The EX-Class Extra o Chapter 96 : Chapter 96

Chapter 96: Final Exam (5)

"Hmm, I did not know there would be something like this."

Immediately after the Hidden Rule was revealed.

Kim Su-hyeok let out an awkward laugh as he sensed the presence of cadets gathering around him.

It was a laugh that came because he had not expected this situation at all.

"Still, I doubt everyone will charge in at once."

Some would likely hide and wait for an opportunity, while others would target those who were flocking to him.

Because of this, Kim Su-hyeok was able to remain calm and composed despite the numerous presences surrounding him.

"I wonder if the others are doing well?"

Among the names revealed in the top 10 were Ryu Jin-oh and Oh Jin-eon.

He had not seen the names of his other friends.

However, the thought that the others might have been eliminated did not occur to him.

In his eyes, no one belonging to the club was weak.

"Jin-eon and Jin-oh will do fine on their own."

They were friends with outstanding skills.

Even if their locations were revealed, it would likely not be a problem.

In fact, they were the type of people who had the ability to turn such a situation into an opportunity.

"So, I just need to do well myself, right?"

Thinking that, Kim Su-hyeok looked at the revealed Hidden Rule.

While it was true that having one's location constantly revealed was a disadvantage, there was also an advantage that outweighed it.

Specifically, obtaining an Identification Tag would grant additional points.

Therefore, rather than frowning, Kim Su-hyeok actually wore a smile.

"A crisis is an opportunity. One must act without hesitation."

Saying it like this makes me feel like I have become Yu-seong.

Kim Su-hyeok thought as he lunged toward the nearest presence.

CRASH!!

"Aaaargh!!"

With a loud roar, a cadet immediately had their Identification Tag snatched away.

Kim Su-hyeok smiled brightly at the cadet and spoke.

"Sorry, but since this is an exam, please do not hate me too much, okay?"

Kim Su-hyeok offered his apologies with a truly sincere heart.

However, how would it look from the other person's perspective?

"Hiieeeek...!"

To them, he simply looked like a monster who was smiling after eliminating them.

Unfortunately, there was no way for Kim Su-hyeok to know that fact.

His only concern was to work hard and achieve good results.

The only time Kim Su-hyeok would realize the truth would be after seeing Ju Ha-yeon's expression when she eventually came to meet him.

So, until then...

"Haha! Let us all do our best and work hard together!"

He could only be left to his own devices.

While hoping that Ju Ha-yeon would arrive even a little bit sooner...

***

"I can already see him."

It had been thirty minutes since I separated from Ju Ha-yeon.

Even though I had not been running at full speed, Oh Jin-eon was starting to come into view.

"They say the old proverbs are never wrong."

Is there not a saying that it is darkest under the lamp?

I had not expected at all that he would be in such a nearby location.

Well, regardless of the process, we met, did we not? That is all that matters.

"It has not been that long since I last saw you, but I am very glad to see you."

As the distance closed, Oh Jin-eon's figure began to appear more clearly.

Was it because I had spent nearly a day with the awkward Ju Ha-yeon?

Perhaps that was why the feeling of being glad to see him was even stronger.

However, unfortunately, the situation was not one where I could indulge in such emotions.

"The state of the battle does not look very good."

As I got closer, I could see it clearly.

A fairly large group of cadets was fighting, targeting Oh Jin-eon with dogged persistence.

And there was Oh Jin-eon, continuing the fierce struggle against them.

Even at a glance, the situation did not look favorable.

"Does this mean they think he is relatively manageable?"

Unlike the first and second-place holders, Kim Su-hyeok and Ryu Jin-oh, Oh Jin-eon was currently in seventh place.

Seventh place is admittedly a bit of an ambiguous rank.

In fact, except for a few at the very top, most cadets could not withstand this rule.

But.

"I cannot let that happen."

Oh Jin-eon is a necessary force for me.

If there had been no way to meet him, I would have given up, but now it is different.

Therefore, I immediately drew the training sword from my waist.

"Let us get through this situation first."

Whether Oh Jin-eon will cooperate or not is still an unknown variable.

However, if he gets eliminated, even that possibility will vanish, will it not?

So, for now, the right choice was to overturn this battle situation.

Having made that judgment, I immediately shouted toward Oh Jin-eon.

"Oh Jin-eon!!"

"Guh! Choi Yu-seong?"

He reacted to my voice, but he was in a state where he had no room to breathe.

It could not be helped, as his opponents were not just one or two people.

Thus, instead of waiting for an answer, I continued speaking unilaterally.

"I will join you first! Let us talk later."

Despite being unable to answer, Oh Jin-eon nodded his head slightly.

He had also finished making his judgment.

He realized that I had not come to target his Identification Tag.

In that case, the next part was easy.

'Embodiment of Admiration.'

I immediately deployed my talent.

The type of talent was Do Gang-ho's Physical Enhancement.

And I set the output to be weak, just enough to provide support.

'This much should be enough.'

I am no longer the person I used to be.

It is only because I have been fighting against strong enemies every time; my inherent physical abilities have now roughly reached the level of Glory.

Of course, it would be impossible to defeat that many people with just this...

'To begin with, that is not my area of expertise.'

What is the part I am most confident in?

It is not about charging head-on relying on strength, but rather parrying and creating openings.

That was my greatest strength.

In short.

'I will create the openings and leave the finishing to Oh Jin-eon.'

Is it not a truly perfect plan?

Of course, the two of us have rarely practiced together, but it was fine.

The person I had spent the most time with at the training ground was Oh Jin-eon.

Simply put, even if we had never coordinated our moves, we knew each other's styles very well.

'And I do not have to worry much about points.'

As the output is kept weak, the points consumed are low.

Furthermore, Influence Points are earned back immediately.

Since the instructors were also observing this exam, my influence was still being exercised even now.

Therefore.

"Let us do this with a relaxed mind!"

With those final words, I threw myself into the battlefield.

***

A time that was short, yet felt as though it would be very long.

That time eventually came to an end, and a fierce battle concluded.

As if to prove that intensity, most of the cadets who had participated in the battle were rolling on the ground.

"Uuuugh..."

"Ugh, how can they fight so well...?"

"I-I am not finished yet...!"

Groans of pain erupted from here and there.

A few tried to stand up again as if they could not accept the result.

[An Identification Tag has been stolen.]

[The transfer to the waiting area is beginning.]

Reality was not so lenient.

As soon as the Identification Tag was removed, a single-use return artifact was activated.

Just by looking, it seemed like it would have cost a tremendous amount of money.

To deploy artifacts of this level for a smooth examination.

It seemed the title of a prestigious academy was not earned for nothing.

"..."

In any case, after the artifacts were activated.

The area had become quite silent.

It was only natural.

There were now only two people left in this place.

Specifically, the winners of this battle, Choi Yu-seong and Oh Jin-eon.

"Whew. That was truly exhausting."

Among them, the one who broke the silence and spoke first was Choi Yu-seong.

His voice sounded as if he were grumbling.

However, contrary to his voice, his face looked relieved.

Seeing that, Oh Jin-eon let out a small laugh and replied.

"Indeed. It was very difficult."

"Oh, it has been a long time since I saw you smile."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. You have been walking around with a frown every day lately."

It was not a lie.

Perhaps because he had been solely focused on training recently, Oh Jin-eon had been walking around with a serious expression every time.

Choi Yu-seong was pointing that out.

"I suppose you have some room to breathe now?"

"Hmm, I suppose that might have been the case. I am sorry."

"There is nothing to be sorry about. It is not like we are strangers who need to walk on eggshells around each other."

"...I see."

Choi Yu-seong said that with a casual smirk.

He seemed to be speaking nonchalantly, but it was clearly something that came from the heart.

Because of that, Oh Jin-eon could not help but chuckle again.

'At first, I never imagined it would turn out like this.'

Was their first connection during the joint training?

To be honest, even then, he did not think this relationship would last long.

That was because it was not a pleasant first meeting.

'It was entirely my fault.'

Yes. The reason it was unpleasant was solely his own fault.

The mistake of judging a person only by the words he heard from those around him.

Of course, he had not said anything severely malicious, but it was still a clear mistake.

'And yet, for the connection to continue like this.'

Was the person's character simply great?

Or was it a personality that did not care much?

Well, in truth, such things were not particularly important now.

What mattered was that for whatever reason, he was in a position of being indebted.

'So, I must keep moving forward diligently.'

Just look at now.

Once again, he had received nothing but help.

At this rate, when would he ever repay the debt?

Furthermore, it was not just a matter concerning Choi Yu-seong.

'Right now, I am always in the position of receiving.'

A position of receiving rather than giving help.

That was himself.

Because of that, he had been devoted to training recently, even sparing his rest time.

And yet, he was still in a state where he had to receive help like this.

It was truly pathetic.

'Moreover, Choi Yu-seong dominated almost the entire flow of the battle.'

He had delivered most of the final blows himself.

However, looking at the big picture, his own role had not been that large.

Even though he had been so devoted to training.

It almost felt as though he were running in place.

'...For now, these are emotions I do not need.'

As he reviewed the battle, his thoughts kept leading in a negative direction.

Noticing this, Oh Jin-eon soon blew those thoughts out of his mind.

They were things that would only be a distraction while the exam was ongoing.

Having cleared his head, Oh Jin-eon slowly opened his mouth toward Choi Yu-seong.

"By the way, I have not said this yet. First of all, thank you."

"Huh? Suddenly?"

"If you had not been here, I would likely not have escaped elimination. It was something I obviously had to say."

"Well, if you had not held out, it would have been impossible. They say you need skill to catch luck, right?"

"...That is one way to interpret it."

"Of course. I did not notice it because I see you every day, but there has clearly been progress in your training. Compared to the joint training before, you are on a different level."

Oh Jin-eon could not easily reply to those words.

That was because it felt somewhat like mockery.

Compared to before, was it not Choi Yu-seong himself who had improved the most?

However, after hearing the words that followed, Oh Jin-eon could not help but erase the thought he just had.

"Besides, we are friends, are we not? It is only natural for friends to help each other."

Choi Yu-seong had called him a friend.

They say that sensing something vaguely is different from hearing it directly.

It felt exactly like that.

'Good grief. He truly leaves me speechless.'

Is it not a truly versatile word?

To completely erase the thoughts he was harboring with a single word like 'friend.'

However, it would also be strange to stay silent like this.

Therefore, Oh Jin-eon gave a small smile and replied to Choi Yu-seong's words.

"Thank you for saying that."

"You certainly have a lot to be thankful for. If you are that grateful, how about repaying me a little?"

"Hmm, you are right. If I can repay you, I should do so by any means."

Oh Jin-eon responded seriously to Choi Yu-seong's playful remark.

At that, Choi Yu-seong wore a look of disbelief for a brief moment.

But it was only for a moment.

'This worked out well.'

He had been worrying about how to bring up the subject of cooperation for the final exam.

This might actually be an opportunity.

It felt a bit like he was taking a reward after saying it was natural for friends to help each other, but...

'Let us just let it slide this once.'

Choi Yu-seong compromised with himself.

To borrow a line from a historical drama... yes.

It was an unavoidable matter for the greater good.

"Then, I have something I want to ask of you immediately. Would that be okay?"

Having finished compromising with himself, Choi Yu-seong immediately told Oh Jin-eon his purpose.

He focused mainly on the parts related to the exam, setting aside the core essence as much as possible.

The lengthy conversation went on for a while.

Oh Jin-eon's acceptance came more easily than expected.

"If it is something like that, it is not a problem. In fact, it does not even seem like something I should be asked to do."

"Will you be okay? You have already obtained many Identification Tags, so it might be a loss for you."

"I will say it again, it is fine. Are we not sharing the obtained Identification Tags equally anyway?"

"That is true."

"And did you not just say it earlier? It is only natural for friends to help each other."

Oh Jin-eon returned Choi Yu-seong's words exactly as they were.

Choi Yu-seong hesitated for a moment at those words, then burst into a joyful laugh.

"Haha, I did not expect to be hit with my own words."

"What one says eventually finds its way back to them."

"If it comes back like this, I welcome it anytime."

Choi Yu-seong said that and reached out his hand toward Oh Jin-eon.

Oh Jin-eon, who did not quite understand what it meant at first, soon understood the meaning upon hearing the words that followed.

"Then, I am counting on you. Friend."

"It is just an exam, yet you are being so embarrassing."

Though Oh Jin-eon spoke bluntly, he took that hand.

In truth, for Choi Yu-seong, it was not just an exam, which was why he had such a reaction...

There was no way for Oh Jin-eon to know that.

But in any case, as long as the result is good, that is all that matters.

"I am counting on you as well."

'Oh Jin-eon accepted Choi Yu-seong's proposal'; only this result existed.

Thus, Oh Jin-eon's joining was established.

Yes, finally, the story seemed to be gradually completing itself in the direction Choi Yu-seong desired.