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I stared at the door in the middle of the arena.

“Is that the door to the demon world…?”

It was exactly as described in the original novel.

Even though it looked like an old door, it was one of the treasures of Meikhael University.

The so-called “Door to the Demon World” was originally a prison created to lock up vicious criminals.

Long ago, it was said that an unnamed magician, under the king’s orders, spent his entire life connecting countless barriers to create this prison… but the reality was a bit different.

“Still, no one would think that barrier was made from the shed skin of Jörmungandr, right…?”

Jörmungandr, an ancient monstrous beast said to be large enough to swallow an entire country.

The “Door to the Demon World” was a prison created using the massive shed skin of that creature.

It’s true that the magician spent his entire life creating that door.

He drew a massive magic formula on the impossibly large shed skin of Jörmungandr. I thought he was just crazy, but turns out he was a *great* kind of crazy.

If he hadn’t spent his life creating barriers, maybe he would have been a magician remembered in history as much as a sage…

Anyway, the barrier created by that unnamed lunatic has now been reduced to a teaching aid for students.

For the safety of the students, the monsters trapped inside are all low to mid-level.

Students form teams of five to face the monsters, and professors are on standby to intervene if anything goes wrong.

Not only that, but they’re even allowed to use staffs.

As expected of a prestigious university, the school clearly went all out to ensure the students’ safety.

But I couldn’t relax.

Variables always exist.

Ever since I possessed Tristan, no one could predict how this otherworld would unfold.

Moreover, I had a walking variable with me.

I leaned back in my chair, pretending to relax, while keeping my eyes on the students in the arena.

Specifically, the smallest and youngest-looking girl among them.

“That little one seems unusually confident today.”

Helga, sitting next to me, muttered as she looked at Wendy.

As she said, Wendy’s small face showed a strong determination, as if she was ready to settle things once and for all.

It was a stark contrast to her usual lack of confidence.

“Has she grown too…?”

Wendy, who never backed down among the noble children, was waiting for her turn.

Seeing her like that, I felt a bit relieved.

My death flag, Wendy, had the potential to create unpredictable variables.

All because of her personality trait, “Misfortune.”

But beyond the Door to the Demon World, there are only weak mobs. No matter how unlucky Wendy is, the strongest monster she might face would be a minotaur or a manticore.

And that’s something a team of five students from this school could handle.

Besides, Myohail would be by her side, so it should be fine.

Still, was it just my imagination, or did Wendy’s face look unusually pale today…?

“Growl!!”

The group right in front of Wendy was facing a monster.

The monster they encountered was an ugly green dwarf—a goblin.

Goblins, the most common monsters to come out of the Door to the Demon World, appeared in groups of a dozen or so at once.

It was a considerable number, but the students calmly wiped them out with magic.

Yeah. If nothing unusual happens, Wendy should be able to handle the monsters just as easily.

As I watched their test, Helga, sitting next to me, opened her mouth with a mocking tone.

“Hehe. If I had gone down there, I would’ve wiped them all out.”

She wouldn’t just wipe them out—she’d go berserk.

You can’t expect moderation from Helga, who’s been exterminating monsters since her days in Aslan.

When it comes to monsters, she has no mercy.

“Ah~. They’re still students, so they don’t know much yet. Goblins don’t have tough skulls like orcs, so you can easily subdue them with a finger-pressing spell.”

“…That’s not magic.”

“Eh. Count.”

Helga slyly sat down next to me and poked my shoulder with her finger.

“Yap. This is the anti-goblin spell I created, Finger Gun. It’s a groundbreaking spell that doesn’t even use magic power.”

Not using magic power doesn’t make it magic.

Helga’s finger, circling around my shoulder, felt oddly seductive.

It was a good thing I was sitting in a high place, or someone else might have seen.

“How is it? My spell…”

But Helga, grinning, didn’t seem to care at all.

“Yap yap… Hehe…”

She seemed to be enjoying the situation, lightly brushing my shoulder with her finger.

Just as her finger was about to reach my chest, I finally spoke.

“Helga.”

“Yes.”

“Do you want to be punished?”

“Yes. I’m bored. Punish me, Count.”

Helga whispered to me in a playful voice.

As she removed her eyepatch, her seductive face became fully visible.

I looked away from her and slowly nodded.

“Is that so… You really want to be punished, huh?”

“Yes! I want it.”

“Then stand still like you did earlier.”

“Yes! Goo… Huh?”

I spoke to her in a cold voice.

“That’s your punishment.”

“Ugh… Yes.”

At my stern tone, Helga pouted and returned to her original position.

Bang-!

With the last spell from a student, the goblin horde was completely wiped out.

“Good job. The monsters you faced may vary, but we’ll take that into account when grading. Now, the next group, please come forward.”

As Professor Ariel called out, the students waiting in their chairs stood up.

Finally, it was Wendy’s group’s turn.

*

“Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

Professor Ariel nodded.

Then, the male student with the first attendance number approached the Door to the Demon World.

“Then, Group 7… We will begin the test.”

Knock knock knock.

Just like Professor Ariel had done, he knocked on the door.

The door began to tremble.

“Everyone, take ten steps back and get ready. The test begins as soon as the door opens.”

“Yes.”

Following Professor Ariel’s instructions, Wendy stepped back, swallowing hard.

There was no telling what kind of monster would come out of that door.

The orc Professor Ariel had demonstrated was a powerful monster.

None of the monsters that had appeared in the previous groups surpassed the orc.

If luck wasn’t against them, Wendy’s group would face a manageable monster.

‘No… That’s not going to happen.’

Wendy shook her head.

In situations like this, it was always best to expect the worst.

For her, luck always disappeared at the most desperate moments.

So, what kind of monster would appear?

‘A harpy? A lizardman? Or a gray wolf?’

An unexpected monster could appear.

It was highly unlikely, but a manticore or minotaur could also appear.

Thud thud!

As the door’s trembling intensified, the students raised their staffs.

Wendy also adjusted the staff she had hastily bought from the school store.

The door’s trembling showed no signs of stopping.

Just how big was the monster coming out…?

The terrifying sound coming from beyond the door made not only the students taking the test but also those watching tense up.

Thud…

A few seconds passed.

Finally, the door’s screaming stopped.

It was time for the monster behind the door to appear.

Wendy steadied her breathing and aimed her staff at the door. But…

“…Huh?”

No matter how long they waited, the door showed no signs of opening.

The completely silent door left not only the students but also the watching professors visibly confused.

“What’s going on?”

“Did we need to knock harder…?”

Something was wrong.

The Door to the Demon World had fallen silent.

“Huh…?”

Suddenly, Wendy noticed something on the door.

Specifically, an unusual energy seeping through the cracks. It writhed like a snake and soon disappeared from her sight.

“This is strange. The door should open after three knocks…”

Finally, Professor Ariel, unable to wait any longer, approached the door to knock again.

At that moment, a low voice was heard from somewhere.

“Professor Ariel! Get away from that door right now!”

“Huh? Who just said that?”

By the time Wendy realized it was Myohail’s voice, she knew something was wrong.

Boom-!!!

“Ahhh!”

With a loud explosion, the door burst open.

Wooden fragments of the door flew toward Professor Ariel.

Rumble…

“What, what’s that?!”

A rumbling sound came from somewhere.

The source of the rumbling sound echoing through the arena was unknown.

As everyone froze at the inexplicable anomaly, Wendy’s eyes caught something strange again.

“Run…”

The ground beneath the door was collapsing.

Wendy, the first to notice, shouted to the students.

“Run!!”

Wendy tried to take a step to escape the arena, but she couldn’t.

Because there was nothing but empty air beneath her.

“…!”

Her vision flipped.

In that brief moment, the last thing Wendy saw was the massive snake opening its mouth from the collapsed ground.

Stunned by the unrealistically large snake, she fell into the void of darkness.

 

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