Survival Test (18)
Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump!
The rush of combat, a sensation I hadnât experienced in a while, surged through my entire body. Perhaps it was because I hadnât encountered a strong opponent throughout the survival test, it heightened my tension.
This place is a deserted island with no safety measures whatsoever. Without safeguards, I canât go all out like in the previous one-on-one duel. Thereâs a chance she could get seriously hurt. Yet, Nam Daeun, seemingly unfazed, casually employed Spatial Domination, as if to convey her indifference. A radiant purple energy enveloped her sword.
âHey⌠youâre not trying to kill me, right?â
âItâs okay. I can control it.â
Her demeanor, as if reassuring me, while she maintained eye contact, was unsettling.
DammitâŚ
But luckily, it seems she has no intention of utilizing the artifacts hanging from her waist. That means I have a chance. Instead of taking her down, I just need to target her smartwatch. If I can snatch it or forcibly remove the sticker attached to it, victory is mine.
Nam Daeun, full of confidence, swiftly moved toward me.
Thump!
My senses sharpened even further, making every move she made crystal clear. I activated Vision Enhancement and unfurled the Rune Barrier. This is to counter Spatial Domination. If I can block her spatial manipulation with it, her sharp sword will be reduced to just that.
I caught the moment when mana concentrated in her legs. Simultaneously, I triggered Acceleration, preparing for her attack.
Klang!
Closing the distance in an instant with spatial acceleration, Nam Daeunâs sword strike met my Cotton Guard, and I gracefully stepped back.
âThat was intenseâŚâ
âA bit more than last time, right?â
âYeah⌠Looks like youâve been training hard.â I wiped the ground with my foot as I spoke to her. Demonstrating such growth after just a week of training is an unbelievable talent.
âLetâs go again.â Nam Daeun raised her sword with a slight upward tilt of her mouth. She seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself.
I let out a sigh and distanced myself from her.
***
The 80 students encircling Nam Daeun and Lee Hoyeon were struck speechless. The complacent notion that they were all at a similar level as academy students crumbled in the face of these two.
âCaptain, if those two team up, itâll be tough for us even if we attack together.â
âItâs not that dire.â
Amidst the shock caused by their inexplicable moves, Kim Younghan calmly assessed the situation. Each of them could handle about 15 students. Of course, he didnât explicitly mention how ridiculously high that number was.
âReal monsters thereâŚâ
âI should refrain from pressing the downvote button⌠If I get caught, I might die.â
âBut isnât it a bit different from the last one-on-one duel in the final? Nam Daeun seems faster, and Lee Hoyeon looks overwhelmed.â
The onlookers, wide-eyed and watching the sparring, couldnât even think of intervening. There was no obligation to have Nam Daeun engage in a one-on-one. Theyâre letting her be now, likely out of fear of the consequences if they had intervened in the fight.
No, scratch that. If I have to point it out, while Daeun is giving it her all, Hoyeon seems to be⌠conserving his energy?
âI canât understand what heâs thinking, our pretty boy.â
âWhat is it?â
âNothing.â
âCaptain, you always seem to have something and then claim itâs nothing.â
Ignoring the studentâs comment nearby, Kim Younghan continued analyzing the sparring.
***
Swoosh! Boom!
Nam Daeun and I continued our dance of strikes, shifting positions back and forth. Usually, the fight unfolded with me either evading or blocking attacks and creating distance.
âHaa⌠HaaâŚâ I exhaled rough breaths while wiping the ground with my foot.
Iâve used too much mana, and itâs getting dangerously low.
âWhy do you keep running around?â Nam Daeun lowered her sword under her arm and stared at me. She noticed my barrier and ceased using Spatial Domination, leaving her sword devoid of its previous glow.
In a prolonged battle, I would be at a disadvantage.
âI canât fight you head-on, so I run.â
âYou did it last time.â
âNo, but rushing at me in a place with no safety measures is dangerous.â
âI can make sure you donât die.â
The slight curl of her lips revealed genuine frustration.
I donât know what kind of duel she expected, but I was preparing for victory in my own way. After checking the surroundings while stalling for time, I realized other students had no intention of getting involved in the fight. Even the unsettling factor, Kim Younghan, was silently observing my sparring.
In truth, my preparation is complete.
I discreetly prepared magic circles by roaming around inside this open space created by the students. Drawing a magic circle with my feet was a bit confusing at first, but after a few attempts, I got the hang of it.
The goal is Nam Daeunâs smartwatch. Thereâs no other way to subdue her without causing harm. Now that the worry about other students intervening is gone, I can finally throw the decisive move.
I raised my mana, ready to face her.
Woom!
Watching Nam Daeun charging at me, I slowly looked at her, dodged her sword, and maneuvered inside. Then, I conjured Spiral in my hand.
If she takes this head-on, sheâs in danger, but if I use it overtly, she can avoid it.
As expected, she stepped back, and I activated the magic circles I had prepared.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The magic circles laid on the floor exploded simultaneously, sending columns of fire shooting up from the ground.
I quickly cast fireballs to restrict Nam Daeunâs movements. Watching her dodge the pillars of fire and the fireballs, I attached a spark to her clothes and let it linger.
Done.
Unbeknownst to her, a small spark delicately traversed her body. Itâs a technique I developed during training with Alice and massage sessions.
Before Nam Daeun could notice, the small spark reached her smartwatch, and I intensified the flames to quickly incinerate the smartwatch.
Sizzle!
Despite her sudden bewilderment by the flames, the smartwatch had turned into ashes.
âHaaâŚâ
Fortunately, the surprise attack worked. It was a trap that required a fair amount of mana, and it would have been troublesome if it hadnât worked.
Now, with the remaining mana, I just need to break through this wall of students.
Sheâs eliminated.
âHuh?â
Why isnât the forced teleportation working? She shouldâve been sent away, marking her elimination.
âI lost again, huhâŚâ In Nam Daeunâs hand, a new smartwatch had magically appeared.
âWhat the heck. Why are you still here?â
âI have a one-time life-saving voucher. They give it after defeating about 30 boss monsters.â
ââŚâ
Those blasted higher-ups⌠I canât believe they arranged it like that.
In the original game, rooted in an adult game foundation, the number of boss monsters one can defeat in a day is limited. Hence, thereâs no chance to defeat 30 of them.
I never knew there was such a hidden twist.
âHaa⌠Fine. You won.â
Some things are beyond my control. I just have to roll with it.
The survival test will enter its seventh day in a few hours. As long as Alice, Lucy, and Lumi survive until then, they can all secure a place in the rankings. The remaining members of Kim Younghanâs team, except for Younghan himself and Nam Daeun, are likely to be eliminated. This should positively impact the heroinesâ rankings.
Itâs a shame I canât acquire the hidden piece from the final boss. Guess Iâll need to compensate in another way.
At that moment, Nam Daeun, standing in front of me, fiddled her smartwatch before tossing it in my direction after having taken it off her wrist.
âWhat?â I caught the smartwatch instinctively and shot her a puzzled look.
Whatâs going on here? Whatâs the deal?
âI meant to give it to you from the start. Practical test reward. Consider it a favor owed.â
ââŚ?â
Nam Daeun was looking at me with an expressionless face. As I glanced at the smartwatch to understand the situation, I burst into laughter because it was so absurd.
âYou couldâve handed it over earlier.â
âI wanted to spar once.â
âIf you want to spar again, just tell me. Iâm ready to face you anytime.â
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Even without this approach, I wouldâve faced her. Dealing with students is a bit tricky for her, probably because she hasnât really delved into social life.
âHey, Nam Daeun! What are you doing?â Kim Younghan, who had been watching us, yelled at her for tossing the smartwatch to me.
âI lost, so itâs over now.â
âYou canât do that!â
âI never made any promises with you.â
ââŚâ
Seeing him bite his lip, I could tell heâs been keeping an eye on Nam Daeun since she joined. It would have been better if he had honestly tried to communicate when he accepted her into the team.
âIâll make good use of it. Thanks.â I read Nam Daeunâs smartwatch with mine.
âSure.â She gave a brief reply and disappeared with a teleportation spell.
I didnât expect to receive something like this. So thatâs why she stayed in the survival instead of giving up.
I should buy her a gift later.
âNow thenâŚâ
Though the students were still looking at me, the animosity was already gone. Kim Younghan was the only exception. The other students who had noticed the situation seemed confused.
The dozens of pillars of fire that suddenly erupted at the end were quite impressive even in my eyes. The surrounding ground had turned into a mess as if there had been an earthquake.
Nowâs the chance. Before my remaining mana is exposed, I should escape.
The remaining mana is truly on the edge. If a few students regained their senses and attacked, I might be eliminated right away. Thereâs about three hours left until the seventh day. The opportunity to escape is now.
I immediately conjured mana and dashed towards the place where I had seen the fewest people during the sparring.
âIf you donât move, youâll get hurt!â
BOOM!
And I activated the final magic circle prepared for escape. A much larger pillar of fire erupted than before. While the bewildered students were in disarray, I slipped through the gaps and pulled my body out.
âHey, you guys! Donât fall for that!â
The magic circle only had a loud sound and visual effects; it wasnât a spell that caused real damage. Kim Younghan was the first to realize, but it was already too late.
Ignoring the sounds from behind, I ran towards where the heroines were.
***
âOh⌠Itâs coming.â
Only 5 minutes left until the seventh day.
Kim Younghan persistently pushed and rallied his team forward. With my mana critically low, escaping the tightening encirclement around me seemed nearly impossible.
âBut youâre a bit too late, my friend.â
In 5 minutes, the final boss of the survival test would make its entrance.
Alice and the twins had been huddled together for about an hour. They probably avoided coming close after seeing the surrounding students. A wise decision. They were following my instructions well.
Despite the encirclement closing in, I kept my focus on the smartwatch.
58 seconds. 59 seconds. Midnight.
As the seventh day dawned, a single beam of light descended from the dark night sky, gradually illuminating the surroundings.
âWow⌠I never realized how intense this was in the game.â
Seeing it in reality, one can imagine how many magic professors must have participated. It must be a grand magic centered around Im Sol.
Something emerged from the light anchored to the large tree at the islandâs center. My smartwatch vibrated, signaling an alarm.
[The final day of the survival test has dawned.]
[The High Elf Hunter has appeared on the island. The High Elf prioritizes students with 200 points or fewer.]
At last, the final boss has arrived.