After a while, there was no longer any need to go around asking who was in which group.
The rosters for each group had been made public.
If I filtered it down to just the people I recognized,
Group A
Mo Yong-jun, Hong Yeon-hwa
Lee Seul-bi, Geum Jo-han
Cha Hyeon-joo, Jang Moo-geuk
Kwak Ji-cheol, Baek Jun-seok
Group B
Kim Ho, Seo Ye-in
Song Cheon-hye, Park Na-ri
Bukgong Han-seol, Son Hyeong-taek
Jeong Soo-ji, Shin Byeong-cheol
Group C
Lee Seong-hyeon, Jeong Jin-myeong
Han So-mi, Go Hyeon-woo
Jo Byeok, Sa Gong-wook
Wang Chun-sam, Dam Dae-han
So Hong Yeon-hwa ended up in A.
The thought had barely crossed my mind when a message came in.
[Hong Yeon-hwa: Sulky puppy emoji]
[Kim Ho: Nothing we can do.]
[Kim Ho: Hang in there.]
[Hong Yeon-hwa: Mhmm…]
We really were scattered all over the place.
Depending on how things go, this side quest might turn out to be trickier than expected.
Since it came up, I might as well check again.
For reference, this is with the Challenge Book enhancement active.
[Side Quest: 17th and 18th Week Final Exam In Progress….]
▷ Condition: Failure upon retirement
▷ Objective 1: Defeat competitors (-/20)
▷ Objective 2: Defeat the Draconic Soldiers
▷ Objective 3: Destroy a rival team’s Crystal Tower (-/1 time)
▷ Objective 4: Place first as your team
▷ Reward: Varies based on completion rate
Maybe because it’s the end of the first year, they really piled things on.
Failure upon retirement meant I only had one life.
If that were all, I would have chosen the safest approach possible.
But with the other objectives in play, that wasn’t an option.
We had to take down rival team members and Draconic Soldiers. And on top of that, destroy the Crystal Tower.
But that doesn’t mean we can just split up and do our own thing.
The fourth objective was to place first as a team.
If we ignored our base too much, we risked falling behind in the competition.
Worst case, our own Crystal Tower could get destroyed.
We’ll have to maintain balance.
It was a challenge that required us to pay attention to every objective.
It was tricky, but the rewards would be just as great if we pulled it off.
After sorting out my thoughts, I looked over at Song Cheon-hye.
“Should we start by dividing up the roles?”
“Yes, I was just about to say the same.”
There was a reason Lee Soo-dok told us to make good use of the preparation period.
This final exam was the largest practical evaluation we’d faced so far.
Each team had dozens of students, after all.
To move a large group like that efficiently, it was best to coordinate in advance and assign roles ahead of time.
If we didn’t get it sorted within the two-day preparation period, we’d end up wasting time once we were inside.
Pointing at Seo Ye-in, I asked,
“Can we say what we want to do first?”
“You’ve earned that right.”
With our top-tier results in Duel Battles and Strategy Battles, not to mention our standout scores on midterms and finals, no one would complain even if we claimed the roles we wanted.
If we did well, it would benefit the whole team anyway.
So then, what roles were there?
Roughly three.
First, staying at the base to manage facilities and defend the Crystal Tower.
Second, searching for and recharging item cards and crystals.
Lastly, fighting monsters, Draconic Soldiers, and other participants.
Of course, the answer was obvious.
“We’ll take the second and third roles. Just not base defense.”
“I figured you’d say that.”
Song Cheon-hye nodded without hesitation.
And I added,
“Two people are not enough. It’s too risky. I’m thinking we bring one more.”
“Sure, in that case, I’ll come with you.”
“Sorry, but… not you.”
“…Huh?”
The smug look on Song Cheon-hye’s face froze for a moment.
She stammered as she finished her question.
“If not me… then who…?”
“Park Na-ri. She’s perfect for it.”
A Druid class.
She rides the tiger Bum, giving her great mobility, and thanks to her eagle Chammy, she also has an excellent field of view.
On top of that, she can heal and cast various buff skills for support.
Song Cheon-hye seemed to be racking her brain for something to argue back with.
“But… she’s not exactly the aggressive type… right? She seems better suited for base defense…”
“It’s fine. We’ll be handling the offense anyway.”
“……”
Left without anything to say, Song Cheon-hye fell silent, but she looked a little pouty.
And I kept going.
“Looking at the list, it seems like you’re the one who has to be leader again.”
“Of course.”
It’s not like someone has to take the role of leader, but it does help to have a central figure.
It reduces the chances of disagreements, and even when conflicts arise, they can be resolved faster.
Song Cheon-hye had the skills, and by now, she’d earned a fair bit of respect too.
Even in Craft Haven, she’d led a large-scale expedition.
In the end, the group collapsed under enemy attacks, but that was due to being severely underpowered, not because of any failure in leadership.
If she took command again, I was confident everyone would follow her without issue.
“But that means you can’t leave your position.”
Since she’d have to keep managing the base.
And if she got taken out, the whole command system could fall apart until she respawned.
That was another reason I chose Park Na-ri.
It seemed Song Cheon-hye had followed the same line of thought, as she let out a quiet sigh.
“…Fine. I’ll stay at the base.”
“We’ll drop by from time to time, and we’ll take a break in the evening, so let’s talk then.”
“You make it sound like I’m just dying to talk to you.”
“Did it come off that way? I was talking about base operations.”
“…I get it, okay?”
Song Cheon-hye was grumbling, but I could tell her invisible sulking gauge was quickly draining.
Just then, Seo Ye-in who had been quietly looking back and forth between us spoke up briefly.
“…Playboy.”
“Out of nowhere?”
“Number 4
“That’s not true.”
Not even close yet.
Avoiding her gray eyes, I continued the conversation.
“Anyway, let me know once the rest of the roles are sorted.”
“Okay, I will.”
“We should go see Park Na-ri.”
We had some good news to share.
So with Seo Ye-in in tow, we headed over to the neighboring class, where we found Park Na-ri sitting in her usual spot.
“…….”
She wasn’t doing anything. She was just sitting there.
More precisely, she couldn’t do anything, because for some reason, Bum and Chammy were clinging to her face.
At that moment, maybe sensing our presence, the two tiny creatures turned their heads in unison.
“Meow.”
“Beep—?”
Leaving their owner behind, they came over. Bum climbed up my leg, and Chammy landed on Seo Ye-in’s shoulder.
Park Na-ri thanked us.
“Th-Thanks… for saving me.”
“We didn’t really do anything. And we’re friends, aren’t we?”
Seo Ye-in added a quiet comment.
“Friends.”
“……!”
Park Na-ri didn’t say anything, as if she were still taking in the emotional weight of the word “friends”.
So I paused for a moment before getting to the point.
“You saw the list, right?”
“Mhmm, we’re in the same group…!”
“That’s not all, my friend.”
“……?”
“We’re in the same party.”
Another well-timed comment from Seo Ye-in.
“Kim Ho’s party.”
“Same… party? Kim Ho’s party?”
She looked confused. It made sense, since it was probably the first she was hearing of it.
I calmly explained.
We had decided to take charge of crystal scouting and combat, but for the sake of stability, I wanted to form a three-person party.
The moment Park Na-ri showed even the slightest hesitation, I cut in first.
“Just so you know, you don’t have to fight. We can handle that ourselves.”
“Ah…!”
“We need your help, my friend.”
“……!”
Even the last bit of hesitation seemed to vanish instantly.
And to top it off, Bum and Chammy chimed in as if urging her along.
“Mew.”
“Beep—”
That sealed it. Park Na-ri didn’t hesitate much longer before making her decision.
“Then… I’ll give it a try.”
“Great. I’m counting on you, friend.”
“Me too… I’ll do my best…!”
We shared a slightly awkward but sincere handshake.
Watching us, Seo Ye-in commented dryly.
“Recruitment successful.”
***
A conference room.
Several students were seated around a large table.
Most of them had over 900 points in Duem Battle. They were undeniably skilled fighters.
They were, in essence, the core power of their respective groups for this final exam, as well as their representatives.
One odd thing stood out: there wasn’t a single person from Class B.
That was because this meeting had been arranged solely for Classes A and C.
From Class A, Mo Yong-jun was at the center, joined by Lee Seul-bi, Geum Jo-han, Cha Hyeon-joo, and Hong Yeon-hwa.
On the Class C side were Jung Jin-myung, Cho Byeok, Han So-mi, Go Hyeon-woo, and Sa Gong-wook.
Lee Sung-hyun was noticeably absent, having chosen not to participate, thinking this kind of thing was “unmanly”.
That was fair enough, thought Jung Jin-myung, who looked slowly around the room before speaking up.
“Looks like everyone’s here. Let’s get started. I think you all know why we’ve gathered.”
“To establish friendly relations in advance, I assume.”
Mo Yong-jun replied in his usual composed tone.
Even in a three-way battle, there’s no rule that says you can’t join hands.
In fact, this setup only invites more schemes and intrigue.
He asked,
“But I’d like to know. What prompted you to make the first move?”
“You already know. Do you really need to ask?”
“I just wanted to make sure we were thinking the same thing.”
Mo Yong-jun smiled faintly.
Jung Jin-myung stared at him for a moment before shrugging.
“…Fair enough. It’s better to lay it all out clearly.”
“……”
“It’s because of Kim Ho in Class B.”
“I figured as much. Same here.”
Someone could have raised a question or sneered, but silence hung over the conference room.
That silence spoke volumes. Whatever the degree was, they were all in agreement.
Jung Jin-myung spoke.
“Last week, I fought alongside him in close combat. Learned a lot. He’d be a serious nuisance as an enemy.”
“Unfortunately, that’s how things turned out.”
“Exactly. If he were just strong, we wouldn’t be making such a fuss.”
This final exam was a large-scale group battle. Individual power would only take you so far.
“But as you all know, the guy knows a lot. Keeps pulling weird stuff out of nowhere.”
“I’ve seen it myself. During the midterms.”
As Mo Yong-jun said this, he glanced to the side, and Sa Gong-wook’s expression instantly soured.
Back then, Sa Gong-wook’s group had become lackeys in a deal with the Craftsman Dragon. They’d planned to join Mo Yong-jun’s team, only to backstab them at the right moment.
But Kim Ho, whom they ran into along the way, used an item called the Dragon Compass, exposing their identities and turning the tables. They were ambushed and completely wiped out.
Where the hell did he even get something like that?
For Mo Yong-jun, it was a moment that left him both indebted to Kim Ho and oddly in awe of him.
Jung Jin-myung continued.
“I’ve got a feeling he’ll pull some crazy stunt again and get ahead.”
“Then a straightforward three-way battle gives us no chance of winning.”
“Exactly. We can’t just sit back and lose, knowing that.”
“This isn’t just about a handful of us, after all.”
Both sides were leading large groups.
The grades of dozens of classmates depended on their decisions.
“I figured we had to find some kind of breakthrough, no matter what.”
“And this is the conclusion you came to.”
“That’s right.”
Jung Jin-myung nodded.
Then he turned to Go Hyeon-woo, Han So-mi, and Hong Yeon-hwa, who were seated to the side.
“What do you guys think?”
“….…”
Go Hyeon-woo gave a slight smirk.
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