<Bright>

 

 

 

Why was this so hard!?

Staring at his finished paper on the desk, Bright contemplated the future.

His papers throughout this week had been so ridiculously hard! Many of them were at the very least college level, with the one he just completed being the worst. He couldn’t even answer some questions on it! Was this seriously what they’ve been learning this entire time!? Why!? How!? If he's struggling this much already, then his future was set in stone!

He chuckled to himself.

“Are you perhaps done, Miss Bright?”

“~Ah, yes. Thank you.~” (B)

Waiting on the invigilator, Bright decided to turn in his paper.

He had done everything he could possibly do.

“Tch.”

As he stood up to leave, though, an irritable sound was made.

Gazing back, Bright saw the boy he beat a few weeks back.

The weird aura that had surrounded him had grown thicker since Bright last saw him.

‘Whatever’

Smiling at him, Bright left the exam hall.

He couldn’t care less.

Honestly, it wasn’t his fault the guy refused to stay down after being beat down.

 

 

The evening glow dyed the house in a warm light.

“I can’t do this….” (B)

Setting his pen down, Bright gazed out the wide windows.

Today was a lucky day despite the exam earlier. Because, on account of both heroes being busy, he wouldn’t have to do regular training. Sure, the note left by the pair insisted he maintain regular practice, but Bright really wasn’t going to do that. Instead, he chose (willingly) to start a solo studying session. A clear survival response to his current stressors.

These last couple of days had truly opened Bright’s eyes to reality.

He was doomed to fail.

If not through these midterms, then certainly at finals. There was no way his current knowledge would enable him to score first. In a school full of the elite of the elite students, Bright stood like a fish out of water. He was the odd one out, and not in the good ways. Sooner or later, Bright’s own idiocy would result in him losing the top position. His present trajectory was a plane crash waiting to happen.

“…Maybe homeschool won’t be that bad?” (B)

Walking over to the couch, Bright collapsed.

He couldn’t make sense of anything he had tried to study.

The last twenty minutes had been spent filling through half-finished, poorly done notes.

“Arf!”

The weight resting on Bright’s head shifted to his stomach.

It crawled underneath his shirt before stilling and presumably falling asleep.

“I guess we’ll seeing more of each other soon, huh?” (B)

Bright petted the weight.

Tomorrow would finally determine whether or not he would stay. Like the angel and demon duo explained, the specialised course tests held the most weight when averaging grades. Bright, being in the hero course, was expected to complete some simulation. These could range from disaster recovery to beast subjections. Given what first years typically cover, Bright was likely to do beast subjection.

It shouldn’t be hard for him to get a perfect score.

Hopefully, it would be enough to boost the other general classes' grades should they be lacking.

Bright closed his eyes.

…Succeeding was a must.

He couldn’t let his freedom be stole from him.

 

 

Bright knew his school to be rich, but this was just absurd.

…What kind of school owns an entire forest!?

“Good morning, students!”

A rambunctious woman greeted the cohort of hero course students.

Instantly, a wave of uneasiness spread amongst the group.

Soft murmurings began.

Bright couldn’t understand why, but he raised his guard regardless. There was something seriously off about this lady that he couldn’t pinpoint accurately. She danced on her feet like an excited little kid while wearing a constant smirk. The positive energy she emanated was sweet to the degree it felt sickening.

“I am the one and only Hero Joy! And I, yes, I! Shall have the great honour of taking you through this exam!” (J)

Bright furrowed his brows slightly.

No wonder people were feeling uneasy.

Heroes didn’t typically proctor exams, at least, not at the Highschool level.

What was such a person doing here?

From the general feel of her aura, she was somewhat strong.

The strange circumstances were a cause for worry.

“You there!” (J)

A sudden call-out brought Bright out of his musings.

A finger pointed to him.

‘M-Me!?’

“~Yes?~” (B)

The murmurs that had died down once the Hero started talking exploded again.

“I-Isn’t this too unfair?”

“Yea. Doesn’t that Hero work for… you know who?”

“I mean, it’s Bright. She’s going to pass anyways; who cares?”

‘What’s this reaction?'

Bright felt his stomach churn.

He always received favouritism, but people hardly complained.

Many people believed it was part and course for him.

‘What am I missing?’

Clearly, there was some key piece of info Bright was missing if everyone was acting like this.

This lady was trouble.

“Hmph!”

A cough from the hero caused the class to quiet down.

The hero then turned her attention back on Bright.

“What do you think is the duty of a hero?” (J)

‘An easy one at least’

Bright pulled out a classic answer.

“The wickedness of monsters and villains cannot be allowed to persist. They are a tenacious evil seeking to loot, pillage and destroy all. This is a reality I can not allow. As a hero, my duty will be to become the sword that stands in their way. I will be the axe to chop their dreams. I will be their end.” (B)

Finishing his little spiel, Bright basked in the adoration sent his way.

The students, as well as the other regular proctors, were eating his words like buttered bread.

“Wrong!” (J)

The sharp proclamation made caused everyone to stir.

Silence descended upon the field.

“A hero’s duty does not only amount to violence! The true duty of a hero is much greater than that.” (J)

Hero Joy spun on her heel, arms wide.

“Beasts will never stop coming! You kill one, ten more crawl from the dirt. Villains are the same. The world doesn’t need us to win; it needs us to look like we can’t lose!” (J)

She pointed skyward, her grin widening.

“That is what it means to be a hero, to be a symbol! To fight so beautifully, so decisively, that people watching believe the world is still worth saving!” (J)

She paused for effect.

“That’s why your exam is simple. You’ll be dropped into a field crawling with Rank 1 and 2 monsters. Your score is the number of monsters you kill in the next three hours.” (J)

A few students gasped.

An understandable reaction. Unlike Bright, most weren’t quite familiar with monster subjections.

They were suddenly being thrown into the fire.

‘Wrong? How am I wrong?’

Bright didn’t take issue with the task at hand, but he did with her explanation. A hero’s duty didn’t amount to violence? Wasn’t what she just described violence? To publicly call him out as wrong and then give the same answer had to be a crime.

Amidst the worried students, a voice perked up.

“That’s… still just violence?”

It was a redheaded girl whose expression appeared half asleep.

Joy chuckled.

“Anyone can kill. The question is whether you can do it without losing the crowd. If the people watching don’t feel hope when they see you, then all your strength means nothing.” (J)

Bright felt a strong desire to roll his eyes.

The way she spoke reminded him too much of the terrible duo.

Her words were utter nonsense.

“Each Rank 1 you kill will reward you with 10 points. A passing grade will rest at 50 points. Everything above that will merely count as extra points but will marginally improve your grade.” (J)

A pair of eyes was directed at Bright.

“For those seeking a challenge, each Rank 2 you kill will reward you with 100 points.” (J)

It may sound unfair, but nobody complained.

Everyone was aware of the difference between Rank 1 and 2. With each increasing rank, the power and intelligence of the monster increased at least tenfold. It was part of the reason many gasped at the mention of battling monsters. Rank 1’s were terrible but not impossible. Rank 2’s, on the other hand, were something else entirely.

“Alright, let’s begin! Line up!” (J)

Seeing everyone move, Bright took a step forward only to have a hand raised at him.

“Not you.” (J)

He froze.

“An hour’s penalty for failing to answer my question.” (J)

Hero Joy turned to the rest of the exam takers.

“The exam starts now!” (J)

They all madly dashed into the forest.

‘The hell!?’