Chapter 125
Chapter 125
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: Captain Battle Exam
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He must have felt guilty all by himself for no reason. It's because the kid is too kind.
He needs to learn to toughen up a bit.
Of course, Lee Seojun's mentality would grow stronger as time passed.
After all, he was surrounded by people who could support him mentally, starting with Lee Hyunjoo and Shin Youngjun.
"Don't worry about useless stuff and take care of your body."
"Yeah. I've got a lot to do from now on."
A lonely smile formed on his face at those words.
Things he had to do from now on.
The words carried multiple layers of meaning.
Others might have brushed it off without a second thought, but I couldn't, since I knew Lee Seojun better than anyone.
"Oh, right. Sunwoo. You're heading to school too, right? Let's go together."
"Uh, yeah."
And so, Lee Seojun and I walked to school together.
It felt like it had been ages since we'd been just the two of us like this.
Maybe since the early dungeon exploration class in the first semester? Almost half a year?
As we walked, students who had finished breakfast started coming out.
"Oh? It's Senior Lee Seojun."
"Senior Kim Sunwoo is here too."
"Hello!"
"Yeah, hi."
"You're heading to school already!"
"Yeah, I woke up early today."
Maybe because Lee Seojun was with me, it felt like more students were greeting us.
It could have been annoying, but Lee Seojun accepted their attention with a bright smile.
As we entered a quiet alley with fewer people, Lee Seojun spoke up.
"Right. The exam's coming up soon."
"Yeah. Next week, right?"
"Yeah. Wonder what kind of exam it'll be this time."
From my memory, the first midterm would be a team battle.
I didn't know how the teams would be formed, but since it was a team event, I couldn't handle everything alone, which was a bit burdensome.
And if by some chance Lee Seojun ended up on the enemy team... Just imagining it was terrifying.
Lee Seojun, who had been looking ahead as he walked, opened his mouth again.
"This exam's got me kinda nervous."
"What are you talking about? Why would you be nervous?"
When I teased him, Lee Seojun narrowed his eyes and glared at me.
"...Whose fault is that?"
That's when the newly constructed artificial dungeon came into view.
In just three weeks, it had taken on a pretty solid shape.
Jeonghyeon was down below, personally directing the construction using gravity magic tools for building.
"Oh? Seojun and Sunwoo?"
Jeonghyeon greeted us with a pleased face.
"Hello."
We bowed our heads politely to Jeonghyeon.
"Wow. The training ground already looks so proper."
At Lee Seojun's words, Jeonghyeon smiled.
"Yeah, we've been working on it non-stop."
"You're amazing. You must be so busy with classes too."
Jeonghyeon scratched his head awkwardly at the praise.
"Haha. Thanks. Feels kinda embarrassing."
I always thought demons were impressive at putting on such a calm act.
As I quietly admired it to myself, Jeonghyeon's gaze turned to me.
My acting wasn't quite on a demon's level, but I flashed him my brightest smile.
"Next week is midterm exam period."
"Ah!"
Morning roll call.
At Jang Ancheol's first words, groans erupted from the students.
"You're whining again. You say that, but I'm sure you've all been preparing in your spare time."
Jang Ancheol said with a smile. The students grumbled without answering, expressing their misery.
"Come on, quiet down. Now, I'll explain the exam events. Like the second midterm, it'll consist of one sub-event and one main event."
Sub-event and main event.
The usual basic exam format.
For example, in the second midterm of the first semester, 'Two-Person Stage Escape' was the sub-event, and the 'Monster Hunter Exam' on the uninhabited island was the main event.
For reference, the 'Tower Climb' at finals was a combination of those two types.
"The sub-event for second-year second semester is 'Artificial Boss Battle Time Attack.'"
"Artificial Boss Battle Time Attack? Just a test to kill the boss fast, huh."
"Ah, this one's simple. I like it."
When murmurs rose from the students, Jang Ancheol raised his hand to quiet them.
"Two-person Artificial Boss Battle Time Attack is exactly what it says. The rule itself is simple—kill the boss quickly—so I don't think it needs more explanation."
The students nodded.
"And the main event is 'Captain Battle.'"
Captain Battle.
A team battle exam where you designate one captain and protect them.
It might seem simple, but this exam was one of the traditional ones at the Magic Academy, appearing again at this year's finals.
Of course, the finals version would have modified rules and a much larger scale.
"Please check the exact rules for Captain Battle in the rulebook I'll provide later."
The most basic rule of Captain Battle is to win by eliminating the enemy team's captain.
One major pitfall is that you can't identify the enemy team's captain.
So if the captain's identity leaks to the enemy team, it becomes a hugely disadvantageous fight.
"Now, I'll assign the teams. They're not divided simply by grades—the teachers formed them based on each student's actual abilities we've observed, so no complaints."
Jang Ancheol's gaze briefly turned to me. Some students looked at me too at his words.
"For reference, winning or losing matters, but how much you contribute to your team is the key point. Individual scores will be given again this time."
Jang Ancheol looked around at the students and spoke.
"Alright, time to reveal the team members!"
Evening 5 PM, after all classes ended.
As homeroom finished, students started moving busily.
"Team 2, gather here!"
"Team 1, over here!"
Students headed to their respective teams. I moved to Team 1, the Captain Battle team for this midterm.
"Everyone here? Let's go."
The 25 members of Team 1 gathered in an empty classroom on the 6th floor of the main building.
I scanned the faces of my teammates.
The key players were Yoo Ara, Yoon Hayoung, and Park Inhwan.
That also meant Lee Seojun, Shin Youngjun, and Lee Hyunjoo were on the opposing team.
Not exactly a great situation. Plus, the team composition was completely flipped from the original story, so I had no idea who the enemy captain was.
This is pretty unsettling.
"So, who wants to be captain?"
One student stepped forward.
"Isn't it best for the highest-ranked one to do it? With Lee Seojun and Shin Youngjun on the other team, anyone weaker won't hold up."
"Then Yoo Ara?"
The students' eyes turned to Yoo Ara. She shook her head.
"If I'm captain, who handles the attacks? I'm better off on the assault team."
"I guess? Yeah, that makes sense."
"How about putting the weakest one as captain to guard?"
"But the weakest might be too much."
"Hey, hey. Kim Sunwoo, you wanna do it?"
At someone's shout, all eyes turned to me.
"Oh. Sunwoo's not a bad pick."
"Yeah. His evaluations have been the best lately."
"I'm for it. Kim Sunwoo's reliable."
"Right. Sunwoo should be able to withstand Lee Seojun's attacks to some extent."
...What is this trust?
I knew my reputation had improved, but this felt excessive.
"Sunwoo. You wanna do it? I think you'd be good too."
Yoon Hayoung popped up and said to me. I shook my head.
"Why me? No thanks. And don't decide the captain now. Do it on the day."
Everyone gave me puzzled looks at my words.
"Why? What if we don't decide now?"
"Didn't read the rulebook? Betrayal is part of this exam."
In fact, Captain Battle had a vicious rule called betrayal.
You could betray and switch to the enemy team. Of course, there were penalties for betraying, but if pulled off well, you could earn massive winner points.
"And there might be some bat-like guy here who'd betray his teammates for fun."
I shot a glance at Park Inhwan as I said it. He flinched noticeably.
"Hey, hey. B-bat? Who would do that? Haha."
Park Inhwan forced a smile, his face looking like I'd hit the nail on the head.
Tsk.
"Anyway, that's why we should be cautious about shady types like that."
In the original story, Park Inhwan leaked the team's captain three days before the exam, leading to their defeat.
You couldn't trust him with team strategies just because he was on your side.
I thought for a moment and then spoke.
"Let's pick a leader. The leader chooses the captain on exam day. Leader decides all strategies too."
"Leader?"
"Hm. Not bad?"
"Any objections?"
None. Fortunately, the atmosphere was all in favor.
"Alright, leader first. Voting?"
"Vote for it. Let's do it now."
The vote began. Nominations for leader, raise hands to approve.
Results: Yoo Ara 13, me 12.
By a single vote, Yoo Ara was barely selected as leader.
How I got 12 votes against Yoo Ara was a mystery.
"Alright, Yoo Ara's the leader."
"Woo!"
Everyone clapped for Yoo Ara.
Yoo Ara's expression stiffened for a moment before she spoke.
"The results are out, so no choice. Anyway, since I'm leader, I'll do my best. We have a week to prepare—we can't lose, right?"
"Oh. Sounds reliable."
Some students chuckled. Yoo Ara continued, ignoring them.
"I'll handle deciding the captain on the day or later. And since betrayal's a risk, I'll only tell trustworthy people who the captain is."
"What? No trust in the team already?"
"It's not lack of trust. Didn't you hear the earlier talk?"
There was some initial grumbling, but it died down quickly.
Yoo Ara then discussed positions. She was handling the leader role better than expected.
"Hm. That's it for now. It's late, so let's head out."
Everyone nodded at Yoo Ara's words.
"Yeah."
"See you tomorrow!"
"Good work, everyone."
The students exchanged goodbyes and filed out into the hallway.
I stepped into the hallway to head back to the dorm.
"Sunwoo! Let's go together!"
Yoon Hayoung trotted over to me.
"Sure."
"What now? Training?"
"Gotta train. Still got time."
"Manifestation training ground?"
"Yeah."
"Oh. Guess I can tag along then~"
Yoon Hayoung turned around then.
"Ara, you coming?"
"I'm staying a bit to finalize positions. You guys go ahead."
Yoon Hayoung nodded at Yoo Ara's words. I looked at her steadily.
"You can do it later."
Yoo Ara shook her head at my words.
"Nah. And I'm heading to train anyway, so I'll be quick."
She said it so firmly I had nothing to add.
"...Alright. Don't overdo it."
Yoo Ara smiled at me.
"Yeah."
Three days after teams were assigned.
The classroom atmosphere had changed.
People stuck with teammates, and some got mad at those getting friendly with the opposing team over leak worries.
"Man, what's with the vibe?"
Shin Youngjun plopped on my desk, munching bread.
"Betrayal anxiety, probably. One traitor makes it super tough."
"Still, the kids are too on edge."
That's when crumbs from Shin Youngjun's bread fell on my desk. I squinted.
"Hey. Eat at your own desk."
"Oh? Kim Sunwoo's on edge too?"
"...What are you on about."
"Anyway, hope the midterm ends quick. The mood sucks. This is ridiculous."
"Just endure 1-2 weeks. Vacation right after exams."
"True. Next up is Taehwi Festival anyway."
Taehwi Festival.
A celebration of the birth of the great wizard 'Taehwi,' who established the four schools of magic 150 years ago.
It's called a tribute to Taehwi, but think school festival.
The classroom door opened then, and Lee Seojun entered. Shin Youngjun waved enthusiastically.
"Lee Seojun!"
Lee Seojun chuckled and came over.
"Dragged to the office—what'd they say?"
"Sponsor stuff."
"Sponsor?"
Shin Youngjun tilted his head. Knowing the original story, I caught on immediately.
"Yeah. Something about sponsoring top students. Talked about that."
"Oh. Can I get in on it?"
"You're third—probably? Hm. Not sure."
"Where's it at?"