The next day, the morning of the practical evaluation finally arrived.
The students of Class A were riding in a carriage, heading towards the underground dungeon.
"Isn't it amazing?" Kamibarez said, gazing out the window of the carriage.
"I can't believe there are so many dungeons and ruins gathered on this small Rock Island..."
Dik shrugged his shoulders.
"From what I've heard, it seems that Lady Nephthys is a collector. When she discovers ancient ruins, she moves them entirely to Rock Island."
"Wow! She moves the ruins completely?" Dik and Kamibarez chattered away, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere, but Simon and Meilin remained silent until they arrived at the dungeon.
"Alright, we have arrived! Everyone, get off!" Finally, the carriages stopped, and the students disembarked.
The lively chatter of the students, who had been excited before the practical evaluation, turned to silence as they noticed Meilin getting off the carriage with crutches.
"... We're doomed. Those guys."
"Isn't she part of the expedition team? I heard she got hurt," the students murmured.
"If the expedition member is in that condition, there's no hope. Everything is messed up from the start to the end."
"That's a gain for us."
"Shh! Shh! Hey, keep your voice down!" Ignoring the whispers, Meilin walked steadily forward, followed by the members of Team 7.
The underground dungeon of Kijen was a kind of massive prison where monsters captured from the continent were kept.
It was said that not only monsters but also the most terrible criminals from the continent were locked in the lowest levels of the dungeon.
As they walked with the instructor, the students looked around with fearful expressions.
Horrific screams and monstrous roars echoed from all directions.
"I've heard unverified rumors, but they say that at the very bottom of this dungeon, an 'angel' is chained and sealed," Dik said, causing Kamibarez to shudder.
"Don't scare me! Where would an angel exist in this world?"
"Hehe, do you think there wouldn't be an angel just because there are demons?" Fortunately, they didn't go too deep into the dungeon.
Their destination was a place surrounded by walls made of carved rock bricks.
Just like in the training room, a mana projector was installed on the ceiling.
"This way."
Upon entering, Jane and the instructors who had arrived first were waiting for them.
It was Jane's first class after the student protection period, and everyone stood up with tense faces.
She opened her mouth.
"Attention."
"Attention!"
"In the morning, we will conduct practical evaluations for Teams 1 through 8. Once you enter the dungeon, you will face a living Cyclops."
The instructors walked around, handing out paperwork and pens to the students.
The life waiver form that Jane had mentioned in the first class stated that they would not hold Kijen responsible for any incidents that occurred inside the dungeon.
"Of course, if your life is more precious than anything else, you may leave the waiver and exit."
They had all been prepared for this since entering Kijen.
All the students signed the waiver, and the instructors distributed training uniforms.
"Let me reiterate, there are three cases in which the practical evaluation will be halted: if an expedition member becomes unable to fight, if any member raises their hand to declare withdrawal, and if the professor or safety officer deems further combat impossible. The safety officer will be Agent Andrew, dispatched from Kijen headquarters, who will be working hard for us."
A man, heavily armed with various equipment, stood next to Jane and bowed his head.
He had a very taciturn expression.
"Now, we will begin the practical evaluation for Team 1."
Team 1 remained in place while the other members were guided to the upper floor's room.
It was a space for resting, resembling a waiting room, but one wall was transparent like glass, allowing them to look down at the other teams fighting.
"Is that a real Cyclops?!"
"The scale is no joke."
"I never believed it would be real until the end."
"What are we going to do...?" The waiting room was bustling with students watching the Cyclops, but Simon and his group had no time to leisurely observe the battles of other teams.
The four of them settled in a quiet corner and discussed their plans.
"Come on, come on! Let's lighten the mood! We still have a chance!" Dik clapped his hands, leading the meeting.
Everyone exchanged serious opinions.
Occasionally, cheers and screams from students echoed around them.
They could tell which teams had won and which had failed.
As expected, Hector from Team 3 succeeded in the hunt.
Time flowed faster than light, and finally, "Team 7, step forward."
Without realizing how one or two hours had passed, it was already Team 7's turn.
All members of Team 7 followed the instructor down.
The students, who had been quiet until Meilin descended, soon rushed to the transparent wall.
"Meilin hurt her leg, but it seems she's planning to continue."
"Is that even allowed? The doctor must have put restrictions on her."
"Uh... wait a minute!" Someone pointed at one side of the wall.
Simon was wearing the protective vest that expedition members used.
"It's Simon! Simon Polentia has been changed to an expedition member!"
"Is he going to be okay?"
"Of course not! They've been relying on Meilin's Dark Flare all this time. This completely ruins the plan."
"But how can a summoning student catch a Cyclops?"
"Maybe he just wants to show that he’s trying his best until the end."
Just then, Hector, who was sitting with two seats to himself, narrowed his eyes sharply.
"Simon Polentia is an expedition member?"
"Y-yeah, that's what they say," a male student from Hector's faction said with a forced smile.
"Isn't he the one you've been keeping an eye on? Don't you want to see?"
"......"
Hector closed his eyes without answering.
"Huuh."
Simon took a deep breath to calm his trembling heart.
As he put on the vest, the barrier gauge appeared from the mana projector on the ceiling.
If this gauge reached 0%, the expedition member would automatically be declared 'unable to fight,' and the test would be immediately halted.
Behind Simon stood Dik, Meilin, and Kamibarez, each taking their positions.
Fortunately, Meilin had persuaded the doctor to allow her to play a support role without moving from her spot.
"Nothing much will change," Simon said, looking back at his teammates.
"Even if the situation has changed a bit, what we’ve worked for won’t go away. Let’s do our best until the end."
The three nodded in agreement.
Meilin, who had been dazed for a while, seemed to regain her focus as the practical evaluation began, her expression turning serious.
Safety officer Andrew looked at his wristwatch and said, "Next Cyclops. Please let it in."
With a rumble, the dungeon's iron gate rose.
In the darkness where nothing was visible, a real Cyclops, chained, revealed itself.
Four guardians struggled to pull the chains, guiding the Cyclops's steps.
Gulp.
As Simon faced the monster, a dry swallow escaped his lips.
Its appearance was just as he had seen in simulations, but the reality was definitely something different.
A foul smell pierced his nose, and unpleasant breathing sounds came irregularly.
His heart raced with tension.
Imagining encountering such a creature in the mountains... it was terrifying.
Above the Cyclops's head floated a pitch-black magic circle.
The creature's pupils were dilated due to the curse of that magic circle, but the moment the curse was lifted, it would regain its senses and attack the opponent in front of it.
Click! Click! The guardians removed the iron chains and hurriedly fled the dungeon.
-Then, we will now begin the practical evaluation for Team 7. Jane's voice echoed from the ceiling. -There’s no need to push yourselves.
If you feel that you absolutely cannot continue, anyone can raise their hand to request a halt to the test.
"Yes! Professor!" The safety officer Andrew also became invisible at some point.
Now, only the four members of Team 7 and the Cyclops remained in this space.
-The curse is lifted.
The test begins.
The magic circle floating above the Cyclops's head shattered with a loud bang.
At the same time, the monster's eyes, which had been unfocused, suddenly regained their sharpness.
-Kruuuuuuuuuuu! The Cyclops let out a massive roar.
The pressure alone felt like it could blow Simon away.
"Simon! Focus!" The battle began immediately.
Simon pulled an imaginary lever, summoning skeletons.
Three skeletons armed with weapons rushed out in different directions.
'Just like we practiced.
Let’s stick to the plan!' Although the expedition member had changed, the framework of their strategy remained largely the same.
While Simon held off with the skeletons, Dik, Kamibarez, and Meilin would all go for the curse.
They planned to stack the Exgest to the limit to incapacitate the Cyclops, and Simon would stab it in the solar plexus to take it down.
However.
Bang! The Cyclops ignored the skeletons.
It charged like a tank, crushing the skeletons with its body, and immediately approached Simon.
"... Huh?"
"W-what's going on?" The plan was already falling apart from the start.
The Cyclops, with blood vessels bursting in its red eyes, swung its club wildly.
Kuuuuuuuuuu! Simon hurriedly dodged.
The club fell where he had just been, shaking the dungeon.
"Dik! What's happening?" Kamibarez, who was preparing the curse, asked in panic.
"This is different from the simulation!"
"Do you want to show that reality is different from the simulation? No, but this is...."
Dik bit his lip. 'It feels like it's been targeting Simon from the very beginning!'
Bang! Bang! Bang! The Cyclops, drooling, swung its club wildly.
Simon had to roll on the ground like a ball to avoid the deadly onslaught.
"Ugh!" The uneven stone floor hurt his back.
After dodging all the attacks, Simon quickly got up and stretched out his right arm.
Tap tap! A skeleton that had caught the Cyclops's back swung its sword, slashing its back.
'Gah! It's much tougher than in the simulation!' Not even a scratch appeared on its skin.
Perhaps because it didn’t take significant damage, the Cyclops ignored the skeletons again and focused solely on Simon.
'Stay calm.' Simon's eyes sparkled. 'Diagonal slash.'
Bending his legs, Simon momentarily tilted his body to the side.
The club passed right above him, missing its target.
'Long breath, horizontal swing!' As Simon stepped back, the Cyclops's attack missed again.
The students watching from above gasped at Simon's dazzling movements.
Of course, for Simon himself, it felt like he was on the brink of death.
'Who would have thought that analyzing the Cyclops to help Meilin would come in handy for me!'
-Wooooo! The excited Cyclops turned around, trying to charge again when...
"Exgest!" The three standing in set positions finally activated Exgest.
The Cyclops's movements slowed down for a moment, and in that fleeting moment, Simon seized the opportunity.
Leaping off the pitch-black ground, Simon extended his arm back.
The spear thrown by the skeleton landed right in Simon's hand.
'Chance!' Whoosh! Simon's spear shot towards the Cyclops's eye like lightning.