Chapter 290
Chapter 290
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 291
Chapter Title: Jungle Annihilation Battle
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As the final exams drew near, the school atmosphere turned tense, just like always.
Everyone had switched to battle mode to survive the fierce competition.
Of course, I was brimming with confidence that I could score above a certain grade on any exam, so I was totally relaxed.
“There’ve been a lot of incidents lately.”
During break time after the first period, Yoo Ah-ra, sitting next to me, glanced at something on her smart student planner and muttered casually.
Yoon Ha-young, seated across from her, showed interest.
“What incidents?”
“You know that demon incident that broke recently. The one where the Taesang Finance chairman turned out to be a demon.”
“……Huh? W-Was there something like that……?”
Yoon Ha-young glanced at me cautiously before responding in an awkward, theatrical tone.
Anyone could tell it reeked of ‘Kim Sun-woo and I are involved in this.’
She’d pass the midterm without even trying, so why bother pretending not to know?
And Yoo Ah-ra, sharp as ever, wasn’t about to miss it.
“What’s up? You two know something?”
“Huh? N-No……?”
……She’s totally doing that on purpose.
No way she’s deliberately leaking the secret because it’s frustrating to keep it hidden, right?
“What? You’re hiding something? Wait, come to think of it, you two have been hanging out a lot lately? Don’t tell me……”
Yoo Ah-ra shot back sharply before trailing off.
“You’re dating behind my back?”
“Cough, cough!”
Her unexpected response made me choke.
Yoon Ha-young’s face turned bright red as she flailed around in panic, letting out confused “Huh? Huh?” sounds.
Worried Yoon Ha-young might say something unnecessary, I spoke first.
“Don’t talk nonsense. What would she and I……”
Then Yoon Ha-young whipped her gaze toward me.
Her narrowed eyes looked sulky, screaming ‘I’m uncomfortable.’
“Hey, Sun-woo. Aren’t you hating on her way too much? You’re practically freaking out.”
[Character ‘Yoon Ha-young’ feels sulky toward you.]
[You acquire 500 points as a reward.]
The message proved she was genuinely upset.
I apologized first.
“Sorry if I hurt your feelings. But if it’s not true, it’s not true. We’re just friends.”
Yoon Ha-young blinked and stared straight at my face.
“……Y-Yeah…… friends……”
She murmured softly, looking down at the floor.
Then another message appeared.
[You have achieved the ‘2-Timing’ accomplishment.]
[You acquire 2,000 points as a reward.]
……What’s this now?
2-Timing? When did I ever two-time?
Questions swirled, but since Yoon Ha-young had forced(?) that second accomplishment on me last year, I let it slide.
Right then.
Ding ring—!
An alarm blared from every student’s smart student planner in the school.
Everyone checked theirs simultaneously.
[The 3rd Year 1st Semester Final Exam, ‘Jungle Annihilation Battle,’ group assignments have been announced.]
[Please check the group you belong to.]
The final exam groups were finally out.
This final exam was called the ‘Jungle Annihilation Battle.’
True to its name, it was a personal battle royale in a jungle where students had to survive as long as possible.
The rules were similar to last year’s survival exam.
“……What? There are only two groups?”
Yoon Ha-young said, looking at her smart student planner.
Just as she said, there were only two groups this time.
Group A and Group B.
Each with 75 students.
Group assignments mattered a lot.
The difficulty would skyrocket depending on whether you drew Lee Seo-jun’s group or not.
Heart pounding, I checked my group.
［Kim Sun-woo: Group B］
Group B……
If I remembered right, Yoo Ah-ra and Lee Hyun-joo were in B.
But that was canon—my interference might’ve changed things, so I needed to check the full list.
“......Huh?”
Scanning the list, something felt off.
Gone.
I double-checked, but no.
Not just Yoo Ah-ra and Lee Hyun-joo—even Lee Seo-jun and Yoon Ha-young were missing.
I checked Group A just in case, and there they were.
“......What?”
All the major characters were clustered in Group A. The only threats left in B were Shin Young-jun and Park In-hwan……
“Jackpot.”
After classes ended, in the dorm lounge.
I sat on the sofa, researching the ‘Space Leap’ spell Choi Il-hyun had taught me.
Implementing the magic circle that formed the foundation of auxiliary spells.
Thanks to the Outsider’s perk, drawing the structure was easy, but manifesting it with mana was a whole different story.
……After repeating the magic circle implementation dozens, hundreds of times.
[Gained enlightenment from repeated spell implementation!]
[Acquired adaptive trait, ‘Spell Comprehension (C)’]
“......Huh?”
I’d suddenly gained a new trait.
It seemed like one from ‘Evolution and Adaptation’……
I checked it immediately.
[Spell Comprehension (C)] [Training: 1%]
Description: Increases comprehension of spells. Higher rank improves implementation accuracy and learning speed.
“Oh……”
At a glance, it resembled the Outsider’s perk for spell analysis, but closer inspection revealed a completely different effect.
The Outsider’s perk gave answers; Spell Comprehension enhanced problem-solving methods and understanding.
It solidified the basics—exactly what I needed.
I wondered why it took so long to get.
Feeling great, I grinned, then felt something hard under my foot.
Gretel had tapped my leg. Thanks to our bond, I knew it was her signal to play.
“Want to play with Gretel?”
“Yaah!”
Gretel nodded brightly with a big smile. She was so cute I scooped her up by the waist.
“Hmm~ What should we play? Hmm?”
Tickle tickle.
I playfully tickled her.
Gretel stared down at me with a deadpan face, like ‘What’s this dog doing?’
“……Not ticklish, huh.”
Embarrassed for no reason, I set her down—then my smartphone rang.
“Gretel, hang on. Hello?”
[Jin-woo, you didn’t forget our meeting today, right?]
Han Se-yeon’s voice came through the speaker.
“Of course I remember. When should we meet?”
[I’ll be off in about 20 minutes. Does that work?]
“Perfect. The place we talked about earlier?”
[Yes, just come to the address I sent. See you soon.]
Click. The call ended. I got up and prepared to head out.
“Gretel, I’ll be right back.”
I left the dorm and arrived at the small bar in Jin-woo’s form.
Scanning the interior, it was eerily quiet.
No customers? Looking around, there really weren’t any. Not a single one.
The vibe seemed good enough for business.
“Jin-woo.”
Han Se-yeon’s voice came from somewhere. I turned to see her waving from the bar table.
I sat beside her with a small smile.
“No customers at all. No bartender either.”
“Ah~ I asked them to clear out today.”
She chuckled.
“……You rented the whole place?”
“No, this bar’s mine.”
She shrugged like it was nothing.
She poured premium liquor from a pre-prepared bottle into a glass and handed it to me.
This was the leisure of the wealthy. So cool.
Swirling the glass, I got to the point.
“How’s the chairman’s condition?”
In my past life, around now, Han Dae-hyun’s death had caused a huge uproar, but this time it was strangely quiet.
I’d expected at least headlines about his critical state.
Han Se-yeon gave a bitter smile and said curtly.
“He’s still sleeping, but I don’t really know.”
Don’t know, huh.
For some reason, Han Dae-hyun’s lifespan had extended beyond canon.
Maybe due to my interference speeding up the new drug development?
Sipping my drink lost in thought, Han Se-yeon spoke cautiously.
“That Taesang Finance Chairman Jeong Tae-hyuk incident…… That was you, right, Jin-woo?”
She stared straight into my eyes.
Her gaze conveyed certainty.
After I’d warned her about Taesang Finance, denying it now would erode her trust.
“Yes, that was me. Keep it secret from others, though.”
Her expression darkened briefly. She fidgeted with her glass anxiously before speaking gravely.
“I suspected, but it really was you……”
Muttering, she continued.
“So you can identify demons?”
“Yes. Can’t go into details, but it’s one of my abilities.”
She bit her lip, wanting to ask more.
But a barrage of questions wouldn’t help, so I cut her off.
“I get you’re curious, but I have my reasons—I can’t tell you everything.”
She sighed deeply, resigned.
“……Got it. You’re someone who gets more mysterious the more I learn.”
I smiled faintly at her.
“Someday…… when the time comes, I’ll tell you everything.”
No clue when that’d be. But I really wanted to open up.
Not just to Han Se-yeon, but to everyone I’d bonded with.
She studied my face intently, nodded as if sensing my sincerity.
Smiling lightly, I said.
“Anyway, other news. Any contact from the Association?”
They must’ve found secret dealings with Hanseong Group during the Taesang Finance raid.
Surely some action had been taken.
But Han Se-yeon blinked, clueless. She seemed unaware.
Maybe the investigation was too recent?
Tilting my glass, I told her.
“Looks like no word yet. Soon, the Association will investigate Hanseong.”
“……The Association?”
Disbelief colored her tone.
“Yes. Cooperate fully when they do.”
I took a sip.
“It’s the perfect chance to take down Vice Chairman Han Se-jin.”
Three days passed, and the long-awaited Wizard Academy final exam began.
The academy grounds bustled with more people than usual.
Guild scouts, reporters, students, Association officials.
Unlike last year, civilians were banned.
A new rule due to rising crime syndicates and demon terrorism.
Only those with official Association permission could observe this year’s exams.
“More people than I thought?”
On the way to the virtual world test site for today’s main event, the ‘Jungle Annihilation Battle.’
Lee Seo-jun remarked, scanning the crowded surroundings. Shin Young-jun, walking beside him, replied.
“Yeah. They say every academy except Korea’s is done, so tons of foreign students.”
Just as Shin said, I spotted some foreign faces from the Sacred Martial Festival.
The survival exam’s spectacle drew bigger crowds than others.
“Hmm. Observers will flock to Group A, right?”
The Jungle Annihilation Battle ran simultaneously for A and B.
Different venues made dual observation impossible.
“All the big names are in A, so obviously A. Look over there.”
Shin pointed one way.
A massive line formed at Group A’s arena.
Group B’s area, by contrast……
……was deserted.
That’s a huge gap.
Even accounting for Lee Seo-jun’s insane popularity.
“Whatever. Observer count doesn’t matter. The exam does. Dodging a death group like A is a win.”
Shin laughed, trying to boost morale.
Lee Seo-jun smirked.
“Dunno. Doesn’t feel like a death group to me.”
Muttering that, he glanced my way.
“I’m confident in first place as long as Kim Sun-woo’s not there.”
Uh, that’s me.