. “Collecting coins is just the entry ticket, but the real ranking is determined by hunting sea monsters! That’s Kizen for you! There’s never an easy exam!” He paused, his expression shifting to one of theatrical horror. “Wait a minute! If a student who has all ten coins is taken down by another student while hunting a monster...”
“Yes,” Jane confirmed, her voice devoid of emotion. “All their coins and points will evaporate. They’ll have to return to square one and collect their coins all over again.”
“Whoa! The risk is unbelievable!”
As the two discussed the rules, a thunderous roar erupted from the audience. The screens now showed all 847 first-year students poised on the starting line above the sea, ready to dive at a moment’s notice.
“Go, Elisa! The hope of Dresden!”
“Go, Yansen! We can’t lose to Dresden!”
“First place is Shatel Maer again!”
“Go, Ivory Tower sisters!”
Cheers echoed across the grounds, especially for the star students. The crowd was finally ready for the show to begin. The announcer shot to his feet.
“Indeed, people are more interesting than stuffy rules! We should talk about the people! So, Professor, who are the students to watch in this sea-themed third БМАТ?”
She answered without a moment’s hesitation. “There are many variables, but students who excel in underwater combat will naturally have an advantage. Elisa, who pilots the ghost ship; Raheim, the Lord of the Snowy Field; and finally...”
“And finally?”
Her head turned. In the center of the screen, a boy was stretching, methodically checking his Bone Armor.

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