Mana wiped the dripping beads of sweat off her forehead. The adventurer gulped her last mana potion because she had casted「Sand Barrage」for the fifth time, breaking her personal record. She was tired. No, tired did not account for the tremendous mental exhaustion that came from supporting Ness and Shen while directing orders to Shino continuously for the past hour.

If only I can take a break...

I'll have to give props to my guild leader at the feast tonight...

The onslaught felt neverending.

Every time they killed five, ten more would replace them.

Mana thought how the title of living undead was most befitting for the imps.

One distinguishing feature that differed from the usual adventure was how the corpses would turn into light particles and disappear. She had expected mountains of remains to pile up near the ledge, help hinder the enemy's pathing and movement. An unfortunate miscalculation as this was the Group Simulation Battle.

What the hecking heck is this!?

The amount of imps we have to kill in this mission is double the amount of the usual quest.

What is Doctor Lirin and the Overseer trying to do...?

"Taste this!"

Ness tossed his「Paralysis Grenade」forward.

The result was immediate as dust and carcasses filled the air.

Similarly, Shino's「Intervention」was doing massive work. Each shot reverberated like a mighty clap of thunder, penetrating through huge lines of monsters cleanly.

There was no need to readjust her aim. By positioning herself right above the carriage, Shino's main task was to provide a consistent fire. This worked exceptionally since the imps ran straight towards her line of fire, too frenzied by the radius of Magic Artifact.

Mana was glad she had used the Sniper Rifle. The piercing shots helped reduce the wave immensely. Deep down, the adventurer knew the reason for their long survival was mostly due to the raw power of「Intervention」. It was almost as if Doctor Lirin had purposely prepared the perfect weapon for this mission.

"Shen, how many did you kill so far?"

"Thirty-two."

"Forty-one. Forty-two now. Get on my level."

Hastily gulping the last mana potion, Shen tossed the vial away and rose up to the challenge.

"There's no way I am losing to a chubby boy like you!"

As the glasses boy summoned a torrent of「Firebolt」, a veteran sense flared uneasily inside Mana. It felt familiar. Nan often described this as "Battle Intuition" and to always "trust the sixth sense" above all else. Thus, she called warily out to her teammates.

"Something is happening, be careful."

Hearing the prudence in her tone, the two boys ran back while gazing the enemy somewhat clumsily.

"There better not... be a final boss..."

"I don't think I will be able to handle that... I need water... and mana potions..."

"We ran out. Time to tough it out, boys."

Mana responded while noticing their shaking hands and slouching postures. Bathing under the scorching sun without shade, sweat had thoroughly drenched the boy's school outfit. She knew it was the right call to strip down to her sports gears.

Standing on the far end of the ledge, multiple groups of imps leaped down into the depth of the trenches. With that height, it was practically jumping down a ten-story building. Following their actions were echos of painful screeches and howls. But they still followed one another without hesitation.

Her blonde hair swayed in a drifting hot breeze as they watched uneasily.

"Have you seen anything like this on your past adventures?"

"Never."

"I can't believe they are suiciding. It's a bit scary to watch."

"Victory must be close. I can literally feel it in that wind!"

Only a rough count of thirty imps remained on the ledge. Their dark-red eyes remained keen but indicated no unexpected power spike or random boss surprises. Mana pondered deeply but could not reach a logical conclusion at the suicidality.

Nearing an hour of fighting, she was finally paying the toll of mana fatigue. Despite a seasoned adventurer, not drinking mana potions to replenish herself was a bad decision. She was starting to feel the consequences that were impaired judgment and slower cognitive thinking.

After all, every human body has its limits.

I shouldn't have shared my portion with the others.

Hecking heck, I haven't felt this mentally exhausted in ages.

Screw it!

Mana summoned a sandstone boulder and hurled it forward with the push of her palm. The five imps charging forward were instantly flattened.

"Let's finish the remaining enemies fast and call it a day. I can't wait to gulp down a nice bottle of ice-cold water after this."

"Same here!"

"For water!"

The two boys roared in unison as their morale revived.

"Let's everything we have, Shen!"

"On it, Ness!"

The remaining monsters charged as all the grenades were hurled forward. But one clumsily fell from Ness's fingers, dropping on the ground nearby.

A pause.

Then the two instantly sprang back, faces darkened in realization.

"It won't detonate near you. Remember about the AI protection—"

—But Mana's words did not register. In the midst of the chaotic battle, their logical brain had automatically shut down. Their fear had overwhelmed them.

"Aaaaaa-! It's going to explode!"

"Run away!!"

The two fleed from their positions.

The imps nearby seized the golden opportunity and pounced onto their backs. They swiped with sharp claws and pulled harshly on their short hair while Mana realized the severity of their situation; the frontline had fallen.

"Aaaa! Get this stupid creature off from my shoulder!"

"Use a spell! Hurry... Wait wait, don't attack me!"

Should I use it?

Is now the right time?

Although Mana would have preferred it as a finishing move, this sudden turn of events indicated the utmost danger. One more hesitation would result in the imps overwhelming their defense. The veteran sense inside told her this was the right moment. Thus, she concentrated and yelled urgently.

"Ness, Shen, hold them off for ten seconds. I need time to channel my ultimate!"

"WHAT?! HELP ME GET THIS THING OFF ME PLEASE!"

"WAIT. WHAT ARE YOU DOING MANA?!"

They did not listen to Mana's order at all. Ness and Shen shrieked like a pair of hooligans, bunny-hopping around while struggling to pull the monsters off their body.

THIS IS BAD.

WE WERE SO CLOSE TO WINNING TOO.

One eager imp launched forward, yelling furiously. Its movement was high and fast. Mana widened her eyes, unable to react with any other spells during the channeling.

NO.

I CAN'T STOP IN TIME.

DID I FAIL...?

"「Gale」"

A soft doll-like voice called out behind her, sounding like miracle itself.

The charging monster flew backward and collapsed into the incoming horde of twenty.

With a quick nod, Mana mentally thanked Shino and waved her right hand forward. A wave of gust erupted from her position.

"Ness, Shen. Jump away!"

As the spell incantation came to completion, Mana declared with a mighty voice.

"「Stagmite Chain!」"

A wave of sandy-sharp stalagmites shot forth. From the feet of her position to the mass of enemies, the soft sand darted upward and instantly hardened.

The remaining enemies dropped like butter as the sand retracted.

"A-amazing... As expected of a Platinum-tier..."

"Wow... that spell was absolutely OP."

With a deep sigh of relief, Mana collapsed on her butt. Her heart continued to race rapidly. Thankfully, Ness and Shen managed to dodge the 6th tier spell in time. The only enemies left were still gnawing on their body parts but that was no problem.

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Victory was close.

"Now let's kill these stupid things and the mission should be over."

"Okay, fire the spell carefully, don't burn my outfit—

—The earth rumbled beneath, shaking the ground ominously.

Everyone glanced at each other in total confusion.

Mana knew something life-threating was happening but her legs refused to listen. Casting the 6th tier spell took everything out of her. The adventurer was at her limits, no longer possessing any reservoir of mana and stamina to react.

The ground below cracked and completely ruptured, breaking the surface they stood on.

"Aaaaaaaa!"

"Eeeep!"

"Heeeeeelp!"

They were falling in midair.

Sooner or later, Group A will collapse from the fall — down to the very trap Mana made for the imps.

But a stream of white light instantly immersed their vision.

The four students landed hard on their butts and yelped in confusion. The pain was not severe. As indicated by the flooring with modern black-and-white square patterns, everyone had magically teleported back at the arena. Mana pinched her arm for a reality test.

"Wait what, we are back? I totally forgot we were in a simulation."

"My heart can't stop pounding... ahahahahaha."

The Overseer stood in front of the collapsed students, smiling patiently as he waited for everyone to process the event. Moments of realization. His presence confirmed that their lives were not in real danger.

Group Simulation Battle is such a surreal experience.

I can't believe a "fake battlefield" could be so helpful.

"Welcome back, Group A," The butler nodded and stared at them like a drill sergeant. "Mission was a fail. Cause of death — imps dug through the sand beneath the trenches, which collapsed your defensive position."

"AHHHHHH!!" Mana pounded her foot as soon as her mind connected the dots. "I messed up at the end pretty badly, didn't I?"

"Perhaps. What was your thought process?"

"After the imps was being suicidal, we should have left our position with the carriage. Heck, we could have brought the Magical-Artifact. But since I was doing so much, it slipped out of my mind that desert imps could dig through sand."

"Indeed. You had a window of two minutes."

"In other words, that was the time limit to leave our position and live."

Mana answered the Overseer in a reflective tone, understanding her failures thoroughly.

"Correct. But an exceptional task for fending off thirty waves of imps. That's a total of three hundred imps killed, a personal best record in the history of the F4 class."

Despite his genuine admiration, the sour mood lingered. Not a tinge of happiness filled the air as the Overseer raised his brow. Thus, the guilt inside continued to torment the adventurer's heart.

"My bad everyone," Mana glanced at her teammates and scratched her head sheepishly. "As the leader, the call to move locations was on me."

Instead of hearing positive, reassuring comments like it's okay or we did our best, the three nodded slowly and averted gaze. Defeat was clearly written across their expressions. While everyone had the right to be upset since victory was just one step away, Mana felt a tinge of sadness.

Today, the Platinum-tier adventurer had to shoulder numerous responsibilities. Having to keep track of both her allies and the enemies, it was extremely taxing to focus on the extraneous variables. Typically, the other guildmates would communicate accordingly instead of performing one simple duty like attacking or defending.

But then again, she was a Platinum-tier.

A seasoned adventurer of that level should have carried the team.

I'm such a failure...

Now my teammates don't even want to talk to me.

I can't become Diamond-tier like this.

"There are refreshments prepared in the break room. Doctor Lirin will debrief in five minutes. While everyone rest, I will begin with Group B's mission briefing."

Stepping inside the brilliantly-lit corridor, not a single word was spoken. Everyone trailed behind the Overseer by a single file line.

The aura was unbearable.

It was radically different, especially from how the Moonlit White Cats would react after a quest failure. This sense of failure plagued the back of her mind, gnawing away the pride she had as a Platinum-tier.

As frustration and bitterness washed over Mana, she remembered what Nan said before she left this morning. His words made sense as she trotted last behind Shino. A subtle warmness entered, as if the fatherly figure had already anticipated this outcome.

His words echoed in her mind, like the perfect melody to her aching heart.

It's okay to be impaired.

You don't have to always be at your best.

Whether a fail or success, just give it your all, Miss Mana. We'll celebrate it with your favorite cheesecake with the guildmates tonight~

♦ ♦ ♦

Temple Village.

Near its outskirt was a vast, verdant forest.

Mission briefing indicated the Goblin tribe living in the mysterious woods was planning an invasion, sparking terror throughout the simulation village. The locals requested for immediate assistance from Temple Academy. Thus, Aqua, Onii, Tsuko, and Jan arrayed around Temple Village's wooden fences, interspersed defensively in that order.

The four students did not need to enter the forest as their main priority was to defend against a wave of attacking goblins. Their mission was quite simple — protect Temple Village from its destruction. Thus, any monsters that appeared onto the open grassland were their enemies.

Group Simulation Battle presented itself as a good opportunity.

Onii was curious.

The undercovered Hero-tier wanted to observe his classmates' strength and assess their battle capability. Knowing that these were students who had followed a "traditional-path" of education, he wondered how they differed from adventurers. Despite ranked the lowest class in the university, every student possessed sufficient knowledge, academics, and magic potential.

After all, this was Temple Academy.

The Temple Academy — a prestigious institution for the elite young magicians with potentials.

Above them was the signature shimmering red timer, ticking down by each passing seconds.

♦ ♦ ♦

As the arena completed its materialization, the warm sun shone at its zenith, offering clear vision across the open plains. Beyond the golden meadow, Onii saw an endless stretch of dense and primeval forest. It shrouded in sheer mystery.

In the far distance, the dark woods appeared towering, covered with leafy branches that were overwhelming thick. Because clear sunlight could not shine into the forest's abyss, there was an uneasy feeling that any monsters living inside could be dangerous.

Onii took in a deep breath of "nature".

Through the five senses, he was quite impressed with how real the environment felt. This sort of technological advancement existed beyond the limits of his imagination. If his little sister had declined the Headmaster's invitation, then he would have never experienced a whole new world.

A world of endless possibilities.

Onii watched his teammates checked their items from their「Traveler's Bag」.

Contrary to Group A, they did not gather together as a cohesive unit.

Oh? This is an interesting weapon.

Onii recalled the Sniper Rifle Shino had used, inspiring his heart as he realized the massive potential in mastering Modern Weapons. In stark contrast to「Intervention」, his weapon looked completely modest to the grand design that was the long-range caliber rifle. It lacked the scope, long-thin cylinder and the physical appearance that symbolized devastating power.

If「Intervention」was a mighty sword, then his weapon would be a fine dagger.

This simple L-shaped design reminded Onii of the ranged training back at the Dojo. Particularly, practicing the art of throwing knives and ninja stars at straw dummies for years. But instead of throwing to kill, a simple trigger was all it took to release the projectile in lightning speed.

If I recall correctly, this is a closed-ranged firearm.

This might take some time to get used to.

Onii focused his aim towards a wooden branch in the far distance.

But something felt off.

Perhaps if I use it like I always do.

He tilted his pistol side-ways, almost like how he would launch his throwing knives. Indeed, the position felt much more comfortable. Based on past habit and muscle memory, his left hand had the ranged weapon while the main hand wielded the prized「Katana」, which was approved by Doctor Lirin for Group Simulation Battle.

Umu, this should work.

"Oh my, is that a「Deagle」?" Princess Tsuko greeted him and asked in a curious tone, holding onto her item which was the「Binocular of Predictions」.

"This?"

"Yes," She playfully placed the binocular over her eyes and smiled. "The textbook stated that it's one of the best short-ranged weapons in raw firepower."

"Exactly what I need."

"What do you plan to do? I heard it's difficult to use."

Tsuko had an inscrutable expression behind her gentle face. Seeing her acting this way reminded Onii of his little sister — that this girl was incredibly intelligent and perhaps even a bit mischevious on the inside, that was if he got to know her.

"Since I have the opportunity, I will use it."

"In an examination?" Tsuko raised her brow. "That's like practicing archery when you have no experience in using a bow and arrow. Aren't you a swordsman?"

Onii fired off a shot, cleanly shattering the branch.

"I am."

Tsuko widened her eyes for a brief before nodding slowly.

"That's quite impressive. I imagine the Dojo teaches everything."

"Correct."

As Onii checked his ammunition, the Shui Princess surveyed the field with her binocular and called the other two over.

"Aqua, Jan, I have information about the topography of our environment."

The four gathered in a circle while Tsuko shared information such as weather, temperature, distance to enemy and the amount of area they had to protect. The brevity of the Princess words indicated that she was an experienced strategist, in which Onii finds himself respecting her even more.

"Lastly, I believe Onii should be the frontline while we maintain defensive formation and support him with magic and our items."

"Heh?" Jan furrowed his bushy brow. "No way, we should just take care of our own side."

"Our own side?"

"Yeah, make it simple. Divide this field into fours and each person can protect their own area. This prevents unnecessary complication and everyone can receive the benefit of training."

"Um..." Aqua let out a mouse-like squeak. "My spells are not that powerful against Goblins... I fought them before and it didn't go so well..."

"You'll be fine! It's only a simulation this time."

The village girl went silent, biting her lower lips.

"We are not sure how many Goblins there will be," Tsuko tilted her head and contemplated deeply. "It's possible we might fight against a horde like the imps earlier so a strategy like how Group A did would be ideal."

"Princess, we'll be fine."

"I dislike unnecessary risks," her eyes landed on Onii and sharpened. "What do you think?"

Onii considered the type of monsters Group A fought and their battle outcomes. In the realm of training, he thought how far the instructors actually pushed the Platinum-tier adventurer.

It was possible they might push him to his limits too.

"The likelihood of a horde is possible but unlikely. Compared to imps, Goblins are much more formidable opponents. Which means the more difficult, the less in quantity."

That was the most logical explanation. Otherwise, this would not be a training session but sheer torture for the students who never tasted the reality of battle.

With Doctor Lirin as our teacher, I'm not surprised if she sends in a Goblin Platoon.

Or maybe even a Goblin Commander, if they are pushing the boundaries.

But a Goblin Lord is 99.99% unlikely.

Onii realized that Tsuko was pouting at him. Her left cheek was puffy like a small balloon, reminding him of Amae again.

Did I say something wrong...?

"Onii's deduction sounds logical to me," Jan shrugged nonchalantly and walked to the far right side. "So I'll go deal with my own side and he can be in the center."

Aqua bit her nails while Tsuko stared at him, letting out a sigh of defeat.

"Alright, I shall be here," The Shui Princess walked a few steps right, standing between Jan and Onii. "I'll keep an eye and help if situations call for it. That way, you can focus more on Aqua."

"Y-yes pwease, O-onii."

The village girl sounded absolutely terrified. And she had every right to be. Goblins were terrifying monsters who could kill an unarmed civilian.

"Understood," Onii nodded. "You can rely on me, Aqua."

"I-I'll be in your care."

"And back me up if I need you too," Tsuko chimed in softly.

"I shall be there at once," Unsheathing the top portion of his「Katana」, he smiled confidently. "Trust in me. As your teammate, I will never let my comrade falter."

Tsuko covered her mouth and looked away. But it was obvious she was laughing again. Similar to the meeting, Onii thought his speech was appropriate and even quite cool. After all, that was what the Hero-tier Boba would have said in the given situation.

Did I say something weird again?

Earlier, she was pouting and now she's laughing...

I don't really understand girls at all.

As everyone mentally prepared themselves, Onii carefully aimed the pistol and fired a few more shots at a nearby brush. Five out of seven landed. This was a complete surprise since he had never used this weapon before.

With each shot, the pistol tilts upward sharply from the release of the projectile.

If I remember correctly, this must be the recoil that Doctor Lirin talked about.

Onii practiced his reload meticulously, which took him a couple of minutes on the first try. He had to click a small rectangular button, drop the empty magazine and switch to a new one that was located in his front pouch. This entire process was tedious and too time-consuming by his standard.

I can't rely on my reloading skills in close combat.

And I only have five more magazines left.

I wonder how Shino was able to reload so efficiently.

He looked down at the carefully sheathed blade beside his waistline. With his trusty blade, a group of Goblins meant absolutely nothing. This entire examination alone would not even count as a warm-up. After all, he was an adventurer of Duality who made his debut with Amae by exterminating a Goblin Tribe in a mere three days near the arctic Northern Front.

Compared to fighting against a horde of three hundred Goblins with Amae, the difficulty of this quest barely counted as a tutorial.

I should use this opportunity and try learning a new fighting style.

It would be bad if I were to show a part of my true skills again.

Onii felt a burst of excitement tingling inside his soul. That was because his swordsmanship had already reached its near pinnacle. There was nothing left for him to learn besides practicing daily so his skills would not dull with time.

But with this Modern Weapon, the possibilities were endless.

In fact, learning how to use a gun could overcome the problem of long-range enemies like skeleton archer or necromancers. Now that adventuring came to a hiatus and Amae was a busy bird as a Potential, a pistol could be extremely helpful. It could lead to more "synergy" training session with little sister.

I'm sure this is what she would have wanted for me.

Little sister...

I wonder how you are doing.

I miss you dearly.

"Goblins, up ahead!" A desperate voice cried from the village watchtower as the countdown timer ticked to zero, "Please save us, Temple Academy students!"