Chapter 162: The Last Nemesis Before Summer Vacation (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 162: The Last Nemesis Before Summer Vacation (4)
The pitiful trio that lunged at me, unfortunately, couldn’t put up any resistance before they were sent flying like shooting stars.
To be honest, no matter how you look at it, I’m a regressor who spars with Professor Cathy every single day. It would be a bit embarrassing if I were on equal footing with mere first-year students.
If it were a special case like my friends, a proper fight might be possible, but ultimately, there shouldn’t be anyone in the first year who can act as my rival yet.
“Let’s take it easy. We’ve only just started, haven’t we?”
I knocked them unconscious for now, but I didn’t remove their bracelets.
It wasn’t out of mercy or sympathy. It’s just that those who diligently hoard points at this stage are destined to be eliminated tonight while weeping tears of blood.
In a short while, starting from the evening, the NPCs—the professors playing the roles of villains—will begin raiding the students. The criteria for these raids is simple: they target those with the most points on their bracelets first.
The irony of “villains” coming to hunt down those who attacked others instead of cooperating is almost heroic in a twisted way. Is that the punchline?
Before my regression, the professors used to give advice to the guys who complained it was unfair when they were just working hard. They’d say, ‘In a real battle, the first head to fly is the one that moves hastily without assessing the situation. Of course, you don’t just endanger your own neck; you put your comrades’ lives at risk too.’
Thinking back, that was all very practical, bone-deep advice.
Well, anyway, let’s end the unpleasant trip down memory lane here.
“I think there was a river and a cave around here…?”
As much as I wanted to stop relying on fuzzy memories and just ride the Ruyi up to scout the area, doing so would draw way too much aggro.
-The Touch of the Devil offers a helping hand.
“…Hm?”
-I can find the way for you in exchange for one serving of Innate True Qi.
“…Oh?”
Come to think of it, it wouldn’t be strange for there to be a devil specialized in pathfinding among all the devils out there.
-The Will of the Saint rebukes you, asking if you’ve lost your mind.
…Why? It’s damn rational. You want me to just get lost here?
-What kind of madman uses a portion of his life force just to find a path?!
Oh? Is that so? I haven’t really thought about it lately because my Innate True Qi is so overflowing, but I guess it does seem like a bit of an unfair trade.
-The Touch of the Devil is furious, telling the other not to lack business ethics during a transaction.
…These two are always at each other’s throats because their alignments are polar opposites.
But as always, I wasn’t about to be persuaded by the Will of the Saint.
Maybe in the past, but now, life force is the one thing I have in abundance.
“Then…”
The moment I tried to inject life force into my dagger.
A massive surge of Lightning Qi and holy energy collided a short distance away, erupting in a thunderous roar.
…What was that? Surely my friends aren’t the ones over there.
Would the top students of the year really move so thoughtlessly? I want to believe they wouldn’t.
Boom! Along with another explosion, a bolt of lightning shot into the sky.
I really, really want to believe they wouldn’t.
* * *
Lilac, who had arrived on the island relatively early, was currently scouting the surroundings.
The mission itself was quite simple, but he decided it was better to establish a base camp first rather than jumping into fights immediately upon arrival.
“Good.”
He had been worried about the lack of provided rations, but fortunately, there were plenty of edible fruits nearby, and there seemed to be animals as well.
Since he was provided with a lighter, eating them cooked wouldn’t be a problem.
Of course, it might be dangerous for someone without survival skills, but in that case, they would likely try to survive by stealing food through combat or by utilizing the NPCs.
Making a simple deduction, he plucked a fruit from a tree and popped it into his mouth.
“Mmm, it’s a bit bitter, but not inedible. I should pack these too.”
As he finished his decent harvest and climbed down, he felt a surge of energy from someone in the distance.
It was a sharp, tingling sensation, yet well-restrained.
It was an energy he had grown familiar with due to their frequent sparring sessions.
Cheon Yu-hak.
The man who called himself his rival and insisted on settling the score this time was openly broadcasting his presence.
…If he releases his energy so blatantly, his location will be exposed.
Ah, no. It was foolish to apply common sense to someone like Cheon Yu-hak.
Being a man whose pride pierced the heavens, he was revealing himself before he could be found.
He was saying he wouldn’t run away, so if you’re confident in your skills, come at him. Furthermore, he was provoking him.
He understood exactly what he wanted to say.
‘I am here. Where are you?’
Commonly speaking, it was an incomprehensible act, but if he ignored such a passionate “love call,” he would probably brag about it for ages.
Fine. That provocation—I’ll accept it.
He released the energy of the Holy Sword, which he had been suppressing as much as possible.
Judging by how his energy wavered slightly, he must have noticed his location as well.
He’s coming.
Without hesitation, the moment he sensed his energy, he began charging toward him.
If he let him do all the running, he might complain later that the penalty of exhaustion affected the outcome of the duel.
“Then I should go too…!”
The distance wasn’t great, but he ran at full speed.
The match wouldn’t be decided in the first exchange, but he could still steer the fight in his favor.
As a swordsman, he needed to close the distance, while Cheon Yu-hak needed to maintain his ideal range.
He’s coming.
Knowing him, he would definitely open with his most confident move.
A thrust.
That perfected thrust, which still sent chills down his spine every now and then, would come flying.
Normally, he would choose to parry it, but perhaps because he had been provoked, he felt like meeting it head-on.
He gathered the energy of the Holy Sword and compressed it to the limit.
The moment they finally spotted each other, he was already aiming his thrust at him.
The Thunder Dragon Spear, clad in lightning, and the White Rose Sword, shrouded in the light of the Holy Sword, clashed. A thunderous roar that shook the entire area erupted.
* * *
“Hehe, I’m so lucky! I don’t know who did this, but this is a jackpot!”
Just before the clash between the two superhumans shook the region, Kim Ga-eul was finishing her looting in a very good mood.
She didn’t know who it was, but someone had knocked out three cadets, taken only their food, and left their bracelets behind.
“Wow! It’s only been a moment since we started, and I already have three? Maybe I’ll actually get first place?!”
At first, she worried it might be a trap, but when nothing happened, she felt relieved and approached them.
Well, she had waited for a while and no one came, and since nothing happened when she took the points, they must have been abandoned for some reason!
Maybe these three fought each other and all went down together!
Isn’t this what they call “the fisherman’s profit”?
She had the greed to want good grades, and she also had the desire to occasionally see her friends look at her with newfound respect.
“Hmm, should I save one bracelet and give it to the others as a sign of alliance when I meet them…?”
As she was about to take the points from the last bracelet, a thought crossed her mind that there might be a better use for it.
Of course, since it was an exam, she couldn’t entirely rule out the possibility of being attacked on sight, but somehow, she felt her friends wouldn’t act that way.
And if possible, if she could meet him—Kang So-hyun—giving him a bracelet as a gift might be a good way to grind some affection points.
“…What if he’s surprised that I took down three people? Should I act a bit cool before telling him the truth? Heehee.”
She indulged in her fantasies, never dreaming that the cadets she was “farming” were actually the handiwork of Kang So-hyun.
That was, until she heard the thunderous roar of two massive energies colliding.
“…That’s scary. I want to find the others quickly.”
She decided to carry this bracelet as a bribe so she wouldn’t be attacked. Yes, that would be for the best.
* * *
“Phew, that’s refreshing.”
Fortunately, there was a cadet who had dropped near a body of water, specifically near the upper reaches of a stream.
Kang Ha-ni.
Without much hesitation, she had decided to set up her base camp there and had just finished gathering food from the surrounding area.
After wiping away her light sweat, she faced a significant trial before she could even begin sorting the food she had collected.
“Blegh…! Ugh, it’s so astringent. I can’t eat this.”
That was the problem. She couldn’t distinguish between edible and inedible fruits at all.
She had plenty of knowledge regarding cooking ingredients, but there was a huge difference between wild fruits and things sold at a supermarket. Even if they looked similar, she couldn’t be sure if they were currently in season.
Just a moment ago, she had let her guard down thinking that banana-like thing would be edible, but aside from the skin being incredibly tough, it tasted absolutely foul.
“Right, I think I read in a book once that green bananas can’t be eaten unless they’re ripened.”
Well, since the one she looked forward to most was a dud, the probability of the others being duds was high. What should she do?
She realized that tasting them one by one could lead to a disaster.
“…Hm?”
Suddenly, she heard footsteps nearby.
Ah, come to think of it, if someone found the river, they’d naturally head upstream, wouldn’t they?
Along with the thought that building a base camp here might have been too naive, a certain strategy popped into her head.
If they approached amicably, she had no intention of fighting, but what if they didn’t?
Specifically, what if they tried to take over her base camp or launched a surprise attack without a word?
A smile spread across her face as a great way to identify food occurred to her.
She waited without even trying to hide, and soon, some guys she didn’t recognize… well, not exactly strangers, but people she’d passed by occasionally, appeared.
“Oh? What the. Someone’s already here.”
“…But he looks like he’s alone?”
“Wait, hey. That’s Kang Han-hee!”
Oh? They know me? Then I’ll feel a bit bad.
“What?! That bastard is Kang Han-hee?!”
Bastard. Fortunately(?), the first word out of the opponent’s mouth wasn’t very friendly.
“Why? What is it? Do you guys know me?”
“…Look at this shameless prick!”
Judging by the reaction, it wasn’t a casual acquaintance, but unfortunately, she had no memory of them.
Do they just hate me unilaterally?
“Don’t get so worked up! Honestly, it’s not his fault your ex-girlfriend fell for him!”
“She was your first girlfriend, you hadn’t even hit thirty days, and you only went on two dates, but honestly, your faces are just on different levels!”
“To be honest, she probably would’ve gotten sick of you and left even if it wasn’t for him!?”
Wow, thanks for the explanation, but you guys are being really harsh, aren’t you?
“Hey?! Whose side are you on?!”
“The side of you, who’s back to being single.”
“It’s only right for popular guys to die.”
Well, honestly, it’s a bit pitiful, but it’s troublesome to be resented for it.
It’s not like that girl confessed to her, and even if she had, Ha-ni was straight, so she would have rejected her anyway.
“…Hey, you guys are honestly a bit pitiful, so I’ll give you a chance. Get lost. The three of you won’t be a match for me.”
Despite her kind mercy, they seemed intent on entrusting themselves to rage and friendship as they drew their weapons.
“Ah, if you draw your weapons, the story changes. I warned you, didn’t I?”
“Shut up! You’re just another first-year! You think you can do anything against these numbers?!”
They lunged at her.
Ah, so there are still people who think like that.
Babbling about being a first-year or thinking numbers matter when you’re a superhuman.
What matters to a superhuman isn’t numbers, and it’s certainly not physical size.
The moment her blade slid out smoothly and drew an elegant line, their bodies stiffened and they collapsed to the ground.
“Wh-what…?”
“Oh, so this is how it works? If I deliver a shock level that would be fatal, the device absorbs the damage instead, but the body gets paralyzed?”
“You crazy…!”
“Ah, don’t worry. I won’t take your bracelets yet.”
“Huh? R-really?”
“Of course. Instead, you guys can inspect these for me.”
“…Inspect?”
They broke into a cold sweat as they looked at the food she had gathered.
“Yeah. I’ll let the ones who don’t pass out after eating them live. Figure out what’s edible and tasty for me.”
Honestly, they wanted to refuse, but the thought that refusal would lead to immediate elimination left them with no choice but to nod.
“Now, shall we start with this one first?”
And that decision instantly turned into regret the moment she pulled a brightly colored mushroom—one that clearly shouldn’t be eaten—from the pile of food.
“Stop! Just kill me instead…!!!!”
“Nope, no take-backs.”
Amidst their continuous screams, she felt a massive collision of energy and looked up.
“Oh, what. Those guys started already? Ah, how unfair.”
And unfortunately, before they could even inspect half the food, the last guy fainted.
“Huh? Ah, dammit… he’s already down? I haven’t found many edible things yet.”
What to do.
It’s a waste to just throw this away.
And she was also curious about who would win between Lilac and Cheon Yu-hak.
“Maybe I should head over there too?”