Chapter 125. Survival Exam (18)
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
The combat sense I hadn't felt in a while began to fill my whole body.
Maybe it was because I hadn't encountered a strong opponent during the survival exam, but I felt even more tense.
This place is an uninhabited island without a single safety device.
Just like the previous one-on-one duel, without any safety mechanisms, I can't go all out. Nam Daeun could get seriously hurt.
Zzzing—
But Nam Daeun activated [Spatial Domination] like she didn't care about any of that.
Brilliant violet magic power wrapped around her sword.
"Hey… you're not actually trying to kill me, right?"
"It's fine. I can control it."
She took a stance and glared at me like she was trying to reassure me, but it was honestly terrifying.
"Shit…."
They say the one who falls for the other always loses, but what if it's the target who loses?
Fortunately, she didn't seem to be planning to use the artifacts hanging on her waist.
That means I still have a chance.
I don't need to defeat Nam Daeun—I just have to go for her smart watch.
If I steal the smart watch or forcefully burn the sticker attached to it, I win.
Tap—
Nam Daeun charged at me first, full of confidence.
Thump.
My senses sharpened even more, and I could read every movement she made.
'Clairvoyance.'
I activated Clairvoyance and spread a Rune Barrier.
It was to shake off Spatial Domination. If I could block her Spatial Slash with the Rune Barrier, her sword would simply be sharp, nothing more.
Crack.
I caught the moment when Nam Daeun focused mana into her legs.
At the same time, I also activated Acceleration to prepare for her attack.
Clang—!
I blocked Nam Daeun's sword strike, which had closed the distance in an instant using Spatial Acceleration, with Cotton Guard and created some distance again.
"...This is intense."
"I improved a bit since last time, right?"
"Yeah. Looks like you've been training hard."
I scraped the ground with my foot and spoke to her.
It hadn't even been a week since she started training, and I could already feel her growth. Ridiculous talent.
"Here I come again."
Nam Daeun raised her sword with a slight smirk.
One of us was struggling, and the other looked like she was having the time of her life.
I sighed and widened the distance between us.
*
The 80 cadets surrounding Nam Daeun and Lee Hoyeon couldn't utter a word.
The naive thought that we were all around the same level at the academy was completely shattered by those two.
"Leader. If those two teamed up, I think even all of us together would have a hard time."
"It's not that bad."
Everyone was surprised by their unbelievable movements, but Kim Younghan remained calm in his judgment.
With about 15 cadets per person, they could probably be restrained.
Of course, he didn't bother to say how ridiculous that level of combat power was.
"They're literal monsters…."
"I'm never downvoting them again… if they find out, I might die."
"But this is a little different from the last one-on-one duel, right? Nam Daeun's faster, and Lee Hoyeon looks like he's struggling."
The cadets watching the spar with wide eyes couldn't even think of stepping in.
There was no obligation to give Nam Daeun a one-on-one fight.
They were probably scared of what might happen if they interrupted.
Kim Younghan agreed with that last part.
However, Lee Hoyeon didn't look like he was struggling.
If anything, it was Nam Daeun who was going all out, while Lee Hoyeon seemed to be conserving his strength.
"I can't tell what he's thinking. That pretty boy."
"What do you mean?"
"Never mind."
"Come on, tell me too. You always act like you know something, then say it's nothing."
Ignoring the cadet chatting beside him, Kim Younghan kept analyzing the spar.
*
Bang! Clang!
Nam Daeun and I kept moving around as we exchanged attacks and blocks.
Usually, I would deflect or block her attacks and then widen the gap.
"Huff... Huff...."
I panted heavily as I rubbed the ground with my foot.
I'd used too much mana—I was starting to hit a dangerous point.
"Why do you keep running away?"
Nam Daeun looked at me, her sword lowered under her arm.
Realizing the barrier I had put up, she had stopped using Spatial Domination, and the glow had disappeared from her sword.
A prolonged battle wouldn't favor me.
"...Because I can't win in a head-on fight."
"You did last time."
"No, you're the weird one charging at me in a place with zero safety measures."
"I can cut you without killing you."
Her pouty lips really showed how sulky she was.
I don't know what kind of spar she was expecting, but I was doing my best to win too, okay?
As I dragged time and checked the surroundings, I confirmed that the other cadets had no intention of interfering.
Even Kim Younghan, the biggest concern, was just quietly watching our duel.
Truth is, I was already done with my preparations.
While moving around the open space formed by the cadets' encirclement, I secretly set up magic circles.
Drawing them with my foot was a bit confusing at first, but after a few tries, I got the hang of it.
My target was Nam Daeun's smart watch.
If I wanted to subdue her without hurting her, that was the only way.
Now that the potential interference from the cadets was out of the way, it was time to go all in.
I gathered my mana and prepared to face Nam Daeun.
Tap—
As Nam Daeun charged at me, I calmly observed her, then dodged the sword and stepped in.
I formed a Spiral in my hand.
If it hit directly, it could be dangerous for Nam Daeun, but using it openly like this meant she'd dodge it.
As expected, she fell back, and I activated the magic circles I'd prepared.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The magic circles laid across the ground exploded simultaneously, and pillars of flame erupted through the earth.
I quickly launched fireballs to limit Nam Daeun's movements.
As I tracked her dodging the fire pillars and fireballs, I attached a spark to her clothing.
'Got it.'
The tiny ember carefully crawled along her body.
It was a technique I picked up while getting massages from Elise.
Before Nam Daeun even realized it, the ember reached her smart watch, and I increased the flame to incinerate it in an instant.
Fwoosh—!
Surprised by the sudden flames in her hand, Nam Daeun flinched, but her smart watch was already reduced to ashes.
"Haa…."
Luckily, the surprise attack worked.
If the trap, which used a considerable amount of mana, had failed, things would've gotten troublesome.
Now I just have to break through this wall of cadets with my remaining mana, and it's over.
Nam Daeun is out.
"Huh?"
But why isn't the forced teleportation activating? Normally, she should be teleported out immediately upon elimination.
"...I lost again."
A new smart watch was already strapped to Nam Daeun's wrist.
"What the hell? Why are you still alive?"
"I have a one-time revival ticket. You get it after hunting about thirty boss monsters."
"...."
Those academy bastards... why would they make something like that?
Since the original game was based on an eroge, there was a limit to how many boss monsters you could hunt per day.
So there wasn't even a chance to kill thirty of them.
I didn't expect a hidden piece like that to be tucked away.
"Haa... fine. You win."
Can't be helped. I have to give up when it's time.
Just a few more hours and the survival exam will hit day 7.
As long as Elise, Lucy, and Lumi are still alive by then, they'll all rank high.
Kim Younghan's team will be wiped out except for Kim Younghan and Nam Daeun.
So the heroines' rankings can be pushed higher.
It sucks not being able to get the hidden piece from the final boss... but I'll have to make do with something else.
Click. Click.
At that moment, Nam Daeun, who was standing in front of me, fiddled with her smart watch, took it off her arm, and threw it at me.
"Huh?"
I instinctively caught the smart watch and looked at Nam Daeun.
What the hell is this? What's going on?
"I meant to give it to you from the beginning. For helping me during the practical exam."
"...?"
Nam Daeun stared at me expressionlessly.
I looked at the smart watch trying to understand, then let out a hollow laugh.
"Then you should've just given it to me right away."
"I wanted to have a spar."
"If you wanted to spar, just say so. I'll fight you whenever."
You didn't have to go about it this way.
Maybe it's because she hasn't experienced much social interaction. It's hard to communicate with cadets.
"Hey! Nam Daeun! What are you doing!"
Kim Younghan, who had been watching us, shouted at Nam Daeun who threw me the smart watch.
"I lost, so I'm ending it now."
"You can't just do that!"
"Did I ever promise you anything?"
"...."
Seeing him shut his mouth made it obvious. He probably recruited her onto the team while playing mind games, and she's been walking on eggshells since.
If he'd just talked honestly from the start, things wouldn't have turned out this way.
"Thanks. I'll put it to good use."
I synced Nam Daeun's smart watch with my own.
"Yeah."
Nam Daeun gave a short reply and disappeared with teleportation magic.
I didn't expect to receive something like this. So that's why she stuck around without quitting the survival.
I should buy Nam Daeun a gift later.
"Now then... time to run."
The cadets were still staring at me.
But the hostility from earlier was already gone.
Most of the cadets, except Kim Younghan, hadn't fully grasped the situation.
After all, fire pillars suddenly erupted, then Nam Daeun handed me her smart watch and vanished.
Even if they understood what was going on, seeing my combat prowess would make them hesitate to jump me.
Even I thought the dozens of fire pillars that engulfed Nam Daeun in the end looked badass.
The ground around us was torn up like an earthquake hit—no wonder their will to fight disappeared.
Now's my chance.
'Run before anyone realizes how little mana I have left.'
I barely had any mana remaining. If a few cadets snapped to their senses and attacked, I could be eliminated just like that.
There were about three hours left until day 7.
This was my only chance to escape.
I immediately pushed out the last of my mana and charged toward the area with the fewest people, which I had scouted during the duel.
"Move or you'll get hurt!"
Boom!
I activated the last magic circle I had prepared for my escape.
A fire pillar much larger than the ones before shot up.
While the panicked cadets scattered, I dove through and slipped away.
"You idiots! How could you fall for that!"
The magic circle only created sound and visual effects—it wasn't an actual damaging spell.
Kim Younghan realized it first, but it was already too late.
Ignoring the shouts behind me, I ran toward where the heroines were.
*
"Haa... what a freak."
Only five minutes left until day 7.
Kim Younghan rallied his team as they stubbornly chased after me.
But I had too little mana left to break out of the encirclement again.
"But you're too late, man."
In five minutes, the final boss of the survival exam will appear.
Elise and the Lumi twins had gathered together about an hour ago.
They must've seen the cadets surrounding me and decided not to come closer.
Good decision. They were following my instructions well.
Though the circle surrounding me was tightening, I kept my eyes on my smart watch.
58 seconds. 59 seconds. Exactly 12:00.
The moment it hit day 7.
A beam of light descended onto the dark night sky, and the area around it began to brighten.
"Whoa... I didn't realize it looked this insane in the game."
Seeing it in real life made me realize just how many magic professors must've died to create this.
It was probably a grand spell centered on Im Sol.
From the beam of light that struck the massive tree in the center of the island, something began to emerge.
Ding—
My smart watch buzzed and an alert popped up.
[The final day of the Survival Exam has dawned.]
[A High Elf Hunter has appeared on the island. The High Elf prioritizes cadets with 200 points or less.]
The final boss has finally arrived.