Meeting the Slacker Elf and My Foolproof Victory

As I stepped out of the exam hall, still lost in my delusion that the status window tied to that laid-back girl might actually have a will of its own, a man who looked like a guide was yawning his head off, slacking away.

"Y-you're done already?"

"Yeah."

He blinked rapidly, staring at me as if he hadn't expected anyone to finish so soon.

"Ah... I see."

But his gaze felt off. Not like, 'Finishing the exam this fast? These newbies are impressive.' More like, 'Ah... he just bubbled in randomly. Poor guy.'

I knew it full well. I'd drawn straight lines across the answer sheet myself—I knew better than anyone. Try getting isekai'd yourself sometime.

"Head that way, and you'll see a building with a red flag. That's the arena."

"Thanks."

Grousing inwardly, I trudged toward the arena he'd pointed out. Of course, I'd already memorized most of Providence's layout from playing the game, so I could've found it blindfolded.

Stepping inside, a wave of warm air washed over my skin. Early March outdoors was still chilly, but the heater-blasted interior instantly lifted my spirits.

"Looks just like the game."

The arena was divided into two main zones. One was the capsule area, the other the live combat zone.

The capsule area held rows of pods sized for one person. Lie down in one, and you'd jack into a VR sim built for training. Students could experience backworld raids, erosion phenomena response, villain takedowns, sparring—whatever. Even if you got hurt or died in VR, your real body stayed fine. Safe way to rack up real battle experience.

And over there's the spot for real men.

The live combat zone on the opposite side was for those who shoved safety aside and craved the raw deal. No matter how advanced VR got, it couldn't match the visceral punch of reality.

Sparring there actually netted more EXP than capsules. Big downside: you could get seriously hurt. Not many users as a result.

I poked around, fiddling with the capsules.

Got here too early?

Killing time in the empty space felt a bit dull.

But I didn't rush out for no reason.

I could've waited and left with the crowd, even after bubbling my sheet. But I didn't. A faint, subconscious hope had driven me.

If I bolt from the exam ASAP and hit the arena, maybe I'll run into her—my favorite character.

Then.

"Huh, didn't expect someone to finish the written test faster than me."

A voice drifted from behind, so languid it made me feel drowsy just hearing it.

I turned slowly. There she was.

"Are you some absurd genius? Or an absurd idiot?"

An elf girl with short brown hair sauntered over, exuding effortless nonchalance. Her defining trait: half-lidded eyes that hid her pupils. Classic sleepy gaze.

Serena Eldrain.

An elf girl with untouchable talent in swordsmanship. Heir to the Eldrain family—one of Elvenheim's elite houses in the elf and spirit nation. She'd lived a life of luxury without envy.

Beautiful looks, insane talent, top-tier family, mana reserves way above her peers. Just one flaw.

She never took anything seriously. She'd dodge training however she could, sleep openly in class. In all my in-game runs, I'd never seen her put in honest effort.

Why she approached everything with zero enthusiasm? Never revealed. I died before that plot thread resolved.

"Aw, people usually love that line. Too bad it didn't suit your tastes."

I stared blankly, and Serena cracked her left eye open a sliver, scratching her head with a wry smile.

"Nah, it was so funny I was racking my brain for a comeback."

Her half-open left eye gleamed a striking crimson. My gaze also kept drifting to the long sword at her waist, its blade wrapped in black bandages. She always carried it, but I'd never seen her draw it once. Fought with plain daggers instead, like the sword was just for show.

Mysterious on every level.

"Is that so? Haha, glad I didn't sour the first impression."

Her tie half-undone, hair spilling past her shoulders like a lazy waterfall, shirt buttons loosened just so. If nonchalance had a poster child, it'd be Serena.

I loved that vibe. My past life self barely had downtime outside gaming—always grinding erosion entities. She overflowed with the leisure I'd lacked. Maybe I'd admired her subconsciously.

"I've seen you online. Pretty sure you're... Park Jeonghyeon? Right?"

"That's me."

"Ah, nailed it. Handsome humans like you stand out. Feel free to drop the formalities. Forcing politeness is... such a hassle."

"Suits me fine. I'll keep it casual. You too, anytime."

"I like my speech this way. But thanks for the thought."

Her soft, flowing voice tickled my ears.

"Anyway, you really shocked me."

Serena half-closed her left eye again, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Rookie actor everyone's idolizing, Jeonghyeon, bubbling the whole exam? Your fangirls would be devastated."

"Not embarrassed. No time or bandwidth to study. I'll pick it up as I go."

"Ahaha, so motivated."

She replied with a wry chuckle.

"What's your name?"

"Whoa, asking that bold on first meet? You're a pro."

Serena giggled, tossing back a cheeky jab.

Playful mischief bubbled up. Time to flip it.

"Sorry, first time chatting one-on-one with an elf. Didn't know asking names upfront is rude in Elvenheim. Won't happen again."

"Ah, no, that's not—"

For a split ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠second, Serena stammered, flustered.

"Kidding, of course."

"...Haha, you got me. No one's ever bantered back like that on first meet."

Seeing a fresh ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠side to her usual scripted lines and poses felt oddly good. In a great way.

"I'm Serena Eldrain. First name Serena, family Eldrain. Call me Serena."

"Got it, Serena. Jeonghyeon for you."

"Perfect. As fellow slackers, let's get along?"

"Slackers, huh... haha."

With that, Serena drifted to a dim corner and leaned against the wall. I didn't follow. That was her silent cue: conversation over.

Truth be told, her approaching me first had surprised me plenty. She hated forging new ties—too much effort. Not the type to initiate.

Her sleepy eyes look more ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠natural in person than I thought.

Maybe she'd spotted the famous holo actor and curiosity struck. Satisfied now, perfect timing to bail.

Who knows.

As I mulled over Serena, more students trickled in. Not total guessers like us, but partial solvers who'd dumped the rest on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Lady Luck.

Time to kill some time.

Like Serena, I'd find a quiet corner and chill—

"Whoa! P-Park Jeonghyeon!? No way! First celeb I've seen!"

—Yeah, fat chance. Should I wear a mask next time?

"Listen up. You'll now split into 5v5 teams for capture-the-point. Win by holding the point for 10 minutes or wiping the enemy team. Point unlocks 5 minutes in."

The professor's voice boomed across the packed arena.

"Your phones should've gotten texts by now: your capsule number, teammates, opponents. Check and move out. Dismissed!"

I pulled out my smartphone and read the fresh message.

What the hell? Fate's playing jokes now?

Serena as my opponent—pure coincidence.

She wouldn't intentionally tank the exam out of laziness. She hated inconveniencing others that much.

Do her best without dragging anyone down. That was Serena Eldrain's motto. She'd probably go all-out to end it quick.

Her physical specs and technique crushed mine. Even if my whole team dogpiled her, we'd lose. Top-tier among first-years.

No normal method could topple her.

But.

Unconventional? Different story. No—a total game-changer.

"I'm winning this for sure."

I had a foolproof strategy.