I Became the Cute One in the Troubleshooter Squad-Chapter 132: The Fixer Exam: Is This Really Okay? (7)

The Second {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} Day of the Fixer Exam, 5:00 PM.

The loud alarm on my wrist signaled the end of the third task, the Color War.

At the very last moment, the number of successful candidates stood at exactly 121.

At the start of the exam, there were 525 examinees.

The success rate was 23%, not even half of the theoretical maximum success rate.

Well, to be fair, a lot of people gave up due to the dangerous environment of Reverse Mountain.

Once someone gives up, their marks become unusable, which made things problematic.

Due to that, marks became scarce, and the resulting infighting caused groups to break apart.

The logic of survival of the fittest took precedence over political power within groups.

Naturally, those who lacked the strength to protect themselves were bound to drop out.

In the end, becoming a Fixer wasn’t an easy task.

It wasn’t for nothing that Fixers were treated as icons of trust and given worldwide privilege.

“If those who dropped out could see me, the one who passed by simply breathing and blinking... they’d be furious.”

Of course, since I had already obtained the blue team's mark, I had, as expected, passed.

Thanks to Vespera, I didn’t have to worry about wild animals getting too close.

It was more like I just blinked and somehow passed the third task without even realizing it.

The process aside, I had boldly passed the so-called "Wall of Wailing," the third task.

Now, I could already picture Raven's surprised face when he would hear about the results.

But even imagining that future, I couldn’t feel any joy.

The news was unsettling, and my heart felt heavy with the discomfort it brought.

“Phew, it’s finally over. I thought I was going to die from boredom. Heh, if I didn’t have this cute little thing with me, I might’ve given up halfway. Should we head out now?”

“....”

Vespera, who had casually gathered her belongings abandoned in the shelter, glanced back at me with a question.

Her unspoken expectation for affirmation was clear, and I lightly smiled, nodding.

Though she wore a mask, her eyes could likely see right through it.

If I even slightly furrowed my brow here, I couldn’t predict the outcome.

It felt like walking a fine line on a dangerously swaying rope.

“This is troublesome. The best option for me was for her to forfeit... yet she’s still here as a candidate.”

The cause of my discomfort was, without a doubt, Vespera, who still remained as a student.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net, it has been stolen.

Though I had expected her to forfeit after her meeting with Tempest yesterday,

she was still here, right beside me.

I knew well that the place and circumstances might not have been ideal for her to quit,

but that didn’t change the fact that her presence was a massive inconvenience.

Especially considering the conversation she had with Tempest, which kept swirling in my head,

it was enough to make me uneasy.

“From what I gathered, Vespera must have a clear purpose for the fourth task. If that’s the case... as much as I don’t want to admit it, I can guess what she’s after.”

If there were no further changes to the content of the Fixer Exam,

the remaining tasks would be the interview, the fourth task, and the final task—just three.

The interview would be a quick check for any significant issues among the candidates, so essentially, there were only two tasks left.

“The fourth task is to secure at least one fairy from another world. Fairies are highly sensitive to who they interact with and will only reveal themselves to those they resonate with.”

Securing a fairy would depend largely on luck.

It was a rare and delicate creature, so acquiring one without help was a feat requiring both fortune and skill.

After all, this task was fitting for a Fixer exam, as Fixers weren’t just about skill—they also needed to possess a certain amount of luck.

Fairies were magical beings who used a unique form of magic, different from conventional magic.

To protect and manage this species, the association had created the Sky Garden, an artificial floating sanctuary.

The Sky Garden, even more isolated than Reverse Mountain, had to be heavily guarded to prevent outside interference,

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and it was clear that the association had invested immense effort into setting up the Fixer exam there.

But the real problem lay in the fact that something very special was hidden inside the Sky Garden,

a truly dangerous object: the Seed of the World Tree.

Once planted, this seed would take root deep within the planet and absorb all the energy around it,

transforming into a monster tree that could devastate the world.

“It’s a terrifying item, one that a pure fairy must have hidden. Just having it is hundreds of times more dangerous than a nuclear bomb that could obliterate a city.”

Huh? Why hadn’t I thought of this earlier?

Well, I couldn’t have known—it wasn’t even supposed to appear until a year later,

after the Otherworld Liberation Army had fully fallen apart.

But what if Vespera knew about this and was using the Fixer exam as a cover to get the Seed of the World Tree?

It made sense—there was no reason for her to go through all the trouble of taking the exam if not for that.

After all, the Seed of the World Tree was highly valuable,

and whether the association knew about it or not, I couldn’t judge just yet.

“If she’s really after the Seed of the World Tree... I need to stop her at all costs. Even if it means destroying the seed with my own hands!”

I didn’t know how she had learned about it, but if that was the case,

I had to make sure Vespera couldn’t get her hands on the Seed.

If the seed fell into someone’s hands, the world’s destruction would be nearly guaranteed,

and the invaders would be nothing compared to the devastation the Seed could bring.

Somehow, I had to secure the Seed before Vespera and destroy it,

or at least make it useless if she managed to acquire it.

So, as I walked towards the meeting spot for successful candidates,

I steeled my resolve and whispered my intent.

“Alright... her name is Yuria, right?”

“...!”

Several hours later, I found myself standing just a hand’s reach away, facing none other than Tempest, the Dragon Lord.

...How did it end up like this?

Earth is home to areas that are considered inhospitable for human life.

These places are often called wastelands and include deserts and polar regions.

However, there are certain areas that became wastelands due to unnatural causes, such as chemical or radioactive contamination.

One such place, which was forbidden to enter, lay at the heart of the war between humans and otherworldly creatures.

This area was known as the Mana Wasteland.

It had been contaminated by magic so intense that it polluted the land itself.

Without mana, humans would lose consciousness within minutes, and even most otherworldly creatures would rapidly weaken.

It was an extreme zone.

But in the midst of this wasteland stood a castle that looked as though it had been carved directly into the mountain.

Calderak.

Named after a great conqueror of another world, Calderak was the headquarters of the Otherworld Liberation Army.

It was a fortified war stronghold built with advanced engineering.

Its size could house tens of thousands of otherworldly beings,

and the towering structure was a symbol of the army’s pride.

At the top of Calderak, only the chosen could enter the chamber.

From the highest throne, the voice of a low, serious man echoed.

The man sitting on the throne had a white bandage wrapped around his head, obscuring his features, but his large build, over two meters tall, gave off an aura of dominance.

Just his presence demanded submission from all around him.

He was the Supreme Commander of the Otherworld Liberation Army, a being at the pinnacle of the otherworldly race,

leading an army of hundreds of thousands.

“Raise your heads.”

Upon his command, the high-ranking officers beneath him—known as the Seven Extremes—raised their heads and answered in unison.

Each of them was powerful enough to reduce a city to ashes with a single strike.

However, none of them dared to meet the Commander’s gaze directly,

and there was a perfect hierarchy between them, one of absolute loyalty.

“I won’t waste words. Even if it means dying at the hands of a dragon, secure the Seed of the World Tree. That’s the next step for our great cause.”

“As you command.”

“Hah! Leave it to us!”

The Supreme Commander didn’t speak much.

He simply gave the order, and his devoted subordinates—each a fanatical believer willing to sacrifice their lives—responded without hesitation.

The war had already begun, unnoticed by most.

***

At Crawley’s Solutions Office, the usually lively and warm building was eerily quiet today.

The TV was turned off, and a man, lying comfortably on the sofa, muttered to himself.

“Tsk, no contact yet... Could it be that they passed the third task? Could that little brat really...?”

His voice carried an air of uncertainty.

Of course, being a perceptive individual, he would handle whatever situation came his way.

But given how often he showed unexpectedly foolish behavior,

he couldn’t help but worry, even when he didn’t want to.

After fiddling with his device every five minutes or so,

his patience finally ran out, and he decided to make contact.

“Hey, it’s me, Jin Crawley. Long time no see. By the way, you’re one of the examiners for the Fixer exam, right? Can I ask a favor?”

To anyone observing from the outside, it would be hard to think of this man as anything other than a fool.