Chapter 722
Chapter 722
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 722
Chapter Title: Academy's Savior
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"Grip!"
Moka climbed onto my left shoulder.
Bae Hyun-seong and Oh Yu-mi didn't notice Moka in her spiritualized state. They just tilted their heads, sensing some unusual presence. Ryu Hana, on the other hand, stared right at Moka.
It was thanks to her trait, Sword Shrine Maiden (SS). She flinched. The reason was that spirits, born with inherently sharp natures, instinctively wary of Ryu Hana's keen disposition.
Moka, summoned on my shoulder, was no exception. She stared warily at Ryu Hana. If it weren't for me, Moka would have already taken to the skies to put distance between them.
"Moka. Scout. Fly high into the sky."
Moka spread her wings and soared into the air. Since scouting was the goal, there was no need to materialize. Sharing vision through Spirit Eye (S), I scanned the surroundings and pointed to the right with my finger.
"Three Brown Orcs 400 meters away. And two more 200 meters beyond them."
"Whew. Figuring out monster positions just one minute into the dungeon? For real?"
Bae Hyun-seong whistled as he spoke. He had a heavy-looking face, but his personality was surprisingly lighthearted.
We grabbed our gear and ran toward the spot I indicated.
Brown Orc.
Orcs with brown skin, as the name suggested. No difference from regular orcs except the skin color. For reference, orcs were stronger than goblins.
Three Brown Orcs would require tactics for examinee-level fighters. But none of us seemed worried about the battle.
'Top-class among examinees, so they have confidence in taking down a Brown Orc one-on-one.'
The three Brown Orcs were sitting around a campfire, blankly warming themselves.
"I'll go first!"
Bae Hyun-seong raised his sword in one hand and round shield in the other, yelling to draw the Brown Orcs' attention.
"Uwaaaah! You pigs! Big bro's here!"
"Kwek! Kwek!"
The orcs grabbed crude stone axes. Don't underestimate them just because the weapons were shoddy. An orc's real weapon was their inhumanly tough body.
Bae Hyun-seong, charging fearlessly at the orcs, had skill matching his confidence. But only in defense.
"Nice one, Hyun-seong!"
From the rear, Oh Yu-mi safely chanted her spell. She summoned five sharply honed energy bolts and launched them. The three Brown Orcs hit by the energy bolts died squealing like pigs getting slaughtered.
Ryu Hana and I didn't even need to step in.
'Top-class examinees, alright. Better than I thought.'
We quickly cleared the area and looted the Brown Orcs before moving on.
I slipped my hands into my pockets and leisurely followed the team. Perfect scouting alone made me pull my weight.
The one growing anxious from Bae Hyun-seong and Oh Yu-mi's exploits was Ryu Hana. The only one in the team without a chance to shine. Their pattern—drawing aggro with Hyun-seong and finishing with Yu-mi's energy bolt magic—was flawless, leaving no room for her to jump in.
Watching Bae Hyun-seong and Oh Yu-mi brought a scene from the original story to mind.
Some extra evaluating the 37th class students of Maruhan Academy.
The golden generation.
The intake with the most geniuses in Maruhan Academy's history.
"Yu-mi. Not tired? Can you cast more spells?"
Ryu Hana asked Oh Yu-mi, hiding her emotions.
"Huh? I'm fine. I suck at advanced spells, but I've got mana to spare. Five more times, no problem."
Already 30 minutes in. Five more during the remaining time would suffice.
"...Hyun-seong. Stamina okay?"
"Compared to bro's training? This is nothing. I can hold out another hour easy."
Bae Hyun-seong replied confidently. Ryu Hana quietly backed off. She knew forcing her way in would disrupt the efficient teamwork, cause team discord, and deduct points from the proctors.
'The proctors will give Ryu Hana top marks for doing nothing. No discord caused, and top results overall. But from her perspective, not contributing would make her uneasy.'
'Kuuk. Grip!'
Moka's intent reached my mind. She'd found the boss monster.
Brown Orc Lord.
Actually a hero pretending to be the boss. Only a few in the academy knew this.
"Found the boss. See that building? Brown Orc Lord's on the rooftop. Wasn't there earlier, but now it's climbed up."
"Orc Lord as briefed. Hmm... Do we really need to fight it? We've done great so far. Bet no other team's matching us. No need to risk it on the boss."
Oh Yu-mi was against it.
"I agree with Yu-mi. The test goal isn't killing the Orc Lord. We're leading the pack."
"I disagree. We found the boss, so we take it down. That's conquering the dungeon."
I sided with Ryu Hana to back her up.
"Ryu Hana's right. We have to handle the boss. That's how we claim true top ranks. You guys know entrance exams happen simultaneously nationwide, right? We might be top here, but no way others like us aren't elsewhere. Settle now, and we'll miss top 50 admission ranking. To boost scores even a bit, we need the boss."
Admission ranking.
That word lit a fire under Bae Hyun-seong and Oh Yu-mi.
"...Yeah. Slacking here might keep us out of top 50. Hell, top 100 could be dicey."
"...Admission ranking. Forgot about that. Taking down the boss guarantees top 50, right?"
Maruhan Academy gave more perks for higher admission rankings. One was scholarships for top 100—scaling up to 100 million won for first place, 90 million for second.
"So, boss hunt it is?"
Bae Hyun-seong and Oh Yu-mi glanced at Ryu Hana before nodding. They figured with her, an Orc Lord was easy.
They were right. If it were a normal Orc Lord.
???
We reached the rooftop where the Orc Lord waited. About 15 minutes left in the test. Plenty of time.
'...Oh? Couldn't tell from afar, but up close, I can see through the magic with my eyes.'
Seeing the Orc Lord with my own eyes surprised me a bit. I'd assumed it was some proctor like Hong Ji-wook, but it was an unexpected figure.
Kang Ji-young.
The S-rank hero and Maruhan Academy's dean, masquerading as the Orc Lord.
'Kang Ji-young stepping in personally? That's unexpected. What's her goal? Sung Ha-ri ask a favor? Nah, not her type... Ryu Hana maybe?'
I didn't know why. Knowing wouldn't change things.
"You damn pig bastard!!!"
Bae Hyun-seong roared and charged the Orc Lord. Curious how he'd react knowing it was Kang Ji-young. The Orc Lord moved. Pretending to aggro on Hyun-seong, it swung a massive stone axe at him.
'Without Spirit Eye and original knowledge, even I'd buy it as a real Orc Lord.'
Mana flow from behind. Oh Yu-mi.
"Good job, Hyun-seong. Even an Orc Lord can't block this! Energy Bolt!"
Ten head-sized energy bolts formed and flew at the Orc Lord. Hyun-seong deftly retreated. All ten hit. But the Orc Lord was unscathed. Pushed back three steps, that was it.
"N-No way. Even an Orc Lord shouldn't shrug off... This can't be! We gotta run!"
Oh Yu-mi's mentality cracked. Her all-out attack blocked? Natural.
'Even the three steps was acting.'
I reached out and grabbed Oh Yu-mi's shoulder. She looked at me.
"Calm down. Too late to run. Besides, we've got Ryu Hana."
Ryu Hana was already attacking the Orc Lord. She whirled her dual swords in her hands dazzlingly. Her twin-sword style was like a dance.
'Illusion sword type? Fast and sharp.'
That was it.
Ryu Hana's swordsmanship lacked something. Gaps showed between strikes. If I fought her, I could win in 30 seconds.
The Orc Lord kicked Bae Hyun-seong. His shield shattered, and he flew back.
"Kuhk!"
I caught the flying Hyun-seong and laid him down. Passed out. No internal injuries.
"Th-The fight's too fast. Can't support with magic like this...!"
Oh Yu-mi bit her lip. Unlike Hyun-seong tanking, Ryu Hana and the Orc Lord darted around.
"I'll handle it."
Perfect chance to show my skills to Kang Ji-young and Ryu Hana.
I focused on the fight. Ryu Hana baited a counter. The Orc Lord obliged. But the counter was blocked. Pure strength gap. Ryu Hana blasted mana to create distance before the riposte.
'Perfect timing. Moka! Lightning!'
A bolt struck down.
The Orc Lord staggered. Or pretended to.
'Barely any effect. How strong is Kang Ji-young?'
S-rank hero stats, as expected.
'Endurance S+... No wonder Moka's lightning bounced off.'
The Orc Lord eyed me. Its gaze said: Stop standing there and come at me.
'Ryu Hana's hitting her limit. Time to step in.'
I picked up Bae Hyun-seong's single-hand sword from the ground. Basic association gear, decently balanced.
I charged straight ahead honestly.
As distance closed instantly, the Orc Lord reacted. It blocked Ryu Hana's attack with its axe, then swung a fist at me.
'Moment.'
I ducked the fist, slipped inside, and slashed. The blade cut across the Orc Lord's waist. Red blood sprayed. Of course, magic. Really just nicked Kang Ji-young's clothes. No sword aura, so no wound on her abs.
'Ooh. Rock-hard abs. Moment!'
I grabbed her voluptuous chest, impossible to hide even under black makeup, squeezing hard with my hand.
"......!!"
Kang Ji-young's eyes widened. Her foot slammed my stomach. Beyond my perception, couldn't dodge.
I flew back, rolling on the ground a few times before standing. She pulled the kick at the last second—otherwise, I'd be down.
'Ugh. That breast feel was killer.'
Ryu Hana aimed for the Orc Lord's back. It offered its left arm, grabbing and throwing her leg.
"Tch."
I rushed and caught Ryu Hana by the back. Sweaty face as she landed in my arms. Breathing ragged.
"Ryu Hana. You okay?"
"...Fine. Put me down."
"Ryu Hana. Let's retreat. Can't beat it. You landed a hit, but you're exhausted."
"No. There's a chance. Orc Lord's left arm is out."
Before I could stop her, Ryu Hana charged again.
'Charging like a wild boar. Well, she's still a rookie.'
Kang Ji-young's final opening vanished pointlessly.
Thud!
Ryu Hana took a fist to the gut and flew back. If she'd passed out, great—we could've fled with her and Hyun-seong. But she rose, using her sword as a cane to steady her trembling body.
"Ryu Hana! It's over! Let's go back!"
"...I can do it. I can do it. I can do it."
Ryu Hana muttered. Cool battle spirit? Nah, her eyes were unfocused. She was at her limit. That mutter was obsession, not will.
'Similar event in the original. Time to push her like the original player.'
Didn't expect it this soon.
I raised my right hand and slapped Ryu Hana.
Slap!
Ryu Hana crumpled to the ground, looking up at me with shaky eyes. Blood trickled from her nose.
'Damn. Hit too hard.'
Hiding my fluster, I recited an original player's dialogue choice verbatim.
"Ryu Hana! Snap out of it! This isn't you!"
"......"
Things had gone sideways.