Episode 11: Rebellion of the students held back
Episode 11: Rebellion of the students held back
Yoo Ara moved forward without hesitation.
To be precise, with the tanker, Lee Hye-ri, in the lead.
Jang Won-hoo was nothing more than dead weight to the party.
Because Yoo Ara finished everything before he could even step up.
'The most dangerous event in the simulation is rescuing civilians. It'll be trickier than you think. But there is a way to cut down the time....'
'I don't know if illusion-type monsters will appear, but if there's no healer in the team, use psychokinesis to create a strong wind....'
It was almost omnipotent.
She even easily solved magic traps that the close-quarters dealer, Jang Won-hoo, and the spear-wielding tanker, Lee Hye-ri, couldn't approach, all thanks to psychokinesis.
It was all thanks to Kim Si-woo's advice.
In the first place, the standard procedure for magic traps in freshman simulations was avoidance rather than breakthrough.
But Yoo Ara quickly broke through the magic traps with Kim Si-woo's advice and the power of her psychokinesis.
It was to shorten the clear time.
Yoo Ara's goal was solely 1st place in the monthly evaluation.
1st place was the only answer to win the bet against Kim Si-woo.
So the decision she made was a solo breakthrough.
If it were bonus points for solving the magic traps, it would give enough points to her team, as well as herself.
Of course, even she herself didn't know that Yoo Ara, the eternal bottom-ranker and repeater, would break through this quickly.
"Crazy bitch, where the hell did she get that kind of power...."
Even Jang Won-hoo, who had been mocking her, muttered in a surprised voice from behind.
"What is that?"
"She passed through there?"
"Hey! We need to speed up too! We're going to lose 1st place at this rate!"
Urgent voices were heard.
Other teams that saw the solo breakthrough of the team Yoo Ara belonged to moved busily.
Hearing the voices of the other team cadets fading away, Yoo Ara felt an inexplicable sense of euphoria.
Is this what 1st place feels like?
'It's good, isn't it?'
It was a sensation she didn't want to let go of.
She felt good. Really good.
And now, the end of the monthly evaluation was almost approaching.
Graaaaaah!
An Ogre with massive muscles blocked their path.
The Ogre, called the most difficult trial in the monthly evaluation.
This Ogre, which was no different from a dungeon boss monster, was the very barrier where novice cadets collapsed the most.
A massive existence with no visible weaknesses.
Even though it was a simulation, Yoo Ara was momentarily intimidated by the vivid sensation that didn't look like an illusion at all.
'It's okay. I'm used to this.'
This is already the dozens of times.
Now, she had adapted to the simulation's monsters.
Still.
Kwa-ang!
"Tsk!"
Though she couldn't help but instinctively flinch every time the guy's fist slammed into the ground.
Having shaken off the primal fear, Yoo Ara recalled Kim Si-woo's words.
'For someone like you who uses psychokinesis, an Ogre is a very easy monster. Their neck is their weakness. You just need the strength to twist it. If you distract it with a tanker and concentrate your power....'
Yoo Ara looked at the tanker, Lee Hye-ri.
"Tanker! What are you doing! Hurry up and pull the Ogre's aggro!"
However, Lee Hye-ri, who took on the tanker position, didn't seem to be able to pull aggro properly.
"Wait a second."
"You idiot! How long are you going to take!"
Yoo Ara's fierce personality came out just like that.
It was an urgent battlefield.
1st place. If she didn't get 1st place in the monthly evaluation, getting 1st place in the 1st regular exam would be useless.
So she was in a hurry. She was so anxious.
Because if time was wasted here, 1st place would vanish like bubbles.
Yoo Ara wanted to pour out profanity right away, but.
"Tsk!"
Seeing Lee Hye-ri struggling, it was like looking at herself last year, so she couldn't bring herself to open her mouth.
"Stupid bitches."
The moment the Ogre's aggro shifted to Yoo Ara, Jang Won-hoo passed them by.
"Have fun struggling. Thanks to you, I'm going to coast."
"That son of a bitch!"
Yoo Ara gritted her teeth, watching Jang Won-hoo's retreating back.
"If you're going to act like that, cut off your dick and leave. You son of a bitch!"
Even after pouring out the profanity, she didn't feel refreshed.
It wasn't a system where points were shared just because they were on the same team.
She had expected betrayal like this, but of all times, at the most difficult moment.
"Tanker, hurry!"
"Got it."
Lee Hye-ri, who had managed to pull aggro with difficulty.
She used a provocation skill to draw the Ogre's attention.
The Ogre's head turned toward Lee Hye-ri.
Only then did Yoo Ara use her psychokinesis to twist the Ogre's neck.
Just as Kim Si-woo said, by concentrating power on the enemy's neck area and twisting, she could twist the guy's neck quite easily.
Crack!
Thud!
The Ogre's massive body collapsed just like that.
'You'll be able to use this in actual combat too. However, the Ogre in the simulation only has 60% of the strength of a real Ogre, so don't be overconfident in your strength.'
There was no time to get sentimental.
To get 1st place, she had to be the first to pass the destination.
Jang Won-hoo, who betrayed them and passed through first.
Now, there wasn't much left to the finish line.
Since the guy was an agility-type close-quarters dealer character, he must have judged that he could break through alone.
Damn it.
She hated the idea of losing 1st place to that arrogant bastard more than death.
But what should she do?
They had already reached right in front of the destination thanks to Kim Si-woo's super-sweet crash course.
The gates ahead weren't that difficult.
It would be difficult to catch up to Jang Won-hoo's speed.
"We're probably the only team that reached here at this speed."
Just when she was racking her brain, Lee Hye-ri said.
"I know. I know better than anyone."
"Then let's go quickly."
"Because I'm thinking of a way to get there before Jang Won-hoo...."
"You're aiming for 1st place, right? You want to show that you're different."
At Lee Hye-ri's words that hit the nail on the head, Yoo Ara nodded.
"I have a way."
"You have a way?"
"Yeah. I'm going to carry you on my back and run."
"Carry me on your back and run?"
"Yeah."
Yoo Ara looked at Lee Hye-ri in front of her.
A slender body and drooping eyes.
Unlike the commonly referred to tankers, her body wasn't equipped with thick iron armor, nor was she holding a large shield.
All Lee Hye-ri had on her body was leather armor, and in her hand, a 2-meter polearm that far exceeded her height.
She had items more suited for a close-quarters dealer than a tanker.
"Will it be possible? With that body, there's no way...."
"I can do it. So hurry up and get on my back."
"......."
There was no other way.
"Okay."
Yoo Ara got on Lee Hye-ri's back.
"I'm going to run, so hold on tight."
"Okay...."
In an instant, Yoo Ara felt the surrounding background disappear in a flash.
A speed so fast that it was hard to breathe.
'This girl, what is she?'
Yoo Ara looked at Lee Hye-ri, who was running calmly, with a surprised face.
Wasn't she a tanker?
Tankers are usually known for being slow because they have skills to reliably block enemy attacks from the front and provoke enemies.
What is this.
'She's no different from an agility-type dealer?'
At that moment.
"Y-you guys, what are you?"
Lee Hye-ri, carrying Yoo Ara, brushed past Jang Won-hoo.
There was no one who could stop them after they passed Jang Won-hoo, who had been the sole leader.
Beep!
[1st Place: Class 23-D Team 33, Yoo Ara]
[2nd Place: Class 23-D Team 33, Lee Hye-ri]
[Class 23-D Team 33, Jang Won-hoo Eliminated - Reason: Betrayal and Lack of Performance]
That was how the monthly evaluation ended.
"How is it?"
"1st place in the monthly evaluation, huh...."
She really did it.
Honestly, I didn't think she would really manage to get 1st place.
Even if she had S-rank potential and traits, the monthly evaluation is a team-work game.
I thought it would have been difficult for Yoo Ara alone.
'It would have been hard to solve all those missions with just psychokinesis.'
Was there a decent team member?
"First of all, congratulations on 1st place. But you know there's still the regular exam next week, right?"
"Of course! But I'll be able to get 1st place there too."
"You seem confident."
"Of course. I've gained a capable colleague."
A colleague, huh.
"You wouldn't say this isn't allowed, right?"
"It doesn't matter. Recruiting colleagues with one's own ability is also a hunter's ability."
"Great! You definitely said it! That if I get 1st place, you'd give me a prize!"
"Yeah. I'll give you anything."
She had become somewhat overconfident because of the monthly evaluation results, but it didn't matter.
'Because the more your skills improve, the more they will pay attention to me, who raised you.'
I watched her growth with slightly subversive thoughts.
"Professor Park, have you seen the monthly evaluation results?"
Park Ji-yoon, who was in charge of the class of '23's monthly evaluation, nodded at the words of Professor Choi, who was full of beard.
"Yes, I have checked."
"It's surprising. To think the 1st place in the monthly evaluation is a repeater."
"Indeed."
"If I hadn't watched the video, I would have suspected that Professor Park had designed the test incorrectly. Hahaha."
Park Ji-yoon sighed at Professor Choi's words.
Asshole.
Whether he had spent decades researching how to get under people's skin, he was a professor with a knack for making people feel dirty with just one word.
He was a professor who had mastered 'Understanding Close Quarters Combat', a major that close-quarters dealers, especially strength-based close-quarters dealers who can also serve as tankers, must take, so he was one of the most capable people in the academy.
'He's a professor who would be respected if he just didn't pick fights.'
Park Ji-yoon swallowed her sigh and smiled.
"Indeed."
"Have you checked on the undergraduate student named Yoo Ara?"
"I am checking. She has achieved faster development than I thought. She recorded 1st place with excellent grades in the weekly evaluation a while ago, and this time she recorded 1st place in the monthly evaluation."
"What about her records before that?"
"Most of them were last place. She was a back-liner with a mediocre skill called psychokinesis, but this time, it is recorded that she was active in the mid-line where dealers stand."
"That's fascinating. Is it the ability of the professor in charge?"
Professor Choi looked at Park Ji-yoon.
It was said while looking at her, who is the professor teaching Urban Combat Training and the professor in charge of Class 23-D.
"No. It is purely the student's individual growth."
"Is that so? Hmm, a sudden 1st place....... Any possibility of simulation hacking?"
"None. It has nothing to do with hacking. She just exploited the loopholes in the system well."
"That's surprising. It feels like a skilled teaching assistant taught her, though...."
"Even so, it doesn't make the grades false."
Professor Choi nodded at Park Ji-yoon's words.
"I agree. The department head probably thinks the same. If she shows this kind of performance in the regular exam, she will be a candidate for a full scholarship."
"I suppose so."
"This is why I can't stop teaching cadets. They change day by day, you know? Hahahaha!"
Professor Choi, who was laughing heartily, looked at Lee Hye-ri.
"What about Lee Hye-ri, who took 2nd place?"
"It seems she still hasn't overcome her weaknesses. She was lucky to be on a team with Yoo Ara, so she will pass the 1st exam, but...."
"So you see it as difficult after that."
"Unless she switches to a dealer."
"Then this team is highly likely to be the dark horse in this exam."
"Yes."
The two professors looked at Team 33 of Class 23-D, which Yoo Ara and Lee Hye-ri belong to.
An exceptional ranking caused by bottom-tier students.
That was enough to shake not only these two professors but the entire class of '23.