"What Kind of Watch Looks Like a Bracelet? Thought It Was a Club."
"What kind of watch looks like a bracelet? Thought it was a club."
Ma Yu-hyeon muttered mockingly as he slipped on his electronic watch. The other team members shot him uneasy glances. The kids who'd known him from before just chuckled. And in that atmosphere, Priest-A Team split into two factions.
Those who knew Ma Yu-hyeon and followed him without suspicion or wariness. And those who didn't, eyeing him with doubt, caution, and fear.
"Anyway, let's do our best, yeah? We all wanna ace this exam, right?"
That left them all unconsciously compelled to follow him. Reverence was little more than fear in disguise, after all—and when those two bound together, it became awe. Ma Yu-hyeon instinctively knew how to command respect or instill dread.
"Yu-hyeon, what about the strategy... or whatever?"
One of the kids who knew him asked cautiously. He had no choice; he considered Ma Yu-hyeon a close friend, but whether the feeling was mutual was anyone's guess.
Ma Yu-hyeon fixed him with his signature slitted gaze, scanning his face before speaking.
"Strategy... strategy? Haven't thought about it. Hmm..."
Snap!
The sharp crack of his fingers echoed impossibly loud—far too resonant for mere flesh and bone. All eyes locked on him. Without realizing it, the team hung on his next words.
"Got it. First, we link up with the other Priest kids. Especially Seong Ha-yeon."
"You know where they are?"
"Roughly the same route. We'll run into 'em if we keep moving."
Ma Yu-hyeon strode ahead confidently, and the team followed without protest—clueless as to why he'd chosen that plan or even what he meant.
Watching their blank faces trail him, Ma Yu-hyeon let out a quiet sigh.
"You get that this exam's a three-way battle, right? With department evaluations in the criteria."
"..."
The kids just nodded silently. He continued.
"So they probably set starting points to clump same-department teams together. Let 'em band up by class and compete against the others."
"Ah, gotcha..."
"Just shut up and follow me. I'll handle it."
Ma Yu-hyeon took point, his pace brutally fast. The team struggled just to keep up. Meanwhile, he fleshed out his vague plan—dissecting the proctors' intent, profiling key rivals from other departments, brainstorming counters, and accounting for variables.
Purely on individual talent, Paladin Class with Kim Jin-seo, Yeo Min-seo, and Han Su-ryeon might be the biggest threat. But Paladins were aggressive lone wolves, unlikely to gel as a unit. Plenty of exploitable gaps there.
Knights, though—collective, quick to unite—made Do Seon-woo's and Kang Dae-man's Knight Class the top danger for now.
Ma Yu-hyeon wrapped up that line of thought just as another Priest team appeared in the distance.
"Yo~ Fancy meeting you here!"
He waved enthusiastically, feigning delight. The other group tensed at first, but his grin eased them. Once same-department status clicked, they dropped all guards like old teammates.
The newcomers were Priest-F Team. Ma Yu-hyeon clocked the department and promptly forgot the label. Teams didn't matter here. Departments did.
"Seen Seong Ha-yeon? She'd stand out a mile with that look."
He grabbed the most leader-like face in the fresh group.
"Seong Ha-yeon? Uh..."
"Whatever, if not, forget it. Where the hell is that girl?"
Ma Yu-hyeon didn't wait for an answer and marched on. One trailing teammate grabbed his arm, puzzled.
"Where to? Aren't we merging here?"
"Two ain't enough."
He shook off the hand and kept going, muttering.
"Need as many as possible... at least four teams. That's the minimum to hold."
"Four?"
"Other departments'll come sniffing for us no matter what."
Priests sucked at combat compared to others. But with high-achievers aplenty, nabbing tokens via non-fight conditions would be easy. Problem was, everyone knew that—so Paladins and Knights would swarm to check them.
Hence, clump up. Like prey animals fooling predators with sheer numbers. Only a massive herd could fend off hyena packs like those fighters.
"Worst case, I can handle 'em all myself!"
He flashed a shameless grin at the worried face. The team took it as a joke; Ma Yu-hyeon meant every word. Anyone but Kang Dae-man or Kim Jin-seo? He'd crush them with room to spare.
No... not Do Seon-woo, that bastard...
"Anyway, gather as many as you can. Call me when we've got four-plus teams."
He dispatched his crew to scout, then hunted more teams himself. With each step, the sky blackened, ominous shadows pooling on the ground.
He glanced up. Thick storm clouds wept first drops, then a torrent.
Whoosh...
Rain hammered down. Thunder rumbled; lightning cracked. A full-blown tempest.
Ma Yu-hyeon smirked at the moody heavens.
"Which punk pulled off a rain ritual this time..."
*
"Head for Priest territory first. No clue where, but... probably north-ish."
Kang Dae-man led his team while replaying Do Seon-woo's instructions. Early game, snag hostages—priests'd fetch top ransom.
"North from here... which way?"
Storm clouds hid sun and stars; directions blurred. Do Seon-woo shrugged it off.
"No idea? Just pick a direction and go. Doesn't have to be north."
He'd added: Knights got three extra handcuff sets—lean into the hostage meta. Grab clerics for tokens if easy, but bail if it drags. Rain? Duck into the sturdiest nearby building for five minutes. Might hook an unexpected big fish.
Then he vanished. No one knew his play.
"Didn't think it'd actually rain..."
Kang Dae-man muttered skyward. Do Seon-woo's call nailed it—gloomy, sure, but not rainy. Felt like his words summoned the deluge.
Rain it was, so follow the plan. He shook water from his face roughly and turned to the team.
"Everyone, into that church over there!"
He pointed at the nearest building—a pre-"Wrath" fight cathedral, huge and intact-ish. Ruins still, but solid shelter.
Do Seon-woo had stressed picking spots that'd actually block rain.
"Wait here a bit."
Inside, Kang Dae-man wrung out his shirt. Girls in the team? No one batted an eye. Everyone knew he stripped anywhere, anytime. Plus, his threads were paper-thin today—wet or dry, same difference.
He scanned the room. Team was soaked, beat from the forced march. Wiped out already.
Hmm.
Rain hampers performance, so hunker in a decent spot to regroup. Smart call, factoring weather and stamina. Kang Dae-man admired it inwardly as he tallied heads.
"Check numbers constantly."
Do Seon-woo's tip: long test, big team—stragglers hard to regroup.
Knight-D Team: ten total. Should be ten here.
He counted on fingers. One, two, three...
"...Nine, ten."
Spot on. No losses. But a doubt flickered.
Do Seon-woo split solo, so nine here. Why ten?
Miscount? He stared each face down, recounting.
"..."
A stranger caught his eye. Not just face—build, skin, everything alien. Too frail for a Knight. Winter-pure white skin and hair.
Seong Ha-yeon from Priests, drenched and shivering in a corner by the confessional.
Kang Dae-man gawked. She clocked him, mouth agape, eyes saucering.
"..."
Her face drained ghost-white as she tried to rise stealthily. Legs buckled; she flopped repeatedly.
By then, the rest of Knight-D noticed. Her look was too striking to ignore.
One lone Priest versus nine Knights. Tense silence froze the air.
"...What're you waiting for? Grab her!"
Someone's shout shattered it. Seong Ha-yeon bolted—or tried. Kang Dae-man was faster; no contest.
Click!
She'd barely stepped when he slapped cuffs on her wrist. Knight-issue restraints for corrupt clerics—locked divine power flow, neutralizing foes.
Thud.
She crumpled steps from the confessional, drained limp. Shock had weakened her legs already; now even toes wouldn't twitch. Mouth barely moved.
Kang Dae-man stared down, dumbfounded.
"Rain hits? Nearest solid building, wait five. Might snag an unexpected whopper."
Do Seon-woo's words echoed. Dead-on, like prophecy.