NOVPUB[Translator - Ramen]
[Proofreader - Artethrax]
Chapter 271
What Simon did was the definition of unconventional.
Not only did he defeat a 100,000-point monster, the monster duke, but he also used the deimos' Alpha ability to drive a swarm of sea monsters to sweep the waters of the outer sea for prey. He wiped out literally any monster that came across to him.
Of course, under the standard summon rules that apply to necromancer tests, any monsters hunted using the monsters he controlled with Alpha were credited as his points.
Now, there were not even corpses remaining where Simon passed.
And so, Simon managed to more than double his already impossible score. Considering that second place was now at around 10,000 points, the gap was truly overwhelming.
However, he was reaching the limits of his mental strength.
Thinking he'd earned enough points, he deactivated Alpha and wandered around the water surface.
Then, he spotted a small, secluded island.
'I should hide there and rest until the test is over.'
Simon glided across the water and made it safely to the island.
"Well done, deimos."
He stroked the whale on the head and returned it into the subspace. Then, he walked up onto the deserted island, his footprints marring the otherwise empty beach.
It was a small island, and it seemed like no one was around.
Occasionally, he saw a fat little bird that seemed to live on the island, but it didn't seem to be aggressive toward humans. In fact, it curiously watched Simon with his overly large eyes, making him chuckle a little.
"I'm gonna pass out."
Simon leaned back against a nearby rock and let out a long breath.
Having been in 'Compello' and straining his mind for so long, he was struggling to maintain consciousness. Of course, it would be a big problem if he did pass out and fail.
'I can't even sleep because that would count as falling unconscious…'
It seemed like a dream that he had just led tens of thousands of marine creatures in a fight against the monster duke.
Simon checked the tongue pad on his arm.
1st place - Simon: 223,500 points
As expected, the numbers didn't lie. There was a 210,000 point gap between him and Elissa, who was currently in second place with around 10,000 points.
Simon laughed mischievously and looked up at the blue sky in satisfaction.
'I got first place again, Father!'
There was less than an hour left in the test. If he could hold out and defend his points, he would win.
Simon looked up at the blue sky and let himself get lost in thought.
* * *
Splash. Splash.
Hector, covered in corpse dragon scales, was just getting out of the sea seething with rage. His eyes were filled with fatigue.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
Everything he had planned had gone wrong.
It was good that he surpassed Elissa—who was favored to win—after upping his pace. That plan went smoothly.
However, all of a sudden, Simon Polentia burst out of the top 10 and took first place with a ridiculous 100,000 points!
The moment he discovered that, Hector exploded with anger and went back into the water despite being exhausted after pushing himself for so long.
But there's no way he could hunt properly when his body was already beginning to fail him.
Also, for some reason, the monsters that had been swarming the nearby waters had all disappeared.
These bad conditions caused Hector to lose a lot of momentum, not just giving second place to Elissa but even dropping to fourth.
"Fucking shit…!"
He was frustrated.
'It's all because of Simon Polentia! Simon always ruins everything!!'
He couldn't help but be annoyed. How could Simon not be on his mind when this happens every time?
"I need to smash that bastard's face in someti—"
Hector's eyes widened.
'?!'
He slowly rubbed his eyes, wondering if it was a mirage like an explorer desperate for water in the desert, and then looked ahead again.
It wasn't a mirage.
The boy leaning back against a smooth rock was none other than Simon Polentia, who was checking his tongue pad.
"…Ah!"
Simone's eyes also widened as he belatedly spotted Hector, too.
"Hah."
Hector just chuckled.
"Pfft. Kuhehehe!"
The world hadn't abandoned me yet!
"Ku. Hahahahahaha!"
To think I'd run into you here!!
"Simon Polentiaaaaa!"
* * *
Reaper Scans
Translator - Ramen
Proofreader - Artethrax
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* * *
"Ugh, shit."
Simon scratched the side of his head with a scowl.
'Why did we have to meet now?'
It was the worst possible situation.
He was completely drained, both mentally and physically. If he lost to Hector here, not only would he lose all his coins and points, but the test would be over before he could return to the testing ground.
In other words, he would get expelled.
He had intentionally gotten off to a slow start to avoid this exact scenario.
But the plan got screwed up because of the unexpected enemies, such as Laheim and the monster duke, though.
"Finally."
Grinning all the way to the ears, Hector's fighting spirit burned so bright it rivaled the sun.
"Finally, the moment I've been waiting for!"
"Wait, wait. Hector!"
Simon tried his best to give a kind smile and raised his hands.
It was too early to give up yet. After all, even a dragon can be slain with sufficient wit.
"Calm down for a second and listen to m—!"
Slam!!
The corpse dragon scale Hector threw embedded itself into the rock behind Simon like a shuriken.
"There's no need for me to listen."
Hector plucked another of the rattling scales from his body and held it in his hand.
But Hector's condition didn't seem to be that good, either. His legs were shaking like they were on the verge of giving up.
'Hector seems to be exhausted… Thank goodness! He's in no better shape than I am.'
Simon's heart was racing, but he tried again to convince him.
"Listen. This isn't a good place for us to fight!"
Hector threw more scales without giving any reply, and Simon had to quickly duck to avoid them.
He threw the scale so hard that he staggered from the recoil and almost tripped. They were both extremely exhausted.
"We only have about half an hour left!"
Shouted Simon, not giving up.
"Anyone who goes down here won't even get a chance to pick up the coins! They'll fail the test and have to leave Kizen!"
"Sounds great."
Hector held scales in both hands this time. Simon was desperately racking his brain, and suddenly, Rick's voice came into his mind.
"You don't understand why Hector wants to fight you? Hmm, maybe he thinks defeating you will prove his strength?"
Remembering those words, Simon quickly said,
"Let's take the time to schedule it properly! It'll be a shame if we have to settle this while we're both exhausted!"
"Stop with your petty tricks, Simon Polentia!"
Hector's jet-black, unrefined mana floating off it as his core struggled to produce any more, began to whir up.
"I never, ever back down from a fight!"
Hector charged like a raging rhino.
'Ugh, for goodness sake!'
Barely pulling himself up, Simon slid below Hector's deadly hands and aimed for his off-balance feet.
"Kugh!"
Hector jumped just in time and dodged it.
As Hector landed on the ground, Simon kicked himself up off the ground and used the momentum to aim a straight punch at Hector's face.
Whoooosh!
Hector bent back, and Simon's fist sliced through the air.
A smile was on Hector's mouth.
"You've gotten weak."
This time, Hector balled his fists.
"It's like you're dying, Simon Polentia!"
Bwooooooosh!
His huge fist swung, but Simon also tilted his head back and dodged.
"!"
"Same goes for you, it seems."
Thud!
Simon's fist came from underneath and slammed into Hector's jaw. What little remained of Hector's barrier gauge was shredded intro, but his smile remained.
He reacted like it didn't hurt much.
"Weak."
Pow!
This time, Hector feined another straight punch but hooked it down to slam right into Simon's face.
"Ouch!"
He had gotten hit pretty bad, but Simon immediately used his other hand to punch Hector back in the temple.
Slam! Pow! Smack! Thud!
The two exchanged blows.
Both of them were so exhausted to the point that they didn't even have jet-black to infuse on their fists. There was no defense at all.
When one punch was hit, there was another one in return, and when Simon's head was blasted back, so was Hector's.
"Stop it already!"
Thud!
Simon's soaring knee struck Hector in the face. Hector fell, a cloud of dust getting kicked up around him, but he managed to get back to his feet.
"Aaarrrrgghhh!!!"
Hector pounced like a frenzied beast, grabbing Simon by the shoulders and slamming him to the ground.
Now on top of Simon, Hector flashed a smile of triumph and raised his fist.
"Fucking die."
Pow! Pow! Pow!
The two fists pounded Simon's face one after another. His barrier flickered and rapidly dropped.
He was nearing the single digits now.
"!"
However, Simon wasn't completely defeated. Hector, who was seeing red as he focussed purely on attack, began to wobble.
Simon managed to push his knees up and press them around Hector's sides, managing to get some leverage on the furious man.
Yank!
Soon, Simon's hands wrapped around Hector's waist, and his legs wrapped Hector's torso like a snake. Using the grips, Simon then tossed him to the side.
'What kind of technique is this?!'
Before he knew it, Hector was upside down, and Simon was on top of him.
Thud! Pow!
The situation was immediately reversed. Simon was pounding down with his fists, and Hector was getting hit.
"Kuaaaaaaaaah!"
After a few punches, Hector pushed Simon off with raw strength and his honed physique.
Taking a brief pause, the two of them both gasped for air.
"Pant, pant!"
"Huff! Phew!"
After gasping for air while still crouched down, they stood up at the same time. Then, they kicked off the ground and charged in.
Whish! Whoosh!
A fierce brawl broke out. Their accuracy was mutually terrible, and it was tougher to throw a punch now that they were both in immense pain.
Then their eyes locked on to each other's, and before anyone knew it, their legs both shot up.
Ka-toooooosh!
Their kicks collided in the air, forming a giant X.
Staggering back, the two boys dropped to a knee in their places, gasping for air.
'Kuff!'
The moment the two rushed towards each other again…
"!"
Hector's eyes widened.
"Damn it, dodge it!"
Simon realized that the urgent shout was directed at him.
Just as Simon threw himself to the side, a massive rock pillar slammed into the spot where he had been, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Rrrumble…
Simon flopped down in place, dumbfounded. Hector barely managed to stop, screeching to a halt.
The rock wall was taller than the both of them combined.
Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!
Footsteps with the force of an earthquake shook the ground beneath them. The two stood up and straightened themselves up.
Simon felt goose bumps form on his neck as he sensed something nearby.
'This is the worst.'
For a moment, he thought it was a monster, but the wetsuit and barrier proved it was a student.
'I've never seen him this close up before.'
A giant of a man who stood at over three meters tall.
He had a bulging, round body, gray hair and eyebrows, half-shut eyes, and beastly fangs jutting out of his mouth.
He was like an apex predator who decided it stood above even humans in the food chain.
'S.A.3, Chatelle Maerre…!'
The giant's ghastly half-shut eyes opened, revealing the dreary white underneath.
