Ch.91New Alliance (3)

# Hero Association Second Exam Waiting Area

A quiet tension hung in the air, as the exam venue was shrouded in hushed silence.

This second exam had transformed an entire city the size of Yeouido into a virtual battlefield.

Only a thousand examinees remained.

The battle about to begin would be a stage where everyone fought for their own survival.

“The rules themselves are simple. A typical battle royale,” Zero said in his usual calm tone.

“Shrinking map, survive until the end. Rules we’re familiar with from games.”

“This is totally Siljongi’s specialty…”

I let out a hollow laugh as I glanced at Siljongi hiding behind the shadows.

“Oh! Mr. Janghun, this is exactly like Ground Battle that I mastered! Not just the shrinking map, but even the gun rules are identical!”

Siljongi exclaimed in an excited whisper.

But I couldn’t be as carefree as if this were just a game.

This was a battlefield where real blood might be spilled.

This time, it wasn’t monsters or indiscriminate natural disasters… it meant battles between examinees would officially begin.

“But, our exam site only had three people pass. There are more people than I expected.”

“From a million to a thousand. Looking at the overall picture, our Exam Site 7 was the only one with an abnormal elimination rate.”

As I nodded at Zero’s words.

“Janghun!”

A familiar voice called from a distance.

I turned to see Carmilla running toward us, her white qipao fluttering.

And behind her, a small shadow cautiously following, as if drawn by something.

The moment I saw that figure, I was at a loss for words.

“…Marna?”

Just days ago, she was the girl who had turned the exam site into a fiery hell, nearly wiping us out.

Cold, mechanical eyes, lips that never moved—a monster of the battlefield.

Now that same Marna was like a frightened puppy, tightly gripping Carmilla’s hand with both of her own.

Those hands were trembling, and her small shoulders were shaking visibly beneath her collar.

Yesterday’s killing intent and today’s tears.

The gap was so vast that it was hard to believe this was the same person.

“I brought this child… with me,” Carmilla said, catching her breath as she carefully positioned Marna in front of us.

She quietly lowered her hand and placed it on Marna’s head.

The girl remained silent.

But at that single touch, she trembled quietly like cracked glass.

“As an exam evaluator, this is clearly wrong. But… leaving this child alone would be an even greater wrong.”

When she reopened her eyes after briefly closing them, they held unwavering resolve.

“She reminds me too much of my childhood. Just like when I was young, being beaten by my mother… no, by the radiation monster, yet still calling her ‘mom’.”

I couldn’t say anything.

I could feel too clearly the emotions she was suppressing.

“…Big sister has to go now. I’m an examiner after all.”

Carmilla gently stroked Marna’s cheek once, then stood up.

From her fingertips, the girl’s hand slowly released.

“…Okay.”

Marna nodded slightly, very quietly.

At that moment, the girl’s eyes looked up at me.

Just days ago.

This child had burned down the exam site and defeated Song Hana right before my eyes.

The child who eliminated my ally.

Though she must have known this, the girl cautiously reached out her hand to me.

As if asking for forgiveness, or as if she never wanted to be alone again.

For a moment, I hesitated.

But…

I grabbed it.

I took that small, cold hand without saying a word.

“Less scary this way, right?”

“…!”

The small hand wrapped tightly around mine.

It was cold… and trembling, but there was clearly courage within it—the courage to try trusting someone.

“Mr. Janghun…”

Left hand holding Zero. Right hand holding Marna. I could feel both their body temperatures simultaneously.

Two worlds so different from each other.

Yet I had chosen to walk with both worlds now.

Marna, who had been on the verge of tears, finally nodded cautiously.

“One for Song Hana, one for a new comrade.”

I thought to myself with a smile.

“She was your enemy before. Is this okay?” Carmilla asked.

“We fought fair and square. I don’t hold any grudges. And…”

I said quietly.

“She didn’t eliminate me—Song Hana took responsibility herself.”

“…That’s admirable, Mr. Janghun.”

Zero nodded.

Then, looking back at Marna, he quietly muttered.

“A hero… always looks to the future.”

At that moment.

Flash!

The teleport portal activated with a burst of light.

“Carmilla!”

“Take care, Janghun.”

With her voice fading behind me, my vision was engulfed in white light.

And soon, the next stage would follow.

The second exam was about to begin.

***

Space warped.

Light bent, and my vision distorted.

Whoooooosh—!

“Wh-whaaaaat?!”

“We’re falling…?!”

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

It was empty space.

Literally the sky, with nothing else.

The moment teleportation ended, we found ourselves in the “airspace” above the artificial city.

An insane height where even the tallest skyscrapers looked small below us, with real clouds around us.

“What kind of exam is this?!”

“Who came up with the idea of dropping examinees from the sky?!”

Screams, shouts, wails.

Hundreds of examinees teleported across the city were all falling at once.

Some lost consciousness from fear, others simply squeezed their eyes shut.

However…

While some screamed as they fell and others floated unconscious, there were those whose eyes shone with determination.

“Good… the game begins.”

“Hahaha! This is just the tutorial!”

“Heh, there won’t be a dull moment.”

For them, even free-falling wasn’t frightening.

As if they had predicted this situation, they adjusted their postures and cut through the wind, controlling their falling speed.

Among the examinees gripped by fear, the presence of such individuals stood out even more clearly.

This was clearly not just an exam for hero aspirants.

This stage was already gathering not those who wanted to become heroes, but those who were already “heroes” themselves.

But I…

“Zero! Marna! Are we really falling right now?!”

“Yes, it seems so…”

“Approximately 750 meters to the city. If we fail to land properly, it will result in full-body fractures and immediate death.”

…Isn’t that a bit too calm?

“Then what are we supposed to do to survive?!”

“Maybe parachutes…”

“If all else fails, you two could use my back to absorb the impact.”

“…What?”

“My internal organs would rupture, but I’d maintain functionality.”

Don’t suggest organ rupture with such a straight face, Zero.

“That’s not happening! Isn’t there another way?!”

Then, Marna, who had been quietly beside me, spoke up.

“I’ll… try something.”

“Huh?”

Marna stretched out her hand.

Then without hesitation, she cut her wrist.

Blood sprayed out.

But it wasn’t scary or disgusting.

Rather, that bright red liquid began to take form in the air along with her will.

“Blood… parachute!”

Red threads connected like blood vessels spread behind the three of us.

That sticky substance soon expanded into the shape of a massive parachute…

Thud, thud.

We were able to land lightly on the rooftop of a skyscraper.

“…Did you just create that?”

“Yes…”

Marna, her fingertips still trembling, blushed.

“Such control over abilities at such a young age… impressive.”

“I can see why the Hero Association has their eye on you.”

When Zero offered sincere praise, Marna lowered her head shyly.

But such a reaction only made her seem more endearing, more appropriate for her age.

However, I remembered the bruises that had spread across the back of her hand.

It was hard to believe that this child was the same monster who had tried to burn us alive in a frenzy of fire just days ago.

“Hah…”

I sighed quietly as I looked at the city across from us.

A massive artificial city.

Countless skyscrapers, shuttered shops, streets as quiet as ruins.

And in the distance, explosions already echoed, suggesting battles had begun.

“This is… a real metropolis.”

“Wow… that building over there looks almost 200 stories tall!”

With Siljongi’s exclamation behind me, I was about to formulate a strategy.

That’s when it happened.

“Wooow…!”

“Hm?”

A soft exclamation.

When I turned around, Marna was crouching in front of my shadow.

Her eyes were sparkling.

At the end of her gaze was…

“…Siljongi?”

“Oh, little human! Interested in me?”

“N-no, it’s just… the shadow is talking…”

“Aren’t I cute? I’m Siljongi, the officially contracted monster living in Mr. Janghun’s shadow~!”

“Whoa… it really talks!”

Marna carefully touched the shadow, her eyes twinkling.

A pure reaction typical of a child.

As if she’d forgotten her frightened face from earlier, she looked like she was seeing a new toy for the first time.

“Hehe, Mr. Janghun. This kid is cuter than I expected.”

“Yeah…”

Siljongi puffed up proudly, and I smiled slightly.

Looking at her like this, it was hard to believe this child was the one who had set the exam site ablaze just days ago.

But beyond her smiling lips, I noticed that Marna’s small fingertips were still trembling ever so slightly.

It was evidence that the fragments of emotion she had been forcibly suppressing until now had not yet completely settled.