Episode 89. Practical Exam

Bba bba bba bba bba bba bba bba bba bba bba bba bba bba bba bba-

“Aack….”

This is some fucking alarm sound.

I downloaded an alarm collection from Everyday that guarantees you wake up in the morning, but it makes me start every morning annoyed.

Or is it? Seeing that I do wake up well, it really is effective.

Liliana was sleeping next to me again today, and Pella, as expected, was the genuine Pella.

A succubus’s tongue play was something humans couldn’t imitate.

It’s Thursday today.

In the morning, there’s the group boss monster hunt test. The silent group assignment, including Nam Daeun, Lumi, and the man named Lee Byeong-hoon, starts again.

I don’t like it, but I can’t help it. I’ve revealed quite a bit of power too, so this time I’ll have a chance to carry.

The practical monster training in the afternoon is the same. Last time, I trained when I was weak and barely reached the A-class average, but since I’ve become stronger than then, I should be able to rank higher.

“Today is really Lee Hoyeon’s day.”

It’s the day I properly reveal my power to others.

*

“The group boss monster hunt test proceeding in the morning will be held at the test site used during the first dungeon practical training last time. This time too, like last time, you’ll be able to watch other groups.”

During the morning assembly, Professor Kim Jin-hyuk delivered information about the test proceeding today.

“The practical monster training in the afternoon will also proceed according to your level measurement results. This will be conducted in the practical sparring grounds.”

Since it was mostly information everyone knew, I killed time while thinking about other things.

“Instead of regretting the already finished written exam, manage your condition and focus on the practical exam so you can do well. That’s all.”

Having delivered all the announcements, Kim Jin-hyuk left the lecture hall, and the cadets gathered one by one to find their groups.

“Lucy, good luck. Lumi and I are leaving.”

“Yeah. You guys too, fighting. Even though your group will probably be first place anyway, we’ll give it our best too.”

“Your group also has great synergy? Our group is a Nam Daeun one-man team.”

“That’s true. Anyway, good luck!”

Lucy greeted us and went to find her group.

“Our group… where is it?”

“Well… they never gather properly… Huh? Oh, Lee Byeong-hoon-ssi is coming over there?”

“Huh? Yeah, he is.”

A group that never properly gathered usually, gathering three people now… indeed, the midterms are important.

“Hello. Hoyeon-ssi. Good morning.”

“… What?”

Lee Byeong-hoon, whom I treated as Extra Male 1, greeted me.

“Since I am in the same group, I felt like I couldn’t properly greet you. I am the eldest son of the prestigious Warrior Guild, Lee Byeong-hoon.”

“….”

This pattern. It’s the same as when I first approached Nam Daeun.

Is this guy greeting me now that I’ve become famous?

He’s quite something. Being consistent is kind of funny in its own way.

“Okay. Let’s work well together. I’m Lee Hoyeon.”

“Yes. By any chance, could I get your contact info.”

“No.”

“…Yes.”

“Just kidding, if I carry the boss monster hunt this time, I’ll give it to you.”

“I’ll work hard!”

No matter how well you do, can you do better than me and Nam Daeun?

*

The three of us moved to the boss monster hunt test site.

Naturally, since the cadets were gathered in huge numbers, it was noisy.

I found Lee Byeong-hoon, who kept talking to me, annoying, so I slipped away using the excuse of going to the restroom.

He was babbling so much next to me that my ears were starting to hurt. Is this why Nam Daeun too joins late every day?

For now, I came out of the stuffy test site building.

I didn’t want to go to the bathroom, I just came out to get some fresh air.

There was a walking path nearby, so I headed that way and walked.

“Yeah, no. I love you more.”

Just then, a woman’s voice was heard from the emergency stairs behind the test site building.

I used Rune’s barrier to muffle my sounds and looked that way.

It was Nam Daeun.

‘She’s always on the phone with her younger sister.’

This midterm exam will be quite important for Nam Daeun too.

In the original game, the protagonist takes the first place spot from Nam Daeun in the second semester of 1st year or the first semester of 2nd year, when he gets stronger. If he takes first place at the end of 1st year, the protagonist, who hasn’t established himself yet, cannot face guilds alone, making the Nam Daeun route impossible to take. To protect her chastity, she massacres her guild members, kills her younger sister, and then commits suicide herself… that ending… was quite scary. If he takes first place in the first semester of 2nd year, by then the protagonist’s foundation is well established, so he can fight guilds and save Nam Daeun.

My goal is to establish my foundation by the end of 1st year and save Nam Daeun.

There’s no need to drag things out until 2nd year, so I need to finish quickly.

“I have to go now. Yeah.”

Hearing Nam Daeun’s voice, I naturally released Rune’s barrier and headed towards the main gate.

Then, after she finished her call and was coming towards the main gate, I greeted Nam Daeun.

“Hey?”

“… Yeah.”

Nam Daeun glanced at my eyes briefly, answered shortly, and quickly entered the main gate to leave the spot.

“Let’s go in together. We’re in the same group.”

“….”

Nam Daeun ran away into the test site without answering.

So prickly.

If it’s the next test, I need to conquer her, but I don’t know how to start the approach.

I too moved to where our group gathered.

“You’re here…!”

Lumi, perhaps hating the uncomfortable atmosphere too much, looked at me and welcomed me.

“Yeah, yeah, sorry. It looks like it’s starting soon?”

“Yes. It seems so.”

The cadets’ murmuring intensified, and seeing the professors taking their seats one by one, the start of the test drew near.

[Ah. Ah. Announcement. The representative of each group should come out and draw a numbered ticket. Repeat announcement. The representative of each group should come out and draw a numbered ticket.]

“….”

“….”

“….”

“Sh, shall I go…?!”

“I’ll go….”

I was worried whether Lumi could properly draw a number ticket among those weak lions.

Lee Byeong-hoon, this bastard, acted friendly earlier, but why has he become quiet again?

I drew a number from the container prepared in front of the test site.

“It’s number 3. Please write my name and the names of the group members here.”

“Okay.”

Third. Actually, since it’s first place anyway, it’s a number with little meaning.

If our group goes early on, the morale of other groups will drop. Oh well, can’t be helped.

I returned to my seat, holding the number ticket.

“Guys. It’s third. Let’s do it quickly and finish it.”

“Yes, yes!”

“Going early on seems good. As expected, luck is on your side.”

“….”

Lee Byeong-hoon’s reactions have increased. It would be great if he showed it with skill instead of words.

[All groups have drawn their number tickets. Starting from Group 1, the test will begin. Group 2 should position themselves at the front of the test site for waiting.]

“It’s starting!”

“Wow, I’m nervous. We’re Group 11. It’ll be us soon!”

“We’re Group 2… We’re up next, but one person hasn’t arrived. What do we do?!”

The cadets’ chatter increased, and our group relaxed and watched the screen.

The monster Group 1 is facing is a Cyclops.

“Whoa, a Cyclops?! Can Group 1 beat that?”

“I don’t know. Their combination is good, but I wonder if they can win.”

The monsters are organized differently for each group. When the groups were first formed, they were made with similar averages, but as time passes, because growth rates vary greatly, the group’s balance usually breaks down around the midterms.

That’s why the level of the monsters is different.

“Aargh!”

Group 1 lost to the Cyclops.

However, even if they lose, it’s not an automatic disqualification. Because it’s a test where the process is important, Group 1, which responded well to the Cyclops’s patterns, will receive a decent evaluation.

[Next, Group 2. Enter. Group 3 should come to the front of the test site and wait.]

Already, the next turn has reached us.

“Let’s move.”

*

[Next is Group 3. Enter. Group 4 should come to the front of the test site and wait.]

A portal was prepared at the front of the test site for the test.

“If you ride this portal and move, you will enter a space where a virtual boss monster is prepared. Even if you get hurt or die, there’s no real damage because it’s a virtual space. However, you will feel pain, and mental damage might remain, so please be careful.”

We listened to the final warnings and threw ourselves into the portal.

A nauseating sensation briefly enveloped my body.

After a moment, when I opened my eyes, it was a cave.

“Caves sure come out a lot.”

Group 1 was a grassland, Group 2 was the sea, and we got a cave again.

“Gather here. First, let’s identify the monster and then move.”

Since it’s a test where the process is important, preparation is crucial.

Lumi and Lee Byeong-hoon listened to me, but Nam Daeun didn’t listen to me and moved first.

“Nam Daeun! This time, listen to me. If you move as you please during the boss monster hunt, other team members could get hurt. This is a test where the process is important.”

Nam Daeun didn’t listen to me and rushed forward.

“Ah, that crazy… Hey, let’s just follow her.”

We had no choice but to follow Nam Daeun.

While running, I looked at the cave walls and ceiling and searched for clues.

‘There are no marks on the walls, but on the ceiling, I see small claw marks. A cave-dwelling boss monster, with small claw marks on the ceiling, then….’

As we were running, we encountered a cavern.

I gathered the information I obtained and reflexively looked up at the ceiling, where hundreds of pairs of brightly shining eyes met mine.

“It’s a Night Queen! Everyone, cover your ears with magic!”

Hearing my shout, the group members quickly covered their ears with magic, and at the same time, my pupils began to vibrate.

• Gyaaaaaaaak-!

Puhdeuk-puhdeuk-puhdeuk-puhdeuk

The Night Queen’s signature ultrasonic attack. As soon as it starts, it disorients the enemy and deals with the panicked enemies using its subordinate bats. This is the Night Queen’s most basic combat method.

Fortunately, if the first attack is blocked, it’s not that difficult an opponent. The subordinate bats are just too numerous, that’s the only problem.

However, the subordinate bats are easily frightened. Using that trait, if you deal with them one by one in a bright place, you can clear it without injury.

I set up a fireball as big as my body in the middle of the cavern.

Gyaaaak!

Goo-gook!

The bats, frightened by the large fire, clung tightly to the ceiling.

Now, if we deal with them one by one, it’s over.

But then. Nam Daeun started running again.

“Nam Daeun!!!”

Since their numbers reached hundreds, there were bats flying in the air without climbing to the ceiling too. Nam Daeun approached the Night Queen, showcasing a feat of stepping on the bats floating in the air one by one to ascend.

“Ugh. Lumi! Provide shield support to Nam Daeun, and Lee Byeong-hoon, you protect Lumi. I’ll go up to support Nam Daeun.”

I divided the roles among the group members and rushed out.

The Night Queen gets stronger the more bats there are. Even if Nam Daeun handles it alone, she will surely get injured in the process. If that happens, there’s no point in conquering it. The basic principle of conquering is safety. Safely retreating is the proper way for a conquering team to conquer, rather than completing the conquest while sacrificing even one member.

I followed behind Nam Daeun, stepping on bats and ascending. Occasionally, using acceleration, I caught up to Nam Daeun… I faced Nam Daeun, who was steadying her sword, and the Night Queen, whose body was split in two with a single blow.

Kkueeeek!

The split-in-two body of the virtual Night Queen scattered into mana.

“…Huh?”

Nam Daeun in the first semester of 1st year was stronger than I imagined.

*

As soon as the Night Queen disappeared, the conquest was completed, and I was automatically moved outside the portal.

Outside, it was as quiet as death due to Nam Daeun’s super play.

The result was good. However, this time, I couldn’t stand it.

“Nam Daeun. You, sigh. Why are you in such a hurry? Fortunately, you were right, but if, by any chance, you hadn’t defeated the Night Queen with one blow, you would have received a huge penalty. I told you. This is a test where the process is important.”

This isn’t said for the sake of our group.

It’s for Nam Daeun.

In the original work, even doing that, she would have maintained first place. Because she was so overwhelming.

However, now I am here.

Even if I wanted to lose the practical exam, my skills have already been revealed to some extent. To conquer the heroines, naturally, being strong is better than being weak, and as much as I’ve shown my power, I must show my strength in the practical exam too.

But if Nam Daeun continues to act like that, I might take first place faster than I expected.

“…I’m sorry. But my rank is too important. I must get first place.”

Nam Daeun moved away, perhaps intending to go somewhere again.

No, if you do that, you won’t get first place. You frustrating person.

Does this one too think that being pretty makes everything okay?

In her own way, she seems sorry for only caring about her own score, but people’s words should be listened to until the end.

[G-Group 4… will enter. Group 5 prepare to enter, no, please come forward.]

The professor guiding us seemed flustered seeing our conquest and was stuttering.

“W-well, it was a success in its own way, right?”

Lumi was simply happy because of the fact that it was successful.

“A success isn’t a success….”

This test, above all else, required understanding the situation.

I quickly grasped the Night Queen’s information, and for preventing annihilation, I can receive a high score. However, Lumi only provided shields, so she probably won’t get a particularly high score…

“As expected, Hoyeon-ssi is amazing. The insight with which you quickly found the Night Queen, I want to learn it. … By any chance, could I get your contact info.”

This one will probably just get zero points.