The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned

Chapter 18 - Mental Training (3)

The gazes of the surrounding candidates focused on me.

Was it because of the events that had occurred over the past few weeks?

The eyes that were now on me were not the scornful and disdainful looks I was used to in my previous life, but rather filled with anticipation.

\'This is something I’m not used to yet.\'

It felt like wearing a pair of new shoes that hadn\'t been broken in yet.

Having lived a life devoid of any expectations, it was understandable that I felt this way.

\'I\'ll have to get used to it eventually.\'

To be honest, it didn’t feel all that bad.

“Would you like to experience it?”

“No, I’ll do it.”

I slowly stood up and approached Professor Morpheus.

Just then,

“Um… Dale.”

Iris gently grabbed the hem of my clothes as I moved forward.

She glanced around, then leaned closer to me and whispered in a small voice.

“If you feel like you can’t endure it, just shake your right arm.”

“My right arm?”

“Yes. Just shake it lightly, that’s all. Got it?”

“Hmm… okay.”

I wasn’t sure what she was planning, but I didn’t think she would need to step in.

\'A hallucination, huh.\'

How long did I endure it in my previous life?

It was so long ago that I couldn\'t remember.

\'Well, it doesn’t matter.\'

No matter what hallucination is shown to me, the result will be the same.

“Just sit comfortably in the chair and close your eyes.”

It felt like I was about to undergo some sort of hypnosis.

With those trivial thoughts in mind, I sat down in the chair.

I closed my eyes and relaxed my entire body.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

“Then, let’s begin.”

Professor Morpheus placed his hand over my eyes.

And then...

\'This is...\'

A crimson wasteland.

The sticky humidity clung to my skin, and the scent of blood stung my nose.

The place was covered in severed limbs and piled-up corpses, forming small mounds.

The lecture hall I had been sitting in moments ago was nowhere to be seen; instead, a gruesome land filled with blood and corpses spread out before me.

\'So this is Professor Morpheus\'s hallucination magic.\'

Impressive.

Despite knowing it was a hallucination, the scene was so vivid that it didn’t feel out of place at all.

Severed limbs, spilled guts, maggots devouring flesh, and exposed brains, among other horrors.

Even a seasoned hero would likely grimace and turn away from such a sight, let alone a candidate.

\'This can\'t be all there is.\'

If it ended with just showing a gruesome illusion, there was no reason for Albert, who had experienced it before, to shout, "Get away!" or "Save me!"

-Squelch.

At that moment, I heard a squishy sound in my ear.

\'I knew there had to be more.\'

I turned my head in the direction of the sound.

What I saw there was...

“What the…”

A squirming, slimy green tentacle.

With tentacles sprouting from all over its body, the beast glared at me with its 18 eyes.

-Squelch, squelch.

The wriggling tentacles oozed pus, dripping like mucus, emitting a horrid stench.

\'Now I understand why Albert freaked out.\'

Even I, who had faced countless beasts in my previous life, felt a momentary urge to retch at the grotesque appearance of this creature.

“SCREEEEEEEEECH!!”

The beast let out a horrifying shriek as it charged at me.

The tentacles protruding from its entire body flailed like hair, yellow pus splattering and soaking the ground.

Even though it was just an illusion, the urge to scream and run away was overwhelming.

“Hoo.”

But I took a deep breath, calming myself down.

\'It\'s just an illusion.\'

Suddenly, I recalled the visions of my comrades that I had seen while wandering alone in a snowy wasteland.

Hallucinations I had conjured up in my loneliness.

\'No matter how terrifying that tentacle monster may look.\'

Could it be as horrifying as the hallucinations of my dead comrades?

\'This is nothing.\'

Compared to the life I’ve lived.

Compared to the deaths I’ve faced.

A disgusting-looking tentacle monster like this is nothing.

-Sizzle!

As I continued to stare at the charging tentacle beast, a burning pain suddenly flared up in my left chest.

“Guh.”

I grimaced and looked down to see the "Primordial Flame" flaring up, engulfing the stigmata.

\'What the… suddenly?\'

It wasn’t the blessing of resurrection being activated, so why was the Primordial Flame reacting now?

Before I could even begin to figure out the reason behind it,

“SCREEEEEEEEECH!”

The tentacle beast, which had been charging at me while letting out a horrifying shriek, began to fade.

As if a massive blaze was consuming it.

The tentacle beast, with its disgusting protrusions and the corpses that had formed small mounds, turned into gray ashes and scattered.

\'Did the Primordial Flame have this kind of ability?\'

As I held back a laugh and watched the hallucination burn away, the blood-soaked and corpse-filled scenery around me slowly reverted to the appearance of the lecture hall.

“Well… this is surprising.”

Then, Professor Morpheus’s voice rang out.

“I didn’t expect you to break my hallucination spell alone.”

Professor Morpheus looked at me up and down with wide eyes, as if he couldn’t believe what had just happened.

“Haha. I thought I had been teaching for a long time… but this is a first.”

He had seen candidates endure his hallucination for a minute before.

Though rare, there were some who either had too much mana or a natural resistance that made them immune to the hallucination.

But...

Even though Dale had clearly fallen into the hallucination, he was the first candidate to break—no, burn—it away in the middle of it.

“How did you do that?”

How did I do it, huh?

‘Honestly, I’m more curious about that myself.’

I shrugged my shoulders with a bitter smile.

“Who knows?”

“Hmm.”

“Anyway, I passed the test, right?”

I asked as I stood up from the chair, and Professor Morpheus smiled broadly and nodded.

"Of course. This isn’t just a pass, but something worthy of bonus points, don’t you think?"

"That would be nice."

"Haha. I’d like to do that too, but bonus points are ultimately up to the professor\'s discretion...."

Professor Morpheus trailed off, glancing at Professor Lucas.

Professor Lucas looked at me with a somewhat proud expression, but he shook his head firmly.

"No matter how well you did, I can’t give extra points that weren’t announced beforehand."

"Aww."

What a stingy guy.

"What, do you have a problem?"

"How could I dare have a problem with the strict decision of the great Professor Lucas?"

"Nonsense. Anyway, for those who passed the test, I’ll let you off after the morning classes today, so go ahead and challenge yourselves to the fullest."

The classroom began to buzz at the mention that those who passed the test would be dismissed after the morning classes.

Shortened class time.

Was there any word that could excite cadets more than those four syllables?

"I’ll give it a try!"

"Me too!"

"I can do it!"

The cadets, relieved by how easily Dale passed the test, crowded around, chatting more relaxedly.

"Haha. Seeing this now, wasn’t Albert just overreacting?"

"That’s what I’m saying."

"This is strange... How can they be so calm after seeing that?"

"Anyway, Albert is known for his overreactions."

"But... that shouldn’t be possible."

The cadets laughed, snickering at Albert’s frustrated expression.

"Now, please sit comfortably in your chairs and close your eyes."

"Yup!"

The next cadet in line sat in the chair with a confident expression.

And then.

"Aaaaahhhhhhhh!"

Starting with the cadet who screamed in terror.

"Eeeek!"

"Help meeeeee!"

"T-Tentacles... tentacles!"

The classroom filled with horrific screams.

"Haha. I’m glad to see everyone is so healthy. Youth is indeed wonderful~."

Professor Morpheus continued the "mental training" class with a beaming smile, casting illusions.

* * *

After the morning classes ended.

"So, only Dale and Iris passed the test? Camilla was so close to passing, it’s a shame."

Professor Lucas clicked his tongue, looking at the cadets sprawled out, exhausted.

"They were so confident, yet only two passed the test... Hehe. Those who didn’t pass, you know what’s coming, right?"

With an evil grin, Professor Lucas shook a jug filled with a special juice.

The candidates’ faces turned pale at the sight of the green liquid bubbling with foam.

"Damn it...."

Camilla clenched her fist, her shoulders trembling.

"If I had just held on for 5 more seconds... 5 more seconds!"

She had almost passed the test with superhuman endurance.

But at the very end, when the tentacles suddenly started writhing and tried to enter a place they shouldn\'t, she couldn\'t hold back and screamed.

"You were holding out so well, what happened at the end?"

"Well, suddenly those tentacles tried to get into my but...!"

"Butt?"

"That... I mean... Ugh!"

Camilla, her face flushed red, glared at me fiercely.

"You perverted jerk! How dare you make a lady say such a horrible thing!"

"Hey, what did I do?"

"Hmph! Shut up!"

Camilla crossed her arms and turned her head sharply, indicating she didn’t want to talk anymore.

I shrugged and packed my bag, getting up to leave.

As I was about to step out of the classroom, leaving behind the envious gazes of the other cadets.

"Dale~ You didn’t forget that we’re having lunch together today, right?"

"Of course not."

I nodded, smiling brightly as Iris approached.

Since Iris also passed the test, we could keep our weekly Monday lunch date.

"I’m glad Dale passed the test."

"This was a piece of cake."

"If I thought you wouldn’t pass, I was planning to cast my ‘blessing’ on you secretly."

"Ah, so that’s why you told me to shake my right arm if it got too tough?"

"Yes."

Iris nodded with a bashful smile.

Her blessing had the power to increase resistance to mental magic, so it surely would have been helpful.

"But why didn’t you give Camilla the blessing?"

"Well, no matter how dear a friend Camilla is to me, a test should be taken fairly."

"Uh... right."

She wasn’t wrong, but then why did she secretly plan to bless me?

‘Wait a minute.’

Just then.

A question flashed through my mind.

‘Camilla said the illusion suddenly intensified just before she passed the test.’

Though Iris had never shown it to me, her blessing could be applied in reverse.

In other words.

Instead of boosting resistance to mental magic, it could lower it.

‘No way.’

There’s no reason for Iris to curse Camilla and make her fail the test on purpose.

"Since Camilla isn’t here, it’s just the two of us for lunch today."

"Ah... yeah, I guess so."

"I’ve already contacted the restaurant, so the food should be ready. Let’s hurry before it gets cold."

Iris walked ahead, leading the way.

"Hehehe~♬"

Why was it?

Iris, who was walking towards the restaurant, seemed more excited than I had ever seen her before.