마흔네번째 후보

Sometimes I find myself thinking that Karina has a strange side where she gets flustered.

Even if we consider Song Yura objectively, her mind isn't pure, so that's understandable.

But why is the evaluation so harsh on the eldest daughter of the Esteve family?

[That's obvious! You underestimate her!]

[I know!]

[It's because you're so amazing that it makes me want to say you're crazy! Even if you were an ordinary person, you would have given up long ago, but you didn't give up at all and even put in tremendous effort!]

……It would be the timing for an extremely moving BGM to play, but honestly, it was a situation where not even a day had passed since I met Karina.

[It's just a short time to build firm trust and respect between people and people, so what does that matter!]

"Even if it's short, it's too short."

"What did you say, oppa?"

"No, nothing."

I stroked Lin's head.

Then, even though she looked like she was clearly an adult, Lin's blue eyes reminiscent of aquamarine sparkled as she rubbed her head against my side with pleasure.

At this, I had no choice but to acknowledge it.

Lin was undoubtedly my younger sister from my previous life!

[Wow, this person is really consistent. Now I don't even have the heart to tag her. I'll quietly recommend going to a siscon-related mental hospital.]

As she said this, Karina muttered that Lin was also strange.

[Honestly, there aren't many women who like being patted on the head. But strangely, you like your younger sister and that Lin woman who is in the position of younger sister very much.]

'Is that so?'

[Although I have no experience, according to stories I've heard from others, there are far more women who dislike being patted on the head than those who like it. It's personal gossip.]

Karina's words made sense.

Honestly, I also wouldn't draw a good picture if I imagined someone patting my head.

"Oppa, you worked hard."

First, Han Suhui passed.

"Oppa, wake up. Quickly."

Lin, who was my younger sister from the previous life, also passed.

And……

"Please wake up, Master."

……Why is Song Yura appearing here.

Thanks to this, my mood soured, and I could face my imagination and reality. After walking with Oliver for about 10 minutes, we arrived at a wide training ground that could easily host an elementary school sports day in the narrow underground.

"Wait here for a moment."

Oliver said this to me and moved to the corner of the training ground, then pulled down what looked like a lever.

"Kuguguguung!"

Then, the ground shook, and two huge walls lined up rose from the floor of the training ground that had nothing on it.

"What you are seeing now is just one of the three prepared tests at best. Even so, if someone survived in that space earlier, they can pass it relatively easily. But you are different."

I could immediately tell what was different.

The reason Oliver was angry at me from beginning to end was none other than my younger sister. No, it was only natural that my younger sister was special.

I hadn't thought it strange that there was a younger sister accompanying me in that space where only men existed.

'Probably because it was a role necessary for the tutorial.'

As I muttered this inwardly, Oliver drew his sword and said.

"Choose."

I ran towards Oliver with my eyes wide open, intending to attack him. Because he was pointing the sword at Lin, not me.

But unfairly, I, who was the current me, couldn't even throw a punch at the knight Oliver.

"……Get out of the way."

All I could do was to speak while scattering my killing aura as much as possible.

"Even if a dog without strength barks, it's just barking."

Screeech─.

Is there that sound here too.

If there's no strength, no matter how unreasonable and unfair, there's nothing you can do.

"Originally, this is something you brought upon yourself."

I was resentful.

The tutorial created this situation, not me.

"If you sacrifice your younger sister here, you will receive a test of the same level as the other candidates you've gone through so far. I don't want to admit it, but judging by your momentum, you probably won't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠have much trouble passing. But!"

Oliver then sheathed his sword and said.

"……If you don't abandon your younger sister, you will definitely see hell."

"You say it's going to die without fail in such a grand way."

"Why did you bring your younger sister all the way here."

I didn't care.

"Just in case, I'm asking, if I choose the latter and face death, will Lin be saved?"

Oliver shook his head.

"All of this process is a first-class secret of the Esteve family. We can't let someone who has seen it live and send them away."

In the end, even to save Lin, I had to pass the unknown test in front of me.

"Really, from beginning to end, it was villainous."

To sacrifice others, especially your sister, just so you can take the easy path? Would that really make it easy?

It was never going to happen.

Even if this world was created, it was the same. Seeing it vividly in front of me, the emotions and thoughts of each other were felt.

Anyone who dismisses this as false is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠just a pathetic person who turns away their eyes even in desperate reality.

"I can't live alone. Above all, one of my life goals is to die before my younger sister."

If my younger sister dies, then my life is over.

Ding─!

[Set to Hell difficulty.]

[Please break through the gates that ordinary humans can never wake up from.]

Isn't that exciting.

If I clear these gates, even if I use the cheat-like power of save points, I can acknowledge that I'm not an ordinary human to some extent.

"You bastard."

As I said that.

[Knight 'Oliver's affinity increased by 5.]

This tsundere-like guy.

"Watch from there."

I braced my nerves and stood at the starting line.

The goal of the first gate was just to reach the end following this straight path.

'It can't be a simple running test.'

Unfortunately, my prediction was correct.

"Paaang!"

Before I could take even one step forward, arrows shot at my forehead at a speed that ordinary people couldn't even track with their eyes.

If I hadn't cleared four achievements, I wouldn't have reacted.

But that was the limit.

'I can't avoid it!'

There was definitely something about my lack of experience and skill.

But apart from that, the arrows were too sharp.

'Damn, I'll give you a palm.'

For an unavoidable attack, I had no choice but to block it, and I judged that the palm was the most reasonable part to sacrifice in the current situation.

It would be quite painful if an arrow hit the palm, but I wouldn't die.

'The important thing is not that. I need to think of the next move right away.'

The most worrying thing is being unable to make cold judgments in pain.

But……

All of my thoughts were useless.

"Puk!"

'What, this…….'

The arrow that was supposed to hit my palm went straight through my palm and through my forehead.

#

I feel like a dog.

I thought I was getting used to dying, but maybe because I spent a day in peaceful modern times.

My stomach was churning, and the pain I felt a moment ago was engraved in my mind, so my limbs were trembling.

'It's not something to think lightly about.'

It was foolish to throw away my life just because I could revive infinitely.

Once, I had to be careful every time.

'The arrow from just now. It's impossible.'

When it pierced my palm, it must have collided with the demonic energy in my body.

It was probably the 'mana' or 'magic power' I had seen briefly when explaining demonic energy.

'It wasn't an arrow fired by a machine.'

Of course not.

The thick killing aura and hostility felt through demonic energy couldn't be seen by machines.

'Ha, then trying to avoid by memorizing patterns is impossible.'

Looking at the sharpshooting skill that pierced both palm and forehead at once, no matter how many times I die and revive.

The archer would definitely kill me with a new pattern each time.

'Damn, it's gloomy.'

On ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the other hand, I was also embarrassed.

"Watch from there."

After saying such cool words, he died in one step. If there was no revival…… I don't want to imagine.

'There must be a way.'

The tutorial quest, and the effort I put into the Esteve family.

It couldn't be a gate that only kills people.

If so, there would be no need to go through this troublesome process, and Oliver would have drawn his sword and cut me in half in one breath.

'Could it be?'

For a modern person to have the skill to find something to clear a gate that can't be woken, it must be quite high.

Especially after smartphones became widespread, many such games were released. I also cleared many such games with Han Suhui on weekends.

For me, if I were to find a tool to block arrows, it would probably be 'that'.

"……Can I use this?"

I picked up the thick round wooden shield that had fallen on the floor, and 'surprise' emotion appeared in Oliver's eyes.

"There was no rule that tools couldn't be used."

It was stiff to the end.

I was barely standing here after tasting the pain of having my brain pierced. After all, what can I expect from such a low affinity.

Moreover, Oliver was also a knight belonging to the Esteve family. It wasn't something I could expect unconditional favor from the guy.

'It doesn't matter.'

It's familiar.

In my world since long ago, only Han Suhui and I existed.

"Hup!"

I raised the wooden shield obliquely and stared at the front. With the shield up, arrows didn't fly from the first step like before.

With this, the hypothesis that it was not fired by a machine became true.

'However, the reason the archer doesn't fire arrows is because I'm always staring at the front.'

The archer would definitely think it's strange now.

Raising the wooden shield is something a cautious person can do, but I was preparing exactly as if I knew an arrow was coming.

"Paaang!"

In the end, unlike the arrow that killed me first, the archer had no choice but to shoot an arrow with less sharpness.

"Pak, Pak!"

No matter the angle, it hit hard into the thick wooden shield, so I could see how powerful this arrow was.

I also clearly knew he was skilled.

'If I'm even a little tense, the arrow flies to a place that the wooden shield can't block.'

Seeing with eyes and reacting with body are different.

Even if I see an arrow flying towards my thigh with my eyes, if the distance of the hand holding the shield is far, I can't prepare for it.

From here, psychological warfare is important.

And……

'I won!'

It can be said that I was lucky, but I predicted all the parts where he would shoot arrows and blocked them with the shield.

After half way there.

"Squeak!"

With an eerie sound, my vision fell to the ground, and my legs stopped. No, precisely, my legs were cut. Suddenly, something alien sound came from below, and the blades hiding behind the wall shot out and cut my legs.

"Krueueueueuk!"

Even though I knew it was better to die from the pain that would drive me crazy even if I gritted my teeth.

"Paaang!"

My body reflexively raised the shield to block the flying arrow.

But……

"Kwa-jik, Ujik!"

The arrow that was fired this time, unbelievably the same as the arrow I had blocked so far, easily shattered my shield and pierced my heart.

'At the beginning, the wooden shield could be shattered anytime.'

It was just giving me a break.

Because my ingenuity was recognized as a way to pass the gates.

'It's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠playing with a person's life.'

Screeech─.

With disgust, I gritted my teeth against the Esteve family's way. Unfairly, this was the best I could do now.