Chapter 182
Chapter 182
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 183
Chapter Title: The All-Year Joint Captain Battle Begins
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Back at the dorm, I was eating chicken with Gretel.
After savoring the chicken for a good while, Gretel picked up a chicken leg and placed it on my plate.
"What's this? For me to eat?"
Gretel nodded at my question.
"No way. You eat plenty, Gretel."
I handed the leg back to her from my plate.
Gretel stared at the chicken leg, then looked up at me.
Her eyes seemed to say it was the best part, so why wasn't I eating it?
Her willingness to give up her favorite part was pretty touching.
Was this what parental love felt like?
Just watching Gretel eat filled me up.
"Gretel, you like the legs best, right?"
"Ngah."
Gretel nodded.
"If legs are the best, should we order just legs next time?"
"Ongah?"
Gretel's eyes went wide, as if asking if that was possible.
"If Gretel wants, we can order just legs. Or we could get equal parts legs and wings."
"Ungah!"
Gretel bounced around happily.
Her even more excited look made me smile without realizing it.
Truth be told, I could casually give up the leg because I preferred wings over legs anyway.
The crispy skin unique to wings, rather than the meaty leg.
That was the real treat.
Either way, it was great that Gretel and I never competed for the same favorite parts.
"From next time, we'll order just legs and wings."
Gretel nodded and chomped down on the chicken leg.
I watched her contentedly, then got up from my seat.
I washed the sauce off my hands and sat on the sofa.
Yawning from food coma, I glanced at Gretel's head.
The fruit hanging from the branch had grown quite a bit in just a few days.
At this size, it'd ripen fully in about two weeks, right?
"Hmm."
As I looked at the fruit on Gretel's head, I noticed something odd.
The color was different from before.
The previous one had been greenish, but this one had a yellowish tint.
"...Did the effects change or something?"
That seemed likely.
Yellow, huh. I was looking forward to whatever this one would do.
I was secretly smacking my lips while staring at the fruit behind Gretel's back when an alarm rang from my smart student handbook.
［Sender: Korean Wizard Academy］
[The All-Year Joint Captain Battle rulebook and exam location guide.]
The rulebook had arrived.
I immediately opened it and checked the contents.
Nearly 20 pages packed with complicated rules.
With the number of participants multiplied several times, it wasn't as simple as just taking out the captain anymore—tons of extra rules had been added.
If I had to sum up this Captain Battle simply, it felt like mixing the previous Captain Battles with the 'Tower Climb Survival' from the first-semester finals.
Well, I didn't need to review the rules again thanks to my past life experience and what I'd seen in the original story.
They were perfectly etched in my memory anyway.
［Close］
I closed the rulebook page and looked at the location guide.
With nearly 450 students participating, the venue had been scaled up accordingly.
［Large-Scale Virtual Training Center on the Magic Association's Special-Purpose Artificial Island］
A small artificial island owned by the Korean Wizard Association.
The 'Large-Scale Virtual Training Center' there was the exam site.
It was known as one of the world's top virtual training facilities, alongside the tower in England.
"Haaam."
I closed the message and got up.
The exam started next Tuesday. I needed to manage my condition, so early to bed.
Monday afternoon.
After finishing the last practical training of the week, 'Illusion Maze Escape,' I returned to the waiting room.
"Hoo."
I let out a deep breath and scanned the waiting room. The seats were packed with empty spots? No, full of empty seats? Wait.
"......"
"Yeah, you're first. Absolutely dominant."
As I muttered to myself, Jang An-cheol popped up behind me.
I'd sensed his presence, so I didn't jump.
Jang An-cheol looked at me like I was some marvel and spoke.
"You really surprise people every time. First guy I've seen with illusion resistance that high."
Illusion resistance.
He wouldn't know I'd learned the Silver Moon Clan's 'Silver Moon Illusion Shift,' so his reaction was natural.
"Tsk. If I'd known, I would've voted for Team B too......"
"Voting?"
When I asked about his random comment, Jang An-cheol shook his head with a flustered look.
"Ah, nothing. Don't worry about it."
Suspicious.
Jang An-cheol gave an awkward smile and pointed somewhere with his finger.
"The waiting room's over there, so rest up."
"......Got it."
I trudged toward the waiting room he'd pointed to.
Wondering what to do with the remaining time, I decided to check my stats for the first time in a while.
［Stats］
Stamina: 73.2
Strength: 76.57
Mana: 64.1
Speed: 40.2
Reflexes: 73.3
Dexterity: 29.2
I'd already gained so many stat points that there weren't any standout increases.
Of course, stats were just stats—not the most crucial measure.
They merely indicated your 'weight class.'
Like how a super strong gym trainer gets wrecked by a pro fighter, high stats meant nothing without magic control, martial arts, and such to back them up.
Still, at this level, I wouldn't get embarrassed anywhere.
No one could complain that my skills were held back by my body or mana.
Flash!
Then Lee Seo-jun emerged from the portal.
Looks like he was second in the Illusion Maze Escape.
Having trained Silver Moon Illusion Shift with me, it was an expected result.
"Lee Seo-jun, second place. You cleared it at a pretty fast pace too."
At Jang An-cheol's words, Lee Seo-jun looked more disappointed than happy.
"Second......"
Always gunning for first, he clearly wasn't satisfied.
Noticing his mood, Jang An-cheol patted his shoulder.
"I get how you feel to some extent. Your time would've been a school record if it weren't for today's first place."
Lee Seo-jun nodded and asked,
"First was Kim Sun-woo, right?"
"Sharp as ever. Yep."
Jang An-cheol glanced at me as he answered. Lee Seo-jun followed suit.
"......I can't beat you in escape trials."
"Don't be too down. Your result was shockingly good."
"......Yes, sir."
Lee Seo-jun nodded and walked over to me.
I teased him playfully as he approached.
"Second place's here?"
He scowled and got serious at my words.
With his strong competitive streak, jokes about grades didn't land.
"Tsk."
If it bugs you, take first. Who's forcing you to be second?
Time passed, and students who cleared one by one started appearing.
Yoo Ah-ra, Shin Young-jun, Lee Hyun-joo, Park In-hwan.
The order matched the 2nd-year overall rankings.
Park In-hwan, who cleared late, checked the scoreboard and gritted his teeth.
Then he glared at me like he wanted to kill me.
"Ha. Pissing me off."
"......What's his deal?"
Lately, Park In-hwan had been glaring at me like that more often.
Muttering crap behind my back, deliberately bumping shoulders in the halls.
Of course, I'd reinforced my shoulder with mana and sent him packing each time.
Then Shin Young-jun, sitting next to me, chuckled.
"He's like that 'cause he's scared you'll snatch fifth in finals from him. Super sensitive about it."
"Oh......"
That explained it.
I chuckled.
"Figures."
At my mutter, Park In-hwan's face grew fiercer.
I met his glare with total ease.
Man, after getting wrecked by me in some trainings, the guy still hadn't learned.
Come to think of it, I heard he was still bullying underclassmen.
"Hmm."
He'd get disciplined properly in this Captain Battle.
Time flew, and finals began.
The main event, 'Captain Battle,' started tomorrow—Wednesday. Today was written exams.
Thanks to my outsider perks, I filled out all the answer sheets in under five minutes.
Ding-a-ling-
The end-of-exam alarm rang, and the teacher collected the scored cards.
"Alright, students, written exams are done. Good work."
As the teacher finished, students stretched and stood up one by one.
Then they eyed me like predators spotting prey and swarmed over.
"Sun-woo! What was 6?"
"Hey, Kim Sun-woo. Answer for 19?"
'......What the?'
I panicked at the sudden barrage of questions.
"Hey, lemme see your answer sheet."
They were even calling my test 'answer sheet' and demanding it.
These guys ignored written exams all year, but for the last one, they were going nuts.
"Ugh!"
Annoyed, I chucked my test paper out the back door.
Everyone's eyes followed it, and they all rushed that way.
The next day.
After written exams, the day arrived for the Korean Wizard Academy finals' main event—the one the world watched: the 'All-Year Joint Captain Battle.'
All ~450 students portaled to the Large-Scale Virtual Training Center for the exam.
Like the virtual tower climb, this center used holy relic mysteries to accommodate 450 students in a virtual world, boasting immense scale.
"The exam, as you know, will run up to three days."
The biggest difference from past Captain Battles was the duration.
Previous ones ended in a day, but this joint one lasted up to three.
Key word: 'up to.'
Meaning the exam could end in less than a day depending on progress.
In other words, quickly taking out the captain could end it early.
But in a Captain Battle, the captain dying fast and ending early was nearly impossible.
It was a 1:1:1 mess, so it'd turn into a staring contest.
To prevent that, this exam had countermeasures.
One was 'base occupation.'
The other was 'events.'
Base occupation literally let you claim spots for various blessings in the exam.
Plus strategic edges—occupy them, and you got tons of perks.
Like massive points.
Events were just like the virtual tower climb: random mid-exam occurrences.
Winning gave team/individual points and special rewards—powerful enough to hugely impact later events and fights.
"You'll see in the rulebook I announced, but if no winner after three days, the highest-point team takes first."
That's why this Captain Battle had a 'points' system.
To stop 'turtling' plays in the 1:1:1 format—avoiding fights for fisherman's gains.
"Alright, exam starts now. Teams, enter your portals by faction."
All students, including me, entered their team portals.
Flash!
Stepping through, a vast green plain stretched before us.
Around me were nearly 150 Team B members.
[The exam starts in about 3 minutes.]
"......Kinda like the last tower climb."
"Yeah."
"Hmm."
I looked around. Where was the captain?
Scanning while walking, I spotted Lee Seo-jun and support squad captain Jang Soo-yeon nearby.
"Kim Sun-woo? Was looking for you. Over here."
At Lee Seo-jun's call, I approached. Jang Soo-yeon glanced at me and spoke.
"You're Kim Sun-woo, right? Nice to work with."
She extended her hand.
Up close, her thick traps made her look even bigger. Height similar to mine.
"Yes. Likewise."
I shook her hand. Calluses rough under my grip.
After the handshake, she spoke as if remembering something.
"And I saw your midterms Captain Battle. Impressive."
"Oh, thanks."
I bowed my head slightly at the sudden praise. Looking up, she stared straight into my eyes.
Her gaze felt a bit intense.
"Heard that was the first time Seo-jun didn't take first."
At her words, Lee Seo-jun beside her gave an awkward smile.
She didn't seem fazed, still boring into my eyes as she continued.
"Kim Chang-hyun always took first. But I wanna beat that guy once. Help me out."
Calm, steady voice.
But the sincerity rang through.
I nodded.
"Sure, let's take first together."
Satisfied, Jang Soo-yeon smiled faintly.
"Yeah."
Then a voice boomed from the sky.
[Countdown to exam start.]
[5, 4, 3, 2, 1......]
[The All-Year Joint Captain Battle has begun.]
And so began second year—my final exam of the year.