Chapter 291
Chapter 291
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 292
Chapter Title: 20 Minutes Before the Exam Starts
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292 Chapter
20 minutes before the exam starts.
After parting ways with Lee Seojun, I arrived at the B Group arena with Shin Youngjun.
The arena interior was modest. A fitting size, neither extravagant nor too plain.
In the center stood a massive mechanical device, emanating a faint mystical aura—it seemed to be a virtual world generator.
"Hmm. But where's the waiting room?"
Shin Youngjun said, looking around.
I pointed to the spot labeled [Player Waiting Room].
"Over there."
"Oh. As expected of Kim Sunwoo. You sure know how to find your way."
"You're just bad at it."
Shin Youngjun cleared his throat awkwardly, at a loss for words.
And so, Shin Youngjun and I headed to the waiting room.
Creak. As we opened the door and stepped inside,
numerous students resting in chairs came into view.
With 75 students per group taking the exam, their numbers were probably around that too.
At that moment, a student sitting by the door spotted me and said,
"Kim Sunwoo."
One by one, the students in the waiting room turned their gazes toward me. Then, as if on cue, they all looked at me with wary eyes.
"......What?"
Dumbfasted by the sudden hostile atmosphere,
a message popped up.
['Public Enemy' achievement unlocked.]
[Reward: 3,000 points acquired.]
......Public Enemy?
Seeing that, I couldn't help but chuckle.
Public Enemy, huh.
Anyone would think I was some novel's great demon king.
It seemed they saw me as the dangerous one, given it was a survival exam.
I could understand to some extent since it was an important test, but this felt a bit much.
A few students looked displeased at my reaction.
"Did he just laugh?"
"Is he that confident?"
......So sensitive.
Ignoring them, I took a seat.
Shin Youngjun chuckled beside me like he was enjoying the show.
Wondering how to kill the remaining time, my smart student notebook vibrated.
[Sunbae at B Group arena for the exam??]
[Dragging Soongah along to spectate hehe]
[#1 I'll be cheering! (Fist-pumping bunny emoticon)]
It was a message from Choi Seoyoon.
Just reading it filled me with positive energy. It even pumped me up.
I typed a short reply.
[Yeah]
......Then deleted it. Seemed too curt.
I tapped out a new message.
[Thanks. How'd your morning exam go?]
The morning had the 2nd Year Dungeon Time Attack exam.
Choi Seoyoon's #1 was a given, but I asked politely.
[Yup, took #1 easy with a 25-minute gap over #2 lol]
......Wait. A 25-minute gap over #2?
From memory, in the original story, Choi Seoyoon barely clinched #1 by about 3 minutes.
My involvement had accelerated the growth of key characters far beyond the original, but this seemed excessive.
Well, Lee Seojun, Yoon Hayoung, and Yoo Ara had all grown tremendously compared to the original. Maybe it was natural.
"Huh? Hey, Kim Sunwoo."
Lost in thought, Shin Youngjun suddenly spoke up.
I turned, wondering what it was, and he shoved his smart student notebook in my face.
"Kekeke. Hey, check this out."
The screen showed a photo of the Korean Wizard Academy's B Group arena.
Judging by the clock tower time and banners, it was taken today.
"What's this?"
"Your stalker's latest post."
"Stalker?"
I checked the name under the photo.
[Lilly Rose]
Why was she here again?
Meanwhile, in front of the Wizard Academy's B Group arena,
Choi Seoyoon was dragging Song Soongah along by the arm.
"Ah, seriously! If you're gonna spectate, go alone. Why drag me?"
Song Soongah, who wanted to watch A Group's exam with Lee Seojun, Yoo Ara, and Lee Hyunju, vented her frustration.
Choi Seoyoon paused and said,
"If everyone’s at A Group and I go to B alone, it'll look weird."
"Who cares? Just watch. You're worrying about something dumb."
"......Like the difference between entering an empty restaurant versus a crowded one?"
"What's the difference?"
Song Soongah asked, genuinely puzzled.
"There's a vibe to it. Ah! It's starting soon. Hurry in."
Choi Seoyoon entered the B Group arena. Unlike A Group, no line meant easy entry.
Inside, the spectator seats were nearly empty.
The few visible were guild scouts, reporters, and a handful of students.
B Group definitely lacked A Group's popularity.
Scanning around, she spotted familiar faces.
First, Kim Deokhyeon, the Special Forces Team ace, and his subordinate Jeong Hyeonsoo.
Masters from prestigious guilds she'd seen on news.
1st Year #1 Eun Seola and her friend......
And......
"The Witch of Fire?"
Even Yoo A-yeon, called the Witch of Fire, was seated.
Knowing she was Yoo Ara's older sister made her presence in B Group puzzling.
......Did she come to the wrong arena?
"What's going on?"
Few spectators, but all big shots.
Then.
Thud thud. Footsteps from behind, and someone passed Choi Seoyoon and Song Soongah, stopping.
Dazzling blonde hair drew all eyes.
The woman placed hands on hips confidently and said,
"Why's it so empty here?"
It was Lilly Rose, the super prospect world-famous like Lee Seojun.
Lilly turned at the stares, spotted Choi Seoyoon watching her, and frowned.
"Choi Seoyoon?"
The two had briefly allied in the final stage of the Sacred Martial Tournament, 'World of Dreams.'
But Choi Seoyoon's oddly hostile demeanor meant they weren't on good terms.
Choi Seoyoon narrowed her eyes unpleasantly too.
"Don't tell me you're here to stalker-attention-seek again?"
"Argh. You call me that again? Hey! I told you not to!"
Lilly yelled.
Still, Choi Seoyoon eyed her warily.
"You're mad 'cause it hit home."
"W-what? I'm here post-exam to watch! And...... Sigh, forget it. Don't be annoying and pay attention to me......
Mid-sentence, Lilly trailed off, spotting something behind Choi Seoyoon.
Curious, Choi Seoyoon turned.
A beautiful woman with long brown hair.
A familiar face from the Sacred Martial Tournament, like Lilly Rose, approached.
"......Dahlia?"
Russian Wizard Academy 2nd Year #1.
Dahlia.
Dahlia glanced between the two staring at her.
"Choi Seoyoon? Lilly Rose?"
"What're you doing here, Dahlia?"
Lilly asked, and Dahlia muttered quietly,
"......Here to spectate. Problem?"
"Huh? No, not that......" Lilly trailed off awkwardly. And.
Song Soongah, who'd been watching amusedly, smirked.
"B Group’s turning out fun."
Flash!
Blinding light, and the scene shifted. A message appeared before her eyes.
[Entered virtual world.]
['Blessing of the Unreal' activates.]
[All stats increase by 30%.]
Entering the virtual world activated the Blessing of the Unreal.
All stats up 30%.
Same as Battle Spirit's effect—immense power surged.
I looked down at my palm, feeling the rising strength, then surveyed surroundings.
"......Total jungle."
Pure green, like Amazon jungle straight up.
Massive leaves, vines, rocks blocked views—perfect for ambushes given or received.
Of course, my 'Kill Detection' meant no surprises for me.
Advantageous terrain.
But not entirely for this exam.
Soon revealed: special rules targeting top students.
Unlike other exams, couldn't go all out.
Still, leveraging the concealing jungle could snag #1.
[Now explaining rules for 3rd Year Finals: 'Jungle Annihilation War.']
A massive voice boomed overhead.
['Jungle Annihilation War' uses a point system. Final scores based on points gathered over 8 hours.]
Point system.
Common in past survival exams—easy to grasp.
[Now, point acquisition methods.]
[Points from 'hunting' or 'exploration' primarily.]
Hunting: slaying monsters or humans. Exploration: finding ruins, excavating artifacts.
[Artifact: 30 points. Human kill: 80 points. Monster hunt: 10-100 points by rank.]
With outsider perks, points would be easy. Worry was those likely special rules targeting me.
[Final points: +50% if survive 8 hours in jungle.]
[Revealing first hidden special rule.]
Hidden special rule.
Here it comes.
[You now begin 'Villain Vote.']
Villain Vote.
More votes, harsher penalties—game-changer rule.
[Students voted 'villain' gain 10-point bounty per vote.]
[Per vote, 'Jungle Curse' chance +0.5%.]
[Top vote-getter: location revealed via smart notebook every 30 min for 10 min.]
"......Hah. Probably getting 20+ votes easy."
Location reveal was one thing, but scariest was 'Jungle Curse.'
Debuffs galore, hallucinations, illusions, traps—endless torment.
Saw original Lee Seojun suffer it firsthand—knew better than anyone.
[Begin 'Villain Vote' now.]
Voting screen on smart notebook.
75 student names.
Scrolled, found my pick.
Most threatening opponent? Only one.
[#3. Shin Youngjun]
Least wanted to face in this exam.
Rank aside, his skill rivaled Lee Seojun's.
His #3 rank pure combat prowess.
Sure, combat idiot—lacking elsewhere.
Especially low intellect.
Zaun terms? Like Ska.
Vote Shin Youngjun, no hesitation.
[Voted for Shin Youngjun.]
[30 seconds to vote end.]
[5…… 4…… 3…… 2…… 1…….]
['Villain Vote' ended!]
Voting over. I swallowed, tense.
"Please, not over 30—no, 35 votes."
[Tally complete.]
[Revealing 'Villain Vote' results.]
[1. Kim Sunwoo: 68 votes]
[2. Shin Youngjun: 5 votes]
[3. Park Inhwan: 2 votes]
"......Huh?"
Blinked repeatedly, thinking I misread.
68 votes?
"No way. What the hell."
[Top villain: 'Kim Sunwoo'!]
[680-point bounty added to Kim Sunwoo!]