I Have been Reincarnated As a Lazy, Arrogant Noble, but When I Destroyed The Scenario Through Effort, I Became The Most Powerful With Extraordinary Magical Power - 62

062 – Choice

“Plant Restraint: Plant Bandage! Alright, Weiss, no matter how much you resist with this—”

Vines coiled around his body, probably Earth magic, skillfully intertwined with his spells.

As students reach the latter stages, they develop not only conventional magic but also unique crafted spells.

This raises the difficulty of the game, but it’s also interesting.

However, I— I surge my magic and deflect everything.

“…What the—!?”

“I find the mechanism interesting. Well then, goodbye.”

I mercilessly crush him and take three rings. But just like with Lillith, I don’t deliver the finishing blow.

If this guy manages to gather rings somewhere else, there’s a possibility it’ll come back to me.

The latter stages are rewarding. I encountered many opponents after defeating Lillith and acquired 30 rings.

Rings automatically shrink as they increase in number, making it easy to manage. Their weight must have been lightened by magic.

I thought it would become annoyingly jingly, but it seems they’ve thought about that.

Also, something not in the original was added.

That is, a minor magic is imbued into the rings.

A hint of the four major elements like a fragrance. This makes it easier for those with a specific elemental affinity to find their respective rings.

It seems they’ve done this for fairness, but it’s definitely not to make things easier for the students; rather, quite the opposite, it’s quite nasty.

Originally, the rings should be found without any distinction, but that’s not the case anymore.

So, what happens then?

Instead of one person finding many rings like before, students are more likely to encounter each other while searching.

Milch Sensei is quite cunning. She definitely wants us to fight.

I encounter undead monsters along the way, but they’re not a great threat to me now.

Occasionally, I hear wails of despair, so there are probably a lot of people struggling.

And likely, I’m monopolizing quite a few rings.

There’ll probably be more students with zero rings than in the original.

I don’t know the exact number, but the fact that Milch Sensei emphasized the point deduction means it’s quite significant.

There’ll probably be several dropouts.

It’s a bit disappointing, but selection is important. If there are too many weaklings, they’ll just get in the way during the next Catastrophe.

Comrades are necessary, but they’re meaningless if they’re not strong. I’ve come to understand that well.

After that, I encountered ghouls. The moment I crush them, I sense multiple presences not too far away.

One of them is someone I know well.

Using Observational Dark Eye, I realize I’m surrounded.

…Now, what should I do?

▽

“You guys, move over there!”

“Alright! What the hell is this monster… such a pain!”

“Hehe, you idiot! Olin, you can’t go that way!”

Three guys I don’t recognize, probably from another class since it’s a joint effort.

Each has a ring on their waist.

“Ah, ugh…”

At a disadvantage in numbers, Olin is cornered and collapses to the ground.

They probably set up a trap. The moment Olin stepped in, the ground softened, sank, and then solidified.

It’s a simple trick, but it’s quite effective in the darkness.

“Pipipipil!”

In front of the fallen Olin, a small squirrel stands defiantly.

The male students smirk at the sight.

“Heh, isn’t this the best you can do with manipulation?”

“In the end, he has talent but no effort, right?”

“No doubt. Later, Olin. Don’t hold it against us.”

And the male students try to strike Olin with their swords.

But surprisingly, the squirrel moves at a tremendous speed.

It disappears from its spot, performs high-speed movements that only I can see, and headbutts one of the students’ chins.

“Wha…!”

“Hey, hey?! Are you okay!?”

“You damn brat, what are you doing!?”

“Pipipi!”

But the others aren’t fools either.

They quickly bind the squirrel with magic.

Olin had closed his eyes, probably infusing magic and manipulating the squirrel.

A top-class summoner can move monsters like an extension of their own body, even operating them autonomously.

In the future, Olin will likely be able to summon any monster as if it were second nature.

And in anticipation of death, you could become a monster and charge forward.

Moreover, this could be done by individuals with high physical capabilities or even flying monsters.

There’s no more terrifying suicide attack. Well, I don’t know if Olin would go that far.

“Damn it, Olin, sleep until the end of the test!! You can get expelled, you jerk!”

With such merciless intent, they attempt to thrust a sword at Olin—

But

“—Uh, uh, eh, Weiss-kun!?”

“It was a good show. You have to pay an entrance fee for the circus.”

“Huh? Circus…?”

What I said was just a joke, but upon a closer look, these are the male students whose rings I took.

In the original, Olin doesn’t get expelled in a place like this.

But they probably made it harsher because of me.

Even so, if he’s weak, it’s inevitable that Olin will die. But if I’ve seen a glimpse of his remarkable talent, it would be more beneficial for him to stay to help me avoid ruin.

“Wh-What are you doing, Weiss!? Why are you helping him? Could it be that you—”

“…Die.”

I put more strength into my attack than usual and defeat one of them.

An overkill that would have surely killed him if not for his training uniform.

He collapses without even a groan.

Listen here, if you spread any weird rumors, I’ll kill you, got it?

“Dammit! Don’t bully the weak just because you’re strong!”

“Heh, nice comeback.”

While I haven’t knocked my opponents unconscious until now, I’m on edge.

I’m not going to let these guys get killed by the undead while they’re asleep.

Actually, that might be better than having them spread strange rumors.

—Die—

“Pipipil!”

“…Huh?”

Suddenly, the squirrel breaks free from the magic and positions itself as a shield in front of the last male student.

He stops his sword just in time. If he had been a few centimeters slower, the squirrel would’ve been split in two.

Moreover, my magic sword, Dual Sword, includes a deactivation mechanism.

This guy is a monster. It should’ve disintegrated into nothingness without leaving a trace.

Or rather—

“Why are you protecting these guys? You were about to be done in yourself.”

“…If that person faints too, all three of them would die.”

Ah… that’s why Olin was the most popular.

He doesn’t think in terms of gain or loss.

Alan acts for his own sense of justice.

His ethics are undeniably human, and he wouldn’t hesitate to do whatever it takes.

If they were villains, he’d knock them out without a second thought.

But Olin is different.

Even though his life was in danger, that fact is already gone from his mind.

…Really.

“You haven’t changed… Stand up.”

I reach out my hand. Olin crawls out of the dirt with a surprised expression and catches his breath, panting heavily.

“…I haven’t changed? What do you mean?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

In the original, there was both praise and criticism at first. Well, there was probably more criticism.

People don’t really like the kind-hearted type.

More often than not, someone who is self-centered and unhesitating is preferred. That’s the current trend.

But Olin has a goodness that breaks that mold.

That rarity makes him stand out even at this Noblesse.

Well, anyway—

“Hey, you guys, hand over all the rings.”

“Eh, wha-what? Why? Didn’t you help us?!”

“Just because of sharing a room and the squirrel acting as a spectator. I’m not that nice. If it were you, you could probably find at least one more ring in the remaining time.”

These guys will probably get expelled, but I don’t care if they realize that or not.

It’s only natural for me to take all the rings they have.

“Weiss-kun, you’re ruthless…”

“Huh? Got a problem?”

“Well, hehe, but thanks.”

I collect all the rings.

Two are unconscious, but if even one of them is awake, they won’t die.

Now then—

“Olin, hand over all your rings.”

“What, what!? W-Why?! Weren’t you the one who helped me?!”

“I only helped you because of sharing a room and the squirrel’s observation fee. I’m not that kind. You should be able to find at least one more ring in the remaining time.”

“Fueee… I got it.”

While wiping tears, Olin obediently places his hand on his waist.

Surprisingly, the rings he hands over amount to ten.

“…Quite a lot.”

“Hehehe, I actually tamed a creature that’s strong in the dark. It was in a distant location, so I couldn’t move it quickly.”

Sticking out his tongue and tapping his head with a fist, he seems pleased.

…Phew, I’m still okay.

But he had been using two creatures simultaneously.

“I’m going. I won’t help you next time if something happens.”

“W-We understand. But Weiss-kun, you’re kinder than the rumors. I was surprised.”

“I’ll kill you.”

In various ways, it’s better to leave this place quickly.

It’s dangerous.

There’s no magical presence around—

“Ah-ahaaahaaahaaahaaaaaahaaaahhh!”

At that moment, a woman’s scream echoed from a distance.

I raised my gaze and saw a glow near the top of the mountain.

That’s… the cave!?

I quickly used Observation Dark Eye and Flash Time-Lapse to search for that magical presence.

Then, I sensed an extraordinary amount of magic.

“At a time like this…”

It’s like the light of an anglerfish, luring prey. Noblesse Oblige occasionally features traps that seem to invite players.

While such playful ideas were enjoyable at the time, it’s different now.

The appearance and timing vary, but often monstrous creatures—laughably overpowered—appear.

To find out what kind of monster it is, one would have to fall into the trap themselves.

However, most are like insta-kill traps, not intended for first-time players to clear.

The risk of losing one’s life is extremely high.

These situations occur when certain conditions are met, and they’re also random in the original.

Someone, somewhere, must have fulfilled the conditions.

“Did you hear that voice just now!?”

…I forgot about Olin.

Considering his personality… this could be bad.

“…Ah, he’s probably fighting monsters or underclassmen. Let it be.”

But Olin closed his eyes.

What’s he doing?

“…No, someone is attacking him. It’s dangerous. Ah, he’s done for…!”

“Olin… What did you see?”

“He used the creatures he controlled to enter the cave. But he got taken down… More importantly, it’s bad! A girl is being attacked!”

“A girl? Who is it?”

“I don’t know. I couldn’t see her face.”

At that moment, I thought of Lillith.

No, that’s impossible. No matter how much she wants rings, she would never fall for such a trap.

More importantly, Olin had a look of determination.

“What are you thinking?”

“…I’m going to help.”

“…No, you can’t. You must have noticed. The creature inside is a monster. If you go, you’ll die.”

“But…”

Olin’s eyes conveyed his answer. He’s definitely going.

But…

“I won’t let you go.”

I readied my sword. If necessary, I’ll knock him unconscious to stop him.

I can’t allow him to recklessly die as part of the developers’ little game.

I’m not worried about Olin; this is to avoid my own ruin.

“Let me go, Weiss-kun.”

“No, I won’t.”

I can’t believe he’d be satisfied with this. If necessary, I’ll knock him unconscious—

“Pipis!”

Then, surprisingly, Olin used Pipis without hesitation to attack me.

The speed and power were beyond my imagination.

I blocked with my sword, but my body was pushed back.

“Sorry, Weiss-kun! Thanks for helping me!”

Using that short time, Olin disappeared into the forest.

The moment I was about to chase after him, undead monsters attacked from both sides.

I eradicated them within seconds, but I heard the sound of wind slicing through the air from above.

Observation Dark Eye confirmed that Olin had used a flying monster and was flying, caught by the legs.

Naturally, he headed for the cave.

“Ah… damn it…”

There are countless trap patterns.

Monsters, bizarre creatures, and structures resembling suddenly appearing dungeons.

What they all have in common is their incredibly high difficulty.

If Olin is lost here, it would be a significant blow.

There’s no doubt the difficulty of avoiding ruin would increase.

Still, I can’t believe I’m considering following him.

To go to his aid is akin to suicide.

But… What is this indescribable emotion surging within me?

This isn’t me… is it, Weiss… is it you?

…Dammit.

“…Unnatural Wall, Annatural.”

Before I knew it, I was racing through the air, heading towards the cave.