Chapter 24 Interview (5)

The bull collapsed, and for a moment, silence followed.

The applicants of Team 8 felt a sense of relief, knowing that their traps and coordinated attack had worked—but they didn’t let their guard down and continued to move through the labyrinth.

Then, a quest completion window appeared before my eyes.

[You have completed the quest.]

[A reward will be given.]

A ticket fluttered down from midair.

On the ticket, the words [Stat Selection Ticket] were written, with empty boxes beside Strength, Agility, and Intelligence—almost as if asking me to check one.

“…I’ll save this for later.”

I put the ticket in my pocket and looked at the four people.

Park Sun-ja…

As I looked at their backs—particularly Park So-young’s—I felt certain.

That she was my former protection target, Park Sun-ja.

She looked much younger than her name suggested, but among the current applicants, Park So-young was the only unidentified female.

But why would she hide her name to enter here?

Two possibilities came to mind.

One: she’s a spy.

Whether for Baekho or another organization, it would make sense for a spy to conceal their name.

The other possibility… maybe she really changed her name?

It was a name that made changing it seem reasonable.

Either way, I kept my suspicions and followed them.

My quest was complete.

But their “practical test” wasn’t over yet.

Before they finished exploring the labyrinth, I needed to appear before them again as a proctor.

From the hallway corner where I’d been hiding, I slowly revealed myself.

Step.

Step.

At the sound of my footsteps, the four of them turned sharply toward me in surprise.

But this time was different from before.

They didn’t charge at me recklessly or adopt an aggressive stance.

Instead, they moved with surprising speed and composure.

With each battle, they were becoming more skilled at positioning and adapting.

Shun and Hanbit immediately widened the distance, securing escape routes through the side corridors.

Their eyes were fixed on my hands and the sword on my waist.

Bora took out another talisman, but didn’t throw it—she just glared at me as if trying to pierce through me, searching for an opening.

Park So-young stood slightly behind the others, keeping her guard up while scanning the terrain.

Rather than recklessly attacking, they had shifted strategy—watching me while securing an escape route.

“…Proctor. What happened to that creature earlier?”

Bora asked, still cautious.

Her voice was calm, but laced with tension, ready to react at any moment.

I admired their change internally, and shrugged slightly as I answered.

“That creature… I honestly don’t know either. It was dangerous, but it seems you handled it well. It’ll likely reflect positively in your evaluation. But the test isn’t over yet. Please continue.”

Normally, as the “creature,” I shouldn’t have spoken to them.

But I couldn’t help it.

A real monster appearing during a practical test—something about that was too strange.

We maintained a tense standoff, watching each other closely.

We couldn’t stay that way forever, so I slowly started walking forward.

At my movement, the members of Team 8 exchanged glances.

They no longer saw me as just a new proctor.

Their response was clearly different from before.

“Now!”

Thud-thud-thud!

At Hanbit’s shout, the four of them moved in unison—retreating.

They were fleeing.

But this time, they made it clear they intended to delay and disrupt me as they did.

Shun quickly bent down and picked up a few solid-looking stones from the ground, hurling them toward me.

Whish—!

It wasn’t a direct attack but more like a distraction to scatter my focus.

They were fast, but easy enough to dodge after seeing them.

At the same time, Hanbit pulled a small orb-shaped item from his pocket and threw it to the ground.

Bang—!

The orb exploded in a blinding flash of light.

I instinctively closed my eyes and shielded my face with my arm.

“Soldiers!”

Not missing the opportunity, Bora shouted.

The talismans she threw twisted and merged mid-air, forming a paper soldier the size of a person.

Despite being made of paper, it moved swiftly, aiming a spear-like talisman at me as it charged.

Amid the chaos, Park So-young calmly scanned the walls and soon spotted a faintly glowing emergency exit panel.

“I found it! This way!”

At her shout, Shun, Hanbit, and Bora all moved to block me and simultaneously ran toward the emergency exit she had found.

It was near-perfect teamwork and situational awareness.

I twisted my body and easily avoided the flying stones.

The blinding flash was only temporary; my vision quickly returned.

The charging paper soldier shattered into fluttering pieces with a single, casual punch.

“My talismans…!”

Bora screamed in shock as she fled.

None of their attacks or hindrances posed any real threat to me.

Calmly handling their attempts, I prepared to chase after them.

As the “creature,” I was supposed to push them harder.

But then, I stopped the pursuit.

“Hmm.”

I replayed their actions in my mind.

Quick judgment, effective use of each person’s abilities to delay and escape, and discovering the exit.

It hadn’t worked on me, but their coordination and response were beyond rookie level.

There wasn’t any major mistake worth criticizing.

…Let’s let them go.

I quietly lowered my sword-shaped stun baton.

As a supervisor, their behavior was satisfactory.

Anyway, my real mission was to identify spies and protect Park Sun-ja.

I watched the backs of the four people who were moving further away.

They had finally escaped the maze through the emergency exit.

What was left in this area were the broken paper soldier remains and just me.

***

“Hmm.”

I also exited through the escape route that Team 8 had used.

Just as I stepped out, Team 6’s leader approached me and glanced at Team 8, who had just left, asking,

“Kim Min-jun, how were the 8th team applicants? Was there any suspicious movement?”

I sensed the hidden intent behind his last question about the spy.

“Yes, Team Leader. The 8th team applicants were all outstanding. Their teamwork was good, and their ability to respond to situations was beyond what you’d expect from applicants.”

“…As expected.”

While I praised their abilities, I hesitated for a moment.

Park So-young, or rather Park Sun-ja.

The possibility of her being a spy was still high.

But should I report this now?

Why did the quest ask me to protect her?

If she were a simple spy like during the trainee days, there would be no reason for the quest to appear.

Maybe she’s one of the key figures in this ‘game’ that I don’t understand.

I thought about it for a moment, then decided to keep my suspicion about her hidden for now.

Instead, I chose to report an unexpected incident.

“By the way, Team Leader, there was something unusual. During the test, a real monster appeared. It was a giant creature resembling a bull.”

At my report, the eyes of the Team 6 leader widened slightly.

“Excuse me? A real monster…? What happened?”

“The 8th team applicants cooperated directly, and amazingly, they subdued it with their own power.”

“Themselves… Well, if it’s Team 8, they would certainly have the ability to fight…”

I didn’t mention the fact that Team 8 had ambushed me earlier.

After hearing my words, the Team 6 leader looked surprised for a moment, then nodded and accepted it.

“As expected, the members of Team 8 all passed the practical test. I think I should check the other teams now. Perhaps a monster has appeared there as well.”

“Yes.”

He quickly walked off to another location.

I sighed in relief as I watched his back.

For now, the immediate danger was averted.

Team Leader 6 was worried, but there was no need to worry about monsters in the other mazes.

There were no red dots on my map.

I returned the protective equipment and the electric shock device shaped like a sword that I had used for the “monster” role.

Once I was back in my neat black suit, I looked like an ordinary supervisor again.

I took a moment to catch my breath and then searched for the 8th team applicants I had been in charge of earlier.

I slowly approached them.

At the sound of my footsteps, all four of them turned their gaze towards me at once.

Their eyes still held a mix of wariness, slight fear, and curiosity.

Bora, who had called me a “strange supervisor” in the maze earlier, had especially sharp eyes.

I stood before them and spoke with as gentle an expression as possible.

“Team 8, you’ve worked hard.”

I gave a light bow.

“I’m Kim Min-jun, from Exploration Team 15, in charge of supervising and evaluating your team during this practical test. It’s the first time I’m properly greeting you.”

At my polite introduction, the four of them seemed slightly flustered for a moment, looking at each other, then reluctantly started introducing themselves.

There was still a trace of wariness in their voices.

“…Hanbit…,” Hanbit said briefly, with a slightly stiff attitude.

It seemed like honorifics were a bit awkward for him.

He was still staring at me, seemingly trying to analyze me.

“I’m Bora, the exorcist. How did you do the talisman earlier?”

Bora looked at me with meaningful eyes, still curious about why the talisman didn’t work.

“Shun.”

Shun, the Japanese member, was the quietest.

He only briefly said his name and then closed his mouth.

However, his eyes were sharper than anyone else, studying me closely.

“…Park So-young. Thank you for your hard work, Supervisor.”

Finally, Park So-young cautiously greeted me.

She couldn’t meet my gaze and slightly lowered her head.

She was also wary of me.

Though we exchanged brief introductions, the awkward and tense atmosphere between us didn’t dissipate easily.

They were still on edge, wary of me.

“The results will be announced soon. I hope everyone has good results.”

As I spoke, I passed by them and muttered softly, just enough for Park So-young to hear.

“Park Sun-ja.”

I focused all my attention on her.

Her eyes widened, and I could hear her swallow.

From that reaction, I was sure.

“I was right.”

She didn’t seem surprised by an unfamiliar name.