episode_0010

About five seconds after lying down in the capsule and closing my eyes.

—Chirp chirp!

The crisp song of a bird echoed in my ears, prompting me to open my eyes.

Before I knew it, I found myself in the middle of a dense forest.

[The exam will begin in 90 seconds.]

A mechanical voice rang in my ears, and only then did I notice the four other students around me—excluding myself.

One dwarf, two beastfolk, and one elf.

None of their faces looked familiar.

They were probably just extras in the game.

Of course, now that Infinite End had become reality, calling them “extras” would be pretty rude. Still, it was true that they were physically weaker than the various characters obtainable through the in-game gacha.

I had to take the lead in this fight.

“…Even if we fight, we’ll just lose. Wouldn’t it be better to just give up cleanly?”

The moment I steeled myself, the elf girl standing across from me pouted and sighed as she spoke.

“Yeah, you’re right. Eldrain’s on their team, after all. Even if all five of us ganged up on him, we’d still get wrecked.”

The dog-eared boy to my left nodded in agreement.

The mood was already deflated from the start.

I’d expected this reaction to some extent.

Most students were well aware of Eldrain’s terrifying talent.

Facing a monster like that head-on would naturally be intimidating.

But we couldn’t just give up.

“Isn’t it a bit much to give up without even trying?”

I tossed out the words to shift the mood, and my teammates’ eyes turned toward me.

“So the problem is Eldrain, right? The rest are manageable?”

“That’s exactly why there’s no way to win. That’s the whole point.”

“I’ll take care of Eldrain somehow. That settles it, right?”

I wanted to explain my plan to them, but there was no time.

“…”

The elf girl glared at me for a moment before speaking in a low voice.

“…Celebrity boy. You seem a little full of yourself just because you traded a few punches with an Erosion Entity. But Eldrain is on a whole different level. He’s reached a realm we can’t even dream of touching.”

She seemed especially afraid of Serena.

Was it because she was also an elf, like Serena?

“Blocking and throwing a few punches won’t even scratch Eldrain. Got it? So drop that pathetic overconfidence—”

“You’re right. I don’t know exactly what kind of existence Eldrain is.”

“Yeah. So—”

“But here’s the thing.”

I met her gaze head-on and asked:

“Eldrain—and you—don’t know what kind of existence I am either. You don’t actually think that one-minute clip floating around the internet explains everything about me, do you?”

“…That’s—”

Her pupils wavered.

“I get it. You know your own limits best, so it makes sense that you’d feel insecure and want to give up before even trying. But let me tell you something.”

I gave her shoulder a light pat.

“Judging others carelessly? That’s a really bad habit. You should fix it sooner rather than later.”

The image of a fellow Hunter who’d underestimated an Erosion Entity and lost his life flashed through my mind.

He’d been reckless, but he was still someone I could trust to watch my back.

I still hadn’t forgotten the sight of his arm being torn off.

“…”

The elf girl stared at my hand on her shoulder, her body trembling slightly.

Then, her face flushed faintly as she bit her lip and lowered her head.

She must’ve felt embarrassed after reflecting on what she’d just said.

It was fine.

Everyone grew up like this.

I didn’t want to scold her too harshly—she was just a kid who hadn’t even become an adult yet.

“And think about it. If we just give up without doing anything, what will the professors think of us? They’ll definitely give us low scores, calling us spineless and lacking determination. So whether we win or lose, we have to give it our all and face them head-on.”

“…You’ve got a point.”

The dwarf boy, who had been silently listening, nodded.

“Plus, I just so happen to have a surefire strategy. If you follow my lead, victory is practically guaranteed.”

“Then hurry up and tell us what this ‘strategy’ is.”

The rabbit-eared girl crossed her arms and tilted her head as she spoke.

“There’s no time to explain.”

I refused.

“Huh?”

“Just remember this: When the exam starts, I’ll rush straight to the capture point. The four of you walk as slowly as possible and just follow behind me. Got it? Walk. It’s important, so I said it twice.”

“What kind of nonsense is that? The capture point only activates after five minutes—there’s no need to waste stamina sprinting there! We should just move cautiously while keeping an eye on our surroundings—”

[The exam will begin in 10 seconds.]

I frowned and cut off the rabbit-eared girl’s protests.

“You’re right. The way you suggested is definitely safer and more efficient. That’s exactly why everyone does it without question.”

Then, I borrowed the Angler’s persona and spoke.

In an instant, my outfit transformed into the Angler’s.

“And conventional wisdom is always the easiest weakness to exploit.”

[The exam has begun.]

At the same time, the voice announcing the start of the exam echoed in my ears.

“Then, if you’ll excuse me. Don’t forget what I said.”

I immediately broke into a sprint toward the empty capture point.

Serena and her teammates advanced cautiously toward the capture point, scanning their surroundings.

While the others were tense, nerves on high alert, Serena lagged a step behind, stifling a small yawn.

After all, among those who’d enrolled in Providence alongside her, only a handful could even hope to match her.

‘Hmm… I just want to finish this quickly and rest.’

She fiddled with the dagger in her hand as she ambled along.

‘None of my teammates have long-range attacks… but whatever. It’ll work out somehow.’

She’d only enrolled in Providence due to family pressure anyway.

Whether she got a high rank or a low one didn’t matter to her.

As long as she didn’t cause trouble for others.

Do your best—just enough.

That was her personal motto.

About two minutes after they’d started moving through the forest—

“It’s coming into view now.”

The dense trees gave way to a treeless plain.

At its center was a large, circular clearing.

And floating above it—a single mass of land.

Like a sky island straight out of a fairy tale, it was connected to the ground by a wooden bridge.

That had to be the capture point.

But an unexpected guest had already arrived.

A boy wearing a cozy straw hat.

Dressed in a shabby half-sleeve T-shirt and a sleeveless vest, he sat perched on the sky island with a blade of grass between his teeth, leisurely holding a fishing rod.

He looked like a seasoned angler waiting for a bite.

“What’s… that?”

“No idea. He’s not even in uniform. Is he really a student?”

Just as one of Serena’s teammates scowled and muttered—

‘That face… It feels familiar somehow.’

She recalled the human boy she’d spoken to alone an hour ago.

His name was Park Jeong-Hyeon, if she remembered right.

“Jeong-Hyeon-ssi, that’s quite the interesting outfit you’ve got on.”

Calling his name warmly, Serena took a few steps forward.

“Eldrain, do you know who that is?”

“That’s him. The rising star in the hological industry.”

“…That Park Jeong-Hyeon?”

As she got closer to the sky island, she could make out the surroundings more clearly.

Between the island and the ground was a treacherous-looking ravine.

Without crossing the wooden bridge, reaching the island would be nearly impossible.

‘Hmm.’

She didn’t know why Jeong-Hyeon was suddenly playing fisherman, but one thing was clear.

‘He must’ve rigged that bridge.’

If they let their guard down and stepped onto it, they’d likely fall into the ravine for some mysterious reason.

She’d thought he was just a cheerful celebrity, but it seemed he was sharper than she’d expected.

“Heh heh, what do you think of this look, Miss Serena? I hope it’s not too unsightly.”

“Not at all. It’s incredibly cool. Hearing that rustic tone of yours makes it even better.”

Serena’s teammates gathered around her.

“Are you practicing for a role in your next project? How diligent. Though the timing seems a bit off right now.”

“Afraid not. I just fancied angling for a bit of time, that’s all.”

“Angling for time… Hmm…”

Serena glanced down at the ravine.

Not a single drop of water, let alone fish, was in sight.

“I don’t know about time, but you’re definitely not catching any fish here.”

“Heh heh heh, is that so? From where I’m sitting, the waters are teeming.”

As the pointless conversation dragged on, Serena grew increasingly bored.

“Let’s just get this over with quickly, so neither of us has to suffer.”

She adjusted her grip on her dagger as she spoke.

Watching her, Jeong-Hyeon let out a quiet chuckle before—

“What a whopper!”

—yanking his fishing rod back with all his might.