Regular Exam (2)
Kyaaack! A scream pierced the air. Thud!Rumble! The sound of a building collapsing. “Kihahaha!” A villain’s chilling laughter.
In the simulation perfectly recreating the Chuncheon incident from four years ago, the three cadets at the front gripped their weapons, faces tense with nerves.
“Feels like I can’t breathe.” Baek Han-beom muttered, trying to shake off the tension, but it only made things worse.
“……”
“……”
Not even Yoo Ara or Lee Hye-ri could muster a response.
Lee Hye-ri and Baek Han-beom, who both had some dungeon-clearing experience despite Yoo Ara’s lack of it, were still trembling. A villain’s killing intent was worlds apart from a dungeon monster’s—no matter how realistic the simulation.
“Let’s move in. Priority one: rescue hostages and civilians.” Confirming their objective once more, they pressed forward.
“Save us!” The screaming civilians felt so real that doubts crept in mid-rescue—were these actually people? Even knowing it was a simulation.
Yoo Ara used her telekinesis to free citizens desperately calling from beneath collapsed buildings. To avoid detection by the villains, she minimized her mana output, which took time.
Creak… About five minutes passed. Only after lifting the debris could the trapped civilians emerge.
“Thank you. Thank you.” Baek Han-beom guided the shaking group.
“This way. Stay as quiet as possible.”
“Follow us.”
Five people buried in the rubble. Fortunately, no major injuries—just some bleeding they could treat with their own supplies.
“Now we just escort them to the designated outpost.”
Thud! A loud crash echoed from nearby. Had a villain already appeared? Everyone sharpened their senses as they advanced. Route selection in this chaos was a mark of a solid party.
Baek Han-beom took point, escorting civilians. Lee Hye-ri covered the rear. Yoo Ara stayed inline with the civilians, guarding against potential ranged attacks.
“Good start.” Along the way, they rescued four more trapped in a building and one panicking civilian beside a gas station piled with corpses.
“Ughhh…”
“It’s gruesome.”
“Horrible as it is, if we’re hunters, we’ll see this nonstop. Gotta get used to it.” Yoo Ara fought the urge to squeeze her eyes shut, remembering Kim Siu’s words from villain-training sessions.
—Never close your eyes or look away. This exam isn’t just a simulation. Treat it like a miniature version of the reality you’ll face.
—If you think to flinch from the horror, quit now. The weak-hearted can’t be hunters.
His eyes had looked sad saying that—not just her imagination.
‘Was Teacher there too?’ She wanted to ask someday. Odd to think of him now, but it eased her mind.
—The guy with two daggers and a long scar on his mouth is called Giriven…
—The most annoying is Harold. Not just strong—fast too, tough to handle. He has a weakness, though…
—To beat villains, you gotta get tougher than them. Not evil—just ruthless enough to fool them.
—Never let your guard down against villains.
Muttering his advice under her breath calmed her further.
“Whew.”
“Your face looks better.”
“Does it?”
“Yeah, you looked like death a minute ago. Much improved now.”
“……Guess I’m adapting.”
“Wonder how the other teams are doing?”
“No idea.”
Then—Boom!
“Gaaah!”
Combat sounds nearby, followed by agonized screams. Not from simulation civilians.
“That’s fighting.”
“Villain already this close?”
“Dunno, but…”
“Probably hit a villain trap.” Lee Hye-ri said.
“Heard those crashes earlier. Basically advertised their position.”
“Ah.”
“Bad news for us.”
“Hurry.”
The stench of blood grew closer.
“Everyone, get ready.”
“What—”
“Shit.”
The other two reacted slower. Blood scent and footsteps approached. Yoo Ara ripped a road sign free with telekinesis.
Boom! A massive Japanese sword—no, a nodachi—slammed into the sign. Without it, someone would’ve been out.
No one else had braced.
“Sharp instincts.”
Blood stung her nose. The sign dropped as telekinesis faded, revealing the nodachi-wielding thug.
‘Harold.’ The trickiest villain Kim Siu had named.
A nodachi user infamous for cruelty beyond normal villains, exploiting party bonds with ruthless tactics.
His weaknesses, per Teacher:
‘That bastard limps slightly on his left foot. Hides it with his physique, but timings slip. And another! Crack on the flat of his blade. Tough, but hit it right and you can win.’
Biting her lip, Yoo Ara told Baek Han-beom and Lee Hye-ri.
“It’s Harold of the Nodachi. Dangerous, but limps on left foot. So…”
“Target that?”
“Exactly.”
“You know your stuff.”
“Learned it.”
“Your tutor’s a pro.”
Yoo Ara ignored Lee Hye-ri’s piercing gaze.
“Good. Let’s hold out. If win’s impossible…” Baek Han-beom glanced at the civilians behind. “Might have to ditch them.”
“……”
Ditch civilians? No way.
‘We have to win.’
“Strategy time over?” Harold sneered, advancing.
“No complaints if I kill you now?”
“I’ll take front.” Lee Hye-ri stepped up. Baek Han-beom nodded without hesitation.
“Got it.”
She wasn’t a tank, but he trusted her.
‘Against this type, Hye-ri might be better.’ Speed over brute force.
Harold charged.
“Die!” Ankle strike. Lee Hye-ri couldn’t react in time.
But—Boom!
“You little—?”
Yoo Ara’s telekinesis gathered rubble, blocking Harold’s nodachi.
—First move’s always the ankle. Spot on.
“What’re you waiting for? Move!”
Lee Hye-ri dodged late, targeting Harold’s left leg.
“Huh?”
Harold recoiled in surprise. Baek Han-beom pursued. Yoo Ara slammed a massive tree trunk onto his back.
“Gahk!”
—Hit left foot fast, he always retreats. No other dodge option.
All per Kim Siu. Tension eased. Focusing, she read Harold’s moves—predicting paths.
—Use Hye-ri max. Your attacks might not land on villains. Restrict movement; she and the last teammate finish.
Our teacher’s amazing. She’d realized it before, but this hit harder. Maybe the eerie tension amplified it.
“These brats got tricks!”
Harold swung wildly, ignoring his weaknesses. Unexpected.
“Ngh!”
Baek Han-beom barely blocked with his shield—it crumpled instantly.
—Remember: they don’t fight fair.
Her instincts from endless training kicked in. Predicting again, she formed a mana wall from ambient mana, planting another at his predicted spot.
Dodging Lee Hye-ri sideways, Harold—Thud!
“Fuck!” Blocked again.
“You bitch! You first!”
Bloodshot eyes fixed on Yoo Ara. Lee Hye-ri post-attack, Baek Han-beom staggering—neither could help.
Darkness closed in.
I frowned at the comments. Idiots blabbing without a clue. But chiming in wouldn’t be smart. These wouldn’t reach her anyway.
Because.
‘Show your skills, and public opinion flips in seconds.’
The feed showed D-33 clashing with Harold.
Bang! Yoo Ara’s telekinesis-flung sign blocked the ankle strike on Lee Hye-ri. Only she reacted.
Chat ignored it, rambling on.
Doubters shut up at Yoo Ara’s follow-up. No ignoring her telekinesis shutting down Harold’s every move.
Public opinion shifted. Even A-class elites and prospects couldn’t deny Yoo Ara shining.
Comment wars erupted.
Harold should be targeting Yoo Ara now. Per sim pattern, at the tipping point.
‘Show them your true face.’
Sure enough, Harold lunged at Yoo Ara. As his nodachi aimed for her throat—
Her body vanished. Or seemed to. She dropped low, rolling aside full-force. Metal scraps she’d moved whipped his blade’s flat.
Crack! One embedded. Faster than even she realized.
Baek Han-beom exploited the gap. Nodachi clashed with shield—and shattered.
Clang!
Disarmed, Harold had no chance. The trio took down the toughest villain.
“As expected.”
Proud. Tutoring paid off. She remembered everything I taught.
“Time for praise.”
Strength, Mana, Intelligence, Stamina, Agility temporarily grow by 2 stages each.
Duration: 1 hour 22 minutes
Seeing her extra buff, I was certain of her first place.
“How to praise her, though.” No need to say promote her. Her performance proved it. Word that I taught her would spread naturally.
‘Through Lee Hye-ri.’ I’d secretly watched Yoo Ara’s lessons—and the girl teamed with her.
