I had just entered Team A’s base together with my teammates.
From the opposite side, I could hear shouting, explosions, and the clash of weapons.
It seemed we had arrived at almost the same time as Jeong Jin-myeong.
“Good start.”
Our aim was to pressure the enemy from both sides on top of the surprise attack.
That would split their forces and increase the chaos.
It looked like that plan had worked about halfway, but Team A’s response was fairly composed.
Since it was the final night, they had been on high alert as well.
Item cards flashed here and there.
It looked like they intended to use all of their [Discharge] cards first.
Pssshhh……
The ones blocked by [Protection] scattered like ashes, but some still landed.
Whenever that happened, three members from our team or Team C would be wrapped in light and sent flying back to their base.
Flas-flash-flash!
But that was the end of their item cards.
Just as expected, they had around twenty, so they ran out in an instant.
Team A’s members began fighting in earnest.
They probably thought it would now turn into a straightforward clash of strength.
But I still hadn’t used mine yet.
When I pulled out two cards, a few people smirked, probably thinking they were [Discharge].
“Go ahead and try.”
“Yeah, that’s the plan.”
Crack—
But the moment it activated, more than a dozen of them froze in place.
It was [Freeze].
They would only realize that after the final exam was over.
The promising students and the disciplinary committee seemed unaffected thanks to [Protection].
But in a situation like this, that actually backfired, because the party members who would protect them were incapacitated, leaving them alone.
Tududududu!
Cha Hyeon-joo stepped quickly to dodge the rain of mana bullets.
Just as she caught her breath and tried to counterattack, a barrage of flames poured down on her.
Whoosh!
“Y-You bastards…!”
With bloodshot eyes, Cha Hyeon-joo glared at the opposite side.
Hong Yeon-hwa and Seo Ye-in met that gaze without the slightest concern and each said a word.
“You said to wait and see.”
“Now you’re seeing it.”
Tududududu—!
The muzzle continuously spewed blue flames.
On one side, Geum Jo-han and Lee Seul-bi were being assaulted by the combined attacks of the other disciplinary committee members.
In a hurry, Lee Seul-bi summoned ice spikes and hurled them forward.
“How did B and C end up like this…….”
“Seul-bi, I’m sorry! That bad person over there made me do it!”
Han So-mi awkwardly grinned as she swung her sword, and Song Cheon-hye glanced toward me before chiming in.
“That’s right. That person is the one behind it all.”
Kwarrrrrung!
I stood there, taking all the slander from my teammates.
It wasn’t like I was doing nothing, though. I was protecting Park Na-ri.
When a swordsman suddenly rushed in from somewhere, I struck him with Wind Force.
Bang!
“…….!”
Park Na-ri flinched for a moment, then, after confirming the danger had passed, continued her incantation.
A fresh green light spread outward, evenly granting healing and buff effects to our allies.
In the midst of it all, Bum who had been wandering nearby let out a low growl.
Grrr.
Following his gaze, I turned my head and saw Mo Yong-jun slowly approaching this way.
He hadn’t drawn his sword, as if he had no intention of fighting.
When our eyes met, he let out a sigh and spoke.
“…I had a feeling you might make a move like this, but it really did turn out that way.”
“Isn’t it a three-way battle? Nothing that happens should be surprising.”
“True enough. Knowing that and still responding poorly was our mistake.”
After saying that, Mo Yong-jun slowly looked over the battlefield.
The situation had already clearly turned against them.
Those who hadn’t been caught in [Freeze] had taken heavy damage or fallen under the concentrated attacks, and now those who had just been released were the ones being attacked.
Even with their full strength it would have been a difficult fight, but having been picked off one by one, there was no way the outcome could be anything but obvious.
A self-deprecating smile formed at the corner of his mouth.
“Senior Jegal once gave me this piece of advice. Sometimes, you have to be bold enough to act decisively.”
“……”
“If I had pressed Team C even harder when I used [Observe], this kind of mishap could have been avoided.”
For instance, what if you had simply settled into their main base and taken down everyone who reentered?
Second place would have been guaranteed.
“However, given my personality, I couldn’t go that far. Even though I knew the risk, I left it alone.”
“I wouldn’t say it was entirely the wrong choice, considering your reputation.”
What happened in the final exam would be talked about for a long time to come.
Just as Sa Gong-wook had been branded a traitor, doing something as vicious as setting up camp at another team’s base could seriously damage one’s reputation afterward.
By that logic, I was basically a terrorist, but I didn’t really care since I had never paid much attention to my reputation in the first place.
Even when people called me a coward, I had just let it go in one ear and out the other.
Mo Yong-jun gave a slight nod.
“In the long run, perhaps. Still, it doesn’t change the fact that we failed badly this time. I suppose my tendency to approach everything too defensively needs some correction.”
“Being too easy to predict isn’t good either. Take it slow and work on it.”
“I intend to.”
At that moment, we both turned our heads at the sound of something collapsing.
The crystal tower was crumbling down.
Mo Yong-jun closed his eyes with a quiet murmur.
“This time, we lost.”
***
After turning Team A’s base into half a ruin,
I handed the crystals over to Team C as promised.
Jeong Jin-myeong grinned.
“I was wondering what you’d do if you decided not to give it to us, but you actually kept your word?”
“A promise like that should be kept.”
As I had told Mo Yong-jun, I also had to think about what would happen after the final exam.
I didn’t care much about my reputation, but it was best to avoid damaging my credibility.
Otherwise, it could interfere with future dealings with groups like the Swordsmanship Club or the White Magic Club.
“Anyway, thanks. Thanks to you, we avoided third place. Managed to save some face too. Though I do feel a bit bad for Mo Yong-jun.”
“Someone had to end up in third place.”
“Well, that’s true.”
Jeong Jin-myeong shrugged.
Then he asked in a slightly playful tone,
“There’s still a bit of time left. Should we team up with Mo Yong-jun again and come after you guys?”
“You won’t break through. You’ve already used all your cards.”
After the battle earlier, all the [Protection] cards had been used up, so they would be blown away the moment they got hit by [Discharge].
And there was still another [Freeze] card left at our main base.
Perhaps Jeong Jin-myeong had reached the same conclusion, because he clicked his tongue.
And after thinking for a moment, he asked,
“…Wait. Did you suggest we join hands earlier just so we’d use up our cards?”
“It was one of several reasons.”
“…Feels like we got played, but whatever. We got second place, so it’s fine. See you outside.”
“Yeah.”
Glancing once at Group C as they walked away, we returned to our base again.
I had talked big to Jeong Jin-myeong, but no matter how small the probability was, letting our guard down was out of the question.
So we all agreed to stay awake and keep watch until the final exam ended.
Naturally, Seo Ye-in didn’t look pleased with that decision.
“…I’m sleepy.”
“Sleep after it’s over. When we get back to the dorm.”
“Let’s sleep.”
“Don’t say ‘let’s sleep’ when you want to sleep.”
Seo Ye-in looked at me with a dissatisfied expression.
Then she stretched both hands toward me.
“Give me a piggyback.”
“You’ll fall asleep right away if I do that.”
“I won’t.”
“If you doze off, can I wake you up with this?”
When I cast FrozenSpirit Shot, a chilly energy gathered at the tip of my index finger.
After a few seconds, a somewhat uncertain answer came back.
“…I won’t.”
“Are you sure?”
“…A little?”
“I’ll be watching.”
When I turned my back to her, Seo Ye-in rested her chin on my shoulder and draped both arms forward.
Judging by how she hung limply like laundry, she probably wouldn’t last long.
Meanwhile, Han So-mi was watching the two of us with an envious look.
Soon she subtly nudged Go Hyeon-woo.
“What about that?”
“…Miss Han.”
That response was practically an answer itself, so Han So-mi continued, mimicking Go Hyeon-woo’s voice.
“I shall explain everything! For Miss Han, it is still far! Far too early! Because Miss Han is just a training dummy for martial arts practice!”
“……It can’t be helped. Sometimes you have to show it through actions.”
Go Hyeon-woo let out an awkward laugh, then turned his back to Han So-mi and continued.
“Just for a moment.”
“…Really?”
“Yes.”
I could feel Han So-mi’s sulking gauge, which had been rapidly rising, drop all at once.
Afraid he might change his mind, she quickly climbed onto his back.
“Hehe.”
“If possible, I’d like to take things step by step. I hope you can understand.”
“Okaay!”
“Then let’s get down now. It seems you’ve confirmed enough.”
At those words, Han So-mi’s face stiffened completely as if she had never been smiling.
“A little longer.”
“…Alright. Just a little longer.”
Song Cheon-hye was also looking at them with envy.
After watching the sword-wielding couple for a while, her gaze shifted to the gray laundry draped over my back.
Then she hurriedly composed her expression.
“…I guess this is the end of it. Good work.”
“You did well too. Being the leader couldn’t have been easy.”
“I only did the basics. Getting first place was entirely thanks to you.”
“You’ve gotten nicer lately. You give compliments often.”
“I always did, you know?”
Song Cheon-hye replied sternly.
Then she casually added,
“If you would just follow the school rules, I could praise you even more……”
“That won’t happen.”
“…I didn’t expect it anyway.”
Song Cheon-hye abruptly turned her head and looked elsewhere.
Soon she slightly raised her eyes.
“The sun… is rising.”
Beyond the horizon, the morning sun was slowly climbing up.
The sunlight illuminated not only the volcanic region but also the base on the hill with bright light.
As we all watched the scene together, it felt as if everything before our eyes was being washed white.
Flaaaash!
The next moment, we were standing outside the dungeon, in a large hall.
At last, the final exam had ended.
Soon, the hall became so noisy that it resembled a bustling marketplace.
Before entering, the students had been divided into three groups according to their assigned teams. But now that those boundaries were gone, they gathered freely and chatted loudly.
– Hey, you knocked me out earlier.
– Honestly, I didn’t aim for you, but you just went flying.
– Whose idea was it to attack the main base on the last night? That guy’s a demon.
– Hey, hey, you guys had it easy. For us, a Dragontail Soldier or whatever came and wiped us out.
– Yeah, that thing was no joke.
Around Mo Yong-jun, members of the swordsmanship club had gathered and were offering words of encouragement.
– Don’t blame yourself too much. Is it really all your fault?
– It’s not like you’ll die just because your grades drop a bit.
– It’s only one final exam. There are still two years left.
Despite the failure, the atmosphere treated it as no big deal.
It was probably thanks to the reputation he had built up over time.
Meanwhile, in one corner of my vision, a notification message was displayed.
[Side Quest: 17th and 18th Week Final Exam] (Completed)
▷ Condition: Fail upon retirement
▷ Objective 1: Eliminate competitors (63/20)
▷ Objective 2: Defeat Draconic Soldiers
Dragonscale Soldiers: 41
Dragonfang Soldiers: 24
Dragonclaw Soldiers: 14
▷ Objective 3: Destroy rival team’s Crystal Tower (2/1)
▷ Objective 4: Achieve first place with your team (Completed)
The final exam side quest had much larger rewards than usual weekly quests.
On top of that, there had even been a challenge, and the objectives had been exceeded by a wide margin.
As a result, the rewards granted were beyond expectations.
▷ Reward: Rank Up (B), Fixed Pin, Blank Trait Scroll
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