Lee Soo-dok slowly scanned the classroom.
“If anyone needs an explanation of [4 Players] and [Deathmatch], raise your hand now.”
– …….
The students merely glanced at one another out of the corners of their eyes because the rules were intuitive enough.
Four participants fight. The first one eliminated places 4th, the next 3rd, and the last one standing takes 1st place.
Duel battle points are then awarded according to the final rankings.
Even after giving them some time, no one stepped forward, so Lee Soo-dok casually tilted his chin.
“Next is this week’s key rule: [Anonymous]. You will enter the match with your name, score, appearance… everything concealed. Naturally, no replay will be recorded either.”
Not only are appearances replaced with silhouettes, but even body shapes are altered.
Voices are distorted as well.
“However, it is still possible to infer an opponent’s identity through the weapons or skills they use. For some people, that will be a disadvantageous rule.”
Especially for those with unique classes or highly distinctive traits.
For example, Song Cheon-hye is a rare lightning-element mage, while Park Na-ri is a druid who always travels with Beum and Chammy.
“You can also turn that to your advantage by using skills you normally never use as a smokescreen. Conversely, you might choose to openly display abilities you’ve kept hidden until now.”
As he said that, Lee Soo-dok subtly glanced in my direction.
It felt like he was telling me to go wild and enjoy myself.
Not that he’d be able to watch the replay anyway.
“I’ll take one final round of questions before we move to the arena.”
Several students raised their hands, and Lee Soo-dok began calling on them one by one.
While the questions and answers continued, I checked a newly arrived notification.
[Side Quest: 1st Week Placement Test] (In Progress…)
▷ Objective: Complete 3 matches (-/3)
▷ Reward: Varies based on achievement level
I took it easy during the first-year placement test.
After getting one win, I forfeited the rest.
At the time, I had just started the Reincarnation Quest, and most of my skills and traits had been reset, so revealing all my cards would have created too many problems afterward.
The quest reward was fixed, so there was no need to exceed the target.
But things are very different now.
I’ve become strong enough to handle the consequences, and Challenge Quests provide even greater rewards if you surpass the objective.
[Would you like to use the ‘Challenge Book’?]
[Accept / Decline]
So I selected “Accept” without the slightest hesitation.
[Side Quest: 1st Week Placement Test] (In Progress…)
▷ Skills/Traits Disabled: Amplification, Distortion, Retro Recovery
▷ Objective 1: Place 1st in a match (-/3 times)
▷ Objective 2: Eliminate opponents (-/3)
▷ Reward: Varies based on achievement level
With the [Anonymous] rule in effect, there’s practically no chance of getting caught even if I use Amplification as much as I want.
To prevent me from raising my rank through octopus-limbs chaining, it seemed the Challenge had disabled that option.
Distortion and Retro Recovery were probably restricted for similar reasons.
Under those conditions, I not only had to place first in every match but also personally eliminate at least one opponent in each game.
Or take down two or three at once.
Of course, from my perspective, it wasn’t a particularly difficult objective.
And I had no intention of stopping at just three eliminations.
The reward is probably going to be a Fixed Pin.
If I exceeded the objectives, maybe I could get two of them.
So I made up my mind.
I’m taking everyone down.
All nine opponents I’d face across the three matches.
***
Cha Hyeon-joo was seething inside.
It was because she had run into “that bastard” on the very first day of the new semester.
That infuriating bastard whose mere existence was enough to make her angry.
Kim Ho…!
To make matters worse, they had been assigned to the same class this year.
For a moment, Cha Hyeon-joo felt like she was going to faint.
I have to look at that face every day?
In other words, she would be taking a test of patience every single morning.
She wasn’t even sure she’d be able to endure it without exploding.
Sure enough, the moment Kim Ho saw her, he immediately started testing her patience.
By greeting her with a bright smile.
“Hi, Hyeon-joo.”
As if all the fights and clashes between them had meant absolutely nothing.
The complete opposite of her, who had spent all this time looking forward to a rematch.
To make things worse, Kim Ho was sitting there joking around between two girls.
There wasn’t even the slightest trace of seriousness in his attitude.
Grinding her teeth, Cha Hyeon-joo thought,
We’ll see how long you can keep smiling like that.
The grueling effort she had poured in over winter break had produced results that even surprised her.
By now, she should be more than capable of knocking Kim Ho down a peg.
All that’s left is to meet him in a duel battle.
To do that, however, their scores needed to be relatively close.
She had finished her first-year duel battles just short of 900 points.
After the soft reset, she would have dropped to 400 points.
Kim Ho would be at 600, so if she wanted to close the gap, she needed excellent results in this placement exam.
First place in all three matches.
For the stronger version of herself now, that shouldn’t be difficult.
Before long, the entire second-year class moved to the arena for the placement test.
Cha Hyeon-joo waited near the stage, and when her turn arrived, she stepped onto the magic circle.
Her surroundings shifted instantly, revealing a circular arena.
At the same time, three human silhouettes appeared.
One was red, one green, one blue, while Cha Hyeon-joo herself was white.
The scoreboard that appeared looked similar:
[White 100%]
vs
[Red 100%]
vs
[Green 100%]
vs
[Blue 100%]
A system designed to preserve anonymity while still allowing the participants to distinguish one another.
In a chaotic free-for-all, positions could easily become confused and swapped around.
The other participants seemed to have finished assessing the situation as well, drawing their weapons and preparing for battle.
Red carried a hammer and shield. Green wielded a longsword. Blue held a staff.
A heavy-armored warrior, a martial fighter, and a mage.
They were manageable opponents for an archer like her.
And at a glance, they all seemed relatively weak.
Which means they’re below me.
Using that information, Cha Hyeon-joo quickly formed a strategy.
Soon, the countdown began.
[3]
[2]
[1]
[Start!]
Swiishhhhhh!
Cha Hyeon-joo immediately unleashed a barrage of arrows.
The Red participant barely managed to block them with his shield and cried out in surprise.
“Those arrows… is that Cha Hyeon-joo?!”
“The promising student from last year?”
“Of all times to run into her, it had to be the placement test.”
Blue and Green looked startled as well.
Of course, Cha Hyeon-joo had never intended to hide her identity in the first place.
So what if they know?
Swiishhhhhh!
A rain of arrows poured down evenly across all three opponents.
[Red 97%]
[Blue 100%]
[Green 96%]
Struggling to block and evade, the three quickly began discussing a plan.
“How about we take her down first?”
“And then fight among ourselves afterward?”
“Sounds good.”
A temporary alliance was formed on the spot.
Naturally, this was also within Cha Hyeon-joo’s expectations.
Three nobodies teaming up won’t change anything.
She was confident she could win even against a three-versus-one.
Not only did the class matchup favor her, but she believed her skill surpassed theirs as well.
Before long, the trio of nobodies appeared to have organized a formation.
Red charged forward with his shield raised.
Green followed close behind with his longsword.
Meanwhile, Blue compressed a mass of air and hurled it toward her.
[Air Burst]
“Hmph.”
Cha Hyeon-joo snorted and stepped backward.
The distance that had begun to close between her and the two melee fighters immediately widened again.
That alone demonstrated just how effective her movement skill was.
Naturally, the compressed air struck empty space.
Boom!
Cha Hyeon-joo continued drawing her bowstring while repeatedly using backsteps.
Another volley of mana arrows surged toward the trio.
Swiiiiiiiishhh!
[Red 92%]
[Blue 100%]
[Green 93%]
As Red groaned, Green asked,
“Wouldn’t it be better to change tactics?”
“…Let’s try a little longer.”
Watching the warriors stubbornly charge forward, Cha Hyeon-joo smirked.
Try it for a hundred years if you want.
She was a legitimate rising talent.
She possessed carefully selected movement skills, traits, and even rank qualifications.
A gap in specs like that wasn’t something determination alone could overcome.
As expected, no matter how desperately the warriors ran, catching up to her seemed impossible.
Meanwhile, Cha Hyeon-joo comfortably maintained her distance while bombarding them with one-sided attacks.
Swiiiiiiiiishhh—!
[Red 86%]
[Red 83%]
[Green 81%]
[Green 79%]
At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before she took them all down.
Like I said, three of them together still aren’t enough.
And if she had to pick the most useless member of the group, it was unquestionably Blue.
The guy had been doing nothing but spamming Air Burst the entire time.
But then Cha Hyeon-joo’s eyes widened.
Where did he go?
The figure who had been lingering at the edge of her vision moments ago had vanished.
An instant later, a chilling presence shot toward her from behind.
Boom!
Two explosions erupted, and freezing cold spread across her entire body.
Her arms and legs went numb.
She could no longer use movement skills or even draw her bow.
“Tch.”
Clicking her tongue, Cha Hyeon-joo cast [Purification].
A skill that had a chance to remove debuffs.
Fwaaash!
Light enveloped her body.
…The ice remained exactly where it was.
What? Why didn’t it come off?
Did she simply fail the probability check?
But the success effect seemed to have appeared.
Pushing aside her confusion, Cha Hyeon-joo activated the debuff-removal skill attached to one of her accessories.
Fwaaash!
…Yet the freezing effect remained completely unchanged.
No! What the hell is this?!
Was the rank unexpectedly high?
Even so, after using two different debuff removals, something should have changed.
She didn’t have time to dwell on it.
At that very moment, Red and Green were charging straight toward her.
As a last resort, Cha Hyeon-joo activated the skill imbued into her quiver.
Fwaaash!
Unfortunately, the freezing effect still refused to break.
Unable to hold back any longer, she shouted a curse out loud.
“Fuck!!!”
I’ve used it three times!
At least unfreeze my legs!
Why!
Are they all!
Getting completely ignored?!?!”
Cha Hyeon-joo cursed at the ice covering her arms and legs, cursed at the debuff-removal skills that weren’t doing their job, and finally cursed at that bastard Blue who had done something so malicious.
Then she limped backward, but there was no way she could escape her enemies.
In the end, Green who had already reached her slashed diagonally with his longsword.
Slash!
[White 100%]
[White 87%]
It was a direct hit against a completely defenseless target, and her health dropped instantly.
But the enemies’ assault had only just begun.
Red’s hammer slammed down onto the top of Cha Hyeon-joo’s head.
Bam!
[White 75%]
And finally, an [Air Burst] fired from behind struck her squarely in the back.
Boom!
As her consciousness began to fade, Cha Hyeon-joo thought:
To think I’d lose to a bunch of pathetic scrubs like these…!
And why the hell hadn’t that freezing effect worn off?
She couldn’t understand it, even to the very end.
***
After sending Cha Hyeon-joo off, I quickly dealt with the remaining stragglers.
Boom!
“Urgh!”
With a pained groan, Red dropped to one knee.
He was a heavy-armored knight class and even carried a shield, but there was no way he could endure a direct hit from [Spiral Explosion].
It had a defense-ignoring effect attached, after all.
Apparently deemed incapable of continuing the fight, he was immediately removed from the arena.
Soon, the scoreboard displayed the match results.
[Blue 1st]
[Red 2nd]
[Green 3rd]
[White 4th]
I thought of Cha Hyeon-joo.
A classic case of letting her temper ruin everything.
If she had approached things a little more carefully, she might have realized that Blue was me.
But whether she found mind games annoying or simply underestimated the other participants, she had challenged three opponents at once and remained careless the entire time, failing to react when the decisive move came.
After taking position behind her with [Blink], I followed up with [Diamond Freeze], then chained [Frozen Spirit Shot] into [Chain Explosion].
Because the freeze had been applied with a “cannot be removed for 20 seconds” effect, all of her debuff-removal skills had been completely nullified.
As a result, someone skilled enough to finish second ended up placing fourth instead.
Hopefully she learned something from this.
Leaving that thought behind, I stepped onto the teleportation portal.
The moment I entered the arena, several colorful silhouettes immediately caught my eye.
[Blue 100%]
vs
[Orange 100%]
vs
[Purple 100%]
vs
[Black 100%]
I took a quick look at their weapons, and they were all melee types.
They didn’t seem to be anyone I knew, either.
In many ways, the conditions were perfect for using [Pulverize Zone].
Since it’s come to this, I might as well take it for a test run.
[3]
[2]
[1]
[Start!]
The moment the match began, I moved to the center of the circular arena.
Then I deliberately slammed my staff hard against the ground.
Thud!
A blue circle spread outward from beneath my feet.
As everyone’s attention focused on me, I declared in a solemn voice:
“From this moment on, I designate this place as sacred ground. No one shall be permitted to enter within.”
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