Subject Evaluation Test (3)

The first stage of the <Midterm Exam>.
The <Subject Evaluation> exam was typically practical.

But there were always exceptions.

Professor Choi Chae-gul’s <Byproduct Harvest> exam unusually emphasized both written and practical parts.
The score distribution was also 10% higher than other subject evaluations.

‘I heard the Chairman pushed for it.’

Until last year, there wasn’t much difference, but starting this year, they increased the obligation for cadets regarding <Byproduct Harvest>.

I personally agreed with this part.

<Hunters> need to fight well, but they must also know <Butchery> to identify profitable parts.

For that, you have to feel it with your own hands.

Moreover, one had to somewhat understand the struggles of professionals doing such work.

Chairman Yu Neung-hae was well aware that most students were reluctant and looked down on such tasks.

That was likely why she had increased the score weight—to help change their perception, even if just a little.

‘Though I don’t know how effective it will be.’

It was better than doing nothing and just watching.

Anyway, that was enough idle thoughts.

Whirr.

I tilted the butchering knife diagonally in my hand.

‘First, it’s best to burn off all the fur.’

Activating [Burning Flames] on the blade, I raised the temperature appropriately.

Whoosh!
Swoosh, swoosh!

After a few swipes, the fur of the <Hoofed Goat> was completely removed.

‘Perhaps Ju Na-young is doing something similar right now.’

Since this was something she was familiar with, she was likely enjoying it and joking around.

I burned all the fur and inspected the heel of the <Hoofed Goat>.

It didn’t seem to be one of the rare cases where a mana stone was embedded.

‘In that case…’

The priority should be the heart.

I slowly and meticulously skinned it, extracted the innards, and pulled out the heart attached to the rear.

As I placed it into the prepared container beside me, the blood was swiftly drained and sealed.

‘The rest of the parts, slowly…’

Naturally, the Butchery knowledge taught by Meowi came to mind.

This soon gave wings to my already quick <Butchery>.

An unexpected level-up and acquisition reward.

Thanks to it, the <Hoofed Goat> was completed in just 20 minutes.

“Whew…”

I stood up, cleaned off all the blood and debris, and moved to the room next door.

The total time given for the <Byproduct Harvest> practical exam was two hours.

Each cadet was assigned two types of monsters.

‘I wonder what will come out.’

As it was generally accepted that the second monster was harder, it wouldn’t be as easily resolved as the <Hoofed Goat>.

Entering the private room like that.

In the center of the room lay an anaconda with a greenish hue.

“…Huh?”

It was a creature I’d seen before.

“Isn’t this the <Granbell Cobra>?”

Four weeks into the <Mandatory Training>.
The memory of fighting against the massive disaster known as the <Twin Headed Troll>.
And the C-grade dungeon <Swamp of Deep Mire> where the troll appeared.

This creature was the <Mid-Boss> that spawned there with a 100% probability.

‘I remember…’

It was the one that unluckily appeared before us and blocked our way.

I never thought I would see it again in this way.

But…

‘Isn’t it a bit smaller?’

I looked around and realized it was a juvenile, not an adult.
Well, thinking about it, it was obvious.
No matter how great the <Gonis Hunter Academy> was, having dozens of mid-boss level monsters was impossible.

‘Shall we begin?’

With a somewhat light heart, I wielded the butchery knife.

An opponent I’d defeated once before.

That was probably why I was careless.

Thud!
Drip…

“Huh?”

Did I stab the guts wrong? Black liquid started to drip.

Soon, with the strong smell reaching my nose, I realized I had hit the poison sac.

‘Shit!’

I was naturally flustered.

As far as I knew, the <Granbell Cobra> was a monster with no venom at all.

‘…Ah!’

Then, a piece of trivial knowledge suddenly flashed through my mind.

That’s right. I had read about it in a book.

The <Granbell Cobra> uniquely possessed deadly venom during its growth phase, which disappeared upon reaching maturity.

‘It certainly grows by using venom as nourishment, right?’

When it was young, its stats were weak, so it relied on venom for hunting.

But once mature, it had enough to convert the venom in its body into a form of energy, achieving explosive growth.

I instinctively realized.

What Professor Choi Chae-gul had most discerningly prepared was precisely this creature.

There was a reason why the faces of my classmates who entered earlier were ashen.

‘…Stay calm.’

I exhaled and controlled my breathing.

I hurried.

Even though quite a bit would be discarded due to the poison.

If I remained composed and handled it carefully, I could still salvage good materials.

I put down the butcher’s knife.

In a state this messy, it was better to tear it apart with my hands.

Grab.

Sizzle…

“Ugh.”

A subtle heat was felt through my grip.
It was as if my skin was burning.

As I tore them off one by one, I salvaged all the parts I could.

‘The problem is the area affected by the poison…’

Normally, I would have to give up, but a brilliant idea suddenly came to mind.

After all, poison was ultimately a liquid.
When it came to liquid, it usually meant water.

‘Then, couldn’t I control it too?’

With a mindset of having nothing to lose, I closed my eyes.

Utilizing the minimum amount of magic, I employed the powerful Epic grade skill I had recently acquired.

[Rising Dragon Tidal Wave] was cast.

A special effect that rapidly increases understanding and talent regarding water manifested.

This was soon proven by the poison bubbling up like beads from the corpse.

Wow, damn…

“This actually works?”

After a while.

A liquid the size of a fist, mixed with poison and blood, formed a sphere in my hand.

I thought that maybe <Sea Dragon> used poison in a similar way, as I inspected the area where the poison had completely drained.

‘Great!’

This should be enough to aim for the upper ranks, if not a perfect score.

As I stepped outside, the group who had finished their tests was waiting for me.

“Meow~ Seha!”

The angelic Meowi came rushing at me with a “Meow!”

I immediately hugged her and, for the first time in a while, stretched her soft, chewy cheeks.

Hmm. They’re plump and smooth; it seems she’s been eating well.

“Meeoooww. Meooooow…”
“Hehe…”

Next was Moon Bora…

“Hmph~”

Hmm, well…

Judging by her confident look that said, ‘Go ahead, ask me?’ it seemed she performed well, as expected of an elite.

Surprisingly, Ju Na-young’s expression was also quite positive.

“Yong-aaah… Yu Seha! I might have scored higher on the test this time!”

Oh, really?
Even bragging?
And with a Yong-aaah…

I let out a small chuckle, slightly incredulous.

Still, it seemed everyone did well, so I was in a good mood.

“Meow~ Seha. I’m hungry.”
“Really? Then shall we go for a meal?”
“Seha. Of course, it’s there, right?”
“Of course, it’s there.”
“Yong-aaah… again?”

I nodded towards Ju Na-young, who looked at me with a fed-up expression.

“Let’s just go eat some soup.”

The second day after the <Byproduct Harvest> exam had ended.

“Then, let’s begin the test now. Everyone, do your best.”

With a bright smile, Bong Mi-chun handed out the test papers one by one.

‘Ugh…’

However, unlike the usual method, the content of the questions was quite brutal.

‘Wow, insane… this was all subtly mentioned during the class?’

Indeed…

It seemed there was a good reason why the 2nd- and 3rd-year seniors said this was the real hidden challenge.

―…Meow, meow, meow, meow! Meow!!! No matter how it’s an exam, Professor Bong Mi-chun’s questions are just too brutal. One wrong move, and I nearly failed!
―…Professor Bong Mi-chun? Ah, I remember. It was during my freshman year when I was still inexperienced. It was the subject where I got my first failing grade. I truly resented the professor back then. It was indeed a regrettable matter. I hope Junior Yu Seha does not follow the same regrettable process as I did…

“Ugh.”

I did my best to rack my brain and solve the problem.

It was more difficult than I imagined. I got stuck several times, but every time that happened, the ‘Petite Moon Bora’ in my mind was a great help.

―Seha, do you see page 19 here? There’s something Professor Bong Mi-chun mentioned casually, saying, ‘Come to think of it, I’ve experienced it too…’ I think this part might appear on the exam.
―Seha, look closely at page 40. There’s a description of the <Cockatrice>. If you read it, you’ll find a part about the face of a chicken and a snake. There’s a high probability that the explanation of which side takes dominance will come from here. The <Cockatrice> basically has the chicken head in control. On the other hand, detection or petrification attacks are functions of the snake head. Study this part carefully as well.

‘Wow, really…’

This was truly astonishing.

Without exaggeration, everything Moon Bora mentioned appeared on the exam.

Once again, I offered my gratitude to her.

Thanks to BoraBora, I was able to finish Bong Mi-chun’s <Information of Monsters and Their Ancient History> exam with a better score than expected.

“Now, let’s start the exam.”

The female professor with sharp triangular glasses concluded her remarks succinctly.

It was the meticulous Professor Strict, responsible for the [Composition of Strategy and Command System] class.

‘Good.’

With Professor Strict’s exam over, the only ones left were Cha Yeo-ju and Peng Jin-ah’s <Basic Swordsmanship> practical exams.

In essence, this was practically the last written exam.

‘No more cramming until my head splits open!’

I thought I was finally being freed from the tedious textbooks and workbooks.

Therefore, I gave my all to this written exam.

I started solving it as soon as I received the test paper.

‘It’s going smoothly.’

Honestly, even if I hadn’t studied for the <Strategy> exam, I was confident in getting a high score.

Because, well, it was such an easy subject for me.

‘Even if I look like this, I’m a 6-year veteran old-timer in this. That’s it.’

Frankly, it would be stranger if I couldn’t solve it.

Most of the questions were about strategic arrangements that one might expect to see in ‘GAL.’

There were a few ambiguous ones, but with [Unwavering Insight], I steadied my mind and examined them closely. I was confident about what was closer to the correct answer.

‘Oh, that’s nice.’

Leveling up while I was at it.
Before I knew it, the level of [Unwavering Insight] had reached 9.

‘In my experience, something tends to happen when it hits 10.’

Nodding in satisfaction, I tackled each one diligently as if breaking them down.

I had solved about half of them.

Suddenly, a blue aura began to shimmer on the test paper.

I felt that the inevitable had come, and inserted the test paper into the slot next to the desk.

Swish!

Blue aura.
The spell spread momentarily.
In front of my eyes, a small <Virtual Field> was updated.

They were quite familiar.

‘Those I solved outside.’

Commonly known as the manifestation of a <Strategic Simulation> magic tool.

Professor Strict’s written exam was structured so that from halfway, you solve it by directly moving your hands.

In effect, the written test included practical strategy command.

Certainly, it was difficult enough to make cadets click their tongues.

‘Of course, not for me.’

I clicked on the first question right away.

In an instant, terrain appeared, displaying the environment, weather, and structures.

The next group of four <Hunters> in need of assistance was arranged like chess pieces.

Finally, obstacles ahead, the entities to be defeated, about 20 orcs, were summoned.

A grin spread across my face.

Oh, so this is how they’re testing us?

‘First…’

The tank, who would steadfastly perform on the front lines…

I set it aside in a corner.

The priest, who draws the most aggro, was placed in the most dangerous spot.

As if waiting, the orcs rushed toward the priest with a menacing force.

―Uh, ugh!!! Oh, God, what a cruel arrangement!

The priest, caught in a group beating, screamed, but I didn’t care.

While the priest was holding on by healing himself, the other three were successively annihilating the orcs.

I was convinced.

This was indeed the correct answer.

‘This is precisely…’

It was a strategy that yielded good results with the least sacrifice.