ch41-ch60 · 053-ch53

Chapter 53: Hunter Exam 5

As we approached the shopping mall, my detection picked up many 'reactions.'

"There are quite a lot of goblins here..."

"Should I take them out?"

"No, keep going after just the groups I point out."

Lumiel nodded at my words.

That area clearly had an abnormal number of enemies. A considerable number of civilians waiting for rescue, too. The Association must have set it up intentionally — a high-risk, high-reward test site for those approaching the passing mark.

"Do you think we can handle it?"

Mizuki-san asked me with an anxious look.

I didn't know if it was because this was a test, but the fact that she, with no means to defeat enemies, had 'no hesitation' about heading into a death trap was honestly impressive.

She looked anxious, but she was steady at the core.

Was this what they called 'Hunter aptitude'?

"Hah! If there are voices calling for help, you rush in despite the danger. That's what a Hunter is!"

Ponta laughed dramatically.

His enthusiasm alone was like a proper Hunter.

"More importantly, you!"

"?"

Ponta looked at me with a dissatisfied face and shouted.

"How the hell do you know the number of enemies and civilians! That doesn't make sense, there's no explanation!"

Hmm, that's a fair question.

If this exam determines pass/fail, I guess I could spill the beans... but then I'd have to explain why I have multiple abilities.

"Well, let's just leave it for now."

I really don't want to keep secrets from my teammates. So for now, the best I can do is get them as close to passing as possible. I'll explain my powers after the exam.

"I'm not satisfied with that!!"

"Look, we've arrived at the mall."

And so, we reached our destination.

I immediately started checking the map and scanning.

"Oh? Other three-man cells are here too."

"What! Did they beat us to it!?"

"They did, but looking at their movements..."

From the reactions, multiple teams were inside the mall, and whether driven by hunger for credit or not, they were operating without cooperating with each other.

We were currently at the entrance area on the first floor.

I took a look around the interior.

'(If they fight too flashily, this whole place is going to collapse.)'

The building was so badly damaged that going to the upper floors was daunting.

From the collapsed grand atrium, the grating cries of countless goblins echoed, along with pained groans leaking from the piles of rubble.

"—Found them! Prey!"

"!"

I shifted my gaze toward the voice. In front of a broken escalator, there were examinees chasing a fleeing goblin.

"Hey, take it down with magic before we lose it!"

"I'm gonna be a Hunter, I'm gonna be a Hunter... mumble mumble..."

Like customers swarming a bargain sale, the examinees charged forward with weapons raised.

Wait, there are civilian reactions buried under the rubble too.

You're kidding? They didn't even check their surroundings before using magic?

"Stop! If you do that —"

My voice didn't reach them.

As they flashily unleashed magic, they caused more rubble to collapse while somehow managing to defeat the goblins.

"Finally got two!"

"What's the passing line!? We still need to take down more, right...?"

These guys don't even have rescue on their minds. They're not seeing the monsters as 'enemies' — they're just points to pass the test.

"They're insanely obsessed with points. Probably haven't gotten much credit at all before coming here."

Judging by how desperate they looked, that was almost certainly it.

They'd probably keep that up the whole time inside the mall — spotting enemies and poking at them.

"Lumiel, Mizuki-san, Ponta, change of plans. We prioritize rescue. Those guys will gather the goblins for us."

The more magic they blasted, the more monster reactions would be drawn from deeper in the mall. They were literally 'bait.'

Mizuki-san, understanding the implication of my words, wore a complicated expression.

"Isn't that..."

"I know what you mean. But if they pass because we helped them, they might cause that kind of damage in reality. And when that happens, we probably won't be there."

The civilian reactions under the rubble were already gone.

They'd ended lives that could have been saved, with their own hands no less. And they didn't even realize it.

"Civilian reaction to the southeast. Under that rubble!"

Screw the simulation or the exam.

If there are lives to save, we save them thoroughly.

"Ponta, help clear the rubble. Mizuki-san, handle post-rescue care. Lumiel, stay on standby and conserve your strength for now."

"Yes!"

"This is a hundred times better than being bait!!!"

Me and Ponta put our hands on the rubble and pushed.

"Heave-ho...!!"

With a deep rumble that resonated in our guts, the massive concrete slab rose up.

From the gap, a dust-covered family crawled out, supporting each other's bodies.

"Take my hand! I'll heal your wounds!"

Mizuki-san's cry rang out. That was when —

A grating, ominous metallic shriek rained down from above.

Looking up, the third-floor scaffolding, already half-destroyed, was giving way under its own weight and beginning to collapse. A massive chunk of rubble was falling directly toward the family that had just escaped.

"Watch —"

Before my shout could finish, something moved faster.

"Oryaa!!"

None of his usual attitude remained. Ponta dropped to one knee, wrapping himself around the child, crossing both arms above his head.

His entire body turned a dull silver, and at the same time, the concrete block struck Ponta's back with a thunderous roar.

A tremendous shockwave blasted the surrounding dust away.

"Ponta!!"

I screamed without thinking.

"...Is that all you got!?"

From within the dust cloud, a harsh voice rang out.

An instant later, Ponta emerged, blowing the rubble away.

"No effect, no effect!! I win the strength contest!"

Shouting that, Ponta held the unharmed child in his arms, grinning fearlessly.

This guy... that's actually pretty cool.

"'Flame, bring healing!'"

Flames enveloped the weakened people.

Small wounds closed instantly, and even the severe injuries were visibly recovering.

"Can you walk?"

When I called out, the man who seemed to be the father nodded weakly. I nodded back and pointed toward the exit.

"Let's go out together. Is your whole family here?"

"Yeah, this is everyone."

"That's good. It's all right, once we're outside, you'll be safe."

I put my arm around the father's shoulders and guided him outside. No monster reactions in my detection range. Let's just get out.

"Thank you ——"

With those words, the people we'd saved disappeared. It seemed that simply getting them out of the mall counted as a rescue.

"Whooaa, rescue successful!!!"

"We did it, Maeda-san!"

This should add points to our team.

Let's keep up the pace and rescue more.

"There are still plenty of reactions. Same division of roles as before — let's save as many as we can."

"Yes!" "Stop ordering me around!!"

◇◆◇◆◇

Meanwhile, at the center of the mall, a scene of chaos and carnage was unfolding.

"Gyaaaa!? What the hell, their numbers are growing!"

"There are individuals that magic doesn't work on!? Someone help!"

The examinees screamed in panic.

They were reaping what they'd sown by treating goblins as nothing more than 'points.'

"Ah, aah... aaaaaah...!!"

An examinee who had been chasing monsters until moments ago went weak in the knees, crawling backward as his breath grew ragged.

Before him stood a reddish-black goblin, three times the size of a normal one.

At its feet, another examinee who was already combat-incapable lay carelessly discarded.

"What the hell is that thing."

"I know what that is... it's an Ogre."

An Ogre. A monster classified as A-Rank difficulty.

A monster the Association had placed to test the examinees' 'judgment.'

With a single careless swing of its heavy iron club, the nearby store shutters crumpled. The sheer wind pressure alone sent the surrounding examinees flying like leaves.

"GUOOOOOOH!!!"

The monsters they'd thought of as prey for earning points had transformed into predators, now trampling them underfoot.