Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: AMAZING First Test
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Kyaaaak-!
A sudden monster burst onto the scene, sending everyone into a total panic.
The few melee fighters who rushed forward to respond were crushed beyond recognition in mere seconds.
'The stench of blood...'
Most of the students were scrambling to flee, their morale utterly shattered.
'Of course they are.'
That thing was the B-rank boss monster, Stone Dragon Panpagia.
It took at least eight C-rank hunters with thorough preparation to even have a shot at taking it down.
"Why isn't anyone getting through?!"
"No signal..."
"The instructors will be back soon, right?"
'What now?'
The reason I could stay so calm boiled down to one thing.
It was all fake.
'The corpses are fake. The monster's fake.'
To be precise, it was the [Hologram Combat System].
The pinnacle of magical engineering, capable of manifesting monsters within a designated space.
Students from hunter-specialized schools might have some experience with it.
'But no one here's thinking it's fake.'
Tech this realistic only existed at Seoul Academy.
Baek A-rin and Kang Hwa-yeon looked composed, but neither realized this was just training.
'Alright, time to grab a weapon.'
Thanks to slipping out of line early, I reached the table with the weapons first.
'Training daggers. Right here.'
I tucked two well-maintained daggers into my back pocket and gripped the third in my hand.
"No limit on how many, anyway."
I grabbed some smoke grenades too, then scanned the area.
Obviously, there was no way I could solo Panpagia.
'First, I need to get to Baek A-rin...'
"You three over there—tend to the injured first! Everyone who can move, rally around me!"
"Uh...? Y-yeah, got it."
Kang Hwa-yeon was issuing calm orders to the students.
The panicked group started falling in line under her command.
'Hwa-yeon lives up to the hype... impressive.'
She spotted me off to the side and called out.
"You there..."
Me? I just...
"..."
She couldn't figure out how to use me, so she turned away, at a loss for words.
'Handy in a way, but kinda stings.'
Hwa-yeon spat flames from her hands to draw Panpagia's attention, then shouted.
"Everyone with ranged attacks or skills, over here! Hit and run—we can't take it head-on!"
"What about us?!"
The students with melee weapons asked.
"You lot—carry the badly wounded to safety!"
They moved with crisp efficiency at her command.
She must've figured melee strikes wouldn't dent those rock-thick scales.
'With a focal point, things are moving differently. Even half-baked A-Class kids pull through.'
"Kyaaaak!"
"S-save me..."
Some weren't up to it, of course.
'Hwa-yeon's got that leader vibe, just like her old man.'
Choosing to save everyone—that was so her.
"Fall back, everyone!"
The attackers retreated at her word.
Kuaaaah-!
Panpagia let out a bellow, as if the hits had landed.
"We got it! Landed a solid one on that brute!"
"It's working! We might actually take it down!"
"If we keep this up..."
The students cheered, hope igniting.
Hwa-yeon yelled at them.
"Our goal isn't to kill it—it's to hold out until the professors arrive!"
Smart choice, for sure.
No way rookies like these could handle a B-rank boss, even in a group. Hwa-yeon or not.
Since it happened inside the academy, veteran hunters would swarm in within 30 minutes, tops.
'If this were real.'
The training never planned for a kill.
It was a test of composure under extremes and real combat experience against monsters.
It'd run until total wipeout.
'Instructors are probably watching from the monitoring room.'
At this rate, Hwa-yeon's strategy would last 20 minutes before wipe.
Not even that—without her, it'd be quicker. Total annihilation was inevitable.
But I had to rebel against her regime.
'I've gotta take down Panpagia.'
I gripped my dagger and bolted toward Baek A-rin.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Baek A-rin narrowed her eyes at me.
"Exactly what I said. We'll all die at this rate."
She squinted suspiciously.
Makes sense.
Even if she had her eye on me, Hwa-yeon was the trustworthy one.
Time to convince her.
"Hwa-yeon's trying to save everyone here. Think about it—is that even possible?"
"...No."
The immobile wounded were already critically injured.
No saving them.
"We cut losses. Expecting zero sacrifices against a B-rank boss is the real issue."
"You got a better way? Those guys couldn't land a hit anyway."
She gestured at the melee students.
"I know Panpagia's... that monster's weakness."
"What?"
A-rin looked at me like I'd lost it.
"You know its weakness?"
Fair doubt.
Weak points on big shots like Panpagia fetched billions on the info market.
No reason to buy my claim.
'But I need A-rin on board.'
Couldn't hit the weak spot solo.
Hwa-yeon wouldn't listen anyway.
I needed someone with pull like her—Snow Mountain Clan's heir.
"Can't blame you for doubting. Hwa-yeon's way looks optimal, I'll give you that. But does 'optimal' mean we survive?"
"...If you're right, there'll be casualties. Can't save all the wounded."
"I know."
"..."
I saw the flicker in A-rin's eyes.
I knew she'd buy it.
"Bet on 1% blind hope, or 50% with sacrifices. Your call."
'A-rin has no choice. She's the type to take the 50% shot.'
A-rin stared into my eyes.
"I'm betting on you."
Baek A-rin had no choice but to trust Kim Si-woo.
Her friend Hwa-yeon was exceptional, and her plan seemed like the best shot.
But she knew better.
"Best" didn't guarantee survival.
Still, she'd been forced to bet on that suicidal "best."
Then Si-woo's Plan B dropped.
"..."
No reason for Si-woo to lie.
One: Massive survival boost.
Two: Everything he'd shown so far.
'And...'
Three: He was hiding something, clearly.
Whatever it was, he couldn't have predicted a monster invasion here.
This proposal? His best judgment for survival.
"Can't say no to that."
A-rin approached the melee students hauling wounded.
All critically near-death.
"Everyone, stop."
They all turned to her.
...
After her explanation, one guy voiced his disbelief.
"So you're saying we charge that thing?"
"Yes. Specifically, rip off its rock... no, scale plating."
"You think we're idiots?! That's suicide!"
Students raised their voices.
"Or stay here, haul corpses, and die anyway."
"..."
A hint of wavering.
But no one stepped up.
'The melee mainstream in this class is Kwak Du-pal's crew.'
Move him, sway the rest.
Si-woo's tip.
-I've got dirt on Kwak Du-pal. Name-drop me; he'll have to listen.
'How Si-woo knows? Doesn't matter now.'
Today's outcome would judge him.
A-rin turned to Kwak Du-pal.
"What do you think?"
"Huh?"
"Si-woo says you'd have no choice but to follow."
Du-pal squinted, then asked.
"How do I trust your 'weakness' info?"
'Solid intel...'
Even she wasn't fully convinced.
But she'd committed to Si-woo.
Had to move them.
'Why ask me specifically? Obvious.'
She knew: excluding Hwa-yeon, she had the most sway here.
"Who do you think I am? It's legit—straight from my dad, Snow Mountain Clan's chairman."
Murmurs at "Snow Mountain intel."
"She's Snow Mountain's daughter."
"If it's their info..."
The first complainer piped up again.
"Fine, but whose gut gets slit? Who takes that?"
Everyone glanced around.
"Someone else covers the riskiest part for you. So, sit here and die like dogs, or use Snow Mountain's reliable intel to slay an impossible monster and play hero?"
Kwak Du-pal grabbed his weapon and stood.
"Hey! We're dead anyway—might as well try something!"
The group followed, arming up with Du-pal in front.
A-rin swallowed hard.
'Please let this be right.'