A total of 154 people passed the second task.

    Since the White Team originally had just over 500 participants in the gymnasium,

    That meant two-thirds of them were eliminated in just one task.

    But even this was mild compared to the first task.

    The pass rate for the first task was about 15%, with only 100 out of 700 passing.

    So a near 30% pass rate for the second task could be considered quite generous.

    Eliminating 70% to 80% of the candidates in a single task...

    For those who were confident enough in their skills to take on the Fixer exam,

    It was no wonder it had the nickname of being the hardest test in the world.

    ''But still, dropping candidates quickly is necessary for progress. They can''t hold exams for an entire month.''

    In a way, this rapid pace was an inevitable outcome.

    Since only a handful of people would pass in the end anyway,

    If they eliminated candidates little by little, it would take far too long.

    Huh? Didn’t they recruit 300 Fixers through the exam every year?

    That was true—if you considered the entire world.

    Being a Fixer was an international profession with operations across the globe.

    The Association had agreements with over 200 countries.

    Because of that, there were more than 50 Fixer Association branches worldwide.

    Naturally, gathering the hundreds of thousands of test-takers in one place was impossible.

    So the Fixer exam was held simultaneously at various branches.

    With two exams per year and 300 slots, that meant 150 people were chosen per exam.

    Dividing that across 50 branches, each branch would produce about three successful candidates.

    But at the NightHaven branch alone, there were as many as 10,000 test-takers.

    It was inevitable that each task would result in a massive wave of eliminations.

    "Hmm. That was quite an interesting dream. Did you think so too, baby?"

    "...."

    So now was the time when the difficulty would properly ramp up.

    As I thought this, I stared quietly out the window at the scenery.

    Vespera, who had been in the last group, approached me with a perfectly calm expression.

    Her words were absurd from my perspective.

    A strong aptitude for magic also meant strong resistance to magic.

    There was no way she could have been affected by the weakened illusion magic meant for the candidates.

    She could have at least pretended to sweat and struggle like the other candidates.

    It was a blatantly transparent performance, and I was simply speechless at her brazen lie.

    But I couldn’t let it show.

    If she realized I had seen through her identity, who knew what she might do to me?

    It was best not to pour oil on the fire and to pretend I didn’t notice anything for now.

    ''Still... The fact that she’s deliberately hiding her strength must mean she has a specific purpose.''

    If she had just joined the Fixer exam out of curiosity or for fun,

    There would be no need to go to such lengths to hide her abilities.

    She could have simply displayed the level of an ordinary mage and avoided suspicion.

    The fact that she altered her appearance and concealed her power so thoroughly was a clear sign of intent.

    Since this wasn’t in the original story... I had no idea what her motive could be.

    ''Ugh... I really don’t know. If I were smart enough to figure it out, I wouldn’t need to rely on my knowledge of the original story. I guess that’s obvious.''

    No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t find a solution to my concerns.

    Naturally. All I had to rely on was my knowledge of the original story. This sudden situation was completely outside my expectations.

    Because of that, I felt a deep frustration, as if I wanted to let out a heavy sigh from the bottom of my heart.

    Not to mention, the unpleasant illusion I had just experienced left me feeling down.

    And now, I had a ticking time bomb right next to me that could go off at any moment!

    I almost wanted to ask someone why this was happening to me.

    ''Staying still like this is the worst option. I need to make a decision. Either take action to gather information... or admit I can’t handle this and give up.''

    Neither option was ideal.

    Gathering information against one of the Seven Sins came with huge risks.

    But if I gave up, I would worry about Alice and David, who were taking the same test.

    Huh? Why not just inform the exam staff that this person was dangerous?

    The problem was that my knowledge of her identity came only from the original story—I recognized Vespera’s appearance.

    I had no solid evidence or method to convince anyone.

    And if it turned out to be true, there’d be a mess about how I figured it out.

    What if I pretended not to know, and Vespera ended up harming Alice, a fellow candidate?

    "...!"

    "Huh? What’s wrong? Are you tired of looking outside? Wanna play with your big sis?"

    In that short moment of hesitation, I made up my mind.

    The truth was, NightHaven and the people around me had become too precious to me.

    I had to admit it. If it showed up in my illusion magic, that said it all.

    So... I had to figure out her intentions, no matter what.

    And once I did, I’d make sure Alice and David wouldn’t get hurt.

    I fixed my gaze quietly on Vespera, solidifying my resolve.

    ''Alice, David. I’ll protect you, no matter what.''

    Of course, given the overwhelming difference in power, staring her down directly was quite terrifying.

    But if my worst nightmare was everyone dying, bowing my head obediently was not an option.

    My fingertips trembled despite my will, but at least my resolve remained unshaken.

    An hour had passed since I resolved to uncover Vespera’s true intentions.

    The eliminated candidates were guided by the staff to leave Reverse Mountain.

    Maybe it was because the second task had pushed their mental strength to the limit,

    But quite a few of them had completely lost consciousness.

    Those patients were to be admitted to a hospital near Reverse Mountain.

    After all, it was highly likely that those who failed the Fixer exam would take it again.

    The Association had no reason to treat people poorly if they might pay the hefty application fee again.

    "U-um... G-good work! T-that’s it for the second task... N-next! The examiner for the third task will come and explain! Huhak!"

    Peacekeeper, drenched in sweat, hastily finished speaking and then hurriedly left the gymnasium.

    He bolted away without looking back, as if he desperately needed the restroom.

    The reason for his sudden behavior was simple.

    Peacekeeper, almost as if he were promoting himself, introduced the company he belonged to.

    During the process of handing out his business cards, he unintentionally clashed with Vespera.

    -"Ahem, if you pass the exam, it’s best to join a company. You’ll get better benefits than as an independent Fixer and can receive guidance from a great senior like me. Humhahaha! Everyone, take my business card!"

    -"Hmph... Peace Love Corps? What’s with this tacky name? Sounds boring."

    -"W-what... Y-you! Say that again! You just called the name I worked so hard to come up with... what?!"

    -"Hm? I said it’s tacky. What? You wanna try something?"

    Crumple.

    Vespera, who had crumpled the business card between her fingers, glared at Peacekeeper with a sharp gaze.

    It wasn’t magic or anything, just a slight release of her hidden presence.

    Her control over her presence was so refined that

    Even I, standing right next to her, couldn’t immediately tell what she had done.

    But perhaps Peacekeeper instantly realized the overwhelming difference in power.

    Like a cat cornered by a tiger, he could only gape with his mouth open,

    Then, looking ten years older, he let out a weak breath and avoided her gaze.

    It was as if just meeting her eyes had terrified him completely.

    The difference in their presence as living beings was too great—it was an inevitable outcome.

    "What’s up with that examiner... He suddenly looks so anxious..."

    "Maybe he really needed the bathroom? He didn’t look too well earlier."

    "Even a Fixer can’t escape the call of nature, huh."

    While the other candidates muttered without knowing what had happened,

    I closed my eyes tightly, now more certain than ever that I hadn’t misjudged her.

    So, now I had to find out her plans without letting her notice?

    And I had to do it all on my own, without anyone’s help...

    Yeah. My head already ached.

    I felt like I was hanging precariously off a cliff.

    "A third task... I hope this time it’ll be something interesting."

    "...."

    "Baby, why that face? Are you nervous? Don’t worry. Big sis will protect you."

    You’re the one making me this miserable—who are you planning to protect?

    I looked at Vespera with a sense of disbelief but nodded calmly as if I were grateful.

    It seemed she still intended to keep me by her side.

    The best approach might be to act innocent and gather information quietly.

    Especially since the third task would take a full day—24 hours.

    This might be my chance.

    "Hup?!"

    "W-what is this...!"

    "Gah...! I... I can’t breathe...!"

    Just as I was organizing my thoughts,

    An overwhelming pressure filled the space, making it feel as if the air itself was shaking.

    The intensity of it was so immense and unsettling that

    Even Vespera, who had been looking bored, reacted in surprise.

    Ah, now that I thought about it, I had overlooked something.

    The examiners for the third task were all big names in the Fixer industry.

    The examiners in charge of the Red, Blue, and White teams were all well-known figures.

    "Is it this way? Hooh, I see. You’re all gathered here. My apologies. I don’t come to this mountain often, so I got a bit lost."

    Just by walking, the windows rattled, and the ceiling creaked.

    It wasn’t magic but a natural phenomenon caused by the sheer density of his magical energy.

    The door opened, and a muscular old man in a suit appeared.

    The candidates'' jaws dropped as soon as they recognized him.

    Well... It wasn’t strange for them to react like that.

    "Nice to meet you, candidates. My name is Tempest. I may not be much, but I serve as the Mayor of NightHaven."

    The examiner for the White Team was none other than the Dragon Mayor, Tempest!

    His overwhelming presence filled the entire space.