Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Hostage Rescue Evaluation
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Afternoon, just after lunchtime.
This was the modern-day Colosseum where we'd taken the diagnostic evaluation, the Grand Training Hall Gwanggaeto Pavilion.
Lee Tae-jin was still going on today, unflinchingly emphasizing the importance of the evaluation.
"The purpose of this evaluation is to assess individual mission performance capabilities. As Awakeners......"
His grave tone echoed through the hall, and the students transformed into completely different people from that morning.
Tension etched their formerly giggling faces, and their slouched backs now stood ramrod straight at perfect right angles.
Finally, they looked like proper Taehak cadets—Professor Cha Myung-hwan would've thrown a fit over it if he saw, even if he wasn't prone to them.
Jeez, so much talk.
I just felt apathetic.
The gist was simply to ace the evaluation, anyway.
"Awakener must always, absolutely bear in mind that they act based on missions."
That last line was the only worthwhile bit.
Based on the mission—
That was the core of this evaluation, and its highest-scoring element.
After finishing his ten-minute rambling speech, Lee Tae-jin headed up to the command control room.
Soon after, the announcement broadcast began.
-The task for this performance evaluation is hostage rescue.
-Once you line up at the starting line, the five mission points will be issued first, and timing starts the moment you begin......
The reveal of an evaluation type we'd never seen before caused a small stir in the arena.
But the announcer gripping the mic wasn't about to let the murmurs slide.
-Cadet Baek Sa-young of the Superhuman Division, step forward.
They immediately called the first examinee. Baek Sa-young stood up in response.
It was the endgame boss right from the start, but that was to be expected.
This evaluation proceeded in order of integrated rankings.
I watched Baek Sa-young stride forward with utter confidence.
My gaze naturally extended to the six-story building erected at the center of the field.
It was the main stage, swarming with hostage and demon dummies.
Once Baek Sa-young took position at the starting line, the view ahead shimmered, and the mission was issued.
Building blueprints, number of hostages to rescue, number of demons to neutralize, and so on.
The five mission points Lee Tae-jin had emphasized appeared in hologram form. Baek Sa-young read through them meticulously.
Beeeep—
At the starting signal, she plunged straight into the building.
The events that followed streamed live on the screens in the waiting area.
"The layout's more complex than I thought."
"Gotta move while hiding your presence as much as possible."
The students watched with eyes blazing to absorb info, as Baek Sa-young drew her sword and darted here and there, rescuing hostages.
Prioritizing safety, she boldly skipped risky paths. A bit slow, but she protected every hostage and reached the extraction point.
Of course......
She showed no mercy to enemies she encountered.
She swung her blade even more ferociously than usual, smashing through clinging foes in single strikes.
Baek Sa-young reached near the extraction point in under fifteen minutes.
That's when a familiar face appeared.
"Good work. I'm handling allied support, so hand the hostages to me and head to the extraction point."
It was Kim Mi-young.
She pushed up her trademark titanium-framed glasses and beckoned to Baek Sa-young.
"Then, I'll leave them to you."
Baek Sa-young bowed briefly, then kicked off the ground with tremendous force.
In that instant, it whipped up a gust that tousled Kim Mi-young's hair.
Closing the fifty-meter gap in one breath, Baek Sa-young slapped the red switch at the extraction point.
Beep—
The mission clear sound rang out, and the record appeared on the front scoreboard.
[Clear Time: 14 min 34 sec 14]
"......"
The students took in the result amid an unexpectedly quiet atmosphere.
It was first up, so they knew it was impressive, but not how impressive.
-Next, Cadet Seol Yun-gi. Prepare.
The evaluation continued from there.
Seol Yun-gi glanced briefly at Baek Sa-young, then took the starting line with the aura of a peerless sword.
As if already grasping the flow, she skimmed the mission brief and charged ferociously at the beep.
Rescuing hostages via the shortest path, brushing past Kim Mi-young, she raced ahead relentlessly.
The result......
[Clear Time: 13 min 21 sec 01]
She surpassed Baek Sa-young's record, claiming a triumphant revenge at last.
"Doesn't that make Seol Yun-gi first?"
"But one hostage got hurt. So who knows."
As someone pointed out, safety wasn't guaranteed.
The waiting area quickly buzzed.
"What do you mean 'who knows'? It's enemy territory—escaping fast comes first. The hostage didn't die."
"What are you saying? The task is hostage rescue. Safety's obviously priority."
Time versus safety.
Debate raged over which mattered more.
It hugely influenced later evaluations.
Students split into camps prioritizing records like Seol Yun-gi or safety like Baek Sa-young.
They moved according to whichever value they deemed most important.
The other protagonists were no different.
Lee Dae-ho leaned safety, Cheon Seo-yun records, and Joo Ah-rin leveraged her summoner traits to chase both rabbits.
The evaluation dragged on helplessly within this framework.
Rank 100s, 200s, 300s......
Endless waiting left us in the 600s before we knew it, and just as exhaustion turned to daze—
-Cadet Park Ha-yul of the Sorcery Division, step forward.
Finally called, putting an end to this interminable wait.
I rubbed my stiff shoulders and stood.
As if waiting, Lee Min-ha from two seats over scurried up.
"Ha-yul, which side are you?"
"Which what."
She was still steadfast, by the way.
Not giving a damn about the negative vibes around her.
"Record or safety—which you picking?"
"Oh, that."
I paused a beat, then spilled honestly since it'd be clear soon anyway.
"Both wrong."
"Huh?"
"Think about the evaluation's purpose."
I brushed past the dumbfounded Lee Min-ha and walked to the starting line.
Standing still, the five mission points downloaded.
1. Situation
-Four presumed green-grade demons are holding three hostages. The enemies have not responded to repeated surrender demands......
2. Mission
-Rescue all hostages swiftly and escort them to the extraction point.
.
.
5. Combat Support
-No additional support. Resolve independently.
I read carefully, smirking at the four demons and no support.
As expected.
Kim Mi-young was the key, just like in the original.
Hoping for some sudden achievement pop, I reached for the building blueprint beside the points—the map showing estimated hostage and demon positions.
"View."
Muttering softly triggered instant recognition.
Soon, an identical building rose in my mind.
Hostage and demon positions from the blueprint converted to 3D, vivid as X-ray vision.
Optimal path overlaid atop it.
Eyes closed, it'd be no different.
......Overstatement maybe?
Beeeep—
Anyway, signal sounded—I kicked off and went.
* * *
Meanwhile, in the command control room overseeing the evaluation.
Lee Tae-jin sat alone in the dark, contemplating the monitors.
His face twisted like he'd bitten into shit......
"Tch, how much more hinting do I need to do?
I repeatedly stressed basing actions on the five mission points to avoid penalties.
Are they just green rookies?
Chasing visible results—time and safety only.
No one focusing on the mission itself, the truly vital part.
Not even a hint of suspicion or hesitation from anyone."
Nearly half-given-up, Lee Tae-jin leaned back in his chair.
Suppressing his discomfort, he called the next examinee.
-Cadet Park Ha-yul of the Sorcery Division, step forward.
Out came that disagreeable guy.
But unlike before, no disgust or rising ire.
Even a snail rolls when it has to—he'd proven his worth somewhat.
Protecting Cheon Seo-yun in the stronghold battle, and his recent demonic beast report was surprisingly solid, impressing him quite a bit.
But that was it.
"This guy's no different."
If even Baek Sa-young and Seol Yun-gi missed it, no way he wouldn't.
Lee Tae-jin gazed at the monitor with sunken eyes, then hit the start button with a beeeep.
Park Ha-yul kicked off, wearing his signature relaxed smile.
Whoosh.
He formed a spell, levitating four small fireballs as he entered the building.
And shortly after.
A glint sparked in Lee Tae-jin's eyes on the monitor.
"Hmm......"
How to explain this.
No way he'd memorized the full blueprints in that time.
......Good luck?
Moving casually, thoughtlessly—yet hostages awaited unfailingly at path's end.
Slipping blind spots out of demon sightlines by chance, or encountering them back-first if at all.
So combat amounted to slamming spells into defenseless demon backs.
"That guy......"
Lee Tae-jin felt his half-discarded "Park Ha-yul loathing" flare up again.
Blithely ignoring the evaluator's intent, advancing annoyingly smoothly.
"But this ends here."
He sighed in relief and sneered as Kim Mi-young appeared.
The core no one had passed yet.
A deception born of familiar relations, testing mission comprehension at success's brink.
No matter how fast and safe the arrival, failing to spot it rendered it all pointless.
Lee Tae-jin leaned back, anticipating Park Ha-yul's fall for it.
Last time he'd jolted up, but this time would differ, he was sure......
But.
Déjà vu? Or divine prank?
"Good work. I'm handling allied support, so......"
"Outta the way, you demon bastard. Unless you wanna die."
"......"
Park Ha-yul's shout cut off Kim Mi-young mid-sentence.
Crude bark ushered awkward silence, even unflappable Kim Mi-young stumbling.
"......Ah, isn't this supposed to be realistic? But you're not the TA right now. You're a demon disguised as an ally to snatch the hostages."
Park Ha-yul scratched his head sheepishly.
"You little shithead......"
Lee Tae-jin slammed the desk in fury—
......Again?
Finding himself reacting identically to last time, he bit his lip.