Chapter 39
Geumgang Academy where Kang Hanbyeol attends.
Geumgang Academy was an educational institution with such a reputation that it ranked first in the annual Academy City Academy Evaluation, and even 5th in the world rankings.
‘Was it 5th in the world rankings?’
That’s how prestigious Geumgang Academy was.
But how was that possible?
Would it make sense with Korea’s capabilities?
If I were a person from the world I lived in my past life, I might find it strange.
However, there was a reason that anyone would understand once they heard it.
That reason was simply…
‘Because it’s a Korean game!’
That’s right.
With that one word, it was understandable.
Since the game was developed in Korea, it wasn’t strange for Korea’s status to be set high.
Perhaps that’s why Korea was recognized as one of the top five hunter nations in the world.
Of course, internally in the game, there were settings that could be accepted as a plausible worldview.
Korea was depicted as a country with a narrow territory, which allowed it to quickly recover its territory from monsters during the great upheaval.
‘As a result, they could accumulate the power to plan an Academy City…’
And so, nearly 150 years had passed since the founding of the Academy City.
Geumgang Academy, where I was applying, was a place with a long history intertwined with the city’s history.
Anyway.
“Where should we go from here…?”
As I disembarked at the pier with Yeonha and the triplets, we decided to head to Geumgang Academy to receive our exam tickets.
Nearby at the station, people like us heading to take the exam were bustling around.
I carefully examined the station sign where people were lining up.
“Yeonha, see if there’s a station sign that says 23.”
“I’m looking at it now. There’s 19 over there, so 23 should be… Ah, found it!”
Geumgang Academy was located in District 23, equivalent to Gangnam District in Seoul.
I turned my head towards the station sign pointed at by Yeonha.
The sign had a large ’23’ written on it.
“Let’s go stand in line over there.”
Dragging our luggage, we headed towards the station.
Thanks to the reduced train intervals during the exam period in the Academy City, the line moved quickly, and before we knew it, we were able to board the bus.
[Please get on.]
A familiar mechanical sound I had heard even in Seoul.
There were quite a few empty seats.
As I looked around at the empty seats, I gestured to the two-seater behind me for Yeonha to sit.
“Yeonha, let’s sit there.”
“Okay, sure.”
Placing Yeonhaneul by the window.
I took the seat next to her.
After a while, the bus departed.
[The next stop is….]
Scenes passed by outside the window.
We quietly gazed out the window.
Before long, we emerged from a tunnel.
“Wow….”
The urban landscape came into view.
Yeonhaneul and I couldn’t help but marvel.
On the hillside where the bus was running, buildings unseen in Seoul were standing.
And amidst the buildings, an evergreen tree stood out.
It was a landscape where the blue sky, gray buildings, and greenery harmoniously intertwined.
Moreover, the river sparkling below added to the beauty.
“Isn’t that river like a painting?”
“…Yes, it’s the Painting River.”
“It’s truly beautiful like a painting…. The water seems incredibly clear, unlike the Han River we see in Seoul.”
A river crossing the heart of the academy city.
The Painting River, along with the evergreen trees growing in the center, symbolized the nature of the academy city.
Yeonhaneul seemed captivated by the view.
I was no different.
‘It’s indeed beautiful to see up close. However….’
I stared at the black dots scattered in the sky.
Difficult to notice from afar, but if observed up close, these points would tarnish the aesthetics of the academy city.
Just the ones visible amounted to eight.
‘Gates.’
There must be more gates scattered in the sky above the academy city.
If these are not conquered, and the gate erosion rate rises.
‘The path to destruction will be sealed.’
The scenery I was currently admiring would then transform into a dreadful sight.
Monsters would infest the evergreen trees.
The Painting River would turn into a river tainted with people’s blood, with corpses floating.
Being someone who knows the game’s ending, I couldn’t just admire the view.
“….”
For a long while.
I couldn’t take my eyes off the sky.
The practical exam for Geumgang Academy was scheduled for a week later.
But the reality was different.
The exam started the moment we received our admission tickets.
“I’ll check the examinee’s name.”
“Do Gyunwoo.”
“Let me see, Do Gyunwoo… your number is…”
“The number is…”
Geumgang Academy, with over 10,000 students across all departments.
We regretted our choice to explore the campus firsthand as we got off at the main entrance.
The grounds of Geumgang Academy were vast, too vast even though the academy itself was expansive.
After wandering the paths, we barely managed to reach the admission office.
“Gyunwoo Do, student, identity confirmed. Before issuing the admission ticket, please submit the pledge form first. If you haven’t brought it, go back there and fill it out.”
“Here it is.”
Not only at Geumgang Academy but at all academies, applicants had to submit a handwritten pledge form.
To put it briefly, the pledge form stated that examinees taking the practical exam were responsible for all unforeseen events except for disasters, accidents, and terrorism during the exam.
“It’s about nailing down the responsibilities in advance for a test where life and death are at stake. Even if you die during the exam, the academy won’t take responsibility.”
Incidentally, according to information, some people, surprisingly, withdrew their applications at the moment they had to submit the pledge form, feeling the fear of death.
“Well, it’s not hard to understand.”
One might have thought oneself resolute, but when that moment arrived, people’s hearts could change.
Would someone who volunteered for military training feel the urge to withdraw upon hearing an instructor say, “If you feel unprepared, you can leave even now”?
But I submitted the pledge form to the staff without any anxiety.
“If you have a will, please hand it in.”
“I didn’t write a will.”
“Writing a will isn’t mandatory, but… just in case, if you plan to submit it later, write it behind and come back.”
“No, there’s no need for that.”
“…Alright, then go get your admission ticket.”
Why would I write a will?
I didn’t consider writing a will because I wasn’t worried about dying during the exam.
Soon, I received my admission ticket.
“Is this an artifact?”
Slightly smaller than a fist.
I examined the admission ticket that looked like a badge.
Apart from the word “Geumgang” on the surface, nothing else was written on it, which was the reason I arrived at the academy city a week early.
“If you want to hear the exam instructions at the scheduled time, please go to Room 102.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Room 102 was right next door.
Having completed the task of getting the admission ticket, I turned around at the reception.
Then, I spotted Yeonha.
It seemed like she had also finished her registration.
“Did you get your admission ticket?”
“Yes, here. They said to go to Room 102 if we’re going to listen to the instructions.”
“I heard too. Let’s go and find a seat.”
“Are the twins not waiting?”
“They’ll come on their own. Let’s go.”
“Um… okay.”
There wasn’t much time left until the exact hour.
We headed to Room 102 to listen to the exam instructions.
Shortly after, the briefing began.
[Some of you may already know, but the exams are actually starting today, not next week.]
“Please display your exam admission tickets. Oh, attach them close to your heart. That way, we can accurately measure your vital sign.”
The staff raised the admission tickets for everyone to see.
Yeonha and I attached our tickets as he instructed.
“From this moment on, you must keep your admission tickets on until the practical exam ends. We need to ensure your well-being and be able to locate you in case of an emergency.”
“To be precise, we hope you won’t remove the admission ticket from your body for more than an hour. If you do, you will be disqualified. Of course, before that…”
After a brief pause, the staff continued speaking.
“You need to prove your eligibility. The qualification of being an exam candidate.”
“You have received your admission tickets, but you have not yet received your exam numbers for the practical exam. Look at your admission tickets now. Your exam number won’t be written; it will only say ‘Geumgang.'”
“Until the day before the practical exam, you must evoke your exam number from your admission ticket. Yes, like this.”
The staff tilted the admission tickets.
Soon after, beneath the word ‘Geumgang,’ the number appeared.
“You should continue to wear your admission ticket from the moment your exam number appears. Now, how do you display your exam number…”
“The admission ticket contains questions to assess your basic abilities before the practical exam. You need to solve these questions.”
“Randomly, 30 questions of varying difficulty will be presented from our question bank. Once a question is displayed, it will remain until you solve it or until the date changes. If you encounter a question you can’t solve, waiting for the date to change and displaying a new question is also an option.”
“Just one question. By solving just one question out of the 30, you can obtain your exam number.”
But wouldn’t that diminish the differentiation among exam candidates?
No one responded with a smile to the staff’s remark.
“The color of your admission ticket changes based on how many questions you solve. 5 turns it gray, 10 turns it yellow, 15 turns it green, 20 turns it red, 25 turns it blue, and 30 turns it black.”
“Depending on the color, you will receive bonus points. Whether you want to receive them or not is up to you.”
“By the way, your exam number is not confirmed until the day of the exam. It will be confirmed the moment the exam day arrives. Then, your exam location will appear on your admission ticket.”
“Just make sure to arrive at the exam location on time.”
“That concludes the briefing. We wish you all the best.”
With that, the staff finished speaking.
And then, they descended from the platform.
***
Prove your eligibility as an exam candidate.
The qualification exam held annually by Geumgang Academy was well-known.
If you were preparing for the entrance practical exam, there was hardly anything you didn’t know.
Therefore, I didn’t panic and instead thought about the exam content.
‘This year, it’s about solving the problems in a different way…’
Last year, it was said that the exam was about making a plant seed grow and finding the exam number.
However, even though the exam type was different, it seemed like the criteria evaluated by Geumgang Academy remained the same.
‘Whether you brainstorm alone or cooperate with others, you should solve the problems within a week and keep your exam ticket…’
I looked around.
Some people left immediately after hearing the explanation.
They were confident they could solve the exam alone.
“Did you come alone by any chance? I came alone too. Shall we team up?”
On the other hand, there were those who tried to form a team on the spot to cooperate.
Of course, there weren’t many who rushed, and most of those trying to form a team were already in groups.
“….”
If you knew about the qualification exam, there were plenty of opportunities to gather a team beforehand.
Through connections with influential families, cooperating with acquaintances, or using communities and social media.
There were various ways to form a team.
“What should we do now?”
Yeonhaneul spoke at that moment.
She was asking about the plan of action.
“Hey! Doyeongwoo! What should we do!?”
“I think we can cooperate.”
“Of course, we should work together, right?”
Before I knew it, the triplets had gathered as well.
Seeing their expectant faces, I made a decision after some deliberation.
“No, let’s just do our own thing.”
“Huh? No, why?”
“They say the problems come up randomly, so why bother cooperating. It’s not like solving one together, we’d have to solve two together. That would just waste more time.”
“They seem to be cooperating though…”
“They either lack the confidence to solve the problems alone or to keep their exam tickets, or they’re simply following others. But do we lack the ability? Are we lacking in confidence? No, right?”
For those who had prepared to become hunters all this time, the qualification exam was not that difficult, just asking for qualifications.
There seemed to be no need to cooperate.
Unless you were just going to remember the exam number, it was only a loss for those trying to gain extra points.
‘If I solve other people’s problems, I might not be able to solve mine, and then I won’t get many extra points.’
Time is not infinite.
One week until the practical exam.
Until then, the situation requires solving as many problems as possible to gain extra points.
There was no time for cooperation.
Moreover…
“Our accommodations are different from yours. The distance seems quite far, so if we cooperate, we’ll have to spend time joining every day, right?”
“Ugh… That’s true.”
During the exam period in the academy city, lodging facilities rake in a fortune from test-takers coming from all over the country and even from various countries.
As a result, the competition to book a room was fierce.
Because of that, the triplets ended up reserving a different accommodation from the one where Nayoung and I were staying.
“Let’s just handle this individually. I hope none of us fail the exam without solving a single problem.”
“Ugh, well, I guess we can’t help it. Got it! Let’s meet on the day of the exam then.”
They reluctantly agreed.
Meanwhile,
With no reason to stay here any longer and the need to unpack, we decided to part ways like this.
“Let’s go, Haneul.”
“Yeah, you know where the lodging is, right?”
“Of course.”
Nayoung and I headed to the lodging.
And that’s where the problem arose.
“We’re here to check in.”
“Yes, may I have your names, please?”
“Doh Gyunwoo and Nayoung.”
“Let me check… Oh, um…”
“Is there a problem?”
“Well, it seems like we’re experiencing a system error on our end. It shows that both of you have reserved the same room.”
“…”
What does that mean?
Do Nayoung and I have to share a room?
Before I could react,
“Yeesss!?”
Oh, that startled me.
Nayoung let out a surprised cry.
Her rabbit ears perked up.