The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound
chapter-182

Chapter 182: Random Defense in the Midterm Exam (4)

Tudor recently remembered the duel he almost had with Highbro. He muttered to himself, “That unlucky brat, acting all high and mighty just because he wields a sword. Let’s see what happens next time we cross paths. I might have to put him in his place again.”

“Woah, your lines sounded like a third-rate villain just now,” Bianca remarked, giving Tudor a thumbs up.

It was quite surprising that Tudor and Bianca, who had always been at odds, were now in the same group.

“Do you think we’ll be okay?” Tudor asked.

“Hmm,” Bianca replied with a non-committal shrug.

Figgy and Sancho watched them nervously.

But their worries were in vain.

“All right, let’s work together for once, Bianca,” Tudor said.

“Don’t worry, just focus on your spearmanship, Tudor.”

As soon as the exam began, Tudor and Bianca set aside their personal emotions and became business partners.

The scene in front of them was filled with common darkness, damp soil, creepy fungi, repulsive mucus, foul-smelling eggs, and piles of larvae that squirmed disgustingly.

And through the midst of these, an endless army of ants started pouring in.

Monster wave! It was about to overwhelm the four students.

Ding!

A magical status board appeared before everyone.

[Map: Carnage Ant Colony ‘Impure Anthill’]

Join forces with your comrades to fend off the attacking Carnage Ants!

Time remaining until Phase 1 ends: 19 minutes 59 seconds

Tudor Donquixote

HP: 100/100

Kill Points: 0

Assist Points: 0

Sancho Barataria

HP: 100/100

Kill Points: 0

Assist Points: 0

Bianca Usher

HP: 100/100

Kill Points: 0

Assist Points: 0

Figgy

HP: 100/100

Kill Points: 0

Assist Points: 0

“All right! Shall we set a new record?” Tudor, the most prominent youth from the Donquixote Clan, charged forward while holding a massive spear.

Whoosh!

An aura resembling steam, proving his expertise, emitted a radiant blue light and swirled around him.

Although an Expert’s aura was less dense and had less intensity compared to a Graduator’s Gooey Honey-like (liquid) aura or a Swordmaster’s solid aura, it was the lightest in weight.

In other words, it was the easiest to swing.

Pew, pew, pew, bang!

The aura storm extending from Tudor’s spear shredded the ants in front of them like paper.

Bianca couldn’t help but snicker. “Do you really need to turn ants into confetti? It’s inefficient to waste power you don’t have to use.”

“What? Seriously. Then you give it a try.”

“Of course, I can. Watch and learn.”

As soon as Bianca finished speaking, she released her grip on her arrow.

Fwoosh!

An arrow, seemingly devoid of mana, flew with a bluish trail.

It precisely pierced through the forehead of the ant right in front and continued on to partially lodge itself in the forehead of the ant behind.

Bianca effortlessly killed the ants one by one, delivering just enough damage to ensure a fatal blow.

She hit the right spot every time with her arrow.

An Expert aura carried in her shots pierced through the ants in a straight line, killing them one after the other.

“Oh, feeling a bit cocky, aren’t we?” Tudor quipped.

“Now you see it? Hoho,” Bianca replied, and the two of them exchanged smirks. They were secretly getting along well, like evil buddies.

At that moment, some ants fell from the ceiling, targeting Bianca.

“They dare!” Tudor and Sancho exclaimed.

Massive axes and a sharp spear cut down the ants, protecting Bianca.

Sancho and Figgy had transformed into tanks, standing by Bianca’s side.

Thwack! Crunch! Whack! Squish!

Sancho wielded two axes with immense power, chopping the ants to pieces.

Figgy brandished his longsword, cutting down the ants while issuing orders.

“Tudor, try to get to the corner and unleash your area attacks when the ant formation breaks. Sancho, instead of blocking the central path, draw them further inward! Bianca, target the ants in the middle formation if possible. No need to kill them, focus on their front leg joints!”

Figgy’s orders were precise and sharp, and even Bianca, who didn’t like following others, moved according to his orders with a surprised expression.

“You’re surprisingly good at this,” Tudor commented.

“Hehe, thanks. I did a lot of research to avoid causing any trouble!” Figgy may have had lower combat abilities compared to the others, but his intelligence and diligence made up for it. As a result, Tudor, Sancho, and Bianca were able to hunt more efficiently than ever before.

“See! I told you I’m good, didn’t I?”

“No one ever disagreed with you. Huh!”

Tudor’s spear crushed the ants in the front, and Sancho’s double axes took care of the ants that slipped through.

“Our team’s working quite well, isn’t it?” Bianca observed as she continued to disrupt the ant formation with her arrows, noticeably slowing down the monster wave’s progress.

“Thanks for trusting my orders! I’ll go again. Tudor, widen your area a bit; your spear skills are amazing, so you can cover more ground. Oh, and Sancho, do the same. You’re doing great here, but fighting closer to the corner will be more efficient. Bianca, you’re doing really well, so just keep it up. You all are doing great! Let’s go!” Figgy gave his orders, and everything proceeded swiftly under his command.

Tudor, who had crushed the ants’ exoskeletons at the front, shouted while avoiding the pouring venom. “Hey! We might actually break Vikir’s record if we keep this up!”

In response, Sancho, Figgy, and Bianca each chimed in.

“At this rate, it’s entirely possible! Let’s set a new record!”

“Whew… This is really tough. Vikir must have had it tough too, right?”

“Those guys from Baskerville are so stubborn and tough, it must have been challenging.”

Everyone thought fondly of Vikir, who had fought alongside Baskerville’s triplets.

Time passed. Countless ant corpses piled up, and Tudor, Sancho, and Figgy, who were on the front lines, were now in a precarious state.

Their HP had dwindled to the point where Bianca, who had been the damage dealer, had to step up and act as a tank.

And finally…

[Map: Carnage Ant Colony ‘Impure Anthill’]

Join forces with your comrades to fend off the attacking Carnage Ants!

Time remaining until Phase 1 ends: 0 minutes 8 seconds

Tudor Donquixote

HP: 0/100

Kill Points: 231

Assist Points: 81

Sancho Barataria

HP: 0/100

Kill Points: 189

Assist Points: 94

Bianca Usher

HP: 0/100

Kill Points: 156

Assist Points: 179

Figgy

HP: 0/100

Kill Points: 58

Assist Points: 89

Remaining time: 8 seconds!

They outperformed Vikir’s group by 2 seconds.

After the exam concluded, the total scores were as follows: Tudor 312 points, Sancho 283 points, Bianca 335 points, and Figgy 147 points.

When you add up the kill points and assist points, the total is 1,077 points. If you convert the remaining time of 19 minutes and 52 seconds into 1 point per second, you get a total of 1,192 points. With a total of 2,269 points, they surpassed the previous first-place record of 2,253 points by 16 points. The new record holder!

Tudor, Sancho, Figgy, and Bianca, with their HP partially revealed on their status screens, shouted in exhilaration.

“We’re in first place! Yahoo!”

“Great job, everyone.”

“Is this real? Are we really in first place? Hooray!”

“You’ve all worked hard.”

Tudor, who had the most kills, followed by Sancho, Bianca, who had the highest combined score, and Figgy, the tactical mastermind, had set a fantastic new record, and it seemed like there were no other teams that could surpass it.

Tudor looked at the HP display on his suit and let out a relieved sigh. “It’s fortunate that the shock was quantified as HP. If this had reached 0, it would mean we’d be dead in a real battle.”

His words made everyone realize the terror of a real battle once again.

As they looked back at the number of monsters they had defeated, they assessed their abilities, limitations, and potential for improvement.

“Alright, let’s get out of here!” Figgy shouted, and everyone nodded in agreement.

For first-year students, the exam only consisted of Phase 1. In their second year, they would face Phase 2 with an additional 20 minutes, and in their third year, Phase 3 would add another 20 minutes. Bianca murmured, “Someday, I’ll become a warrior who can endure for an hour, just like President Dolores.”

Tudor, Sancho, and Figgy also nodded in agreement. Soon, they headed towards the dungeon’s exit. They were about to return to the real world as the holographic magic dissipated. The illusionary ant nest would disappear, and the real stadium would reappear. The magical barrier would also be lifted, and the cheers of the audience, just like thunder, would reach their ears.

Tudor, Sancho, Figgy, and Bianca considered how they would respond to the cheers from the spectators.

However…

“Huh?”

“What’s going on?”

“Uh…?”

“Why isn’t it ending?”

Tudor, Sancho, Figgy, and Bianca wore puzzled expressions. Despite the completion of Phase 1 for first-year students, the illusion of the ant nest had not disappeared. Everyone looked at their status screens but found no changes.

1. Tudor Donquixote

HP: 0/100

2. Sancho Panza Barataria

HP: 0/100

3. Usher Pau Bianca

HP: 0/100

4. Figgy

HP: 0/100

All their HP remained the same, and the system displayed “Everyone Retired” to signal the exam’s conclusion. Just then, a new wave of ants began swarming in.

“What’s going on!?”

“Why are they coming back?”

“Wasn’t it over!?”

“Open the door quickly!”

Everyone was perplexed and tried to shake the magical barrier behind them, but there was no response from the outside.

Instead, they saw a message:

[Gurgling…]

It wasn’t just ordinary ants this time. Large-sized soldier ants were swarming in, their bodies coated in armor-like exoskeletons.

“…We’re in trouble,” Tudor muttered as everyone’s faces turned pale.

The giant, armored soldier ants were a sight to behold, and the situation had taken an unexpected turn.

[Ding]

[Phase 1 has concluded.]

[Up to this point, the monsters are for first-year students.]

[Phase 2 has now begun.]

[From this point onward, the monsters are for second-year students.]

This time, they were no longer facing mere worker ants. The inclusion of massive soldier ants signaled a significant escalation in the difficulty of the exam.

“…This is bad.” Tudor, Sancho, Figgy, and Bianca’s faces drained of color.