Chapter 49
Perched atop an abnormally long neck was a face more akin to a primate than a deer. Only its snout and ornate antlers barely qualified it for classification as a “deer.”
“What… what is that?”
Veronica tugged at her sleeve.
“You heard already, didn’t you?”
“When?!”
“During the assignment briefing. The deer roaming in herds near the southern outskirts of the capital are this round’s extermination targets.”
Veronica wasn’t the only one unsettled.
“That’s supposed to be a deer…?”
Anna also shook her head, unable to accept Ranje’s explanation. The other two members wore similar expressions.
Ranje turned her eyes away awkwardly.
To be honest, she’d also been startled by the strange appearance the first time. But the higher-ups had called them deer, so she’d accepted it. Her teammates’ reactions were understandable.
Still, she kept her tone light.
“Don’t be scared. Long neck, long muzzle, antlers. That makes it a deer.”
She loaded her rifle.
“And don’t space out. There are more nearby.”
They had already been told the mission was difficult. The reaction caught on detection magic had never been just one. The rest of the team also began readying their weapons.
Strange antlers continued to rise from the bushes.
Two. Four. Six. Eight…
Once the count surpassed twenty, they stopped trying to count.
“Isn’t that way too many?”
Even at Doris’s mutter, Ranje kept aiming forward in silence. She, too, was taken aback by the greater-than-expected numbers, but showing that would be a poor choice.
Still manageable.
As long as the team held their ground, she could handle it. If she showed even a hint of anxiety and they acted rashly, the situation could spiral.
But no one can control someone else’s tension.
Bang!
Not even her.
“Veronica!”
Veronica had fired the trigger as if in a trance.
Shockingly, the stray shot struck the deer square in the forehead.
The massive body collapsed pitifully.
Almost theatrically, it fell right in front of them, and the blood that poured from the wound pooled quickly.
Veronica slowly lowered her arms.
In the silence that followed—so still that even breath and wind were absent—a faint flutter of wings broke the tension as birds took flight in the distance.
“I got it…”
Veronica whispered. Her honest delight wasn’t particularly off-putting, but Ranje couldn’t help casting a suspicious glance.
There’s no way she hit the forehead from that angle…
Veronica had performed decently in training, but she wasn’t that good a marksman.
Just as Ranje was wondering if some ballistic-enhancing spell had been applied to the rifle, the pool of blood began to shimmer blue.
Just moments ago, it had been a dark, crimson hue—but now it glowed a transparent, eerie blue. Even Veronica could no longer smile.
A clear sign of something abnormal—and a foul magical energy flowed with it.
And then, the deer that had only shown their antlers began raising their heads, one by one.
Identical faces to the fallen one now stared straight at them. Even Ranje was briefly overwhelmed by the sight.
The deer quickly approached and bowed their heads over the one on the ground. Long tongues licked up the blue blood.
Despite looking the same, their behavior was nothing like normal deer. Ranje hesitated.
This is still part of the test…
Whatever it was, better to be safe and eliminate them all.
Just as she made that decision, the creatures raised their heads.
Ranje instinctively ducked down, pulling someone else down with her.
“Get down!”
Luckily, it was Veronica—the least likely to listen—who she managed to grab, and thus everyone lived.
What just happened?
While prone, the team rubbed at their ringing ears.
Their hairs stood on end, their breath shallow. It was the aftermath of narrowly dodging death.
Their ears had caught something—a fast-moving force slicing the air at near-invisible speed.
They only realized what had happened once they felt the heavy thud nearby and the sound of hooves trampling grass.
The deer had tried to charge them at near-bullet velocity.
Understanding came too late, and their breathing grew ragged.
Ranje gave a quiet warning.
“Don’t get up. Especially you, Veronica.”
Normally, she would’ve bristled at being ordered around, but even Veronica stayed still.
The primal warning in her body was far too real to ignore.
She knew better than anyone that her rifle had triggered this.
Ranje stood up, abandoning her rifle in favor of her restored spear.
The sudden emergence of a new weapon widened her teammates’ eyes, and the surrounding deer all fixed their gaze on her.
The one that had charged began circling again, adjusting its distance. Its hind legs bent fluidly.
“<Shield of Yannis, be immaculate!>”
Ranje spoke her incantation just in time.
The sturdy barrier formed barely in time, repelling the leaping deer.
The full momentum and weight rebounded, and the deer’s neck snapped from the force.
Its blood was a normal red. No glow, no change in hue. The others didn’t react to it.
It was still a huntable creature—its speed, grouping, and attack methods were just different.
How many are there left?
By her count, the last visible group numbered ten. Maybe the entire forest’s herd had gathered.
Looking back at her prone teammates, Ranje realized now was no time for hesitation.
Let’s not overcomplicate things.
Her only priority was getting her teammates through the exam safely.
I have to live to ask questions later. I can’t afford to get bogged down in this.
Ranje adjusted her grip on the spear and slammed it to the ground.
“<Light of Hartsha!>”
Blinding rays surged across the ground and then shot up like spears.
The deer tried to escape—but the magical blades allowed no mercy.
As if fate had already decided it, the prey were effortlessly skewered and collapsed.
There were no screams. It was an eerily silent massacre.
The teammates cautiously lifted their heads and stared, stunned.
With a strange spear in hand, Ranje had cast a high-level attack spell as if it were routine. Her face showed neither pride nor relief.
When she had insisted on hunting alone earlier, they’d thought she was bluffing. But it had been a completely accurate claim.
Veronica forcibly shut her mouth. Next to her, Anna murmured in a weak voice,
“That spell… you’d need to be at least a third-year to learn that.”
Her tone mixed awe and mockery.
“Well, the top spot is already taken. Veronica, maybe stop wasting energy on pointless things.”
Since they’d been given tracking magic before entering the forest, Ranje’s actions would already be known.
Veronica kept her eyes fixed on her.
The light had faded. A chill wind swept over the field of fallen bodies.
Ranje, now holding a much-shortened dagger-like version of the spear, suddenly extended a hand to Veronica.
“Ready to trade now?”
“…Trade what?”
Only after asking did Veronica realize she meant the rifle.
Ranje didn’t wait for an answer. She snatched Veronica’s rifle and handed over her own roughly.
“Let’s call it payment for saving your life.”
Perhaps sensing Veronica’s resistance, she quickly added,
“Don’t worry. I won’t charge interest.”
Veronica couldn’t object. It was a fair exchange—her life may have depended on it.
But just as she began to drown in belated embarrassment, the one who’d humiliated her unexpectedly saved her again.
Not with kindness—but with sheer confusion.
Bang!
Ranje gripped Veronica’s rifle like a club and smashed it against a tree.
Everyone stared in disbelief.
She struck it repeatedly against a thick tree trunk—too big for a grown adult to fully embrace—and shattered the delicate weapon.
No one asked what she was doing.
After a few more whacks, with magic added for extra effect, the rifle was completely ruined—unrecognizable.
Only then did Ranje speak, sounding half-apologetic.
“It looked cursed. Couldn’t risk returning it like that. Let’s just say it broke here.”
She tossed the shattered pieces among the dead deer.
Still, she held on to some parts, stuffing them into her inner pocket.
The team nodded in dazed agreement.
In the distance, they began hearing the commotion of approaching instructors.
* * *
Team 3’s practical exam ended earlier than expected.
Since Ranje had singlehandedly eliminated the forest’s deer herd, there was no need to continue.
She received a perfect score and bonus points from a visibly shaken instructor, while her teammates were graded as if they had completed the mission.
Other teams continued their tracking tasks for evaluation, but Ranje’s group followed the instructor back out of the woods.
When they arrived at the open clearing, Ranje spotted a familiar face.
“Senior!”
It should’ve still been time for this year’s test—but Lenart was already there.
Upon seeing her, he gave a faint look of relief.
“Your exam?”
Ranje asked, though she wasn’t too worried.
“Handled it already.”
As she guessed, he had earned a perfect score and left the testing area early.
Unable to tolerate his assigned teammate Gibelin and concerned for Ranje, he had abandoned the group assignment and hunted the deer himself.
Ranje already knew Lenart’s level, from Simone and even before that, so she understood what he left unsaid.
“They didn’t mind you coming here?”
