Chapter 74
The Final Night
All the necessary scores have been attained.
With this level, meeting the minimum requirements to pass the exam and even ranking high should be achievable.
Thanks to the examinees from Mado Village.
“Attacking from behind all of a sudden… I almost got seriously injured.”
Last night, a few hours ago.
Yeon Haneul was ambushed by the examinees from Mado Village.
I don’t know how flustered she must have been at that moment.
Just thinking about it made me angry.
Ambushing isn’t cowardly.
In an exam where taking each other’s tickets is fair game, ambush can be a strategy.
In such a situation, it’s actually the person who got ambushed that’s at fault.
But there’s a limit to everything.
The magic unleashed by the examinees from Mado Village was exceptionally deadly.
If a person not suited for magic, it could lead to serious consequences.
They might even die if luck wasn’t on their side.
Given the circumstances, she had no choice but to respond somewhat emotionally.
That’s why she failed to control her power a little.
From the start, her opponent wasn’t someone to be underestimated, who could regulate their power as casually as other examinees.
“That kid was strong. If I hadn’t pushed forward before, it would have been hard to guarantee victory.”
Perhaps she might have lost.
Yeonha-neul acknowledged the examinee from the Mado Min-ga clan to that extent.
On one hand, she was quietly anxious.
“Am I… going to be okay?”
Yesterday, she was too angry and tired to think clearly.
Reflecting calmly on what happened yesterday, she might have made a big mistake.
Her opponent was an examinee who had offended the Mado Min-ga, one of the Ten Families.
By defeating her and taking all the exam tokens, there was a possibility of retaliation at the family level in the worst-case scenario.
It was unlikely to happen, but the mere possibility was the issue.
For Yeonha-neul, who lived with subtle worries, it was only adding to her unease.
To shake off her anxiety, she decided to chant a spell.
“It’s fine, if anything happens, Gyeon-u will find a way to help.”
Gyeon-u would solve everything.
In Yeonha-neul’s heart, there was infinite trust in him.
As long as he was around, she wasn’t anxious.
Naturally, a smile crept onto her face as she thought of his face.
Even the rabbit ears seemed to perk up happily.
But it was short-lived.
“By the way, where is this guy?”
Yeonha-neul grumbled as if discontent.
Having collected a sufficient number of exam tokens, she no longer needed to actively engage in the competition.
So, she had been searching for her childhood friend Gyeon-u around the island since morning, but not a single clue was found.
She had been confident that she would be able to find her childhood friend anywhere in the world, but even the rabbit ear radar was of no use.
“Sigh… another ambush.”
Yeonha-neul only encountered examinees aiming for her exam tokens.
As she left behind the fallen examinees, she continued to move forward.
“If possible, it would be nice to meet Gyeon-u at the place where the supplies are being distributed right now…”
A while ago, supplies had been distributed.
All examinees participating in the test were on the move to secure the supplies nearby.
Yeonha-neul was no exception.
She, too, was chasing after the parachute dropping nearby.
“It seems like I arrived first.”
Eventually, she spotted the supplies.
And the person she met there was not the one she was expecting, Do Gyunwoo, but Lisa Grace.
“…Lisa?”
“Oh, Heavens!”
Lisa, with her tousled blonde hair resting on her shoulders, showed great delight.
Even Yeon Haneul, who had been wary of the examinee’s approach, relaxed her face.
The two of them engaged in a friendly conversation right there.
“Haneul, did you come to look for supplies too? If it’s alright with you… could you share some with me as well? If you have any injuries, I can treat them. I can also cast buffs.”
“Yeah, Lisa, you take some too. I won’t be able to carry everything alone anyway. And as for treatment… I don’t have any serious injuries, and I can use some healing magic myself, so I’m fine. Buffs are fine too.”
“Is that so? Still, let me know anytime. Haneul, you haven’t had lunch yet, right? Would you like to have it together if it’s okay?”
“Yeah, let’s do that. I’m fine with it too. Well, let’s start by organizing what we’re going to take.”
The two of them worked together to gather the necessary supplies from the box.
By then, they could sense the presence of other examinees.
Yeon Haneul’s rabbit-like ears, capable of capturing even distant sounds, could hear their footsteps.
“Others are coming this way, what should we do? Should we knock them out?”
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“Knocking them out could be a solution, but what if they end up not being able to leave this place? Other people might keep chasing us too.”
“That’s true.”
Lisa suggested.
It was a reasonable suggestion.
Yeon Haneul agreed with her opinion and quickly decided to leave the spot.
“Lisa, can you make us run faster and use magic to reduce the weight of our luggage?”
“Yes, I have just the right thing. I’ll also use Silence magic to minimize footsteps noise.”
Lisa clapped the stone floor.
Particles of different colored light fell from above the heads of the two.
It was a buff.
“Let’s go quickly.”
“Yes.”
The two gathered their belongings and got up.
They ran in the direction where fewer examinees were gathered.
Midway, they heard the sound of them dismantling the supply boxes behind them.
“Someone came and took it first!”
“No! There’s still some left!”
“I discovered it first. Move aside.”
“Oh no, it’s too late!”
From the sounds, it seemed like the examinees were arguing over the supplies.
Soon, the sound of metal could be heard.
A battle had broken out.
All the examinees’ gazes were fixed on that spot.
Taking advantage of the distraction, the two slipped away to find a safe place.
* * *
“There’s a variety of food here. But do you know how to eat the sky? Three-minute crispy chicken? The cooking method…”
“Just put it in boiling water and heat it up. Since there’s a stream over there, you can go fetch water from there. I’ll take care of the cooking, just a favor for the water.”
“Sure, leave it to me.”
Settled in a quiet forest.
Yeongha and Lisa divided roles to have lunch.
Cooking was Yeongha’s role.
Using the water brought by Lisa, she cooked the food that came as rations and set the table on a large wooden box.
“Wow, it’s really delicious. If I hadn’t met you, I’d be enjoying a choco banana all by myself.”
“You saw it too, it’s easy to make. You could’ve done it even without me, right?”
“Still, with cup ramen, you would’ve had to eat tasteless food if I wasn’t there to get the water right.”
Lisa eats the cooked cup ramen.
Eating carefully and neatly, without the sound of the noodles, she seemed to exude elegance.
‘She really is like a princess… No, maybe a princess?’
Yeongha, sitting across from her, admired inwardly.
Whether putting curry-soaked rice in her mouth or nibbling on the crispy chicken, elegance could be glimpsed from Lisa.
She could feel that she wasn’t just an ordinary person.
Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind.
‘Would Gyungwoo like that kind of style?’
Even to another woman, Lisa seemed pretty, making Yeongha wonder what men would think.
Then, she remembered Gyungwoo being the one to speak to Lisa first.
Perhaps he liked the orphaned, elegant style like hers.
‘Should I try a different hairstyle…’
Yeongha absentmindedly twisted her hair with her fingers.
Changing her hairstyle wouldn’t be a bad idea.
A bit neat and elegant.
‘Would Gyungwoo like it?’
Yeongha imagined in her mind.
If she changed her hairstyle, Gyungwoo might say something like this.
“Whatever you do, Yeong, it suits you. Beautiful.”
Even without looking, it was obvious.
It’s not just a daydream.
He would definitely say that.
It’s certain.
‘Gyahh!’
Just thinking about it made her feel ticklish and her face flushed.
Yeongha squirmed in embarrassment, kicking the air with her feet.
“Yeongha, why are you suddenly like this?”
“Oh, it’s nothing… Just… the food is delicious.”
Lisa asks with a puzzled expression.
The younger Yeonha closed his reddened face deeply, coming to his senses.
Soon, the two filled their stomachs while chatting away.
“So, what are we going to do now? Are we going to search for Gyenwoo?”
“Yes, that’s the plan. Since we’ve collected all the admission tickets, we will search for Gyenwoo and collect more tickets along the way. And you, Lisa?”
“I managed to gather some on my own, but… as a supporter, there’s a limit to how much I can collect alone. If it’s okay with you, can I go with you?”
“I’m fine with that. But if you’re with me, we may not be able to collect as many, is that okay?”
“Yes, that’s okay.”
Lisa proposed forming a party.
As Yeonha, there was no reason to refuse the party proposal, so he accepted it.
From the start, she was someone that Do Gyenwoo had his eye on.
As he seemed to want to get closer to her, she decided to help him as well.
“There’s definitely a reason behind Gyenwoo’s sudden actions. There must be a clear motive for wanting to get close to Lisa. It’s not just a simple liking for the opposite s*x.”
He had known Do Gyenwoo for five years.
Except for his family, Yeonha, who had spent more time with him than anyone else, could naturally read his thoughts.
For some reason, he seemed to be interested in Lisa and hoped for her success.
His wish was soon his own.
He wanted to help and make things happen.
Anyway, Yeonha roamed around the island with her to find him.
And that’s when it happened.
“Huh?”
“Yeonha? Why the sudden reaction?”
“I heard a sound from over there.”
Yeonha’s rabbit ears perked up in response to some sound.
“Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“I heard from someone I know that a test taker from the Divine Examination Guild is currently sweeping through the admission tickets. They say he’ll have the highest score.”
“How high is it?”
“I heard it’s over 1,000…”
“Wow, that’s no joke. Isn’t he going to be first in this exam?”
“Probably. We don’t know how things will turn out from now on.”
“What do you mean?”
“Think about it. If he just snatches the admission tickets, he can pass the exam and even become the first. So everyone is flocking to him.”
“But he’s from the Divine Examination Guild. Can he win?”
“We don’t know that. If several join forces to fight, will there be no chance of winning?”
“That’s not a wrong point.”
“So, I’m planning to go there as well. Everyone is heading that way, and if we’re hunting, we should do it there too. Do you want to come too?”
The test taker from the Divine Examination Guild.
Without a doubt, it refers to Do Gyenwoo.
“Oh, there are test takers over there. Are we going to engage them? Then, I’ll cast a buff….”
“….”
“Sky?”
Yeonha paused in her steps.
Lisa called out, looking puzzled.
Without responding to the call, she approached the students who were engrossed in conversation.
Then she asked them.
“Can I hear more about that story?”
“…Huh?”
“Everyone’s being drawn to Gyungwoo?”
“….”
“And are you too?”
“…Uh, no.”
Because she appeared out of nowhere.
The students blinked their eyes, unable to continue speaking.
Soon, they raised their heads high.
But it was already too late.
“So, Gyungwoo has enemies.”
With gleaming red eyes,
Yeonha drew out a hammer.
“H-Hey, Yeonha… Now that I see, you’re quite strong….”
Lisa trembled as she watched Yeonha, who effortlessly crushed the students.
* * *
Goeunbi’s role is deception.
Deceiving others does not suit her nature, but to achieve high grades in the exam, it’s unavoidable.
It must be done when necessary.
Requested by Doh Gyungwoo, Goeunbi diligently carried out her role by wandering around the island.
“Found them… There are five.”
Hiding her presence and blending into the terrain.
Goeunbi observed the students.
As someone who enjoys socializing, she had a deep understanding of human relationships.
“….”
How relationships interact, whether the connections are strong or weak, if the structure is horizontal or vertical, what roles each member plays, who the central figure is, and so on.
With just a brief observation, Goeunbi could roughly grasp the dynamics of the relationships.
“They haven’t known each other for long. Looks like that guy might be the leader.”
After making that judgment.
Goeunbi cautiously approached them at an opportune moment.
Sensing her presence, they showed signs of wariness.
Rustle.
“Who’s there! Come out now!”
“I-I’ll come out! Don’t be on guard! I have no intention of fighting with you guys! I just came to suggest working together!”
“Working together?”
With hands spread wide to show no weapons were held.
Goeunbi, emerging from the bushes, spoke words she had held in her mouth for so long.
“Do you also know about the aspirant of the Divine Sword Guild? The one with the black exam badge! Currently, that person is knocking down anyone nearby and taking their exam badges. So everyone is moving to take that person down, would you lend your strength too?”
“The aspirant of the Divine Sword Guild? How strong must that person be to gather people?”
“I observed from afar earlier, seemed to have scored over 1,000 points. There might be more exam badges not displayed on clothing, adding those, wouldn’t it be even more?”
“….”
“The first place in this exam will undoubtedly be theirs. We’re all in a frenzy because of that person?”
The leader of the group already understood.
The rest followed the leader without a word.
Thus, Goeunbi only directed her gaze towards the leader and explained the situation.
“So, I hope you’ll lend your strength too. If we manage to knock down that person alone, there’s a chance to gain over 1,000 points in exam badges, right? Even if we share, it would be quite a profit…”
“Where is that guy right now?”
“Head towards 7 o’clock from here. You should find them that way.”
“Hmm… Was the reason the exam badges gathered there?”
“Are you talking about the message that came around 3 o’clock? Yes, all the exam badges held by the Divine Sword Guild aspirant alone. Then I’ll step back now. I have to go tell people nearby, not just you.”
In fact, whether the opponent believed fully was not important.
It was crucial to spread rumors secondarily through them.
Among those affected by rumors, someone would surely try to confirm the truth, and through that one person, credibility would be attached to the rumors.
Goeunbi, adept at conversing effortlessly with strangers, was about to turn away like this.
“Wait.”
“….”
But the opponent was not easily swayed.
He called Goeunbi to a halt.
She replied, concealing her tension.
“Why?”
“Whether your words are true or not doesn’t matter. We’re only interested in the exam badges you have. So, if you don’t want to be at our mercy, drop the exam badges you have and leave.”
“I don’t have any exam badges! How would you know if you don’t check? They were taken from me by the Divine Sword Guild aspirant earlier. That’s why I’m wandering around as a messenger. I have nothing left to be taken.”
“Even if you say that, how can I be sure you’re not hiding them?”
“It’s in the exam rules. Aspirants must have at least one exam badge attached to their body. I really don’t have any, so I’m not wearing any.”
“Fine, then get lost, quickly.”
Fortunately, it was within the expected range.
Knowing this, Goeunbi and her friends handed all the exam badges to Dogyeon and were wandering around the island.
In the end, they obtained nothing and disappeared in the direction she had pointed out just a while ago.
Only then could she breathe a sigh of relief.
“Ugh, let Gyoun take everything.”
Indeed, deceiving others did not suit her at all.
Stabbed in the conscience.
If Do Gyunwoo hadn’t generously offered to take care of the compensation, she would have flatly refused.
Go Eun-bi lightly touched her face, steadying her heart, and then set off to deceive other test-takers once again.