59 – 13. Skill Thief
Great Lake.
Located to the west of the floating city, it is a huge lake with an area of about 10% of the city.
As it is responsible for the water source and water resources of the floating city, which is larger than any other city, it is also famous for bringing in and inhabiting various aquatic creatures even though it is an artificial lake.
Normally, entry is prohibited except for areas that are open to the public for city residents to take refuge or have leisure.
Today was different.
“Great Lake…”
Princess Kim Eun-ha muttered as she rowed the prepared boat.
One bag of supplies and a small boat.
Those two were everything in the test.
I already knew that there was a survival-themed test taking place in the Great Lakes, but I didn’t know the content of the test.
I never thought I would give you a boat this big and tell you to survive on your own.
Kim Eun-ha, who clenched her tongue at the cruelty of her academy, looked at the prince’s ship that was approaching.
“Eunha, what are you going to do?”
“Once we’ve achieved our goal, we have to explore every corner of the lake. Since it’s an artificial lake, there’s everything from mangrove forests, waterfalls, rapids, waterspouts, and underwater facilities, right?”
“That’s right…But I can’t believe that the goal was achieved…”
“Namgoong Min’s elimination. It was inevitable.”
Kim Eun-ha nods her head and speaks firmly.
The prince was about to ask Amman if she had been too cruel, but was left speechless by her sister’s firmness and just played quietly.
The attack took place as soon as it started. And Namgoong Min was eliminated after failing to do anything.
This was possible because, as I observed in class, the force itself was not that great.
‘I was sure during survival, Namgoong Min was the first to be eliminated.’
Although the appearance he showed during the entrance ceremony and classes showed that he was capable, I was curious about what he would be like during the individual exam, which was clearly proven during the last survival event.
Namgoong Min’s survival itself is already the biggest variable in the test.
To put it bluntly, it seemed like she would incite the entire student body, cause all of her influential students to drop out, and run away while inducing internal strife.
‘I feel a little sorry, but…….’
Of course, as she also has human emotions, she feels sorry for Namgoong Min, who was helplessly eliminated.
She helped him when there was an assassination threat, and she talked to him and became close with him, so she didn’t add ~ after her name.
In fact, her older brothers Kim Seong-il and Namgoong Min were the only ones in this academy who did not add ~.
There……
‘Why?’
I definitely made the best decision.
For some reason, a part of my heart feels cold.
‘Nam Goong Min.’
Is it because you were thinking of him?
The fortune teller was an inscrutable person with no end in sight. He always had a smile and composure, and knew anything and could solve anything.
Like during the entrance ceremony, like during the assassination, like during class.
“……….”
But a friendship is a friendship and a test is a test.
When I thought about it that way, the cold feeling disappeared a little.
“Brother, you didn’t forget who me and you were eliminated from the last survival game, right?”
“…I understand.”
“Oh, and if possible, don’t be near the hero. It’s annoying that they eliminated him and Namgoong Min beforehand and then went looking for us.”
“Okay, anyway, shouldn’t I row faster?”
“That’s true too, let’s go!”
Kwaang!! Pop!!!
“Attack! Sink the ship!”
“If you fall completely into the water, you are eliminated! Come on!”
“You non-believers!!!!”
“Hey! Get out of the way from the teddy bear!”
A small(?) Ball launched by the princess, Liu, and Rain.
In the aftermath of Namgoong Min being eliminated, a fierce competition was taking place right from the starting point.
If you fall completely into the water, you will fall off. To satisfy that simple condition, they destroy each other’s ships and send them flying.
But why is this a ‘survival’ test? That question has long since disappeared.
Many boats crash and countless students fall into the water.
But unfortunately, the culprits behind all this were not there.
Rain disappeared somewhere, keeping the boat afloat with
Liu increased his speed with some kind of artifact and ran away long ago.
And only the princess was able to escape quickly, rowing with sheer strength.
“…It seems like we’ve become quite distant. We’re slowly breaking up.”
“……………….”
“Are you my brother?”
“…As you probably already know, there are many creatures that live in this lake.”
“…Brother.”
“Among them… There is also a ‘skill thief’. Please be careful.”
“……….”
Good luck.
Unlike usual, despite the prince’s words filled with concern, the princess did not even respond and headed somewhere. She was extremely expressionless.
Her prince, who continued to look at her, sighed.
I may have been too insensitive, but it was something that had to be said.
‘Yeah, I guess it’ll be okay.’
Eunha herself probably knows the most about skill thieves.
If she is a younger sister who still hasn’t forgotten what happened that day.
Nothing would happen, the prince assured himself.
3 Minutes from the start of the Great Lakes Survival Test.
20% Of the students had failed.
*
“Here’s coffee.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“What is gratitude?”
The shores of the Great Lake.
I was drinking coffee and resting in the dropout lounge prepared in advance by the academy.
This building, which was essentially a lounge for those who were eliminated, was almost like a hotel, boasting its enormous size and majesty.
I am the first student to drop out, so I am the only student in this large place, but looking at the situation over there, there must be a bunch of dropouts.
I sat down next to instructor Charles Teddy Bear, who was in charge of this test and brought me coffee, and leaned back in my chair.
“…Honestly, the Academy was very worried about you.”
“Is that so?”
“It was like the last time in Survival, a trickster who shakes up the game may be refreshing once or twice, but if it happens every time, it’s just a headache.”
“Hmm, you’re a bit too direct…”
“This is also a purified version of the meeting minutes.”
…… What kind of image do I have to instructors?
Students may not know what I did to the instructors.
You even gave me a penalty, right??
“But wasn’t it such an auspicious moment to be the first one eliminated?”
“Yes, even the instructors were surprised.”
“Is it because you were eliminated too quickly?”
“No? I praised the instructors for having students who think the same way.”
“……….”
Wait a minute.
Doesn’t this mean that even the instructors will eliminate me in the first place?
Is this the right time to laugh? Is that so?
As I was organizing my complicated thoughts for a moment, Charles Teddy Bear was smiling and sipping his coffee.
“In the end, targeting you first was a wise choice.”
“…Well, shouldn’t you think of it as a fallout from survival?”
Did you have to endure teabagging at that time?
But I wasn’t making fun of anything, I was just juggling……
“Anyway, there will be a lot of people who are eliminated.”
“…That’s true too. This must really give the evaluators a headache.”
“Oh, Instructor Charles? I’m calling from over there.”
“Rest in peace. Come back and talk to me.”
“Have a nice trip.”
After seeing off Charles Teddy Bear, I hear spray and noise coming from the starting point in the distance.
…… The theme of this test is ‘survival’.
It is in the same context as the last survival test.
Of course, the evaluation will comprehensively evaluate the student’s behavior, judgment, and abilities, focusing on survival time.
‘But I was eliminated as soon as it all started.’
If you look at the spray of water rising from here, it looks like quite a few people were eliminated.
As it is an important test, you will be sensitive to your grades, so how should you evaluate it all?
But you’re sure you’ll be in last place, right? Me : yes?
‘Are you saying this is a gift of friendship? … !!’
Very evil guys.
Furthermore, annoyingly enough, the point I hit with my job skill turned out to be correct.
As soon as we started, something unexpected happened and students who were not supposed to cooperate cooperated.
But what is the last one? What does it mean to barely be released? …
“……………….”
I don’t know.
Anyway, I’m last in the test and the first to fail, so what’s the point of worrying about that?
More than anything, I have another goal…… !
‘Skill thief.’
The name of this event and a creature native to the Great Lake.
Originally, it is located deep in the Great Lake, so even if we take the test here, we would not meet each other…… As is common in academy games, things happen.
An accident in which one of the students came into contact with a ‘skill thief.’
And because of that……
‘I will not expel you.’
Skill thieves, as the name suggests, steal job skills from job holders.
Stolen skills do not come back unless you kill the skill thief, and the job holder whose job skills are lost becomes a half-winner.
My job skills are so low that they treat me like a nuisance. Usually, job skills are the identity of the job holder.
In the event, one student loses a skill due to skill theft, and the skill thief disappears.
This is an unpleasant event in which students who eventually lose their job skills end up dropping out without being able to keep up with the classes.
In fact, it can be said to be the beginning of the signal for dropping out of .
‘Expulsion means expulsion from the game.’
Students who have dropped out cannot be met under any circumstances.
They only give a tragic explanation in the afterword after the ending.
Whether they were
, , Or
The end of the expelled student was a tragedy.
That was the reason I didn’t pay much attention to the exam.
Preventing skill thieves is more important than testing.
‘The student who gets hit by a skill thief is random.’
In other words, even if you are the main character, you can still be defeated.
Was it actually the 5th time? There was also a case where a saint had to drop out after being tricked by a skill thief.
This event tells the player only one thing.
‘If something goes wrong, it’s over.’
Prevent expulsion at all costs.
So, it is an incentive for players to work hard on character events, training, and favorite works.
But is there anyone other than me who has played the game Skill Thief? It’s a manga game that I wanted to delete from the beginning.
‘Anyway, we have to get out of here.’
If you stay in the dropout waiting room like this, you’re a skill thief and you’ll be locked up until the test is over. If the number of dropouts increases and you somehow persuade Charles Teddy Bear, the person in charge, you’ll be able to get out.
I moved my gaze down the bridge.
I was able to take the tough bag that was given out to me before the test, carrying things I had prepared for survival.
And although other students may not know, my bag is full of things that can lure and deter skill thieves.
This is definitely──
“Ah, student Namgoong Min. I’ll take my bag.”
From Noble mtl dot com
“…Yes?”
“Students who are eliminated have to return their bags.”
“Ah…….”
“And when you’re dry, you can go into the room above! It’s a private room, so you can rest comfortably until the exam is over!”
“……….”
Dalkak.
My bag was taken away, I was put in a hotel-like room, and the door was closed.
The room was colorful yet clean, and even had a TV and computer.
I looked around and there was CCTV to prepare for any unexpected situation and a polite notice telling you to wait in your room to ensure the fairness of the exam.
If you are eliminated, there is no need to have any preparation materials for the test. If the eliminated candidates contact the survivors, it could harm fairness, so please wait here.
Realistic response not seen in games.
I sat on the bed in a daze.
…… It was needlessly fluffy.
“What should I do?”
Currently, all efforts for the event have been in vain.
It was truly daunting.
‘What about skill thieves? ‘What about expulsion?’
What should I do?
As I was holding my head, which was pounding in an unexpected situation, I heard a commotion coming from below.
‘Are those eliminated coming?’
Because so many people were probably eliminated, it must have been so noisy that even this room could be heard.
Now, let’s find out how……
“…Huh?”
Very briefly.
Something crossed my mind.
‘Ha, hahahaha.’
Even if I had thought of it normally, I would have shaken my head and said that it wasn’t the case, but it can’t be helped now.
My head spins, and the corners of my mouth naturally turn up.
I put on my usual relaxed smile and approach the door and knock.
Knock. Knock.
Then a voice was heard from beyond the door.
It was clear that he was an employee working at the academy.
“What’s going on?”
“Have the eliminated candidates arrived now?”
“That’s right.”
“Well, I think I heard my friend’s voice…Is it okay if I come down and check?”
“Huh? Just a moment… Yes, it is possible. However, I will follow you in case something goes wrong.”
“Of course.”
The door opens outside, and a young man with a sturdy physique follows behind me.
The same goes for having people wait at the base during survival. The academy’s efforts to prevent dropouts from influencing exams.
But just for today, it will fall apart.
“Hey! Get out of the way! It’s narrow!”
“What are you saying when you eliminated me too?”
“I can’t believe I was eliminated like this…”
“My knees still hurt!!”
“If this happens, what will happen to my grades!? I have to get a scholarship no matter what!”
When I went down to the place where I was a little while ago, there were more than 100 students gathered and chatting.
They start a fight, asking why they eliminated me too, yelling that the area where they got hit still hurts, and repeatedly asking what will happen to my grades if they are eliminated like this.
In a space where so many voices, noises, and arguments are mixed.
Party. Match.
“Everyone, don’t you feel unfair?”
After garnering attention with quiet applause, I opened my mouth.
It was a somewhat familiar phrase.
At first, only the students nearby, but then more students turned around, more people recognized my face, and it became quiet.
“………!!”
In no time, all the students were concentrating, and Charles Teddy Bear, who heard those words, just looked up at me with an expression of wonder.
‘It’s better than one student dropping out, right?’
Actually, this wouldn’t have happened if the Academy hadn’t stopped me.
Maybe the Academy should be grateful to me instead?
Cancer, that’s right.
I smiled as if to reassure him.
It was the same smile as usual.
“Friends, wouldn’t you like to hear my story?”
It was the same incitement as usual.
Skill thief czme to steal his skill