episode_0029

The Academy’s quarterly evaluation is conducted over two weeks.

The first test, Virtual Gate Conquest, will be held for 5 days, and the second test, Team Sparring, will be held for 5 days the following week.

On average, cadets from classes 4 to 6 formed a team of 5 people, and cadets from classes 7 to 11 formed a team of 8 people on average.

A total of 64 teams were created, and thanks to this, all teams were able to participate in the second test, the team sparring tournament, without a single team receiving a bye.

It’s not something that anyone specifically decides on, but when autonomous team composition is allowed, each class naturally becomes a team member like this.

In general, it was a team composition that did not deviate much from the average, with only one or two differences.

However, there is only one team in this quarterly evaluation. There was an exception.

***

Jihoon and Suyeong, the only two-person team, barely manage to get the guild officials away and enter the small sushi restaurant to choose a menu.

“It’s all part of a systematic curriculum. The world is completely different now than when all the awakened people were just focused on the gate, right? Have you heard of Black Hunter? Black Hunter. In modern times, there are many experts who believe that Black Hunters, who have gained great power with distorted moral sense, are a greater danger than the magical beasts that come out of the gate. This is why battles between hunters are as important an evaluation area as gate subjugation.”

“…Who is this…?”

“Han So-jeong, the class 2 friend I told you about before. It appears when you just want to eat”

In response to Sooyoung’s cautious question, Jihoon introduces Sojung next to him.

She suddenly appears at the sushi restaurant and asks, ‘Why are you having team sparring?’ He continued to give long-winded answers to Sooyoung’s grumpy self-talk.

“The second test is a tournament-style sparring, but the important evaluation factor will be how faithful you are to your position as a team member rather than winning or losing.”

“There can be something more important than winning or losing…but how do you know so much detail when you are only in the second class?”

Sojung answers Jihoon’s question.

“Classes 1~3 are evaluated using the same test as yours. The difference in level is so severe that they cannot be evaluated together, so they are evaluated separately.”

“Oh? Do you think the students in your class are of a very high standard?”

“Then of course! In class 2 alone, everyone is a B-class hunter. I know that there are seven A-level hunters in class 1. How great is an A-class hunter…ah…no…”

As Sojung stops speaking, a memory from before suddenly comes to mind and she swallows her words.

It was Jihoon who defeated two A-level hunters at the Ares Guild while he was lying down injured.

They were not just A-level hunters, but veteran A-level players who had been active in large guilds for a long time and had accumulated practical experience.

What would be the point of telling Jihoon how he is a class A hunter, how he is a class 1 hunter, etc.

“But who is this guy?”

“Ask quickly. My name is Suyoung Han, and she is on the same team as me in this quarterly evaluation. I just finished the first exam a while ago”

“Virtual gate test? Did you get caught on the first day? Ugh. If you get caught on the 5th day, you can get a feel for what other teams are doing and adjust your strategy at your leisure… But where do the other team members go and just the two of them eat?”

“We are both”

“…Huh?”

“Our team. The two of us are the entire team.”

Sojung’s wide-open eyes keep blinking, and then she looks at the menu with an expression of understanding.

“I should eat Special A. But how long did it take to clear the virtual gate? I don’t think we would have failed to clear it… but since it was just the two of us, we must have spent quite a bit of time”

“I think it took about 10 minutes? They said I wouldn’t be able to eat even half that amount of Special A… no. I can eat it anyway”

“What?!”

This time, Sojeong, who was trying to remain calm, ended up raising her voice.

“…? Even if you can’t eat it all, I will help you”

“No, that’s not it…how long did it take to clear?”

“Oh, that? 10 minutes”

“8 minutes and 51 seconds…”

Sooyoung, who was just watching from the front, carefully corrects Jihoon’s words.

Sojeong’s big eyes got even bigger and I was worried that they would pop out.

“Uh…how? Is he, like you, an 11th class with hidden powers or something?”

Sojung looks at Sooyoung closely and asks Jihoon.

“Sooyoung is a healer. And I’ve never hidden my strength?”

Sujeong keeps closing and opening her eyes and looking at Jihoon and Sooyoung alternately.

“8 minutes… I think it’s the shortest record since the academy was founded…”

“Really? That’s good. After the quarterly evaluation is over, will you give me a higher class? How much did you get in support per month?”

“8 million won…that’s not important…if that’s the case right now, why are you in the academy…ah no.”

Sojeong glances at Jihoon, then shakes her head as if to shake off the painful thoughts and decides to wait for the sushi.

After the quarterly evaluation is over, Jihoon will probably move up to the first class at once, right?

Whether it was a problem with the academy’s regulations or an evaluation error, it occurred to me that it would be nice if Jihoon were placed in class 2 instead of class 1.

***

As soon as they finished the first test, Choi Seung-jun and his teammates from class 4 left the simulation field without looking back and visited the training ground.

Those who cleared the virtual gate in 24 minutes and were confident of coming in first place in the first test silently visited the training site when Choi Seung-jun told them to start training for the second test right away.

Yoo In-hak, Jeong Hyeong-tae, Choi Ji-won, Kim Seo-young, and Kim Ha-yeon.

The best cadets of the 4 classes gathered by Seungjun Choi.

Academy Class 4 itself was a high class that constantly received business cards from numerous guilds.

Class 6 and C-level hunters are considered to be worthy of being put into combat right away, so how much more spotlight will class 4 hunters receive?

But to Seungjun Choi, that fact was not the least bit comforting.

Classes 1 to 3 are considered the highest level.

Seungjun Choi was someone who only looked at 3 classes or higher.

His strong obsession for class promotion was due to his older brother.

His older brother Choi Seung-min graduated from the academy with class 3 and entered the huge guild, Hyeonseong Guild.

Seungjun has lived his whole life being compared to his older brother.

No matter how talented he was or how hard he worked, he never received proper recognition because his older brother was always one step ahead.

He was always unable to see the light in the shadow of his older brother, and unfortunately, he was placed in class 4 even at the academy.

‘Seungjun is in class 4 at the academy? amazing. But did their brother graduate from that academy with the top 3?’

‘That’s right. ‘There is no younger brother who is better than the older brother, and the older brother always takes the lead in that family?’

‘It seems like your brother is opening the way for you and helping you a lot. Even if it’s not as good as my brother, I think Seungjun will do well too. Because I have a good brother…”

The eyes of the public who know nothing.

It was a terrible daily life for Seungjun.

He never wanted his brother’s help.

To him, his older brother was just a wall he always had to overcome.

“Huuk…Huuk…”

A haze of magical power rises above Seungjun’s shoulder as he swings his sword.

It was then.

“Seungjun!! Seungjun, you’re in big trouble.”

The person who ran into the training room screaming was a cadet named Joo Min-hyeok whom Seung-jun had assigned to check the test results of other teams.

“Why are you making such a fuss, even interfering with training? You said you would hear about the other team’s test results later after training”

Minhyuk, who came running to Seungjun’s harsh eyes and irritated voice, lowered his head and spat out words.

“Well… well… I think I need to know this right away”

“Write… What’s wrong”

Seungjun, who is overly sensitive because it is exam period, asks Minhyuk while barely suppressing his irritation.

“After your team finished… the next team cleared the virtual gate faster than you.”

“What? Faster than 24 minutes? What kind of guys are they… Yun Dong-han’s team? That guy, right?”

Donghan Yoon.

He was one of the best cadets in class 4 and had a rivalry with Seungjun. He was like an enemy who even took away Seol Yu-jeong, the teammate that Seungjun wanted.

“I’ve known you since I took you to Seol Yujeong. This guy is holding me back. How many minutes?”

“Squad 8…”

“What? Are you kidding me? Do I look free? Do you want to die?”

There was a very good reason why Seungjun couldn’t believe Minhyuk’s words.

This is because in the academy’s history, there has never been a team that cleared the virtual gate in 8 minutes.

His team’s record of clearing in 24 minutes was also a high level record, comparable to that achieved by teams in classes 1-3.

So, of course, he was confident that he would pass the first test with first place… but what kind of nonsense is it that he passed in the 8th division?

“It’s not Yoon Dong-han’s team… It’s a guy’s team named Kang Ji-hoon.”

Minhyuk continues speaking without even meeting Seungjun’s eyes.

“What? Jihoon Kang? What is this? Who is that?”

“My name is Kang Ji-hoon… Is there a kid in class 11 like me who has been acting a little strange lately? But he-”

“What? 11 classes? Is this guy kidding?”

Seungjun’s magical power explodes from his body, and the air in the training room becomes insanely heavy.

“Heo-up…suck”

The air has become so heavy that it is difficult for Min-hyuk to breathe, so Seung-jun’s teammates come and stop him. Soon, Seung-jun, who has lost his magic, urges Min-hyuk again.

“Try adding something. Class 11’s team named Kang Ji-hoon cleared the 8th squad. also. What else do you have to say?”

“Kang Ji-hoon…Han Su-young…there are two members of that team. Han Soo-young is a healer…”

“Ha…”

What on earth is this guy talking about?

Seungjun and his team members cannot believe a single sentence that Minhyuk says from beginning to end.

A two-person team from class 11 cleared the virtual gate in 8 minutes?

It would have been right for a normal person not to believe such jokes.

However, if Minhyuk was really brave enough to lie to make fun of them, that was not the case.

“Do you know where they are now?”

Seungjun urges Minhyuk again, vowing to personally see and confirm that what Minhyuk said is not true.