Ch.9292. Finishing the Practical Training

The scouts were now busily scanning the scene with their eyes.

“So this was the event? It’s perfect for evaluating response abilities and judgment.”

This was the first semi-forced event of its kind. The scouts’ eyes gleamed as they observed all sorts of unexpected behaviors.

“Stay calm! Who is that boy?”

The first person to catch the scouts’ attention was Geum Do-hyun.

That made sense, as he was the first to demonstrate his abilities in the chaotic situation and protect others.

Plus, as everyone knew, Geum Do-hyun was one of the most promising talents.

“That’s Geum Do-hyun for you. The competition will be fierce two years from now.”

“Impressive how he immediately protected the kids.”

“Geum Do-hyun? I was watching Seol Yu-hwa. The moment she appeared, the monster’s arm burst on its own.”

“Well, Seol Yu-hwa belongs to the White Dragon Guild anyway. Of course she’d be good.”

Officially, the White Dragon Guild had announced their intention to recruit her, but the formal recruitment would naturally depend on Seol Yu-hwa’s “choice” after graduation.

But who could win against the White Dragon Guild in a recruitment battle? With the exception of cases like Aerial, it was safe to say no one could.

She was practically a White Dragon Guild member already—equivalent to a guaranteed pull in gacha game terms.

So while people admired Seol Yu-hwa’s skills, she was completely excluded from recruitment considerations.

With the exception of the Poseidon Guild, which focused on 2nd and 3rd-year students for underwater combat, the rest turned their attention to the 1st-year students first.

Their response had been surprisingly quick.

“Aerial fights strangely aggressively, but her defense is somewhat sloppy. That’s her charm.”

“Gu Sang-heon is similar to Aerial but much more technical. Heh, it’s interesting how their styles contrast.”

However, Han Min-woo, who fought defensively, and Do Jong-hyun, who was giving directions, weren’t getting much attention.

Naturally, it was impossible to hear his commands through the video, and it was difficult to focus on Han Min-woo, who was mainly defending with occasional counterattacks.

“He was in the lower class, right? Yu Deok-min? A sidekick who took down a C-grade!”

“Is that even possible? A first-year from the lower class taking down a C-grade? Who is he?”

Another figure causing astonishment was Yu Deok-min. He had successfully taken down a C-grade monster.

Whether this was due to sidekick assistance or not was unclear.

And Min Kang-su too, though not as impressive as Yu Deok-min, was able to fiercely hold his ground against a C-grade.

“These first-years are no joke.”

Meanwhile, the Poseidon Guild scout shook his head while observing Go Ji-yun and In Ye-seul.

‘Those kids are excellent on land, but their movements underwater are quite lacking. We could train them, but…’

Surprisingly, he thought that the two top prospects from the third year didn’t really fit with their guild.

‘But since the Guild Master asked for recruits who are useful on land too, should I give it a shot?’

He would have preferred talents like Baek So-jin and Lee Seon-a, who moved freely in water.

‘I should aim to recruit third-year Baek So-jin and either Go Ji-yun or In Ye-seul.’

As an underwater specialist guild, they earned the most money after the three major guilds, so funds weren’t an issue.

The scouts were evaluating according to their respective goals.

But Jeon Se-jin, the White Dragon Guild scout, was watching something else.

‘That boy must be Do Jong-hyun, the one the Guild Master is interested in.’

Since they had already chosen Seol Yu-hwa from the first-years by unwritten rule, they would need to select from the relatively lower-performing students among the upper ranks.

Geum Do-hyun, Han Min-woo, Gu Sang-heon, Aerial—these valuable prospects would go to other guilds.

‘This year’s first-years have so many talented individuals that we might be able to select a second one, but…’

That’s why he could observe the situation leisurely. They had already secured one prospect.

The problem was that his next focus went to Do Jong-hyun.

Do Jong-hyun was the type who normally wouldn’t even make it to second choice.

Yet Dokgo-jun was interested in him.

While others weren’t paying attention, Jeon Se-jin could observe Do Jong-hyun’s actions.

‘He’s giving directions right now.’

The first to notice the anomaly and respond wasn’t Geum Do-hyun, but Do Jong-hyun. Even if he couldn’t hear him, he could see him giving instructions.

“Please send a drone to that boy.”

There was also the curious phenomenon of top students naturally gathering around him.

‘Why that boy?’

Even if he had leadership abilities, he thought they would only be outstanding for a first-year in their first semester.

But now it was the second semester, and he was acting this way even with seniors around.

‘Is it because other first-years are there too?’

It was also strange that upper-class students were listening to a lower-class student.

Usually, pride and skill differences would make that difficult.

‘Or is it trust? Enough trust to follow what that boy says?’

By the second semester, they should have figured out how they compared to seniors and how to act on their own. Yet they still relied on Do Jong-hyun, which was fascinating.

As the situation was wrapping up, Do Jong-hyun suddenly started moving with the others.

‘What is he doing now?’

He was pointing at the water to the other first-years.

What happened next was surprising.

A hunter was manipulating the water surface to create a space.

It became like something from a movie—a space that pulled you underwater.

Aerial jumped in and exploded the area where the water met with her magical power.

Jeon Se-jin immediately understood what they were aiming for.

‘They’re trying to attack the whale’s path from underwater.’

It was creative given their inability to enter the water, but the first attempt didn’t quite work.

The whale’s body shook slightly, causing the attack to miss.

But Aerial didn’t fall. Her body returned, wrapped in telekinetic force.

They repeated this.

‘But how are they tracking the whale’s movements?’

Logically, it should have been moving randomly, but Jeon Se-jin realized the whale was moving in a Möbius strip pattern.

‘The Crevasse Cannon Whale! No, not the real one. They wouldn’t release an SS-grade. At most, it would be A-grade.’

As a capable scout, he grasped the situation immediately.

‘That’s what they’re targeting. Yes, the standard strategy! Attack the inner flank when the cannon whale moves along the strip. But how does a first-year know this?’

Certainly, anyone with enough experience would notice the trajectory of the cannon whale.

It was just surprising that a first-year was doing this. Jeon Se-jin couldn’t take his eyes off Do Jong-hyun.

‘He’s definitely not ordinary.’

However, the cannon whale’s defense was high even for an A-grade, so one or two attacks wouldn’t be enough.

Meanwhile, Do Jong-hyun whispered something to the instructor, who then re-entered the water.

As a surprise test, the first-years didn’t have to get involved. But they deliberately did. They weren’t a hindrance; they properly exploited weaknesses and created openings.

After about three failed attempts, they finally succeeded.

Aerial perfectly reached the inner flank of the cannon whale.

She exploded her magical power around herself.

The whale shook, lost its trajectory, and staggered.

The water that Aerial should have entered scattered everywhere, and she threw her sword straight down.

The sword, aimed below the cannon whale, suddenly stopped moving.

‘Could it be…’

Aerial’s firepower was stronger than Jeon Se-jin had imagined.

The cannon whale exploded from below and shot upward in an instant.

‘Even though it’s A-grade level, to do that?’

That massive body suddenly changed its trajectory and soared upward.

‘But what about after the attack?’

The whale’s attack wouldn’t cause direct harm. It was a well-made “illusion” after all.

However, acting as if it were real despite knowing it was an illusion would be counterproductive.

Jeon Se-jin watched their next move. The front was quickly engaged by 2nd and 3rd-year students, but the tail was different.

At that moment, a huge flame spread beneath Aerial. Geum Do-hyun’s flame briefly covered the area below Aerial before exploding.

‘They even recreated the cannon whale’s tail shockwave. They blocked it!’

Aerial should have safely returned with telekinesis and the flames should have subsided.

But the flames weren’t dying down.

Then Jeon Se-jin saw Gu Sang-heon and Han Min-woo joining forces.

Han Min-woo reflected the flames he had absorbed to engulf the whale.

Gu Sang-heon channeled even more powerful magic with sidekick support.

Glowing brightly, Gu Sang-heon launched an additional attack on the whale’s new route.

A crescent moon. The magic Gu Sang-heon released wasn’t explosive like Aerial’s.

Instead, it was precise and sharp. The crescent blade hit exactly the same spot on the exposed whale’s flank.

Jeon Se-jin was astonished.

The amazing precision of hitting the same spot from an even greater distance.

He hit exactly where Aerial had attacked, dealing significant damage to the opponent.

‘Incredible. Are these really first-years?’

All the top first-years executed perfectly.

This attack weakened the cannon whale’s mobility and defense.

Jeon Se-jin observed the sidekicks in the back.

They were supporting Geum Do-hyun’s flames.

Aerial attacked the whale to change its orbit, and Han Min-woo and Gu Sang-heon attacked the vulnerable whale.

Geum Do-hyun helped others absorb with his flames, supported by the sidekicks.

With this coordination, the 2nd and 3rd-year students successfully captured the whale.

Jeon Se-jin found the whole process beautiful.

Though far from the smoothness of veterans, they had united as one to resolve a crisis situation.

Clap! Clap!

He applauded alone, celebrating their efforts.

*

Finally, the practical test ended.

“How can there be a test like this?”

“You should have told us!”

“It affects our grades.”

Some students were protesting, while others were too exhausted to do anything but sleep.

After a surprise forced event and response, all kinds of complaints were expected.

“Sigh. I want to rest.”

It had been a tough day. With this, the third-years would start their internships next week.

Of course, even at 6 PM, the exam wasn’t over.

There would be about 30 minutes of headcount and explanation.

And the scouts were on the move.

They began approaching the third-year students.

“We hope you’ll join our guild.”

“Please apply for training at our guild…”

Business cards were showering down on the top performers among the third-years.

‘I envy them.’

That kind of attention was always enviable. It meant being recognized by everyone.

But the scouts were coming to the first-years too. It was obvious where they were heading.

“Miss Aerial. Your skills are amazing. That destructive power is truly unique.”

“Miss Seol Yu-hwa belongs to the White Dragon Guild, but she possesses outstanding talent.”

The same went for Gu Sang-heon, Geum Do-hyun, and others.

“Your performance today was remarkable. Come to our Chungha Guild. We’ll give you the best treatment.”

Even Han Min-woo, who had been the most overlooked, was being greeted by scouts.

It was a natural situation. They were exceptional, after all.

Then suddenly, the scouts approached the lower class section.

They stopped in front of Yu Deok-min.

“You’re a sidekick? And that strong? Impressive. A strong sidekick is essential for forming a good team.”

“And who was it earlier? Min Kang-su, right?”

Even Min Kang-su was included. These two were the only ones from the lower class receiving praise.

At that moment, Deok-min and I made eye contact. And Deok-min smiled at me.

If I wasn’t mistaken, it probably wasn’t with good intentions.

As they were leaving, suddenly everyone’s attention focused on me.

Why me all of a sudden?

When I turned my head, there stood scouts from the three major guilds in front of me.