Chapter 399
Chapter 399
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 400
Chapter Title: The Competition Exam
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[From now on, all rules of the exam will be announced.]
[Once the competition begins, one team member will be assigned to each examinee.]
[Communication between team members will become possible, and locations can be shared with each other.]
[Combat between team members is prohibited. Violators will receive severe penalties.]
[It is possible to form teams beyond the assigned team member, but any resulting betrayals or issues are the responsibility of the individuals involved.]
[Free combat is permitted through the competition.]
[You also gain the right to use the opponent's exploration notes.]
[If you die during combat, you will respawn at the first floor of the temple, in the room of resurrection and barrier. The barrier will be lifted after 3 hours.]
[The individual exam ends at midnight or upon escaping the cave.]
[The final score is the sum of each exam's points, plus the examiners' individual evaluations.]
Underground Golden Tower, 4th floor.
Yoo Seong-jin frowned as he read the announcement floating on his exploration notes.
The exam had entered its third day, and the long-awaited 'competition' had finally begun.
The detailed rules of the competition were now revealed. But for some reason, the content was hard to understand.
"......So, we're supposed to steal clues through competition and escape the cave?"
It seemed like the exploration exam, cave exploration, and competition were combined into three intertwined tests.
This was different from the standard pro wizard certification exam he knew, and the rule changes left him flustered.
"Hmm. What are you gonna do?"
Yoo Seong-jin asked Yoo Ah-ra, his assigned team member whom he had found right after the competition started.
She glanced at him and replied curtly.
"What do you mean? We have to start gathering clues now."
At her response, Yoo Seong-jin clicked his tongue.
For some reason, she wasn't cooperating with him at all.
He had tried to get along since she was his type, but it seemed he had thoroughly pissed her off.
Maybe it was because of that time in the basic rank exam when he picked a fight with Lee Seo-jun......
No, even so.
Was it necessary to act this cold just because he messed with her friend?
......Or maybe.
"Are you dating Lee Seo-jun?"
"What?"
Yoo Ah-ra furrowed her brows and shot back.
That was a reaction of utter shock.
No, it was instinctive rejection.
"Hmm. Guess not."
"What's the intent behind that question? Why ask something like that out of nowhere?"
Yoo Ah-ra snapped.
"Well, you two seemed like a good match, so I was curious."
"Sorry, but there's absolutely no chance of me dating that guy."
Absolutely. So firm.
"......You have high standards."
Even so, wasn't Lee Seo-jun a pretty great guy?
Good personality, talented. And his looks went without saying.
If I were a girl, I'd go after Lee Seo-jun first.
"Hmm."
Yoo Seong-jin smacked his lips as he looked at Yoo Ah-ra, who was glaring at him unpleasantly.
He seemed to have earned even more dislike with that pointless question.
Then, another thought suddenly crossed his mind.
Come to think of it, Kim Sun-woo was there too.
"Then, are you dating Kim Sun-woo?"
"......You. I'm warning you, cut it out."
Yoo Seong-jin tilted his head at Yoo Ah-ra's words.
"What? Your rejection reaction is a bit weaker."
"Weaker my ass. Please, just stop with the weird questions."
Yoo Seong-jin stroked his chin and looked at her with curious eyes.
He wasn't sure if she had romantic feelings for Kim Sun-woo, but she seemed more open to him than to Lee Seo-jun.
In every way except magic ability, Lee Seo-jun seemed superior.
Looks, personality, height, build—all of it.
Or maybe her tastes were unique?
"......Alright. Whatever. Got it."
Everyone has their preferences.
Gotta respect that.
Yoo Seong-jin concluded and stood up.
"No time to waste. Let's go gather some clues."
"Where are you thinking of going?"
"That's......"
At that moment, the image of their biggest rivals, Kim Sun-woo's team with Lee Seo-jun, flashed in his mind.
Kim Sun-woo must have racked up a ton of points by now.
Should he target Kim Sun-woo?
Last time they clashed briefly, he was slightly pushed back, but he hadn't used his full power then.
If they fought again, he could definitely win. Probably......
Curiosity piqued, Yoo Seong-jin checked the exploration notes to see Kim Sun-woo's score.
[Yoo Seong-jin: Exploration Score 52 points]
[Kim Sun-woo: Exploration Score 82 points]
"Huh?"
He rubbed his eyes, thinking he misread, and looked again.
"......82 points?"
Yoo Seong-jin's eyes trembled.
Was that even possible?
Several changes occurred after the competition began.
First, Lee Seo-jun and the others decided to split up and act independently.
Staying together would make combats safer, but their presence would be more noticeable to others.
After promising to reunite later, I set out to find people for the clues I needed.
But things unfolded a bit differently than expected.
"......K-Kim Sun-woo?"
For some reason, everyone I encountered showed no hostility toward me—instead, they looked flustered.
Then, with faces filled with terror, they said things like this.
"You need the exploration notes, right? Use them however you want, just please don't kill me......!"
"........."
This kept happening, so after the competition started, I hadn't fought once and had still accumulated quite a few points.
......And my exploration score had surpassed 100 points.
[You have gathered 100 points. You have obtained the 100-point special reward.]
[You can locate the position of the desired opponent.]
Finally got it.
Locate the desired opponent's position.
According to my plan, the target was already decided.
It was Yoo Seong-jin, the villain of Jaun, who was expected to hold a lot of information.
I used the reward immediately.
[Please select the desired opponent.]
From the list of examinees, I found and selected Yoo Seong-jin.
[Checking real-time position.]
At the same time, a compass-like arrow appeared.
It was a system tracking Yoo Seong-jin's exploration notes.
If I followed this arrow, I'd eventually meet him.
As I started to move.
A strong presence came from somewhere. Soon, two familiar faces appeared.
"Kim Sun-woo?"
"......What the."
The ones in front of me were none other than Yoo Ah-ra and Yoo Seong-jin.
Since they were teamed up for this competition, it wasn't surprising to see them together.
Still, I hadn't expected them to be this close.
Yoo Seong-jin looked at me in surprise, then smirked.
"Heh...... You showed up at the perfect time. I wanted a 1v1, but given the situation, 2v1 isn't bad either."
Yoo Seong-jin cracked his knuckles.
Yoo Ah-ra beside him watched me thoughtfully.
It looked like I'd have to face these two in a 2v1.
Blessing of Fiction was active, but these guys were so skilled that I couldn't help feeling tense.
Then, Yoo Ah-ra, who had been eyeing me subtly, sighed deeply and stepped back.
"......I'll sit this one out."
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
Yoo Seong-jin asked, looking flustered.
"I don't want to be part of this fight, so you guys handle it."
"No, why are you backing out? This is our chance to take down Kim Sun-woo 2v1."
Yoo Seong-jin reacted as if he couldn't understand.
"I'll beat Kim Sun-woo fair and square later. Not cowardly 2v1."
I smiled faintly at her words. From Yoo Seong-jin's perspective, it was an incomprehensible, stubborn answer, but to me, it sounded just like Yoo Ah-ra.
Yoo Seong-jin made a dumbfounded face, then sighed.
"Ha...... Knew it. Yoo Ah-ra, you do like Kim Sun-woo."
"......Huh?"
I was caught off guard by the sudden remark.
What did he just say?
Yoo Ah-ra glared at Yoo Seong-jin with fierce eyes.
"Goddamn it. I told you to quit it. Who the hell do you think I like?"
I blankly watched their exchange.
It seemed they'd talked about me at some point.
This was a bit shocking.
Yoo Ah-ra liking me? I hadn't noticed at all......
I stared at Yoo Ah-ra blankly, scratched my head, and asked.
"Yoo Ah-ra. Do you like me......?"
"I don't like you!"
A razor-sharp instant reply.
A short shout full of sincerity. From her reaction, it was clear Yoo Seong-jin had just assumed wrongly.
"......Well, that's a relief then."
"......Wait, a relief? What do you mean by that?"
Yoo Ah-ra narrowed her eyes.
Deep displeasure was etched on her face.
I didn't know how she interpreted it, but what I meant by 'relief' was simple.
I wanted to remain close friends with her for a long time, as she was an essential character for future developments.
I didn't want things to get awkward over something like this.
"It means I want us to stay friends long-term. And just in case...... don't like me."
As I finished speaking, a message appeared before my eyes.
[You have achieved the 'Third Rejection' accomplishment.]
[As a reward, you have obtained 3,000 points.]
Third Rejection. Yoon Ha-young was the second.
Now, Yoon Ha-young and Yoo Ah-ra, who had given me rejection accomplishments, had received one from me in return.
"Ha. Haha......"
Yoo Ah-ra let out a hollow laugh as if she'd lost her mind at my words.
It was a laugh mixed with wounded pride and absurdity.
Soon, she spoke.
"Changed my mind."
"Huh?"
"Doing a 2v1 doesn't sound so bad now."
Immediately, a massive fireball manifested above Yoo Ah-ra's head.
The exam progressed at a rapid pace.
Numerous clue thefts occurred, and large amounts of clues began to be shared.
Thanks to that, more and more people found the cave's exit.
The first to escape was the promising star everyone expected: Lee Seo-jun.
Using clues shared from Kim Sun-woo and newly acquired ones, he found the exit without facing any major powerhouses, securing first place comfortably.
Second, third, and fourth were Shin Young-jun, Lee Hyun-joo, and Yoon Ha-young.
They too succeeded in escaping relatively quickly thanks to info from Kim Sun-woo.
And so the exam ended.
"Chief examiner! Results are out!"
In the examiners' room displaying the exam screens, a young examiner approached with documents.
Chief examiner Yang Ji-tae took the papers.
They contained the escape rankings from the cave and each examinee's exploration results on the 'Bhahama Empire,' the background of this virtual world.
Yang Ji-tae flipped through, scanning the contents.
[Escape Rankings: Kim Sun-woo 5th place]
The one with the highest expectations, Kim Sun-woo, finished 5th in escape ranking.
It might seem disappointing at first glance, but considering his feats, it was anything but.
The main reason he ended 5th was facing top prospects Yoo Seong-jin and Yoo Ah-ra simultaneously.
Their battle, seen on the monitors, still sent chills down his spine.
Even with recent evaluations placing him on par or surpassing Lee Seo-jun, no one expected him to hold his own against two.
In the end, Yoo Seong-jin died in that fight, suffering the humiliation of being tied to the temple for 3 hours.
The info he had was taken by Kim Sun-woo and shared everywhere.
For reference, the bout with Yoo Ah-ra fizzled out.
Her attacks were half-hearted from the start, and the fight stopped the moment Yoo Seong-jin died.
After the battle, Kim Sun-woo studied the obtained clues as if solving a puzzle.
He seemed to prioritize 'exploration' and 'interpretation' over 'escape.'
"......Let's see just how impressive his interpretations were."
Yang Ji-tae opened the documents to check Kim Sun-woo's 'exploration results.'
[The background of this region is the ancient civilization known for building an empire underground: the Bhahama Golden Empire. Through exploration, I discovered traces of highly advanced spells, and......]
A long chain of deductions about the Bhahama Empire.
Based on his explorations, he detailed the information, interpreting the spells he found.
Scanning through, it was mostly accurate.
The Bhahama Empire sacrificed countless people to create artificial mysteries, leading to its downfall.
Whether the mystery was successfully summoned or failed remains a mystery even to the Association.
[......In the end, it seems they succeeded with the sacrifice spell. But the outcome is unknown. However, through the 3rd floor murals, Golden Tower 2nd floor, and scriptures on the 6th floor, I pinpointed the coordinates where the mystery was summoned.]
"......Huh?"
Yang Ji-tae paused at one part, looking stunned.
He figured out the coordinates where the mystery was summoned?
회귀한 엑스트라가 천재가 됨
400화
The three-day pro wizard certification exam had finally concluded.
A bright light flashed, returning all examinees to reality.
"Oh. Back to reality? Feels weird after just three days."
"More importantly, I barely did anything during the exam, so I might get E-rank. What now?"
"I think I can aim for at least D?"
The returned examinees recalled the exam with regretful reactions.
The reason was simple.
This pro exam had different rules from the standard ones, leaving many unable to perform well.
Even Yoo Seong-jin, rated as a top prospect, was the same.
His eyes had lost their spark, filled only with deep frustration.
"Thank you all for your hard work over the three-day exam. Results will be publicly announced in three days, and you may now leave."
As soon as the examiner finished, the examinees dispersed to head home.
Yoo Seong-jin stood silently, then turned at a familiar presence nearby.
"Yoo Seong-jin!"
An exotic-looking man and woman approached him.
Natasha and Jin, hiding their identities with face masks.
"What's with that face? Did you bomb the exam?"
Jin asked at Yoo Seong-jin's uncharacteristic dejected look.
"It's......"
Yoo Seong-jin recalled his confrontation with 'Kim Sun-woo' in today's competition exam.
A 2v1 with Yoo Ah-ra.
He already knew the guy had innate talent for mana manipulation, but with numerical superiority, defeat was impossible.
But.
"I lost to Kim Sun-woo."
"What?"