SRS 81

Bang, bang!

Hehe, hehe. A gloomy aura wafted from beyond the shoulders of the friends who were laughing. Had Yohan been a slightly more naive or inexperienced young priest, he might have mistaken it for a demon’s presence. It was a sinister and ferocious wave.

“Serdik Agor… Serdik Agor… Serdik Agor….”

After three rounds of hammering, they called out the name three times and then repeated the violent hammering. It wasn’t just one person, but a group of students taking a sorcery class. The atmosphere around them grew chilly.

Yohan scratched his neck, exchanging glances with his silent friends.

He wondered if the spell will succeed like this.

Curses weren’t simply accomplished by hammering nails into straw. It required strong energy, a fervent desire for hatred, and a moderate mental fortitude.

In that sense, the state of his friends in the field of witchcraft could not be considered favorable for a success.

However, he felt a strong resentment that was enough to fill that flaw, and as he watched with interest, the other students came to their senses one by one and cheered on the sorcerers.

Hearing the outpouring of support, such as “Get strong and get it done” or “Reform the school,” Yohan began to wonder if madness was contagious.

The one who was insane was the griffin…

Yohan looked back at the griffin, keeping to himself the thought, if he let it out, he would surely be beaten up by his friends.

Krrrk…!

The creature bared its teeth, wary of the humans around it. Saliva flowed from beneath the muzzle.

While a normal griffin’s saliva is clear and thin, this one’s saliva was thick and murky.

They say it went mad from multidimensional energy, and indeed, he felt a ferocity and sensitivity that was significantly different from when the vice headmaster cast a spell on the griffins or when Professor Ariel arbitrarily drove his griffin mad.

It felt more like a creature turned violent by illness.

“Alright, let’s start from the front groups. Shan’s group, come up and begin the fifteen minute test. You need to control the griffin’s madness and deal with the agrisha for fifteen minutes. Oh, and you don’t need to kill the agrisha within the time limit. Damage will be recorded on a special device during your fight, and the result will be based on that score.”

It seemed the test grouped students by who shared the same room. Yohan felt uneasy because the time limit was shorter than he expected.

“…Fifteen minutes is too short. Wouldn’t it be more efficient to fight the agrisha without using the griffin at all?”

“I don’t know… It doesn’t sound like a smart plan. Knowing the vice headmaster, controlling the mad griffin is probably part of the evaluation. You might get a good score, but they won’t see it favorably.”

“Right…”

Mikael’s reaction was not positive, so the current plan was abandoned. Deciding to trust the words of someone experienced in basic ability assessments, the test for Group 1, Shan’s group, began. As soon as the hourglass overturned, Shan immediately unleashed divine power.

“Ah, wait! Shan, divine power use is forbidden. The vice headmaster wanted you to subdue the griffin through combat, not by using divine powers or healing magic to restore it to normal!”

Professor Ariel hurriedly added. Shan frowned, it seemed like he wanted to argue. But, watching the grains of sand fall unabated, he nodded with a sour expression.

“…Yes, I understand.”

Then he grabbed the shoulder of Kifaron, his dorm mate, and pushed him forward.

“That’s why I need your help, Kifaron. You said you specialize in combat magic, right?”

“…Huh? I mean, yes, but that doesn’t mean I’m actually good at it…”

“Go! I believe in you!”

Shan pushed Kifaron toward the griffin. Kifaron screamed as he ended up facing it, and the other two students hurried to help him. Shan put shields on his friends and grinned wickedly.

“I’ll give you shields at least, so fight without worrying!”

It was the kind of dirty shout that hid the words, ‘Do it instead of me.’

“…Hey, is that guy a priest?”

Suhyeok, who had been watching Group 1’s test with his chin resting on his hand, widened his eyes in amazement. Yohan analyzed Group 1’s battle, ignoring the corruption of his once holy friend.

After ten minutes of fighting, Shan’s group managed to control the griffin and subdue it, inflicting 150 damage on the agrisha and ending the test. The students tilted their heads, looking at the numbers on the meter.

Because it was only the first group, they couldn’t tell if the score was high or low.

It was only after the tenth group had finished their tests that a standard for scoring was established.

“200 is the average score, and anything over 300 is top tier, and anything under 100 is bottom tier?”

The highest score so far was 320. Suhyeok shook his notebook, where he had recorded each team’s scores, then he looked at Yohan.

“Yohan, are you aiming for the top tier?”

“Hm… not necessarily.”

“But you’re aiming to be top of the year.”

“That’s true.”

“Then you should aim for the top tier.”

Suhyeok’s mutterings made Yohan feel a little guilty. He was sorry for putting his friends through undue hardship because of him, and as he watched, the eleventh group’s battle ended and it was the West Tower’s turn.

While his friends on the first floor went out to fight, Yohan and his roommates put their heads together and made a plan.

“If the vice headmaster’s evaluation criteria is controlling the griffin and deploying it into battle, then let’s exactly do that. Don’t invest too heavily. “

“What are you talking about?”

“Let’s spend as little time as possible on the griffin. Since I’m not skilled in combat, I’ll stick with the griffin and control its madness without using divine power. You fight the agrisha. It’ll be an aerial battle, so it’ll be tricky without a griffin’s help….”

Yohan stopped and looked at Mikael. The student’s lips curved when he felt the gaze.

“You want help with flight magic, right?”

“Yes. If your magic allows Kylus and Suhyeok to engage in aerial combat, they’ll be able to fight the agrisha on equal footing.”

“Hmm. Good. This is my first time making three people fly and fight at the same time, but I think it’ll work.”

“Oh. I understand. Mikael, you should focus on maintaining your flight magic and keeping the agrisha in check rather than fighting. Kylus and I will do our best to deal with it.”

The shape of the operation is becoming clear.

“If everything goes according to plan, we’ll definitely be in the top ranks. However… Yohan, will you be alright?”

“I know it’s arrogant to think I can take on the griffin alone. But you never know until you try, so I’m just going to give it a try. If it gets too much, I’ll ask for help. Will you help me then?”

Yohan, who had adapted to his friend’s way of speaking with few words, noticed what Kylus was worried about and asked with a smile, and the man nodded.

“Alright, then we’ll go with this plan?”

Suhyeok summarized the opinions. There were no dissenting votes, and just as the turn ended, it was Yohan group’s turn.

“Let’s go according to plan!”

Suhyeok confidently led everyone into the testing ground. The hourglass flipped over and the countdown began.

“Mikael!”

At Suhyeok’s signal, Mikael pulled out his staff and swung it. It was rare to see Mikael using a staff, except when he borrowed Aquador’s, so Yohan briefly glanced at him. After confirming that his three friends were safely flying, he turned his attention to the mad griffin.

-Krrrrr!

Yohan recalled the battles of his friends before him. Each student’s method of subduing the griffin varied, but the fundamentals were the same.

To subdue the griffin with overwhelming force and make it aware that there is a leader stronger than itself here.

In short, it was a way to arouse griffin’s survival instinct, inducing it to suppress its own madness and become obedient.

To do that, the most important first step was momentum.

The test began, the muzzle came off, and Yohan faced the griffin. He saw it roar at him and braced his legs so he wouldn’t retreat while he searched his memories.

He needed to bring to mind the most vicious presence he’d ever seen.

Meanwhile, the griffin charged at Yohan. Perhaps because he was alone, its attack was remarkably swift compared to the four other groups that had faced it together.

Do I look easy?

Yohan gave a bitter smile and lifted his arms to block the griffin’s attack. Its claws tore his sleeve and grazed his skin. Red blood streaked across the pale skin.

The griffin lifted its other foot and kicked Yohan’s torso.

“Ugh…!”

He took the hit and flew back.

“Yohan!”

Mikael saw it and turned his head.

“Don’t come!”

He hadn’t yet attempted proper control. He couldn’t give up and ask for help. Yohan shouted as he hit the wall and got up, drawing on his divine power.

The griffin soared through the sky, aiming for Yohan, then swooped down diagonally. Meeting the eerie predator’s gaze, Yohan’s mind raced with candidates.

The first that came to mind was Cheplen. The aura of a fallen human, rife with madness and jealousy, was quite fierce. But that aura was a demonic one, a force borrowed from demons. It was something Yohan could not imitate.

Then next.

The next moment was the headmaster’s first appearance. The Nameless One, who appeared with a resonant aura, seemed almost divine. It was an appearance that conveyed the essence of what it meant to be overwhelmed by presence…

I can’t imitate that.

It was the momentum inherent in the rank itself. It was a realm beyond the reach of a human like Yohan.

Then the one left was…

Mikael.

Yohan remembered the first time he saw the angel unleash massive divine power and matched his own control to the wave he’d felt then. Even if it wasn’t perfect, he tried to make it at least appear similar.

He expanded the wave and spread his divine power wide so it looked like he had much more of it.

It had no substance, and a single attack would expose the bluff, but it was enough to make the appearance convincing.

As evidence, the griffin that was rushing towards him stopped suddenly, screeching in the air.

Now.

He needed to seize the advantage while the griffin was confused, so Yohan wiped the blood off his arm with his hand.

What should he call this?

It wasn’t something he’d call a descent, since the price was far too small.

However, if he were to show it with only his divine power, it would not be suitable for the appearance he had faked, and there was a possibility that the griffin would attack again later, so he had to ask for the help of his god.

Yohan quickly racked his brain and opened his mouth.

Your servant offers a price and asks.

“Just shine.”

With that whisper, the sky opened and a powerful light made of divine power poured down on Yohan.