A Typical Survival Midterm... Exam?

After I completed my first job quest, nothing particularly noteworthy happened. Time simply flowed on in peaceful monotony.

"You've brought the information, so you'll tell my fortune now, right!?"

"Of course."

I gave the fighter-class students artifact locations in exchange for information that barely qualified as gossip.

"Here. Money."

"Liu, honestly, as the one borrowing I shouldn't even say this, but this is a bit too much…."

"So you're not going to borrow it?"

"…Thank you. I'll accept it gratefully."

I borrowed money from Liu to cover my living expenses.

"Aileen?"

"I believe in you."

"…Instructor Charles? Please don't look at me with those eyes."

"…………."

Because Aileen kept getting strangely closer to me, Charles Teddybear stared at me with clear killing intent.

"Um… Namgung Min… sir."

"Ah, Lane. What can I do for you?"

"………No, never mind."

"Hmm?"

Lane kept approaching as if she had something to say, only to clam up again. It was just that kind of ordinary daily life.

'Honestly, the restriction on my fortune telling actually helped me out.'

The thing I'd worried about most was something like the first mountain-climbing "class," but the excuse that my fortune telling came with a penalty let me pass it without much trouble. Besides, there were plenty of theoretical lectures or classes that were just about sitting in the classroom.

It was so peaceful, without a single event, that it actually made me nervous. But then again…

'Isn't this actually normal?'

Romance Academy had four years of curriculum, and while each year had its big and small events, it wasn't some hellish place where they happened every single day. Normally it really was just attending classes and training to raise your stats. The abnormal part had been the beginning, with the entrance exam, the entrance ceremony, Aileen, the Saint, and all those other events piled on top of each other.

"Things are… quite relaxed."

Thanks to Liu, my finances were comfortable, and the classes were actually worth listening to. The fortune teller shop hadn't become hugely famous yet, but students besides the fighter class occasionally dropped by. With Aileen and Liu visiting every day, it was genuinely enjoyable. A relaxed life with no particular shortcomings.

My encounters with the Prince, the Princess, Lucas, Lane, and the Saint had decreased significantly, but it wasn't as if we were complete strangers, and they didn't seem to hold any negative impressions of me. I was doing pretty well, wasn't I──

"Tomorrow we will hold the midterm exam."

"…Yes?"

──Or so I had thought at one point.

*

While we were in the middle of learning about gates and the entities beyond them in the classroom, the instructor dropped a bomb in a tone that suggested he'd simply forgotten to mention it earlier. It left every special-class student stunned. Everyone except the Hero, who remained expressionless as always.

"Then, if you'll turn to the next page…."

"…Excuse me. I'd like to hear more about what you just said."

"Hmm?"

Lucas stopped the instructor, who had been about to continue the lesson as if nothing had happened after casually tossing out the word "midterm." Thanks to his meritocratic personality, he was the student who cared most about grades in the special class alongside the imperial siblings.

"It's only been a month. And you're telling us there's a midterm already?"

"Ah, the term 'midterm' is simply a label. You'll likely end up taking several of them during your first year."

"Even setting that aside, tomorrow?"

The Prince jumped in on Lucas's bewildered question.

"Indeed. As far as I understand the academic calendar, the scheduled exam is still three weeks away."

"Hmm. It seems ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Your Highness the Prince still doesn't know much about Romance Academy."

"Don't know…?"

Unlike Lucas, the Prince received polite speech from the instructor thanks to his status as a member of the Unified Korean Empire's imperial family. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠But the instructor's message remained the same.

"I've served as an instructor here for eight years, and this damn academy absolutely loves surprises."

"Surprises, you say?"

"Do you remember the maze from the entrance ceremony? Romance Academy is quite serious about adding exams like that, giving pop quizzes, or throwing events."

Yes, exactly. It was also why the academy had been wary of my fortune telling. To people who loved surprises, someone like me who could sniff them out in advance must have been an uncomfortable presence.

That was why, in the game, random minor events had popped up outside of the fixed major ones.

'It wasn't a problem in the game.'

In a game where training or classes ended with a single choice, pop quizzes and small events were resolved with a simple click. But now that it had become reality?

'Damn it.'

Even in university, professors who gave unannounced quizzes always tanked in the student evaluations regardless of their teaching skill or personality. And here they pulled that stunt in every single class?

While my mind was reeling, the Saint, who had stayed quiet until then, spoke up.

"When you say midterm exam, are you referring to a written theory test?"

"I'm afraid I cannot tell you that in advance. My apologies, Saint."

"Not at all."

…What was the midterm at this point in time? As the Prince had said, the "real" exam three weeks away was the survival battle at the Great Lake. Had there been a midterm at this stage? As far as I remembered, there hadn't been one before the Great Lake survival test.

"However, this particular midterm was announced at the same time to every first-year student, including the special class. So your situations are all identical."

That was some consolation, I supposed.

At the instructor's words, Lane, who was sitting beside Lucas, asked a question.

"Is there nothing in particular we need to prepare?"

"No. You'll understand once tomorrow arrives."

What was it? It felt like something I should remember. Even if events were random, after repeating the scenario twenty-five times I generally remembered what tests and events existed. The problem was that my memories focused on the major ones. I'd skipped over minor tests like this.

Because it was a choice-driven game, anything without combat could be cleared with a simple click…

"I have nothing more to tell you even if you ask. Let's continue the lesson."

"…Yes."

…Tsk. What could it be? I was suddenly feeling anxious. A chill ran down my spine.

"……..."

"…………..."

"…………..."

"……..."

"……..."

"………………..."

Liu? Lane? Princess? Prince? Lucas? You damn Saint? Why the hell is everyone staring at me?

'…Déjà vu?'

Wow, you people aren't seriously thinking of using my fortune telling to figure out what the midterm is, are you? You're not, right? That would be way too shameless.

I have a penalty, remember? My readings can be wrong!

"Ah, that's right. One additional announcement."

"……?"

"Namgung Min is prohibited from telling fortunes starting from this moment."

"………!?"

The ones who had been targeting me even more than I targeted myself looked more shocked than I did. Look at these people.

"Instructor, isn't that unfair?"

"I agree. Namgung Min's fortune telling is clearly his own ability. Restricting it is blatant discrimination."

"Hey! Fortune teller bastard! Say something!"

"Though he is a Fortune Teller, he is still a child of God. Such discrimination is unjust."

Excluding Lane, who saw me as strong, the Prince who was acting taciturn, and the genuinely taciturn Hero, my proud classmates each added their own defense. Well, since my cooperative relationship with the Saint was a secret, it was normal for him to speak as if he disliked me on the surface.

Did you all want to use my fortune telling too? You thought it'd be easy to ride my coattails?

Everyone except Liu, get lost, you bastards.

"I'm fine with it."

"Fortune teller! No—this Lucas Arthur will restore your rights!"

"Namgung Min, as a citizen of the Unified Korean Empire, you may borrow the Princess's authority here if needed."

"God is merciful. The same applies even to a fortune teller."

"Hey! Speak up like you did when you got permission for my artifact last time!"

No, when I myself say it's fine, why are you all acting like this? It was already discussed and agreed upon with the instructor from the start. Was the honey you sucked from using my fortune telling during the entrance ceremony maze and first class that sweet?

"Fortune telling is not omnipotent. It's not a machine that answers whatever you ask, and even if I read the fortune for tomorrow's test, I couldn't know the exact details."

"Still…"

"Moreover, since I'm running a fortune teller shop and taking customers, there's no guarantee of accuracy even when I do perform readings."

"Well, that's…"

The academy ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had permitted my shop in exchange for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠imposing a penalty on me. That was the public story, but not everyone was ignorant of the truth behind it. Especially these special-class students—they all had ample money and connections, so they would know this much. Otherwise they wouldn't have gone quiet at my words without knowing the special characteristics of my fortune telling.

"…Tsk. Can't be helped, then."

The great heiress who had run a background check on me the moment we first met muttered to herself. The others couldn't keep arguing when the person in question had accepted it, so they sat down with expressions that showed they weren't fully convinced.

The fortune teller who was supposed to give them the rice cake wasn't even thinking about it, yet they were already drinking the kimchi soup.

"Then let's continue the lesson. The gates that appeared afterward in Europe and Africa…"

Until the class finally ended, more than a few students kept glancing at me and licking their lips. Were they looking at me like I was some kind of Doraemon?

Anyway, with the justification of the fortune-telling ban in place, the moment class ended and the instructor left first, I stood up and exited the classroom ahead of everyone else.

"Ah…"

"Ha."

"Hmm…"

Don't sigh so obviously like you want someone to hear, you people.

…Sigh.

"The only thing I can give you is one sentence."

"……!!"

Lucas and Lane's eyes sparkled. The Saint and Princess had somehow produced notebooks and pencils and now held them at the ready. Why did they look more focused than they had during class?

"Think about what time it is today. That's all."

Creak.

I closed the door without checking their reactions. Yes, let's just think of it as raising favorability. Every single one of the special-class students was a character with considerable influence.

"You're quite the meddler, just like that Lucas bastard."

"…Liu, did you follow me out immediately?"

"Yeah, bastard."

Liu Yen, who had tailed me both during and after class, shrugged her shoulders. Speaking of meddling, though…

"That's a problem. Liu, I thought you hated meddlers?"

"…Yes, I did."

"………?"

"Maybe not right now?"

…No matter how many times I looked at her, I still couldn't read Liu's true intentions. She had already changed so much from the "Liu Yen in the game" that I honestly had no idea how things would turn out going forward.

'The current version seems much better, so maybe it'll work out somehow.'

Recent days had been so smooth that I could even entertain such optimistic thoughts. The only remaining issue was that I still had no idea how to make use of my damn job skill.

"You're heading to the fortune teller shop, right? I'll help you clean up."

"…Thank you. Aileen will probably be there too."

"Hey. I don't know how many times I've said this, but you absolutely cannot be alone with that bitch, got it?"

"Yessir, yessir."

"This bastard?"

I walked toward the academy's outskirts while chatting with Liu as usual. Then she suddenly lifted her head.

"Ah, now that I think about it, what was that?"

"Yes?"

"That thing you said before you left. About what time it is today or whatever."

"It was a simple fortune."

While listening to the instructor, I had remembered what this midterm was. It was fortunate that I recalled it starting with a slightly unique presentation.

"You should keep it in mind too, Liu. Think about what time it is today."

"…No way."

"It is exactly what you're thinking."

Since I'd phrased it so simply, no one should have failed to understand. I was rather looking forward to the midterm that would take place "tomorrow."

But first.

"Let's send those people away."

"Huh?…Ah."

It had been announced to every first-year equally. People's thought processes really were all the same, huh?

I let out a hollow laugh at the fighter-class students who had gathered to get their fortunes read.

*

Late that night.

"……..."

Liu Yen sat in her office even though it was well past her usual bedtime. She glanced at the clock.

"11:58…"

Would this really be accurate? No matter how much Romance Academy loved surprises, would they really be this vicious? Still, since it was Namgung Min's fortune, she couldn't afford not to believe it.

"Ha, I really have changed…"

Just a month ago she never would have dreamed she'd trust something like fortune telling. Finding her own transformation absurd, she checked the artifacts on her person once more.

'The number of artifacts agreed upon with the academy is three.'

The logic was that since the maximum number of skills—class and general combined—was three, Liu had to match that. She had accepted it herself. So, excluding the self-defense artifact she always carried, she had selected three: a ring on her right ring finger, an earring on her left ear, and a ceremonial dagger with a dulled blade.

Liu toyed with the dagger in her hand and checked the clock again. 11:59:50. If Namgung Min was right, then in ten seconds something──

Uuuuuuuung!!!

"Wow, it's real."

The enormous blue letters floating in the air. And the "ball" that had somehow already been delivered, now sitting in front of her.

She hadn't expected "tomorrow" to begin the instant midnight struck. Namgung Min's fortune had hit the mark once again.

Liu quickly scanned the rules, tucked the ball into her bosom, and immediately set off.

'The key is survival.'

Liu Yen's combat ability was clearly inferior to that of combat classes. The same went for non-combat classes. Therefore, forming an alliance with trustworthy people would make survival far easier.

In that case, one person naturally came to mind.

'Namgung Min!'

That fortune teller had to be secured as an ally no matter what. Thanks to her multiple visits, Liu knew exactly where his base was located. She ran straight toward it.

"What, what the hell? Did the exam already start?"

"What's this ball?"

"You're eliminated, you bastard!"

"You son of a bitch!!!"

Bang! Kwaaang!

Unlike Liu, who had been able to prepare in advance thanks to Namgung Min, the students who had just woken up moved in a panic. Some quickly noticed and launched surprise attacks on others. Some hid themselves.

'But is it really okay to do this?'

Romance Academy wasn't populated solely by first-years. There were ordinary civilians and second-, third-, and fourth-year students as well. Yet they were turning the entire academy into a survival field for the first-years?

'Well, that's not my problem.'

The academy would handle all the cleanup themselves. Liu didn't slow down. The moment she spotted a familiar building, she poured on even more speed.

Tap!

'First I'll meet up with Namgung Min, then recruit other students. With that bastard's fortune telling, the rest should gather quickly!'

That damn fighter bitch and the vicious psychic bitch might show up. Maybe even students who had visited the fortune teller shop. Liu rushed inside the building and flung open the door to the basement.

"Hey! Namgung Min! First, take me with──you…?"

However, what greeted Liu's eyes was

"…………."

Namgung Min's base, now in complete ruins, and standing at its center, the Hero holding a greatsword.

"…No way?"

"…………."

With trembling eyes, Liu frantically scanned every corner of the base. She couldn't even consider that the Hero before her might attack. She kept muttering that it couldn't be, but she soon found it.

A single ball, sliced clean in half.

"………Damn it."

The survival midterm. Namgung Min, eliminated. With the very foundation of her plan shattered, Liu spat out a curse.

"……!"

Clang.

The Hero leveled his greatsword at Liu.