#653 Beings in the Guise of Penances

The students are currently undergoing their graduation exam.

The first trial has taken on the appearance of a final battle.

It involves a showdown with Fenrir, a monstrous capable of killing even a god.

The fight against the wolf as colossal as a mountain is said to be based on the motif of the legendary hero Hercules battling the lion residing in an evil valley.

...

Its impact has far exceeded the original already!

The students bravely confront this other-dimensional monster among monsters, capable of fighting even gods.

Some cast spells, others hurl spears. 

Those adept at blades wield longswords, rolling around and patiently waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike at their opponent’s vulnerable moment. Afterward, they quickly dodge away and prepare for their next assault.

However, as Sensei said, it seems that Fenrir is holding back.

Although the students ultimately achieved victory, Fenrir’s defeat seemed almost as if he were saying, “Owww, they got meeeee.”

Mission Clear.

The students are ecstatic with joy.

“Great work!”

“Thanks!”

After fulfilling his role as the first hurdle, Fenrir moves to the monitoring area where we are.

“We appreciate your efforts. Thanks to you, the exam is off to an excellent start.”

“Oh no, not at all. I’m normally just tied up until the day of Ragnarök, so I’ve been bored to death. It was a refreshing change of pace to interact with mortals after so long,” Fenrir replies cheerfully.

...Cheerfully?!

“When Odin called me, I thought it was time for Ragnarök. I was like, ‘Huh? Is it Ragnarök already? But my alarm didn’t go off.’”  

“Oh, no, no! It’s nothing that serious...!”

“Also, it wasn’t just me. He summoned my brother too, so I really thought it was Ragnarök, seeing as he went that far.”

...

Did he just say something unsettling?

“Oh, it appears the students have reached the second trial’s venue.”

“That means it’s his turn next.”

Sensei, alongside the massive canine Fenrir, looks up at the screen.

On the screen, students rush toward the entrance labeled “The Second Trial.”

This final exam is modeled after the Twelve Labors of Hercules.

Each of the twelve trials represents his heroic feats.

However, the monsters that serve as the centerpiece of each trial cannot be brought in directly, so substitutes are used...!

“The second trial involves slaying the Hydra,” says Sensei. “The Hydra is a multi-headed serpent that lives in a poisonous swamp. If you cut off one head, two more grow in its place. It possesses an abnormal form of immortality.”

“Scary! The Hydra is scaryyy!” Fenrir exclaims, thoroughly frightened.

“In this world, a monster of the same name doth roam, and it doth strike fear into the hearts of adventurers and soldiers alike,” explains Themis.

“Of the Twelve Labors, the Hydra is the most famous and the most difficult. Even Hercules had a tough time defeating it. And the guest who will be playing the role of the Hydra is someone equally formidable!”

As expected, it’s another substitute.

Who will play the role of the iconic monster that is the most difficult out of Hercules’ labors?

“‘That is the World Serpent, Midgardsormr.”

“It’s massive...!” 

On the screen where we watch over the students, a portion of a giant serpent is shown. 

This serpent is so humongous that the word giant hardly does it justice.

We can only see a measly part of it on the screen...!

Although it doesn’t seem to have the same grotesque appearance as the actual Hydra, its sheer size alone is enough to send shivers down one’s spine.

“Midgardsormr is my brother.”

“I knew it!”

No wonder its very being screams last boss vibes.

 “He was born as a tiny snake but grew big enough to support the world. During Ragnarök, he will fight against the gods of war, and his power will be on par with that of the chief gods.”

As Fenrir kindly explains, every word he says sounds terrifying.

“But despite looks, he’s extremely timid. Even before this event started, he looked extremely anxious. He was like, am I really worthy enough to act as a substitute for the Hydra?”

“I think he’s way more than worthy! Overqualified, even!”

“He’s worried since he has only one head compared to Hydra’s multiple ones.”

“Would that still make up for anything at this point?!”

Besides, how did they even get Midgardsormr inside the pyramid in the first place?!

“This pyramid is turned into a dungeon by utilizing the otherworldly mana that flows into it, causing the space to warp and accommodate even ginormous creatures.” 

Thanks for the explanation, Sensei!

In any case, the students fearlessly fought and managed to defeat Midgardsormr, the World Serpent acting as Hydra’s substitute for the second trial. 

It was another “Owww, they got meeee” kind of defeat, though. 

But it’s still impressive, considering the immense size of their opponent. If it were anyone else, they would have given up, and it would have been game over. Our students are exceptional for standing up to the challenge without hesitation.

“Wow, incredible. You’re already valorous warriors just by standing up to me without hesitation. You’ll make fine Vikings.”

Midgardsormr, who had been defeated, immediately gets up and starts giving his assessment.

As I thought, he doesn’t seem to have taken any damage at all.

“How was it? Did I do well as Hydra’s substitute?”

“It was great!” “Even better than the real thing!” respond the students.

“Hmm, but you see, I was thinking of acting as Hydra’s substitute until the end! I heard that after Hydra was defeated, its venom was extracted and became the hero’s lethal weapon during the endgame!”

The World Serpent sure has done his research.

Is he that industrious? 

“It just so happens that I have venom, too, so I’ll extract it for you now! Use it to your heart’s content, whether on your sword or arrowheads!”

Watching this on the screen, Fenrir comments, “That poison of his is the ultimate weapon to be used in a last stand against the god of war...”

“The poison that kills gods.”

A what now?!

We can’t expose the students to such an ultimately dangerous substance like that!

Just before it was too late, I urgently stopped the situation and prevented Midgardsormr’s poison from falling into the hands of the students or even humanity in general. 

It was a close call.

The students grumbled and complained, but they should be grateful that I intervened. 

What if such a thing was introduced into this world and became a cause for its downfall?!

“I’m sorryyy, I didn’t think it through.”

“No, you did your best...!”

Sorry you had to go through all this trouble coming to a different world.

* * *

“Sensei! Is this really okay?!”

After finishing the second trial, I couldn’t hold back and asked Sensei.

It’s fine to have exams to test the students’ growth. It’s also understandable to use the deeds of past heroes as a reference for the exam content...well, to a certain extent.

But isn’t it too much to gather talents that seem like they could cause Armageddon?! Starting from the first two trials?!

“We’re actually the strongest force in Ragnarök, you know.”

“Righttt?”

Even if you say that in a light-hearted, friendly tone...

“We asked the gods of each different world to play the roles of the Twelve Labors of Hercules. Great God Odin, Anubis, and Lord Enma.”

Since there are three people for the Twelve Labors, each person has been assigned four trials, huh?

“You didn’t participate, Themis?”

“Mark you, I am a deity native to this world. Mine own participation will bring forth true trouble.”

I think it’s better that way.

We already started off brutally, anyway.

“I know I’m saying this myself, but aren’t the other gods’ sections tamer compared to ours?”

“Haha, yeahhh. Doing things grandiosely is our world’s way, after all,” Fenrir and Midgardsormr say in succession.

The substitute participants who finished the trial are returning to our side and becoming commentators.

...By the way, for some reason, the third trial was postponed. The substitute summoned for the fourth trial—Slaying the Man-Eating Boar—was the immortal boar, Saehrimnir, brought by Great God Odin once again.

This boar, which could be killed in the morning and revived in the evening, served the role of providing a feast in Valhalla, Odin’s warrior heaven. In other words, its meat is meant to be enjoyed.

The venue for the trial assigned to the boar was already filled with a pleasant aroma and delicious food prepared by Andhrimnir, who accompanied Saehrimnir.

“Boar soup, boar soup, boar, soup!”

“Boar steak, boar steak, boar steak!”

“Boar leg, boar leg, boar leggggg!”

It feels like there’s something slightly off about all of this.

The students ate to their heart’s content in the fourth trial, which became a massive eating event for some reason, recovering the stamina they had used up in the first two trials. 

So, the fourth trial was supposed to be some kind of healing checkpoint?

“It doth seem that Odin’s team hath taken center stage in the first half.”

As Themis pointed out, the flow of the trials seems to be favoring Odin’s team...

“Fear not, from this point on, you shall witness our skills!”

“We shall not let Lord Odin have the glory all to himself! We shall demonstrate that our world also has the finest warriors!”

Who said those lines...?!

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i don't know how i missed uploading C651, sorry about that!!