Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Interview (4)
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With a sizzling crackle, the blue current from the sword-shaped stun device faded away.
In front of me lay the four Group 8 applicants who had just tried to ambush me, now unconscious on the ground.
And I was reading their information, comparing them to the four sprawled out before me.
"Let's see..."
From a college graduate of the mysterious Monster Studies department, to a Japanese athlete who'd won multiple sports competitions, a famous exorcist, and the heir of a chaebol family.
Every single one was far from ordinary—so-called "elite" applicants.
Maybe that's why they were so bold.
'...A good attempt, but I need to drill it into them that you can't just charge recklessly at a monster.'
I looked down at them with a wry expression.
Their trap and coordination had been excellent.
But what if the opponent had been a real monster? One with unpredictable abilities?
Launching a reckless preemptive strike would be no different from suicide.
This shock was a warning to them.
If they acted like this at a real site later, they could lose their lives.
Of course, this was just my thought as the supervisor.
'...That rope and the talisman, and what looked like an item... They won't make me pay for them later, will they?'
I worried unnecessarily as I recalled the rope snapped and scattered on the floor, and the talisman reduced to ashes.
It seemed like I'd broken them accidentally due to my strength... They wouldn't deduct it from my salary, right?
I shook my head to clear away the random thoughts.
In any case, the test would continue.
They'd taken electric shocks pointing out their mistakes, lowering their scores, but it wasn't a failure.
Though we hadn't told the applicants, the Team 6 leader had said that passing out from three electric shocks would result in definite elimination.
I decided to leave them here for a moment, step back a bit, and secretly observe from a distance.
How they overcame this crisis would also be an important evaluation factor.
And separately from this evaluation, I had to find and protect the quest targets named "spy" and "Park Sunja."
I silently retreated and hid my body in the shadows of a nearby corridor corner.
Not long after, the four who had been collapsed began to groan and wake up one by one.
"...We got hit."
"Ugh... My head..."
"W-What was that just now...?"
The first to regain consciousness were Shun and Bora.
They recalled the events that had unfolded in an instant, their faces twisted in frustration.
Hanbit and Park Soyoung soon rose as well.
"That supervisor... He's no ordinary guy. Even in my group, not many can move like that..."
Hanbit said in a low voice.
"My talisman just burned up. I've never seen anything like it. Monsters at least flinch and resist."
Bora muttered in disbelief.
"It was a first for me too. Got overpowered by sheer strength."
They exchanged glances and fell silent for a moment.
The unexpected appearance of the powerful supervisor seemed to have wounded their pride, but at the same time, a new fire kindled in their eyes.
"I was going to go easy on him, but no dice. Next time we meet, I'll bind him with my restraint talisman...!"
"I didn't want to use this item either...!"
"...Let's keep moving for now."
Shun cut off Bora and Hanbit's burning resolve with a curt remark.
"Our goal is escape. If we run into that supervisor again... we'll have to approach more cautiously."
His slow, awkward Korean somehow carried a strange persuasiveness.
"...Yeah, for now, we need to explore more of this labyrinth."
Hanbit agreed.
They began advancing into the labyrinth again, more wary of their surroundings.
Their steps were even more cautious after the failed ambush earlier.
From the shadows, I watched their retreating backs.
As expected, the Group 8 applicants were no amateurs.
They quickly regrouped and resumed exploring the labyrinth as if nothing had happened.
Hanbit took the lead, using an item to scout the path ahead, while Bora sensed the surrounding energy with talismans. Shun and Park Soyoung covered each other expertly from behind.
Their movements showed a seasoned teamwork and coordination hard to believe from rookies.
I followed quietly at a suitable distance.
Reviewing the applicants' information, I cross-checked suspicious points.
Currently, two were suspicious as spies.
'Shun... Japanese, but his Korean is better than expected. His submitted awards and activities are all from Japan, making verification difficult...'
I turned my gaze to Park Soyoung, whose movements were too good for a college student.
'Park Soyoung... She graduated from that Monster Studies department. I don't know much about it, but her composure in that first battle was nothing like a regular college student's...'
Lee Rahee came to mind.
Rahee was pretty bold and action-oriented too, but Park Soyoung was even more so.
The other two, Hanbit and Bora, had solid backgrounds.
Heir of the Jinmyeong Group and a famous freelance exorcist.
The chances of them being spies seemed low.
So, it was most likely Shun or Park Soyoung, or possibly both.
As I trailed them, building my suspicions—
"...!"
Thud thud!
The four ahead suddenly halted in unison and, as if on cue, ducked behind the labyrinth wall into a dark corner.
But their gazes weren't toward me in the back—they were fixed straight ahead, down the corridor they were heading.
'What the?'
I couldn't understand. The only "monster" in this zone was me.
I'm back here, so why were they hiding and wary of the front?
I immediately checked the map in my head. A chill ran down my spine.
'...A red dot?'
In the corridor ahead, which should have been empty where they were heading, a red dot was blinking.
A fairly large one, moving quickly.
This wasn't part of the test.
Something was wrong.
A real monster had appeared.
Instead of our breathing, a different sound began echoing through the now-silent labyrinth.
Thump, thump.
Clop, clatter.
Rhythmic, heavy hoofbeats shaking the floor. And rough breathing.
I hid further back, at the corridor corner, beyond where the Group 8 applicants were concealed, and stared in the direction of the noise.
Finally, "it" emerged from the darkness at the far end of the corridor.
"...!"
Hiss— hiss—.
Rough breathing poured from the monster's nostrils, as if highly excited, filling the corridor.
'...A cow?'
It fit the labyrinth theme perfectly—terrifying and overwhelmingly intimidating.
A massive monster with a human body and a bull's head.
Straight out of Greek mythology, like a Minotaur.
Its bulk looked over 2 meters tall.
White steam billowed from its nose with every rough exhale, and it gripped a massive double-headed axe in its hand.
Its mere presence made the surrounding air feel heavy.
This was clearly no supervisor扮演 "monster."
An uncontrolled, real monster had appeared inside this test labyrinth.
And it... was slowly approaching the wall where Group 8 was hiding.
'Damn...!'
I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly.
It was a shame the Returning Sword wasn't available right now, but I could charge out immediately—
But before I could move, the Group 8 applicants hidden behind the wall acted first.
In exactly the same way they'd tried on me earlier, they now set up a trap against the real monster.
"Now!"
At Hanbit's shout, ropes sprang from the floor, wrapping around the approaching bull monster's ankles and torso.
"Mooooh—!"
Boom! Thud!
It thrashed with the roar of an enraged bull, but this time, the ropes didn't snap.
Instead, they tightened further, sealing the massive body's movements.
"Now!"
At the same time, Bora hurled the red talisman from her hand toward the Minotaur's forehead.
The talismans stuck precisely to its brow.
"Grgh... Urgh..."
The Minotaur, which had been wildly struggling to break free, suddenly slowed.
It staggered for a moment, then stared blankly into space with unfocused eyes, drool dripping from its mouth.
It had entered a dazed state, like someone who'd lost their mind.
Thud thud!
Seeing that, Shun and Park Soyoung charged at its legs.
They placed hands on the ankle and inner thigh—
Boom!
Applied a joint lock and toppled it.
'...It worked?'
I watched the scene with wide eyes.
The rope and talisman that had been utterly useless against me worked perfectly on this clearly dangerous monster.
'Were those items originally that powerful?'
I wondered if my cheat ability went beyond simple physical enhancement, perhaps including resistance to mental attacks like that.
At that moment, Bora, confirming the talisman had worked, shouted confidently.
"See? This is normal! Restraints work, mental attacks land! That supervisor earlier was the weird one!"
She smiled in satisfaction, looking at the fallen bull monster, and clenched her fists.
"Whew... Thought it was the supervisor and got scared, but it was just a monster."
"Let's finish it quick and move. The supervisor will come hearing the noise."
"A monster showing up during the practical? Dongto's lost their minds."
At her words, Shun, Park Soyoung, and Hanbit nodded.
Relieved that their skills worked on the monster, they simultaneously grew even more wary of me, the one they'd faced.
And I was staring blankly into space.
Because—
The quest had cleared before I even had a chance to protect them.