episode_0076

In a repetitive life.

Before we knew it, the midterm exam period was approaching.

[……Doesn’t it feel like everything passed by quickly?]

‘In times like this, let’s just move on. Since when do we care about the speed of development?’

Fortunately, from the second semester onwards, there were no theory exams and only practical exams were given.

It’s not that they didn’t teach theory, but from this point on, they really focused on practice.

The second semester midterm exam was an extension of the previous gate training.

It’s usually about hunting boss mobs alone, not random mobs that pop up.

Perhaps because they had only been dealing with mobs for a while, the Attak kids’ confidence was through the roof.

Some people were really scared by the word boss mob, but most didn’t seem to care much.

“Sign this, you idiot! Boss mobs are just big mobs!”

“Are you scared of boss mobs? I’ve lived a rough life, so I find things like that cute.”

“What’s really scary isn’t the boss mob. What’s really scary is the downward graph.”

“What are you talking about! What’s scarier than a boss mob is a year-end work that disappears without a sound!”

“The boss mob isn’t important! My tail is gone! I’m TS!!!”

“This is Nopia, so TS is common. Don’t worry.”

I didn’t have any great fears either.

Of course, I’ve never personally killed one, but since I’ve been hanging out with Hyeji, I’ve come to think of it as a boss mob that can be defeated with just a few more hits.

That’s why I didn’t even listen to the professor’s instructions right before the midterm exam.

“Everyone! If you deal with it step by step as you have learned so far, you will be able to handle it.

Test scores will be awarded based on several factors, including your coping style and the time it takes to clear the test.

You don’t necessarily have to catch it, but even if you don’t, you still get partial points depending on how you deal with it.

The Academy accepts any method used.

Even if accidents do happen, please don’t complain. It is the nature of a hunter to respond immediately.

So, I hope you all take the test without worrying. ”

With those words, dozens of gates were created within the wide open training ground.

The designated students stand in front of the gate and enter the gate simultaneously when the professor gives the signal.

After a bit of a boring time, students with haggard looks started to come out of the gate one by one.

The students’ conditions varied.

Students who vomit as soon as they get out. Students who hold their heads and try to sleep.

Most of them didn’t look in very good condition.

Some of them were even seen lying face down in a savage manner.

It seems like I haven’t been able to properly defeat the boss mob.

As we watched the students, Peace spoke quietly.

[Aren’t you worried?]

‘If you little bastards show off, you’ll see that the monster’s head is there.’

To be honest, I’m confident in one thing: interpersonal combat.

And compared to Hyeji, a monster like this is nothing.

I was bored of waiting so I fell asleep, but when it was my turn, Hyeji, who was next to me, woke me up.

“Shinwoo, it’s your turn.”

“Okay? I’ll be back.”

“Wait a minute. Take this.”

“Oh, right. Thank you.”

And before entering the gate, I checked my weapons.

Two-handed sword, longsword, short spear, and mace, one each.

Dozens of grenades and a few Molotov cocktails that Hyeji gave at the end.

It may have seemed excessive, but I went as thorough as I could because I didn’t know what would come out.

Just because you’re confident doesn’t mean you shouldn’t prepare.

I stood in front of the gate in a daze.

As soon as the professor gave a signal, I slowly walked towards the gate.

***

Gate control management office.

Here, numerous researchers were operating complex machines.

In principle, these types of precise machines are managed by faculty and staff.

But at some point, it became a normal part of my daily life to leave things to the students and go out to play.

Several master’s and doctoral students were fiddling with the machines with their eyes wide open.

With numerous screens displayed in front of you for monitoring.

But where did they really focus their attention?

“Take it quickly!”

It was none other than a pot of ramen that had been secretly boiled by the professor.

Under the direction of the PhD student, the master’s students cooked ramen noodles.

If anything, I plan to impose a monopoly on the master’s degree students.

But if I had realized such an obvious fact, I would not have become a research student in the first place.

Numerous students, filled with their own desires, were fixating their gazes on a steaming pot that gave off a sweet aroma.

While desperately waiting for their turn to come.

After the distribution was finished, there was no further conversation.

The only sound inside the management office was the sound of ramen being eaten.

Then, a master’s student asked a doctoral student a question.

“Senior, can I not monitor this?”

“Leave it alone. When did something happen?”

“……Usually this is foreshadowing.”

The PhD student gulped down the ramen and dismissed the master’s student’s pointless questions in one breath.

Then, I tried to move to the front of the screen to activate the gate for the next test takers.

While I was moving, I tripped on a cable and fell.

As if to prove the saying that words become seeds.

Of course, the bowl of ramen he was holding also left his hand and flew far away before landing.

To be exact, on the gate operation control panel.

“Fuck! It’s not like this happened because you talked to me!”

“Huh?…”

“What are you doing! Hurry up and get me something to wipe it off!!!”

Before he could even express his grievance, he heard a scolding from the doctoral student, and the master’s student quickly ran around looking for something to wipe away.

Meanwhile, the ramen noodles spilled by the doctoral student have completely seeped into the gaps between the control panels.

Seeing that, a master’s degree student who was eating ramen asked the student who had cooked the ramen.

“Is what you just boiled ramen noodles?”

“How did you know?”

“The ramen just seeped into the gaps between the buttons.”

Regardless of such insignificant conversation, the master’s student who had been pointed out was diligently wiping down the panel with a toilet paper he had brought from somewhere.

In the meantime, a brief conversation took place among the students refilling their ramen.

“Hey, but aren’t the dangerous buttons on the panel exposed without any covers? ”

“The application was rejected because it costs money to put up a cover.”

” ◦ ◦ ◦

“Hey, hurry up and eat some ramen. If you keep doing this, you’ll end up in trouble.”

Due to the student’s frantic wiping of the panel, some buttons were pressed repeatedly.

However, it is more frightening to see your seniors staring at you in the present than to see the results that will unfold in the future.

The master’s degree student was diligently wiping down the panel without feeling any discomfort.

***

The place we moved to through the gate was none other than the forest.

Fortunately, I wasn’t attacked as soon as I came out of the gate.

[It’s the forest again.]

‘What can I do with the brains of a writer who is so weak?’

– 개새끼야.

I ignored the voice that was stuck in my head from somewhere and looked around.

There are only trees everywhere. Moreover, the view is limited by the tall trees.

Then an ear-piercing roar was heard, and a huge plume of dust rose from nearby.

I started walking towards it.

[Is it okay to go like this?]

‘Don’t joke around. Even if it’s a boss mob, it’s probably just a slightly bigger mob.’

Before long, we arrived at our destination.

However, the dust that had risen still showed no signs of settling.

A little bit of waiting.

After the dust had settled, what was visible was a very large fox.

It was so big that it felt bigger and longer than six 5-ton trucks placed together.

[……Didn’t you say it was a little big?]

‘What the hell, you want me to catch this? Are you crazy?’

As soon as I recognized the giant raccoon, the raccoon also recognized my presence.

The sight of him immediately hissing at me like a hostile cat.

First, I tried to have a conversation.

“Elder of the raccoon, you came to the wrong worldview. Go back to the One Punch Man worldview.”

But maybe because I wasn’t drunk yet, I couldn’t communicate with the monster at all.

Instead, the fox moved its body busily and took an attack stance.

An opponent that must be caught, no matter how big or small.

I took the short spear and mace in each hand from the weapons I had brought, took a stance, and began to confront them.

[What are you going to do with that sturdy armor?]

‘You have to dig into the gap with a spear and hit with a mace.’

Then, if there is a large gap between the armor, I plan to shove grenades and Molotov cocktails in there.

It was a simple but effective plan.

As I was about to organize my plans and run out, I suddenly heard a strange loud noise from far away.

[You?? Wasn’t the test definitely just one boss mob?]

‘I guess you misheard. Please don’t be so sensitive.’

But Peace heard correctly.

The loud noise heard from afar gradually grew louder, and another boss mob appeared from the right side of the fox, destroying the surrounding trees.

The boss mob that appeared this time has a spider-like shape.

However, unlike other spiders, its eight legs looked very sturdy.

The spider that appeared with a loud roar began to show hostility towards me as soon as it saw me.

“Yeah… how can I mix up to two?”

Then, another boss mob appeared immediately to the left of the fox.

As if he wanted to hear my thoughts and refute them.

This time it was a mosquito with a long proboscis and a pair of transparent wings.

[You just don’t say anything.]

‘Fuck, Mom. I don’t have a bug fetish.’

A 1 vs 3 situation.

Without even considering such disadvantages, the boss mobs started rushing at the same time.