Chapter 295
Chapter 295
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 296
Chapter Title: The Jungle Annihilation Battle Concludes
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I took out all the students who came looking for me, bringing the situation to an end, but I was still stuck in the virtual world.
The evaluation for the "Jungle Annihilation Battle" wasn't based on being the final victor, but on how many points you racked up over eight hours.
For that reason, I had to spend the remaining seven hours in this virtual world.
Honestly, it was no different from torture.
To kill time, I leaned back against a tree and checked the messages from the battle I'd just won.
[You achieved a great victory against multiple humans!]
[Mana Control Technique (A) proficiency has increased by 6%.]
[Spell Comprehension (C) proficiency has increased by 28%.]
[You have achieved the 'One-Man Army' accomplishment.]
[You have acquired 8,000 points as a reward.]
[You have achieved the 'Aerial Combat' accomplishment.]
[You have acquired 3,000 points as a reward.]
"Oh ho."
11,000 points and a slight boost to my Mana Control Technique proficiency.
And Spell Comprehension shot up by a whopping 28%.
Since it was only C-rank, I got this massive jump.
At this rate, it might hit B-rank in no time.
It was a satisfying result, so a smile crept onto my lips.
As expected, nothing beat a school exam for farming points.
"...Still, what do I do for the rest of the time?"
About seven hours and ten minutes until the exam ended.
I had to stay alone in this virtual world for that whole stretch.
It was a wide-open natural space, but being by myself made it feel like solitary confinement.
Exaggerating a bit, it was suffocating.
"Should've spared Shin Young-jun."
There was a risk of betrayal, but at least he'd have been company.
Or even Kim Chung-beom, if he'd survived.
...Ending the exam too boringly was a problem too.
"Tsk."
I clicked my tongue and stretched.
Then I checked the points I'd earned in the exam.
[Acquired Points: 4,920]
4,920 points.
An overwhelming number. With first place locked in, I didn't need to hunt or explore anymore.
In that case...
Gurgle.
My stomach growled with hunger right then.
"...Guess I'll fill my belly first."
An hour had passed since the final exam began.
A heavy silence hung over the B Division arena.
The screen only showed Kim Sunwoo's figure.
That's because he'd eliminated every other student just forty minutes in.
"...Unbelievable."
Kim Deok-hyun was still reeling in disbelief as he recalled Kim Sunwoo's battle.
The guy's performance had far exceeded expectations, leaving him with even more questions.
He'd taken out nearly sixty students all by himself.
And while flying through the air like some kind of acrobat.
"It's only been an hour since the exam started, and it's already over."
Jeong Hyun-su muttered in the same stunned tone.
He tapped his smartphone screen and showed it to Kim Deok-hyun.
"Division A still has 55 survivors."
"That's the normal flow. Who ends an eight-hour exam in under an hour?"
"...He's just on another level."
Jeong Hyun-su turned back to the screen showing Kim Sunwoo.
In all his years meeting countless wizards, he'd never seen anyone like him.
If he kept up that growth... ten years.
No, maybe five, and he could turn the world upside down.
The Association had to pay special attention to talents like that.
Because if someone with that kind of ability turned bad, he could become another Jin Cheon-woo.
"It's not just 'talented' you can call it."
Combat sense, mana control, spell comprehension.
Kim Sunwoo's skills always surpassed expectations and defied common sense.
Today was no different—he'd revealed yet another unknown ability.
Just when they thought his mana was depleted, his combat power had exploded.
'Did he ration his power? Or was he hiding it on purpose?'
If he'd been holding back...
Just how strong was he really?
He gazed back at Kim Sunwoo on the screen.
The guy had caught a wild boar in the jungle, roasted the meat, and was eating.
His cooking skills weren't half bad—the juices dripping from the meat piled with toppings made your mouth water.
It was like a mukbang.
"Where'd a monster like that come from... With skills like that, he must have some backing."
Kim Jin-cheol naturally came to Kim Deok-hyun's mind.
No matter how he thought about it, there were similarities.
The world praised Lee Seo-jun as a once-in-a-generation genius, but if you asked for history's biggest monster, nine out of ten would say Kim Jin-cheol.
Just then, Kim Sunwoo finished eating and stood up.
They watched closely to see what he'd do next.
He stretched big, gathered leaves from the jungle, piled them on the ground.
Then he flopped down on them and fell asleep.
Staring in bewilderment, Kim Deok-hyun chuckled and stood.
"Let's head out."
"Huh?"
"B Division's exam is done. You wanna watch him sleep for seven hours?"
"Fair point. Mukbang to sleep stream is a bit much."
Jeong Hyun-su nodded blankly.
That's when Kim Deok-hyun spotted a familiar face across from him.
"Yoo Ah-yeon?"
The Witch of Fire, Yoo Ah-yeon. She was here.
Her sister Yoo Ara was in Division A, so why was she here?
"Did she come to see Kim Sunwoo?"
"Yoo Ah-yeon sunbae is here? Where?"
Jeong Hyun-su looked around. Kim Deok-hyun narrowed his eyes.
"Why's she your sunbae? She's not even on the special task force anymore."
"Come on, once a sunbae, always a sunbae."
Yoo Ah-yeon had been on the special task force, Jeong Hyun-su's senior.
But after some incidents, she'd gone independent, citing differences in vision.
As the second-most active member after Kim Deok-hyun, the team still regretted her departure.
"...She's not one to take interest in just anyone."
Had something happened between Yoo Ah-yeon and Kim Sunwoo?
Just then, Yoo Ah-yeon stood and left the arena.
The other observers followed suit, filing out one by one.
"Let's go."
Seven hours passed.
[The 'Jungle Annihilation Battle' has ended!]
[Survivors who lasted until the end will receive an additional 50% of their total acquired points.]
[The 'Villain Vote' target, Kim Sunwoo, will receive an additional 50% of their total acquired points as a special reward.]
The Wizard Academy's final exam, the 'Jungle Annihilation Battle,' was over.
Having survived to the end, I got an extra 50% points.
Plus the hidden rule of this exam.
The Villain Vote target got another 50%. It applied to me too.
The rankings were revealed immediately.
[Final Rankings]
1st. Kim Sunwoo - 9,840 points
2nd. Shin Young-jun - 210 points
3rd. Jeong Jeong-won - 120 points
4th. Yang Chung-beom - 90 points
"Hah..."
Seeing the scores, I couldn't help but laugh.
The gap to second place was fifty times over.
Had the Wizard Academy ever seen a score difference like this?
I worried a bit that I'd overdone it.
[You have achieved the 'Solo Domination' accomplishment.]
[You have acquired 3,000 points as a reward.]
[Numerous people are in awe of your performance!]
[You have acquired 10,000 points as a reward.]
But seeing the sudden accomplishments and points melted my worries away.
Point gains were fair—you got what you earned through feats.
And as expectations for me grew, earning points would get harder, so to surpass them, I'd need even bigger showings ahead.
Bzzz. Flash!
With a white light, my vision shifted.
I looked around—the inside of the B Division arena.
Back to reality.
An unfamiliar male instructor greeted me.
"Sunwoo! Congrats on first place. Great performance! Twice the score of Lee Seo-jun from Division A!"
"Lee Seo-jun took first in A?"
"Yep! 4,980 points."
"Then second is Yoo Ara?"
"Right. Yoo Ara got 1,420 points."
I nodded slightly.
Division A came out just as expected. Lee Seo-jun first, perennial runner-up Yoo Ara second.
With this score gap, I'd probably take overall first in the exam.
Lee Seo-jun would be pissed.
The instructor looked at me eagerly.
"Sunwoo, mind if I ask something?"
"Uh, sure."
"When your mana hit zero, it suddenly surged back. You faked it to lower their guard, right?"
"Huh?"
"I thought your mana was gone, but it exploded. Doesn't make sense otherwise."
He meant when I was using Heart of Great Nature and Battle Lust.
"That was..."
I trailed off.
It was one of my aces; no need to explain in detail.
"...Ahem. It's a secret."
"Haha. Figured. Rude question for a wizard anyway."
I nodded instead of answering.
The instructor pointed somewhere.
"Exit's that way."
Following his guide, I left the arena.
Eight hours later, it was dark outside.
10 p.m. now.
The long exam should've been tiring, but after sleeping the whole time, I felt refreshed.
As soon as I stepped out, the A Division arena across the way caught my eye.
Their exam must've just ended too—observers were pouring out.
"Sunbae!"
A familiar voice called from behind. I turned to see Choi Seo-yoon smiling as she approached.
"Great job today. Congrats on first!"
Choi Seo-yoon beamed. I smiled back.
"Thanks."
"And watching you really helped me out. Especially the rain spell from mid-air. Gave me ideas for my own spells. Made me realize how key high ground is..."
Her face turned serious as she explained the spell ideas she'd come up with.
In short, she suggested creating ice pillars under her feet for high-ground advantage.
The theory was a bit idealistic, but her drive to research magic was praiseworthy.
"Sounds good. But it'll guzzle mana, so solving that is key."
"Hmm. Think so? Too theoretical?"
"Magitech could help with that."
"Oh. Nice."
Choi Seo-yoon nodded in realization.
Then, bzzz. A message alert from my smart student handbook.
I checked it.
[Great performance today. Congrats on first.]
[Let's meet soon. Found something interesting investigating Kim Chang-hyun.]
"...Huh?"
From an unexpected person.
Yoo Ah-yeon.
Looked like she'd observed my exam.
Choi Seo-yoon eyed my reaction curiously.
"Something up?"
"Nah."
I shook my head and pocketed the handbook.
Thinking about observers brought Lily Rose to mind.
According to Shin Young-jun, she'd come to watch too.
"Remember the other observers for B Division today?"
Wondering if there were any I didn't know.
Choi Seo-yoon thought for a sec and nodded.
"Yeah. More than I expected."
"Who?"
"Lily Rose, Daria... the Witch of Fire... Wizard Kim Deok-hyun... a few big guild folks too."
Daria and Kim Deok-hyun came too.
No wonder my fame points rose faster than usual.
Made sense.
In the original story, they watched Lee Seo-jun's exam...
Hmm. My interference changed that big time.
"But they all left after an hour. You slept the whole time after. Even Seung-ah couldn't stick it out."
"Ended up just me staying till the end."
Hearing that sparked a small question.
As she said, aside from that first hour, I'd slept through, so nothing to watch.
"...You observed the whole thing, from start to finish?"
Choi Seo-yoon blinked at my question, catching the implication.
"Uh, well."
After hesitating, she gave an awkward smile.
"...Yeah."