Chapter 51
Criminal Investigation
Jumping into the air with a trap that propels you in the direction of movement while causing an explosion to increase speed.
In this reckless manner, we swiftly shortened the remaining distance and flew to the summit of Fog Mountain.
Thanks to this reckless method, Yeon Haneul and I were able to reach the summit in time.
As we set foot on the ground, the Gate Watch automatically stopped, displaying the time taken to start the test and reach the summit.
04:00:00
It took exactly 4 hours.
If we were even one second late, we would have received a Grade 2 instead of a Grade 1.
After checking the time, I relaxed and collapsed onto the ground.
‘This is not something I can do twice…’
Experiencing the feeling of flying blindly through the fog like a missile without any means of control, not knowing what might happen, was enough for me.
I no longer wanted to be a missile.
Yeon Haneul seemed to share a similar sentiment.
“I, I won’t do it again…. No, I can’t. I don’t want to….”
“Me neither….”
“I thought I was going to die of fear. Do you know how difficult it was to time the deceleration and landing?”
“Yeah, it was tough.”
Yeon Haneul, who had somehow rested her head on my stomach, almost tearfully spoke.
I comforted her by patting her head.
We lay down for a moment and then got up.
The evaluators who determined the grades were waiting near the gate.
“Examinee 1532, examinee 5784, both of you received a grade of 1.”
“Can we leave now?”
“Yes. Leave your gate watch and screen choker over there when you exit. The assistant evaluators waiting outside the gate will explain the third exam.”
Feeling hungry and wanting to rest quickly, Yena and I listened to the evaluators and left the gate.
“….”
The dazzling light disappeared.
When we came to our senses, we found ourselves standing in front of an artificial gate.
An assistant approached us.
“Thank you for your hard work today. The third practical exam will be tomorrow morning. You both need to come to the designated location on time.”
The assistant handed us a printout.
The printout contained the schedule and location of the third practical exam.
9 a.m., Dimension Hall 206.
“Yena, where are you going to be?”
“I’ll be in Dimension Hall 206. How about you?”
“I’ll be there too. That’s good.”
We could take the exam together tomorrow.
After confirming the exam location, we decided to leave soon.
“The exam’s over, let’s go back to the hotel. I really want to wash up quickly.”
“Haven’t you used purification magic?”
“Still, it’s different to wash up yourself. It feels weird if you only use magic.”
“Well, that’s true. But it’s evening now… Yena, are you hungry?”
“Hungry? Come to think of it, it’s been quite a while since lunch… I am hungry.”
“How about grabbing a meal on our way back to the hotel? We can wash up later.”
“Hmm… I don’t want the hassle of washing up again. I feel like having something other than hotel food.”
“What do you feel like eating?”
“I’m fine with anything.”
“That’s the most difficult answer, you know?”
“Well… then something delicious!”
“Se-eun mentioned a place near the main gate that serves delicious rice soup, especially their ox bone soup.”
“Ox bone soup? Hmm… not bad, but is there anything else?”
“Then there’s the blood sausage rice soup that’s delicious…”
“Do you want rice soup? Or is that all you know?”
“Koreans love rice. Why not rice soup? It’s warm and tasty.”
“Sigh… alright, let’s go for rice soup. Let’s go where you want to eat.”
“Wait, let me ask Se-eun if there’s anywhere else besides there.”
She might be busy working as an assistant, so I don’t know if she’ll reply to my message.
Still, with a slight sense of hope, I decided to send a message to Doseeun.
“Huh? You read it.”
“What’s up?”
“Um….”
Fortunately, City Eun checked not long after I sent the message.
I read the reply she sent.
[City Eun]: Wanna grab a meal together when you’re free? (Emoji of a cat holding a fish and wagging its tail)
“…Wanna eat together? How about it? I’ll introduce you to Si-eun.”
“What? Um… Sure, sounds good.”
* * *
Gumgang Academy and History, along with the Brilliant Cafe located on the premises.
In the game, this cafe provided players with various information.
‘About monsters appearing in certain dungeons, or specific items being auctioned…’
In addition, lingering at the cafe could lead to unexpected encounters with characters or receiving quests from the characters present there.
‘There was also a request board where quests could be undertaken at any time.’
In a way, Brilliant Cafe could be seen as content that helps players not only with the game’s story but also in developing the protagonist Kang Hanbyeol and his party.
We were currently at that cafe.
‘It’s quite a fancy restaurant for a cafe. It could easily be called the old salon of the aristocrats.’
A luxurious three-story cafe.
Surrounded by ivy and shrubs growing along the outer walls, the cafe had a garden inside that was no different from the outside.
City Eun, who had promised to have dinner together, was waiting there.
She greeted us.
“Welcome. Must have been tough with exams, right?”
“Long time no see, sis. We agreed to have a meal together when you came to the academy city, and now we’re finally doing it.”
“True. Sorry, I’ve been busy lately, finding time was hard.”
“No need to apologize. I know being the student council president keeps you busy. I also had a hard time finding time due to my qualification exam.”
It had been five years since I became close with City Eun.
She had grown a lot taller compared to back then.
“Now I’m a bit taller.”
Not only that, her demeanor had changed.
No, refined would be the word.
She exuded a much calmer and more mature aura than before, reminiscent of a refined knight, almost indistinguishable from the illustrations in the game.
“Thanks for understanding.”
City Eun smiled then.
Is it because we’re cousins?
Unlike the girl from the game, the girl I had known for five years often showed a sweet smile.
Soon, her blue eyes turned to Yeonhae, who was beside me.
“You’re Haneul, right? The disciple of the Seven-Colored Witch. Gyeonwoo told me about you from time to time.”
“Hello, unnie. I’m Yeonhae. I’ve heard a lot about you too.”
“Just speak comfortably. Gyeonwoo does that too. I prefer it that way.”
“Yeah… if unnie is okay with it, I’ll do that.”
It was the first meeting between Dosi-eun and Yeonhae.
The two who had known each other through me greeted each other properly.
“I was worried Haneul might be shy, but thankfully not.”
Perhaps because I had occasionally talked about Dosi-eun.
Contrary to my expectations, Yeonhae showed no particular wariness towards her.
Instead, she called her unnie without hesitation, treating her warmly.
Her gaze towards her was very friendly.
I felt proud for no reason.
“Come to think of it, we didn’t order anything. Are you hungry? Order whatever you want to eat. I’ll pay.”
“Wow! Unnie, I’ll eat well!”
“What’s good here?”
“Everything they sell here is good… I often eat this one.”
“…Cheese cutlet?”
“Yeah. It’s delicious here.”
Brilliant Cafe offered meals in addition to drinks.
We looked at the menu.
“I’ll have the cheese cutlet.”
“What about you, Haneul?”
“I’ll try the same thing as unnie.”
“Then I’ll go with… this one.”
“Pork cutlet?”
“Oh, that’s good too.”
“Then I’ll have this one.”
“Choose your drinks too, kids.”
After deciding on our orders.
We chatted until the food we ordered arrived.
“So, during the first exam, were you really glaring at the test-takers from behind, telling them not to laugh?”
“Oh, yeah… I mean, you can’t make people who are working hard a laughing stock.”
“They must have been really nervous.”
“There weren’t many… right?”
“Did you count?”
“About… 14?”
“They must have been really nervous.”
“Oh, that makes sense.”
“Hey, I don’t think I have much, right? Unni, in our exam room, it’s more than that….”
“Oh my, lies….”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“You’re right.”
Yoo and Yeonha are exam-takers, and Dosi is a proctor, so their conversations mainly revolve around exam-related topics.
Then, the food they ordered arrived.
“Wow, the cheese is stretching out so much?”
“That’s why students who come here also post on SNS showing how much the cheese stretches. It seems to reach the ceiling too.”
“Even to the ceiling? Really?”
“I’ll show you a photo next time. Oh, your number….”
“Unni, give me your number. I’ll save it.”
Yeonha and Dosi exchange phone numbers instead of just having dinner.
With their numbers in hand, I quietly put a bite of steak in my mouth.
“It’s delicious.”
I understand why Kang Hanbyeol likes the steak at this café from the game.
If I pass, I might visit here often.
Putting that aside.
“Si-eun unni, how about cheese tonkatsu….”
Although it may seem rude to Dosi, it doesn’t quite match her image.
Seeing her cutting the cheese tonkatsu with elegance would probably make me chuckle.
Then, our eyes met.
“Wanna try one?”
Without realizing my own feelings.
Dosi smirked and soon offered me a piece of the just-cut cheese tonkatsu.
I held back a laugh and said, “Then I’ll give you one too. Here.”
“Oh, let’s exchange too.”
One for Dosi, one for Yeonha.
I passed my share to the two, receiving the cheese tonkatsu.
“This is delicious too.”
As I took a bite of the tonkatsu, the cheese inside stretched without breaking.
It seemed like it might be too much to eat at once, but the savory taste of the cheese made it enjoyable.
“That was delicious. I feel like I’ll come here often.”
“Me too.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. When you come here, it’s best to avoid lunch and dinner times as much as possible. It’s hard to find a seat then.”
Due to exams, Yoo, Yeonha, and Dosi couldn’t stay long.
So, we decided to stay put and spend time sipping our drinks.
Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.
“Nuna, you know….”
“Yep.”
“If you’re an assistant, don’t you know anything about tomorrow’s exam?”
“We don’t oversee exams, so we don’t know anything about them. We only find out right before the exam. Even if we knew, we couldn’t tell you.”
“Ugh.”
“But I don’t know anything.”
“…?”
“So, I could give you some advice about the exam.”
“What kind of advice?”
“Considering the types of the exams we had today, for the third exam…”
….”
Dosi-eun drew the Sooyeon Sword from her waist.
On a bright day, her face reflected in the young sky.
“I thought they might ask about this.”
Dosi-eun manifested her inner mana.
Mana imbued the Sooyeon Sword.
“…Droplets?”
Droplets formed around the blade.
Blue droplets, red droplets.
Droplets of different colors floated around us.
◈
January nights are long.
Exam number 3452.
As the examinee finished the 2nd practical exam and left the Geumgang Academy, it was already dusk, turning into a pitch-black night.
“Another exam tomorrow….”
From Noble mtl dot com
The examinee sighed.
The Geumgang Academy’s entrance exams consisted of up to 5 rounds.
Having received the lowest grade in the 2nd exam, the examinee couldn’t be sure if they could endure until then.
Worries loomed large.
“It’s too difficult….”
Tired. Hungry. Clueless.
At least, let’s go back to the dorm and rest for tomorrow’s exam preparation.
Passing under the lights of tall buildings.
The examinee headed towards the most run-down lodging in district 23.
Why choose a lodging so far from the Geumgang Academy, with poor security and in a neglected area? There were two main reasons.
It was cheaper.
They didn’t have much money.
As an examinee who didn’t receive much sponsorship, they had no choice but to stay here.
“Are there really so many cockroaches? What kind of academy city is this….”
As I crossed a certain street, the atmosphere around me changed.
I passed under dimly lit streetlights.
There was no one around except myself.
The atmosphere was eerily dark.
It felt like someone was watching.
Following.
Thud.
No.
It wasn’t just a feeling.
The exam taker clearly heard a sound.
“….”
Someone was watching.
Following.
The exam taker quickly turned around.
There was nothing there.
“…Let’s go back quickly.”
For some reason, it didn’t feel right.
Instincts rang alarm bells.
The exam taker picked up speed from before, not looking back, and started running.
Hoping it was just their imagination.
Thudthud.
But the footsteps continued to chase.
The sound of shoes hitting the ground echoed through the maze-like alleyways.
Thudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthud.
When the sound abruptly stopped.
“….”
Running in a half panic, the exam taker found themselves at a dead end.
Then, a sound came from behind.
Thud.
It was that sound again.
Finally, it had chased them here.
With a fearful expression, the exam taker slowly turned around.
“….”
There was a woman.
Dressed provocatively, she smirked at the exam taker.
“W-who are you…?”
“Me? I’m the villain who will devour you.”
The woman ran her tongue over her fingers.
Right after that.
Around the examinee, countless threads were spread out.