Chapter 77
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Ameris's Night
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A cold droplet splashed onto my nose. The air felt pleasantly cool, which meant it had to be dawn.
"I didn't plan on dozing off."
The night passed without incident.
We'd taken every precaution to keep the light from our fire from leaking out and to muffle any noise. That must have done the trick.
Of course, not every club would have been as prepared. Some idiots probably just trusted their own skills, lit a fire on the ground, and bedded down for the night.
'Judging by the screams echoing through the night...'
My condolences.
Well, there had to be guards posted for safety, so no one actually died.
Even at a K-Academy event, they wouldn't just let elite National Seoul Hunter Academy students get killed.
...Would they?
I stopped that line of thinking before it led somewhere dark.
"What time is it?"
Barely any sunlight filtered through the leaves, so I couldn't have slept long.
A glance at my wristwatch showed 6:00.
'About 20 minutes.'
I'd let Baek A-rin and Erina sleep while I kept watch, uneasy about potential surprises. I was running on low energy and felt exhausted, but there was no helping it. We needed to stay vigilant through the first night's dawn.
If things had gone according to the original story, the "Praise" club—which would have taken our place—would have started in the same Zone C.
"Praise" gets ambushed by "Ha Yeon," who starts in the same zone, and ends up in last place.
Direct combat between clubs is forbidden, but the problem is things don't always follow the rules.
'Even without fighting, there are a million ways to sabotage someone.'
In truth, "Praise" got attacked because they mocked Yu Nara's skill-allergy attitude and acted arrogant, pissing her off. On top of that, they overestimated their abilities and slacked on prep, starting slow. That's how "Ha Yeon" got the drop on them.
That's why we'd gone all-out on the first day with a forced march to avoid falling too far behind "Ha Yeon."
'Not that I think Yu Nara—who owes me a debt—will come after us.'
Still, better safe than sorry.
Or not.
I'm exhausted beyond belief.
"It's not like I got zero sleep. I can crash hard tomorrow."
I forced my drooping eyelids open and started to sit up.
That's when it hit me.
"What the hell is this?"
A soft, warm sensation from my chest down to my legs.
A surface as smooth and tender as fresh tofu.
This was...
"Scaryyy..."
Erina was sleep-talking while hugging me.
"No wonder it felt mysteriously warm."
Erina had been terrified at the idea of camping in a tree. She'd been shivering for ages, so I'd told her to cuddle up to Baek A-rin and sleep. Somehow, she'd crept over to my spot and ended up like this.
"This is insane."
Erina might lack backbone mentally, but her figure was distractingly alluring—no safe place for my eyes to land.
I shoved her away with my foot before any stray thoughts could form.
"Thanks to you, at least I slept warm."
I shoved Erina farther away and gently woke Baek A-rin and her.
"Up and at 'em. Time to move."
Erina rubbed her eyes sleepily at my words.
"Is it morning already?"
In the corner, Baek A-rin was already up, straightening her clothes. She turned, saw my face, and said,
"What? You didn't sleep a wink?"
"I did. Don't worry."
No, but seriously—what gave it away from my face alone?
Was I that wrecked?
We heated rice with the warming packs and mixed in some salty bibim sauce for K-style bibimbap.
Dessert was a cup of tea.
A proper hot meal to start the day.
It wasn't gourmet, but most clubs probably hadn't managed even this much.
Considering that, this was practically a buffet.
A warm meal does wonders for morale. And morale ties straight to combat power.
I was feeling it firsthand, belly full and toasty.
"Is this all the gear?"
Erina asked, hoisting the massive backpack.
She handled most of the heavy stuff, like the tent.
'She's strong, sure, but she looks so delicate.'
Erina had killer curves, but her wrists and ankles were slender. Piling this much weight on her tugged at my conscience.
"I'll take the rest."
As I said that and packed up, Baek A-rin approached.
"So, what's the plan going forward, boss?"
"What's with the title?"
"It fits. You're the boss."
She wasn't mocking me, right?
I pulled up the map on my smartwatch and pointed to a spot.
"We're not heading straight to the center. We're looping around here."
"Why there? Going direct seems faster."
It looked that way at a glance.
But following the same path as other clubs left no guarantee we'd crack the top four.
In the original story, the fourth and final team—the one dragged into "Ameris's Night"—reaches the center on the morning of day four.
I turned to look at Baek A-rin and Erina.
'We're not weak, but...'
Our mobility wasn't top-tier either.
That's where the clever play came in.
I turned to Baek A-rin.
"Straight looks faster, but check the terrain—it's too elevated. Actual distance won't differ much from looping. Plus, the area's sparse on trees, so no cover. We'd be too exposed."
Baek A-rin examined the map closely and nodded, convinced.
"You're right."
Erina, who'd been listening, piped up curiously.
"But the detour you picked has something weird."
Baek A-rin squinted at the map.
"Probably skirting the swamp. But that might take us too far."
Exactly. Looping the swamp is long.
"Right. So we're going straight through the swamp."
Erina gaped in disbelief.
"Si-woo! Don't you know how dangerous swamps are? You can't even breathe—they suck you right in!"
"They do suck you in, yeah."
"Either way, no!"
She shook my shoulders, trying to stop me.
I calmed her and explained.
"Ghouls have poor vision. You think those things wandering blindly would avoid a swamp? No way. They pile up inside, wriggling around. And as you know, they're life-force monsters that don't die easy even without air. Imagine the hellscape in there..."
"Gyaargh!"
"Haha."
Erina looked utterly un-reassured, freaking out.
Sure, the detour had a swamp, but crossing it would shorten the path dramatically.
We couldn't pass that up.
I grabbed Erina's shoulders to steady her, then turned her head toward Baek A-rin.
"What do we have to worry about? We've got an ice princess who can freeze the air itself."
Baek A-rin blinked, pointing at herself.
"Me?"
The place Professor Kang Geom-seon stepped into was a massive tent that looked like the academy's training command center transplanted wholesale.
"Ah, hello! Professor Kang Geom-seon."
The staff dispatched for the academy training snapped to attention with surprised politeness upon spotting him.
Professor Kang Geom-seon smiled and replied,
"No need for formalities. They told me to sit tight for emergencies only, but I got bored and came to check the situation."
One staffer jumped in with a rapid briefing.
"Zone A is as expected: the club with student Lee Seong-hyeon is leading."
Hunter Kim Do-hoon, inside the tent, checked the map and confirmed,
"Definitely. In Zone A, Lee Seong-hyeon's team is out front."
"Yep. Right on prediction. Overwhelming, even overall."
Professor Kang Geom-seon nodded impassively as the staffer continued.
"Trailing them are the major clan clubs."
"I see."
Hunter Kim Do-hoon chuckled at the professor's mild reaction.
"Waiting for specific news? You don't seem that invested in the overall sitrep."
The professor just smiled.
"Nonsense. I've been watching closely with great interest."
As he half-listened to the reports, scanning for something,
"Zone C is..."
"Zone C?"
The professor's eyes widened like he'd been waiting for it.
"Zone C: as expected, 'Ha Yeon' with Yu Nara is in the lead."
"Hm. Is that so."
Professor Kang Geom-seon deflated like air let out of a tire. Hunter Kim Do-hoon shrugged similarly.
"No surprises this time."
"Yeah, seems that way."
Just then, as they thought that—a staffer shouted in alarm to his superior.
"You need to see this!"
"What is it?"
"Zone C club 'Ebony's position is weird...!"