After the last student completed their placement test, we all moved out of the round arena.
We left the stage empty just like it was in the beginning.
“Alright, that settles it. Everyone, gather around me.”
Lee Soo-dok called the first-year class 3 students to assemble around him.
“Some of you may have had bad luck in the draw, resulting in a lower win rate than expected. Remember, the placement test is just a means to minimally differentiate abilities, so don’t read too much into it.”
Several students looked visibly upset.
They had mid-tier abilities but had faced a string of losses against students from magic towers or prestigious families.
They expressed their dissatisfaction with the placement test system along with the thought, ’This score doesn’t reflect my true skills’.
But actually, it’s fairer than they might think.
Starting off with a different score than your original skill level might seem unfair at first, but <Dragon Slayer Academy> has many mechanisms and events in place to balance this out.
As students continue to participate in duel battles throughout the semester, they eventually find their true level.
And of course, improving their skills can take them even higher.
“I too started with a zero score in my first-year placement test, losing every match. I was ridiculed a lot. But I worked hard to improve my skills, silencing one critic after another. By my second year, everyone had quieted down. In my third year, there were hardly any who could beat me in duel battles. Now? Everyone else is dead.”
As Lee Soo-dok continued his story, the students’ faces grew increasingly pale.
Especially at the end, when he said, “Everyone else is dead” whether it was just a feeling or not, it sounded more like “I killed them all”.
Lee Soo-dok revealed his teeth in a menacing grin.
“So, if you lost to someone stronger, don’t waste time questioning the fairness of the placement test. Get stronger and seek your revenge. That’s the spirit befitting a student of Dragon Slayer Academy. After lunch, we’ll continue with the strategy battle placement test. Don’t be late and gather at the dungeon area. Dismissed.”
The students hurried towards the cafeteria with very quick steps.
Everyone was physically and mentally exhausted and they must have been quite hungry as a result.
Moreover, with the strategy battle placement test scheduled for after lunch, it was important to eat well and store up energy for good performance.
“Hey, Byeong-chul! Aren’t you coming to eat?”
One of Shin Byeong-chul’s friends called out to him.
Shin Byeong-chul rested his hand on my shoulder and replied,
“You guys go ahead. I need to discuss some business matters with this person.”
“Business? Alright, got it.”
His friends showed an indifferent attitude and they left with a sense of ‘do as you please.’
The ‘business’ Shin Byeong-chul referred to was about passing on the information he had gathered during the recent duel battles.
In place of the 5 silver coins he owed from our bet.
Shin Byeong-cheol lamented half-jokingly.
“Ah, what a mistake I made with that bet. Let’s go. I heard today’s lunch is sandwiches.”
“Sounds good, sandwiches.”
I turned to fetch Go Hyeon-woo and Seo Ye-in.
Perhaps because the afterglow of defeat had not yet completely subsided, both were in poor condition.
Go Hyeon-woo looked especially worse for wear; his complexion was so pale that he seemed on the verge of collapsing.
It was an expected outcome, considering he had expended so much of his magical power in his fight against Jo Byeok.
Moreover, the technique he used at the end, called [Clear Stream] seemed like a monster that voraciously consumed energy just by the looks of it.
He would have reached his limits even if his iron sword hadn’t broken.
“Hey.”
“…Hmm? What is it, Kim-hyung?”
“Are you coming? For lunch.”
“I was lost in thought for a moment. Let’s go.”
Just then, I stopped the creaking figure that had just begun to move.
“No, you should go to the dormitory and rest. You’re in no condition to be here.”
“I can still endure it.”
“Enduring isn’t the point. We have a strategy battle coming up. Go and recover as much as you can. I’ll pack you a sandwich.”
“…Will you really do that? I owe you one, Kim-hyung.”
“Enough, go on. Don’t be late later.”
“Thank you.”
Go Hyeon-woo expressed his gratitude briefly and left.
If he practiced energy cultivation throughout lunchtime, he should be able to restore his depleted [Core] enough to participate in the strategy battle.
I then spoke to Shin Byeong-cheol and Seo Ye-in.
“Let’s go eat lunch by ourselves.”
***
Just like Shin Byeong-cheol said, the lunch menu was sandwiches.
Ham, cheese, egg sandwiches, and crabstick salad sandwiches.
Considering the lovely spring weather, it didn’t seem necessary to sit in a cafeteria to eat sandwiches.
So, we laid a mat on the grass.
Quite a few students had gathered in groups on the grass beside us.
It wasn’t just because it was the first day of the semester; there was something about today’s weather that lifted people’s spirits.
Yet Seo Ye-in was still in a somber mood as she quietly nibbled on her sandwich.
Watching a ladybug crawl across the grass.
In contrast, Shin Byeong-cheol was shoveling sandwiches into his mouth as if he had a bottomless pit for a stomach.
With a mouth full of a mix of ham, cheese, egg, and crabstick salad, he opened his mouth to speak.
“Mmm-guah mochuirous-mumshun—”
“Can’t you swallow your food before talking?”
After my rebuke, he gulped down the food with some orange juice.
He slammed the empty bottle on the ground and repeated what he was saying.
“Sorry. So, what are you curious about? You said you had 1 win and 2 losses, so do you need information on the 300-point range kids?”
“No, it’s not that. If I set my mind to it, I can do it quickly.”
The score was something that I could always raise if I so wanted.
Moreover, the level of this score range was so low that there was no point in analyzing the opponents.
“Ooooh… you seem confident? Then?”
“The top ones.”
“The top ones, huh… I also focused on that area, but it’s tricky.”
Shin Byeong-cheol flipped through his notebook with a slightly troubled expression.
“There are so many talented kids, it’s hard to know where to start. Like I said on the train, this year’s new students are a golden generation like no other.”
“Focus on the four major powers, just the promising ones.”
“Ah, that narrows it down. Let’s see…”
The four major powers.
At Dragon Slayer Academy, besides official groups like the disciplinary committee or the student council, there were numerous clubs formed for students with common interests or goals.
Most of these clubs belonged to one of the four major powers:
<The Martial Alliance>,
<The Magic Tower Association>,
<The Guild Union>,
and <The Order of Knights>.
Even among the talented golden generation, if you use the four major powers as a standard, you will be able to select one or two of the most outstanding people from each faction.
Shin Byeong-cheol quickly rifled through his notebook, organizing the information.
“Let’s see… According to our analysis, the strongest card in <The Martial Alliance> is Mo Yong-jun. As you can guess from his name, he’s the grandson of the Sword Saint Mo Yong Hyeon-seong. Just like a scion of a prestigious family, he has solid training. He did have 2 wins and 1 loss in duel battles, but that one loss was against Han So-mi. It was a close match that ended in a judgment loss by just a 3% difference.”
“3% is almost negligible.”
“Exactly. The outcome might have been different under different rules.”
If it hadn’t been for the [5-minute limit] rule and had been a long battle instead, the result could have been different.
In essence, it was fair to say their abilities were on par.
“We’ve heard that there’s another strong contender in the Black Way faction, but they didn’t reveal themselves in this individual battle. They might be concealing their abilities, or it could just be a rumor. We need to investigate more on this, but for now, we can assume Mo Yong-jun is the most outstanding.”
“Okay, what about <The Magic Tower Association>?”
Shin Byeong-cheol flipped a few pages back in his notebook.
“<The Magic Tower Association> used to have two top figures, Song Cheon-hye and Hong Yeon-hwa. But since Song Cheon-hye joined the disciplinary committee, it’s been mainly Hong Yeon-hwa. The evaluations of the two were similar… However, Hong Yeon-hwa lost to you and fell slightly. Hey, really, how did you manage to win?”
“It was just good luck. What’s next?”
Admitting that I had an S-grade [Elemental Resistance] was not something I could casually mention.
When I deliberately changed the subject, Shin Byeong-cheol continued his explanation, still casting a doubtful glance my way.
Next up was <The Guild Union>.
As expected, it was the faction to which Shin Byeong-cheol’s club belonged.
“Have you seen the kid who carries a cat on their shoulder?”
“A few times, here and there.”
“That’s not actually a cat. It’s a tiger.”
“I figured as much.”
“…You’re not surprised. That’s no fun.”
Shin Byeong-cheol seemed disappointed by my dry reaction.
It was unlikely for someone at Dragon Slayer Academy to casually carry a mere pet cat on their shoulder.
They probably used a shrinking skill or something similar to reduce its size for convenience.
“Are they a Beast Tamer or a Druid?”
“A Druid. They also know how to use wood and earth magic.”
“There must be a connection with the Emerald Magic Tower as well.”
“So it seems. The magic is just a side skill, though.”
“Is that all for the Guild Union side?”
“That’s…not all.”
Shin Byeong-cheol glanced at Seo Ye-in before answering.
Meanwhile, Seo Ye-in was leisurely sipping an iced green tea, watching a squirrel scurry up and down a nearby tree.
When I nodded slightly to signal that it was okay to speak, Shin Byeong-cheol lowered his voice to prevent others from overhearing and said,
“…the information is worth at least 5 silver coins, so I’ll tell you. We have another kid who’s really good with a bow. In the duel battles, he hid his skills and only used daggers, but still managed 2 wins and 1 loss.”
“Are you not just overestimating him because he’s part of your group?”
“No, no. He’s up there even compared to other promising candidates.”
If Shin Byeong-cheol was so confidently asserting this, there must be some truth to it.
“I’ll keep that in mind. Who is the promising member from <The Order of Knights>?”
“Lee Seong-hyun. He’s almost on par with Mo Yong-jun. He’s been diligently training under his father, a sword master, following a traditional and rigorous path. Really, it’s only these two who seem exceptionally strong. If you want, I can give you more details about the others ranked below them.”
“No, that’s enough. They certainly sound strong.”
“Told you. The competition among our batch for the top ranks is going to be really fierce.”
Even for someone like me, who has been to <Dragon Slayer Academy> hundreds of times, this was the first instance of encountering so many talented individuals in a single batch.
At this point, the speculation that this was due to the influence of the EX-rank quest seemed quite plausible, but I don’t know how powerful the enemies are going to appear in the future.
Shin Byeong-cheol closed the notebook and asked.
“Hey, why are you curious about all this?”
“It’s like market research.”
“Market research? What are you planning to sell?”
“Something similar.”
Once I’ve figured out who I’m going to focus on in the major powers and what kind of hidden pieces they will need in the future,
Trade is possible.
After identifying the hidden pieces the major powers desired, I planned to secure them for trade.
Whether it involved artifacts of equal value or the rights and privileges they possessed.
As the placement test concluded, a rough sketch of how the game board would be structured started to take shape in my mind.
“Ah, come on, tell me a bit more. You’ve got me curious now.”
“Hey, you’ve got a message.”
“Huh?”
Shin Byeong-cheol, who had been pestering me for information, looked down.
His pocket was shining brightly.
He reached in and, after rummaging around for a moment, pulled out his student ID. He began to read the words appearing on the back in a disjointed manner.
“You… where are you… come to the… office now… or else… your hair… Damn, right. I forgot.”
“Sounds like someone’s really angry. Who is it?”
“Our club president. A very… very scary person.”
He shivered as if the mere thought of the president sent a chill down his spine.
The problem seemed to be that he had somehow upset this frightening person, but that was his issue to deal with.
Shin Byeong-cheol quickly gathered his things and stood up.
“I need to go. If I don’t hurry, who knows what might happen to me.”
“Alright, see you later.”
And then, he dashed off in a full sprint.
Meanwhile, Seo Ye-in was still quietly nibbling on a sandwich even after Shin Byeong-cheol had left.
Still, she had almost finished it off.
“……”
Her gray eyes were gazing at me.
It was still impossible to discern her thoughts, but now there seemed to be an unusually subdued air about her.
Go Hyeon-woo, Seo Ye-in, Shin Byeong-cheol.
Regardless of my ultimate goal of raising EX-rank heroes, these guys were special.
They were the first relationships I had made since entering the world of the game through a reincarnation quest.
It just didn’t feel right to leave her so downcast.
So, to lighten the mood, there was one simple yet effective method.
“Remember the cookie you dropped on the train yesterday?”
“……?”
Caught in the scuffle between the disciplinary committee and Shin Byeong-cheol, there had been an incident where the cookie given by Seo Ye-in ended up on the floor.
‘What about it?’ Her eyes seemed to convey to me.
“Song Cheon-hye sent a dessert coupon as an apology.”
Song Cheon-hye was someone with a clear-cut way of dealing with things.
My reputation had plummeted almost to the level of Shin Byeong-cheol’s due to forfeiting a duel battle, but it seemed she still thought a promise was a promise to be kept.
The moment lunchtime started, a dessert coupon came flying my way.
A coupon that could be exchanged for any dessert offered in the student cafeteria, regardless of the price.
What I chose using that was,
“Ta-daaa.”
I pulled out a neatly wrapped paper box from the inventory.
When I opened the box, there emerged a slice of fresh cream cake studded with fruits.
I didn’t think much about it when I ordered it, but when I saw it in front of my eyes, it was extraordinary.
It could be said that it was not a cake but a work of art.
Had I bought it with money, a single piece would have cost as much as a meal at a top-tier restaurant.
Moreover, its limited quantity added a premium to its value; I nearly missed the chance to buy it even with the dessert coupon.
Seo Ye-in’s eyes were focused on the cake, as it seemed unusual to her eyes.
I handed her a disposable fork, and she took it somewhat bewilderedly.
“Technically, it was your cookie that got us this, so you have a share in it too. Let’s eat together.”
“…Thank you.”
After offering a brief word of gratitude, Seo Ye-in’s eyes widened ever so slightly as she carefully removed a corner with her fork and placed it in her mouth.
I too tasted a corner from my side and couldn’t help but nod in agreement.
It’s worth the price.
The harmony of the sponge, fresh cream, and fruits in the cake was nearly perfect.
Especially with the fresh cream, it felt more like eating clouds than cream.
The sweetness was not too overpowering, which seemed to suit Seo Ye-in’s preference for milder flavors.
For a while, we just ate in silence, taking turns with the fork.
By the time only crumbs of the cake were left,
“Hey.”
Seo Ye-in opened her mouth.
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