Chapter 124. Survival Exam (17)
Day 6, lunchtime.
"What the hell, why?"
The minimap showed a huge cluster of dots converging toward the center of the island.
"Looks like they're coming for us."
"Should we run?!"
"H-Hoyeon..."
"Hold on. Damn it. These dumbasses."
Seems like Kim Younghan isn't controlling his team as well as I thought.
Even though he climbed to 3rd place ahead of Elise, they're charging straight at me.
That spineless guy wouldn't pull something this stupid. There's no benefit to top-ranked students fighting each other.
"Let's back off for now and keep some distance."
The plan to head to the center of the island was scrapped.
At this rate, we'll run into Kim Younghan's team before Day 7.
"Lucy, Lumi. How many points do you have?"
"I've got 180."
"I've got 210!"
"Good enough."
You need 200 points to survive until Day 7.
Lumi's short by 20, but I can make up for that. No problem.
We're too far behind Nam Daeun to catch up anyway. Giving up some points won't matter. Even defeating the final boss wouldn't close the gap.
"So what's the point of keeping distance like this?"
"...Just trust me for now."
I wish Elise would just go along with me like Lucy and Lumi. Convincing her always takes logic and effort.
"I thought there was something in the island's center. You saw the big clearing and the huge tree, right?"
"Yeah."
"I figured those might be some kind of marker, so I wanted to stay nearby. But for now, let's retreat."
"Would've been nice if you said that earlier. Fine, whatever."
Whew.
With a sigh of relief, we headed in the opposite direction of Kim Younghan's team.
*
Kim Younghan was leading his team in pursuit of Lee Hoyeon.
'At this rate, we'll run into them soon.'
His team had hunted numerous boss monsters and found tons of treasures.
Naturally, they had collected a lot of artifacts.
Among them was one that boosted movement speed in enclosed spaces, and another that enhanced buffs.
At first, some cadets were just playing around with the artifacts.
But somehow the synergy between the two activated, speeding up the entire team.
"Let's get Lee Hoyeon!"
"Let's goooo!"
Excited by their sudden speed boost, the cadets raised their hands and charged after Kim Younghan.
'What the hell are they so excited about...'
The ones who get that hyped are always the first to die.
"Sigh..."
Since he was receiving a bit of everyone's points, Kim Younghan couldn't just bail.
He had no choice but to lead the charge after Lee Hoyeon.
"Captain, you okay?"
"Stop calling me that."
Whatever. Let's be positive.
Better they focus on Hoyeon than turn on me.
The moment someone says, "Why are you the only one ranked 3rd when we're all working together," it's over.
So far, no one had checked point rankings since Kim Younghan monopolized the boss and treasure codes. But now that locations were revealed, point rankings could be next.
"Let's go! Take down that pretty boy Lee Hoyeon!"
'Sorry, pretty boy...'
Kim Younghan kept stirring the cadets up as they chased after Hoyeon.
"Charge!"
"Enemy of men! Kill him!"
"Men are so simple. But Daeun will handle it all, right?"
"Of course. Daeun's insanely strong."
Everyone had their reasons, but Kim Younghan's team charged after Lee Hoyeon.
*
"...They're too fast."
As Kim Younghan's team sped up, we picked up the pace too.
But somehow, they kept getting even faster.
We were sprinting full speed, but they were catching up like they were in jets.
"They must've gotten some artifact."
"At this rate, we're definitely getting caught."
"..."
Elise and I, the tacticians, put our heads together.
'Should I disable our coordinates?'
I had tested it earlier—turns out the rune barrier could block location tracking in the battle royale.
But the question was, how would the Academy take it?
As a student skill, it should be allowed, but other students might complain.
If the response was, "a student broke the rules," that's fine. But if it's, "the Academy couldn't even block a student's skill," then things get messy.
I'd already dealt with how lazy the Victoria Academy staff could be. I didn't want to tangle with them again.
If I do cut coordinates, it'll be an emergency last resort.
I'll just say it was accidental. What else can I do?
"Let's run as far as we can for now. Then I'll stall them."
"...Why you?"
"I'm the only one who can pull it off."
It's obvious.
Even if they chase with all they've got, I can use 'Acceleration' and 'Rune Barrier' together to vanish completely.
As long as Elise, Lucy, and Lumi can survive until Day 7, we win.
That's all that matters.
Elise looked at me with a surprised expression.
Why? Like there's anyone else this nice.
★ Heroine Status Window
[Elise]
- [ Affection: 42 ]
- [ Lust: 38 ]
- [ Appetite: 25 ]
- [ Fatigue: 45 ]
Current Status: Is he pretending to be kind… or is he really just kind? I still don't know.
Just how many terrible people did our Elise grow up around to be this mistrusting?
Knowing her painful past, I understand.
One day, she'll understand my pure heart too.
"You know my barrier, right?"
"Yeah."
"It can temporarily hide your coordinates. Once you move away from me, the barrier will dissolve, and your location will reappear. Stay hidden until then. Let's meet at the center point between the four of us once it's Day 7."
I made eye contact with Lucy and Lumi, who were listening nearby.
The two were worried when I said I'd stall them, but after I reassured them, they nodded.
Elise looked genuinely shocked that my barrier could hide coordinates too.
But there was no time to explain further.
Even as we spoke, Kim Younghan's team was closing in.
"I'll head this way. Stay hidden and we'll regroup."
While it would still take time for them to catch up, the girls also needed time to hide.
To buy that time, I had to face Kim Younghan's team first.
"Hoyeon..."
"Come back alive!"
"...Got it. Thanks."
Lucy and Lumi saw me off like wives sending their husband to war.
I mean, we'll meet again soon.
Elise looked at me with a sour expression.
I waved lightly and ran toward Kim Younghan's team.
*
"...What the?"
The first to notice something was off was, of course, Kim Younghan.
He had been tracking Lee Hoyeon's position for hours.
"Captain, what is it?"
"Pretty boy... he's coming this way."
Hoyeon's position had suddenly turned around and was headed straight toward them.
'What is he thinking?'
Even Hoyeon charging at 80 people alone didn't make sense.
Even if some of the 80 were weak, no cadet could take on that many alone.
"The other three girls' positions are the same... huh?"
The positions of the three girls from Hoyeon's team disappeared from the minimap.
'Did he take them out himself?'
Kim Younghan hurriedly checked the point rankings.
But Elise's name was still there. So were Lucy and Lumi's.
"Don't tell me our pretty boy got drunk on that 1v1 duel runner-up glory?"
It was more likely they had acquired an artifact that hid their locations.
Such an overpowered artifact seemed questionable, but it was the only explanation.
"Hey. Hoyeon is running toward us solo."
"Is he going for a 1 vs 80?"
"Is this the kind of guts you need to get girls..."
Other cadets started to notice.
"Captain, what now?"
"...."
Was there a variable?
Even after thinking it through, there was no downside.
They were already on the path to track Hoyeon's group.
If a fight broke out, they could handle it. If not, they just continued their way. No loss.
"...Split into 4 teams and surround him! Hoyeon is coming!"
"Captain says surround him!"
Kim Younghan did the best he could for now.
The team split into 4 and began closing in on Hoyeon.
Despite seeing the encirclement, Hoyeon didn't flee.
'The net is closed. There's no escape now.'
Kim Younghan welcomed Hoyeon, confident of victory.
Rather than looking like a survival participant, he looked freshly rested from a camping trip.
"Yo, Kim Younghan. Here to get revenge for the duel?"
"Long time no see, pretty boy Hoyeon."
80 cadets surrounded Hoyeon in a wide circle.
Yet Hoyeon still looked relaxed.
"Damn, that's a lot. Just gathering this many people is impressive."
"...What are you thinking? You're completely surrounded. This isn't the time to be so chill."
Kim Younghan couldn't make sense of it.
Why was he so calm? What was he planning?
"Heh. Chill out. It's not a real war. You don't die if you lose."
Hoyeon shrugged, joking around, making Kim Younghan let out a dry laugh.
"I'm the only one taking this seriously again."
Shaking his head, Kim Younghan relaxed his expression and smirked.
He could tell Hoyeon was just buying time to protect the girls.
Not that it mattered to him.
"Guys! Let's take him all at o—"
"I told you, Hoyeon is mine."
Step. Step.
A girl stepped out from the crowd, cutting off Kim Younghan's command.
A striking girl with sculpted features and long hair cascading to her waist.
"...Nam Daeun?"
Judging by his stunned expression, Kim Younghan hadn't expected this either.
"Nam Daeun? What is this..."
"I said I'd take care of Hoyeon. You agreed to that."
"That was if we met all four of them at once... Nam Daeun? Hey, Nam Daeun?!"
Nam Daeun ignored Kim Younghan and stepped up to me.
"...."
I was genuinely caught off guard by her sudden appearance.
'I was just planning to draw aggro and escape using acceleration. Why is she doing this?'
I checked Nam Daeun's status window.
★ Heroine Status Window
[Nam Daeun]
- [ Affection: 51 ]
- [ Lust: 17 ]
- [ Appetite: 34 ]
- [ Fatigue: 26 ]
Current Status: I worked hard to prepare for you... One duel should be fine, right?
Nam Daeun was decked out in artifacts only obtainable on the island.
'She prepared all that just to duel me?'
"It's been a while. Thanks for back then."
Nam Daeun thanked me and drew her sword.
What kind of grudge do you have against me?
Gulp.
I swallowed hard, tension creeping in.
Thump.
My heart pounded as my mana began accelerating.