Chapter 105: Final Exam (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 105: Final Exam (1)
Monday morning.
I was walking down the hallway when I felt a gaze on my back.
Pretending not to notice, I quickened my pace.
“Jung Hae-in.”
A voice called from behind me.
I had a feeling I knew who it was, so I didn't bother to answer.
“Jung. Hae. In.”
The voice called out my name, one syllable at a time.
Without turning my head, I let out a soft sigh.
A message had arrived last night.
[1000_y]: Hey~
[belief_]: Huh? What’s up?
A sudden message on a weekend evening.
For a moment, my heart sank. I thought some emergency had come up.
[1000_y]: What’s this? I’m curious~
[1000_y]: (Image)
But it wasn't.
The image was a photo from the party at the Association.
In the picture, taken from a distance, was me, standing awkwardly next to Kang A-rin.
I was wearing a suit with a stiff smile on my face.
[1000_y]: (Image)
This time, it was a close-up.
My awkward face filled the entire screen.
[1000_y]: Wear it for me, too.
So I just didn't reply.
The notifications went off a few more times after that—no, a few dozen more times—but it was late.
I just went to sleep.
Acting as if nothing had happened, I quietly made my way to a corner seat in the back of the classroom.
Cheon Yeo-wool approached and tapped my shoulder with her fingertips.
Tap. Tap.
“Show me you in a suit, too.”
“Why do you keep asking to see it?”
“Wear it in the Holy Land.”
“Seriously, why are you being like this?”
“I’ll wear a pretty dress for you, too. I’m confident.”
It seemed Cheon Yeo-wool was planning to torment me all day.
Without another word, I plopped down into my chair.
Cheon Yeo-wool sat down right next to him, their chairs side-by-side.
The hem of her clothes brushed against my arm.
She was pressed right up against me.
“Why are you sitting so close?”
“It’s not like you hate it.”
“…”
I was at a loss for words.
I can't handle this. I really can't.
She sat quietly, her legs neatly together, leaning toward me.
Her fragrance was stronger than usual.
“Besides, I borrowed it. I don’t even have it anymore.”
A lie, of course.
The suit had been a gift from Kang A-rin herself.
“…”
At my words, Cheon Yeo-wool silently narrowed her eyes.
She looked like she didn't believe me, but she didn't press the issue.
She just raised the corner of her mouth slightly.
Just then, a voice came from a corner at the front of the classroom.
“…What are you guys talking about?”
It was Yoon Chae-ha.
She had already arrived and was seated in her usual spot.
Sensing the atmosphere, she asked cautiously.
“It’s nothing…”
“Wanna see this?”
I tried my best to avoid it, but at that moment, Cheon Yeo-wool grinned slyly and pulled up her watch screen.
Yoon Chae-ha peered at the screen.
“…Whoa…”
Her admiration was so over-the-top it was embarrassing, especially since I was right there.
Of course, I had been surprised, too. I never knew I could look so different just by dressing up.
“What do you think?”
Cheon Yeo-wool posed the question, and Yoon Chae-ha glanced back and forth between the watch and me.
“Wear it.”
“Ah.”
A perfect team had just been formed.
“I’ll wear it…”
I had no way of winning against the two of them right now. Seriously.
In the end, I meekly gave in.
To be honest, that suit is a pain to wear.
From the shirt to the dress shoes, a suit wasn't something you could just throw on.
Sighing quietly to myself, I stared at the blackboard at the front of the room.
Meanwhile, I could hear suspicious laughter from either side of me.
“Ehehehe.”
“Heeheehee.”
“…When did you two get so close?”
I thought they were polar opposites, but it turned out they were perfectly in sync.
Should I consider this a good thing…?
Just then, a familiar, low voice cut across the classroom.
“Good morning, everyone.”
As the door opened, Instructor Do Han-seong walked in.
The boisterous atmosphere was instantly suppressed, falling silent.
“Did you all have a good weekend?”
It was a perfunctory greeting, but it was laced with a strange, subtle nuance.
While the students gave half-hearted replies, he turned his back to us.
Something about the mood felt off.
“I certainly hope you rested well.”
He slammed both hands on the blackboard. Thump.
With an unnatural clank, the blackboard cracked and split down the middle, sliding open to both sides.
Beyond it, a familiar space was revealed once more.
It was the massive cavern we had entered during the entrance ceremony to choose our weapons.
A huge, dome-shaped indoor arena.
What was different from last time was the set of four screens rising from the center, facing in four directions.
On the left and right, circular seating was arranged, enough to accommodate the entire first-year class of the academy.
The blackboards in the other classrooms also began to open one by one, revealing the same scene.
Do Han-seong turned to face the students again.
“If you would all follow me.”
The students rose from their seats without a word.
“Oh…”
Yoon Chae-ha let out a small gasp, as if it were her first time seeing this.
Carlos was probably smaller in scale compared to Gaon.
We took our seats in the section designated for Class B.
The instructors from each class also began to gather one by one around the stage.
Quite the production.
It seemed a bit much, but this was Gaon.
I had no choice but to get used to it.
“Welcome, students of Gaon.”
Without any prior notice, the Chairman walked onto the stage.
He continued in a calm tone.
“Today, I will be providing you with information regarding the first-semester final exams.”
A faint smile played on his lips, but no one let their guard down.
Gaon’s final exams were infamous for their cruelty.
“First, the written exam.”
As he raised his hand, the four screens in the center of the auditorium lit up simultaneously.
Small text was organized in dense blocks.
“The written exam will be conducted in the same manner as the last one. It will consist mainly of essay-style questions that focus on comprehension rather than accuracy. You will be evaluated on how flexibly you can apply your knowledge in scenarios designed to simulate real combat.”
The Chairman added to that.
“Of course, the difficulty will be much higher than last time.”
A low murmur spread through the students.
“Ah… shit.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
He waited for the reaction to die down before continuing.
After displaying a few sample questions from the written exam, the screens turned off a moment later.
“That is all for the written exam.”
He walked around the stage, making eye contact with the students.
“Writing and theory… are incredibly important. However, you are all heroes, and those who will become heroes.”
“There are things in this world that cannot be solved by theory alone.”
His voice grew deeper.
With a single gesture, the screens turned on again.
“This is the practical exam for the first-year final.”
On all four screens, a single, distinct phrase appeared.
『Practical Evaluation: Catch the Bell』
In an instant, every eye in the auditorium shot upward.
“This practical exam is the core of your finals.”
The Chairman’s voice echoed low.
“Your teamwork, combat ability, and situational judgment. This test will comprehensively evaluate all of your skills. And these results, combined with your written and midterm exam scores, will be reflected in your final ranking.”
The word “ranking” carried immense weight.
Unlike the midterms, which might not have felt real, this single evaluation would determine our rankings for the entire semester.
Tension spread through the student body.
“We will call this test, ‘Catch the Bell.’”
At a gesture from the Chairman, the screens changed.
A map of the entire, massive Gaon Academy campus appeared, overlaid with two colors representing the two factions.
“With all of Gaon as your stage, you will be divided into the Blue Team and the White Team to fight. A round is divided into offense and defense. The defending team protects the bell, and the attacking team tries to steal it.”
Only the sound of quiet breathing could be heard among the students.
Everyone was focused.
“If your bell is stolen, you are eliminated. If you steal a bell, you earn points. The rules are simple.”
It was just as he said.
The rules were indeed simple.
However, there was no way this was all there was to it.
“But that is not all.”
With a light laugh, the Chairman gestured, and the screen changed once more.
Red markers lit up across the vast battlefield of the Gaon campus.
Special points in various locations were highlighted.
“Each area has a unique objective. And at the center of each, a giant bell is placed. That bell will be guarded by a Boss.”
The look in the students’ eyes slowly began to change.
“The Boss could be one of Gaon’s combat instructors, or it could be a famous hero specially invited for this exam.”
He continued, a smile on his face.
“However, there is a condition for the challenge. You can only challenge a Boss when you are on the defending team. If you succeed, you will secure the giant bell and earn a large number of points.”
He gave a slight nod and added.
“Ah, and don’t worry too much. All of the Bosses will have a Limit placed on them. They cannot use their full power against the defending team.”
But.
“However… what if time runs out during your attempt and the offense and defense switch?”
The Chairman’s smile became a little more serious.
“Against the attacking team, the Boss’s Limit will be completely removed.”
Quietly, the sound of someone swallowing could be heard.
“From that moment on, you will have to withstand the full-force attacks of active heroes and instructors.”
A short silence enveloped the auditorium.
The screen changed once more, this time displaying a concise summary of the rules and scoring system.
“The offense will aim for the opponent’s bell to score points, while the defense must evade the attackers’ eyes to take on the Boss. The battle will proceed in alternating offense-defense rounds and will end when all rounds are complete or a certain score is reached.”
He smiled slightly as he continued.
“And… there are also several hidden elements. As for what kind of hidden things are concealed and where, you’ll just have to find out for yourselves.”
That was welcome news for me.
When it came to hidden elements, I was something of an expert.
I didn't know which team I'd be on, but they'd be lucky to have me.
He smiled and lowered his hand.
“Now! Let me introduce the Bosses you will be facing.”
At that moment, spotlights on the stage turned on one by one.
The first to be revealed were Gaon’s instructors.
Cheers erupted from all over the auditorium each time a name was called and a face appeared on the screen.
Then, the screen moved on to faces even more dazzling than theirs.
“……Whoa.”
“Holy…”
“Isn’t that Maengju?”
His claim about famous active heroes was no bluff.
The lineup alone was enough to elicit excited shouts from the students.
People they had only ever seen on TV or in news articles were now standing on this very stage.
Then, the final spotlight slowly turned on.
A silhouette of elegant curves was gently revealed.
“Huh?”
I couldn't help but be taken aback.
It was Yu Serin.
“Yu Serin?”
“Is that really Yu Serin?”
She waved with her characteristically bright smile.
The students went wild, and she responded to their cheers with a playful wink.
“Why is she here…?”
Wasn't it time for her to leave the nest and spread her wings?
Surprisingly, her first destination was Gaon. A completely unexpected move.
The moment I muttered that, Yu Serin turned her head and looked this way.
As if she had heard my voice.
Her eyes met mine perfectly.
And then, Yu Serin gave me a light thumbs-up.
It was a cute thumbs-up.
‘Ah.’
“She’s cuter than I thought.”
“She made eye contact with me.”
“Who was she doing that for?”
Suddenly, the area around me began to buzz.
I slowly lowered my head without a word.
Originally, Yu Serin was never supposed to come here.
She was the hero of heroes, a core member of the Lotus Guild.
Even for an institution like Gaon, recruiting her would have been difficult, and it should have been the same this time.
But right now, Yu Serin was here, right before my eyes.
Somehow…
The feeling that I'd stirred up trouble for no reason swept through my entire body.
I wasn't the only one who had pinpointed the target of Yu Serin’s thumbs-up.
From beside me, Cheon Yeo-wool narrowed her eyes and asked.
“You know her?”
“…A little, no, a bit.”
Not missing a beat, Yoon Chae-ha chimed in.
“Looks like the party was pretty fun, huh?”
I didn't answer.
But I couldn't do anything about the stinging gazes I felt on both of my cheeks.