Chapter 59 – Preliminary Round 2 – D-Day

Chapter 59

Boom!

A massive explosion of flames erupted, causing a strong gust of wind inside the training room.

“Ugh…!”

A staff member, caught in the blast, staggered backward and fell to one knee. Despite being fully equipped with anti-hunter gear from head to toe, he couldn’t withstand the shock.

Simultaneously, the fire mana that had engulfed the entire training room quickly vanished back into Kim Jinsung’s body.

“Let’s stop here.”

Kim Jinsung walked slowly towards the staff member and extended a hand without saying a word.

“…Well, I’ll be.”

The staff member, looking up at him, chuckled in disbelief. He took Kim Jinsung’s hand and stood up, saying,

“You don’t even ask if I’m okay anymore?”

“You look fine to me.”

“This kid… huh?”

The staff member, pretending to glare playfully, saw Kim Jinsung extend his hand again.

“Today is the last day. Thank you for sparring with me, Brother Myunggu.”

Kim Jinsung’s sincere demeanor made the staff member, Myunggu, smile warmly as he shook his hand.

“No problem. I learned a lot too. Make sure you win. No, I’m sure you’ll win.”

“Thank you.”

Myunggu patted Kim Jinsung’s shoulder affectionately. After sparring together for over a month, they had grown quite close, calling each other brother.

“Go get ready. It’s almost time to leave.”

“Do I need to put on the anklet?”

“Yes, you do.”

After putting on the anklet, Kim Jinsung left the training room with Myunggu. As they walked down the hallway, an announcement came from the ceiling speakers. A female voice began to speak.

[Attention to all participants in the dormitory. Today is the day you depart for the second preliminary round. Please be ready to leave by 10 PM. Once again…]

‘I need to hurry.’

Kim Jinsung quickened his pace after hearing the announcement.

‘At least I managed to perfect my mana control technique before the preliminaries.’

As he walked, Kim Jinsung recalled the sparring session with Myunggu. If he could perform like he did today, he would undoubtedly become a much more formidable hunter than he was in the first preliminary round.

* * *

A short while later, Kim Jinsung and many other participants descended to the lobby under the watchful eyes of the staff. They lined up and began walking down a long corridor. It was the first time they had all been gathered together, so they glanced at each other despite the strict supervision. Naturally, Kim Jinsung received the most attention. He walked silently, unfazed by the stares.

‘I’m getting used to all these eyes on me.’

Kim Jinsung had once been an extremely introverted child, burdened by even a single person’s gaze. Thinking back, he realized how much his personality had changed.

Soon, they arrived at a place that looked like an airplane boarding gate.

‘…It really is a boarding gate?’

Kim Jinsung’s eyes widened as he saw a massive airship outside the window. He had never seen a boarding gate installed in the backyard of a dormitory before.

“Boarding now! Line up and enter!”

Kim Jinsung and the other participants, along with the staff, began boarding the airship. They were assigned seats, and Kim Jinsung’s seat was by the window in the middle of the airship.

‘Three seats per row. Two participants on the inside, and a staff member on the outside to monitor us.’

As he took his seat by the window, a familiar voice called out to him from behind.

“Oh! Kim Jinsung!”

Seol Daun approached with a bright smile and took the seat next to him.

“Nice to see you! We met on the helicopter last time, right? Here we are again.”

“Yes…”

Kim Jinsung shook hands with Seol Daun, almost out of habit. He remembered how he had awkwardly shaken hands with him on the helicopter too. Glancing at Seol Daun’s smiling face, Kim Jinsung noted how he seemed to have no malice despite being in direct competition. He was definitely an unusual person.

Unaware of Kim Jinsung’s thoughts, Seol Daun continued to speak.

“I’ve been wanting to meet you again! I had no idea you’d become so famous after we met on the helicopter!”

“…I didn’t know either.”

Kim Jinsung was equally shocked when he first accessed the internet from the dormitory after passing the preliminaries.

“Wow, the whole internet was flooded with your name! If I had known, I would have asked for your autograph back then. Haha!”

“You’re quite famous too, Seol Daun.”

Although not as much as Kim Jinsung, Seol Daun had also become one of the most well-known stars from the first preliminary round. Naturally, Kim Jinsung had come across information about him.

“Oh, really? Did you search my name?”

“No. It was just trending in real-time searches.”

“So you clicked on it?”

“Well…”

“Come on, you did!”

Kim Jinsung didn’t deny it and asked,

“You must have searched my name too, right?”

“Of course. Who in South Korea doesn’t know about your abilities now?”

‘…As expected.’

Kim Jinsung sighed inwardly. Hearing it directly from a competitor made it feel even more real.

“Well… I won’t say more out of courtesy. We’ll be fighting each other tomorrow, so there’s no need to discuss our abilities now.”

“Yes, that’s true…”

“Everyone, please fasten your seatbelts! Staff, please secure additional cuffs on the participants’ wrists!”

A person who seemed to be in charge of the staff shouted loudly.

After the anklets, the participants were also fitted with hunter cuffs. It would be a very uncomfortable flight, but it was understandable.

Once all the procedures were completed, the plane took off.

The flight time was quite long. It took over six hours just to fly through the sky. However, Kim Jinsung didn’t find the long time boring at all.

This was because Seol Daun, who was sitting next to him, didn’t stop talking.

“I saw on TV that you went to the training room every day?”

“Yes.”

“Wow…! You’re already strong enough without all that effort. Everyone’s already scared of you, and now they’ll be trembling just by looking at you!”

“…You don’t seem scared at all.”

“Not at all! Can’t you see the fear in my eyes? I’m sweating bullets here…!”

“If you’re that scared, you should have used the training room.”

Seol Daun’s eyes widened.

“What? You knew?”

“It was on the official YouTube video. The title was ‘The Only Participant Who Never Used the Training Room.'”

“Oh, was it? Why don’t I remember that…?”

Scratching his head, Seol Daun then nodded vigorously.

“Honestly, I didn’t feel the need to train. Practicing for just a month won’t make a significant improvement, right?”

Kim Jinsung, who had also visited the training room that morning, almost spoke up but decided to keep quiet. He had indeed made meaningful progress during that month, which Seol Daun dismissed. However, there was no need to discuss it. So, he quietly listened to Seol Daun’s continued chatter.

“I’ve watched all the seasons so far. No matter how hard you train in the room, the outcome always favors those with overwhelming talent. You know what I mean?”

“……”

“The strong are predetermined. The survivors in survival games are also predetermined. No matter how much the ‘weak’ struggle to become stronger, they can’t even reach the heels of those with innate abilities.”

His voice was loud enough to draw the attention of the nearby participants. All eyes turned to him with disapproval, but Seol Daun continued unabated.

“Oh, I’m not dismissing your month of effort! The efforts of the ‘weak’ and the ‘genius’ are fundamentally different!”

“I’m not a genius…”

“Come on, if someone who can absorb other people’s abilities and make them his own isn’t a genius, then who is?”

Kim Jinsung immediately replied,

“I think you’re more of a genius, Seol Daun.”

“Me? Well, compared to you, I’m nothing…”

Seol Daun shrugged, not really denying it. Watching him, Kim Jinsung thought to himself.

‘He really has a lot of confidence in his abilities. And rightly so.’

Kim Jinsung had spent the past month not only training but also researching other participants. He had dedicated extra time to analyzing those he considered particularly threatening.

‘The participant I analyzed the most was this man.’

Thinking back on the footage of Seol Daun’s performances, his current arrogance didn’t seem foolish or ridiculous. If anything, it made him appear even more threatening.

* * *

**Ding Dong.**

[Attention, participants. Our flight will soon be landing at the second preliminary round venue.]

Hearing the announcement, Kim Jinsung looked out the window. He saw a small island in the middle of the vast ocean.

“Is that the island?”

Seol Daun leaned over to look out the window.

“It’s smaller than the island from the first preliminary round. Is it another tropical forest?”

“Looks like it.”

“So, it’s either in Oceania or the Pacific… Could it be a New Continent island?”

“They said that island is used for the finals.”

“Oh, really?”

As they conversed, their plane soon landed at the island’s airstrip. Once the plane came to a complete stop, a staff member stood up and shouted loudly.

“We will disembark in the order I call. When your name is called, respond loudly, and the staff will remove your cuffs.”

The staff member called the first name.

“Kim Jinsung.”

“Yes.”

“Stand up and walk to the exit once your cuffs are removed.”

Kim Jinsung did as instructed. As he descended the plane’s stairs, he saw a small transport bus waiting.

“Get on.”

One of the nearby staff members escorted Kim Jinsung onto the bus. After he boarded, more participants followed, and the bus doors closed once exactly ten participants were on board. The bus, carrying ten staff members and ten participants, quickly left the airstrip.

The bus ride wasn’t long. The island was so small that they reached their destination in just five minutes.

‘It looks like a castle from the medieval era.’

Kim Jinsung watched through the window as the bus entered the gates of a building that looked like a set for a medieval castle. The bus soon stopped, and the participants were led into a small stone building by the staff.

“What?”

As soon as they entered, one participant exclaimed in surprise. Standing in the center was a short, stocky man with a very familiar face. The participants silently exclaimed.

‘It’s Kim Bongman!’

‘The MC of Dungeon Rules, Hunter Kim Bongman!’

Dungeon Rules, another long-running popular program in South Korea, featured Hunter Kim Bongman showcasing incredible physical abilities and survival skills. The appearance of the ‘star hunter,’ more famous than most celebrities, left everyone wide-eyed.

“Welcome. Please take your designated seats.”

With a friendly smile, Kim Bongman guided the participants to their seats. Soon, only the ten participants and Kim Bongman remained in the room.

“This is Waiting Room 1, where you will stay before the second preliminary round.”

‘Waiting Room 1?’

“The other participants who will compete with you are being moved to Waiting Room 2 in the main castle building next door.”

The participants exchanged glances. Why were they splitting the competitors into two waiting rooms?

Kim Bongman then read from the schedule he held and addressed everyone.

“Now, let me explain the rules for the second preliminary round.”

—