The area where the eliminated students had gathered was actually noisier than the battlefield.
Not just the White Team, but even the Blue Team students all had their eyes fixed on Jeong Haein’s movents.
The situation was simple.
Would Jeong Haein take down Yu Serin or not?
That single outco would determine the final victory.
"Let’s go, Yu Serin!!"
"Let’s go, Jeong Haein!!"
Cheering erupted from both sides at the sa ti.
So were thrilled by Jeong Haein’s actions, while others clasped their hands together, anticipating Yu Serin’s counterattack.
And finally, the mont when victory and defeat were decided—
The result appeared on the electronic board above the eliminated students.
[End of Exam!]
[Current Headcount]
[Blue Team: 77] —— [White Team: 42]
[Score Status]
[4790 points] —— [5110 points]
[White Team Victory!]
"Yaaaah!!"
A roar erupted from the White Team.
The Blue Team collapsed on the spot in disappointnt.
It was a mont of contrasting emotions.
Kang Arin listened to the noise and quietly looked up at the screen.
"He really is... a lot faster, isn’t he?"
At her words, Cheon Yeoul nodded beside her.
"Yeah. No comparison."
It was a conversation between Kang Arin and Cheon Yeoul.
They were talking about Jeong Haein’s growth.
Compared to the Jeong Haein from before the regression and the Jeong Haein of now...
The current one was overwhelmingly superior.
In both growth and speed.
"......."
Cheon Yeoul’s gaze gradually sharpened.
While the White and Blue teams chattered noisily, celebrating victory and defeat, she quietly pursed her lips to read the figure's mouth movents on the screen.
She was focusing on the conversation between Jeong Haein and Yu Serin.
The audio equipnt may have been damaged during the battle, making the sound unclear, but with focus, one could still make it out.
"We are in a promised relationship."
Cheon Yeoul’s eyebrow subtly rose.
‘Ah...’
In the end, Jeong Haein had answered Yu Serin’s question.
She had a general idea what it ant.
Of course, it wasn’t anything sexual—it was obviously related to recruitnt.
But the problem was the person next to her.
Just imagining how smug Kang Arin would get after hearing that made Cheon Yeoul feel a throbbing pain starting in her temples.
Yu Hana was already acting all high and mighty after the trip, and now Kang Arin too...
And to make matters worse, on the screen, Jeong Haein laid down on the ground and wriggled his way over next to Yu Serin.
Normally, if it were Kang Arin, she’d have reacted violently—
"......."
But she was silent?
Cheon Yeoul was briefly taken aback.
She quietly turned her head to glance over.
Kang Arin looked like a teenager who had just realized they were in love—both hands pressed to her cheeks, utterly flustered.
Her face was red, and her pupils were shaking.
"Oh no..."
Kang Arin murmured as she ran her palms down her burning cheeks.
At that sight, Cheon Yeoul closed her mouth without a word.
You could say she was stunned at the unexpected side of her—so different from usual.
"What... are you doing?"
Eventually, she couldn’t hold back and asked.
***
The final exam was over.
That fact alone made it easier to breathe.
Exams were always like that.
Big or small, when they were right in front of you, they made people uncomfortable.
Because it ant you had to prove sothing—whether you were doing well or not, it always brought anxiety.
But now, it was over.
As soon as the °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° exam ended, the administration moved swiftly to prepare for the award ceremony.
The venue was still chaotic.
The Blue Team filled with regret, the White Team filled with cheers.
Even the eliminated students mingled in, creating a buzzing frenzy of noise.
"You worked hard..."
Cheon Yeoul from the White Team approached cautiously.
Yoon Chaeha followed behind her, trying to read the mood.
"You guys worked hard too. Co here."
I waved playfully.
Both of them bead brightly at that and ran straight to .
– Smack!
– Smack!
“Eep!”
“Ow.”
I gifted each of them a flick to the forehead.
Cheon Yeoul’s was slightly harder. She seed like she’d developed a bit of resistance by now.
"What the hell did you do?"
"She’s the one who said we should go!"
Cheon Yeoul imdiately pointed at Yoon Chaeha.
And right then—
– Smack!
“Ugh...!”
Without hesitation, I flicked her forehead again.
It just felt like she was lying.
If not, oh well.
Cheon Yeoul bit her lip and crouched down.
She bowed her head deeply, her shoulders twitching slightly.
After a few seconds of trembling, she quietly stood back up.
Her face was already quite red, and now her forehead was flushed too.
But still, the corners of her lips were slightly raised.
"...Are you over your anger?"
Yoon Chaeha, standing next to , carefully asked.
"...Who said I was angry?"
It was just funny, that’s all.
"Sorry. I thought we could win."
She must’ve thought the two of them together would be enough.
Well, honestly, I thought it was doable too.
But I didn’t say that out loud.
"Jeong Haein~"
Just then, the instructor’s voice rang out across the venue.
Sounded like they were calling .
"Yes?"
"The award ceremony’s starting! Just hold the trophy!"
So apparently, I was the one holding the trophy.
[Top Contributor: Jeong Haein]
My na appeared in big letters on the electronic board.
It felt a little embarrassing.
Why even bother with sothing like this...
And so, the three of us walked side by side.
For the White Team’s victory ceremony, everyone in Y Room had gathered.
““Jeong Haein! Jeong Haein!””
The students chanted my na.
Now it was ti to be celebrated.
***
After the exam ended, the atmosphere at Gaon was peaceful.
The entire campus was filled with a sense of freedom and relaxation.
It was always like that—the few days right after exams and before vacation were blissfully calm.
It was the season when final grades were calculated by combining midterm and final scores.
The instructors and professors were busy with score aggregation and rank adjustnts, but they left the students completely alone.
“Self-study again today~”
The instructor left just one line and darted out of the room.
‘Is this really okay?’
But yeah, it was fine.
All the material had already been covered anyway.
Thanks to that, students sward around Gaon in search of pleasure.
So were swimming in the campus lake, others spread mats by the water and took naps.
But lately, there was one place students were gathering the most.
“Going there again?”
“I’m telling you, it’s fun. We have to go early or there won’t be seats.”
Groups of students headed sowhere, faces excited.
At the center of the buzz was my club room.
The board ga club.
Apparently, the Glory Corporation’s sponsorship wasn’t a lie—the board ga club had transford completely compared to before the final exam.
And the star attraction was the brand-new board ga:
[Otherworldly Virtual Life: The Root]
The na sounded grand, but to put it simply—it was a fantasy life simulation board ga.
The rules were simple.
Roll the dice and move your piece.
The rest was where it got different.
Players would live out lives according to their individual routes.
Becoming a hero, or a mage, or... wandering as a rcenary who lost their way.
Everything depended on the player’s choices—and luck.
It was a fully simulated, imrsive board ga.
All the player had to do was enjoy it.
I’d wanted to try it too... but the problem was its popularity.
It was hard to get an empty room. It was just that popular.
But then—
[Arin]: Board ga club mber Jeong Haein?
[Haein]: Huh, what?
[Arin]: Let’s test the new ga Glory sponsored. You’re a club mber, so you have to co, right? Co to the club room after lunch~
Kang Arin summoned .
“Oh.”
It was a good opportunity.
It’d be fun with just the two of us...
Actually, no. Why not just gather everyone and play?
The exam was over anyway, and we were comrades who’d continue struggling together.
In fact, I had already called Yu Hana and Ha Sion today.
I had a bunch of potions from the hidden shop.
Rather than delivering them one by one, I just told them to co.
"Just need to change the location."
I sent the updated location to Yu Hana and Ha Sion.
"Yeoul, Chaeha. Let’s go."
So the group headed to the club room.
Now, it was ti to play.
Including the surprise guest mbers for Kang Arin.
***
Board Ga Club Room.
Just like a board ga café, each room was separated in an independent structure.
The room we entered was designed for six players.
A large space, a round board table in the center, and a ceiling-mounted projector standing by.
"Here, take this."
As soon as I arrived, I handed out the elixirs to the girls.
"What is this?"
They all looked curious.
Sion was the first to ask.
"It's sothing good for your body. Don’t just drink it right away—keep it with you. When I say to bring it out, bring it out then."
Maybe it was because everyone here had received my help before.
They all nodded in agreent.
All except one—Kang Arin.
"Elixirs are nice... they’re nice, but... how did it go from two people to six?"
Kang Arin frowned as she asked.
"More people is more fun, right?"
"......Hmph."
Grumbling, Kang Arin pulled sothing out from under the table.
A tallic cube, shaped like a six-sided die.
On its surface, the title was boldly engraved:
[Otherworldly Virtual Life: The Root]
Once activated, the entire room would beco a simulation space.
"Do you guys all know what this is?"
Kang Arin asked the remaining five.
So nodded, so shook their heads.
"Honestly, it’s not hard... you’ll get it once we start."
Kang Arin tossed out the comnt, then added one more line.
"...But I’ll give you one warning."
She tapped the side of the cube with her finger.
There, a faint engraving read: [Prototype: Imrsion Unrestricted]
"The comrcial version has a sensory cap. It deliberately reduces sensory sync because it’s dangerous."
Everyone’s eyes focused on the cube.
"But this one’s different. It’s a prototype not yet released to the market, and it doesn’t have any sensory limit. It’ll make you feel like you’ve actually beco that person."
"That even possible?"
Cheon Yeoul asked, half-laughing.
Kang Arin gave a slight smirk.
"You’ll get it once you try it. Why the comrcial version is restricted."
And finally, she added one last sentence.
"For reference... this one’s rated for adults only."
With a aningful smile, Kang Arin pressed the button on top of the cube.
"Let’s begin."
All six people in the room had nothing better to do anyway—no one looked like they were about to leave.
– Vrrrrrrm.
With a low chanical sound, a blue light filled the room.
A transparent holographic board spread out over the central table, and from the center of the cube, the form of a serene woman rose into the air.
From the design, she was clearly ant to be a divine being.
A system goddess of the ga, so to speak.
[You have been chosen. Pave your path with your own hands.]
"Oh..."
"Whoa..."
Everyone was impressed by the quality, more than they expected.
It was far more imrsive than anticipated.
[We will now divine your fate. Place your hand upon the crystal ball.]
As the voice rang out, a floating crystal ball appeared in the air.
"Who wants to go first?"
Kang Arin asked.
Sion shot her hand up.
"!"
She placed her hand on the central crystal ball.
The orb began to glow and emit a low hum.
Light spread out, and the orb turned a warm orange.
[You are the youngest daughter of a Duke.]
"Huh? A Duke’s daughter? That sounds pretty good!"
Sion clapped her hands in amazent.
Being a noble probably ant lots of potential routes.
"So jealous..."
Soone muttered, and the atmosphere quickly heated up.
So looked sour, but before long, everyone was imrsed.
Next was Yoon Chaeha.
When she cautiously placed her hand on the orb, it imdiately turned black.
[You are a dark mage.]
"What?"
Yoon Chaeha stared down at the orb with a frozen expression.
"...A dark mage? ?"
She looked completely dumbfounded.
The ga seed to know what it was doing.
It picked the right person.
Then, one by one, it continued.
Kang Arin.
The orb glowed silver-gray, and the voice followed.
[You are a knight of the kingdom.]
Next was Cheon Yeoul.
As her hand touched it, the orb flickered sky blue.
[You are a low-ranking priest.]
The last was Yu Hana.
As she placed her hand on it, the orb suddenly lit up insanely bright.
– Vrrrrr Vrrrrr Vrrrrr.
The light was so intense it made everyone squint.
Then ca the ssage.
[Congratulations! You are the Hero!]
Everyone imdiately turned to look at Yu Hana.
"...Is that a good thing?"
Yu Hana laughed awkwardly as she withdrew her hand.
She was the Hero.
It was clearly the best job in the ga, and everyone looked at her with envy.
"That’s aweso."
I said as I approached the orb.
Finally, it was my turn.
By now, everyone was curious what job I’d get.
Without saying anything, I placed my hand on the crystal ball.
– Vrrrrrm...
The orb turned green.
Green?
A druid?
Or maybe an alchemist?
My heart thudded with anticipation as I waited for the announcent.
[You are a farr.]
"...?"
I beca a farr who cultivates blueberries.
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