An Angel Trapped in the Exam (4)
‘Huh……’
It was something he could never have imagined in his past life. A beauty so stunning she could rival top celebrities was the first to suggest teaming up with him. Naturally, Refri had no choice but to be suspicious.
“…I’ll think about it.”
“Great! We’re a team now… Wait, what?”
Her pink tail drooped straight down. It swished toward the floor, as if voicing its dissatisfaction.
“Well… we just met, right? I can’t trust you.”
“Just met? But I’ve already seen you……”
Refri knew a fair bit about Hongwol. In the future, she’d become one of the most infamous villains, notorious for robbing banks even in the so-called advanced nations. As far as he knew, she hadn’t just failed to enter Central Superhuman Academy—she was famous for scorning its graduates.
Did she take the exam this year and fail, leading to some inferiority complex?
Either way, teaming up with a problem child like her wasn’t wise. And if that problem child was far stronger than him, the smart move wasn’t teaming up—it was avoiding her entirely to stay off her radar.
“C’mon, boy, don’t be like that. Team up with me—you won’t regret it.”
Hongwol couldn’t bring herself to admit she was that cat. A proud girl like me acting cute in cat form for some guy? Way too embarrassing!
“Hmm……”
Will I really not regret it? The boy avoided her gaze and swallowed his words. Then he cautiously backed away.
“Gonna hit the bathroom real quick……”
“Wait. Wait!”
…Somewhere, a sigh echoed.
“Hoo.”
Only the sigher knew its true meaning, but to others, it sounded like a sigh of relief.
Examinees began filling the hall one by one, and as the deadline approached, it grew crowded. Most had split into groups, secretly promising to help each other in the upcoming exam. In online games, they called this teaming.
Pointless.
Refri shook his head. Having a team didn’t guarantee passing. A reliable team was fine, but one full of backstabbers was worse than going solo. And did the academy professors not anticipate teaming?
Of course they did. The professors were old pros—they’d seen it all from examinees like them.
Come to think of it… Hongwol trying to team up with me makes sense. I’m not tied to any big faction, and neither is she—just a Dalgoyang cat clan thief and assassin… both outsiders.
But Hongwol’s irritated expression was plain as day, her ears still drooping pitifully as she kept glancing his way. Still, Refri didn’t change his mind. Without trust, better to go alone. And there was another reason.
One way to farm a ton of Angel Power… is saving future heroes.
Angel Power came from angelic deeds. Refri was a guardian angel descended to protect a hero-to-be, earning massive amounts when safeguarding them. But Hongwol was a villain—too ambiguous as a hero, and way too strong for him to save anyway. If she were in real danger, he’d likely be a cold corpse first.
What he needed were the weaklings who needed his help now but were fated to become heroes. Central Superhuman Academy was full of hidden talents like that. The problem? Most didn’t need his help—they were golden spoons.
…Headache.
The boy shook his head. The first exam was about to start, and he still hadn’t found a hero candidate to protect—no Angel Power farming yet. He’d have to take the test like this?
That’s when it happened.
“Cutting it close. Submitting right before the three-minute mark.”
“Huff, huff. Thank you.”
A girl caught his eye. Faded wizard hat, robes patched multiple times, a worn grimoire clutched tight. Refri didn’t recognize her at first glance. Her hair was unique—gray that looked bleached, but with glossy black inner tones. An inner color or secret two-tone dye job.
In the lost past, he’d heard something on the radio.
‘Yes, another question. How do you get Soya’s hair color?’
‘Ah… yeah, my hair’s weird. Not some stylish secret two-tone. Long story short… think of it as a side effect of magic.’
The radio had gone silent for seconds after “magic side effect.”
“Black Magic Princess Soya?”
Refri sidled up to the girl. She was a self-taught black magic genius. Key word: self-taught. No support meant no backing faction. She needed help—a guardian angel to shield her through trials, nurture her potential, even hunt down lucky breaks.
My precious Angel Power… no, hero candidate!
Refri’s eyes gleamed with greed.
Dong- dong- dong-
The massive grandfather clock in the hall’s center tolled the exam’s start. Examinees stopped chatting and turned to the man on the platform. Beside him stood the stern-faced Professor Park Jinho.
“Good work. No need for formalities, right?”
Refri knew the man: Professor Rusa, overseeing this exam. They’d met before.
“Now the real work begins.”
Rusa, disguised as an old man, picked his ear with a bored expression.
“We’re handing out bracelets. One purpose: your lifeline. If you’re about to die, rip it off. You’ll teleport out. Oh, rippers fail automatically. And only you can rip yours—no need to guard it.”
Then, in a grim tone:
“Don’t skip ripping it because you hate failing… or you will die. You’ve seen the news—people die here yearly. Rip if it’s real danger. We warned you.”
Tension thickened the air.
“That’s all the explanation……”
Rusa snapped his fingers lazily. A distant rumble echoed—like a storm or rolling boulders.
“First test’s simple. Survive… and reach the next exam hall.”
Water. Enough to fill the hall. Pouring like a waterfall, it reached Refri’s waist in seconds.
“To the corridors!”
“Hurry to the corridors!”
The central hall had multiple passages. Makes sense for dorms and cafeteria during registration. But the others? Left and right: twelve doors total, plus paths. Excluding the front ones, they seemed pointless.
Obvious. Trigger a crisis, force flight to corridors.
Examinees didn’t panic as water poured—past exams often scattered them this way via threats. Obvious, right?
They fled by teams, blocking non-teamers. Some attacked subtly.
As chaos erupted at each door, a few floated calmly above the rising water. First: Seocheon Yu’s dragon lady Yumari. Second: Dalgoyang’s Hongwol. Third: Orphan boy Refri.
The boy thought:
Just like the documentary. Water to herd students to corridors. Most think rushing out before it rises is the answer, but the real answer is……
Stay in the hall.
Why? Rusa said survive to the next hall. This was it.
Refri didn’t remember details, but magic barriers, drains, fixtures suggested it switched modes. Only one had deduced it before: Yumari, naturally.
But this time, Yumari, me, and Hongwol all nailed it. What variable does that make?
A thin barrier spread beneath Refri's feet with a sharp ting.
Only those leaping to the ceiling post-water avoided it, heading surface-ward. No credit for lucky guesses. The three floated, eyeing each other awkwardly.
Yumari spoke first. “You made it up too.”
Slight relief in her expression. No reply. Hongwol glared at professors, ears drooped from wet irritation. Refri was too busy to notice.
He watched the carnage below. Teamed examinees slammed corridor doors; some summoned undines to drag solos under. Unable to hold, many ripped bracelets, quitting.
One gave in, then like contagion, they vanished. But one remained: gray-haired Soya.
She flailed blankly against the undine, struggling for a door.
Why Soya…? She becomes the ultimate mage… I thought she’d pass through easily.
Her thrashing slowed. Professors didn’t stir. Rusa yawned underwater boredly; Park Jinho ignored the foolish girl cruelly.
Why not rip the bracelet? Why?
Refri saw his chance.
Wait… Angel Power opportunity! And Soya’s a future hero—buy her debt now… profit!
No more hesitation. He dove, tapping the blocking barrier. Too thin? Still unbreakable by his strength.
Activate Great Angel’s Dragon-Trampling Martial Arts—and……
Truly, an angel transcends its limits when doing the right thing!
Crack- crack- crack-
Refri’s right hand shattered with a horrific sound.
Crack- and……
The barrier crumbled.
Saving a life is an angelic deed!
You have acquired Angel Power.
Risking danger to do the right thing is angelic!
You have acquired Angel Power.
Sacrificing oneself to save others is truly angelic!
You have acquired a large amount of Angel Power.
No more lazy Rusa. No more lamenting examinees’ patheticness from Park Jinho.
“No ulterior motives… saving a rival. Impressive?”
“…Stunning. No gain, diving undine-mad waters without hesitation. Self-sacrifice… conviction… exemplary.”
They didn’t hide their shock, watching barrier shards fall like snow.
“Jinho, still think my recommendation letter was wrong?”
“…Finally.”
Park Jinho still gazed up. Fearlessly into undine frenzy… boy’s mangled right hand… yet saving the girl… pure hero.
Park Jinho grinned wide at the sight.
“Finally… a kid worth raising……”