Chapter 94: Final Exams (3)
"It—it is Choi Yu-seong!"
"Fall back for now! We have to wait for an opportunity later!"
While I was tracking down the location where Ju Ha-yeon might be, I could not help but feel bewildered by the reactions of the cadets I encountered periodically.
'I an... is it really necessary to react like that?'
Thanks to what Oh Jin-eon had told , I understood why I was being kept at a distance. Even so, reacting to that extent seed excessive. Furthermore, one of the guys I ran into earlier said sothing about
being a deceiver hiding my strength...
'I am not so cliché protagonist hiding my strength, so what exactly am I supposed to be hiding?'
Every ti my points accumulated, an incident would break out and drain them all away. Other than that, my only notable talents were Mana Absorption and my swordsmanship talent. I did not know where this "hidden power" was supposed to be, yet I had to listen to people calling
a deceiver. It was exhausting.
'Well... it is not entirely a bad thing.'
True, it was not all bad. Since my goal was not high grades in the exam, it was better to avoid unnecessary fighting anyway. Still, it did not feel great.
'Is there really so rumor about
that I do not know about?'
Perhaps rumors had spread that I was a promising talent because I associated with people like Kim Su-hyeok and Ryu Jin-oh. No, even as I said that, it felt a bit presumptuous. There were things ant for comparison, and comparing myself to our brilliant heroes was a bit much.
'Still, since things are going smoothly, I should just keep going like this.'
Even if it did not feel great, a good thing was a good thing. What mattered was that things were moving in a positive direction. Thanks to that, I was approaching Ju Ha-yeon's location without any issues.
'Let's see. By now...'
As I moved quietly, I calculated how much distance was left. It was crucial to gauge the distance accurately, as I had to consider the possibility of having passed her. Based on my movent speed and the speed of the white dot I had seen earlier...
'It would be normal to run into her about now.'
I concluded that I was almost there. Of course, it was not certain. It was based on the assumption that we both maintained a constant speed. That ant there could be any number of errors.
'And there is also the possibility that it is not Ju Ha-yeon.'
Honestly, I hoped it was her, but the possibility that it was not was not zero. It was just very likely that the person I was chasing was Ju Ha-yeon; it was not a guarantee. If that turned out to be the case, things would get a bit complicated.
'I really hope it is Ju Ha-yeon.'
I did not have an infinite amount of ti. With that thought, I slowed my pace slightly. It was a natural action, as I had to examine my surroundings thoroughly from this point on.
"Hmm..."
I began to scan the area carefully with a wide field of vision, and before long...
"Bingo."
I managed to spot a single cadet standing so distance away. While it was not close enough to identify the face clearly, it was enough.
'It is definitely her. It is Ju Ha-yeon.'
The slender build and the long, light brown hair. Plus, the bow she held in her hand. If that was not Ju Ha-yeon, the only other explanation would be that a doppelg??nger had arrived.
'Good. Let's do this.'
I still did not know how to break the ice and talk to her. I had almost never spoken to won, after all. But this was not a battle; how could anyone live if they had to plan out even sothing like this?
'So, I will just jump in and think about it as I go.'
My future self would just have to deal with whatever happened next. With that irresponsible thought, I quickened my pace toward Ju Ha-yeon.
***
"Whew. Why is it so hot?"
Three hours after the final exams began, Ju Ha-yeon was feeling a sense of revulsion at the sweltering heat. The island was located to the south of Jeju Island, making the weather even hotter. This heat, which even an ordinary person would hate, was bound to be even more irritating to Ju Ha-yeon.
"If I could have my way, I would really like to just drop out mid-way."
However, that was not an option. Therefore, Ju Ha-yeon endured it even though her irritation had reached its peak. It was just as her nerves were frayed by various factors.
[RUSTLE]
The sound of soone approaching. It was quite a distance away, but it could not deceive Ju Ha-yeon's ears. She sighed but slowly raised the bow in her hand.
'Actually, this is a good thing.'
She had been under a lot of stress anyway. If that were the case, should she not find a way to relieve that stress? And the target was set to be the naless cadet approaching her.
'I do not know who you are, but consider yourself unlucky.'
The fact that they happened to pass by her when she was in a bad mood, and the future where they would experience so pain as a result... yes, it was simply a bit of bad luck.
"They will not die anyway, so it should be fine."
The cadet uniform itself had defensive functions, and they were not fighting with the intent to kill each other anyway. Furthermore, there were safety asures prepared by the academy for unexpected situations.
Therefore, Ju Ha-yeon placed an arrow on her bow without hesitation. Unlike the cute threat Ha Eun-ha had made, she looked like the real deal. Just as the arrow was about to leave its owner and pierce the enemy before her...
"Wait a second!"
A desperate voice called out from beyond the bushes. Ju Ha-yeon could not help but pause at that voice. It was a situation that should never happen in real combat, but since it was an exam and she was still an inexperienced cadet, it was an unavoidable reaction.
"This is how this exam is. Just accept it."
However, that was only for a mont. Ju Ha-yeon quickly regained her stance. This was because she reminded herself that the person before her was soone whose na tag she had to take. But Ju Ha-yeon's resolve was forced to crumble once again.
"I told you to wait a second. You really are impatient."
It was the sa voice asking her to wait again. However, if that had been all, she would not have stopped. No matter how inexperienced she was, she was not a fool who would fall for the sa trick twice. Except...
"You are..."
This ti, she could not only hear the voice but also see the person's appearance. And it was an unexpected opponent. Because of that, Ju Ha-yeon had no choice but to stop her attack for a mont.
"What a relief. I was worried you would attack anyway."
Choi Yu-seong confird that Ju Ha-yeon had dropped her intent to attack. He continued speaking comfortably with a relieved face. At that, Ju Ha-yeon responded with an expression of disbelief.
"...It is not like I have decided not to fight, you know?"
"Mm. That is fine. It is not bad as long as I am given a little bit of ti."
"What on earth does that... Never mind. By the way, how did you know where I was?"
At Ju Ha-yeon's question, Choi Yu-seong wore an expression as if she were asking sothing strange.
"How would I know where you were? I just happened to find you while passing by."
"..."
"It is good to be interested in information, but perhaps you should not ask things that are obvious."
Ju Ha-yeon could not give any response to that. It was true that she was frustrated by his mocking behavior, but...
'Ugh. It is even more annoying because he is not wrong.'
Yes. It was even more annoying because he was right. Especially since she was hearing it from soone she thought was a cultist. Of course, Choi Yu-seong did not actually believe in a cult, but unfortunately, Ju Ha-yeon did not know that. Regardless, if things continued like this, she would lose her pace. Therefore, Ju Ha-yeon quickly changed the subject.
"It seems you have been moving around quite a bit since the exam started, but I guess you have not had any battles?"
Ju Ha-yeon spoke while looking at the hem of Choi Yu-seong's dirt-stained pants. Noticing that she was trying to change the subject, Choi Yu-seong gave a slight smile and answered sincerely.
"Yeah. For so reason, the kids keep running away as soon as they see ."
"..."
"I am not Kim Su-hyeok or Ryu Jin-oh, so why are they running? I really cannot figure out the reason."
At those words, Ju Ha-yeon once again showed the look of disbelief she had worn earlier.
"Are you perhaps uninterested in your own life?"
"Are you not being a bit too harsh all of a sudden?"
"No. It is a perfectly reasonable question."
It was actually not very strange for her to react this way. After all, the rumors about Choi Yu-seong that had spread within the academy were quite famous. He was the talented cadet receiving lessons from Shin Yu-hwan and the supernova who had caught the attention of Cha Yu-na. On top of that, there were so many rumors, such as him being a deceiver who entered while hiding his strength, or a pervert obsessed with training. Well, so strange rumors seed to be mixed in, but the fact remained that such rumors existed.
'He is quite famous among the first-years... Ah, then again, cultists are people who have dedicated their lives to a god, so perhaps he would not know?'
Ju Ha-yeon's misunderstanding was once again heading in a strange direction. But what could be done? Choi Yu-seong did not know she had such a misunderstanding, so he could not correct it.
Thus, Ju Ha-yeon roughly understood the situation along with her growing misunderstanding.
In reality, Choi Yu-seong was only interested in the future of the heroes, but as long as she understood, was that not enough? Therefore, Ju Ha-yeon moved away from such useless talk and brought up the main point again.
"But what did you an earlier when you said it was fine as long as you were given a little bit of ti? I do not understand at all."
"Oh, that. It is nothing major; it is quite simple."
Choi Yu-seong answered Ju Ha-yeon's question very simply.
"Let's form a team. What do you think? Simple, right?"
Of course, that did not an Ju Ha-yeon's answer would be simple.
"...That is very sudden."
"Is it?"
"It is. To begin with, why is there any reason for
to form a team with you?"
"Hmm. I suppose I omitted too much."
Choi Yu-seong nodded at Ju Ha-yeon's statent that there was no reason. He certainly felt that he had left out a bit too much.
Nevertheless, Choi Yu-seong was not flustered and went on to explain the reason.
"First of all, there is a sense that things will beco easier if we divide into a frontline and a rearguard."
"I do not particularly need that."
"Are you not being too arrogant? If you are like that, you are bound to face an early elimination."
In a way, it was a statent that could be seen as looking down on Ju Ha-yeon's skills. Therefore, to ensure she did not misunderstand, Choi Yu-seong added more.
"To begin with, there was no rule saying that we could not cooperate in this exam. Do you know what that ans?"
"..."
"It ans that the kids whose skills are about mid-tier will definitely form teams. What would happen if that were the case?"
Choi Yu-seong spoke while looking at the bow Ju Ha-yeon was holding.
"You would likely end up being defeated. Your ans of attack will eventually find it difficult to withstand a close-quarters approach when you are outnumbered."
"Are you ignoring ?"
"No. Not at all. I know you are a high-level archer. Within the sa grade, you are probably the best among the archers, are you not?"
Choi Yu-seong had been criticizing her harshly just a mont ago, but now he was calling her the best. Ju Ha-yeon was montarily flustered by that statent. It was true, but she had not expected to hear it so suddenly. However, Choi Yu-seong did not pay much attention to her reaction and continued.
"But my point is that there is ultimately a limit. To be honest, you and I are not on the sa level as Kim Su-hyeok or Ryu Jin-oh, are we?"
"..."
"So I thought it would be good to cooperate."
"I understand what you are saying for now. But is there a reason I should choose you specifically?"
This was also a valid question. Was there a reason to cooperate specifically with Choi Yu-seong? Instead of so other frontline player? Ju Ha-yeon was curious. She wondered what reason this man would have and if he was truly a person of enough value for her to show interest. But unfortunately, she could not satisfy that curiosity.
"That is for you to decide. Why are you asking ?"
"...What?"
The answer she received was sothing beyond her imagination that she had not even expected. Instead, he asked her back.
"Actually, let
ask you. Is there a reason you want to choose ?"
"What does that..."
"If there is such a reason, then accept. Oh, for the record, I have a reason for choosing you, so I hope we can form a team."
With that, Choi Yu-seong gave a bright smile and looked at Ju Ha-yeon without saying another word.
At that sight, Ju Ha-yeon thought that in the seventeen years she had lived, she had never seen a guy like this.
Reviews
All reviews (0)