Chapter 105: The Rookies' Tournament (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 105: The Rookies' Tournament (3)
The schedule for Black Unicorn was simple.
The day after a dungeon raid, they had a period of rest mixed with light training, followed by two days of intensive training. Unless there was a special mission, this four-day cycle repeated.
The routine continued with a focus on Mana Detection and adapting to Acceleration, interspersed with occasional trips to the studio for broadcast recordings.
"Whew—managing stamina is definitely crucial when using Acceleration."
After finishing training, the group huddled together to watch the recorded footage of their session. Lee Yu-na was the first to speak.
"Yes, that’s why everyone, not just me, needs to practice it."
Acceleration didn't magically increase one's physical stamina, so if you got too excited and ran wild, your combat endurance would plummet. I had explained this several times already, so there was no need to repeat myself.
"I’ve never felt like I lacked stamina, though? Aren't you guys just too weak?"
"Right, the only thing you have in abundance is stamina. How about investing some of those stat points into your brain for a change?"
Lee Yu-na and Kwon Ye-jin analyzed the screen while trading barbs.
Lee Yu-na, having been educated under Lee Ru-da since she was young, possessed considerable knowledge and analytical skills.
Maybe I could leave the command to her depending on the situation?
Once she became fully accustomed to my tactics, I’d have to give it a try.
"Master, you’ll be on that island in two days, right?"
Kwon Ye-jin’s comment opened the floodgates for conversation.
"The popularity of Survival Hero is incredible, probably because Yeon-woo is on it. I heard last week’s ratings were number one."
"I saw it too. What’s up with that Eom Soo-hyun girl? She was picking fights at the ship party, too. Is that her 'concept' for the show?"
I wished it were just a concept. It would be better if she were just trying to piggyback on my popularity since I was getting so much attention.
But she genuinely wanted to beat me; her hostility was real. Still, she was a good, innocent kid at heart who viewed me as a... rival? Something like that. I was just glad she wasn't actually malicious or trying to bully me.
However, in the eyes of Yoon A-young, who only saw her through the broadcast, she was an eyesore. And it wasn't just her. If you looked at the show's message boards or the comments on short clips online, people were treating her like a straight-up villain.
The PD seemed to love having a character like that and was subtly egging her on. The "evil editing" was also doing its work, making her look even more unlikable. She surely checks the comments; I hoped she wouldn't be too hurt by them.
"She seems to have a lot of pride as a mage."
"She’s just showing her inferiority complex because she feels like she’s losing to Master."
Hmm, if even my girls think that, she must be getting a lot of hate.
If something wasn't done about it during the main show, she might end up with a mental breakdown from the comments. That PD only cares about his show and doesn't give a damn about a person's life.
It was pitiful, but I figured she’d manage. Right now, I wasn't in a position to worry about others.
Since the Hanseong Group was funding the program, Han Byeong-sin’s influence was massive. He’d likely interfere with the games and rules to put me at a disadvantage. Conversely, Im Jin-ah would probably know everything in advance, or things would be rigged in her favor.
It was all speculation, but given the personalities of those two, it was highly probable.
Since I had to enter a dungeon the next day, we parted ways early and met up again the following morning.
"Since the Leader has to work hard tomorrow, I’ll work extra hard today."
Aw, how sweet.
I patted Anna’s head as she looked up at me with those innocent eyes, and then we entered the dungeon.
After safely clearing three dungeons in a row as usual, I returned my equipment and headed toward a different vehicle from my party members.
"Master, you have to get first place. Crush all those arrogant bitches."
"While Yeon-woo is away, I’ll keep Ye-jin in check. Don't worry and just go."
Kwon Ye-jin glared at Lee Yu-na’s words, but Yu-na ignored her and gripped my hand tightly. It felt like they were seeing off a soldier heading to the front lines.
"Make sure Eom Soo-hyun can't even squeak."
"Return... safely, I say."
I said my goodbyes to Yoon A-young, who still hated Eom Soo-hyun, and Anna, who gave me a clumsy but precious cheer in Korean. As soon as I got into the car, the staff member at the wheel drove straight to the airport.
I heard they even rented a foreign island for this "special project." It was my first time going abroad since coming to this world, so I was a bit excited.
Wait, come to think of it, is this my first time traveling abroad?
In my previous world, I had been abroad many times, but it was always for operations. Assassinating an agent who fled the country, infiltrating enemy territory, or rescuing our hostages—I had plenty of reasons to go, but I never actually got to enjoy it.
Well, this wouldn't be a relaxing vacation either. The concept was being stranded on a deserted island for survival, which was a far cry from tourism.
Upon arriving at the airport and flying out with the staff, I was met by the broadcasting crew. The other heroes had already arrived two days ago; I was the only one arriving right before filming.
"Must be nice being so busy."
As I arrived at the lodging, one of the heroes muttered as she walked past. Her plump backside was quite sexy.
As I stared at her, a staff member from the station spoke up hurriedly.
"She’s just on edge because of tomorrow’s recording. I’m sure she didn't mean anything by it."
Like hell she didn't. She was openly picking a fight.
Before coming here, I received data Lee Ru-da had investigated, and apparently, about a third of the heroes here were brought in by Han Byeong-sin. And what did that mean? It meant they were here to get in my way.
I had to hand it to Han Byeong-sin; he prepared more than I expected. I wondered what else he had in store. Although Lee Ru-da’s thorough investigation had spoiled most of it for me, I hoped he’d show me something beyond my expectations. I made a mental note to thank Lee Ru-da for looking into it out of concern for my life and safety.
"Aah! Hero Jeong Yeon-woo!"
"Hello, Soo-hyun. You don't have to call me 'Hero.'"
The green-haired magical girl, Eom Soo-hyun, marched toward me the moment she saw me.
"I heard you were in a dungeon again today. Is your condition okay?"
"Yes, it was an easy dungeon."
"Please maintain your peak condition. Otherwise, there’s no satisfaction in winning."
Eom Soo-hyun spoke confidently, gave me a tip that the breakfast here was terrible, and then left. I couldn't tell if she was worried about me or what. Still, I liked her much better than the hero who had been snide at the entrance. I just hoped she wouldn't do anything crazy in the heat of competition once we were on the island.
I went into my room and tried to get some sleep on a foreign bed—an experience I wouldn't get again after today.
"Hey, hey. Did you come all the way to a foreign country just to sleep?"
"Don't bother me. I have to go into the wild tomorrow."
Alice lay down next to me and poked my nose with her foot to annoy me.
"If that’s 'the wild,' then the Siberian plains must be a dungeon."
As she said, the island we were going to tomorrow looked fairly comfortable. They hadn't given much information to maintain the "realism," but for safety reasons, they had removed any dangerous flora and fauna, and there was hardly any rugged terrain. If you had enough food, it was the kind of island where you could just enjoy swimming and sunbathing.
"Let's go play~ Let's go~"
Watching Alice whine, I sighed and sat up.
"Fine, let's go. It’s only for a few hours, but we should get a taste of the local air."
I hadn't been able to take her to the ship party, so I figured I should cheer her up this way.
"Yay! I knew you were a guy I could talk to."
Alice immediately hopped onto my shoulder and settled in. It was a short time, but I enjoyed wandering around the recommended shops nearby with her before returning. I had only done it so she wouldn't sulk, but playing with Alice was surprisingly fun and helped clear my head.
The next day, we took a yacht to the island. Including myself, twenty-four heroes were gathered at the back of the yacht. Numerous cameras were filming us, and the same flamboyant MC came out to explain the program's overview.
The island was rigged with countless cameras, and drones would follow us to capture our every move. It would be streamed 24/7 on the internet, and edited versions would be broadcast later, so I had to be careful.
"Now, we will form teams. Please draw a number from this box."
Starting with Im Jin-ah, who had the highest rank among us, everyone drew a ball with a number on it. We would be divided into eight teams of three. Seeing as I was last, there was probably some kind of trick involved there too, right?
As each number was drawn, the MC hung a nameplate on the scoreboard. Toward the end, only I and one other hero remained. The only spots left were on Team 4 and Team 6.
Why are the only numbers left so ominous?
Team 4 already had the "main villain" of Survival Hero, Eom Soo-hyun. Since I had to be on a different team for us to compete, she was clutching her hands as if praying, repeatedly whispering the number six.
"The last ones will be chosen by my hands. Once Hero Lee Mi-woo chooses, the other hand will naturally belong to Hero Jeong Yeon-woo."
"I’ll take the right."
"Yes, please place your hand on top. Hero Jeong Yeon-woo as well."
Ugh, I really didn't want to touch his hand. I watched the flamboyant man warily and carefully placed my hand on the ball in his left hand, making sure our skin didn't touch.
"Which team will these two end up on?! We’ll find out after the commercial break!"
"..."
I hated this so much.
"But since this part is pre-recorded, let's keep going. Keep that energy up!"
Don't wink at me while you say that.
The MC acted cute for a second before returning to his previous persona.
"Please reveal your numbers!"
Following his lead, I raised the ball.
"Aaaaaah!!"
Seeing the ball in my hand, Eom Soo-hyun screamed and grabbed her head as if she had lost her country. The number was 4. I had ended up on the same team as Eom Soo-hyun.
Was this rigged too?
I suspected they had intentionally grouped me with people who would be uncooperative. No, if that were the case, it would have been more effective to put me with the heroes Han Byeong-sin had planted. Let's just call it fate.
I saw someone despairing over being on the same team, but I had to do my best.
"We’re on the same team. I look forward to working with you."
"I look forward to working with you too. Oh, I’m Anna Gyeom, a D-rank Hero."
The young lady with long black hair and an innocent look politely stood up and bowed. And our green-haired main villain, Eom Soo-hyun, looked up at me with an expression like she was about to cry.
"Why does Hero Jeong Yeon-woo torment me so..."
"I won't torment you anymore. We’re teammates now."
"Uwaaaaaah..."
Four cameras swarmed in to film her looking dejected. Come to think of it, two of the three most spotlighted people were now on one team. There was me, the main villain Eom Soo-hyun, and the last person was Im Jin-ah, who hadn't said a single word to me since I arrived. She was popular for being the highest-ranked and most charismatic hero here.
Hmm—is that so?
Let's see how long that popularity lasts.
We left all our luggage on the yacht and landed on the island. Before putting on the Mana-suppressing Handcuffs, I pushed my Mana Detection and Presence Detection to their limits to memorize the island's terrain. It was a bit of a cheat, but since the other side didn't seem to have any intention of playing fair, I didn't mind being a little dirty.
After putting on the provided handcuffs, we gathered in our teams before the MC.
"From this moment on, you are no longer heroes, but ordinary people who must survive. Here is your first mission: Secure a place to sleep before the signal flare is fired."
The first to react to the MC’s sudden start of the game was Im Jin-ah’s Team 1. If it were just Im Jin-ah, I’d understand, but the whole team bolting immediately? Isn't that a bit too obvious?
Once one team started running, the others frantically dashed into the dense forest as well.
"Uh, uh? We should go in quickly too."
"No, let's take it slow."
I calmed the panicked Anna Gyeom. There were places to sleep everywhere; running around like that was just a waste of stamina. Furthermore, charging blindly into a forest without knowing the geography? You're underestimating the woods far too much.
Tsk, tsk. This is why kids who haven't been to the military are...
With my area of expertise finally coming up, I couldn't help but feel a bit of veteran's ego. But then again, have any of these people ever gone through UDT training? Have they done anything?
I had undergone countless sessions of hellish training while wearing Mana-suppressing Handcuffs. When they dropped me in the middle of the Russian snowfields with nothing and told me to return within fifteen days, I truly thought I was going to die.
Survival on a resort-like island with warm sunlight?
To me, this was practically a vacation.