While preparations for the final exam were steadily underway,
There was another piece of welcome news.
Flaaash—!
Seo Ye-in’s hand glowed blue.
A huge amount of mana gathered and compressed, taking the shape of a bullet.
A-rank Magic Bullet.
When she had first enrolled and taken the placement test, she had just lumped her mana together and fired it. But she learned quickly and kept growing, and now she was already at A-rank.
At least when it came to her core and magic bullets, she was at the level of a third-year club president or even a graduate.
Feeling proud, I said,
“Outstanding work, young miss. At this rate, the final exam is basically over.”
“We crush it.”
Seo Ye-in clenched her fist.
Her gray eyes sparkled.
“Since we’re on the subject, have you decided what equipment you’re bringing?”
Because of the Survival rules, inventories were locked, and aside from the uniform, equipment was limited to two items.
Seo Ye-in promptly held up the Immortal Kim Ho Kim Ho Pot.
“Treasure number one.”
“You’re picking the pot before a weapon?”
“Safety first.”
“Honestly, fair enough. What’s the other one?”
“……”
She rummaged through her inventory.
She pulled out several magic guns and lined them up.
“Still haven’t decided?”
“……Help.”
I thought for a moment before speaking.
“You should probably bring the assault rifle, right? It’s your main weapon.”
“Okay.”
“Then the real question is how you want to combine it.”
Seo Ye-in’s hand moved toward her usual setup of assault rifle and grenade launcher.
I added,
“How about bringing something with longer range this time?”
“……Sniper?”
“What about a mortar?”
– Head shake, head shake.
“That’s too bad. It would’ve been useful in a lot of situations.”
Seo Ye-in stared at me for a moment, then set the pot down beside her and picked up a sniper rifle and a mortar.
“…These two.”
“I thought you said safety first.”
“Sometimes it’s okay.”
She meant she’d give up the pot just this once and go with what I wanted.
Still, she looked a little reluctant, so I said,
“Let’s take all three.”
“How?”
“You carry the two weapons. I’ll take the pot.”
“Genius…!”
An exclamation mark practically popped up over her head.
But she asked, sounding slightly worried,
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. I’ll be fine with just my staff.”
I’d have to give up the Storm Cloud Bracelet, but with my evasion skills and Harmonized Flow, the gap wouldn’t be that big.
“So touched…!”
“Am I not your number one butler?”
“So much praise.”
Seo Ye-in reached out and gently ruffled my hair.
***
Wednesday morning.
After a light breakfast, we headed to the Dungeon Hall right on schedule.
A massive hall the size of an auditorium.
At the center, a large teleportation portal shimmered, occasionally revealing glimpses of the dungeon interior.
The floor was covered with numerous smaller magic circles resonating with the main portal.
Each of us chose one and stepped onto it, glancing around.
The atmosphere’s already tense.
Most of the students were gathered around their respective leaders. Groups A and C stood subtly close to each other, while Group B was positioned some distance away.
The non-aggression pact was probably already creating a sense of distance.
Some students in Group B were loudly badmouthing the others.
– Cowards.
– They want to win that badly? Like grades are everything.
– As if teaming up changes their actual skill level.
In response, the students from Groups A and C openly scoffed and fired back with ridicule.
– So what if you’re mad? What are you going to do about it?
– Maybe you should’ve moved faster.
– You know, the early bird this, the worm that~
The atmosphere only grew more hostile by the minute.
This final exam might turn out far more intense than expected.
Meanwhile, in the middle of the crowd, I spotted Jeong Jin-myeong.
Perhaps he sensed my gaze, because he looked back at me and mouthed the words.
– I’m sorry.
There’s no need for him to keep apologizing.
I know this isn’t something he did out of personal feelings, so I don’t feel much of anything either.
It’s more like, “They’re going to hit me, so I’ll hit back.”
Later on, I’ll probably hit harder and end up feeling more sorry.
In the meantime, the shouting match escalated until it was nothing but foul language flying back and forth.
Then, Lee Soo-dok grabbed the microphone and made a brief comment.
“Shut up.”
– ……….
– ……….
The entire hall fell silent in an instant, as if doused with cold water.
You could almost hear a pin drop.
Lee Soo-dok shot a sharp glare around, as if daring anyone to step out of line, then spoke into the microphone again.
“We’re about to begin. Take your positions on the magic circles.”
Everyone followed the order and stepped onto the magic circles.
Soon, mechanical hums and resonant vibrations began to echo from all directions.
Wooooong—
The central portal and all the magic circles gradually began to glow brighter, and the screens positioned throughout the hall started a countdown.
[5]
[4]
[3]
[2]
[1]
[Start!]
Fwaaaash!
My vision turned completely white, then gradually faded.
The next moment, I found myself standing alone in the middle of a volcanic zone.
No matter where I looked, it was all dark gray.
The uneven ground was covered in jagged rocks, and the occasional trees or patches of grass were mostly withered and bare.
In the distance, a volcano spewed out something black. Whether smoke or ash, I couldn’t tell.
First, I should head to the base.
The best move would be to regroup with my team and party members, figure out our exact location, and then proceed.
Thankfully, it didn’t seem like I’d have trouble finding my way.
An arrow floating at my feet pointed the direction like a compass.
As I started walking, I glanced at the left side of my chest.
A “B” was attached there like a name tag.
The letter was large and glowed bright blue, probably visible even from far away.
Each group must have a different color.
As expected, not long after, I ran into a male student with a large green “A” shining on his chest.
The moment he saw me, he raised a hand and spoke.
“Wait.”
“…….”
“There’s nothing to gain from fighting right now. Let’s just pass each other by.”
“Fine by me.”
We hadn’t obtained any items or crystals yet, so even if I defeated him, nothing would drop.
If I fought for no reason and ended up incapacitated, I’d have to wait outside for a while before reentering.
So I was about to continue on my way peacefully.
Then a female student holding an axe appeared over the hill.
A yellow “C” glowed on her chest.
“…….”
“…….”
The two students exchanged glances, then looked at me at the same time.
“……Let’s take him down before we go.”
“Want to?”
He had tried to avoid a one-on-one fight, but with two of them, it must have seemed manageable.
Human nature really is that sly.
Thud!
The axe-wielding girl kicked off the ground and charged at me.
The male student pulled out a wand and began casting a spell.
The problem was that our eyes met in the process.
[Activated ‘Octopus Limbs’.]
[Activated ‘Mutual Destruction Eye’.]
[The target has been inflicted with the ‘Poison (C)’ status effect.]
[The target has been inflicted with the ‘Poison (C)’ status effect……]
[The target has been inflicted with ‘Weathering (C)’……]
[Cooldown: 01:39:57]
Whoooosh—
Crackle—
The male student’s entire body froze as wind coiled around him.
His eyes widened and he opened his mouth.
“What—”
Boom!
Before he could finish speaking, the compressed wind exploded.
That takes care of one for now.
He was sent flying far away, so at the very least, he wouldn’t be rejoining the fight anytime soon.
Next, I turned my attention to the female student who had already closed the distance.
I raised my staff to meet the axe swinging toward me.
[Harmonized Flow]
Then, while it was firmly locked in place, I hurled it downward with all my strength, and the axe buried itself deep into the ground up to the handle.
“Th-This is……!”
The female student clutched the handle in a panic.
Seemingly deciding this wouldn’t work, she tried to let go and retreat, but by then the wind was already spiraling inward.
[Spiral Explosion]
Boom!
“……!”
With her eyes losing focus, the female student dropped to her knees.
Then she was enveloped in a burst of light and disappeared.
▷Objective 1: Eliminate competitors (1/20)
They were really mediocre opponents.
They didn’t even seem to have 600 points.
Since the two of them had rushed me with skills like that, this outcome was inevitable.
After some time passed, the sub-quest updated again.
▷Objective 1: Eliminate competitors (2/20)
It seemed the male student I had blown away eventually collapsed from the ongoing poison and weathering damage.
Another notification message appeared.
[The rank of ‘Mutual Destruction Eye’ has increased. (C → B)]
So it ranked up.
I had used it quite a lot, so I figured it was about time.
It felt a bit coincidental that it happened right after a fight, but things like this do happen.
With noticeably lighter steps, I continued following the arrow at my feet.
After walking for a while, I began to see more and more students with a blue “B” displayed on their chests.
They were all heading toward the same place: a low hill visible up ahead.
That was where Group B’s base was located.
When I reached the top of the hill, Song Cheon-hye and Seo Ye-in, who had arrived earlier, welcomed me.
“You’re here. Did you fight, by any chance?”
“What? How could you tell?”
“I just had a feeling. Who was it?”
“One from Group A and one from Group C. Don’t know their names.”
“Ah… so those two groups really are working together…”
Song Cheon-hye’s expression darkened.
Starting points were random.
Most people landed somewhere near their base, but like me, quite a few would end up crossing paths with other groups.
If you ran into only A or C alone, that was one thing. But with bad luck, you could get ganged up on.
And if you didn’t have the skill to break through, you’d be taken down and forced to wait outside before reentering.
Judging by the situation, quite a few students seemed to have suffered that fate, which made it feel like we were already at a disadvantage from the very start.
Even so, a leader couldn’t afford to waver.
As if recalling my advice, Song Cheon-hye composed herself and pointed to one side.
“It looks like that’s where we use the crystals.”
There was a machine installed there that looked like a drink vending machine.
You selected what you wanted on a large screen, then inserted crystals into the slot below.
A few team members were swiping through the screen, debating what would be best to set up first.
Some of the others looked ready to head out and gather crystals right away, but Song Cheon-hye raised her hand to stop them.
“We’ll wait for now.”
Not everyone had joined up yet.
Our party still had to wait for Park Na-ri.
We needed to assess our available members, and if anyone had been taken out and left a gap in their role, we would have to replace them with someone else.
So we kept watch of our surroundings and waited for a while, and before long, students from Group B began appearing one by one and joining us.
In the distance, the form of a four-legged beast came running at full speed. It was Bum the tiger, with Park Na-ri riding on his back.
Up in the sky, the eagle Chammy was flying with its wings spread wide.
Park Na-ri soon climbed the hill and slid off Bum’s back.
She looked completely exhausted, as if she had been chased all the way here.
“I almost… got caught.”
“I’m glad you made it back safe. Get some rest.”
We looked out beyond the base and continued to wait, but even after quite some time passed, no one else showed up.
Song Cheon-hye seemed to decide that this was everyone and was about to give instructions.
“Now that we’re all here—”
Rumble…
The ground beneath our feet began to tremble.
The shaking grew stronger, rattling the entire area.
Crash—!
The volcano in the distance erupted, spewing fire and smoke into the sky.
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