Because I Hate Getting Hurt, Part 3
Spellcaster Seo Ji-woo arrived at the waiting room.
It was a vacant space with nothing but rows of chairs. She had torn her escape card and ended up here, but there was no one else in sight.
"Spellcaster number 131, Seo Ji-woo. Please take a seat."
PD Kim A-rang spoke from the front.
This meant she was the first-place spellcaster to finish.
Grinning, Seo Ji-woo sat down in the very front row. She let out a massive yawn as she waited.
About five minutes later, the runner-up appeared.
"Spellcaster number 130, Ryu Yeon-hwa. Please take a seat."
Ryu Yeon-hwa. She looked like she had dyed her hair white, but surprisingly, she was a natural white-haired girl.
Since they were under the same agency, Ji-woo had expected this to some extent.
"Ooh. Look who made it back early."
As Seo Ji-woo smirked playfully, Ryu Yeon-hwa's expression stiffened.
She sat down one seat away from Seo Ji-woo.
The third to arrive, taking third place, was Ji Un-yul. A promising spellcaster from Thermion.
"Oh! Ji-woo! I knew you'd be first!"
This guy was always trying to act close, which was incredibly annoying.
"Sure."
"I knew it. When I couldn't find you—"
"Right."
"Not even thirty minutes—"
"Uh-huh."
Fourth was Ryu Wei, fifth was Ichiko, sixth was Yun Hwa-rim... and so on, until the tenth spot.
Out came that dog-furred broom-head.
The half-madman who had claimed she was only half-right.
Thump. Thump.
Seol Ha-woon limped over, leaning on his cane, and took a seat.
"Ahem!"
Seo Ji-woo crossed her arms. She glared at him with disgruntled eyes, but there was no need to pay him any mind.
No, paying attention to him meant losing. I'm a promising spellcaster with a bright future, and he's just some nobody independent trainee.
"...Alright. Time's up."
PD Kim A-rang clapped her hands exactly three hours later.
Only about fifty spellcasters remained in the waiting room. The rest were naturally eliminated.
"Now, let's move to the next location~"
PD Kim A-rang gestured for them to follow.
The spellcasters followed her to a long, track-like space.
It was about fifty meters wide and maybe a kilometer long. The far end was barely visible.
"What is this place?"
There were numerous obstacles scattered across the track: human mannequins, monster mannequins, abandoned cars, sets designed to look like collapsing buildings, archery targets, and more.
"As you can see, it's quite chaotic, isn't it? This set crams in every possible scenario where you might operate as a spellcaster. You may use any spell formula to demonstrate your abilities. The starting point is right here."
Kim A-rang tapped her foot on a line drawn on the floor.
"You must not cross this line."
As such, spellcasters fundamentally operated from a distance. Their coverage was wider than any other class.
After all, the role of a pure spellcaster was to overlook the battlefield from afar, hindering enemies or supporting allies.
"Now, is there anyone who would like to go first?"
"Me~"
Seo Ji-woo raised her hand first and stepped up to the starting line.
"Yes. Spellcaster number 131, Seo Ji-woo."
"I'll start right away."
She immediately snapped her fingers. With a sharp snap, a long, thin thread manifested. It stretched across the track, reaching a child mannequin that was being attacked by a monster mannequin.
The distance was exactly three hundred meters.
"Hup!"
Seo Ji-woo yanked the thread. In the blink of an eye, the child mannequin was pulled right into her arms.
"Threads. What do you think?"
Seo Ji-woo looked at PD Kim A-rang, who raised an eyebrow.
"Excellent. Next."
"I'll go."
A leather jacket stepped up right next to Seo Ji-woo.
Ryu Yeon-hwa.
She stared ahead with heavy, focused eyes.
Sssss... Mana coalesced beneath the track, and then—rumble! The ground erupted, swallowing the monster mannequin whole.
The distance was around one hundred meters.
"An offensive spellcaster. Good. Next."
"I'll go next!"
Ji Un-yul, Ryu Wei, and others followed in turn.
While the spellcasters were showing off their respective spell formulas,
"Aren't you leaving?"
Ryu Yeon-hwa suddenly asked Seo Ji-woo. Even though Seo Ji-woo had finished first, she was still standing there with her arms crossed.
Ji-woo tilted her head and shot back,
"What's it to you?"
"I thought you went first so you could leave early... Never mind. Do whatever you want. I'm leaving."
"You're the one who talked to me first. Don't you even analyze your competition?"
At Seo Ji-woo's words, Ryu Yeon-hwa's lips twitched slightly.
"At my level, there are no spellcasters left who require analysis."
It was a reasonably accurate assessment, but Seo Ji-woo still had someone she wanted to watch.
"Sure, sure. Off you go. Bye. Shoo."
She waved her hand as if shooing away a fly.
"..."
Instead of leaving, Ryu Yeon-hwa stood perfectly still. She even crossed her arms as if she had no intention of going anywhere.
Seo Ji-woo let out a dry laugh.
This ridiculous girl always tries to rival me and copy whatever I do. She looks perfectly normal, but she must think everything I do is cool.
"Next. Please step up."
It was then.
"I'll do it."
The broom-head stepped forward.
It wasn't that she had been waiting for him... she was just curious to see how good he actually was.
His name was Seol Ha-woon, if she recalled correctly. He stood at the starting line and closed his eyes.
"Whew..."
He took a deep breath, putting on quite a show.
"Who warms up their mana like that?"
Seo Ji-woo muttered in amusement, and Ryu Yeon-hwa snorted, but Seol Ha-woon was seriously channeling his mana.
He was preparing his own Cognitive Image.
The shape of mana.
He had pondered this at first.
What ability to showcase, and how. What kind of image to project.
Then, the old man David's words came back to him like an answer.
—The shape of your mana depends on how concretely you can visualize it. It'll be easier if you focus on objects you're familiar with.
Therefore, the landscape that the current 'me' could visualize most concretely,
the mental image that filled his very being, was...
A battlefield.
"..."
He quietly opened his eyes. Suddenly, he felt an illusion as if his surroundings had shifted. The surface of the track turned pitch black, and the scent of blood, gunpowder, and mana wafted through the air.
A barren black desert.
And a single target visible in the far distance.
He reached his hand forward.
He folded his middle, ring, and pinky fingers.
He aimed with his index finger and raised his thumb.
Then, he pulled back his thumb like a hammer.
Click.
The actual sound of mana clicking in his palm.
"...Aim."
A murmur that was likely an incantation.
"Fire."
In that split second, the spell formula was completed at the tip of his index finger.
Bang—!
A bullet-shaped mass of mana erupted. The projectile, scattering blue fragments as it flew, struck the target at the very end of the track, a kilometer away.
A perfect ten.
An X-ring.
"Hmm?"
Ryu Yeon-hwa's eyes widened slightly.
Seo Ji-woo stared blankly before letting out a dry chuckle.
"...Huh. A finger gun. They said he was a soldier."
"A soldier? There was a soldier here?"
Ryu Yeon-hwa seemed entirely clueless, but Seo Ji-woo had done quite a bit of research on the participants.
That was the reason she had approached Seol Ha-woon in the first place. The mere fact that he was a soldier had piqued her curiosity.
"Good. Next."
Kim A-rang looked at Seol Ha-woon with a mysterious smile. Seo Ji-woo's eyes also followed him as he limped away.
"If twenty-four people pass this round... he's definitely passing."
In Labyrinth Exploration NaN, exactly twenty-four people from each of the four classes would pass.
That was why clueless warriors and archers whined about spellcasters having an unfair advantage, but hey, if they didn't like it, they should have chosen to be spellcasters.
"Does he bother you?"
Ryu Yeon-hwa asked.
"A little. But not as much as you're bothered by me."
"...You really are delusional. I'm not bothered by you, I'm just—"
"Yes, yes. I get it. Please shut up."
"..."
"Alright, everyone. Those who are finished may head home. The in-depth interviews are tomorrow."
Kim A-rang glanced at the two of them. She was probably telling them they were being too loud.
"Well~"
Seol Ha-woon had already slipped away, and the remaining spellcasters were truly nothing special.
"I'm leaving."
Seo Ji-woo spun around and left the set.
"Suit yourself."
Ryu Yeon-hwa, on the other hand, remained in her spot until all the other spellcasters had finished.
It was all thanks to Seo Ji-woo's advice to "analyze the competition."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The next day's in-depth interview was simple.
A lie detector test.
"Please step inside here."
A doctor in a white lab coat pointed toward a capsule.
"Understood."
I sat inside. Suction-cup-like pads attached themselves to my head, arteries, and chest.
"It's simple. I will ask you a few questions. Just answer them honestly."
The doctor said. Beyond the glass window behind him sat PD Kim A-rang and a writer.
"Is your name Seol Ha-woon?"
"Yes."
"Are you twenty-seven years old?"
"Yes."
Simple questions like that continued for a while, until...
"Have you ever assaulted someone in the past?"
"Yes."
"...Excuse me?"
The doctor looked up, startled. I quickly explained.
"I was a soldier."
"Ah."
The doctor glanced over to gauge PD Kim A-rang's reaction. Kim A-rang simply gestured for him to keep going.
"...Have you ever intentionally caused harm to another person in the past?"
"Yes."
"..."
He paused for a moment and stared at the lie detector. It was probably registering as absolute truth.
Tilting his head, the doctor continued.
"Th-then, have you ever caused severe financial or physical damage to someone else in the past?"
"Yes."
"...Excuse me, PD Kim? I think we need to phrase these questions a bit differently for this person—"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"During your school years, including elementary, middle, and high school, did you ever bully or ostracize anyone?"
"No."
The questions became highly specific.
"Have you ever committed an illegal crime that violated your status as a soldier?"
"No."
The lie detector test was meant to preempt any potential controversies.
But in reality, this test was practically useless.
"Did you fulfill your duties and calling to the best of your ability?"
"Yes."
It rarely worked on truly evil people—like psychopaths who showed zero emotional fluctuation. In fact, there was bound to be that kind of trash among this season's participants.
"Alright. We're done."
"Thank you."
I peeled the suction cups off my body.
PD Kim A-rang, who had been watching the entire time, spoke up.
"Mr. Seol Ha-woon, good work. The results of the third preliminary round will be announced later."
"...Yes, ma'am. Understood."
And with that, the third preliminary round came to an end.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I didn't go home; instead, I headed back to the magic bookstore.
I felt like I had done well in the preliminaries, but the old bookstore owner was the only person I could brag to.
"So you basically passed?"
David, the owner, asked.
"Probably."
"Ooh~"
His massive lips and muscles twitched in amusement.
"Are you sure?"
"It's not 100% certain yet, but—"
Public Recognition Level Up!
Public Recognition Grade: 4
An additional 30 days have been added to the trial period.
Karma: A grade-up gift has been granted!
🎁 [Mysterious Skin Care Set]
The system window had popped up just now. It was a notification that practically guaranteed my passing.
I smiled.
"...I'm sure. I passed."
"What? Look at you go, kid. So, what did you do to pass?"
"A finger gun."
The idea had just popped into my head from old movies and manga I'd seen, and most of all, my memories of the military. I'd tried it on an impulse.
But it had worked out incredibly well.
"A finger gun?"
"Yes. I hit a target a kilometer away."
"Really? Let's see it then."
Old man David smirked. I blinked.
"You want me to do it? In here?"
"Yeah."
"There's no target."
"Shoot me."
"...Excuse me?"
It was a rather baffling request.
"Have you lost your mind?"
"Ha! Listen to this brat. Do you really think a spell cast by a greenhorn like you could even scratch my skin?"
"Well... I mean, I can try, but..."
My finger gun was probably powerful enough to easily knock out an ordinary person. If I hit a vital spot, it could even kill.
"Then do it, kid. Right here."
Old man David pointed to his abdomen. It certainly looked as solid as a steel plate.
"...I'm really going to shoot."
"Go ahead. Give it your best shot."
I raised my hand, formed the finger gun, and fired.
*Bang—!*
The mana definitely struck his stomach. But it dissipated instantly, and the old man didn't even flinch.
"What the..."
"Hmm. Not bad."
The old man muttered, rubbing his belly.
"Are you a self-reinforcement type, boss?"
"Yeah."
A self-reinforcement type was, simply put, someone who practiced 'mana training.'
Instead of using mana for Cognitive Images or complex spell formulas, they absorbed it in its pure form to enhance their physical and athletic capabilities.
In other words, while spellcasters followed the refinement process of *mana → Cognitive Image → spell formula*, reinforcement types pursued *mana → physical embodiment*.
Usually, 'Warriors' and 'Martial Artists' fell into this category.
"Yeah. But that spell of yours is pretty neat. How many shots can you fire?"
"I don't know. Maybe seven?"
"Hmm. The capacity is too low. And it's too loud. Try working on reducing the noise first."
"Yes. I should do that."
"Good. Now get lost."
"...Wait, what? Whoa—"
Old man David grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and tossed me out the back door of the bookstore.
"It was too loud, you idiot. It sounded exactly like a real gunshot. I think someone called the cops."
*Weee-wooo— Weee-wooo—*
The faint sound of sirens echoed in the distance.
"Ah. Right. Well, I'll be off then. See you next time."
"Yeah. Take care."
I stepped out through the back door.