Chapter 40: The unfortunate one shall overcome this test, on her own…!

Leave a Comment / Level 999 / By IX

As Mil entered the forest, her determination to prove herself resolute, she couldn’t help but be struck by the darkness that enveloped the surroundings. The forest’s interior was as dark as the midnight hour, despite the sunny and bright atmosphere outside. The leaves on the trees acted as a shield, blocking out the sunlight completely. Mil silently marveled at the accuracy of the forest’s name, “Nichi Shirazu,” meaning “unknown to the sun.”

Realizing she couldn’t afford to stand still, Mil immediately activated a spell to create a radiant light near her right shoulder. The gentle glow illuminated the otherwise pitch-black forest, and she noticed faint lights appearing from the right and left as well. It seemed that other students had also used magic to secure a source of light.

With a newfound clarity in the illuminated forest path, Mil took a deep breath and started running with determination. She knew her current location was on the east side of the forest, while the destination lay on the opposite west side. By following the straight path and keeping her eyes on the goal, she believed she could make it.

Drawing her compass from her pocket, Mil ran straight ahead, focusing solely on reaching the destination. The test was straightforward: traverse the Nichi Shirazu Forest from the east side to the west side. With a time limit of three hours and a prohibition on using teleportation magic or leaving the forest without valid reasons, the exam itself wasn’t overly difficult as long as one exercised caution.

Although the forest was said to be home to dangerous beasts and unknown disasters, Mil was confident in her combat skills and believed she could handle any challenges that arose. If there was any concern, it was her own unfortunate disposition, as if she were cursed by the gods themselves.

“Even on my own, I will undoubtedly overcome this test…!”

So far, I’ve relied on Sachi countless times for help. In order to break free from that dependency, I resolved to complete the academy requests on my own and manage to get through them somehow. However, in the end, when it came to joining the Research Club, I found myself relying on Sachi again. I was anxious about entering the Magic Tools Club alone and unconsciously grabbed onto Sachi’s arm. Deep down, I’m still seeking comfort from her.

In the future, Sachi won’t always be by my side, so I have to become capable of overcoming challenges on my own. Otherwise, I won’t stand a chance at becoming a National Mage.

As I reconsidered my resolve while running through the forest, a large shadow suddenly leapt out from the nearby bushes. I instinctively stepped back and focused my attention on the looming figure before me. It was a massive snake adorned in jet-black scales, blending seamlessly into the darkness of the forest.

The colossal snake, larger than a grown man, coiled its long tail like a spring. In an instant, it forcefully kicked the ground and lunged at me with tremendous speed.

“[The Winter’s Arrival—Translucent Ice Pillars—Pierce Through the Fools Enveloped by Heat]—[Frigid Ice Lance Chandel Glace]!”

Swiftly stepping back while completing the incantation, I unleashed my magic. Dozens of colossal ice pillars manifested around me and soared toward the serpent, intercepting its attack. Combined with the force of the serpent’s charge, the ice pillars pierced deeply into its scales.

“Shaa…aa…!”

The obsidian serpent collapsed to the ground, lifeless. Confirming its demise, I let out a small exhale and surveyed my surroundings. If an attack were to suddenly come from the darkness like that, it would undoubtedly catch me off guard. Determining that it would be wise to employ detection magic, I immediately began chanting.

“[The Approaching Shadows—Insect’s Whisper—Expose the Hidden Malice]—[Gust of News Pelfe Alert]!”

This magic activated and sharpened my senses, allowing me to perceive the unique magical resonance often found within magical beasts. With it, I could anticipate the presence of magical beasts that might ambush me from the darkness.

Based on the strength of the creature I just fought, I don’t think there will be any significantly stronger magical beasts. As long as I don’t make any major mistakes, I should be able to traverse the forest without much trouble. However, there was one factor that could lead to such a major mistake, and that was a single thing I possessed.

Just as I was about to resume walking…

“Aah!”

I tripped over a tree root, tumbling clumsily to the ground. With an unfortunate “thud,” the compass I held in my hand flew out and disappeared into the distant darkness. I hurriedly rushed to the direction it went, but there was no sign of the compass anywhere.

“This… This is the worst…”

Losing the compass, which was my lifeline, caused a cold sweat to pour down my face. Without it, I had no idea of the location of the target destination. It was unimaginable to blindly wander through the forest and hope to reach it. I had to recover the compass no matter what, even if it meant wasting a significant portion of the limited time.

“As usual, I’m having no luck, huh?”

I was well aware of my unfortunate disposition. However, this incident made me truly understand that I was an incredibly unlucky girl. Usually, Sachi would be by my side, mitigating the effects of my bad luck. But as soon as I was alone, this is what happened.

Nevertheless, I had no time to be discouraged. I immediately decided to continue searching for the compass. I checked under tree roots, within bushes, and even climbed nearby trees, desperately hoping to find it. But it was nowhere to be found, and my growing sense of panic made me increasingly anxious.

Eventually, around thirty minutes had passed, and I still couldn’t locate the compass I had been provided. I began to fear the worst—failing the exam due to time running out—when…

“Are you looking for this?”

“Huh…?”

Suddenly, a green-haired girl emerged from the darkness. Her disheveled uniform and flashy accessories made her quite the contrasting figure to me. In her hand was the compass I had been searching for nearly thirty minutes.

My heart raced, and for a moment, I felt the urge to leap at it. But I quickly restrained myself. The girl, ostentatiously holding up the compass, wore a mischievous smile and emitted an air of unapproachability.

Sensing the unsettling atmosphere, I broke into a cold sweat and nervously asked:

“Y-you picked it up for me?”

When faced with my trembling question, the green-haired girl’s smile deepened even more.

“I happened to come across it while passing by. It just happened to roll right to my feet. You… you’re having quite the bad luck, aren’t you?”

Bad luck.

I couldn’t help but feel an indescribable uneasiness upon hearing those words. Was it just because I lost the compass that I was being told I had bad luck, or was there something more to it?

“T-thank you for picking it up…”

While expressing my gratitude, as I reached out to receive the compass…

Clatter!

That sound resonated hollowly in my ears. I looked and saw that the compass had disappeared from the green-haired girl’s hand, replaced by scattered fragments of metal at her feet. It was immediately clear to me that those were the remains of the compass I had tried to retrieve. What’s more, I vividly saw the girl raise the compass and slam it onto the ground in front of me.

Stunned, I was rooted to the spot, while the green-haired girl casually brushed back her long hair. A sinister smile etched deeply on her face, she triumphantly declared:

“Here you go, expelled~”

Silent, I trembled as I was met with unmistakable hostility and malice.