Survival Test (12)
A group of first-year students gathered around Kim Younghan. The so-called Kim Younghan team already had over 50 members.
âHey, is she really a first-year student like us?â
âDonât ask meâŚâ
âBut youâre still ranked third in one-on-one duels.â
âShut itâŚâ
Kim Younghan watched in amazement as Nam Daeun moved.
Couldnât win against her for realâŚ
His surprise attack planned for the final was thwarted by Hoyeon, leaving him somewhat disappointed. Nevertheless, thereâs no reason to be displeased now. Even if he had faced Nam Daeun in the final, the match would have been over in a mere three seconds.
âHow on earth do I deal with thisâŚ?â Kim Younghan seriously wondered if he could defeat Lee Hoyeon by gathering the students. But soon, Nam Daeun finished her hunt and approached.
âYou worked hard.â
âHere. Points.â
âYeah. Thanks. Iâll transfer the contact voucher I got over there.â Kim Younghan transferred contact voucher to Nam Daeun.
Transfer all your contact vouchers to me. That was the condition for Nam Daeun joining Kim Younghanâs team. He recalled his first conversation with her.
âYou only need contact vouchers to communicate outside?â
âI have enough points. I donât need them.â
ââŚOkay. Iâll give you all my contact vouchers. You can take the points too. Still, we need to distribute them fairly.â
âDo as you please.â
He still didnât fully understand, but seeing her amass contact vouchers and spend over an hour a day in contact with the outside world suggested that there must be someone important out there to her.
A boyfriend perhaps? Since sheâs been killing every monster in sight since before she joined the team, itâs probably her boyfriend or family.
âIâm leaving.â After receiving only the contact voucher, Nam Daeun disappeared somewhere.
âWhy is she always like this? Whereâs she going?â
âProbably going to make a call. Leave her alone.â Kim Younghan didnât bother trying to understand Nam Daeunâs actions. He had a feeling that if he delved too deeply, he might get hurt.
***
âFinish it!â Upon my yell, Alice gracefully leaped between the legs of the Wood Giant and swung her sword with gusto.
After a solid 10 minutes of battling it out, we triumphantly took down the boss monster. A colossal wooden creature known as the Wood Giant, adorned with annoying vines extending from its hands and feet. Naturally, I didnât go all out. No point wasting energy where itâs not needed. Most of my power remained in reserve, just in case Nam Daeunâs presence became necessary.
âPhew⌠Nice one.â
âYeah.â Alice walked over and brushed off dirt and grass from her sword. Maybe because her body was in top form, her expression radiated cheerfulness.
Sheâs definitely picked up some speed⌠Even in a short time frame, it seems my mana massage has worked its magic.
To tally up the points for defeating the Wood Giant, I scanned the code attached to the back of its head.
[Wood Giant defeated! You have gained 80 points]
[Boss monster elimination reward.]
[You will receive an opportunity to contact the outside world once.]
[This opportunity is transferable.]
âOh, this again?â
I was left pondering why there were so many contact vouchers for the outside. It wasnât part of the original plan.
âDo you want it?â
âIâll take you up on that.â
I handed over the contact voucher to Alice and stretched out, sitting on a nearby rock. Alice continued her sword-swinging routine.
Since I introduced her to the mana massage, sheâs been practicing during every break like this. Itâs a positive sign â sheâs eagerly anticipating my massage, and itâs no surprise that her strength is on the rise.
The survival test is inching closer to Thursday. With more than half of the test period behind us, those initially meant to be eliminated should have been sorted out by now. This is the time when students with the ability to read someone elseâs mana and prepare for surprises should still be standing.
Yet, oddly, a surplus of people has clung to survival, and thereâs still an abundance of unsuspecting prey â like the duo currently sauntering toward us, blissfully ignorant of our impending encounter.
Breaking my stretching, I signaled to Alice, who was stealthily lurking behind a tree. She got the signal, unsheathed her sword, and poised for action. As the duo strolled past us, we initiated our synchronized assault.
Ignite.
Flames erupted from the ground, targeting and chaining the unsuspecting student from behind, while Alice, emerging from her arboreal hiding spot, expertly slashed at the bewildered studentâs back.
âArgh!â
The one suffering from a fresh slash crumpled to the ground.
âWhat the hell!â
Without hesitation, Alice ignored the remaining student, took the fallen oneâs smartwatch, and he teleported away. It was quite a significant injury, so it must be painful.
The remaining one dropped his sword upon sighting us. âUgh⌠If I knew Iâd run into you, I shouldâve joined Kim Younghanâs teamâŚâ
The muttered words from the surviving student intrigued me.
âHold on, Alice, let me ask him first. Hey, what did you just say?â Pausing Aliceâs finishing blow, I asked the mumbling guy.
âW-What?â
He seemed puzzled by the sudden interruption.
âYou mentioned Kim Younghanâs team just now. What is Kim Younghanâs team?â
The studentâs expression brightened slightly, as if he glimpsed a flicker of hope for his survival.
âOh, you donât know yet? More than half of the remaining people should be aware. Itâs quite significant information, and if I spill the beans, will you spare me?â freewŃbnoνel.com
âYeah. Iâll spare you.â
âR-Really?!â
After that, I caught wind of the buzz about Kim Younghanâs team. Initially, a bunch of students without supplies came together, but rallying around Kim Younghan, they decided to unite with the shared goal of giving up on fighting and instead raiding my stash. Now, this team has ballooned to over 50 members.
Itâs pretty ridiculous, honestly.
âThat Kim Younghan, quite the sly character.â
Maybe my supposed objective is just a cover, and he simply needs a sizable group of people. Kim Younghan isnât as foolish as he appears. Heâs amassing points by using me. To survive until the end, the more, the merrier. If everyone pulls through, Kim Younghan, the one collecting points on behalf of the group, will score big.
But why is Nam Daeun there?
âWell, can I go now?â
âYeah. Take care.â
The student wrapped up his story and started giving me furtive glances. I shook his hand to bid him farewell. The guy, torn between trusting me or not, stood up, began backing away slowly, and suddenly, Alice slashed him and swiped his smartwatch.
âYou said youâd spare me! You scumbag!â
âI spared you. Alice didnât.â
Sending him away will likely tie him to Kim Younghanâs team or something. Thereâs no way Iâd let him go.
The guy mumbled something and teleported away, leaving just the two of us in the forest.
âSorry, Alice. Because of me, you got mixed up in this mess.â
Iâm not guilty, right?
âIf we lead small guerrilla warfare, we can win easily.â
Her words make sense. Without Nam Daeun, the two of us could probably handle around 20 people. If I go all out, I might be able to manage 20 by myself⌠or maybe not?
Of course, with over 50 people gathered already, and with Kim Younghan and Nam Daeun, a direct confrontation is out of the question. So, what should my course of action be? The answer is to get Alice involved.
In any case, on the last day, those below a certain level will all be sorted out. Until then, I just need to keep evading. Kim Younghanâs strategy of gathering people by selling me out might seem clever, but as someone who knows the future, all I can say is that itâs futile.
âForget it for now. Letâs not worry until we actually confront them.â
Of course, Iâm saying this confidently because Alice is with me, and if we do meet, weâll run away. Even if I say so, how can we defeat over 50 people?
âOkay. Um, anyway, can we do it now?â
âAh⌠Iâll set up the tent.â
With a slightly flushed face, she made a request to me.
Alice sent me a signal asking for the mana massage. Doing this openly in broad daylight by setting up a tent seems a bit much. Professors might start suspecting, but itâs okay. Theyâre not the kind of people to care about a studentâs privacy, and as long as Iâm clear, what can they do?
Alice entered the tent first.
After a while, I opened the tent at her request. In a position I hadnât imagined, Alice was lying down, completely different from before. Until now, she had taken off her top and covered her chest and abdomen with clothes. Now, she lay on her back with the student uniform on, only raising the part covering her stomach.
âAliceâŚ?â
âI-I wanted to try other areas. Just checking the effectiveness.â
âI see.â
Alice covered her face with both hands, looking incredibly embarrassed as her cheeks and ears turned bright red.
Even her belly button looks cute.
Her smooth, abs without any excess fat had an adorable belly button. While the most important parts of a womanâs body, chest, and the lower area werenât visible, just this was enough to be plenty sexy. Watching her lying with her face covered felt like appreciating a piece of art.
âWell, letâs get started.â freeđ¤ebnovel.com
This time, I want to slowly caress her body, but itâs daytime, and timeâs limited. However, thereâs an advantage. The belly is easy to stimulate directly underneath.
The mana emanating from my hands were divided in half, stimulating the mana circuits in her belly and touching the lower abdomen and uterus with the other half.
âHmmphâŚâ Alice covered her mouth tightly with her hand to suppress her moans.
I hope I donât get caughtâŚ
Should rumors ever circulate about a man laying hands on Alice, donât expect the Iris Guild leader to stay quiet. They might even go as far as plotting my demise. Thatâs the kind of power and reputation the Iris Guild holds.
âPhew⌠okay, just a moment.â
âAh, sure.â
I was distracted for a moment because I couldnât control the pleasure I was inadvertently getting from touching Alice.
â Heroine Status Window
[Alice]
[Affection: 41]
[Lust: 62]
[Appetite: 30]
[Fatigue: 41]
Current Status: Is a massage⌠supposed to feel this refreshing?
Her body glistened with sweat. In that moment, I decided to broach a topic, âDo you feel a bit warmer or anything like that?â
âHmm⌠I suppose? There is definitely something going on.â
âThen, you must be the type that responds well to it. I was like that too.â
For now, while throwing out some bullshit, I continued the conversation.
âO-oh, really?â
âYeah⌠Even if it feels a bit strange, just accept it. I can make sure nothing bad happens.â
Whether she was placing her trust in me or simply desperate for this treatment method, she listened intently to my words. I carefully chose my words to put her at ease as much as possible.
âHuhuh⌠OkayâŚâ
This time, I only stimulated the mana circuits in her belly, not working on other areas. While doing that, I didnât forget to infuse a bit of mana into her uterus below.
âHa, ah⌠hmmâŚâ
Itâs amusing to watch her suppress moans while discreetly letting mana flow.
âHold on. Itâs too down there.â
âUh, sorry. I got too focused.â Feigning a mistake, I brought my hand towards the pelvic region, and of course, it failed. Too bad. Since Alice no longer had any aversion to my massage, I might as well be content with that.
Now, I just need to slowly start working on other areas. Iâm not sure how far this will go in the survival test⌠But regardless, even after the test, sheâll eventually come looking for me. It doesnât really matter.