Chapter 96: You Little… Don’t Tell Me?

“Hmm.”

Juyeon stood atop the transport ship, unloading supplies.

From her high vantage point, she quietly gazed down at the uninhabited island where the rain had stopped.

Even this far out, the humidity is high.

She hadn’t planned for the rain, but it was within the realm of possibilities.

Considering it as training, she felt it was rather fortunate.

“…”

Juyeon pulled an energy bar out of her pocket and put it in her mouth.

She mechanically moved her mouth as she observed the situation.

After dropping off the Class 1 cadets yesterday, Juyeon had spent her day on the deck of the transport ship.

She considered it a natural duty as an Academy Instructor.

Besides, it wasn’t as if she was the only one going through this.

All the instructors in charge of the first-year students were scheduled to watch over the cadets without sleep or rest until the end of the exam.

The support makes things a little easier to breathe.

The Paradise Knights patrolling with their excellent flying skills caught her eye.

She could also sense the instructors directly moving around inside the uninhabited island.

“…”

The island within her sight was peacefully quiet.

Despite this, Juyeon couldn’t take her eyes off it for even a second.

Because of a vague, indistinct, and faint feeling.

Ominous.

What Juyeon felt was simply intuition.

Whenever she sensed such a feeling, an incident would always occur, regardless of its severity.

Since she didn’t know what it would be, she couldn’t avoid it. Stopping the exam could itself become the trigger for the incident.

So, all she could do was keep her Consciousness sharply focused.

…I hope nothing happens.

This time, she truly hoped her worries were unfounded.

Juyeon pushed the remaining piece of the energy bar into her mouth.

Supply Drop.

What delicious items could it contain?

Since it couldn’t be checked within Abyss City, Rohan was curious. He was as excited as a child.

Rustle! Crackle!

Rohan and Ichinose, pushing through the bushes, stopped at the scene unfolding before them.

“Huh?”

“This is… a coincidence, right? It’s a strange picture.”

Hiding in the bushes, they could see the swarming Iron Turtles below.

Judging by the number of individuals, it seemed to be their habitat.

“They’re sleeping, right?”

“They should be. They’re said to hide inside their shells when they sleep.”

Right in the middle, filled with the blade-like, sharp shells of the Iron Turtles.

And atop the shell of the largest Iron Turtle, a Supply box emitting red smoke sat firmly.

How such a composition came to be was an incredible coincidence.

“Hmm… Rather than using force, should we just quietly go and take it?”

“I don’t think that’s a bad idea. They’re tough, but slow monsters.”

As Rohan and Ichinose exchanged opinions…

Two male cadets appeared boldly from the opposite bushes.

Rohan and Ichinose stopped talking and watched them in hiding.

─ Aren’t those Iron Turtles? They’re not fun to fight.

─ ….

─ What are you doing? Go and get it quickly.

─ M, Me!?

A clear hierarchy was displayed.

Looking at their faces, they weren’t Class 1 cadets.

Rohan might have encountered them within Orion Academy at some point, but he didn’t have a clear recollection of them.

Perhaps it was certain that they weren’t playable characters or individuals encountered during the main story.

“Hmm, I haven’t seen those faces before.”

“…One of them is a cadet from the Three Kingdoms Union.”

Ichinose sighed deeply, seemingly recognizing them.

She couldn’t hide her fatigue just from recognizing them.

“A friend?”

“Not really someone I’d call a friend. I’ve seen him a few times… while accompanying my father to various places.”

Although she said that, Ichinose’s expression clearly showed displeasure and discomfort.

Rohan didn’t pry, but quietly asked,

“So, you don’t have any particular information about them?”

“If I were to mention what I know, he’s Ok Myeongjin, the grandson of General Iron Eagle of the Three Kingdoms Union. His weapon, as you can see, is a Spear… and it’s said that General Iron Eagle’s Spear technique is closer to staff movements, utilizing centrifugal force rather than thrusting.”

Indirect information related to the cadet named Ok Myeongjin.

Concise and good. It was highly likely that he had directly inherited the Spear techniques, given their blood relation.

“Is General Iron Eagle a lower rank than a Grand General?”

“Yes.”

“Wow, our Instructor is the best after all.”

“Instructor Juyeon’s reputation is among the top five even within the political circles of the Three Kingdoms Union.”

Ichinose spoke softly, but didn’t hide her respect for Juyeon.

Becoming a general at Juyeon’s age would mark her as a talent to be remembered in the history of the Three Kingdoms Union. But she went beyond that, achieving the rank of Grand General and then stepping down. What a genius.

Moreover, given her young age, it was clear that she would grow into an even greater figure over time.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Juyeon’s existence was the pride of the Three Kingdoms Union.

“Anyway, we’re not about to share the Supply with that Ok… whatever his name is, right?”

“No. Don’t worry about it.”

After confirming Ichinose’s intent once more, Rohan checked his equipment and prepared to go.

─ Hurry up. Unless you want to die.

─ W, Wait a minute!

─ I’ll give you a little if you bring it.

They even caught the moment where he kicked his teammate towards the monsters.

Rohan calmed Ichinose, who was about to step forward, and stood up first.

“Hey, guys.”

““!””

The two men’s heads whipped around at Rohan’s voice.

Their expressions were full of alertness, but…

When Ichinose appeared from behind Rohan, the cadet holding the Spear’s face brightened.

“Lady Ichinose! What a pleasure to meet you here!”

“Ah, yes…”

“Ehahaha! To meet like this, seeing the same supplies… Isn’t this fate?”

“…”

Ichinose subtly took a step back.

Even from Rohan’s perspective, his behavior was burdensome.

It felt like a mixture of things that shouldn’t be mixed, so he cut off the conversation.

“Enough small talk. I’m not sharing the supplies, so get out. Tear off a sticker if you’re hungry.”

“Hmm?”

Ok Myeongjin’s gaze landed on Rohan, standing next to Ichinose.

He quickly scanned him up and down before asking,

“Who are you?”

“I’m Rohan.”

Rohan responded politely to the polite question.

Rohan… Rohan…? He muttered the name a few times and exchanged a few words with the male Cadet next to him.

Having seemingly received his answer, he lifted the corners of his mouth.

“To be teamed up with Lady Ichinose… You’re a lucky guy.”

“Look at this guy’s attitude change. Interesting.”

“Be quiet. I have no intention of conversing with you, so stay out of it.”

Ok Myeongjin planted his Spear on the ground and fixed his gaze on Ichinose.

“Lady Ichinose. How about teaming up with me?”

“Do you mean the four of us should move together?”

“No. Not ‘us,’ but ‘me.’”

Ok Myeongjin’s partner cadet kept his mouth shut and stared at the ground.

Ichinose’s eyebrows, hidden behind her bangs, twitched.

“What do you mean? Are you saying you’ll abandon your partner?”

“Saying it like that makes me seem like the bad guy. I’m merely suggesting an exchange for efficiency.”

“…”

Ichinose looked at Rohan with eyes that expressed her lack of understanding.

Rohan shrugged, indicating he didn’t understand either.

“If we gather here on the last day and switch partners again, it won’t be discovered. There are over three digits worth of cadets on the Uninhabited Island, so the Instructors won’t be meticulously checking who’s with whom.”

“What kind of…”

His attitude was unbelievably brazen.

Ichinose was speechless, and Rohan, who had been listening, let out a scoff.

Look at this guy?

What kind of manners was it to make such a suggestion in front of the person involved?

The problem was that this kind of person was quite common. Rohan was feeling nostalgia rather than anger.

─ Screeech!

─ Gurgle…

Having heard the conversation from below, the Iron Turtles began to awaken one by one.

However, the power struggle continued not between monsters, but between cadets.

“So, what do you say, Lady Ichinose?”

“I refuse.”

“You still extend your kindness to the unfortunate, I see. I’m once again impressed by your beautiful heart, Lady Ichinose.”

“What are you…!”

Just as Ichinose was about to yell, Rohan’s hand grasped his Supply Long Sword.

He lightly tossed it.

Clang!

Ok Myeongjin, who parried the Sword with his Spear, looked at Rohan.

A throw without Mana. Even if it wasn’t threatening, the intention was clear.

“What was that? Southern Region scum.”

“Didn’t you know? This is a Southern Region greeting.”

Confident that the information he received from his partner was accurate, Ok Myeongjin smirked.

“You intend to decide the owner of the supplies by force? You’re quite arrogant, trusting in Lady Ichinose.”

“You should have picked a good partner like me.”

Rohan naturally grabbed his Long Sword.

He stopped Ichinose, who was about to step forward, and took a step forward himself.

“Are you trying to do this alone? I can’t give you the supplies, but I’ll spare you for Lady Ichinose’s sake.”

“Yeah, yeah. Thanks.”

Even as he stepped forward, Rohan was puzzled.

Why did he seem so excessively excited? Was the opportunity to beat someone up that enjoyable?

Thinking so, as Rohan ── Shing! drew his Long Sword, a memory flashed through his mind.

This is familiar… Where have I seen this atmosphere before?

He looked at Ok Myeongjin.

Instead of focusing on Rohan, whom he should be fighting, he kept glancing at Ichinose.

Ichinose’s awkward atmosphere, the air, her gaze, her behavior – everything clicked into place like puzzle pieces.

Rohan remembered.

Ah!

A clear past, too vivid to be déjà vu.

He had experienced and witnessed a situation exactly like this in his previous life.

He wasn’t entirely certain, but he thought the possibility was high.

He spoke without thinking.

“You bastard… Don’t tell me?”

“What? Don’t tell me you’re getting scared and backing out now?”

Ok Myeongjin pointed his Spear at Rohan with an air of arrogance.

He was already exuding the air of victory.

But that wasn’t what Rohan wanted to say.

Rohan’s gaze towards Ok Myeongjin was already filled with pity and sympathy.

“Did you get rejected after confessing?”

“…”

It was obvious who the object of the confession was, even without specifically mentioning it.

At Rohan’s words, Ichinose flinched, recalling the past.

Ok Myeongjin, whose buried past had been unearthed, stared blankly.

A brief silence.

Ok Myeongjin’s expression contorted like a demon, and he leaped, gripping his Spear.

“I’ll kill you!!!”

In any case, one man began to rampage.