A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 90

The professor mentioned that I cannot attack directly and must instead use indirect methods or leverage the opponent’s attacks.

In other words, it means that “subduing” is possible. So, as long as I don’t carry the intent to attack, it’s fine.

It might seem like a cheap trick or a loophole, but they were the ones who set the absurd conditions first.

So, wouldn’t it be fair for me to give them a taste of their own medicine?

‘If they get hurt even worse, the person who pulled this ridiculous stunt will get blamed too.’

Trying to force equity or fairness will only end up burning everything to the ground.

If I had attack rights, I could’ve knocked everyone out equally with a single blow each—fair and square.

But, like just now with the human shield, I have to take a merciless beating before anyone even passes out. This means more people will end up in the hospital.

“Uh, what do we do? The vanguard is down······!”

“Shouldn’t we just run? That guy can’t do anything anyway!”

The rear supporters were in chaos after the vanguard fell (team kill). I watched them flounder from the second floor.

A quick glance suggested there were two mages and one thief class. It would be tough for the thief to hold the front line.

I also pondered how I could easily eliminate them. After witnessing the earlier scene, using a human shield would be difficult.

‘But what happens if I attack directly?’

I’m a little curious. Taking advantage of their confusion, I jumped high into the air.

With a single jump, I easily reached the second floor. Their eyes widened in shock.

“W-What······!”

First, the thief. He reflexively thrust his dagger forward, but I tilted my head slightly to dodge it.

Then, placing my hand on his smooth forehead, I flicked it with a bit of force.

Smack!

“Aaargh!”

Even though it was just a flick, the sound was incredibly satisfying. As soon as the thief was hit, he fell backward, writhing in pain.

Just as I thought even I would feel hurt hearing that sound, a noise came from the bracelet on my left wrist.

[Direct attacks are not allowed. A penalty will be applied.]

At the moment I was about to feel puzzled by the mention of a penalty, I noticed a significant change in my body.

It felt slightly heavier, as though a faint weight had been added. At the same time, mana leaked from the bracelet, disrupting my body.

It seems that if I attack directly, the penalty manifests as my body becoming heavier and my mana being disturbed.

At least I’m not eliminated immediately after attacking. If that were the case, I would’ve raised hell, calling it unfair.

‘For now, it’s not something I need to worry about. I should save it for later.’

Each attack adds weight to my body, not each opponent I take down.

This single ruling is enough to make me tread carefully for the rest of the trial. Otherwise, it’ll be hard to prepare for any contingencies.

“Ugh······”

“··· ···”

The thief lay sprawled on the ground, while the mages were frozen in place. Now that I understood the penalty for attacking, the next step was the judgment.

How far will the judgment allow attacks? For now, it’s clear that I absolutely cannot strike directly.

Then, would it be acceptable to take them down using explosives I looted earlier? That thought crossed my mind as I scanned my surroundings.

Since I’ve been waiting here, I must have collected some items. They should be nearby.

“That.”

“W-What?”

“Give me that.”

The bag was behind the male and female mages. When I pointed at the bag, the two mages exchanged nervous glances.

Then, the male mage slowly moved his hand toward the bag and, in that brief moment, shouted.

“Ignite, oh fire!”

“Pour down, oh water!”

Following the male mage, the female mage chanted her incantation. Fire and water simultaneously poured down above my head.

If I stayed still, I’d take the hit directly. The thief, who had been groaning nearby, suddenly regained his senses and scrambled away.

Crash!

The power of the magic wasn’t particularly strong. However, it wasn’t intended as an offensive spell in the first place.

When fire and water meet, they turn into steam. These spells were meant to create a smoke screen to block my vision.

It seemed they were trying to escape during the confusion. Well, I was being too generous with my words.

But aside from the assassin, the mages lack physical ability.

Immediately, I detected their presence and followed them. It didn’t take long.

“Run fa—ugh!”

First, the thief who had taken my flick. I grabbed the back of his neck as he tried to escape through the window.

The mages had already gone outside, and I could hear their voices muttering something.

To them, it must feel like a horror movie. Like seeing a companion caught by a monster just before escaping.

If it were nighttime, it would’ve felt more realistic, but it’s a shame it’s morning.

Thud!

Pulling the thief back strongly by the neck, I sent him tumbling to the ground. Then, I looked out the window.

Outside the window, I locked eyes with the two mages. As soon as they saw me, fear filled their faces.

I pointed at my eyes with my index and middle fingers, then pointed at them. It was a gesture saying, “See you later.”

The mages bolted in a different direction. Without a vanguard or an assassin, their elimination was only a matter of time.

‘They didn’t even take their bag.’

After glancing at the thief, who was trying to get up, I rummaged through the bag. As expected, there were quite a few good items.

Among them, what I needed most was the explosive. If it hit properly, it wouldn’t just knock someone out—it could cause serious damage.

I wonder if this would count as an attack. I’m a little curious about that.

Grab!

“Urgh?”

You’ve had a tough time, haven’t you? I grabbed the thief by the collar and dragged him along.

For a moment, I thought about shoving a grenade in his mouth and detonating it, but that seemed too cruel.

Of course, since this is a trial, the lethality wouldn’t be high. But even a blank round can cause serious injury at close range.

“Hmm······ Ah!”

A great idea came to mind. But to confirm it, I needed to check the grenade first.

I tightly bound the thief with the rope from the bag to prevent him from escaping. I didn’t know much about tying knots, so I just used brute force.

Click!

Then, I casually tossed the grenade and jumped out the window. Of course, I didn’t forget to grab the bag.

About five seconds later.

Bang!

The sound of the grenade exploding shattered the window. Since it detonated so close, elimination was guaranteed.

What’s important now is the attack judgment. I waited silently for the bracelet’s reaction.

“··· ···”

Thankfully, the bracelet remained quiet. It seems as long as I don’t attack directly, it’s fine.

Then, would forcing someone to fall from above also be acceptable? That’s worth testing as well.

What I needed now was a test subject and Lee Yeonju’s help. Since she could do it too, I just needed to learn from her.

‘They went that way, didn’t they?’

I immediately ran in the direction the mages had fled. With their lack of physical ability, they couldn’t have gone far.

As expected, chasing the mages wasn’t difficult. Subduing them was even easier.

Like a mother cat biting the scruff of her kitten, I went for it. First, the forced fall test.

“Aaaaaaah!”

Thud!

Returning to the windmill, I dropped the male mage from the top. Even if something broke, he should survive.

Moreover, with a forced fall, a protective barrier automatically activates, so it’s fine. Thanks to the barrier, he avoided serious injury this time too.

‘Forced falls aren’t considered attacks.’

That leaves just one thing. I took the trembling female mage, who was paralyzed with fear, back to the team.

Of course, I didn’t forget the items they had looted. There were some pretty decent things.

“Hmm? Oh, Mr. Sivar. You’ve returned······ Who is that person?”

“Test subject.”

“Test subject······?”

When I confidently declared her as a test subject, Grace looked utterly flustered. Then, she glanced at the female mage slumped over my shoulder like luggage.

Too weak to even struggle, the female mage hung limp. Having just witnessed the male mage’s forced fall, she was trembling slightly.

“C-Could you just eliminate me quickly······? T-This person is too cruel······!”

“······What exactly did you do?”

“Defense.”

I really only defended myself. I just used a little trick.

To eliminate someone while only defending, there’s no other way. It’s unavoidable.

“So, should we eliminate this person then?”

“No. Experiment.”

“Experiment?”

“Yes. Yeonju.”

“Yes?”

Lee Yeonju blinked at my call. She looked as if she hadn’t expected me to call her.

Then, I quietly seated the female mage, who would be used as a test subject, on a chair.

Perhaps judging that she had walked deep into the tiger’s den, the female mage didn’t resist and sat still.

“Is it possible?”

“······It’s hard to understand when you cut out all the context.”

“This and this.”

I took out a bomb and various trap devices from my bag. There were more than I had expected.

The key items among them were the bomb, the rope, and a device that made it easy to press a button.

Originally, they were meant for setting traps. And I also intended to set a trap.

“Tie them up like this. Gag them. When you untie them, press the button. Then, boom!”

“··· ···”

“What do you think? Not bad, right?”

Though my explanation was embarrassingly lacking, Lee Yeonju seemed to understand what I was saying.

That’s probably why she could gape in shock with such an appalled expression. For the record, she’s good at making these kinds of traps.

So, she should be able to make the ‘human bomb’ I mentioned. I’m fairly skilled myself, but with her help, it would be much easier.

“So······ what you’re saying, Mr. Sivar······ is that, right? Something only criminals would do······ a human bomb?”

“······Seems like it?”

When Grace asked in a trembling voice, Lee Yeonju nodded as well. That’s exactly what I wanted.

Though it’s a rather ruthless method, what choice do I have without attack rights? For efficiency’s sake, I’ll bear it.

“Absolutely not! Don’t you dare teach him! We’re Academy students, not terrorists!”

“I-I know that! But Mr. Sivar is asking me to······!”

“Still, no! I don’t know who taught you such things, but this goes completely against the Academy’s principles! I’d rather be eliminated!”

It was immediately rejected. I thought it was a decent plan, but it’s a bit disappointing.

Afterward, the female mage was eliminated, and I moved on to another plan. A less ruthless method, of course.

“Mr. Sivar, why don’t you just kidnap them one by one and drop them into other teams? That’s much more gentlemanly.”

“Okay.”

That method doesn’t seem bad either.

******

Meanwhile, the faculty who had been observing the entire situation.

Just like during the survival training, cameras were installed throughout the exam hall, making it easy to monitor.

In fact, there were even more cameras than during the survival training, allowing them to observe every move. Additionally, there were audio devices as well.

“······How about excluding Mr. Sivar from the final exam? Or perhaps changing it to a special event wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

That was Godin’s opinion, who had been watching all the circumstances unfold. It could be considered preferential treatment, but none of the professors could refute it.

After all, what Sivar had shown so far was far beyond their expectations. Starting with his methods of elimination.

“Using bombs is one thing, but deliberately causing a fall was completely unexpected······”

“I told you, his body is absurdly capable, and it’s not that his brain doesn’t work.”

These were the opinions of Marlboro and Yi Yeonhwa. The thought of having to write a written apology already made their vision darken.

Restricting Sivar’s attack rights was meant to ensure fairness and equity, but it had backfired spectacularly.

Had it been fair from the start, they could have reduced the students’ injuries.

“See, I told you it would’ve been better to assign just one opponent. No matter what he does, all we’re hearing are complaints about unfairness.”

Serah pointed out sharply. Instead, this exam only highlighted Sivar’s ruthlessness, creating a counterproductive effect.

When attacks are restricted, there’s no choice but to resort to ruthless methods. It’s a common sense that has applied universally throughout history.

The human bomb Sivar mentioned was likely part of that. The method was atrocious, but in terms of ‘efficiency,’ it was undeniably effective.

Grace had vehemently opposed it, but if attack rights had been granted in the first place, none of this would have happened.

“Who was the one who proposed this in the first place?”

“Professor Delphoi.”

“That guy has been openly disliking Sivar for a while now······”

The system designed to mess with Sivar had backfired on the faculty instead.

With such methods in place, they couldn’t even properly evaluate him. All they learned was that Sivar was highly resourceful.

“If someone obtains the artifact, the story will change. Depending on who gets it, Sivar could also be eliminated.”

“Because then he’d have no choice but to fight?”

“Exactly.”

Only one thing remained. The artifact located at the center.

Marlboro let out a deep sigh as he watched Sivar execute the ‘gift’ strategy.

“Let’s just let him use his body. That’s the best we can do.”

All the faculty members agreed with that opinion.