Predator (5)
Inside the mobile barracks set up at the entrance to the basin, several professors sat around a table. They were chatting about this and that to pass the time. Although they had been dispatched to lead and supervise the students, there was no need to stay on high alert every single moment. After all, the principle of non-interference applied to anything that happened inside the basin, and even if a minor accident occurred, the students' parents wouldn't bat an eye. What they prepared for was only an emergency situation.
"So, Professor Mun, who do you think will take first place?"
Kwon Chan-yeol, with his slovenly appearance and ponytail, turned his head and asked. In response, a woman with an elegant, short-haired look covered her mouth and laughed lightly.
"Hehe, what kind of insight would I have... Still, if I had to pick... Seungheon seems quite..."
"Puhuhu, are you already showing favoritism because he's your future nephew-in-law? The other students might feel a bit slighted if they heard that."
Professor Kwon smirked. She was from a prestigious family and also the aunt of the freshman Mun Yeoul. It made sense that she would have a soft spot for her niece's fiancé, Ryu Seungheon.
"Ryu Seungheon is certainly a talented individual. However, from what I've seen, Woojin or Yeseo seem to have higher chances."
"Ah, those kids are incredibly skilled too. Really, how did so many prodigies appear in consecutive years?"
At the words of No Jong-ha, the arrogant, mustached professor sitting across from them, Mun Seon-gyeong nodded in agreement. Kwon Chan-yeol didn't particularly like him. Professor No was notorious for subtly discriminating against students from less prestigious backgrounds. The fact that he maintained a precarious line just within legal bounds made him even more despicable.
"...Alright then, what about our Professor Shin?"
Professor Kwon turned to the healthy-looking woman beside him. Shin Jae-yu, the professor of physical training and magical combat, was dressed in light athletic wear as usual. After a moment of thought, she finally spoke.
"Hmm... I think Yu Jin-hyeon has a good chance too... Actually, I feel like he might have the highest probability..."
At Shin Jae-yu's words, No Jong-ha across from her showed clear displeasure.
"...Professor Shin, it seems you still need to develop your eye for people. From what I've seen, that guy is..."
"..."
Due to the difference in seniority, she couldn't openly challenge him, but Professor Shin pouted slightly, making no effort to hide her discomfort.
The genius expected to finally master the Black Flame, the long-cherished ambition of his family. Jin Yeseo of the White Light Jin family. Ryu Seungheon, heir to the Okgye Ryu family, whose clan supplied the Cradle with standard particle array devices and various equipment. His personal skills were outstanding as well. And Choi Woojin of the Seongsan Choi family, from a prestigious lineage of circulation reinforcement magic, who—as a mere freshman—had already maintained an undefeated record in dozens of unofficial duels against mostly upperclassmen.
This year's Cradle freshmen were unusually packed with exceptional talent and backgrounds. The students whose names had just come up were prime examples. Though they didn't quite match the overwhelming skill and charisma of the two from last year, considering the recent turmoil, their arrival was nothing short of a blessing.
But among them, the one who stood out as particularly anomalous was Yu Jin-hyeon.
The fact that he had received a recommendation from the Black Lotus Sa family after eighteen years had been quite the topic of conversation among the students. Yet now, he was treated with a rather ambiguous attitude. His unique appearance—always wearing a mask—his unsociable and solitary personality were cited as reasons, but the most prominent rumor was that he had openly clashed with Baek Seoyeon, the Cradle's most popular figure.
And Professor No Jong-ha was widely rumored to receive support from the Heavenly Baek family, who had poor relations with the Sa family. It was only natural that he wouldn't think highly of Yu Jin-hyeon.
"His theoretical grades are average, and his internal particle count barely exceeds 3,000 rubins... At least he's decent in physical combat."
Professor No said, flipping through Yu Jin-hyeon's academic records.
"This guy supposedly reached the fifth stage of the Predictive Eye? No matter how you look at it, the credibility seems questionable, doesn't it? I think we should request another evaluation..."
"Professor No. Please watch your words. You know very well that the Cradle cannot interfere with the unique magics of each family. What we teach is only publicly available general magic. Counseling is just counseling..."
"Who doesn't know that? I'm just saying it because inflating achievements could create a sense of disparity among the students. The truth is, I really don't like having someone like him in the Cradle..."
"That's going too far...!"
"Enough, enough!"
Just as Shin Jae-yu was about to flare up, another person who had been silently sipping tea at the head of the table could no longer stand it and intervened. It was Professor Song Dae-won, who wore a well-fitted suit and a monocle over one eye.
"What kind of disgraceful behavior is this from professors who are supposed to be role models for the students! Aren't you ashamed?"
Once the most senior person present stepped in, the situation was quickly settled. Instead of a harmonious atmosphere, a chilly silence filled the room.
"Um, but... is this really okay? No matter how much the Supreme Council requested it... the first test being practical training in a place like this..."
Mun Seon-gyeong brought up a different topic to change the mood.
"It'll be fine. We have complete control over the northern sector, don't we? Besides, the dangerous species were driven deep into the basin a long time ago."
"That's right. And we confirmed just recently that the 'Antenna Snake' has entered hibernation. If not for that observation, Lady Hae Wolhwa probably wouldn't have given permission either."
Professor Kwon, who had caught onto the intent, smoothly picked up from Professor Song Dae-won.
The Antenna Snake was a specially designated high-threat monster species inhabiting the Celestial Basin, with a territory so vast it easily covered more than half the basin. Because of its danger, it had been given a separate identification name and was under constant tracking and observation. If it had been in its active phase, the freshmen test wouldn't have been held. But right now, the Antenna Snake had voluntarily entered hibernation deep within the basin. Researchers believed it was an attempt to alleviate the overload caused by the massive amount of particles residing in its body.
"Once a high-ranking monster enters hibernation, it becomes extremely insensitive to external stimuli. Unless an interference of extremely powerful wavelength occurs nearby, there's no chance it would wake up at this point."
High-ranking monsters had even greater sensitivity to particles than mages. Their wells were several times larger, and naturally, their internal particle counts were incomparably higher. To wake such a monster from hibernation, one would need to deliver a stimulus far exceeding that threshold in a single blow—something that was practically impossible for humans.
"Still... I hope nothing happens..."
Mun Seon-gyeong muttered in a worried voice.
From the outside, it didn't look much different from an ordinary forest, but the deeper one went into the Celestial Basin, the more its true nature revealed itself. The trees were enormous, so large that three adult men linking hands could barely encircle one. The leaves and fallen foliage weren't a fresh green but a dull mix of brown and purple, and bizarre ferns unseen even in the outskirts sprouted everywhere. Occasionally, there were slime trails that looked as if a human-sized mollusk had passed by, and massive carnivorous plants large enough to swallow a small vehicle were also common sights.
It seemed the particles ejected from the meteorite had twisted the very essence of all life here.
"Wow, at first I was honestly skeptical, but you're seriously skilled."
Mu-yeong muttered as he watched me swap out the cartridge of my blade, which had grown dull from blood and fat.
"As expected, I have a good eye. I knew it."
In front of me lay a pile of corpses from the medium-sized lupus pack that had attacked us. I stabbed my blade into each corpse's snout, extracting one fang each as proof.
"You're quite proficient at dealing with monsters. Have you faced them before? That kind of movement is something even the professors didn't show us."
"...I've just faced them a few times. And it's thanks to you warning me in advance with your spirits. If I hadn't known their movements beforehand, I wouldn't have been able to handle them this easily."
"Puhuhu. I feel like I'm just getting carried around. I'm honored, leader."
He wasn't just saying it. In the forest, no human could match a monster when it came to concealing their presence. If we had only realized we were surrounded after the fact, it would have been much harder to deal with them as cleanly and effortlessly as we had.
"...I'm the leader?"
Mu-yeong brushed off my question as naturally as flowing water.
"Wasn't that obvious? Anyway, leader, the sun looks like it's setting soon. What do you want to do? Should we head back to the safe zone for a bit?"
Following Mu-yeong's gesture, I saw the bright red sun sinking beyond the cliffs surrounding the basin. Moving at night was usually not a great choice, but I wanted to minimize wasted time if possible. Besides, many monsters were nocturnal, so we could earn more points by taking them down. Thanks to the spirit user's presence, we could also detect suspicious movements in the area to some extent in advance.
"I was thinking we should just keep going. What do you think?"
"If the leader says let's go, of course I'll follow, right?"
Mu-yeong shrugged.
"Good. Then let's keep moving. If it gets too much, we'll rest then. Let me know if you're tired."
Having reached a conclusion, we started moving again. Whether the monster pack we'd taken down earlier had been the dominant species in this area, we were able to proceed for a while without any significant risk of attack. We slowly advanced along the animal trails winding between high and low hills. The basin's unique terrain trapped the fog and clouds, preventing them from escaping, and the scenery around us increasingly resembled walking through a sea of clouds.
"...So what I'm saying is, guys shouldn't let themselves be bossed around by girls all the time."
Once we got comfortable with each other, Mu-yeong turned out to be surprisingly talkative. Since his spirits found nothing when scouting the surroundings, he must have been bored. Even without much reaction from me, he kept rambling on about various things.
"The times have changed. Honestly, I don't get the kids who came to the social gathering. Does it make sense to squeal and act like you'd give up your liver and kidneys just because some senior you barely know treats you nicely? You think so too, right? That's why you came off so prickly."
I had no suitable response. In the short time we'd known each other, I'd gotten the impression that Mu-yeong didn't particularly like women as a species.
"They act like they'd give you their liver and gallbladder, but the moment a better guy shows up? They switch over without a second thought. Isn't that too unfair?"
"..."
"Why do only guys always have to take on this kind of risk? The answer is simple. That damn animal instinct turns us into monke—wait."
Mu-yeong, who had been chattering excitedly, suddenly stopped walking and closed his mouth. Then he whispered in a low voice.
"...Something's running toward us from the three o'clock direction. It's not too far. At that speed, we'll run into it soon."
I gripped the handle of the blade at my waist, ready to draw it at any moment.
"...What is it?"
"...I don't know. It's nighttime and the fog is thick, so I can't get a clear visual. At least there's only one."
A monster acting alone? An earth dragon? A land leech? We stopped moving, hid our bodies, and prepared for any contingency. Before long, I too could sense something approaching. The moment the presence reached right in front of us, I drew my blade. And just as I was about to strike down—
"Kyaaaaah!!"
The monstrous figure that encountered me fell backward onto its rear and let out a bizarre scream. It sounded exactly like a person's... wait. Falling on its rear? A scream? Come to think of it, the voice sounded familiar. It was definitely one I'd heard often.
I maintained my guard as I approached the spot where the figure had collapsed. And I was soon able to identify it without difficulty.
"...Yena?"
"Kyaaaaah!!"
"H-h-h-hyun...? Is that you...?"
Yena, sitting on the ground, muttered in a tearful voice. She was trembling so much she couldn't even pronounce my name properly. Her wide, rabbit-like eyes were filled with tears. Twigs and vines were stuck all over her body, making it obvious she'd been wandering around lost. Her backpack looked pathetically empty, as if she'd lost her belongings.
"...Huuueng... I'm so glad it's you, Hyun... I thought I was going to die here all alone..."
Seeing me, Yena relaxed and melted into a puddle right there on the spot.
"Hyun... but where are we...? Or did you get lost too..."
"...No, I didn't. And we're about midway along the western route..."
"Western... route...? I started from the center..."
"..."
Yena, who had insisted on trying to handle things alone, seemed to have gotten completely lost after wandering around in confusion. But our route was through an area densely populated with monsters. How on earth had she made it through all those dangers by herself?
Her theoretical knowledge was far better than mine, but Yena had a clumsy side to her and wasn't particularly skilled at hands-on tasks.
"Monsters...? I didn't see a single one... I had no idea I'd come all the way to the western side... It's really lucky... If I'd run into one alone, I probably would've cried..."
"..."
It seemed I'd drawn all the monsters in the area toward me. I felt a brief pang of unfairness, but anyway, it was fortunate that Yena was safe. If she'd been injured, she would have inevitably received the lowest score...
"...Anyway, I'm glad you're okay. So what are you going to do now?"
"Yeah... what should I do... Coming to the western route wasn't part of the original plan..."
Yena made a slightly tearful face, looking troubled.
"Then how about traveling with me?"
"Huh? W-well, I'd like that, but... I said I'd do it alone, so going back now would be a bit embarrassing..."
"It's fine. I don't mind. So we'll go together?"
"Uh... yeah... hehe, okay. To be honest, being alone was pretty scary... hee..."
Yena smiled awkwardly. She was practically the first friend I'd made at the Cradle. Since I had the capacity, there was no harm in helping her out.
"Then come this way. I have a companion now. I'll introduce you."
"Uh... a companion? Is it a girl...?"
"It's a guy. Why?"
"Ah, no reason... hee..."
I led Yena back to where Mu-yeong was hiding. After sending the agreed signal twice, Mu-yeong emerged from his hiding spot and walked out of the fog.
"Looks like you handled it well... eh?"
Seeing the timid Yena, Mu-yeong let out a puzzled sound.
"...It wasn't a monster. She's my friend. I was thinking we could travel together from now on. What do you think?"
"..."
I'd expected him to agree readily at first, but upon seeing Yena, Mu-yeong's face showed clear displeasure.
"...?"
Mu-yeong's expression gradually hardened. Eventually, he even raised a hand to his head as if suffering from a headache.
"Um... h-hello...?"
Seeing his inexplicable behavior, Yena spoke hesitantly.
"..."
"My name is Ha Yena..."
"...Huu, I tried to hold it in somehow, but I really can't anymore."
"...Huh?"
Mu-yeong suddenly cut in, interrupting her. Then, with a determined expression, he said,
"...I know this is really rude and inappropriate, but can I ask you just one thing?"
"Y-yeah...? W-what is it...?"
"You, how many guys have you been with in your life so far?"