Chapter 24 - I Became the Daughter of the Academy’s Villain

Episode 24 24 - Important Matters at the Second Checkpoint <Important Matters at the Second Checkpoint> Oknodie, who had been eating poisonous candies. She seemed perfectly fine. And that was precisely the problem. "Let me try one too." Isabel, wanting to test them out, broke a candy into pieces, dissolved it in her saliva, and then, spat it out with a disgusted look. She threw away the clump of candy she was holding and spoke in a lowered, serious voice. "These candies contain psychoactive substances." Giselle, after tasting a few candies himself, said with a hardened expression. "There's poison that causes respiratory distress and paralysis. Each color candy contains different poisonous ingredients." "Hey, is this really okay? No matter how you look at it, these candies are suspicious." Son Ocheon was still bothered by the tingling sensation at the tip of his tongue, like a bothersome speck in his eye. If a child with a weak body had been eating these candies, the stress and pain they must have felt would beyond his imagination. "My candies! Why are you throwing them all away if you're not even going to eat them?" Oknodie fiercely protested, the corners of her eyes turning up in a V-shape as she tightened the drawstring of her candy pouch. "Little mouse. Who gave you these?" "A maid gave them to me. She told me to savor them." And you went and crushed them without even tasting them. No one felt any prick of conscience at such blaming eyes. The one who should feel the sting of conscience was not them but the maid who had handed over these candies. "Should I kill her?" "Stop it, Son Ocheon. This is not a problem that can be solved in that way." "Employer, you've also been looking out for this child in various ways, haven't you?" "The maid is just a low-ranking agent. There must be someone issuing orders. We'll never get to the bottom of this unless we directly confront the family that has been educating Miss Oknodie." "I'm angry. It’s been a long time since I’ve sincerely wanted to kill someone." Son Ocheon's eyes flickered with bright yellow rage. "What about taking that candy pouch?" "No need to go that far." Isabel asserted, leveraging her adventurer's knowledge. "This child has built up a resistance to poison. From her fine condition after consuming these candies till now, to her actual meager reactions, it's evident." "But resistance to poison isn't invincible." "It’s okay if you take an antidote that can neutralize the poison without taxing the body. In fact, this is something that professional poison-adventure specialists do." Giselle's expression softened slightly. "Even so, this is quite dangerous." "Are you telling me to relax or to worry?" "How many colors of candy were there?" As Giselle looked at the pouch, Oknodie hid it in her bosom, baring her teeth. ‘...Is she going to bite, if asked?’ While initially taken aback by such a wild animal-like reaction. Isabel looked back at Son Ocheon. He grimaced as he recalled what he had seen inside the pouch. "There were plenty. Over ten types, at least." "Training for poison resistance usually starts with weaker poisons before moving on to stronger ones. So, we must assume that the poisons weaker than these candies have already been mastered." "...How potent were those you just mentioned?" "We can count over 40 types of just the mild toxins. It would take 40 days to build resistance to each one daily, and normally it would span over 40 weeks, adding up to around 10 months." "That long?" It seems that for at least a year, every week was spent getting poisoned, and the body was creating antibodies to overcome the poison. "To add, this count of 40 is just for psychoactive toxins. For other types, depending on the progress, she'd have taken around 20 to 30 different poisons." Snake venom. Bee venom. Jellyfish toxin, spider poison, etc. With a vast array of poisonous creatures, not to mention plants, ores, mana, and even corpse poison, the number of toxins skyrockets. "So Miss Oknodie has been subjected to... how many toxins?" "I might not know for sure... but probably over 300." It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she was poisoned once a day throughout the year. Even if it were a weekly schedule, it indicates around 6 years' worth. An assumption that a child, who might just be 10 years old, has been experiencing poisoning from the tender age of around 4. The calculated result left everyone mentally staggered. Unaware of everyone's shock, Oknodie pressed on with a sulky tone. "The other examinees are all passing by. How long are you going to stay there?" There was a desire to ask in that innocent voice. Just how could one undergo such experiences and still emit such an untarnished, cheerful voice. * * Suddenly, I felt petulant. "Uncle Ocheon. Carry me." "What? Did you leave your feet somewhere to use them?" "I'm too frail and weak to move." "…Frail? What? Frraaiiil?" Son Ocheon, staring with a disbelief as if questioning whether all the patients in the country have succumbed. Hmph. Even that gaze won't do any good. It's not a whim that can be easily dispelled. Despite being considerate mostly for the sake of the cooks- as the candies too were destroyed. Being left behind in the procession. They can’t possibly imagine how angry I am. Sensing my earnest eyes focused on food, Son Ocheon clicked his tongue and offered me his back. "Come on up, little mouse. I'll show you the adult's heights, which you fail to see." Boasting again. Before I got like this, I played games at the same eye-level as you. Though I grumbled, climbing onto his back did widen my view. It felt like not just reclaiming my own view, but as if the whole world had actually expanded. "Hehpupupu" "Cough, cough" That was until the branches and leaves at face-height started to mercilessly smack my face. "Let me down, let me down!" "Chose your branch yourself. Bear it with evil or with strength." I withstood a thorough facial thrashing until we reached the testing ground for the second checkpoint. * * After guiding the candidates up to the second checkpoint, Myunghos made his way to the staff canteen. "Attention!" In place of Myunghos, the second examiner appeared. She was a ranger, clad in a cape and cloak, with a leather armor that accentuated her body line. "What's with her voice?" "It's perfectly husky." "Even the ranger mask that covers the nose looks cool." The candidates' reviews were unanimously positive! My review, as a seasoned player, was terrible! 'Ugh. It’s exactly the person I dislike.' Encountering a mortal nemesis among the top 3 examiners one would not wish to face during the entrance examination. "The examiner in charge of the second checkpoint, <Hunter's Forest>, is Minerva." "Examiner Minerva is so cool!" "Too bad. From now on, you're going to dislike me." "?!" "The theme of this exam is a mix of <Search and Point> and <Endurance Marathon>. It's a test to reach the forest's end together with the chief examiner and to arrive at the exit. You'll need to complete intermittent subtasks to achieve high scores. Immediate admission privileges will be granted to the candidate with the highest score." Listening to this already sounded like a difficult exam. And yet, it didn't end there. "The first examiner, Myunghos, tends to be lenient on the candidates. I am different. Any score below 50 points in this checkpoint means elimination, even if you complete the marathon." "Additionally, while candidates are completing subtasks, the chief examiner will not cease moving towards the exit." Only then did the gravity of the situation dawn on the students, their complexions turning pale. "So, while moving towards the exit, you're telling us we also have to perform subtasks on the side and rush to rejoin the procession of the examiner?" "That's correct. You summarize well. State your name." "Adventurer Rockwell of Silver Plate rank." "Silver Plate, eh? That earns you 1 bonus point." "Thank you!" "Just so you know, you can also tear another candidate's ticket-watch to steal their points." The candidate who received the bonus point looked crestfallen. It seems they realized they received a poisoned chalice. This is one of the reasons why Minerva is known among players as HatesMinerva and Sadist-Minerva. The names given by the NPCs are no less horrendous. Cruel examiner. Sadist ranger. Mass-elimination course. Hell-level checkpoint. Examiner Minerva is a nightmare counted among the top 3 worst examiners a student could face in an entrance examination. 'I should have claimed immediate admission...' Regrets were too late now. The test had already begun. "Let us start now." "Wait, Examiner! What about food?!" "Such consideration for the examiner's health, good candidate. State your name." "Michelle!" "Give yourself 1 bonus point." An exam where receiving more points made you target practice for those around you. Even knowing that, this person is genuinely cruel for scattering points. "I've already eaten while the candidates were testing. Don't worry about it." "No, it's not that, hehe. What about us?" "Why should the examiner care about that?" "Huh?" "We're off to the forest." "Yes." "The forest is filled with things to eat." "Huh?" "Take care of it while you move." Even the charismatic swordsman Sing and the powerful Northern Archduchess Irene stiffened their expressions. "When does the test start?" "Now." "What?!" "The fate of those who go missing without their ticket-watch is not my responsibility, and any candidate who commits murder will receive severe penalties. That's all the information. I now commence the second checkpoint test." "Yikes, that's too fast!!" The forest floor was tangled with wild tree roots and vines, with dense shrubbery and branches reaching up to body height, and even the sunlight was obscured by the dark, oppressive trees. The examination at the second checkpoint, combining the worst field, the most terrible checkpoint, and the harshest examiner, had begun. "Little mouse. Do you want me to keep carrying you?" "No way!" Who is trying to use someone else as a shield from branches? Candidates began to tread rapidly into the forest, following the footsteps of the examiner. We too moved among them. "This examiner really is swift, fitting for a ranger." She seemed to be walking at the front, but we had to lightly jog from the back to keep up. "But at this pace, won't we lose sight of her even if we attempt just one subtask?" "The test must be designed with those situations in mind from the start." As expected from someone who passed the ticket-exam with their intellect alone, Giselle discerned the pitfalls of this test. "If you divert from the main group for a subtask, you'll lose sight of the procession and have to chase after it." "What a troublesome test." "That's not all. Those who manage to score through subtasks will become primary targets for those hunting scores." Isabel clicked her tongue. "You mean getting their scores stolen?" "Just running won't guarantee how many points we can get, and if we leave for points, we'll be distanced from the main group and subject to attack." Detouring inevitably is a disadvantage. A test where the risks we must take only increase. But if you avoid taking any risks, you might face elimination due to insufficient points. "We also need to make a decision." Whether to become a score-harvesting group, taking on the risk. Or a hunting group aiming for those farming points. A dangerous test where score hunters and candidate hunters coexist had started. "Oh dear. Are you also worried about Miss Oknodie?" You're off the mark, Giselle. The problem isn’t so much about worrying. "Isabel." "Huh? Do you want me to carry you this time? I don't mind, but…" "Do you have any bug repellent spray?" I don't really care about being carried. Mosquito repellent is the paramount concern. Author's Note Many thanks to shdh188 for the 9 coins support. I can't stand not having bug repellent spray for a 100-step encounter either.