Chapter 181
Chapter 181
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 181-182
Chapter Title: Desert Encounter and Leader Selection
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Ugh. It’s disgustingly hot…”
Somewhere in the sweltering desert of East Africa, where my whole body felt like it was burning up.
I pulled a water canteen out of my subspace and dumped it into my mouth.
Gulp, gulp.
“Urgh.”
The thirst was quenched for now, but the fatigue in my body hadn’t gone away.
It was because I’d exhausted all my mana while testing my new skill, ‘Mana Downpour.’
I’d expected it to some extent, but Mana Downpour was a total mana hog, just like Rune Bind.
Even using Heart of Nature and Battle Spirit at the same time, it had been a struggle just to maintain the spell.
Still, the results weren’t bad. No, they were satisfying.
The skill’s power against that swarm of monster locusts had exceeded my expectations. As expected of an S-Rank skill.
“Oh, right.”
Come to think of it, a ton of messages had popped up the moment I took down the locusts.
Because I’d used Mana Downpour as Kim Sunwoo during the finals and had to slip away to avoid drawing attention, I hadn’t checked them.
I used the Outsider’s privilege to pull up the previous messages.
[You have achieved the ‘Desert Traveler’ feat.]
[You have obtained 3,000 points as a reward.]
[You have achieved the ‘Mass Slaughter’ feat.]
[You have obtained 5,000 points as a reward.]
[You have achieved the ‘Locust Slayer’ feat.]
[You have obtained 3,000 points as a reward.]
[‘Locust’ monsters will henceforth feel fear toward you.]
[You have succeeded in monster slaughter using a skill. ‘Mana Downpour’ proficiency increases by 8%.]
“Oh ho.”
I’d raked in 11,000 points in an instant.
It felt pretty good, but more than that, the line about Mana Downpour’s proficiency increasing caught my eye.
The skills I’d acquired recently were all fixed-type skills without proficiency.
[Mana Downpour (S)] [Grade: 1 (8%)]
Its power and attributes change based on the user’s abilities, and it seems I can grow the skill by raising its proficiency.
It’s this good already—what happens when the grade goes up?
“Can’t wait…”
That satisfaction made one drawback stand out even more.
The skill’s unique flair was so distinct that I couldn’t use it as Kim Jinwoo—only as Kim Sunwoo.
If Kim Sunwoo used a skill that Kim Jinwoo also used, the world would figure out they were the same person.
“Tch.”
Pushing aside the regret, I trudged back through the desert, when a giant desert spider slightly smaller than me caught my eye in the distance.
Ruin Guardian Spider.
It was a monster with a pretty docile temperament. It rarely attacked humans first.
I examined the Ruin Guardian Spider closely.
The presence of a spider here meant there was a ruin nearby.
That’s what the name ‘Ruin Guardian’ implied.
“…A desert ruin, huh.”
Thinking about it, in the story ahead, I’d need to visit a hidden desert ruin while gathering the Mysteries.
Since I was already in the desert, I wanted to try tackling one, but I had other plans besides the desert today.
I pulled out my Smart Student Handbook and checked the message.
[Team B strategy meeting today at 6 PM in Hall of Sages Grand Lecture Hall 2. All Team B members please attend.]
“Busy day.”
It was 4 PM now, so I had about two hours left.
Of course, with an immigration gate, I could get from here to Seoul in an instant.
The problem was the distance to the immigration gate from here.
I regretted not renting a car again.
How long would it take to walk there?
“Sigh.”
I let out a deep sigh and started walking through the desert again.
That’s when three massive vehicles kicking up sand in the distance came into view.
The vehicles were heading straight toward me.
I kept my tension high and watched them approach.
Africa’s deserts had long become lawless zones uninhabitable by people due to frequent monster appearances and raids.
So, armed bandits were definitely a possibility I had to consider.
The good news was that my mana had recovered somewhat.
Even if those vehicles were full of armed bandits, I could protect myself just fine.
Bandits wouldn’t have much in the way of magic abilities anyway.
“Jinwoo-ssi?”
But the voice from the car completely threw me off.
At the same time, the rear window rolled down, revealing a familiar face.
Black bobbed hair. A stunning beauty that could captivate anyone.
“Han Se-yeon-ssi?”
It was Han Se-yeon.
She looked shocked to run into me here, her eyes wide round.
“What brings you here? I never imagined running into you in a place like this…”
Same for me.
Why was Han Se-yeon here?
As I fumbled through the sudden situation, I realized why she’d come.
Africa was a lawless zone teeming with monsters, but it was also a land of infinite possibilities and opportunities.
Rich energy resources, ruins, and countless field monsters hidden throughout the deserts.
The African continent itself could be called one giant ‘monster field.’
In the original story, Han Se-yeon had capitalized on that potential, expanding her business into Africa and achieving massive success.
It had been the foundation for her to challenge the Hanseong family’s position, which had been incomparable to Han Se-jin’s in the distant future.
“Yeah, I didn’t expect to run into you here either, Se-yeon-ssi.”
At my response, Han Se-yeon smiled brightly and got out of the car.
“What brings you here?”
“I…”
I paused, wondering how to answer.
Linking locust extermination to Kim Jinwoo’s identity wouldn’t end well.
“I came to investigate a desert ruin.”
“Ah~ There have been a lot of ruins discovered around here lately. Any success?”
“I just came to check it out, basically. Seems decent enough from what I’ve seen. What about you, Se-yeon-ssi?”
“Similar for me. I came to scout the desert.”
Han Se-yeon gave a small laugh as she replied.
“Jinwoo-ssi, where are you headed now?”
“I’m on my way back to Seoul via the portal gate.”
“Oh? That’s where we’re going too. Come with us. We’ll give you a ride to the immigration gate. Director Yang, that okay?”
Han Se-yeon glanced toward the window and asked someone. Must be someone sitting with her.
She got an okay signal and turned back to me.
“My team says it’s fine. Let’s go together.”
I nodded.
I’d been worrying about how to get there anyway—no reason to refuse.
“If you’re offering a ride, I’m all for it.”
Han Se-yeon smiled warmly at my answer.
She opened the door and got back in the car.
I followed and was about to sit next to her when my eyes met those of a woman in her thirties sitting beside Han Se-yeon.
“Oh, this is Director Yang from our company’s development division.”
“Nice to meet you. Yang Wonju.”
The woman called Yang Wonju bowed her head slightly in greeting.
Yang Wonju… First time hearing the name. Probably not important.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Jinwoo.”
Yang Wonju stared at me blankly before nodding.
And so I sat next to Han Se-yeon. As soon as I got in, the cool AC air hit me like heaven.
The vehicle soon set off.
It plowed forward through the rough sand.
With three people in the back, it felt a bit cramped.
Every time the car jolted, Han Se-yeon’s weight pressed against my shoulder.
Feeling awkwardly sorry, I glanced at her, and our eyes met.
To ease the awkwardness, I gave a small smile.
As soon as I returned to Korea, I hurried to the Magic Academy auditorium.
I’d lost track of time chatting with Han Se-yeon and ended up a bit late.
The meeting was at 6 PM. It was now 6:12—twelve minutes late.
Creak.
As I opened the auditorium door, the sight of about 150 students flooded my view.
Hearing the door, all eyes turned to me.
Lee Seo-jun, who’d been leading the meeting up front, frowned and said to me,
“Why are you so late?”
“Ah, sorry. Personal matter.”
Lee Seo-jun glared at me before lightly nodding and resuming the meeting.
I sat alone in an empty seat toward the back.
The meeting content was predictable.
How to divide roles in the Captain Battle.
“There are three main roles: Attack Squad, Guard Squad, and Support Squad.”
As expected, with more people, the roles were more subdivided than in previous Captain Battles.
Attack Squad, Guard Squad, Support Squad. No need to explain what they do.
Attack Squad attacks the enemy, Guard Squad protects the captain as the name implies.
Support Squad provides situational aid between Attack and Guard Squads.
That’s the simple breakdown, but in detail, it’s a bit more complex.
For example, Attack Squad doesn’t just attack—they also handle ‘base captures’ for ‘point gains’ and ‘Blessings.’
For reference, base capture rewards like ‘Blessings’ include mana recovery and magic resistance buffs.
“First, we’ll vote on preferred roles. I’ve sent the voting link via message in the Smart Student Handbook chat.”
I checked on my Smart Student Handbook.
No hesitation—I voted for ‘Attack Squad.’
Once voting ended, the meeting resumed.
I listened half-heartedly until boredom hit, then scrolled internet news on my handbook.
[20,000 Locust Corpses Found in East Africa—Who’s the Culprit?]
The locust massacre news had spread faster than I thought.
The article said even Tiger King Guild, the first to discover the bodies, had no idea who did it.
I’d run into Tiger King Guild on the way and worried about suspicion, but it was unfounded.
Wide-area mages aren’t rare, and Kim Jinwoo’s known style is specialized in 1v1, so no suspicions.
“Now that roles are somewhat set, we’ll vote for leaders of each role.”
I looked up at Lee Seo-jun’s voice while reading the news. Leader voting now.
“Anyone want to volunteer as leader?”
Then a woman with black bobbed hair up front raised her hand.
“I’ll lead Support Squad.”
Even from behind, her sturdy, large frame was obvious.
3rd Year Rank 2, Jang Su-yeon.
A reinforcement mage who wields a sword—barely any role in the original.
Lee Seo-jun nodded and scanned the room.
“Anyone else for leader?”
“Me, I’ll lead Guard Squad.”
This time, someone in the left corner raised a hand.
Didn’t appear in the original, so name’s fuzzy, but I think 3rd Year Rank 4.
Specialty: barriers and binds, support-type.
Students nodded approvingly—the Guard and Support leader candidates had top specs.
“Only Attack Squad leader left… Any volunteers?”
No one raised a hand.
It made sense.
While A and C Teams’ Attack Squads were packed with wide-area manifestation mages, B Team had relatively more reinforcement mages.
Higher failure risk, so no one wanted the responsibility.
I raised my hand.
“I’ll lead Attack Squad.”