Chapter 52
Every year at this time, in the Academy City, almost every academy conducts an entrance practical exam.
For those living in the world of hunters, it was common to pay attention to the exam where outstanding talents, not just the offspring of prestigious families or the disciples of masters, gathered.
Among them were those who had their hunter qualifications revoked for abandoning the duty of a hunter or committing serious crimes, referred to as ‘villains.’
Women were also part of this category.
“The nights in the Academy City are very different from the ‘outside world.’ In unseen places, crimes like this happen all too often.”
“Ah….”
“For villains like me, it’s not a bad environment to live hidden. Well, there are those who enforce the law, but as long as we don’t catch their eye, it’s fine. Besides, they don’t usually come to places like this.”
“Ugh….”
“Who knows what might happen. Haven’t you heard such words while preparing to come to the Academy City?”
“….”
“The night streets of the Academy City are dangerous, especially the slums. Seeing you here at this hour, seems like you haven’t heard of it before.”
“….”
“Or maybe you dismissed it as mere rumors and didn’t believe.”
Academy City, District 23.
A narrow alley shrouded in the shadows of high-rise buildings, far from the bustling streets.
A woman who unfolded a barrier magic that repelled people’s footsteps looked quietly at the examinee.
“Ugh….”
“It’s better not to struggle. You might get cut if you do.”
The examinee was tied to invisible threads and suspended in the air.
The threads tightened even more when the examinee struggled.
The threads, like cutting into flesh and skin, left wounds akin to paper cuts.
Blood slowly oozed out from there, flowing along the threads.
Drip, drip, drip….
Like the sound of raindrops falling on a spider’s web.
Droplets of blood fell.
The woman caught the blood in her palm, licked it as if to taste.
“It’s corrupt. Tasteless. I didn’t expect much from a yellow examinee badge, and as I anticipated, it’s just as I expected. The mana soaked in blood is nothing special.”
As if she had eaten something dirty.
The woman spat out the blood remaining in her mouth onto the floor.
The examinee, consciousness fading from the attack, weakly opened their mouth.
“Why….”
Her voice was soft, lacking strength.
The words couldn’t even fully form.
Yet the woman could infer the unfinished part of the sentence.
“Why are you treating me like this?”
“….”
“There’s no particular reason. I happened to have nothing to do lately, feeling bored, irritated by the noise in the city. If I had to give a reason, maybe to vent frustration? Just killing time?”
“Ah….”
“Why? Did you expect there to be a reason? Sorry, but the reason is that there is no reason. You don’t hold any value that requires a reason. Just… yeah. You just had bad luck.”
“Sob….”
“But if you really wanted to find value, your appearance fits my taste, could be prettily adorned, and above all….”
The woman swiftly brought down her hand with nail art.
Instantly, the examinee, tied to a thread, descended to a position almost eye-level with the woman.
She reached out her hand.
“It’s because of this.”
Her finger tapped the examinee’s exam ticket.
“I became curious about how talented the examinees applying to Geumgang Academy, rated as the best in the Academy City, are. Someday, you might become my enemy, or perhaps you might fall into our side. So, as a villain, I wanted to confirm your qualifications.”
“….”
“So, I need your body.”
“My… body…?”
“Yes, your body.”
“What does that mean….”
“If I possess your body, maybe I can closely observe the examinees. Perhaps even the instructors at Geumgang Academy wouldn’t imagine I’d infiltrate in such a way.”
“Ah….”
“Originally, in an academy with many people, there were some lax points in security. With over a thousand examinees coming and going from outside, could they even notice my presence?”
“P-please, spare me….”
The examinee’s pupils trembled.
Joy spread across the woman’s lips as she lifted the examinee’s chin with her hand.
“No.”
The woman took out a bead from her pocket.
Placing the bead in her mouth.
“Ugh…!”
Forcing a kiss on the examinee, she pushed the bead onto their tongue.
The examinee tried with all their might not to swallow the bead, but they couldn’t resist the woman’s strength.
In the end, the examinee swallowed the bead.
Immediately after.
“Ah…. Ah, ah, ahh, ahhhhh!”
The examinee screamed so loudly that it seemed to echo around.
It was a sound as if their soul was being torn apart, facing annihilation.
“Screaming like that won’t help. No one can hear inside the barrier. Well, not that it matters.”
The woman silently watched the examinee scream in agony, spewing blood.
And then, after a moment.
“….”
The examinee’s screams abruptly stopped, limbs going limp as the head slumped to the ground.
But that was only for a moment.
Creak, creak.
With eerie sounds, the examinee’s joints creaked.
“It’s working well.”
When the examinee raised their head, the eyes that had lost their light suddenly sparkled again.
The woman gazed at the examinee’s face and a smile played on her lips.
The examinee mirrored her expression and spoke.
It was a tone just like hers.
“Well, this turned out to be quite interesting when I was already bored. I should go enjoy feeling like a student, see if there are any fun-looking kids around, and come back.”
The woman responded to the words.
The conversation between the two continued.
“Focus on the promising ones. Those from the Ten Families or prestigious lineages.”
“And what about the disciples of the Named?”
“Come to think of it, I heard that it’s the age for the disciples of the Wanderer to apply to the academy….”
“Did they apply to the Geumgang Academy?”
“They are the Wanderer’s disciples, so wouldn’t they?”
“It would be nice to see if we can.”
“But don’t kill them for no reason.”
“Because they’re still young?”
“It’s not like we have anything against the Wanderer, and we can’t just eliminate a sprout that hasn’t grown. Killing would be a waste. What if that sprout turns out to be a real threat?”
“True. Waiting for growth is exciting and interesting.”
“What kind of child is it?”
“I want to make them a doll.”
“If that’s not your taste?”
“Then we just kill them.”
“What about the others?”
“I wonder. What kind of kids are there?”
“No one knows my true identity, right?”
“They won’t. How could they know? The owner of this body died a long time ago.”
“That my soul resides here?”
“No one would ever notice, right?”
“That’s right. There’s no way anyone would notice.”
A high-ranking member of the Ma-in-hoe, one of the Six Demons.
“No, no, absolutely not.”
The Doll Ghost, Lee Gahyeon.
In the darkness, she declared.
* * *
Red water droplets and blue water droplets.
The droplets bumped into each other, but instead of dispersing or getting scattered, they floated around undisturbed.
“Is this related to the test?”
What does Dosi want to say?
What was the intention behind creating the water droplets?
As I examined the floating droplets closely, I lightly touched the blue one.
“It’s not changing its shape?”
It felt like I was pushing a ball.
The droplet touched by my finger moved towards Dosi sitting in front of me.
The droplet maintained its form without dispersing.
This time, I touched the red droplet.
“This one changes?”
The surface of the droplet trembled.
Upon the impact of my finger, the droplet split into smaller droplets.
“Why is that?”
I got lost in thought, focusing on the droplets of different colors.
“Ah.”
The realization didn’t take long.
This is…
“So, it’s a matter of whether the droplet is affected by mana or not.”
“Yeah.”
“Right.”
Even Yeonha realized it.
She accepted my words.
Upon that, Dosi agreed.
“The blue droplet… when touched by a finger, it disperses.”
Dosi, after touching the blue droplet, manifested her internal mana.
With her mana-infused finger, she touched the blue droplet again.
The blue droplet reacted similarly to the red droplet I touched earlier.
“When you infuse mana and touch it, like this, it receives strength and disperses, as it did when you touched the red droplet.”
“Conversely, when you infuse mana on your finger and touch the red droplet, it doesn’t disperse but pushes back.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Manifesting internal mana,
I touched the red droplet.
The red droplet, unlike before, only trembled momentarily on the surface, then without dispersing into smaller droplets, moved in the direction of the applied force.
“If you look at it in a certain way…”
“When considering a water droplet as a monster, is it only susceptible to physical attacks, or does it also succumb to magical attacks? I’ve heard the Master mention such monsters before.”
“Don’t interrupt me when I’m speaking.”
“Tsk, what’s wrong with speaking first?”
Yeonha stuck out her tongue.
Feeling somewhat mischievous, I poked her side under the table.
“Eek! Gyunwoo, you…”
“Why are you startled?”
“It’s nothing. You don’t have to worry, Nuna.”
Yeonha’s ears perked up like a rabbit.
I sensed her gaze flickering towards me from the side.
But it didn’t scare me at all.
Ignoring Yeonha’s gaze, I changed the subject.
“So, what do you think? Do you believe this will come up in the exam?”
“Yeah, I think it might.”
Dohsieun converted the mana bestowed by Suyeon’s Water Orb into her body.
Following suit, the water droplets floating around also transformed into mana particles and flowed towards her.
“Almost every year in the entrance practical exam, they ask if you can freely switch between manifesting mana within your body and not, like turning a light switch on and off.”
“Oh, it wasn’t about fighting monsters that are only vulnerable to one type of attack. I thought it was…”
“Ha-nyi, you’re not entirely wrong. Fundamentally, it’s about being able to freely switch between manifesting mana within your body to fight. It has been a question in previous exams as well.”
“Is it about assessing situational judgment, mana manifestation speed, reaction speed, etc.?”
“Yeah, those are crucial abilities for a Hunter. It might not be in the 3rd test, but maybe in the 4th or 5th.”
Dohsieun had never missed the top spot since entering the academy.
Given that it was advice coming from her, it was worth heeding.
I decided to keep it in mind.
“Thanks for letting me know, Nuna.”
“As your cousin, it’s only natural. And as a senior. Don’t worry about passing both exams; I hope you achieve excellent grades.”
* * *
As they exited the Brilliant Cafe, night had already fallen.
Upon this, Dohsieun warned, “The night in Academy City is quite different from the ‘outside world,’ so be careful. Don’t casually stroll down dark paths, as you might run into unsavory characters due to bad luck. It’s best to stick to well-lit streets, especially around the slums.”
“Got it, Nuna. I’ll be cautious.”
“I’ll make sure Gyunwoo doesn’t stray down strange paths.”
“…Are you assuming I’d do that?”
“You won’t go?”
“If you live in Academy City for a while, you might accidentally…”
“Don’t go. It’s dangerous.”
“Got it, Nuna.”
It’s regrettable to cut off Do Si-eun, who speaks bluntly.
To progress the game’s story, there will come a time when we have to enter the slums.
Unable to confidently say I would enter the slums, I forced a bitter smile.
By the way, people living in the Academy City referred to the area outside as the ‘outside world’ or ‘mainland’, distinguishing it from the Academy City.
They considered the Academy City a separate world.
In reality, Korea, with a high ratio of civilians to Hunters, who basically have their own world in the Academy City, had different laws and ways of living.
“Well, I still have things to do, so I’ll head back.”
“Enjoyed the meal, Nuna!”
“Sis, see you next time!”
And so, I parted ways with Do Si-eun.
We made our way to the hotel.
It seemed best to go back, quickly shower, and get some rest to prepare for the exam tomorrow.
‘Only three exams left now….’
Suddenly, I recalled the exam schedule.
Starting from the third exam, we wouldn’t return to our lodgings in the middle like today; instead, we would have our meals at the gates.
So, if by any chance there were to be a switch in the examinees during the exam.
‘It should only be today.’
I was convinced.
Knowing the game’s story, I could anticipate what would happen during the practical exam.
Surely, by now, an annoying villain, whom examinees would have to face, had taken possession of one of the examinees’ bodies.
And….
‘To gauge the examinees’ abilities, they will try to infiltrate the exam.’
With a significant number of examinees failing in the first and second exams, it was a perfect opportunity for the villain trying to gauge them.
Knowing that future.
“Ha-neul.”
“Yeah. What’s up?”
“Be careful from tomorrow onwards.”
“Huh?”
“If there’s someone threatening you, don’t go easy on them at that time.”
“Why are you suddenly saying this?”
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“Just take care of it. I’ll allow it.”
It was only natural to prepare.
To face one of the main villains of this game, the Doll Ghost, Yi Ga-hyun.
“Um… Do I need your permission?”
“Of course. Because I’m your master.”
“Geez….”
Yeong Ha-neul was at a loss for words.
But still, she didn’t deny it.