Chapter 27
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Combat Exam Finale
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Practical training was originally conducted through sparring with examiners or battles between applicants, but this time it was set to be fights between applicants.
The reason was that a large number of applicants remained.
The battles were carried out while wearing special protective gear.
It was said to be cutting-edge defensive equipment that measured the damage received.
It was a simple rule: you lost if the accumulated damage on the gear exceeded a certain threshold or if the gear was destroyed.
Equipment was free to choose, excluding firearms.
The reason firearms were excluded was straightforward.
In Korea, even heroes couldn't use guns.
The rationale was that using firearms in urban areas could drag many civilians into the fight.
That said, the accepted theory from online discussions was that sword and blade manufacturers were lobbying behind the scenes to block it somehow.
It was the complete opposite of the situation abroad.
As a result, many ability users specializing in firearms often fled overseas.
I pulled out the gear I had prepared.
It was a telescoping baton, the kind police might use.
No matter what, I couldn't enter the hero exam wielding a weapon made by a villain, so my equipment options were limited.
Of course, I could buy weapons produced by hero-affiliated companies, but they were priced so exorbitantly it felt unreasonable.
I had plenty of money, but seeing knuckles or gloves that cost a few hundred thousand won on the black market being sold for ten times the price killed any desire to purchase.
So, I settled on this self-defense telescoping baton.
Mostly made of iron, it was lightweight yet a weapon with power that couldn't be ignored.
If a baseball bat felt like it would smash something to pieces, this bludgeon gave the impression of tearing into flesh.
As I took the telescoping baton out in the waiting room, I felt various gazes directed my way.
Because I'd taken first place in the previous exam, attention was heavily focused on me.
The telescoping baton must have been unexpected, as everyone wore strange expressions.
It wasn't particularly intimidating, yet not something to dismiss lightly either.
Looking around, plenty of people had decent-looking weapons.
It was like a weapons museum.
Gloves, knuckles, swords, spears, staffs, bows, even gasoline cans.
What kind of threats did villains operating in that other world even face while villainizing?
I grew afraid.
Kang Seok hadn't brought a weapon.
Instead, he was conversing with someone who appeared to be a staff member, as if consulting about something.
It seemed to go well—he grinned and nodded.
"Start."
"Uwaaa!"
"Dieee!"
The exam began, and applicants started pairing off one by one.
The fighting applicants let out shouts.
No matter how I thought about it, those weren't words befitting a hero.
In the waiting room, we could watch the action on a fairly large TV.
I'd heard fight-watching was entertaining, and now I understood why.
Even with protective gear on, the sight of them swinging weapons at each other with full force was eerie yet captivating.
Still, it felt a bit weaker than I'd imagined.
What to say...
It didn't feel like a fight between heroes.
They were just clashing and swinging weapons; proper ability usage rarely appeared.
"Why's that guy taking that hit?"
"Must've overused his ability in the second round."
"...Yeah, makes sense."
And that was when I finally realized the reason.
Everyone seemed to still be struggling to recover from the aftermath of the second exam.
Because of that, even during their matches, they only unleashed abilities at truly critical moments—and that was the result.
Beep—
A whistle blew when damage exceeded the limit, deciding the victor.
"Next up, Mr. Sung-han and Mr. Do-woon, please follow me."
My name was called, so I followed behind the man assisting with proceedings.
The male applicant called Do-woon walked alongside, glancing back and forth between me and my telescoping baton.
"Tsk... This isn't a joke."
He looked at my baton and snickered.
Then he muttered loudly enough to be heard on purpose.
Despite the blatant provocation, I didn't react.
I could thrash him soon enough anyway.
The results came in an instant.
Including Do-woon, I faced off against three opponents and won them all with just one or two strikes from the telescoping baton.
I could've ended them all in one hit, but for Do-woon and the others who'd dismissed the baton, I deliberately gave them two.
The gear didn't absorb every bit of impact.
The applicants I'd fought ended up in no state to ignore a telescoping baton anymore.
Whether a twist of fate or intentional placement due to our first- and second-place standings...
In the end, only the match between Kang Seok and me remained.
The waiting room, which had been fairly crowded, now held just the two of us, drowned in suffocating silence.
Even the scouts who occasionally dropped by to pre-emptively recruit talent stayed away at this moment.
They knew the atmosphere.
With only two left, scouting just one side would make things awkwardly cold.
However, some people don't care about the mood.
Creak.
The door opened, and two people entered.
It was Min-ji and Ga-eun.
The tense atmosphere in the waiting room brightened instantly the moment they walked in.
But that mood didn't last long.
"Hey, you nervous?"
Min-ji approached me and lightly kicked my shin.
"Not really."
"...Such bravado."
It didn't hurt.
I could see Kang Seok's expression hardening at the sight.
He bit his lips, swallowing his anger.
Choi Ga-eun didn't readily approach because Min-ji and I were so close, but she stood nearby.
If Min-ji weren't there, she probably would've spoken up.
I could feel her gaze toward me had grown much gentler.
Unable to endure that fact, Kang Seok left the waiting room.
"..."
Choi Ga-eun glanced at the waiting room door but showed no further reaction.
"Weren't you two close?"
"...Were you?"
I pointed at the departing Kang Seok and asked Ga-eun.
At my words, Min-ji curiously eyed Choi Ga-eun as well.
From Min-ji's perspective—who didn't know about Ga-eun's fetish—Ga-eun, who had been chatting with Kang Seok just recently, now seemed to be keeping her distance.
"Huh? Oh... it's nothing..."
Choi Ga-eun barely reacted.
She simply gazed at me, her face flushing red.
Great power comes with great responsibility, as they say.
Ga-eun's fetish wasn't exactly normal either.
"Time to prepare for your next match."
"Win it."
"...Do your best out there."
With send-offs from Min-ji and Ga-eun, I headed to the arena.
For some reason, Min-ji gave my butt a light kick. Just to check, I looked at her fetishes, but nothing related to striking had been added.
Her constant kicking must just be her way of showing affection.
...And why had Choi Ga-eun suddenly switched to polite speech?
Kang Seok was already prepared on the arena, glaring at me murderously.
As expected of a villain, his face was frightening.
But if I had to nitpick, Kim Scorpion's visage was several times more terrifying.
Gripping the telescoping baton, I spoke to Kang Seok.
"You should use your ability ahead of time."
"...What ability."
In truth, Kang Seok hadn't properly demonstrated his ability yet.
His opponents were wiped out from the second exam, so there'd been no real chance, and he also seemed to be holding back somewhat out of wariness toward me.
So I pressed him.
Beating a Kang Seok who didn't use his ability held no meaning.
"You need to make a weapon."
"..."
The moment I spoke, black liquid oozed from his hand, forming a long axe-like shape.
Kang Seok's ability was to create weapons and manipulate those he made with complete freedom.
Aside from the creation aspect, it was similar to Weapon Technique.
"I'll beat you and take Min-ji back."
"Take her back? You two weren't even together."
If anything, it was a bad relationship.
A villain and a hero's, after all.
And honestly speaking—
"Even if I lose, Min-ji won't go to you."
Ga-eun, maybe.
But Min-ji didn't have a particular fetish for strong guys.
Though she did have ones for molesters and exposure.
Even those seemed to be changing lately—my name was boldly listed among her fetishes.
"You fucker!"
The provocation landed; he charged at me with his axe raised.
I blocked with the baton, but the axe's weight far exceeded it, nearly wrenching it from my grip in that instant.
Having only ever used Weapon Technique myself, being on the receiving end felt entirely different.
How could he swing that massive axe so quickly?
I'd have thought he was a lumberjack.
"Uwaaak!"
Fueled by rage, Kang Seok hammered down at me repeatedly with the axe.
Each time, I parried with the baton while watching for an opening.
And when he reared back high for a massive overhead strike, I smashed his wrist.
"Kugh!"
Kang Seok dropped the axe, and I scooped it up.
"Hmph. Weapons, I can make as many as I—"
Undaunted, he conjured another axe.
As expected.
I'd picked up his axe, but he couldn't dispel his created weapons—he simply made a new one.
I tossed the telescoping baton to the ground.
Then gripped the axe with both hands and hefted it.
"...What are you—"
We were finally equals.
Facing each other, both armed with the same weapon.
"Hah."
Kang Seok laughed in disbelief.
He seemed convinced victory was his, thanks to his skill at wielding weapons.
On the flip side, I was smiling too.
I trusted in the power of Weapon Technique LV.3.
Without deciding who moved first, we charged with axes raised.
My axe flashed brilliantly once, shattering Kang Seok's axe cleanly.
An overwhelming gap in speed.
I'd targeted the side of his axe and swung with perfect precision—that was the outcome.
"How..."
Beep—
The whistle sounded.
My axe didn't stop there—it cleaved straight through Kang Seok's armor.
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