< Chapter 84: Survival (3) >
The detection function of the upgraded terminal was quite helpful.
[Displaying the location of the closest cadet.]
There was a penalty that it could only be used once every 2 hours, but being able to pinpoint the exact location of a cadet was a significant advantage.
Now, the night is shifting from day 2 to day 3 of the exam.
About 30 hours have passed since the start of the test. During that time, I succeeded in taking care of a total of 8 cadets.
“Not just 15, maybe even 20?”
The test is a total of 5 nights and 6 days.
There are still 4 days left.
It seems entirely possible if this momentum continues.
I laid down in my sleeping bag.
“I wonder how many are left.”
It’s almost midnight now.
I wonder how many have been eliminated today.
A brief flash of light flickered on the terminal. I quickly checked the notice.
[Day 2 survivors, 263]
“There’s still more left than I thought today.”
A total of 235 were eliminated.
Since 160 were eliminated yesterday, that means 75 were eliminated today.
8 of them were eliminated by me, so a total of 67.
The number of dropouts is much smaller compared to yesterday.
“Hmm.”
Was yesterday’s high number due to the indiscriminate attacks of those who gave up on the test?
Or it could be because many cadets have formed alliances.
It’s natural that the more you act as a group, the less combat there will be.
…The more people act as a group, the more tired I get.
Facing ranks 87 and 98 simultaneously was a bit tough earlier.
Two were difficult enough, but three, four… How hard would that be?
“If there are single-digit ranked ones mixed in too. Sigh.”
What if Ha Si-yeon and Kim Chul-jin formed a team?
“That’s too terrifying.”
I shuddered.
Facing those two simultaneously without ancient relics is unthinkable, no matter how I look at it.
I’ll have to hope it doesn’t happen.
I used the ‘Cadet Location Detection Function,’ which had just become available.
I’m going to sleep now, so I don’t plan to move right away, but there might be cadets nearby.
In that case, I could be unnecessarily attacked, so it was a good idea to use it just in case.
[Displaying the location of the closest cadet.]
[Southwest direction 2.2km]
“This should be fine.”
I shouldn’t be attacked.
I put the terminal inside my pocket and closed my eyes.
I’ll sleep for exactly 2 hours.
* * *
Practical Exam Day 3, Morning.
Ha Si-yeon woke up.
There was no one around.
“I’m sleepy.”
Ha Si-yeon was acting alone.
She had received offers from a few people she had met to act together, but she had refused them all.
It was hard to trust them, and she didn’t feel the need to share points by acting together.
“Yawn.”
Ha Si-yeon let out a small yawn.
She was tired.
Acting alone was fine, but sleeping at night was the problem.
Since she had to sleep half-awake to be ready for any problems, her fatigue wouldn’t go away.
Ha Si-yeon rubbed her eyes and crouched down by the river.
She washed her face with cold water to wake up. The sleepiness vanished.
As she went to wipe off the water, she suddenly realized she had no towel.
“Hmm. Will this work?”
Ha Si-yeon pulled up her magical power and froze all the moisture on her skin.
Chirp chirp-
Tiny ice crystals formed on her skin, and they gathered together according to Ha Si-yeon’s will.
“Done.”
She got up with a refreshed expression.
She stretched and lightly warmed up. Still, she felt tired. If she had slept deeply for just 3 hours, her fatigue would have completely disappeared.
She needed a trustworthy companion.
Then, she thought of her three closest friends.
“I miss Seo-yul, Ji-hoon, and Chul-jin.”
She could trust those three.
And after being alone for three days, she started to feel bored and lonely.
Even if they were villains, she wanted to see them.
“Will I be able to meet them today…?”
Ha Si-yeon sighed as she packed up her sleeping bag.
“Who? Seo-yul?”
That’s when someone’s voice was heard from behind.
Ha Si-yeon threw down her sleeping bag and took a combat stance.
She quickly drew her sword and pointed it in the direction the voice came from.
“Ah.”
In an instant, the wariness in Ha Si-yeon’s face melted away, replaced by a bright smile.
“Hi.”
“Chul-jin-a!”
The owner of the voice was Kim Chul-jin.
Ha Si-yeon ran to him with a delighted smile.
“How did you know I was here?”
“I didn’t know. It was a coincidence.”
They had just happened to meet while following the river.
“What were you thinking? Were you that tense because I might be a villain?”
Kim Chul-jin smirked.
There was no tension in Ha Si-yeon’s behavior.
“A villain?”
Ha Si-yeon tilted her head cutely.
“You might be a villain. Or you might not be?”
Kim Chul-jin smiled ominously.
“Nah. You’re not.”
Looking at her playful attitude, it was clear that she was not a villain.
Kim Chul-jin grinned and showed his teeth.
“You’re not a villain either, Ha Si-yeon.”
“Yeah. But how did you know?”
“Well, it shows all over your face.”
“And?”
Kim Chul-jin suddenly pulled out a device.
Then he manipulated it and held it out to Ha Si-yeon.
“I also have a list of villains.”
Kim Chul-jin smiled mischievously.
Ha Si-yeon’s eyes widened.
[Villain List of 30 People]
“You have this?”
“Amazing, right? I was surprised too when I found it yesterday. It’s an upgrade chip for the device…”
Kim Chul-jin excitedly explained.
How he got it, what functions it had, and why he chose the villain list confirmation feature.
He explained everything.
“Oh, right. Did you know that Ji-hoon is a villain too?”
“Really?”
“Yeah. He even got eliminated.”
Kim Chul-jin chuckled and manipulated the device, showing it to Ha Si-yeon again.
“Here. You see Ji-hoon’s name?”
“Yeah, it’s true. Why is it gray?”
“It seems that eliminated villains appear like this.”
“Ah, I see.”
Ha Si-yeon accepted it.
“Poor Ji-hoon. He got eliminated so quickly.”
“We should tease him when the exam is over.”
Kim Chul-jin laughed wickedly.
Watching Kim Chul-jin, Ha Si-yeon smiled bitterly. They would surely fight again.
But how did he get eliminated?
Choi Ji-hoon’s skills had rapidly improved recently. Protecting the brooch with magic armor around his body should have kept him from elimination.
“Oh, Ji-hoon wasn’t the problem.”
Ha Si-yeon was brought back from her thoughts by Kim Chul-jin’s words.
“Look at this. The real problem is this.”
Kim Chul-jin manipulated the device again and showed it to Ha Si-yeon.
“…What? Seo-yul?”
[Kang Seo-yul]
“Yeah. Seo-yul is a villain too. Scary, isn’t it?”
* * *
Practical Exam Day 3.
I actively utilized the cadet-tracking function of my terminal to target the cadets and thus took care of an additional three cadets.
The current time is 2 PM.
The first crisis has arrived.
It was good to have arrived at the location indicated on the position terminal as always, but I happened to encounter a team of four. And they were a team of four made up of top-rankers from the second squad.
At first, I intended to pass it off as a chance meeting and quietly part ways. But there was no chance of that.
“Kill him!”
“Take a man’s anger!”
“You’ve been insufferable all along!”
“Take my heart! Give a chance to a man too!”
They looked like they had no intention of letting me go, whether I was a villain or not.
More than that, the last one lay down.
“What have I done!”
I shouted desperately as I fled.
“Don’t you know! why you’re asking!?”
“Shin Jia isn’t enough, even Ha Si-yeon!”
“Plus, a dual attribute possessor!”
“You have it all!”
“I’m so jealous!”
…Ah, was that the reason?
“We’ll make you fail now and ruin your grades!”
“Take the anger of the first-year male students!”
Could it be a misunderstanding?
It seemed like a hallucination that their eyes were filled with tears of blood.
This is what people become when they are consumed by jealousy.
…Something is ugly.
“Ugh!”
I desperately threw my body.
“Tsk!”
“What a waste!”
Whether they were ugly or not.
Their skills are outstanding.
I can’t even find a chance to counterattack.
Even the Path of the Wind only suggests ways to evade without thinking of a counterattack.
“Come on!”
Do it moderately!
I twisted my upper body to dodge the incoming arrow.
The combination of sword, spear, bow, and whip is too smooth.
Were they always in sync?
There are no gaps at all.
“Die!”
The whip targets my brooch like a snake.
Two vanguards are already waiting in the path I need to evade, and arrows are raining down from the sky.
…This is crazy.
Was 1:4 too much?
After all, I am just a D-rank nobody who can only wield weapons decently and can’t counterattack without any ancient artifacts.
Outnumbered, I can neither counterattack nor escape as I am outpaced.
“…Damn it.”
Since it has come to this, it’s all or nothing.
I have no choice but to gamble.
“If you get burned, it’s not my fault!”
I shouted as I radiated magic all around me.
Whoosh!
The flames flickered and spread widely from me.
“Eek!”
“First, dodge!”
The two vanguards that had been pressuring me moved out of position at the intensity of the blaze.
“Hey! That’s no big deal…!”
The cadet wielding the whip in the back shouted urgently.
He must want to say that this flame is no big deal.
Does he know a bit about magic?
In reality, the recent flame spray had little power and was just an indiscriminate spray that consumed a lot of magic.
Probably weaker than a lighter’s flame?
It’s not even burning the falling arrows.
“You’re too late!”
But it was already too late.
The two vanguards had retreated, and the encirclement was broken.
I quickly hit the ground.
My target is the one in the middle, controlling the situation with a whip!
At the same time as I hit the ground, I threw the dagger.
Whoosh-
The moment the dagger left my hand, the Path of the Wind was unlocked.
A red magic power was flickering on the dagger.
It was a kinetic force of the same finite nature as that put on an arrow.
“Damn!”
The whip user immediately left his position. Indeed, it was a quick response.
“I told you, you’re too late.”
But it’s inevitable.
At that moment, my dagger bent at a right angle, and I rushed toward the direction he flew in.
It was the manipulation of energy.
“!”
His bewildered expression is quite pleasing to the eye.
Even if he wants to avoid it, he cannot.
His feet are already off the ground. If he can avoid it, let him try!
A moment in time passes.
“One down!”
Pat-
My dagger precisely shattered his brooch.
“You dare throw your weapon!”
“You’re finished now!”
The real problem starts now.
I expended a tremendous amount of magic to create an opening, launching a fire blast.
I even threw my only weapon, my dagger.
All that’s left is a single bow on my back.
With this, I’m defenseless.
…Or so,
they will think.
But there’s no way.
I made a motion as if reaching for my hip.
Of course, there’s no dagger there…
Ching! Clatter!
I have the ‘Artisan’s Portable Forge.’
“What?”
“A second dagger!?”
With the second training dagger I’d kept in the forge, I perfectly parried the sword and spear.
Whizz-
I then used ‘Predator’s Killing Intent’ on the spearman who had come closer in his haste.
Startled-
The spearman’s body momentarily froze.
I did not miss that moment.
Ching!
My dagger precisely split the spearman’s brooch in two.
“That’s two!”
If the whip user had been left, the whip would have flown in and blocked my dagger.
That’s why I took care of the whip first.
Now the remaining opponents are a swordsman and an archer.
“Let’s, for now, keep our distance!”
“It’s still 2:1!”
The swordsman took a defensive position in front of the archer.
They plan to drag it into a long-range battle.
Certainly, it’s an effective strategy against me, who uses a dagger.
But here’s the thing.
“…Did you two forget what I’m carrying on my back?”
“!”
I pulled out the bow I’d carried on my back.
And I swiftly shot an arrow.
Bang- Bang-
Straight, up, down, diagonally.
A total of four arrows flew in absurd directions.
I jumped just after shooting the bow.
Thud, thud, thud!
At the same time, three arrows hit where I had been.
While flying, I shot two more arrows.
Swoosh!
The arrows soared as if piercing the atmosphere.
“Where on earth are you shooting….”
The swordsman rolled his eyes around, scanning the surroundings. Then his pupils suddenly dilated.
“No way!”
He must have recalled my bent dagger.
I rolled, then stood up, using the inertia.
“Have you never heard that the arrows of a first-class archer who can manipulate energy can bend?”
Protector of the Bow.
Arrow of the Wind.
Master of Weapons.
Three characteristics that give bonuses to my bow skills.
I am a top-notch archer.
The six arrows I shot bent towards the archer, methodically like a snake stalking prey, nimbly like a hawk.
Ching, clang!
Three in total.
The swordsman blocked the arrows.
“Dodge!”
But that was the limit.
It was impossible to block all the arrows flying from unblockable directions, imbued with energy.
“Ugh!”
The archer tried desperately to dodge but couldn’t protect the brooch.
Pick-
My last arrow precisely split the brooch in two.
“That makes three.”
I took a deep breath and looked at the remaining swordsman.
“It’s 1:1 now, right?”
I put my bow back and drew my dagger.
“Damn it!”
The swordsman charged at me, seemingly resigned.
Whoosh-
At that moment, the path of the wind opened, revealing the red wind of counterattack that hadn’t been visible when it was 4:1.
I sensed the wind and moved precisely half a step forward.
The sword brushed past my head, and a strong wind blew.
I felt the wind and swung my sword diagonally.
Pick-
My dagger precisely split the swordsman’s brooch in two.
“Last one.”
I looked at the four standing numbly and curled my lips.
“I won, didn’t I?”
“….”
“….”
None of them answered.
They just bit their lips in frustration.
They were humiliated.
“Well, you’ve worked hard. Go in and get some rest.”
I turned, waving casually. Why couldn’t they have just let me go when I said I was leaving?
“Yes. That makes 15.”
At this rate, first place is almost guaranteed, right?
Whine- Whine-
“Hmm?”
At that moment, an alarm sounded on my terminal.
“What’s this?”
Not just mine, but the terminals of the four disqualified contestants emitted the same alarm.
An announcement?
I stopped and checked the terminal.
[Announcement. A villain who has defeated 15 people has appeared.]
[The villain has been designated as A-rank villain ‘Joker.’ A bounty has been placed.]
[A-rank villain ‘Joker’ is Kang Seo-yul!]
[10 times the points will be awarded to the student who defeats ‘Joker!’]
“…What?”
My pupils trembled violently.
…Since when was this a thing?”
