episode_0071

*****

It may be surprising, but one of the reasons I came to Cheonmyeong High School was the consideration of the association president and Changhyuk to enjoy school life. Of course, it is also a useless consideration because I have experienced enough in my previous life, such as school life.

Maybe that’s why, when I spend time with the kids at Cheonmyeong High School, there are times when memories of my past life come back to me. Looking at the training center, which is busier than usual, reminds me of a study room that is packed the day before an exam.

A guy who looks desperate because he’s cramming, a guy who leisurely does his job, and even a guy who gives up on everything and gets ready to go home. It was quite an amazing feeling to feel a similar atmosphere despite being completely different on the outside.

Of course, there were some cases where people felt anxious despite their efforts. Just like Hwain in front of me.

“Sone!”

Where Hwain’s finger points. In conjunction with that, the hand of flame is drawn to the left.

Almost instantaneous attack, long range, and high attack power. The line of flames that appeared in the air without any warning was truly a threat.

However, it is induced to some extent. My body, almost depleted from exhaustion, narrowly avoided the line of flame. Since it is a flame, there is damage even if you dodge it, but it is enough to cover it with regenerative power.

One step before the next attack. With that alone, I came all the way into Hwain’s arms.

Of course, Painter didn’t sit still and let it happen. As he slashed with his sword, arrows of flame appeared around him. It is difficult to use wide-area attacks like before in close range, so change to a high-precision point attack.

Well, the choice itself isn’t bad.

“Speed is too slow!”

“Pfft!”

The fist that was thrown out with Jin Gak crumpled Hwain’s magic sword like a piece of paper and dug into his side.

With the sound of the barrier receiving the impact, Hwain rolled several times and flew away.

“Would you like to continue without stopping this time?”

“No, sorry… . Phew… . Now, I can’t do it… .”

Is this the aftereffects of sparring three times in a row without stopping? Hwain was knocked down on the spot, breathing heavily.

“I always say this, but don’t stop looking. Watching the fight between awakened people is half the battle, and responding to it is the other half.”

To use the fight just now as an example, if I had read through magic vision how I would dodge and approach, I would have been able to create flames more quickly where I would arrive. It could have been laid there in advance.

A simple sword without a flame cannot block my fist. Maybe it’s because I’ve done it three times, but my stamina has decreased and my reaction speed has slowed down.

“Easier said than done… . It can’t be that easy to look at magic power and immediately predict its actions… .”

“It’s okay, it’s all experience. I’ll keep hitting you so you can move as soon as I see you.”

“Ugh.”

This is a very ignorant method, but the effect is immediate. Hwain’s expression grimaced as the pain in his side came to mind.

It’s a pity that he’s having a hard time getting words out, but I’m also proud of him for continuing to try. The conflicting emotions naturally created a bitter smile, but it seemed to be interpreted in a different way by Hwain.

“Sorry… .”

“Huh? What?”

“Ami, if it were you, there would be no need to overexert yourself the day before the exam. Just because of me… .”

Of course, if Hwain hadn’t specifically asked me to, I would have just warmed up a bit and then gone home and rested. So it’s not something to be sorry about.

“In times like this, be thankful rather than sorry, Ji. If you promise to come in first place while you’re at it, it’s perfect.”

“Haha, no matter what, that’s impossible.”

well. I don’t think that’s necessarily true.

This test is a team competition. It may not be as absolute firepower as it was in the past, but today’s painters have overwhelmingly increased their fighting endurance, so it’s worth aiming for the top rank. The current firepower is also strong enough.

There are more plus factors. If you look slightly to the right of Hwain, you can see his right hand floating in the air, not knowing what to do.

It was fortunate that Hwain learned how to use his strength before this test. If you force yourself to use it like you have done so far, there is a risk of being eliminated due to self-destruction damage. This kind of timeliness could be said to be the main character.

Of course, no matter how much I say this, it is meaningless if you don’t feel it yourself. Anyway, tomorrow, Hwain will realize how much stronger he has become.

The problem is rather mine. In the end, my teammate was confirmed to be Kang Seo-yoon. Since we’re on the same team, we have no choice but to get higher individual scores, but I’m not sure if that’s possible.

Kang Seo-yoon also seems to come from a famous family, so of course she would have that ability. I may be able to force myself to play alone, but as a hero, is such behavior that ignores team play acceptable?

If you don’t take that gamble, there will be a limit to how much you can ultimately widen the gap.

“Are you thinking about the test?”

“Huh? Well, that’s right.”

As I was idly thinking about this and that, Hwa-in spoke to me as if she was worried. Another mistake like this. The last thing we want is to make children anxious for no reason.

It’s not that serious of a problem because there’s no solution.

“Okay, if everyone has rested, let’s continue. Are you still going to do more?”

“Yes, please do me a favor.”

Hwa-in stood up while holding my hand and went to a place a little away and took a stance. As if he felt something from the practice just now, his posture became even stronger.

Seeing him clearly know what he had to do, I also made up my mind.

***

There is a saying, “Wasin consultation.” Lying on the couch and chewing my gallbladder—ugh, it’s annoying. In any case, it means enduring suffering until the time for revenge comes.

Being a hero is a job that requires a certain level of pride and pride, but it should not be put first. If necessary, you need to throw away your pride or anything else.

Even if it means bowing down to a female student younger than oneself.

I have the resolve to face that shame!

“So why don’t you pretend the bet never happened?”

“I don’t like it.”

Parkin─. My resolve was shattered. Sweet pumpkins are also surprisingly firm.

“Please have mercy!”

“Even if you leave aside the mercy luck, why are you suddenly standing on your head?

Kang Seo-yoon frowned but tilted her head. There are definitely some parts of my pose that are ambiguous.

Grandeur is essentially the ultimate temple. By bowing while standing on your head, you show extreme respect to the other person.

However, in my case, I have horns on my head. If you fold your arms while doing a handstand, the horns will inevitably get in the way.

So I tried holding my hands together with my arms straight… . In this way, it is no different from just a handstand.

“This is called a granjeol, and it involves bowing while standing on your head──”

“Hmph, it’s so weird. Why don’t you just play pranks on your friends?”

Actually, there was one more problem. In this world, Chollima Mart was not serialized. In other words, there is no concept of Grandeur in the first place. What a harsh world this is.

Of course, I never thought I would just skip over something like this in the first place. It was my own effort to lighten the mood just now. Kang Seo-yoon’s snort was blown away in one go.

“We’re on the same team, but isn’t it too cold?”

“Are you serious? Or is this a provocation? How about taking a look at yourself before you speak?”

Mine? Even if it were me, I’d just be standing on my head and talking. Plus, the skirt is turned inside out and the top is pulled down, exposing the navel.

… huh. Certainly, depending on the person, this may be seen as a provocation. Of course, she’s wearing gym pants underneath her skirt and her top is somehow preventing it from falling down, but it doesn’t look neat for a lady from a famous family.

Even though I thought it was a bit harsh, I felt like I would get yelled at again if I said that, so I calmly returned to my original state and adjusted my clothes.

“Hmm, so. How should I move from now on?”

“Okay, so just follow me. Unless you want to pay the price of your bet even more painfully.”

Yes, yes, I guess so. I sighed and followed Kang Seo-yoon, who started moving.

I thought about it last time, but I really don’t understand why Kang Seo-yoon shows hostility toward me. I thought it would be better if I asked outright, so I asked, but

“… Heung.”

He just glares at me with these sharp eyes and remains silent. Originally, I was going to ask why he did that when he won the bet, but now even that has become difficult.

The good news is that I don’t think I’m the only reason Kang Seo-yoon is in a bad mood right now.

From the first time I saw her today, Kang Seo-yoon’s smile was filled with discomfort. It was clear just by looking at the fact that the followers who would normally have been chatting nearby were standing far away.

Although his subsequent actions to lighten the mood also had the opposite effect.

In the end, the conclusion is that there is nothing I can do now. After pushing useless thoughts out of my head, I decided to focus on the exam.

This final exam is a modified survival test that lasts a total of nine hours. It consists of earning points by defeating monsters within a set time and then defeating the boss mob at the end.

Although it is called survival, it does not mean that you simply have to endure. Every three hours, you must find a team, fight with them, and steal that team’s ‘leader chip’.

If we succeed in stealing the leader chip, we will be able to bring one of the team’s members to our side. The test time is 9 hours, so when challenging a boss mob, there will be 4 team members.

Suppress powerful monsters with increased team members. That’s the basic key to scoring big on this test.

“Can’t you at least tell me what you’re aiming for? Let me at least prepare my mind.”

“… I’m going to find a steel ball. If possible, though.”

aha. The first move is to increase the number of colleagues. Since they are from the same company, they will have a lot of experience in working together, and with Cheolgu’s potential and skills, he will be suitable for any role.

A truly solid move. When I heard the plan, I sighed and shook my head.

“You can’t come in first place.”

“What?”

Once again, a polite, glaring look on his face. But now I’m slowly getting used to that expression. I pretended not to notice and looked away.

“What does it mean?”

“I guess you still wanted to come in first place?”

“Let me tell you, we are not only targeting steel balls. I know the number of people suitable for the combination of you and me.”

“No, no, the idea was wrong in the first place.”

I pointed in one direction with my finger. The ice and snow terrain is the most extreme terrain on the island. Kang Seo-yoon opened her mouth, probably because she thought I was joking, but at that moment, a huge pillar of fire rose in the air.

Couuung.

“That… .”

“This means that you don’t necessarily need 4 people to deal with a monster with high points.”

To prevent unity or steal outside the rules, monster raids are systematically impossible. If one team attempts an attack, no one other than that team can affect the battle with the monster. Of course, you need a lot of power to deal with a powerful monster.

However, this does not mean that it cannot be challenged with two people. All monsters, except boss mobs that take time to appear, can act freely. If you have the skills, two people, or even just one person, can completely wipe out the monsters in the area.

Of course it won’t be easy. Perhaps that pillar of fire is the work of Eonryeongsa Temple. Here, the only two people who can challenge the mid-boss monster are me and the Unyeongsa.

Actually, what I just said was my own grumpiness. In any case, it is clear that Eonryeongsa is not standard. There is no need to challenge Eonryeongsa unless you are a person with a very challenging spirit.

Of course, Kang Seo-yoon, who is part of the same corporate group and has the personality of moving behind the scenes even when pretending to be, will not aim for first place, even if she is an aggressor──

“So, you’re saying you can beat Eonryeongsa?”

──What did you think?

A cold smile with a sarcastic tone. From the outside, Kang Seo-yoon was provoking me. However, if you concentrate and become aware of the potential, you can clearly see anxiety and nervousness in those eyes.

Come to think of it, he didn’t deny the question just a moment ago about whether he was aiming for first place. It’s a specialty of guys with mouths that turn their backs on words to avoid being exposed as a lie.

“Yeah, well, it’s not like I can just defeat Eonryeongsa, right?”

“Then right away… !”

“But I have no motivation right now~. Anyway, even if I try my best here, I don’t think the difference in practical scores between me and you will widen. If you are sure to lose in a bet, isn’t there a need to relax?”

“Are you stupid? Your grade also depends on the test, right?”

“Because our family is not picky about grades.”

There is no reason for me to be concerned about school grades, especially since they are just entering society. If you need it, just work hard next year.

As she continued to sob and stomp away, the angle of Kang Seo-yoon’s eyebrows was rising by the minute. You may already know what you want, but this type of person absolutely hates letting go of an advantage once it is in their hands.

Heng, it looks good. I have no intention of giving OK easily as I have been through quite a bit of trouble.

“Are you really going to come out like this? Have you already forgotten your bet that you will do anything?”

“Don’t worry, it’s a bet you made in front of the kids, right? Don’t worry too much, we’ll take care of most things.”

On the other hand, it also meant that things that were not important would be ignored. Promises made in front of classmates have limits as well as their coercive power.

Of course, Kang Seo-yoon would also be well aware of that fact. If my prediction is correct, they would have tried to do something that looked ordinary on the surface, but had subtle political conflicts between the company and the association underneath. If it had happened, it would have been quite a cruel harassment.

I don’t know why she’s suddenly aiming for first place, but unless bullying me is more important than that, Kang Seo-yoon will have no choice but to cancel the bet. I waited with a triumphant expression for Kang Seo-yoon to cancel the bet.

“… If you don’t help me, I’ll make you wear a girl’s uniform for a month.”

No, the school uniform sticks out here?

“Hey! Do you want to be that persistent!?”

“Noisy! So are you going to help me or not!? Just wait and see. If you refuse, I will make you wear only a skirt for a month. It’s nice to see you always acting like a man like that.”

Kang Seo-yoon was speaking half-heartedly, but the content was clearly threatening.

First of all, there is no way my classmates would think that content is excessive. On the contrary, most people would agree that it is good. In any case, as long as it looks interesting to be a student, most people won’t reject it.

Just imagining living in a skirt for a month without gym pants gives me goosebumps.

“Anyway, isn’t it a bit wrong to throw something like that? A little more, how can I say it, there is this and that!?”

“Why is that, it looks like it would suit them very well. Is it strange for a girl to wear a female school uniform?”

“Disgraceful… !”

Kang Seo-yoon’s attitude had returned to composure. I never would have thought that after coming this far, the positions would be reversed again.

I tried to think of a way out, but nothing came to mind. There are two ways. The only thing I can do is wear a female school uniform or help Kang Seo-yoon become number one.

Originally, I might have given up at this point and simply helped. But for some reason, the stubbornness that I didn’t want to leave here rose up. That thought became even stronger when I saw Kang Seo-yoon covering her mouth and smiling slightly.

Let’s go somewhere!

“Call! You can wear any number of girls’ school uniforms, wear them!”

“… !”

Once I made up my mind, everything was easy from then on. The embarrassment went back to Kang Seo-yoon.

“You said you were a man! Isn’t it embarrassing for a man to wear clothes like that!?”

“What do you think? From the looks of it, it looks like a good match? Now, let’s debut as a high school girl!”

“This, this fire… !”

“Why do you keep labeling this otherwise fine man as a fox?”

“If a bitch who wants to wear a skirt just because she likes it isn’t a fox, then what is it!?”

After that, a low-level argument that was difficult to describe continued. I never thought that a high school girl who uses the stupid anemone would actually exist. Is this something that should be considered lady-like?

In any case, both sides have pushed their cards to their limits. If Kang Seo-yoon doesn’t back down from here, I will wear a female school uniform and Kang Seo-yoon will be the first to cross the water. Look, this is the completion of a world where everyone gets hurt.

“… Phew. Okay, I’ll do as you say and cancel the bet. step! That’s only if you take first place like you said you would.”

Kang Seo-yoon insisted on imposing a separate penalty if I did not achieve first place. Considering that they even tried to use contract magic, it seemed like they were trying to demand something that went far beyond the level of a bet between classmates.

He’s a guy who really hates losing. I also nodded because I felt like the conversation wouldn’t go anywhere if I didn’t accept it here. Since they have taken a step back, I feel like I am also taking a step back.

“Now, I’ve done everything you wanted, so move quickly. Because I wasted time in vain.”

“Just a moment before that. Let’s understand each other’s potential first.”

Kang Seo-yoon also did not express any disagreement with this part. Rather, things that should have been done before the exam were only done now because of the animosity between us.

Kang Seo-yoon was a typical support hero. No, I think it would be more accurate to say that he is a typical ‘excellent’ supporter type. It is the type that you want to have at least one per team, as it strengthens team members through potential specializing in various types of buff magic, and the supporter itself is also powerful.

“Enough. Let’s go right away.”

“… Are you really confident?”

What a reminder. Wasn’t it because I thought it was possible that I had a pointless battle of pride? In fact, Kang Seo-yoon herself turned her head away, perhaps because she was ashamed of showing even a moment of anxiety.

“I don’t have any special expectations from you, so move quickly!”

… Should this also be considered a tsundere?

As I continued to listen, I became quite familiar with the command tone. It was true that I was being too relaxed, so Kang Seo-yoon and I applied our buffs and quickly moved to the center of the area.

***

Let’s take a moment to look at the testing process in more detail here.

The subspace where this test takes place is a large island. I was quite surprised when I heard about it because I had no idea that technology had advanced enough to create a subspace of this size.

The large island is divided into four areas: center, north, south, east, and west. The door to each area opens after 3 hours, the door leading to the center opens after 6 hours, and a boss monster exists at the center of each area.

Different conditions are needed to catch the central boss, but that’s for another time. Now, the monsters in this area come first.

Each area has its own concept. This area is alpine. There are a lot of obstacles, such as severe differences in terrain, low oxygen, and many trees, but there are many obstacles.

That thing is practically useless in front of me!

“Urrrr, chacha!”

Sigh!

With one upward kick, the sound of a pig being slaughtered echoed throughout the mountain. It must have been quite an unrealistic sight to see me, who is around 150 centimeters tall, kicking a huge wild boar over 7 meters tall.

However, even if you try to raise it, it is only a few tens of centimeters from the ground. Compared to a 2m tall human hitting a dragon the height of an apartment building into the distance, it would be a level of error. There’s still a long way to go, me too.

“Ma, that’s ridiculous… .”

Kang Seo-yoon, who saw the giant wild boar and said that it was absolutely impossible for two people, and that we should increase the number of people by adding more people, was looking at me as if I were a goblin.

It would be difficult to be surprised already. The wild boar hunt is still in full swing.

The giant wild boar, which had received a solid blow, went wild with me as its target for the time being. Of course, there is no one in this world who is as adept at dealing with beings as simply large and fast as me.

Avoid the lunge and hit the head in reverse. If you roll over, it will hit you accurately on the side and knock you down. If you raise your foot and hit it, it dodges to the side and releases the vibration.

That’s why, when you play games like Monster Hunter, doesn’t all the hand-to-hand attack patterns feel the same? I don’t know if there was something using magical power, but the concept of this monster seemed to be simple physics.

Sigh!!

“Now, wait a minute! He’s coming this way!?”

Of course, there was no way a monster like Boss could have such simple intelligence. Realizing that catching me would be extremely difficult, the wild boar charged towards Kang Seo-yoon.

First of all, if you receive a fatal wound here, you will not die. If you take more than a certain amount of damage, you are automatically kicked out. Still, the team leader couldn’t let Kang Seo-yoon die in vain because she insisted so hard to take it.

It is impossible to stop the rush towards Kang Seo-yoon. However, if you avoid carrying Kang Seo-yoon, it will be too late. Then there is only one way.

◦ at

I threw Kang Seo-yoon into the air.

“You, you, trying to kill me—!”

“Uh huh, if someone hears it, it will be a big problem. I just did my best to save my teammates. Ah, there it comes again.”

“Aaagh!?”

Kang Seo-yoon, who was thrown into the air as if she had no flying magic, screamed all kinds of screams. Of course, it is my role to catch it. Surprisingly, the wild boar even tried to jump to attack Kang Seo-yoon, who was flying high, but that gap only served as good food for me.

Perhaps the key to the original strategy was to find people capable of such aerial attacks, or people who would draw aggro from the air. That is, unless you have the qualifications to beat them up ignorantly like me.

“Finished!”

A small pillar of magical energy felt within the body. Compared to before, I couldn’t even use a toothpick, but now even this is very reassuring. I extracted even more magic from the rotation that was the basis of my fighting method and struck the huge side with a kick.

A penetrator that looks simple on the outside, but completely changes the inside through magical power!

Wow.

In the end, the wild boar could not hold on and fell down on its side, making a faint sound.

“Okay, it’s over… ?”

“I think there’s a little bit left. Wow, that was written with a lot of sincerity. This guy is really stubborn and no joke.”

There are no corpses left in this subspace. So, the fact that the shape remains like this means that the breath is still attached.

Even so, there are no signs of movement, so if you attack a little more, it will probably be over quickly.

“Are you making fun of me?”

While I was wondering if there was any way to use this guy, Kang Seo-yoon suddenly said something like that.

On what basis are you saying this? Throwing it in the air was an extremely tactical response, and there may have been no personal feelings, no, a little, maybe a lot, mixed in, but if the result is good, all is well. is not it?

When I made that excuse, Kang Seo-yoon shook her head as if it wasn’t true. Fortunately, I didn’t hold any grudges for laughing at Kang Seo-yoon, who was crying in public.

“I will definitely pay you back later, so look forward to it.”

Hiccup.

“What I want to say is, shouldn’t you ignore people like me from the beginning and move on your own? Even without my buff, I could have taken down this monster by myself. Isn’t that right?”

aha. In other words, if I just wandered around on my own without having to cancel my bet, I wouldn’t have won by the difference in practical scores.

What a complacent thought this is. Here again, as a senior in life, I have no choice but to teach you one truth.

“That’s because of the hidden piece.’

“Hidden… , piece?”

“Think with common sense. Simply present evaluation criteria and act accordingly. That can’t be a real test, right?”

“What do you mean, that’s what exams are.”

Kang Seo-yoon said something with an expression as if he was talking nonsense, but he just ignored it.

Hidden piece, in other words, is the intention of the test taker. In the end, what is the intention behind doing this? Catching it is also an important quality.

Can a hero who abandons his friends and behaves as he pleases get good scores just because he has high combat power? The answer is NO!

Well, that’s what I said, but rules are rules. I would have gotten good test scores. So, we are still proceeding like this.

However, the probability that a negative evaluation was given internally is not low. I didn’t take a hard line because I didn’t want to risk something just to win a bet with a classmate.

Yes, if it were a simple bet, it wouldn’t have turned out this way. Why did Kang Seo-yoon suddenly change her attitude? I don’t know why, but is he so cornered that he asks for help from me, the person he hates so much? Unless you were curious about that.

Even if you ask me right now, I’m sure they won’t tell you.

“Hidden Piece─!”

“Okay, I understand, so please stop talking about hidden pieces.”

“It’s not Taryeong. Look, I’m going to show you an awesome hidden piece now.”

A good idea just occurred to me. I slowly raised my magic power while giving a thumbs up to Kang Seo-yoon, who was anxious as to what he was going to do again.

*****