The EX-Class Extra o Chapter 91 : Chapter 91

Chapter 91: D-Day (3)

"Wow! This seems like a truly amazing ability!"

It was a peaceful Friday evening.

I had visited the training ground with Kim Su-hyeok, and I gave a bashful laugh at his exclamation of admiration.

"Do you really think so?"

"Of course! To think you can swap stats with soone else... I guess there is a reason it is ranked S-rank!"

The reason for visiting the training ground was simple. It was to gather information on the new artifact I had obtained. Although I already knew what abilities I could use and what the penalties were, I did not know the duration of the effects. It was a necessary task. And...

"It really is impressive."

The information I gathered was truly remarkable. Is it not said that there is a world of difference between reading information and experiencing it firsthand? That saying was true.

'It feels similar to my Embodint of Admiration, yet it is also a bit different.'

The fact that different stats were being applied to my body felt like a chanism slightly similar to my EX-class ability, but there were definitely distinct differences as well.

'The abilities I borrow through my Embodint of Admiration blend in naturally, but this is not like that.'

Think about what it would be like if soone who lived in an ordinary person’s body suddenly transford into an athlete. There would certainly be a sense of disconnection. However, when I used the Embodint of Admiration, I never felt that kind of disconnect. It felt as if the system itself automatically adjusted everything for . In contrast, these gloves could not bridge that gap.

'It might be a weakness, but it is not bad.'

To begin with, my original ability requires points as paynt. However, this ability does not. That alone was a significant advantage.

'The duration of the exchange is about one hour.'

One hour. This was by no ans a short amount of ti. In a battle where life and death hang in the balance, a single minute—let alone an hour—can change countless outcos. However, there was a price to pay for such power.

'The penalty lasts for twelve hours.'

The system notification ringing in my head told

so, so it must be accurate. For half a day, all my stats would be fixed at F-rank... It was a painful reality, but it was sothing I could endure. I had originally expected the penalty to last for days, so twelve hours was actually quite reasonable. Kim Su-hyeok was right; it was not an S-rank artifact for nothing.

'Of course, all of this is a secret.'

I had told Kim Su-hyeok that I could "exchange stats," but I did not ntion anything else. In other words, he did not know about the existence of the penalty. So might say I should have told him that much, but that is a very naive way of thinking.

'Revealing a weakness to anyone, whether they are an ally or an enemy, never ends well.'

In Kim Su-hyeok’s case specifically, he must not know about my penalty. If he knew, he would probably be unable to focus on anything else but

whenever a battle broke out. Even if I could not be a source of strength, I could not afford to be a burden. With that thought, I shifted my focus to the next ability.

'Final Petition...'

This was an absurd ability that allowed

to use all of an opponent’s talents without their consent. For the record, I had not told Kim Su-hyeok about this either. I had to tell him about the first ability because it required consent, but since this one did not, there was no reason to ntion it.

'First of all, the duration itself is short.'

Looking at the duration alone, it was definitely not long. It lasted about five minutes. Considering that my Response ability was active, five minutes was incredibly short. However...

'The penalty period is also short.'

Talent Sealing. Just as the ability was absurd, the penalty was also ridiculous. Fortunately, this penalty only lasted for about an hour. This was a manageable amount of ti; I could use it as a finishing move and then retreat to buy so ti.

'It is a bit disappointing that I could not test a combo with the Blood Wish Sword, but it cannot be helped.'

It was a sha I could not try linking the glove’s ability with the stat-boosting power of the Blood Wish Sword. However, there was a reason for that.

'There are so visual issues that make it a bit embarrassing.'

Well, whatever the case, things turned out for the best. Considering the penalty for the Blood Wish Sword is two days, it was actually better that I did not use it. Besides, even without testing it, I was sure the combination would be quite formidable.

'To sum it up...'

For the Blood Wish Sword, the ability lasts for two hours, and the penalty lasts for two days. Petitioner's Yearning lasts for one hour, and the Price of Yearning lasts for twelve hours. Final Petition lasts for five minutes, and the Final Price lasts for one hour.

'I suppose the difference in rank plays a part.'

In terms of penalty efficiency, the Blood Wish Sword was worse than the gloves. Still, this was acceptable. The Blood Wish Sword was a masterpiece in its own right, even without using its special ability.

'By the way, my body feels quite sluggish.'

Once I finished organizing the information about my abilities in my head, I suddenly rembered the physical state I had forgotten. I was currently under the effects of the glove's penalty. Since my stats were fixed at F-rank, I did not feel like moving at all.

"I suppose it cannot be helped, since my body went from that of a Player to that of an ordinary person in an instant."

Thus, rather than moving, I quietly leaned against a wall and watched Kim Su-hyeok. He said that since we were already at the training ground, we should make the most of our ti. Perhaps it was because I was just standing there watching him, but I suddenly recalled what had happened earlier. It was nothing major, just what happened when I took Kim Su-hyeok’s talents using the glove’s ability.

'It felt even more amazing because it has been a while since I looked at them.'

Although Kim Su-hyeok is recorded in the Embodint of Admiration, it is only a record. It ans I have never actually used his talents. His talents were not very efficient when using a small number of points, so I had not used them, which made seeing his lineup after so long feel even more incredible.

'Where else would I see such a brilliant lineup if not from Kim Su-hyeok?'

Starting with the EX-class talent World's Protection, he had Master of the Sword, Indomitable Resistance, Reversing the Tide, and more. His talents, filled with S-ranks, were the definition of unfair. It was as if his destiny had been decided from birth. But since it was Kim Su-hyeok, it was fine.

'His talents are unfair, but he is not the type to wield them unfairly.'

He possessed more unfair talent and power than anyone else, yet he was the one who used them more rationally than anyone else. If that was the case, then what did it matter? No one could object if they saw him fighting at the very front, not for selfish greed, but for others.

"So, you just keep moving forward with your eyes fixed on the path ahead."

I will find a way to clear away the unnecessary things in your path. Just as I was having these thoughts and wearing a satisfied, motherly smile, sothing happened.

"Yu-seong!"

Kim Su-hyeok, who had been training hard, suddenly called out to . I wondered why he was calling

and responded.

"What is it?"

I only realized it after hearing his next words. I should have just pretended to be asleep instead of answering him.

"The exams are next week, so do not just rest. Co over here. Let's train together."

"Wh-what? No, my body is..."

"Now, shall we start with so light warm-ups?"

In the end, as a price for my late realization, I was dragged away by Kim Su-hyeok.

"Ughhh..."

I ended up training with my body still fixed at F-rank. It was a separate story that Kim Su-hyeok increased the training intensity, saying that I seed to have grown weak from resting too much lately.

***

"A new week has already arrived."

Monday returned after a week filled with various events. I listened to Im Seong-cheol’s morning assembly in the classroom for the first ti in a while.

"Did everyone have a good weekend?"

Im Seong-cheol offered his usual formal Monday greeting. However, today was a bit different from previous Mondays.

"Ugh... I do not think I slept a wink."

"I think I only slept about two hours over the last three days combined."

The cadets, who would usually respond energetically, were not doing so today. Well, it was only natural.

'The final exams start tomorrow. I doubt many people got a good night's sleep.'

They had clearly spent the weekend preparing for the practical exams without rest. Watching them, I felt a bit sorry for them. After all, the exam was going to be canceled due to a villain attack.

'Well, in a way, maybe it is not a bad thing?'

If their skills improve, their chances of dying will obviously decrease. From that perspective, their hard work would not be in vain. Just then...

"It seems you have all worked very hard. First, I have an announcent regarding the exams, so listen carefully."

Im Seong-cheol said he had sothing to announce. The cadets, who had been groaning, instantly fell silent. It made sense; an announcent at a ti like this had to be important. Of course, I already knew what it was. The words that would co out of Im Seong-cheol’s mouth were...

"Originally, we would have started the practical exams today, but the schedule has changed. It has been shortened from a five-day, four-night schedule to a four-day, three-night schedule. Therefore, the practical exams will begin tomorrow."

Yes. That was it. The announcent that the practical exam schedule had changed. Even though there was no damage during the midterm exams, that was only possible because of Shin Yu-hwan's help. Because of that, external pressure had forced the school to shorten the scheduled exam period by one day.

'Well, it does not really matter to .'

Whether it is five days or four days, the incident will happen regardless. I really do feel bad for the people who are working so hard.

'And of course, I feel bad for myself too.'

Is it not my job to stop it? Naturally, I am also a pitiable figure. No, I am the most pitiable one here. Other people might be at ease for now, but I know what is about to happen.

'Sigh, if it were up to , I would want to stop it from the very beginning.'

Unfortunately, that was impossible. I do not have access to every single detail.

'It was not a part that the novel covered in detail.'

I know that Hwa-ryeon, one of the S-rank villains of the shadowy organization, t with a few corrupt Glory officials to disable the barrier protecting the island. However, I do not know who those corrupt officials are. That was why the option to stop it in advance did not exist.

'It is also impossible for

to deal with that woman directly.'

My only connection to the shadowy organization is the Puppeteer. However, asking her for help was definitely a grey area. The Puppeteer and I are rely in a contractual relationship. I know that the Puppeteer and Hwa-ryeon do not get along, but that is not a reason for her to help . Why do you think the Puppeteer does not touch Hwa-ryeon even though she hates her? It is because she is not confident she can handle Hwa-ryeon herself.

'Well, it is not like it is impossible to stop.'

If things go according to plan, it is doable. After all, Hwa-ryeon herself will not be coming.

'If she had been coming personally, I would have killed her by any ans necessary.'

As described in the novel, Hwa-ryeon does not have the ability to escape pursuit after finishing a job. That was why she only deployed disposable pawns for the final exams.

'So, let's just move past that part.'

It is sothing that is not going to happen anyway. At any rate, what I am trying to say is this: considering the level of the villains infiltrating the final exams, we can stop them if we all work together. I cannot say there will be no casualties in the process, but...

'The important thing is that we stop them.'

In the original story, even that did not happen. The cadets, who were scattered all over the place to take their exams, were picked off one by one. But things are different now. If I can just manage to get them to group together, it will be a fight we can win with Kim Su-hyeok or Ryu Jin-oh at the lead.

'It will not be easy, but accomplishing that is the goal of this exam.'

So, if we work hard, things will work out one way or another. I thought to myself as I looked at Im Seong-cheol again.

"...Therefore, there will be no classes today. Everyone should prepare for tomorrow's exam on their own. That is all."

Im Seong-cheol finished the assembly before I knew it. With those final words, he left the classroom, and the cadets began to leave one by one after him. They were likely going to perfect their preparations for the practical exam with only one day left.

'Yes. One day.'

It had finally co down to one day. The Tragedy of the Final Exam, the major incident that dealt a massive blow to Glory. Therefore, I also began to walk slowly to make my final preparations. I held onto the hope that everything would go exactly as I had planned.