Chapter 67
The Battle for Plunder [Illustration]
The bed in the Sweet Room was wide enough to comfortably accommodate two people, yet it felt cramped to me.
Perhaps because Yeonha had drawn the distance closer between us.
“Isn’t this… too close?”
Even when staying at a hotel in the Academy City, I never slept like this.
Lying on the pillow, Yeonha was within arm’s reach when she stretched out.
Her face, hidden in the darkness of the room illuminated by moonlight from the terrace, faintly revealed itself.
Her hair, bearing the same color as her name, shimmered mysteriously, and her red eyes gleamed.
“Here she goes again…”
The night sky closed the distance a little more.
Now, it was a distance where breaths could reach each other.
As I inhaled, a subtle fragrance filled the air.
It was the scent from her, who had showered in my room’s bathroom a while ago.
“….”
A fresh yet sweet scent.
Whenever that scent tickled my nose, I couldn’t help but think of the night sky involuntarily.
‘It’s not right.’
My gaze kept wandering towards the night sky.
I needed to shut my eyes, but closing them only fueled unnecessary imagination.
At this rate, I wouldn’t be able to sleep well.
I tried to create some distance.
Then, as I tried to step back, she reached out her finger, firmly grasping my sleeve to prevent me from moving away.
“Don’t go too far.”
“….”
“Just stay there.”
“…Okay.”
A faint tremor resonated from beyond the vague darkness.
Upon hearing such a sound, it was impossible to refuse.
I decided to hold my ground.
As a result, the night sky slowly approached, cautiously burying herself in my embrace.
She buried her face in my chest, gently embracing me.
“…Just stay like this, for tonight.”
“Alright, alright.”
Finally extending my arms to her, I awkwardly placed my remaining arm on her back.
Since I was sleeping at the gate, the clothes weren’t as thin as pajamas, but still relatively thin.
Her contours felt uncertain.
If I felt awkward with my arm around her, she, almost pulling me closer, must have been feeling my contours more keenly.
Yet, there was no sign of embarrassment.
‘She’s not usually like this….’
The experiences in her dreams seemed to have taken a toll on the night sky mentally.
As I tried to understand her emotions, I patted her back.
“I won’t go anywhere, I’ll stay here, so sleep tight.”
“…Thank you. Goodnight.”
Her touch became firmer.
Her knees and toes brushed against my legs.
Gradually, legs entwined with legs.
In this way, she embraced me, creating a comfortable position.
However, it was an uncomfortable position for me.
“….”
Quietly, I let out a sigh.
I shifted my hips slightly backward.
That day, the night sky fell into a deep slumber, and I couldn’t sleep peacefully.
“Still, it’s a relief that you slept well.”
◈
The day broke.
Perhaps due to skipping breakfast and sleeping in, the condition of the night sky had improved significantly.
It seemed she had realized what she had done the previous night.
“Uhm, did you sleep well, Geonyu?”
“….”
She slipped out of my embrace and, with a flushed face, greeted me in the morning, tightly holding the blanket in one hand and running her fingers through her hair with the other.
I expressed my true feelings to her, avoiding eye contact and looking away.
“Look at me.”
“….”
“Do you think I slept well?”
“You… look very tired….”
“Because of whom?”
“Sorry….”
I felt like I was just keeping my eyes closed.
My consciousness hadn’t sunk deep, just repeating the cycle of sleeping and waking.
There was no way I had slept well.
I gazed at the night sky with a clearly displeased expression.
She seemed apologetic, unable to lift her head.
“Well, it seems like things are better now, so it’s fine.”
I absentmindedly toyed with the rabbit ear-like hair that hung limply.
The night sky flinched.
I chuckled at her reaction.
“Alright, let’s get ready to check out. We need to head out to the gate for the explanation of the 5th test. Haven’t had breakfast yet, need to fill our stomachs. If we eat now, it’s practically lunchtime. Do you want to shower first?”
“No, you go ahead. I’ll go get our food.”
“Really? Alright, I’ll count on you.”
Starting today, the 5th practical test will be conducted for three days.
I couldn’t just laze around in bed like this.
The night sky and I quickly prepared and headed down to the banquet hall.
The gate to the outside was open in the banquet hall.
We originally returned to the real world and headed to Dimension Room 305 where the 5th practical exam explanation was taking place.
“There are so many people here.”
Dimension Room 305, with desks arranged in a tiered fashion.
Dimension Room 305 was spacious, like connecting several lecture rooms, with a high ceiling.
As we entered, we could see examinees who had arrived early and taken their seats.
There seemed to be more examinees from other exam venues than the ones we had seen at the Mirage Hotel.
“Let’s find our seats and wait. Otherwise, we might not find a place to sit.”
“Yeah, there seems to be an empty seat over there. How about sitting there?”
Yeonnah found an empty seat.
I sat with her at that seat, deciding to wait for the exam explanation.
After a while, the appointed time passed.
“….”
Evaluators entered from below.
The examinees, who had been silently staring at them, stirred greatly upon recognizing the leading woman.
“That person is….”
Even from afar, it was clear that she was a woman with a small stature and a young-looking face.
However, contrary to her appearance, she exuded a calm and mature atmosphere.
Dressed neatly in a suit, clicking her heels confidently as she walked up onto the stage, there was no flaw in her demeanor.
As the evaluators followed her, it also gave an impression that one couldn’t approach her recklessly.
She exuded authority.
In reality, she was quite mature, and definitely not someone one could approach recklessly.
“Hello, examinees.”
At that moment, the woman took the microphone.
With her striking yellow eyes, she smiled broadly and spoke.
“First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude and congratulations to all the examinees who have applied to Geumgang Academy and have come to this place. As some of you may already know, I am the director of Geumgang Academy, So Hye-ryul. The reason I am here is to… I was curious about the talents that have applied this year. So, I deliberately persuaded the evaluators planning your exam to let me come out. Please, take care of me.”
“….”
The woman introduced herself as the director.
The examinees gathered here to enter Geumgang Academy couldn’t possibly not recognize her.
No, even if they hadn’t seen her face living in the Academy City, she was a well-known figure whose name they must have heard at least once.
“It’s surprising to think that someone who looks so young is actually from the same generation as grandfathers. Even if I know it’s just a game, it’s still astonishing. She must be managing with mana. But why do grandfathers… No, maybe when you reach that age, looking dignified and gracefully aged might be better than looking young.”
The Witch of the Stars, So Hye-ryul.
She not only held a strong influence in the governance of the Academy City as a member of the Council of Contribution but was also a globally recognized magician.
Above all, she was the owner of Starlight Road, an artificial satellite floating outside the waiting area of the Academy City, which I had used in my dreams to kill monsters.
“That’s why I became a member of the Council of Contribution. It’s such a devastating power for one person to wield that it was necessary for the Council to monitor.”
So Hye-ryul had a strong presence, often appearing in the game.
Mainly, she subtly asked Strong Star to resolve incidents or took care of the aftermath of incidents caused by Strong Star.
However, there were some ambiguous aspects to treating her as a complete ally.
“She must have hidden a lot.”
So Hye-ryul helped Strong Star because she had something to gain, not simply out of pure intentions to assist.
If it served her purpose, she didn’t hesitate to put Strong Star through trials.
One could say she had a calculating nature.
Meanwhile, she too.
[As she finally decided to make an appearance, I will personally explain the details of the 5th practical exam.]
She was one of the owners of a bad ending.
And quite a troublesome one at that.
To unlock a new story route, it was a must to watch it.
And so, her thoughts became more profound.
“Let’s focus on the exam for now.”
Putting aside thoughts about the game.
I decided to listen to the explanation.
[In the 5th exam, there will be no division of participants, and all examinees will compete at a single gate. The reason for explaining it here is that the position summoned upon entering this gate is set randomly. Therefore, we needed to gather here to explain, that’s why you are all here. Now, examinees, please check your exam tickets.]
When So Hye-ryul instructed the evaluators, each of them raised exam tickets of different colors.
“The essence of the 5th practical exam, which will last for 3 days, is really simple. Once you enter the gate, you will snatch the opponent’s exam ticket and engage in a three-day battle of theft.”
“….”
“However, if the value of exam tickets is equal, it can reduce tension, simplify the exam, and above all, make it less fun, don’t you think?”
Less fun.
The Director casually spoke controversial words in an official setting.
But no one questioned it.
That’s how much she was a dangerous figure who shouldn’t be taken lightly.
“So, we decided to differentiate values based on the color of the exam tickets you possess. Hey, could someone display the screen on the gate watch?”
I glanced down at my wrist, where the gate watch was strapped.
There was a message on the watch.
[Value Scores Based on Exam Ticket Colors]
– White: 10 points
– Yellow: 20 points
– Green: 30 points
– Red: 50 points
– Blue: 70 points
– Black: 100 points
“The value scores based on the exam ticket colors are as shown on the gate watch. At this point, regardless of the color, your exam ticket will be worth 100 points. So, you need to accumulate a total value score of over 200 points, including your own exam ticket. And on the second day, at 10 p.m., the gate watch will reveal the location where the gate is set. The evaluators will be waiting for you there from 9 a.m. on the third day.”
The details of the 5th practical exam were also being transmitted through the gate watch.
As I listened to So Hye-ryul’s explanation, I scrolled down the message.
Additional information was written there.
[The exam will take place for 3 days starting from the moment of entrance into the gate. The exam will conclude at 9 a.m.]
[Examinees holding admission tickets must wear at least one admission ticket at all times. In this case, they must prioritize wearing the most valuable ticket over others.]
[Once a day, a box containing essential survival items will be distributed. The distribution location will be randomly assigned.]
[At 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24 hours, examiners’ ticket locations will be transmitted around them through the Gate Watch at 3-hour intervals. The value will not be reflected.]
[….]
Reading the message,
I could roughly grasp the situation.
It was exactly as So Hye-ryul had initially said.
“Survive at the gate for 3 days, engaging in a fierce battle to snatch and steal admission tickets.”
Even if your admission ticket is snatched, it doesn’t mean you’re eliminated. It seems like I can’t afford to let my guard down for a moment.
On the one hand, it seemed like as long as I safeguarded my admission ticket well, even collecting just 100 points would be enough to pass.
Of course, gathering 100 points wouldn’t be easy.
“….”
Examinees who had passed up to the 4th practical exam weren’t going to have it easy.
Nevertheless, I was confident in my abilities.
“If everyone else has gathered their points, there’s no way I won’t gather mine.”
There’s no need to worry too much.
I decided to already start diverting my attention from the sky that seemed to be spinning like a wheel.
I subtly reached for her admission ticket.
At this, she was taken aback.
“What, what are you touching right now….”
“I’ll borrow your admission ticket for a bit.”
“Huh?”
The black admission ticket attached to the left chest of the sky that seemed to be spinning.
Ignoring her reaction, I peeled off the admission ticket.
Then, I attached it next to my admission ticket.
“What… are you doing right now?”
“My admission ticket 100 points, your admission ticket 100 points. With this, I’m passing.”
“….”
“Sky, you make sure to gather your 200 points on your own.”
“Is this fun?”
“Yes!”
The sky was dumbfounded.
I nodded with a smirk.
“This time, I’ll attach one for you too.”
“Sigh, because you’re a real kid….”
“Just stay still. It’s hard to be sweet.”
“While you sneakily….”
“What do you mean by sneakily?”
“Oh, nothing, you wouldn’t do that.”
“…I feel strangely upset.”
“If you frown, wrinkles will appear. Just keep doing what you were doing, little Doyeong.”
“Tsk. Alright, you pass too.”
I peeled off the exam tickets from my clothes and stuck them on Yeonhae’s clothes.
She looked at me with a childish pout, but a smile broke out on her face.
It was right at that moment that we heard the sound of So Hye-ryul’s scolding.
[“Hey, exam-takers! Why don’t you go somewhere else for your lovey-dovey stuff instead of here?”]
Pathetic.
Who would dare to show affection shamelessly in a place where exam instructions were being given?
‘Fail the exam for sure.’
It seemed like other exam-takers had similar thoughts to mine.
Occasionally, whispers could be heard.
“If only they fail for sure….”
“Weren’t those the ones we saw on the bus yesterday?”
“Wow… so unfair. Seriously….”
“I’m envious… no, I’m dying from jealousy.”
“They’ll probably start dating as soon as they get into the academy….”
“Will they form a couple as soon as they enter the academy?”
—
[“First, exam-takers wearing black exam tickets, please enter!”]
All the instructions were done.
As So Hye-ryul pulled aside the curtain covering the stage with a circular artificial gate, it revealed a center glowing in yellow.
Soon, the exam-takers with black exam tickets stood up from their seats and walked onto the stage.
“Haneul, let’s go too.”
“Yeah. Once we enter the gate, we’ll probably have to act separately.”
“Why? Are you worried because I won’t be there?”
“Aren’t you the one who shouldn’t worry just because I’m not by your side?”
“It’s okay, there won’t be any need for that.”
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“Really?”
“Yeah.”
Yeonhae and I also lined up to pass through the artificial gate.
At that moment, she pursed her lips and pinched my side.
Although it didn’t hurt, I pretended it did.
“Anyway, do well once you’re inside. Don’t get hurt anywhere. If someone even tries to harm you…”
“If they try to harm me?”
“Definitely kill them.”
“Really?”
“If you can’t kill them, just remember their face. I’ll come find them later and finish the job.”
“Alright, alright. Hearing that makes me feel secure. You take care too.”
“Of course.”
Before long, the line shortened, and it was our turn.
We stood in front of the artificial gate.
“Let’s go in.”
“Okay.”
This was the final test.
Thinking about what lay ahead, I stepped through the gate.
If my prediction was correct…
“In this test, Lee Gahyun will start to act more actively.”
One of the six leaders of the Mine Council.
Doll Witch, Lee Gahyun.
According to the game’s lore, she infiltrated the entrance exam pretending to be an evaluator to assess the examinees’ abilities.
This was her only chance to do so.
“It’s also an opportunity for me to hunt Lee Gahyun.”
Soon, I was engulfed in light.