The Runesmith

Chapter 694: Treasure Hunters Assemble.

The door slid open by itself the moment Lucienne approached, moving aside before she could even reach for it. Behind her, the hall was unusually quiet. The noise that had filled the academy over the past few weeks had finally faded now that the examinations were over and many of the students had returned home. She, however, had been selected to participate in the upcoming Convocation.

For a moment, she remained standing at the entrance. The room beyond was far larger than an ordinary classroom. Several rows of seats had been arranged in a raised semicircle facing a teacher's platform at the front. Behind it, a large runic screen occupied most of the wall, currently displaying the academy's emblem.

‘I must be the first one…’

There was no one else around. She had arrived nearly half an hour early. The previous night, she had been unable to sleep. One of her friends had eventually given her a sleeping potion, but even then, she had woken up early, groggy and anxious. Panicked about being late, she had hurried here as quickly as possible, only to discover that no one else had arrived yet.

‘Isn't this a lecture hall? Aren't there only supposed to be four other people?’

Her brother Roland had informed her that today would be the first gathering of the group selected to participate in the treasure hunt. It was intended to give them an opportunity to meet before the competition, which offered a substantial number of points for their institute.

It felt as though a swarm of butterflies had taken residence in her stomach. For a moment, she wondered if she should call the whole thing off. She had acted brave when speaking with her brother, but now that the task was directly before her, she was getting cold feet.

‘What if the other students don't like me? My level is rather low…’

Fortunately, the competition was restricted to Tier One participants, but she still worried that the others would have much higher levels than hers. Unlike them, she had spent more time training her skills than fighting monsters, even though gaining levels would eventually become necessary.

‘Brother Roland said he could help us gain higher levels later, so it should be fine…’

Finally, she let out a sigh and chose a seat close to the teacher's platform. Settling into the second row, Lucienne tried to calm herself. The room felt much larger when empty. Every sound seemed amplified. A moment later, she heard faint footsteps coming from the corridor she had just entered through. Someone was approaching.

“Excuse me...”

The voice was high-pitched and belonged to a girl who looked close to her age. She wore a long robe that extended well past the length of a standard academy uniform, its sleeves nearly covering her hands. Silver thread embroidered the fabric alongside the institute's emblem.

To complete the image of a traditional wizard, she wore an enormous pointed hat that bent slightly to one side. Her hair was also an unusual shade of purple, likely altered through magic.

“Oh!”

The girl seemed surprised to find someone already inside.

“I thought I would be the first one here.”

Lucienne quickly stood up.

“N-no, I just arrived a little early.”

She nervously shook her head as the girl looked her over. After a moment, the girl's expression softened into a smile, and she stepped closer.

“Let me introduce myself. My name is Selphie Astarel.”

The girl performed a small bow. At that exact moment, her oversized hat slipped forward in an awkward fashion. She caught it before it could hit the floor, fumbling with it for several seconds. The sight almost made Lucienne laugh. The last name sounded familiar. She was fairly certain she had heard it before, or perhaps seen it somewhere within the institute.

“Astarel... wait, aren't you the student who managed to hold the top spot in every theoretical exam for several years in a row?”

The girl blushed slightly when Lucienne recognized her name. She grabbed the brim of her oversized hat and pulled it down over her face, seemingly embarrassed to be recognized.

“Y-yes, that's me...”

“You're really famous!”

“No, I'm not... stop it.”

She fidgeted as Lucienne continued to praise her. The girl was fairly well known around the institute as one of its top students in magical theory. Thanks to her outstanding grades, she had even been given a private room. It was no surprise that Lucienne, who lived in the dormitory, had never met her before.

“I'm Lucienne Arden. It's a pleasure to meet you.”

The girl seemed increasingly uncomfortable, so Lucienne decided to change the subject.

“Arden? I think I've heard that name somewhere... Ah! The incidents involving the Deputy Professor!”

“Ah...”

Lucienne awkwardly scratched the back of her neck. It seemed the notoriety she had gained from those incidents had spread throughout the institute.

“Between us, I never really liked that bully Viola. She even made me do her homework.”

The girl pushed her hat back up and revealed a bright smile.

“Viola used to bully you, too?”

“She was terrible. One time, she made me do homework for all of her friends as well. It was so unfair... but I couldn't do anything about it. Not until Deputy Professor Wayland arrived. Isn't he so dreamy?”

“D-dreamy?”

The moment her brother's name came up, little stars seemed to appear in Selphie's eyes. Fortunately, before the girl could start saying anything even more awkward about him, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the corridor.

Lucienne noticed it first. Selphie had been in the middle of talking about Deputy Professor Wayland when her voice trailed off. She tilted her head toward the entrance, and the door slid open once more.

A young man stepped inside. He was unusually large for a mage. Standing well over two meters tall, he looked more like a warrior than a scholar. His robe seemed ready to split at the seams from the sheer size of his muscles. His skin was dark, and his red eyes gave him an intimidating appearance.

“Oh, another participant!”

Selphie waved at him, but he did not respond. The young man glanced toward the teacher's platform, then at the two girls. Without saying a word, he simply nodded before heading past them toward the back of the lecture hall.

“...”

“...”

Lucienne and Selphie exchanged an awkward look, neither quite sure how to react.

“Maybe he's shy?”

Lucienne nodded.

“Perhaps that's the case. How about we take our seats and wait for the Deputy Professor?”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“Sure. This spot is free.”

Selphie nodded and sat down beside Lucienne, carefully adjusting her oversized hat so it would not slip forward again. The two resumed chatting in quieter voices. This time, Selphie seemed to know who the muscular young man was.

“I think I know who that is. He's famous around the institute too!”

“He is?”

“Yes! It must be the Musclebrained Mage!”

“Musclebrained Mage? What kind of nickname is that?”

“You've never heard of him? Supposedly, he spends all his time training in a special facility filled with weights and other heavy equipment. They say he trains there for ten hours every day!”

"That much training?"

Lucienne glanced back at the musclebound youth. He had the physique of a member of the Goliath race, yet he appeared to be an ordinary human. The mana surrounding him was unusually dense for someone who was only a tier one class holder.

"He does seem dependable, though."

Selphie nodded in agreement.

"Hm. Well, if he made it into the treasure hunt, he must be one of the best!"

With that, three people had gathered, and only two more remained. The next person arrived a short while later, about ten minutes before the meeting was scheduled to begin. It was another boy, this one of average height and build, yet just as distinct as the others.

His robe had been modified with a large hood that he kept pulled over his head. A cloth covered the lower half of his face, leaving only a glimpse of black hair and a pair of auburn eyes visible.

"..."

He looked gloomy and difficult to approach, so the two girls decided against speaking to him. The newcomer did not acknowledge them. Instead, he surveyed the room with a cold, analytical gaze before choosing a seat on the opposite side of the lecture hall, as far from both the muscular student and the two girls as possible.

"Well, he certainly seems friendly."

Selphie whispered, leaning closer to Lucienne so her voice would not carry across the silent room.

"That makes four of us. Only one more left."

Lucienne nodded, her gaze lingering on the hooded boy for a moment before returning to the entrance. The butterflies in her stomach never faded. If anything, they only grew stronger as she considered the unusual talents gathered here. There was the top student, a physical anomaly, and a boy whose presence seemed to disappear entirely whenever he wished to go unnoticed.

The minutes ticked by, and the silence stretched on until the heavy clock on the wall rang out. Right on cue, the sliding door activated once more. Expecting the fifth student, everyone turned toward the entrance, but instead, a familiar figure stepped through.

"Oh?"

Lucienne blinked. It was not the final participant who had arrived, but her brother. Roland carried himself with quiet authority. He wore metallic armor partially concealed beneath thin robes. His expression was unreadable behind a helmet whose visor emitted a faint glow. Behind him, the door slid shut with a soft click and automatically locked to prevent interruptions.

He strode toward the instructor's platform with measured steps, his boots clicking softly against the polished floor. Upon reaching the center, he set down a thick stack of papers and looked around the room.

"Welcome."

Roland spoke in a calm, clear voice that immediately commanded everyone's attention.

"I am Deputy Professor Wayland. As you are all aware, you have been selected to represent our institute at the upcoming Convocation, specifically in the tier one treasure hunt event."

Selphie looked as though she might burst with excitement, her oversized hat bobbing as she leaned forward in her seat. Lucienne did her best to maintain a composed, professional expression. She wanted to show her brother that she was taking this opportunity seriously.

At the back of the room, the muscular student sat perfectly still. The hooded boy merely raised his head slightly.

"Before we begin... It seems that one student is missing. Does anyone know where Elian Plomyk is?"

The question hung in the air for a moment, unanswered. Selphie looked at Lucienne, who responded with a shrug. Neither of them had any idea who the fifth student was supposed to be.

Before anyone could speak up, a faint knocking sound echoed from behind the door that had locked itself. That was not all. They could also hear someone trying to slide it open, only to fail repeatedly.

Everyone's gaze shifted toward the door, which suddenly slid open as Wayland seemingly released the lock. The moment it opened, a person tumbled through. Just before his nose could hit the floor, a Mage Hand spell caught him.

"Ack!"

"So this must be Elian..."

The deputy professor spoke in a low tone while the other students watched, unsure how to react. The boy hovered a few inches above the floor, suspended by the invisible force of Roland's spell, his limbs flailing like an overturned turtle.

He was a scrawny youth with academy robes that were slightly singed at the cuffs. His messy copper hair stuck up in every possible direction. Smudges of charcoal dust covered his cheeks, making him look as though he had just escaped a minor laboratory explosion.

With a flick of Roland's wrist, the spell vanished, dropping the boy unceremoniously onto his feet.

"Y-yes! Present!"

Elian hurriedly adjusted his collar and coughed into his hand to hide his embarrassment.

"Apologies, Deputy Professor! I just had a minor accident while practicing a new spell. The mana matrix in the mana circle..."

Before he could continue, the teacher raised a hand to stop him.

"Just take your seat, student. We still have a lot to cover today."

Elian scrambled toward the nearest empty chair, his face burning a bright crimson that perfectly matched his copper hair. He practically threw himself into a seat in the third row, right behind Lucienne and Selphie, nearly banging his knees against the desk in the process.

Once the latecomer settled down and the room quieted, Roland rested his gauntleted hands on the edge of the podium. The glowing visor of his helmet swept across the five students, lingering for a fraction of a second longer on his sister before moving on.

"Now that everyone is present, let us begin."

Roland announced. Even the two students in the back straightened up and listened. The muscular youth seemed particularly interested in what Roland had to say, as though he held some measure of respect for him.

"The Convocation is not merely a test of individual magical power. The treasure hunt event is designed to simulate a hostile exploration environment. You will be deployed into a designated zone and tasked with locating specific magical artifacts while dealing with hazardous terrain, wild beasts, and, most importantly, teams from rival academies."

He tapped the surface of the podium, and the large runic screen behind him flickered to life. The academy's emblem vanished, replaced by five images of the students currently in the room.

The students immediately wondered what this was about. Beside each image was a brief description, some far more revealing than others.

“I’m support and utility, and you’re the pathfinder scout?”

Selphie mumbled as she read the words beneath her and Lucienne’s pictures. They could also see the names of the other two students. The musclebound one had the roles of ‘Tank’ and ‘Protector,’ and his name was Oxian Goodwill. The gloomy-looking youth was their ‘Flex’ and ‘Side DPS,’ and his name was Leron Vaugrenard. Then there was Elian’s position, which had ‘Main DPS’ written beneath it. None of them knew what it all meant, but the professor was about to explain.

"These designations represent your optimal roles within the team structure."

Roland explained, his voice projecting clearly throughout the hall.

"Based on training data, historical exam results, and the specialized skill sets provided by the administration, this combination offers the highest probability of success."

He tapped the podium again. The images on the screen shifted, replaced by a complex schematic of a standard five-person exploration unit. The formation was quite simple. Selphie and Lucienne stood in the middle, with the boys surrounding them on three sides. Their tank occupied the front line, the Main DPS stood directly behind him, and the Side DPS covered the rear.

"The greatest mistake mages make in early combat is assuming that individual firepower dictates the outcome of a battle. A team of five powerful glass cannons will always lose to a balanced squad that understands positioning and role fulfillment. In a hostile zone, balance is what secures victory. Are there any questions, or can we move on?"

Roland paused, and one of the students raised his hand. It was Elian.

“Sir, if I may.”

“Go ahead.”

“Then... um, could you explain what a Main DPS is and... um... what a glass cannon is?”

The other students were also confused by some of the terms being used and were eager to hear the answer. They turned their attention back to the teacher’s platform, curious to learn the meaning of these unfamiliar expressions.

******

‘Why are their gazes so intense...’

Roland began to wonder if he should have paid more attention to the sensibilities of this world. Still, he preferred using terms from the modern world over the ones commonly used here.

The group before him was anything but conventional. Most teams sent into these competitions consisted of several similarly powerful mages accompanied by a single tracker. Roland had decided to take a different approach.

Each person had a very specific role to fulfill, and some of these children, much like his sister, possessed unusual classes that were rarely seen or properly utilized.

The thin copper-haired youth was one such example. His affinity for the fire element was exceptional, making him the ideal choice for an AOE mage and the primary damage dealer of the group.

Oxian, on the other hand, came from a long line of specialized earth mages who strengthened their bodies until they became living weapons clad in stone. Leron, whose presence was naturally subdued, was an assassin type, proficient in surprise attacks and illusion magic.

Then there was Selphie, a girl whose intellect was likely equal to Roland’s at her age, perhaps even greater. She was the all-rounder of the group, capable of handling almost any situation and familiar with nearly every utility spell available at her tier.

This was the team that would be taking part in the treasure hunt, and his task of preparing them for it had finally begun…