NOVEL NEXT chapter 91
91
The remaining three days of the final exams went by smoothly.
Amidst the instructor meetings, changes, and calls, there were several minor incidents, but they had nothing to do with me, who abided by the rules.
The instructor who had spontaneously suggested the ’10-Point Building Usage System’ was replaced, and unfortunately, I was only able to enjoy a good night’s sleep in the building on the first day, as the next day, when I went to pay the accommodation points, the replaced instructor who greeted me was Kim Joo-hyuk.
“hehehe, unfortunately, building usage is no longer available. Haesol, it’s almost 9 o’clock.”
Even if I recalled the regretful words he muttered with a sardonic smile, it didn’t bother me.
It seemed like they thought that if they just let me out of the building, I would become a target for the students to plunder points, but I had been prepared for such mishaps since the monopoly game.
That’s why I opened a store.
The store was primarily aimed at securing points.
It’s a common story, but points are resources and currency. They are nothing but a means to victory.
In preparation for attacks from the students, I had hired reliable mercenaries using points as my weapon.
“Amelia, what’s the situation around us?”
“There are two in the 9 o’clock direction, one in the 6 o’clock direction. Oh, another one just added in the 1 o’clock direction. Follow me.”
Amelia, scanning the students’ positions like cash items, leads the way without hesitation. Her confidence is so reliable.
“Truly the best value for money.”
Realist Amelia, realizing that with her own ‘3 points’ she wouldn’t make it to the top ranks in the remaining two days, accepted my proposal of an ‘8-point’ mercenary offer.
─Alright. I can’t miss the chance to aim at you from up close.
She didn’t forget the villainous line about eagerly watching for a chance next to the first place.
For your information, Amelia’s hidden hobby is reading webtoons, web novels, and comic books.
She’s good at hiding it, but it occasionally seeps through her speech, making me feel awkward when I hear it.
Anyway, with Amelia detecting magic and Hanyeon being a sharpshooter, we formed the perfect team.
“It’s behind the tree at 3 o’clock.”
Thwack!
Amelia pinpoints the location, and Hanyeon takes the shot immediately.
If the adepts had concealed their magic carefully, this method wouldn’t have worked. But due to Amelia’s exceptional magic detection ability and the fact that her range exceeded their expectations, it was possible.
Moreover, I was using my presence-blocking skills when interacting with the two, so they were unaware of our presence, leading to the unfolding situation.
This was a combination I had anticipated beforehand.
However, even considering that, Hanyeon’s marksmanship was truly unexpected.
“Was his eyesight always this good?”
Even if Amelia reveals the enemy’s location, finding them is a different story.
I glanced at the tree behind us as mentioned before, but the distance was too far for the enemy adepts to notice us.
However, Hanyeon, as if he had a panoramic view, was skillfully pinpointing the targets Amelia mentioned. I couldn’t figure it out no matter how hard I tried…
It seemed like his vision was much better than mine, even after gaining Anastasia.
I felt a bit uneasy, but having Hanyeon with good eyesight was undoubtedly advantageous for me, being on the same side. But why this uneasiness?
As if feeling threatened…
It was at that moment when I was pondering this inexplicable uneasiness.
“12 o’clock! They’re coming this way, uh, really…”
Pavababang!
“…fast!”
Before Amelia’s surprised warning even finished, Hanyeon’s gun fired.
Meanwhile, I calmly used the exam bracelet to check the remaining number of adept survivors.
[22]
“Amelia, you mentioned there were two at 9 o’clock earlier, right?”
“Yes? Yes. They’re close.”
Without taking my eyes off the front, Amelia simply nodded.
Whoosh!
I hurled seven of Gram’s hidden daggers towards the 9 o’clock direction.
Of course, there was a reason why I aimed for the two adepts on the 9 o’clock side rather than the front.
I had a rough idea of who the adept coming from the front might be.
If it was the person I had in mind, I needed to play my cards right here.
“Rather than the front, the two guys on the left.”
Currently, I am at the ‘mid-tier’ level of a 1st-year adept at Eternity.
Things would be different if I used Parang, but that’s a story for another time.
And it’s difficult for an ordinary ‘mid-tier’ like me to win against two adepts.
However, this is the story assuming a ‘head-on confrontation.’
If I introduce variables using Anastasia or launch a surprise attack, the story changes.
For a ‘ki’-infused dagger to fly into the corner of their vision in an instant, it was extremely difficult for a 1st-year adept to notice.
Considering that they are beings who focus on ‘magic,’ they are relatively vulnerable in other aspects.
No matter how many grimoires contained magic, it was difficult to notice unless the magic was used directly.
Anyway, not long after the rain of swords, I too saw the appearance of a Sangdo that Amelia had warned me about.
A Sangdo who moved wildly, dodging magical bullets and deflecting them with a sword, darting back and forth through the trees.
Cheon Woojin.
“Stop.”
As I raised my hand, Han Seyeon stopped shooting.
Tap-tap.
Cheon Woojin, who had stopped running, stepped on the grass and approached us.
I checked Cheon Woojin’s points with the bracelet and clicked my tongue.
“He’s gathered a lot.”
Cheon Woojin’s points were a whopping 28.
To gather points like that in a proper way, it seemed like a monstrous number that required hunting down every visible Sangdo.
Cheon Woojin, after looking around at us, was the first to speak.
“We finally meet.”
“Yeah.”
“I had a hard time finding you because you were invisible.”
Cheon Woojin seemed genuinely tired, forcing a bitter smile. His reaction left me somewhat stunned.
“Is this just a hard time?”
Except for when Han Seyeon was shooting, our movements were hidden due to my stealth, even Amelia’s detection as she surveyed the surroundings, making the chances of being exposed almost zero.
Yet, not only did Cheon Woojin detect that momentary movement when Han Seyeon was shooting, but he also managed to evade Amelia’s detection and approach us.
“Even until the midterm exams, he wasn’t at this level…”
Is this the protagonist?
The more he grew day by day, the more he seemed like a monster.
Well, Cheon Woojin’s growth was beneficial for me, but meeting him as an opponent was unavoidable.
Amelia seemed to feel the same way, as she wore an expression of disbelief.
“How did you evade my detection? I thought only this person could do that.”
Me? Of course…
“I can’t compare to Haesol. I’m just imitating. I got into the habit of killing magic. Seems like it had an effect.”
While Cheon Woojin modestly shook his head, he seemed satisfied with the effect. Sensing some great misunderstandings in the conversation, I decided to change the subject.
“So, how did you raise that score? By catching magical beasts?”
“Right. 6 magical beasts, 24 Sangdos.”
Listening to the answer, I discreetly checked the number of survivors on the bracelet.
[21]
One less than before.
One Sangdo’s shield had shattered, not reacting to the rain of swords that flew from the square.
Then, as if he finally understood, Cheon Woojin spoke.
“Hiding your movements and magic. Is that Haesol’s gift to you?”
“Well, it’s similar.”
Both were wrong, but for now, I just nodded. I planned to buy time through the conversation.
The current time is 10 a.m. There were still two hours left until the end of the class, so the only way to resolve the situation was to bring Cheon Woo-jin down or catch the remaining one student.
Once the number of survivors reaches 20, the exam will end regardless of the time.
And capturing Cheon Woo-jin was challenging in many ways.
If there were melee students, it might be different, but facing us, who were only ranged, Cheon Woo-jin narrowing the distance was nothing short of advantageous.
When the distance closed, the one at an advantage was undoubtedly Cheon Woo-jin, the examiner.
“That doesn’t mean I’ll definitely lose, but…”
There was no guarantee that I wouldn’t be the first to be eliminated midway.
The best strategy was to buy time as much as possible until I catch the remaining one student.
Fortunately, it seemed that Cheon Woo-jin didn’t catch on to this.
“Well then, shall we start?”
“Have some water. You look out of breath from running.”
I swiftly tossed a bottle of water from my agong bag.
“I was thirsty anyway, thanks.”
Cheon Woo-jin, who didn’t know how to refuse a favor, smiled brightly as he opened the bottle of water and drank. Then, he raised the sword he had lowered.
Well, he drinks quickly.
With a cool tongue, I asked, “Are you okay with just the three of us?”
“I’m fine.”
You should be fine.
I’m the one with the problem.
At that moment, Gram found the target.
I chuckled and nodded.
“Alright, let’s get started.”
“What about the signal?”
When Gram didn’t see the signal from me, Cheon Woo-jin looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“Don’t worry about it.”
I gathered my energy.
Amelia’s hand overlapped with red, blue, and yellow, three magic circles, and a brainwave occurred. And from Han Se-yeon’s gun…
“Hmm.”
A menacing fist-like magic power, ready to burst out of the barrel, was waiting. Should I call that a magic bullet? I’ve lost track of what a magic bullet even is by now.
Clearing my mind and turning my gaze away, Cheon Woo-jin raised his sword vertically.
“Alright, here we go.”
Kwaaang!
Before the guy could even make a move, Han Se-yeon’s shotgun blasted him to bits with a preemptive shot. A startled Amelia reflexively released a brainwave.
Is this what they call a preemptive strike?
Without even looking at the outcome, I spread our energy like a barrier in front of us.
And then.
Whoosh—
The school uniform turned into ashes, and Cheon Woo-jin, charred black all over, pierced through the tidal wave of magic and lunged towards me with his sword gleaming blue.
However, blocked by the barrier of energy, his movements slowed down, and magical bullets and lightning struck him in succession.
Boom! Sizzle!
Chun Woojin, enveloped in magic, withstood the attacks with his body instead of using his sword. And then.
Whoosh─
With a sound like the hallucination of the sky tearing apart, the energy barrier was torn apart.
Chun Woojin’s sword, which tore through the energy, did not stop there; like lightning, it surged towards me.
The sharp blue sword tip pierced my eyes sharply.
A speed that even the acceleration of the body could not avoid.
“Anastasia.”
Anastasia, emerging from the mark on my chest, blocked the sword tip.
At the moment when Anastasia’s shining magic clashed with the sword tip.
Zzzz──
Chun Woojin’s sword stood still right in front of Anastasia.
The bracelet on my wrist emitted a sound.
[20].
The bracelet’s survivor count pointed to ’20 people.’