Chapter 82
Terminally Ill, but It's Okay — Episode 82
I sat at my desk for a long while, sipping coffee.
The string figures I'd started with Cheonjam Thread suspended in midair formed strange patterns, and just when even that grew boring and a yawn was rising—
[Notice] The Class A midterm begins. Assemble at Training Ground 9 by 10 p.m. Late arrivals will be disqualified.
The message I'd been waiting for had arrived.
"I thought I'd die of boredom."
I rose leisurely, drained one last sip of coffee, then reached toward the flower bud.
"Let's go together. I'm going to be away for a long time."
After explaining the situation so it wouldn't be startled, I carefully wrapped it in clothes and tucked it into my subspace pouch.
With that, all preparations were complete.
I dressed in comfortable training clothes, pulled a cap down low, and left the dormitory.
There were still thirty minutes until assembly, so I walked at an easy pace, as if out for a stroll.
Before long, some rather familiar faces began to appear.
"What the."
And their states were a sight to behold.
Kang Cheol-min looked like he'd just rolled out of bed, wearing a tank top and shorts.
Lee Dong-wook had come out in slippers and a shower robe, his wet hair flying as he sprinted frantically.
And that one.
"Ah. Don'tlookdon'tlookdon'tlook."
Lee Min-ha, wearing glasses and penguin pajamas, hastily covered her face and vanished like the wind.
"There's still ten minutes left."
Why were they in such a hurry.
I let out a silly laugh, then strolled into the training ground.
There, I witnessed a rather unfamiliar sight.
In the center of the broad field, five portals had been set up, illuminating the bustling night, and Professor Lee Taek-jin, dressed in a suit, was glancing at the watch on his wrist to check the time.
And the people lined up behind him in black robes—
"......Huh?"
—were the Yosal Corps.
No, wait, why was the Yosal Corps here? The Taehak security team, sure, but them?
Just as the question of why naturally arose—
The person who appeared to be in charge.
A beauty with striking red hair that seemed to blaze winked at me.
We'd crossed paths a few times, and she was a named figure in her own right, so there was no way I wouldn't recognize her.
It was So Yi-hyeon.
I must have made a stupid face without realizing it, because So Yi-hyeon let out a soft laugh.
Only then did I bow my head in greeting.
And I made a guess.
She'd come for the overall management and safety of the midterm.
Probably because of the Han Soo-hyeok incident.
With consecutive incidents targeting Taehak, they must have requested a separate dispatch.
Well, this level of change wasn't a big problem, so I decided to let it be.
Meanwhile, Joo A-rin, Seol Yoon-gi, and Reina.
The seed protagonists appeared one by one.
All three were neatly dressed in their uniforms as if they'd made a pact, though it didn't look particularly practical.
Thinking about spending a week eating and sleeping in that state made me uncomfortable on their behalf.
I glanced at Joo A-rin and Reina.
Neither looked to be in bad condition.
"......."
"...Hoo."
However, Reina was composed considering what she'd just been through upon arriving, while Joo A-rin, on the contrary, seemed to be under considerable pressure.
She must have met Joo Seol-hwa over the weekend; her resolve looked extraordinary.
Anyway, time flew, and before I knew it, only one minute remained.
"Why aren't Baek Sa-young and Cheon Seo-yoon here?"
"If they get eliminated like this, do we redraw the seeds?"
Everyone was chiming in, discussing the worst-case scenario, when—
BANG—
At that moment, the training ground doors flew open as if breaking, and the stars of the evening made their entrance.
"We're here."
"Keep running. Only a few seconds left."
The three raced as if competing, jostling back and forth, kicking up a wind mixed with the smell of meat and alcohol.
They arrived by a hair's breadth and raised their hands high.
Then Lee Taek-jin, who had taken his eyes off his watch, stepped forward.
"The first mission is a pass for everyone. The second mission begins now."
Without even a moment to catch their breath, he moved straight to the next stage and pointed at the portals behind him.
"The portals' destination is Mount Geumgang. You will survive there for one week."
Naturally, an uproar broke out.
Students with plenty to say vied to raise their hands.
"I will not be taking questions."
But he ignored them entirely.
He introduced the five standing Yosal Corps members and poured out only what he had to say.
The gist was that since they'd even received special support, safety went without saying, so go roll around like dogs, you bastards—
"Keep in mind that strong humans are forged through trials and pain."
When he wrapped it up with that plausible-sounding line, Kim Mi-young radiated mana toward the screen.
Then, with a rumble, the training ground doors closed and text appeared on the front screen.
[Class A midterm first mission 'Emergency Summons' cleared]
[Second mission 'Survival' begins.]
[Details will be sent to each person's Live Watch after entering the portal.]
[The Live Watch is a magical engineering device used during the midterm period, with various built-in functions such as GPS and point acquisition and exchange.]
[On the right side of the training ground, backpacks containing two days' worth of food and basic survival supplies, along with Live Watches, have been prepared.]
[After personally receiving yours, check your assigned portal and enter within one minute.]
[60]
[59]
.
.
The students who had been standing blankly finally grasped the situation once the countdown began.
They started scrambling toward the backpacks.
"What the hell."
"Hey, hey, hurry up."
I grabbed only a Live Watch and checked my assigned portal.
They were assigned A, B, C, D, E in order to east, west, south, north, center.
Regional movement was possible, so it didn't really matter much where I went,
but still, if I had a choice, Joo A-rin was the top priority to look after in this episode.
Being assigned to the same C region as her, or to the central E region, would be more advantageous, so I'd hoped for one of those.
[Park Ha-yul: E]
Fortunately, I'd been assigned to a zone that was easy to cover broadly.
I was the first to walk toward the portal.
As I approached in my light outfit, Lee Taek-jin suddenly gave me a puzzled look.
"I believe I informed you to take a backpack."
"This is enough. You gave us a hint in advance during class."
I pointed at the subspace pouch at my waist and grinned.
Lee Taek-jin's right eyebrow twitched, and then he made an ambiguous expression that was half smile, half frown.
It was a reaction you couldn't see in the original work.
A few people had caught Lee Taek-jin's signal, but no one had prepared as openly as I had.
I gave a brief bow and entered the portal.
* * *
Tzzzt—
The moment the suction sensation stimulating my whole body vanished, I felt a wide-open sense of release and crisp air.
The tingling buzz of insects in my ears told me I'd arrived at Mount Geumgang.
Using the full darkness as an excuse, I sat down anywhere and checked my Live Watch.
[Second Mission: Survival]
1. 10 points are granted by default.
2. To earn additional points, you must hunt Monsters, and points are awarded differentially by grade.
3. Points may be traded by mutual agreement, and from Day 3 the no-attack clause is lifted. You may take points held by other students.
4. When taking points from a student assigned as a seed, additional points are awarded from A to E in order, from 20 points down to 10 points.
5. The exam lasts one week, and points are checked as of the time it ends. Grades are assigned according to that ranking.
6. Those who drop out midway or exhaust all their points are automatically disqualified and transported to the command control room.
.
.
There were several other clauses besides these, but since they were no different from the original work, I skimmed through them.
Survival was more than covered by the supplies I'd brought—overflowing, even.
The important part started on Day 3.
Because along with the start of person-to-person combat, unscheduled "things" were set to appear.
And I also couldn't miss the big event on the final day related to them.
For the sake of Joo A-rin's stalled growth, too.......
Therefore, my principle of action was simple.
Until Day 3, observe the situation and hunt moderately.
Build up a mid-tier score, then track Joo A-rin.
Protect her from the strange "things," then watch her back so she could safely reach the final event.
If the opportunity arose, I planned to meet Reina as well.
I needed to find out why she'd come to Taehak so early.......
"But, well."
As always, it wouldn't be easy.
Because I didn't know what 4885, quiet lately, might be scheming next.
"No quest message?"
I glared at the empty air hoping for a response, but no message appeared—maybe it was testing my nerve.
So there was no helping it. I'd just have to scout out a spot for my tent.
"Where is this."
I activated the map function on the Live Watch.
The GPS signal blinked, and my approximate current location appeared as a red dot over black-and-white contour lines.
Most people would probably be quite flustered the moment they saw this.
In this world, Mount Geumgang, like Mount Suri and Mount Chiak, had transformed into a rugged mountain nearly 8,000 meters above sea level.
Even a single foothill was so enormous that everything would look the same.
But I was different.
I'd already acquired the detailed terrain in advance through Appraisal.
Therefore, I recognized that the midterm field was the northeastern part of Mount Geumgang—
the edge of Outer Geumgang (the name dividing Mount Geumgang into two classifications), where five mountain ranges tangled and intertwined.
And I realized that reaching the high ground I'd originally set as my goal,
Yeongnang Peak in Zone C, would require a hike of about 10 kilometers.
Moving immediately was out of the question.
So I found a roughly flat spot and opened my subspace pouch.
I took out a one-touch tent, set it on the ground, and pressed the button.
In an instant, blue light flashed and the black lump began to expand.
It was supposedly for three to four people, but it was the size of two shipping containers placed together, shaped like a general's command tent—a pentagon—and made not of fabric but of a stiff material that looked extremely sturdy.
I looked around here and there with satisfied eyes, then went inside.
And the inside was just as good as the outside.
Two spacious beds, a table, chairs, and the like were standard, and something like a brazier was installed in the center, making it look comfortable and clean.
It wasn't much different from the Taehak dormitory.
"This is practically glamping."
I felt a little sheepish because it seemed excessive, but whatever.
If this was an ability, then it was an ability, so I decided to enjoy it a bit more.
I took out simple cooking utensils and drinking water, arranged them to one side, and lit a fire first.
I'd boil some ramyeon as a late-night snack.
Thinking that everyone else must be having a bewildered, miserable night, my heart suddenly fluttered and a hum escaped my lips.