Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Record-Breaking Escape
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“It looks shady right off the bat. And I’m pretty suspicious by nature.”
“But still...”
Yoo Ara muttered with a fed-up look on her face. It was understandable from her perspective. At this point, it was practically like I already knew the answers and was just acting on them.
I shrugged and carved a portion of the newly acquired magic circle onto the exit.
Woooong.
The magic circle section lit up again.
Time passed, and we managed to find all the clues.
“This is the last one.”
“Let’s do it.”
I used the clues to fill in the remaining parts of the magic circle.
A perfect magic circle took shape. At the same time, a brilliant light burst forth, and the wall began to slide open.
“Got it.”
Now for the next stage.
At a breakneck pace, we reached the final stage.
The last stage was a pure white room, just like the first one.
And like before, we quickly found the clues and completed the magic circle.
“...What did you do back there?”
While I was focused on hunting for clues, Yoo Ara—who’d been unable to hide her shock—narrowed her eyes and spoke up.
“What are you talking about?”
“Come on, at least pretend to take a normal amount of time. You’re moving like you already know all the answers. Did you cheat or something?”
“Make some sense.”
I didn’t even need to respond properly, but Yoo Ara didn’t drop her suspicions.
“Hmm...”
“And I’m top of the theory rankings, remember? I’ve studied all sorts of stuff out of curiosity.”
It was a lame excuse that didn’t even make sense, but I threw it out there anyway.
Fortunately, Yoo Ara nodded along. Still, she never fully dropped her wary gaze from me.
Flash!
A blinding light filled our vision, and the surroundings shifted.
We were in a waiting room.
[You have achieved the ‘Overwhelming 1st Place’ accomplishment.]
[You have obtained 3,000 points as a reward.]
[You have achieved the ‘Exam New Record’ accomplishment.]
[You have obtained 4,000 points as a reward.]
“...Team 2. That was overwhelmingly dominant. Escaping in 23 minutes and 24 seconds.”
The instructor, Jang An-cheol, stood before Yoo Ara and me, his face a mask of disbelief as he spoke.
“It’s the highest record in the history of Korea Wizard High School. The previous one was 37 minutes and 52 seconds. You shaved off a full 14 minutes. Congratulations.”
Yoo Ara’s eyes widened in shock at Jang An-cheol’s words.
“That big of a difference?”
“Yeah. Even I can hardly believe it.”
“...Alright, then. Return to your seats and wait.”
Yoo Ara and I sat in the empty waiting room chairs. Since we’d finished the exam so quickly, we’d probably be stuck sitting here for a while.
I pondered what to do with the remaining time and ended up striking up a conversation with Yoo Ara for no real reason.
“First time beating Lee Seo-jun. How’s it feel?”
Yoo Ara shot me an exasperated look.
“...You think I’m happy about it?”
“Why not? We won by a landslide.”
“Honestly, it’s like you solved the whole thing by yourself. Winning like this doesn’t count. It’s invalid.”
Her pride was as sky-high as ever. She wouldn’t acknowledge anything she didn’t accomplish with her own hands. Of course, that was part of her charm.
“Suit yourself.”
With that, I pulled out my smart student handbook. Truth be told, I didn’t care much what Yoo Ara thought.
Plenty of time left—might as well browse the internet.
Yoo Ara sat there in the waiting room, chin propped on her hand, lost in thought.
No matter how she turned it over in her mind, Kim Sun-woo had way too many suspicious points. Sure, thanks to him, they’d gotten an amazing exam result, but it wasn’t enough to wave away the doubts lingering in her.
“Hmm.”
She stole a glance at Kim Sun-woo. He was scrolling through news articles online. With her 2.5 vision, she could make out that he was reading up on international affairs.
It was pretty dry stuff for an 18-year-old’s interests, but tastes varied, so she let it slide.
Then, out of nowhere, she recalled something from the opening ceremony this year.
—You’ve been having a lot of trouble with career stuff lately, right?
Kim Sun-woo had definitely said that. It was such a random comment that she still remembered it crystal clear even now, months later.
Back then, she’d chalked it up to him luckily guessing right just to get her attention.
But looking back now, it didn’t feel like a coincidence.
‘Career... trouble...’
In fact, just as he’d said, she’d been dealing with career-related troubles.
Troubles with her older sister, Yoo A-yeon, to be exact.
Yoo Ara harbored deep hatred for Jaun and dreamed of joining the Special Task Force or Dawn’s Blade after graduation. But her sister Yoo A-yeon had staunchly opposed it.
It went without saying—fighting not just monsters, but terrorist groups and demons, was far more dangerous.
And Yoo A-yeon had already lost family once to a Jaun terror attack.
She didn’t want to lose her one remaining little sister, Yoo Ara. That’s why she opposed it.
So how the hell had Kim Sun-woo known about it?
He’d claimed it was just a hunch, but there were too many odd things happening around him lately to brush them all off as “hunches.”
Plus, the fact that she was Yoo A-yeon’s little sister wasn’t widely known yet.
Unless he’d deliberately dug into it, there was no way Kim Sun-woo could’ve predicted her family troubles.
Had he investigated her?
It wasn’t impossible, she thought.
And if her guess was right—if he really was a Jaun victim—then while researching Jaun, he might’ve come across info on the Yoo family survivors, including her.
‘Kim Sun-woo... who the hell are you?’
All the exams ended, and the results were announced.
[Final Rankings]
1st Place - Team 2. Yoo Ara, Kim Sun-woo (23 min 24 sec)
2nd Place - Team 1. Lee Seo-jun, Jung Tae-hoon (45 min 21 sec)
3rd Place - Team 3. Park In-hwan, Shin Ki-hoon (50 min 10 sec)
An utterly dominant result.
The other students stared at Yoo Ara and me in stunned amazement.
When Jang An-cheol mentioned it was the all-time highest record, the reactions grew even louder.
“Whoa! That’s insane!”
“Yoo Ara’s taking 1st this time, right?”
“Kim Sun-woo’s pretty good too, though. Saw him do well in other exams.”
[Five major characters admire you.]
[You have obtained 1,000 points as a reward.]
“Alright! That’s the exam done for today. Tomorrow’s the big one: Monster Hunter exam. Get plenty of rest, everyone. Dismissed!”
At Jang An-cheol’s shout, the students dispersed to their spots.
I was getting tired anyway, so time to head back.
“Hey, Kim Sun-woo!”
Just then, a voice called from behind. I turned to see Lee Seo-jun and Shin Young-jun walking over.
“New record, huh? Congrats.”
“You solved it, right?”
Lee Seo-jun and Shin Young-jun approached, eyes wide with surprise.
“Yoo Ara and I did it together.”
At my response, Lee Seo-jun eyed me suspiciously.
“How’d you solve it that fast?”
Shin Young-jun snickered at Lee Seo-jun’s question.
“Hey, Seo-jun’s a bit on edge since he lost 1st for the first time.”
“...That’s not it.”
His voice had dipped a notch, so Shin Young-jun was probably right.
I’d never seen Lee Seo-jun get touchy about grades before. It was a fresh sight.
“Hey, you still got 2nd. Greedy much?”
Shin Young-jun teased Lee Seo-jun lightly. Lee Seo-jun forced a smile and turned back to me.
“Yeah, but it’s still a shock. I had a bad feeling when you and Yoo Ara teamed up, but I didn’t think you’d crush us by this much.”
If Lee Seo-jun was admitting it outright, he must’ve been pretty rattled.
I offered some consolation.
“Just ace the next exam. Tomorrow’s the real important one anyway.”
“...True.”
“You got any plans for tomorrow?”
“Nah. Got some alliance offers from here and there, but I’m still thinking it over.”
The Monster Hunter exam was a survival-style test on a remote island, so informal alliances were tacitly allowed. Of course, any downsides from alliances were on you, so choices had to be careful.
“Who from?”
“Hmm... Seo-yun, Park Min-ye sunbae, a few other students...”
“Hmm...”
Just like in the original story.
“What about you?”
“Dunno. Oh, right. Sun-woo, you wanna team up with me?”
Lee Seo-jun looked at me expectantly.
A 1st-place invite. Tempting as hell. But...
“...Nah.”
I’d already given up on a high score in this Monster Hunter exam. My only goal was preventing Jang Ye’s death.
“Got it.”
Lee Seo-jun nodded at me. Shin Young-jun gave me a surprised look.
“What? You actually turned him down? Why? Come on, spill.”
“I’ve got my own plans.”
“Plans more important than teaming with Lee Seo-jun?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmm... alright? You crushed it today anyway.”
Shin Young-jun muttered, then chuckled.
“Gotta step it up now. Can’t let you snag 1st again.”
He poked Lee Seo-jun’s side playfully.
Lee Seo-jun gave an awkward smile.
“Yeah, whatever your plan is, it’s kinda scary.”
[Character ‘Lee Seo-jun’ feels competitive toward you.]
[You have obtained 1,000 points as a reward.]
I got back to the dorm at 9 PM—earlier than expected.
Normally, I’d train longer, but with the grueling outdoor Monster Hunter exam starting tomorrow, I cut it short to conserve energy.
“Hmm.”
I opened my smart student handbook.
Turned on the internet and checked the news.
[Korea Wizard High School 2nd-Year #2 ‘Yoo Ara’ Shatters Stage Escape Exam Record]
The article focused on Yoo Ara. I got a brief mention, but barely any spotlight.
“Tch.”
I was used to this by now, but it still stung that I wasn’t raking in more points.
I left a comment on the article for no good reason.
kswl23: Yoo Ara didn’t do it alone—someone named Kim Sun-woo was on her team too.
Submit.
Too good not to spread, so I hit up other sites.
kswl23: The student teamed with Yoo Ara is Kim Sun-woo, who’s #1 in theory scores. Bet he played a big role.
kswl23: Kim Sun-woo’s the one who fell into the hidden stage with Lee Seo-jun too. Seeing that guy everywhere lately lol
After dropping a few comments, I zoned out for a second.
“...Why do I feel so pathetic?”
Then my smart student handbook pinged.
csy555: This guy’s been spamming the same comment everywhere. You the one in the article? lol
“...What? How’d he know?”
Caught off guard, I set the handbook down.
Then flopped onto the bed.
“What’s the point of this crap.”
“Guys, I’m back!”
Somewhere in Korea, in a hidden Jaun hideout.
A man who looked East Asian in his mid-20s waved as he entered.
“Good work.”
Jin waved back from the sofa.
“Man, tailing Lee Seo-jun nonstop for two weeks wore me out.”
“But tomorrow’s a break day, right? They’re doing some survival thing?”
“Yeah, Monster Hunter exam on a remote island or whatever. Can’t follow there, so gotta chill.”
The man’s name was Baek Eun-seong.
One of Jaun’s few Korean members. He’d been watching Lee Seo-jun for two weeks and returned to base now that the exam was starting tomorrow.
“Anything notable?”
“Uh, well... not really?”
“Yeah? Any fights or whatever?”
“Nothing worth reporting.”
“Got it?”
Jin nodded.
Then the door opened, and yawning Berth stepped out.
“What? Baek Eun-seong’s back?”
“Hey, Berth.”
“Why’re you here? Oh, tomorrow’s off, huh.”
“Yeah. Who’s on Lee Seo-jun next week?”
“Skar.”
“Cool?”
Baek Eun-seong nodded and sprawled on the sofa. As he grabbed his smartphone to game, something popped into his head, and he spoke up.
“Oh, right. There was one error in the info you gave me, Jin.”
“Error?”
“See, there’s this Kim Sun-woo in the files.”
Baek Eun-seong sat up and pulled a paper from his pocket.
“Yeah. Mm. Kim Sun-woo. The one getting chummy with Lee Seo-jun lately. What about him?”
“It says he’s ranked 72 here, but that seems wrong.”
Jin squinted at Baek Eun-seong’s words.
“What’re you talking about? He is 72.”
“Really? Didn’t look it to me.”
“What’s he even capable of?”
Baek Eun-seong paused at Jin’s question, struggling to put his skills into words.
“Hmm... Oh!”
Then he remembered one incident.
“He punched right through the back of a giant black stone lizard. One shot.”
“The black stone lizard’s back?”
Black stone lizard backs were infamous for being impenetrable without at least A-Rank magic. Their hides fetched at least 50 million won precisely because of that toughness.
“You sure?”
“Yeah. Dead sure.”