Chapter 151
There’s one day left until the duels, the culmination of the Academy’s midterms.
The ranking of the members in the midterm exam represents the performance and grade of the club.
It’s just as important for them to get high scores as it is for their club activities, which is why we’ve invited these special instructors today.
“There’s no yolk in the ssanghwa-tang, ehhhhh…….”
“Hey, this isn’t a cafe, can you float the yolk in the tea? You can just drink an Americano like me.”
Kwak Chun-sik grumbles as he is handed a cup of Ssanghwa tea, while Choi Seon-ho looks at him and clicks his tongue.
Normally, the two were rivals, so seeing them sitting side by side like this was like seeing stars in the sky.
“Why would you drink something tasteless like an Americano?”
“Tasteless? It’s crisp and refreshing……but I don’t think outdated people would understand that.”
“What? Outdated?”
“So you’re an early adopter? Hmmm.”
……They’re close, right?
“Mm-hmm. So, you want me to help you train for your test tomorrow?”
As if realizing we were watching, Choi, who was holding his Americano, coughed and looked at us.
“Uh, yeah. Because you’re two of the strongest people I know.”
I start by praising them.
In my experience and statistics, the two of them hate flattery, but they’re weak on compliments.
The difference between the two is the timing, tone, and vibe.
In fact, the corners of their mouths lifted at my words.
“Well, whatever.”
“It’s not that I don’t agree, but……hmmm. No need to get cocky. I still have a lot of work to do.”
……easy people.
“Okay, let’s hear what training you want me to help you with.”
Kwak Chun-sik asks as he sets his cup down on the table.
Is it now?
I looked at the two of them with an apologetic expression.
“Isn’t there a saying that you can make great progress just by watching a skilled person fight or train, so I might be a little cautious about saying this…….”
If these are two people I know.
“Maybe…….”
Surely a response would come.
“Which one of you is stronger?”
Now, go kill each other.
* * *
It’s morning on the duels day.
The eyes of the ‘Familia’ members gathered in class were glazed over.
No wonder they couldn’t sleep easily after seeing such a scene yesterday.
Sword Saint Choi Seon-ho and Aura Master Kwak Chun-sik.
The club’s training grounds were nearly shattered by the shock from their fight and Ji-hyun, who was off-duty, came to find out what had happened.
‘When I saw the mess, I ran around, but when I saw the faces of the perpetrators, I immediately lowered my head.’
It’s hard to watch Ji-hyun’s head drop in embarrassment.
Still, the kids were able to make a lot of progress.
The duel between the two of them, with their emotions running high and coming to life, was a real battle, and the subtle maneuvers were like an elixir.
“Come on. Do you realize that today is the last day of midterms, kids?”
Ji-hyun walks into the classroom with a tired, bloodshot eye and an attendance book.
She slams it down on the table, glances over at us, covers her mouth, and yawns.
“I’m so……tired. Ah, Jin-woo Bevalt, wake up.”
“Yes?”
Jin-woo sat up, puzzled by the sudden call of his name.
“What did you do on the strategy test?”
“What? I just breezed through it?”
“Is killing all the party members a strategy, asshole?”
At Ji-hyun’s words, all the other kids’ eyes turn to Jin-woo.
“I cleared it though…….”
“You did, asshole! Three dead and one seriously injured? Did you do this knowing that I’m in charge of grading strategy?”
…… Three dead and one seriously injured.
He somehow managed to clear it, but it was a near miss.
“You really need to be prepared to die if you don’t get the top spot today, because you’re pretty much flunking. Do you understand?”
“Yes…….”
‘Or you die by my hand.’
“……Yes!”
The two eyes that had been so intelligent just a moment ago immediately sank.
As a sullen Jin-woo sagged back into his seat, Ji-hyun sighed and opened her mouth again.
“As you all know, today is the dueling day for the first-year academy students. The rankings recorded this time will be posted in the school community until the next final exam, so fight to the death.”
With that, she finishes filling out the attendance book, closes it, makes an ‘ah’ sound, and looks at us again.
“By the way, this duel class will be held outside on the field, so get ready to go outside.”
“Huh?”
“Outside?”
“Aren’t we supposed to do it in the dueling room?”
I had the same questions as the other kids.
Wasn’t the academy’s midterm dueling supposed to be held in the dueling room with a student of your choice?
But suddenly, it’s an outside field.
If it was an outside field, it must have been the field where the clubs had held all-out battles in the past.
“I heard that it’s just an experiment this time, since students with higher rankings are often nominated, but…… I don’t know the details, assholes! It’s the dean’s decision, so ask him.”
After saying that, Ji-hyun quickly turned around and left the classroom.
The moment she crossed the threshold, I heard a small voice.
“Good luck with your exams.”
The classroom door slammed shut with a barely audible voice.
“Hey, boss, what did we just hear?”
“Mr. Eugene. Instructor Ji-hyun just said good luck on the exam and walked out in embarrassment, right?”
“She said what she should have said as the…..instructor in charge, so why are you so surprised?”
A few moments later, a broadcast came from the loudspeakers in the classroom.
-This is the Academy Broadcasting Center. All first-year students are now asked to assemble on the Academy’s outer field. Once again, this is the broadcasting center…….
As the announcement is made, a commotion begins to be heard outside in the hallway.
It seems that the other classes have also heard the broadcast and are starting to move.
“All right, let’s get our own weapons and get out of here.”
Under the guidance of our class leader, Young-jae, our A class also began to move to the outside field after a long time.
“Wow, is this the same field where we used to play with the Ranger Club? It’s been a long time.”
Jin-woo walks ahead of me and talks to Young-jae as if he’s remembering the past.
“You look pretty confident, don’t you?”
“Of course. I saw something yesterday that made me think completely differently about …….”
Luckily, what happened yesterday seems to have spurred them on.
“So we can expect good grades today, right?”
I ask them, and they look at me at the same time.
“I’m not going to fight with boss.”
“I won’t fight with Mr. Eugene.”
“You’re going to run away when boss comes at you?”
……I’m sorry to have to say this.
I wasn’t planning on challenging him to a duel, but I was grumpy and wanted to.
-Come on, everyone, focus, focus!
At that moment, the voice of Park Yoon-ho came from the loudspeaker on the outside field.
One by one, the children began to focus.
-You must have been confused by the sudden gathering of everyone on the outside field. Until last year, it was held in the training room, with each student challenging the next ranked student.
The other kids nod in agreement.
I knew that, and I’m sure they knew that, too.
-But today will be different. Many opinions have been expressed about the tournaments held during the trial period so far, and this one is considered to be quite special. With the input of our instructors and the Dean, we’re going to try a new format this year.
It’s not that I don’t agree with him.
There were so many special kids that I thought this was a golden jockey.
But how is it going to change?
It wasn’t in the game, but……is it related to what happened earlier this week?
-The midterm exam will be held in a Battle Royale format. With the help of our instructor Ji-hyun, we have significantly increased the size of the outside field and the obstacles. The field will get narrower and narrower, and only one person will survive. The academy will be divided into ranks based on who survives.
“……that’s the update for the Academy Battle Royale expansion.”
“Huh? Boss, what is it? Doesn’t it look fun anyway?”
I’m momentarily distracted so I turned away from Jin-woo, who looked unconcerned.
‘……I wonder if that’s why Ji-yeon looked so tired.’
It wasn’t that the Battle Royale system wasn’t in CS, as there was actually an update that would allow for sequential battles on a virtual field like that.
I just didn’t realize it was coming right now.
-Upon entering the outer field, students will all start at a randomized location. The area where the field narrows will be displayed on a panel on the ceiling, so be sure to check it out and……The rest is better experienced than explained.
As Park Yun-ho looked toward the entrance of the outer field, a giant door opened, revealing a purple glow.
-Enter in order starting with class A.
Led by our instructors, we began to enter the field one by one, starting with Class A.
“Battle Royale, let’s get ready.”
Our class president, Young-jae, was the first to enter the field.
“Boss, let’s not run into each other!”
Jin-woo was the next to enter.
“Hmm……can we ally temporarily?”
Se-ah, who has been strategizing, also enters.
After sending all the kids off, I was the last one to step onto the field.
I’ve felt it so many times that I’ve gotten used to it.
A brief feeling of floating envelops my body, my vision begins to blur, and I arrive.
“……Here?”
Acrid smoke, a distinctive stale odor and a large canned food container in the corner.
“Um, is this a smoking area? It looks like a shopping center somewhere…….”
Buildings and cars surrounded me.
Still, the absence of people seemed to give off an uneasy feeling.
I looked around and was greeted by a very familiar scene, then I realized where I was.
This is……Yeouido.
‘If it’s the geography of Yeouido, I’ve seen it dozens of times, so I’m not worried.’
The only uncomfortable thing is that I can’t move my body right now.
Judging from the lines of magic wrapped around my body, the instructors must have carved a special formula.
It’s probably for waiting until the match starts.
It’s been done in other Battle Royals, so it must be true.
-All the students have entered.
The voice of the Academy’s broadcasting department can be heard throughout the city.
-Ten seconds. It’s the midterm exam of the Seoul Hero Academy, and we’re about to begin ‘Battle Royale’.
At the same time, something dawns on me with a screeching sound from above my head.
“Huh?”
[★2nd place★]
The characters floating above my head were emitting a bright light.
“No, what is this?”
Was this a feature in the game?
The characters glow brightly. What the hell is this──
Hua-ah-ah-ah-ah!
And at that moment, in the distance I could see a huge pillar of light that connected with the sky.
It was a phenomenon that must have been seen by everyone around and there, for all to see were giant characters spinning around and around, showing themselves off for all to read.
[☆★1st place★☆]
I remembered something I had forgotten.
The ‘Seoul Hero Academy’ was worse than I thought.
“Second place! Second place is over there!”
“First one to catch him is the king!”
“Hit them all at once!”
Trial ‘Battle Royale’ is going to be one of the toughest exams I’ve ever taken.
