Chapter 111: Final Exam (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 111: Final Exam (7)
A cavern steeped in shade.
This space, trickling with a cool energy, was the resting place granted to Yu Serin.
A so-called ‘cooldown.’
As the Black Bell boss, she was under a penalty that restricted her movement for a set period.
She accepted it without complaint, simply closing her eyes for a moment as she sat on a bench.
But then…
Clack, clack.
Click, clack.
The distinct sound of heels echoed through the cavern.
Yu Serin rose to her feet.
A courageous challenge from the offense team was like a guest to be greeted with courtesy.
However…
The faces that entered the cavern were not the ones she had been expecting.
“…Vice-Representative Kang A-rin.”
The corners of her mouth slowly lifted.
There were two of them.
One was a face she clearly recognized: the Vice-Representative of Glory, Kang A-rin.
The other… she’d seen in a scouting report. Her name was Ha Sion, if she recalled correctly.
Yu Serin smiled, stroking the back of her hand.
“Against the offense team… all my restrictions are lifted, you know.”
She took a light step forward.
Her movement was utterly silent.
She simply seemed to float.
“And yet, for you to come here yourselves…”
She tilted her head slightly.
Her eyes took on a faint glow, and a thin smile spread across her lips.
“I suppose… you’re looking down on me?”
As she spoke, black chains began to bloom from her feet, coiling like serpents.
But Kang A-rin and Ha Sion were brimming with confidence.
It was true that they had regressed, that they possessed memories and a great deal of information about the future.
There was no question that they were strong.
But ‘not yet.’
Sion had not yet awakened to Parma’s Flame.
And Kang A-rin had not yet obtained her Fragment.
Nevertheless, they were both under a delusion.
They believed they could handle a hero like Yu Serin, for whom they had no data.
In fact, Cheon Yeo-wool had made the same miscalculation.
This entire situation was being broadcast live.
If they could defeat Yu Serin here and now, they could uphold the Glory name and also keep her from getting close to Jung Hae-in.
And what if they lost?
‘Hae-in will revive us anyway.’
That simple conviction was the beginning of all their miscalculations.
“Sion, you see that pitch-black stuff? Parma’s Flame. Quickly.”
Kang A-rin demanded with an air of authority.
“A-rin, quickly, Shadow Claw…”
Sion retorted reflexively.
Their entire plan had been predicated on playing these cards.
But neither of them was holding those cards.
Their actions stemmed from a vague belief that the other had already reached a certain level of mastery.
There had been no prior coordination, no strategy meeting.
They had come here immediately after running into each other.
It was an irresponsible assumption: ‘She must be ready.’
“Huh?”
“Eh?”
Their eyes met, and only then did they realize.
Neither of them was prepared in the slightest.
At that same moment, in the Elimination Zone.
“Ahahahaha!”
Yu Hana felt like she hadn’t been able to breathe for a while now.
“Pffft-hahaha!”
Cheon Yeo-wool was the same.
Her face, which had been on the verge of tears just moments before, was now flushed red.
The tip of her nose, which had turned pink when she’d teared up at Yu Hana’s travel news, was still red, but the corners of her eyes were crinkled with laughter.
Cheon Yeo-wool, too, had underestimated Yu Serin.
And she had overestimated herself.
The result was a crushing defeat.
For the record, Yoon Chae-ha was huddled in a corner.
She still hadn't recovered from Yu Hana's shocking announcement.
“I… I want to travel, too…”
Not long after, the pillar of light in the waiting area wavered.
Two women of similar height stepped through.
*
A place hidden by Gaon.
This area, known as the Hidden Shop, was only accessible to those who had collected a certain number of points.
You had to defeat at least a Silver-level boss just to learn of its location.
From revival to special equipment and stat-boosting artifacts, it was an excellent shop provided by Gaon.
[140 PT]
Looking at the number displayed on my watch, I took a moment to catch my breath and look around.
This is cutting it close.
It felt like it wouldn't be quite enough.
Even if I don't use the revival…
If I gave up on reviving someone, I could afford a few things, but…
There could be other hidden rewards beyond what I already knew.
In the end, I made my decision.
I would gather more points.
And I would choose one more boss to take down.
Not Do Han-seong.
He was a Silver Bell. He was quite tiresome and required a team to defeat.
The one I ultimately chose was the other Silver Bell, Instructor Park Chang-myung.
Though they were the same color bell, the two instructors had different styles.
If Do Han-seong was team-oriented, Park Chang-myung was more individually focused.
I quickly made my way to the simulation room where he was located.
The place was quieter than I expected. But quiet didn't mean peaceful.
Inside the room, several students were lying on the floor, looking half-unconscious.
Since they were on the defense team, they weren't eliminated, but in that state, it wouldn't be long.
“Name?”
As I stepped into the area, Instructor Park Chang-myung asked me.
“Jung Hae-in,” I answered concisely.
The instructor gave a curt nod and pointed behind him with his thumb.
“The method is simple.”
Behind him was a punch machine.
The striking pad on the front was the familiar kind we all knew.
The problem, however, was that while there was a part to receive the punch, there was also a menacing-looking fist attached above it.
“Strike it from the front. If you exceed the set score, you’ll get the bell. However.”
He turned his body, slowly facing me.
“If you fail to reach the score in one attempt, this thing will strike you back with exactly double the force.”
As he finished speaking, the fist above gave a light, rattling shake.
My gaze shifted to the punch machine.
Various numbers were displayed on the scoreboard.
560, 670, 880…
But the max score was blank.
Exams like this weren't always a simple one-on-one duel with an instructor; sometimes, they were replaced with a test appropriate for the bell's color.
And Park Chang-myung was administering a test that demanded pure power.
Simple and direct, just like him.
What I needed was…
One shot.
“I’m ready.”
I had a realization during my last battle with the Apostle.
It was about Phalanx.
Do I really have to fly?
Catenaccio and Phalanx, techniques that soared into the sky.
They generated explosive power by adding gravity and rotational force to a trajectory that shot up and plunged back down.
In a real battle, that might certainly be more effective.
But things were different now.
There was a ceiling.
And just like in that last battle, I needed to pierce a single point.
I didn't create any clones.
I simply pictured countless spears in my hand.
And then, I condensed them.
Into a single, massive spear.
My outstretched arm, holding the spear, trembled violently.
The compressed power threatened to burst from my fingertips.
I couldn't hold it any longer.
I had to let it go.
Where?
Straight ahead.
Phalanx, One Flash.
—CRRAAAAASH!
My spear slammed into the punch machine.
Along with a deafening roar that tore through the air, I heard the sound of metal exploding.
A moment later, the dust settled, and the shape of the punch machine came into view.
Half-destroyed.
The machine, no longer functioning properly, emitted a low, mechanical groan.
—Bree-ree-ree-reep…
Despite the damage, the digital reader flickered and displayed a number.
『999』
A perfect success.
Instructor Park Chang-myung stared at it for a long moment, then unfolded his arms and slowly nodded.
“…Thanks to you, I’ll get to clock out early.”
He was an instructor of few expressions to begin with.
With a deadpan face, he raised the corners of his mouth just a fraction.
Then he held out his watch.
A Silver Bell icon was faintly blinking on the screen.
I quietly touched the screen.
[Reward Issued]
[Solo Kill!]
[Points Acquired +500]
[640 pt]
This seemed like enough.
“There’s something I should tell you. The hidden location for this exam…”
“I know where it is.”
“…?”
I nodded and quickly exited the simulation room.
I headed straight for that hidden location.
The problem was…
“Are you kidding me?”
The hidden location was on the top floor of the Gaon VIP room, the same space where we had watched the matches during the midterm exam.
A place no one would ever imagine a student could reach.
That part was fine.
I already knew the location, after all.
But the elevator wasn't working.
I hesitated for a moment, then finally tilted my head back and looked up at the ceiling.
“Hah…”
I climbed, step by step, up the vertical wall.
I stabbed a spear into the wall, then used it as a foothold to climb higher.
This was more dangerous than the test itself.
“I seriously could have died.”
Wiping the sweat from my brow with my wrist, I pushed open the glass door of the VIP room.
The door slid open, revealing a quiet interior.
I saw the display cases.
Golden, silver, and even the Resurrection Pond.
I slowly scanned the area.
There were items on the list I knew, and some I didn't.
Overall, however, the quality wasn't particularly impressive.
Then again, my standards were quite high.
But then.
“Oh?”
[Training Awakening Potion]
Just like Gaon to hide away a growth-related item.
Among the miscellaneous perks and common equipment, this one item stood out the most.
I hadn't expected to find it here. It was an item produced only in small quantities at the Workshop.
If you drank this elixir before training, its effects were drastically increased.
You could achieve several times your normal efficiency.
In other words, it was basically an elixir version of the Holy Land.
I looked at everything, but this seemed to be the best item here.
[Price: 100pt]
There were six in total.
My points were just enough.
One for me to drink.
Cheon Yeo-wool, Yu Hana, Kang A-rin, Yoon Chae-ha… and Sion…?
If I had them drink it and trained them myself, the effects would be multiplied.
I held my watch to the scanner without hesitation.
Just six.
—Beep.
With a chime, a message appeared.
[To be delivered after the exam!]
It was a decent shopping trip.
I checked my remaining points.
[40 pt]
“…Huh?”
Wait a minute.
I walked over to the Resurrection Pond.
[Price: 50 pt]
If I offered 50 points here, I could revive someone.
I had originally planned to revive Yu Hana…
But in the end, I couldn't.
“Well, that’s a shame.”
Besides, drinking the elixir and training would be better for them anyway.
Given Yu Hana's pursuit of the void, she’d probably prefer this.
I turned to leave.
Now, there was only one Offense-Defense Switch left.