Main Episode Performance Evaluation Begins
The day of the performance evaluation had arrived.
The cadets made their way to the 4th training room.
Using the academy's looping bus, they traveled for about ten minutes before a large domed auditorium came into view.
The interior of the auditorium was incredibly spacious.
Countless spotlights filled the ceiling.
The seating area included the first and second floors, suggesting it could hold thousands of people.
Since it was designed as a multipurpose gymnasium or training room, it was equipped with a variety of the latest facilities.
“Whoa, it's really wide.”
“The view's good.”
“As expected of Union.”
The kids scanned the training area with excited expressions.
I was pretty impressed too.
This was something I'd only seen in the game.
Interesting.
“All right, enough chit-chat.”
Every pair of eyes turned toward Hong Daye.
“Starting now, in twenty-five minutes, the first exam will begin.”
Some of the kids swallowed hard.
They looked tense.
Of course, Yu Seolhyeon and Seo Nari weren't among them.
Seo Nari was even yawning with a “Haam~”.
Yu Seolhyeon looked bored, half-listening.
……Is the only one getting nervous on my team me?
I let out a dry chuckle in my mind.
My head was full of questions about whether things would go as planned, but seeing their carefree faces eased the tension a bit.
Since it was the first match, even if something went wrong, their abilities alone should have been enough to handle it.
So, no need to worry too much.
“Each team will wait at the far end of the training area. The moment the match starts, snatch the flag and plant it in your own territory to win.”
Hong Daye flicked her chin toward the training area, and I spotted the flag planted in the center.
“Only the academy-issued training gear may be used. There are no special restrictions on using your anomaly abilities.”
The gear provided by the academy was non-lethal, with safety features built in.
“However, causing fatal injuries is forbidden. If that happens, the match will be immediately suspended and you will be disqualified, according to the professor's judgment.”
Using the training gear, it would be hard to inflict anything more than serious harm in most cases.
“And if you get badly injured, the healer Heo Seong-ah, the health instructor, will be standing by. Stay safe.”
“Hey kids, don't get hurt, okay? The teacher's kinda itching for some action.”
A late-twenties-looking decadent health instructor with a mole under her eye and an attractive figure.
It was true that she genuinely cared about her students, but one of her character traits was always being lazy.
“If she's a hero, she's a top healer even in South Korea.”
“Hey, I've seen it happen during training. Damn, the healing power is insane.”
“Oh~ damn right.”
Healer's class was extremely rare in the original game, and the ones who could heal middle- and high-level wounds were even rarer.
“Then I'll hand out training vests. Change in the locker room. Time's exactly ten minutes.”
As soon as she said that, the kids headed toward the locker rooms in small groups.
Upon reaching the wide locker room, I immediately began changing clothes.
While slowly changing, I glanced sideways and saw Lee Siwoo.
Lee Siwoo was also changing, and his abs were impressive.
Why does the male lead have to look like this?
Whoa, that six-pack is real.
That's why the girls swoon over him.
“Lee Siwoo.”
I called out softly.
“You're facing Kang Daehan in the first match. You good?”
“Yeah.”
Lee Siwoo's face remained calm as he nodded.
“Oh, confident. Well, you'll be facing her one-on-one anyway. Show Soyeon something cool.”
……
I casually patted Lee Siwoo's shoulder once and stepped away.
Personally, I'd prefer the final match opponents to be on Siwoo's team.
Not because they'd be easier, but because Jin Soyeon would be on his team.
Jin Soyeon needed to experience the events that would unfold in the final match firsthand.
That would be valuable experience considering everything she'd face ahead.
“You too.”
“Huh?”
“Keep it up.”
At those words, I grinned.
Of all the male leads, Lee Siwoo was still the best.
His personality, at least. Unlike Kang Daehan, he's not a total jerk.
“Got it.”
I stepped out of the locker room.
Several other cadets were already gathered, chatting.
They seemed to be discussing how to proceed.
“Hmm. Everyone's here. Good. Now it's time, come out in front of the 1st and 2nd teams.”
“Yes.”
At Hong Daye's signal, the members of teams 1 and 2 raised their heads.
Then each climbed up onto the training area.
I watched Jin Soyeon, who was slowly walking, from a distance.
Jin Soyeon was fiddling with the ends of her hair, looking nervous.
Since it was her first match, a part of her felt anxious.
“Keep fighting, Siwoo!”
“Wah! Wah! Lee Siwoo!”
“Show us your swordsmanship! Siwoo!”
Startled, the watching girls cheered loudly.
Anyone watching would think they were spectators at a game.
Hey, hey. You're cheering for your rivals.
I stared at them for a moment before turning away.
Cheering……
I should try it too.
Just to help Soyeon relax a little.
I couldn't afford to lose because I got too nervous and didn't perform to my full potential.
It was best for Jin Soyeon's team to reach the final.
“Jin Soyeon, fighting!”
Jin Soyeon's shoulder twitched as my voice reached her.
She slowly turned her head and met my gaze.
Jin Soyeon chewed her lip for a second, then suddenly waved at me.
“Don't be so tense! Just like always.”
“I wasn't tense at all!”
Jin Soyeon grinned, the tension gone.
Just like usual.
……
Lee Siwoo quickly shifted his gaze to me.
We locked eyes for a moment.
Eyes that revealed no emotions.
……No.
I had just cheered once.
So don't read too much into it.
“What was that?”
“Is Jin Soyeon not his ex-boyfriend?”
“Childhood friends, but even after breaking up, they're still close.”
Snippets of girls' voices.
“But apparently, Jin Soyeon used Jinhyuk to get close to Siwoo.”
“Really? That sounds like they'd be on okay terms, though.”
They were gossiping about my relationship with Jin Soyeon.
“Stop being so loud.”
Hong Daye quickly suppressed the rising noise.
“Well…… both teams are ready?”
Hong Daye, who had been looking between the two teams, pressed a remote button, covering the entire training area with a protective barrier.
It had resistance to physical, magical, and anomaly attacks, so it wouldn't budge from even student-level attacks.
Not just their attacks.
Even if it were Hong Daye, without proper gear, it would take quite some time to break through.
It was a safety measure because anomaly abilities could destroy buildings or harm spectators.
……This episode will have problems because of that thing.
“Then, begin.”
With Hong Daye's words, the first performance evaluation and main story officially began.
Good, the dice had already been rolled.
Now that it was set, let's give it our best.
Main Episode Performance Evaluation Began
……
At that moment, the training area fell into a heavy silence.
Neither team charged in to snatch the flag recklessly.
They were simply watching their team leaders, Lee Siwoo and Kang Daehan.
“It's no fun stealing the flag like that…… hm?”
It was truly unexpected.
Lee Siwoo swung his sword horizontally.
Whoosh!
“What?”
“What?”
“Is that…… that?!”
One strike.
He had swung from far away, and a mana-infused slash with faint blue light shot forward like a bullet, piercing Kang Daehan.
Kang Daehan whipped his club around with animal-like reflexes to block the mana-infused slash.
“……Oh ho.”
It was Sword Qi Projection.
According to game settings, it was a technique that could harm people with just sword qi, boasting immense difficulty.
Even the top 10% of heroes capable of using it wouldn't use it often.
Yet an academy student, fresh from enrollment, had used it.
……Ah, but the power seemed rather low.
“Tch~ and it's accurate too. Oh, it's perfect.”
“As expected of the top student class.”
“Siwoo! What the hell, I didn't even see you swing!”
“You said you were the Sword Master's disciple…… but you're not even the top disciple?”
The kids let out surprised shouts.
That made sense.
Their generation might not even be able to learn such a technique even after becoming active heroes.
Is this the difference in talent?
It was a little envy-inducing.
“Sword Qi Projection. No wonder, it's the first one this year's freshmen have seen besides Baek Yurin.”
Hong Daye muttered, slightly surprised.
“……I knew it wouldn't work from this distance. Provocation? How interesting. Looking like a noble yet acting this way.”
Kang Daehan's spirit didn't falter; instead, he smirked and responded with amusement.
He had realized that the Sword Qi Projection's proficiency wasn't high enough and that it drained mana heavily, making it hard to use often.
“Let's fight properly!”
Kang Daehan dashed forward with a PAT!
His teammates followed.
Lee Siwoo stood his sword upright to face Kang Daehan.
Right now, only Lee Siwoo could restrain Kang Daehan.
CLANG!
TANG!
Loud metallic clashes.
Sparks flew like fireworks.
While those two fought, the other teammates needed to settle the outcome.
In reality, the match would be decided by the remaining teammates.
Lee Siwoo's team consisted of Jin Soyeon and Yuliya Troyanova.
Kang Daehan's team had Kim Tae-oh and Park Su-jin.
Everyone except Jin Soyeon was in the top 100.
“Park Su-jin, I'll take Yuliya. You mark Jin Soyeon.”
“Roger. I'll end it in a flash.”
Park Su-jin approached Jin Soyeon with a confident smile and whipped her whip.
She looked like she had no intention of losing a 1-on-1.
“You were trying to rush in with that blade of yours, huh?”
“……Well, I won't deny it.”
Jin Soyeon blocked the whip calmly and replied.
Every time the whip touched her, TANG! TANG! rang out.
But she couldn't block every attack.
Her shoulder, outer thigh, arms, and so on.
She took a few hits.
Minor bruises appeared along with a hint of blood.
Still, Jin Soyeon focused entirely on defense.
“Hey! Park Su-jin, how much longer are you gonna stall?! Hurry up and finish already!”
“Shut up! She's super persistent!”
Kim Tae-oh was getting impatient with the calls of someone being pushed back.
Park Su-jin twisted her body for a decisive strike.
She swung a full-power swing to break through Jin Soyeon's defense.
However.
“Huh? What?”
Jin Soyeon, who had been waiting for exactly that, quickly stepped aside, and Park Su-jin hurriedly whipped, but.
With a slight nod of her head, as if she had predicted it, Jin Soyeon dodged the whip and then drove the hilt of her sword into Park Su-jin's solar plexus.
“Kugh! Uwaaah.”
Oh, critical.
Park Su-jin, clutching her stomach, groaned in pain, and Jin Soyeon took the opening to deliver a strong backhand to Park Su-jin's jaw.
“What?!”
That was it.
She had probably fainted along with a concussion.
“Hey, hey! Damn it! Park Su-jin!”
“Oh. Impressive, Soyeon.”
“Damn it! Don't let go?!”
“Soyeon, I'll hold him. Plant the flag.”
“Yes!”
Jin Soyeon quickly ran to the center flag and yanked it out.
Kim Tae-oh, watching, tried desperately to stop her, but it looked hopeless against Yuliya's relentless offense.
In the end, Jin Soyeon, undisturbed, planted the flag in her own territory and the match ended.
Lee Siwoo and Kang Daehan's duel had ended in a draw, but the outcome was decided by the teammates.
“Already over? Team 1 wins.”
At the instructor's words, the 2nd team members except Kang Daehan looked dejected.
Losing in the first match felt embarrassing.
Kang Daehan muttered, “Tch, lame. Let's settle this next time,” and walked down from the training area.
Well, Soyeon sure pulled it off. As I said, she did well.
I had advised her to focus on defense against Park Su-jin and counter when she saw an opening, but I didn't expect her to execute it so perfectly.
She's really the protagonist, after all.
“Haa……”
Jin Soyeon wiped the sweat from her brow, then looked at me and smiled.
“I'll claim the first victory first. Let's go to the final. We'll fight once, Jinhyuk?”
“……Yeah. Wait. I'll show you an example.”
I grinned and accepted her taunt.
“Next, teams 3 and 4……”
“Next, teams 9 and 10……”
“Next, teams 12 and 14……”
How much time had passed?
“Finally, teams 15 and 16, come forward.”
Finally, it was my turn.