Chapter 37. Cryptozoology Group Project

The next day.

The first lecture for Class B was Cryptozoology.

The freshmen were gathered at the foot of the mountain, the lecture venue, waiting for the professor. Radel was also examining the foot of the mountain with Gusto.

Perhaps because it was connected to the Marcellent mountain range, the mountain terrain looked quite high and rough.

It was then.

Kieeeek!

Suddenly, with a sharp cry, something flew over like a shot.

It was a wyvern, a high-rank monster.

“Aaargh!”

“Get back!”

As it was a monster that used breath attacks, there was a possibility that it would attack directly from the air.

The freshmen scattered in an instant.

Radel alone was conflicted for a different reason.

Should I take just one hit?

'It's hard to meet a monster of that level.'

Radel had to resist the temptation to become near-death and raise his health.

Even with the Troll's Heart, it was better to be careful as a wrong hit could send him to the grave instead of a near-death state.

While everyone was in a frenzy, a hearty laugh was heard from above the wyvern.

“Haha! There’s nothing to be afraid of, brats!”

It was Donton Murr, the professor of Cryptozoology.

He flew low on the wyvern for a lap and then jumped down in front of the freshmen.

Thud!

When he landed on the ground, the earth caved in and dust rose.

Professor Donton Murr walked out of the dust as if nothing had happened.

His trained body was that of a fighter.

Kieek!

Professor Donton Murr calmed the wyvern that had landed after him by patting its cheek. His skillful handling of the wyvern, which was difficult to tame due to its strong aggression, was impressive.

“Isn’t that the monster professor from the entrance exam?”

“It is.”

The freshmen who had challenged him during the entrance exam tensed up without realizing it.

Among them were those who had passed by challenging Professor Donton Murr, and those who had eventually given up and passed the entrance exam by finding another professor.

Either way, in their minds, Donton Murr was more of a monster than a human. It was not surprising that he had come riding a wyvern.

"Do monsters understand each other?"

"Shh! Do you want to be eaten by a wyvern?"

Professor Donton Murr grinned, ignoring the freshmen's words. He was quite fond of impertinent brats.

Provided, they were strong brats.

“I am Donton Murr, who will teach you brats Cryptozoology. As you all know, the term magical beast refers to both monsters and fantastical beasts.”

As Professor Donton Murr began his introduction, the scattered freshmen, while still glancing at the wyvern, gathered in front of the professor.

“Among them, there are some that are not difficult to handle, and there are also some that are so strong that you have to risk your life. What would you do if you met a monster while crossing the mountain? Brat! You, tell me.”

When Donton Murr asked one of the freshmen, he thought for a moment and then answered.

"If it's weaker than me, I'll try to fight it. If it's stronger than me, I have to run away."

“Haha! That’s a good answer. That’s right, brats. When you meet a monster, you have to be strong to survive. But you are weak.”

Professor Donton Murr looked around at the freshmen.

In his eyes, there were no strong brats here yet. There were only a few brats who might become strong in the future.

Among them was the 9th Prince, but Donton Murr did not acknowledge him just for his outstanding talent. What he acknowledged was the strength proven through rough practical combat.

“Running away is also difficult. So is taming a magical beast. Magical beasts never acknowledge the weak. The moment you let your guard down, they turn on you.”

Professor Donton Murr chuckled and petted the wyvern.

“This one is the same. If I become weak, it might eat me. If I don’t want that, I have no choice but to become stronger. Even more so than now! Hahaha!”

He already looks strong, how much stronger does he plan to become?

The freshmen broke out in a cold sweat at Donton's words.

“Now, then, shall we make you into strong brats!”

Professor Donton Murr began his lecture in earnest.

He took the freshmen up the mountain, and although it was a mountain within the academy, it was extremely steep as it was connected to the Marcellent mountain range.

“The place where you can meet the most magical beasts is the mountain! You’re bound to encounter them if you pass through the mountain. At times like that, you have to check the traces left by the magical beasts and figure out what kind of creatures live there.”

He was right. When Radel was a Hunter, it was very important to identify the traces of monsters.

Cryptozoology was a truly helpful lecture for real life.

Although there was the drawback that most of the freshmen who had only studied magic found it difficult to even climb the mountain, so the professor's words didn't even enter their ears…….

Radel was not as out of breath as he had thought. Rather, he stuck close to Professor Donton so as not to miss his words. It was the moment when the physical strength he had been training all this time shone.

“Look at this trace! It’s hidden in the bushes so you might not know, but it’s the path a Slugking has passed. There are many swamps in this area, so if you find a trace like this, you should be able to deduce it right away.”

When Professor Donton Murr paused for a moment to explain, the freshmen did not miss the opportunity and gasped for breath.

“Gasp, gasp. I’m dying.”

"No, is this really a magic academy lecture? Why is it so hard?"

Professor Donton Murr scanned the extremely weak freshmen.

They were brats who had only looked at magic books and practiced magic before coming to the academy.

The brats from knight families or adventurer guilds were following along well. A good magician had to be able to handle magical beasts well, and for that, the stronger their physical strength, the better.

When Donton gave a short break, the freshmen started to lie down on the ground one by one.

Of course, there were also freshmen who did not lie down or sit. Radel was one of them.

'It's almost the same.'

Radel was examining the traces of the Slugking.

Now that he had recalled his past life's memories, he could tell for sure. This trace was the same as the trace of a Slugking he had seen in dungeons when he was a Hunter.

Maybe his memories of earning a decent income from monster byproducts as a Hunter would be helpful here.

'Right. I can't stay in the imperial palace forever.'

Radel thought of the money stored in the bank, but he had no intention of relying solely on that. He resolved to listen diligently to the Cryptozoology lectures to save up for his independence fund.

Professor Donton was watching Radel.

It was because there hadn't been a brat who observed the traces of monsters with such interest in recent years.

'He's a pretty decent brat.'

Professor Donton's eyes lit up.

* * *

“The break is over! Get up, brats!”

Donton announced to the freshmen in a booming voice.

And he brought up an unconventional story.

"You all know that there's an evaluation at the end of the freshman adaptation period."

The freshmen perked up their ears, wondering what he would say. They had been curious about the exam that would be held in a month anyway.

“You also know well that if you don’t get a good score there, your admission will be canceled, right?”

A sense of tension spread across the freshmen's faces.

They had forgotten about it for a moment while listening to the lecture, but in a month, there would be an evaluation for all the lectures they were currently taking without exception. If they didn't do well there, they would have to leave the academy for being unqualified.

“I don’t know about the other lectures, but I tend to tell you in advance and start on the first day. You have to pass the exam within a month from now.”

"Within a month? Isn't it in a month?"

When a freshman asked, the professor laughed heartily.

"Hahaha! For brats, you have big dreams! You don't really think you'll suddenly get stronger in a month and be able to pass the exam, do you?"

Since the topic had come up, Donton said he would show them directly and took the freshmen to a swamp in the mountain.

It was not a simple swamp, but a swamp full of toxicity, where gas and toxic substances were boiling over.

“Stop here, brats. If you don’t want to die.”

At Donton's words, the freshmen couldn't get close and stopped at a place where they could see the swamp.

Donton Murr cast a protection magic on the freshmen. It was a good way to get poisoned if they got close without protection magic.

Swoosh!

Something appeared from within the misty swamp.

It was a Swamp Serpent, a monster in the form of a giant snake.

The Swamp Serpent swam leisurely through the bubbling swamp and sometimes spewed poison from its mouth. A sound of things touched by the poison slowly corroding with a hissing sound was heard.

At the terrifying sight, the freshmen gulped.

Don't tell me we have to fight that?

"What you're thinking is right. You have to catch that thing. The deadline is a month. If you catch it within that time, I'll pass you."

Donton grinned and looked around at the freshmen.

“You won’t be able to catch it alone. Form a team and catch it. The team size is three!”

A group project all of a sudden?

Radel felt more at a loss at the sudden order to form a team than at the content of the exam.

He hadn't even made friends yet, but already?

Just then, a familiar notification sound rang in Radel's ear.

Tiring.

[A quest has been generated.]

[Cryptozoology Group Project]

You must catch the Swamp Serpent before the freshman adaptation period ends.

The Swamp Serpent is not only difficult to approach but also spews poison, making it not easy to defeat.

To catch the Swamp Serpent, you need a team member who is good at magic.

Somehow, recruit a team member with outstanding magic skills and complete the group project.

Condition: Recruit at least 1 team member

Success: Pass the Cryptozoology evaluation exam

Failure: Canceled admission to the Imperial Magic Academy

To make matters worse, a quest had even appeared.

Radel resolved to do it seriously by any means necessary.

* * *

Where do I find a team member?

Since the quest had appeared, Radel's mind was filled with only one thought.

As he followed Professor Donton down the mountain, Radel looked around at his classmates. It seemed that the person who used magic the best among them would be Leon, who had the Dragon's Blessing.

'It would be a relief if I didn't fall into the swamp and die while trying to catch the Swamp Serpent.'

Even if he somehow cajoled him into being on the same team, there was no way Leon would leave him alone.

It was a relief that Gusto was in the same class.

If Radel also raised his skills before catching the Swamp Serpent, it seemed he would be of some help to their fighting power.

But to catch the Swamp Serpent perfectly, they needed to reinforce their fighting power.

Since he said the team had to be 3 people…….

Radel looked around at his classmates again.

There were freshmen who were already moving to form a team, and there were also freshmen who were lost in thought. However, no matter how much he looked around, there was no way to confirm who was good at magic except for Leon.

They were classmates he had only met for a day, but he had no choice but to find a reliable skilled person from Class B somehow.

Radel reflected on his negligence in making friends. He should have at least found out who was good at magic.

As Radel was lost in thought, Gusto quietly approached him.

"I found him. It's him."