Chapter 6: Unit (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 6: Unit (3)
The deeper you venture into this forest, the more you are attacked by all sorts of demonic beasts.
Goblins, in particular—though of course, they weren't real living creatures. They were more like robots or dolls animated by mana.
This, however, made it easier for the instructors to adjust their power output, and they had been made even stronger than their real-life counterparts.
On the surface, the task seemed relatively easy, but it was far from simple.
The key is establishing a solid formation.
This was why all five members were necessary.
Surprise attacks came from exactly six directions at once.
So even if five people were defending, one direction would always be left open.
The nature of goblins, especially, meant that letting them get close would complicate things. Even for students of a top-tier academy, once a goblin latched on, you’d be tied up in a struggle for a long time.
From that point on, it becomes a huge drain on your stamina and time.
Besides, that was all assuming you had a full team of five.
If that number dwindled, the situation would deteriorate rapidly.
The number of attack routes to defend remained the same even with fewer people, so the difficulty would skyrocket as you became hopelessly outnumbered.
“They’re coming.”
Five minutes after entering the forest, it was clear the academy’s reputation was well-earned.
Every member of the team knew exactly what they had to do.
Both Yoon Sang-hyeok and Lee Sang-bong pulled their weight in combat.
But there were five of us and six attack routes.
One person had to cover two spots.
That role fell to me.
Yu Hana’s support made my job considerably easier.
She matched my rhythm without the slightest error, as if she were an extension of my own body.
What is this?
When we moved together, it even felt like she was flirting with me, subtly crossing into my space from time to time.
It wasn’t particularly distracting, so I let it be.
The goblin attacks came again and again.
The moment we tried to rest, another wave would pour in. When we were on high alert, everything would go quiet. It was the instructor’s strategy to needlessly drain our stamina.
We had just finished off another wave.
As I struck down the last goblin, I was starting to get sick of this whole ordeal.
I planted my spear lightly on the ground and caught my breath. Just then, I heard Yoon Sang-hyeok panting.
“Hah, hah… When the hell is this going to end…? I can’t even think straight.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lee Sang-bong slumped on the ground, rubbing the back of his neck.
As I regulated my breathing, I scanned our surroundings. The faint mechanical whirring of the fallen goblins still echoed here and there.
On the exposed steel frame of a broken machine, the words “Mark. 8” were faintly engraved.
There are nine attacks in total.
Mark 8. This meant it was the eighth wave.
“I think we’re almost done,” I said, turning my head halfway toward Yoon Sang-hyeok.
He asked breathlessly, “Really?”
“Yeah.”
His face brightened as he nodded and let out a deep sigh.
It seemed safe to take a short break now.
One by one, the other team members sat down or leaned against the walls to rest.
I stood my spear up next to me and casually looked around.
Injuries…
I checked to see if Yoon Sang-hyeok, Lee Sang-bong, and Kim Dae-hyun had any serious wounds.
It was then.
For a split second, I felt my blood run hot.
An inexplicable chill ran down my spine, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.
My teammates in front of me were gesturing frantically, their faces urgent.
Everyone except Yu Hana, that is. She still wore a relaxed smile.
Swoosh—!
Without even turning my head, I angled my spear diagonally and extended it behind my back.
With a sharp clang!, an arrow was deflected. It struck a tree, quivered for a moment, then fell to the ground.
In the same motion, I twisted my body, rotating from my waist through my legs, and threw the spear.
It was a perfect spear throw, fluid as water.
CRUNCH!
The remaining goblin archer (robot) that had been hiding in the shadows met its end.
“Oof.”
The transition had been dizzyingly fast, and my back ached from the strain. Abrupt, violent movements weren't good for the body. This was why I wasn’t a fan of throwing my spear.
When I turned my gaze back, my teammates were all staring at me with their mouths agape.
“Whoa… How did you do that?”
It was Kim Dae-hyun.
“Like this, and this, dodged, and threw like this.”
He flailed his arms about, trying to mimic my movements, a look of wonder on his face.
Yoon Sang-hyeok and Lee Sang-bong looked just as curious.
“…Isn’t that Intuition…?”
Yoon Sang-hyeok seemed to have a rough idea. I guess he didn’t get to the top ranks by sheer luck.
‘Intuition’ is, quite literally, a sense that allows you to perceive a situation with your entire body. It lets you detect things behind you, in your blind spots, or, if trained to the absolute limit, even sense dangers that haven't happened yet. Of course, that last part is only possible for a select few.
You could just call it a type of extrasensory perception.
“Something like that.”
My mind had changed. I just wanted to get out of this forest as quickly as possible.
“Should we take our break after we get out?”
At my words, Yoon Sang-hyeok, Lee Sang-bong, and Kim Dae-hyun exchanged glances before nodding immediately.
Yu Hana, still wearing her serene smile, seemed to agree with my suggestion without a word.
I pulled my spear from the goblin’s corpse.
“Let’s go.”
*
“We’re done once we get that one!” Kim Dae-hyun shouted at the top of his lungs.
I took a throwing stance, about to hurl my spear at the final goblin—
Suddenly, Yu Hana shot forward like a gale. A sharp flash of her blade bisected the goblin in an instant.
…She’s fast.
It was part of her character setting that Yu Hana was strong. She was a top-ten ranker, after all.
Well, strong is good.
Once the last goblin was defeated, our vision blurred for a moment before the safe zone came into view.
We broke through the edge of the forest in no time.
“That was tough.”
I hadn’t underestimated it. This was Gaon, after all.
Just then, the instructor standing in the middle of the safe zone saw us and gestured.
He announced our rank in a loud voice.
“Second place!”
The other team members—Yoon Sang-hyeok, Lee Sang-bong, and Kim Dae-hyun—were already sprawled on the ground.
“Nice…”
Lying on the ground, Yoon Sang-hyeok and Lee Sang-bong gave me a thumbs-up.
If they had remained uncooperative throughout the entire battle, I would have split from the unit or ignored them completely. But since they had ultimately pulled their weight in combat, I was left with a decent impression.
Kim Dae-hyun had done well in that respect, too. With his straightforward personality, he had performed his role as a tanker admirably.
Yu Hana, however, was standing perfectly fine.
She didn't seem to have broken a single sweat, and even her breathing was steady.
“Good work.”
I walked up to her and offered a simple greeting.
“It was easier thanks to your help.”
She smiled faintly and asked in return, “The truth is, you would have been fine even if I hadn’t helped, wouldn’t you?”
“Hmm… I doubt it.”
She had hit the nail on the head.
Truthfully, it wouldn’t have mattered if I had to cover two directions, three, or even all six.
But it was also true that her support had made things much smoother.
“Pfft, you really can’t tell a white lie, can you?”
Yu Hana brought a hand to her lips and let out a cute little laugh.
“Sorry, that’s just my personality.”
She lightly swept her hair back and then, unexpectedly, dropped a comment.
“But I like that about you.”
Her eyes, looking straight into mine, seemed somewhat serious.
Perhaps because of that, the air around us suddenly felt strangely charged. The mood had shifted.
“Ah, I see.”
I cut the conversation short.
It didn’t seem like Yu Hana was looking for a real response anyway. She just shrugged with a gentle smile.
Taking the opportunity, I turned my head and started looking for the other teams.
The instructor had clearly said we were second. That meant one team had finished before us.
My eyes soon fell upon a group of people standing together a short distance away.
One of the five was quite tall, and another exuded a faint, holy aura.
Makes sense they got first place.
It wasn’t the protagonist Seong Si-woo’s team. He wouldn’t be that strong yet.
The first-place team was the group that included Hero Yohan and Cheon Yeo-wool.
Seong Si-woo isn’t the Hero. The Hero and the protagonist of this game are two different people.
“Wow, the Hero and a Saintess Candidate. No wonder they got first place.”
Yoon Sang-hyeok, who had gotten up at some point, came to my side and muttered in admiration.
I asked him casually, “You know the Hero?”
Yoon Sang-hyeok’s expression turned somewhat bitter.
“I know him. But…”
He hesitated for a moment, scratching his head.
“Nah, it’s not really my place to say.”
What the hell is with this guy?
There are two ways to piss someone off. The first is to stop talking mid-sentence.
As I stared at him in disbelief, he flinched and finally answered.
“…Well, I heard the Hero and the Saintess aren’t on good terms these days.”
Ah…
That was something depicted in the game’s story.
But that conflict was supposed to arise around the time her feelings for Seong Si-woo began to blossom. I couldn’t help but wonder if the timing was a bit too early.
I dismissed the thought and turned my gaze back toward the first-place team in the distance.
From the center of the group, Cheon Yeo-wool’s eyes met mine.
She gave me a bright smile and raised a hand, waving it slowly. It was an elegant, graceful gesture.
An action so clear it was unmistakable even from a distance.
“What the…”
Yoon Sang-hyeok followed Cheon Yeo-wool’s line of sight with his finger and seemed to realize it ended with me.
“Huh…?”
I quickly gestured back, acknowledging Cheon Yeo-wool’s greeting.
I could feel the eyes of those around us turning in our direction. At this rate, the whole world would be staring.
Just then, I felt an intense gaze from ahead.
I turned my head slightly and saw Yohan, standing next to Cheon Yeo-wool, glaring at me as if he were shooting lasers from his eyes.
His expression was stoic, but his gaze was locked firmly on me.
In the original story, Yohan was a character who showed a strong obsession with Cheon Yeo-wool.
And as time went on, that obsession would manifest in increasingly unpleasant ways toward its target.
So, it wasn’t that I didn’t understand.
But still…
Why am I the target?