Ch.92Second Exam Begins! (1)

“Honestly, staying on this building’s rooftop until the end wouldn’t be a bad strategy if possible.”

The city was transforming into a battlefield.

Fierce clashes echoed from all directions, with smoke and sounds of destruction spreading between the high-rises.

Yet the rooftop where the three of us were positioned remained strangely peaceful.

“Theoretically speaking…”

From that quiet vantage point, Zero continued in his usual calm tone.

“The goal of this exam is to survive as one of the ‘final 50.’ There’s no need to risk engaging in combat.”

“In other words…”

Silmyeong poked her head out from my shadow and chimed in.

“Camping is the ultimate strategy~!”

“Makes sense.”

I nodded while looking down at the city below.

“The enemies will fight among themselves and dwindle in number, so we’ll conserve our energy and hide until the end.”

“Exactly, Mr. Janghun!”

Silmyeong nodded confidently while proudly thumping her flat chest.

“Besides! We’re on the rooftop of an incredibly tall building, right? We have perfect visibility in all directions, and it’s great for escaping with parachutes from up here~!”

“Marna. Can you make more of those parachutes we used before?”

“Oh, yes… I could easily make dozens with that amount of material…”

“Great, then let’s hold out here.”

And so, our modest “hideout” was established.

A skyscraper towering in the heart of the city.

The three of us sat side by side on the now abandoned, ruin-like rooftop.

Zero was quietly meditating in the center of the rooftop, while Silmyeong was half-emerging from my shadow.

And beside her, Marna was chatting softly with Silmyeong.

“This feels more like a picnic than a hero exam.”

The girl’s expression had softened considerably.

The breeze was refreshing, and thunderous sounds still erupted from the city below, but our spot remained peaceful for the time being.

As time passed, the holographic numbers floating in the sky changed.

The number of examinees, which had been around 900 at the start of the test, was now rapidly approaching 500.

And… in the midst of that quiet time, an unexpected problem arose.

“Ugh… ummm…”

Marna quietly hunched over beside me.

At first, I thought she was just cold from the wind, but then Silmyeong caught my attention with a look.

“Mr. Janghun.”

“Yeah?”

“This seems like a problem that you need to help with.”

“I… I need to use the bathroom…”

“Ah…”

Right, the number one unexpected problem. Bodily functions.

The exam doesn’t pause human physiology.

“There’s no way there’d be a toilet on a high-rise rooftop like this, right?”

“Well… maybe there’s something… behind the building…”

Marna blushed as her words trailed off.

The way her trembling hand lightly tugged at my sleeve somehow made her look pitiful.

“Hmm.”

Silmyeong rested her chin on her hand and said seriously:

“The fundamental disadvantage of the camping strategy is that bathroom breaks are difficult… A portable toilet kit is essential for rooftop camping~”

“Why do you know that as if it’s common knowledge…”

I glanced back at Marna with a slight smile.

“It’s okay. Let’s go down together. If it gets dangerous, we can use the parachutes.”

“R-really…?”

“Yeah. Trust me.”

The girl’s eyes sparkled.

For a moment, her cheeks remained flushed, but the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

And so, we started moving again.

One for the bathroom.

One for protection.

I just hoped no one would be petty enough to attack someone while they’re doing their business.

***

Though the city was merely a disposable structure created for the exam, walking through its interior quickly dispelled that notion.

The walls were finished with refined reinforced alloy, and the interior was even more luxurious than the Okami family mansion where I had stayed.

The elevators were operational, and the stairs were immaculate.

It was hard to believe this was really just for a one-time exam.

“These Hero Association guys must be swimming in money… to build and discard buildings like this after a single use?”

“Mom told me that most of these buildings are personally created by heroes who have contracts with ability users or monsters. So the labor costs are surprisingly low.”

“Oh, was that the setting…?”

Having dealt primarily with destroyers for so long, I’d forgotten there were those who could create buildings.

Come to think of it, there was a support-type hero in <Monster Front> who could summon structures in real-time.

“We’re here. The ladies’ room.”

“O-okay…”

As our footsteps stopped along the corridor, Marna carefully let go of my hand.

I gently released her hand, and the girl paused in front of the door.

…But she seemed reluctant to go inside.

Finding this strange, I casually asked:

“Why aren’t you going in?”

“Um… could you come with me?”

“…Huh?”

“Ah, no! Th-that’s not what I meant!”

Even after saying that, Marna’s lips trembled.

Well, the bathroom is where people are most vulnerable.

Plus, unfamiliar environment, unfamiliar people.

Marna was still in an unstable state.

Just as I was briefly considering going in with her…

A figure from within my shadow slowly poked out her head.

“Then I’ll go in, Mr. Janghun!”

“Huh?”

“We’re all girls anyway, what’s the big deal? I’ll stand right in front of Marna’s stall!”

“Ugh… Silmyeong, that’s…”

“Hey, don’t say that out loud. You’re embarrassing Marna…”

“Huh? But I always use the bathroom with you and watch you pee, Mr. Janghun?”

“…That’s because you’re the weird one.”

This girl is truly just a loli monster in appearance; her way of talking could make even middle-aged women blush.

And so, Silmyeong firmly grasped Marna’s hand and disappeared into the bathroom.

As a bonus, she flashed me a “V” sign before going in.

“If anything happens, shout immediately. Both of you.”

“Yes!”

“…Okay.”

I remained leaning against the corridor wall.

Inside the empty building, silence accumulated.

Not a breath of wind, not a sound of machinery.

Only breathing seemed permitted to fill the space.

That’s when it happened.

Plop.

“Huh?”

A cold sensation on the bridge of my nose.

Puzzled, I looked up at the ceiling, and a clear drop of liquid formed distinctly in the center of my vision.

Quietly, too quietly.

Water was leaking from the ceiling.

“I guess disposable buildings really are disposable… leaking already.”

I muttered lightly as I stepped aside to avoid the droplet.

The moment I leaned back against the wall:

Plop.

“…?”

I was hit again.

Exactly in the same position as before.

As if someone had pressed their fingertip right in the middle of my forehead.

I slowly raised my head to look at the ceiling again.

The spot where the water was dripping had also changed.

This was truly strange.

I had definitely moved.

Yet the ceiling droplet was targeting me again.

‘…Too precise to be a coincidence?’

My instincts sharply alerted me.

A chilling sensation crept up my spine.

I exhaled slowly and clenched my fist.

My instincts had already detected the presence of an enemy.

My body responded naturally.

I raised my hand to my face, ready to put on my mask at any moment.

“…Come out. Hiding is pointless.”

A quiet but clear warning.

And in the next moment:

CRASH!

Like a massive wave sweeping through the corridor, a fierce current of water surged from the emergency stairway, shaking the entire building with a thunderous roar.

It took less than a second to realize this was an ‘attack.’

“A wave…? No, these are… piranhas?”

The massive current twisted savagely as it lunged forward.

Just before the wall of water filling the corridor engulfed me, I clearly saw dozens of piranhas thrashing within it.

The carnivorous monsters with sharp teeth revealed were rushing toward their prey with manic red eyes glowing, at a breathtaking speed.

‘A crushing type attack…’

A typical indiscriminate assault.

Normally, one would panic and dive out of the way, but…

“…There’s someone using the bathroom, so keep it down.”

I calmly inhaled and slowly pulled back my right hand.

Then, with the mask that appeared in that hand placed on my face.

Whoosh.

I threw a punch straight ahead with all my might.

BOOM!!

With that single punch, the wave sweeping through the corridor was instantly split in two.

“Gack?!”

The monster piranhas were flung into the air along with the shattered streams of water, pathetically tumbling to the floor.

Water burst forth with the thunderous sound and scattered in all directions.

The ceiling and walls vibrated and cracked.

The monsters, completely neutralized by the overwhelming impact, lay sprawled on the floor, forgetting they had even attacked me.

And then.

Between the split currents, a faint silhouette appeared.

That face, appearing with blue hair fluttering—

I immediately recognized that mischievous yet familiar face with its refreshing smile.

“You…!”

I couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.

She was the very person who had forced me to eat nothing but seafood for a full week, and also the “benefactor” who had forcibly arranged the awkward date between Carmilla and me.

The “Monster of the Deep Sea” was smiling at my expression as if meeting an old friend, casually waving her hand.

“What are YOU doing here?!”