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Chapter 50 — Endurance Test (4)
一AR Room Evasion Test Stage 1 will begin in 5 seconds.
一5, 4, 3, 2, 1…
一A skeletal soldier has appeared.
Grrrraaa…
Juyeon and SooJin weren’t able to grab JaeHyun as he dashed past them. When their gazes found him a step too late, JaeHyun was already far away from them and surrounded by the enemy.
Both of their brows furrowed at almost the same time.
“C-Come back!”
“It's dangerous!”
But JaeHyun didn’t plan on stopping. The moment the system had initiated, he immediately rushed out and gathered his mana.
Bzzzt…!
一The Active Skill 《Mana Weapon》 has been activated.
All the muscles in his body swelled up, and he felt his heart beat faster.
《 Mana Weapon 》 was a special skill that an ordinary Magician couldn’t make use of, it being a useless skill that allowed a Magician to create physical damage.
However, it was different for JaeHyun. He had worked as an active Combat raider for around 7 years and was now an unprecedented Magician who didn’t need to incant when casting a spell.
Since the normal limitation that applied to all Magicians had no reign on him, 《Mana Weapon》 was an ideal skill for him.
“That bastard… What the hell is he thinking?”
SooHyuk gritted his teeth. He didn’t know what the other guy was planning, but he knew that acting like that in a real dungeon would be like begging for a massacre.
He’d been expecting more since JaeHyun had gotten 1st place in the Freshmen Hunt and 2nd place when running laps, but was that all there was to him?
He smiled evilly and mumbled.
“Well, it’s better this way. It seems like he rushed out wanting to show off, but… it’s impossible for a Magician to win against that many enemies.”
Juyeon and SooJin were also of the same opinion. Even if Min JaeHyun had created a new record in the Freshmen Hunt as a Magician, this was something totally different.
From the very start, it was impossible for a Magician to fight in a dungeon by themselves. Instructor Kim Seok-Gi, who had been observing the situation, also internally agreed.
But in the next moment, JaeHyun’s teammates could only watch his movements in shock.
JaeHyun started to use magic to scorch the ground in the AR room.
Wha-am!
The heads of the skeletal soldiers started to shatter under JaeHyun successive punches. The enemies who had been rushing toward him paused and stepped back.
Although the monsters were created with augmented reality, they still possessed some intelligence. They weren’t stupid enough to continue attacking an enemy that was stronger than themselves.
But JaeHyun didn’t let go of the slight pause amidst the attacks and gathered his mana.
一The Active Skill 《Lightning Chain》 has been activated.
Bzzzzzt!
A lightning attack appeared with the dull sound of steel against steel, seemingly wrapped in high-voltage electricity. The Lightning Chain emitting powerful mana started to eliminate all the enemies left.
Grrrraaaa!
In an instant, only the screams of the monsters and the rattling of the chain could be heard in the AR room. SooHyuk gulped and tightened his grip on his staff.
‘H-How is that possible?! There were roughly 30 monsters. But he’s defeated all of them in a few seconds?’
He could only stare at the ongoing fight with a blue-tinted face.
Of course, it was still Stage 1 and the enemies were just skeletal soldiers, so he hadn’t been thinking it was hard. However, he didn’t expect the other to eliminate all the monsters in a single instant.
At the unbelievable scene, everyone—including Instructor Kim Seok-Gi—froze in place. Such a display could only be given by a Magician at least C-rank—no, B-rank.
But JaeHyun merely waited for the Stage 2 wave with his hands in his pockets.
“Insane…”
YooJung, who’d been watching JaeHyun, exclaimed subconsciously. Ina was unable to say anything and just watched with her mouth agape.
‘H-How the hell…!’
Remaining calm, JaeHyun muttered while observing the approaching Draugr, the enemies for Stage 2.
“What’s this? It’s been a while. Shall we up the ante a bit, then?”
***
Reaper Scans
Translator - Rainypup
Proofreader - Lyze
***
Afterwards, JaeHyun cleared everything until Stage 10 at the fastest speed with ease.
From the start, the monsters were 4-5 levels lower than the Night Shade. Since the opponents that appeared in Stage 10 were simply orcs, there was nothing more to be said.
‘This isn’t too bad. My body’s starting to feel lighter. I can feel myself improving a lot since starting to use the combat technique Ms. Yoo Sung-Eun taught me.’
JaeHyun smiled in satisfaction. He was seeing the result of the training he’d been doing every chance he got.
An all-rounded raider who was a Magician that could also attack enemies on the frontlines—
Yoo Sung-Eun planned to raise JaeHyun as such a Battlemage and make him the face of the Yeonhwa Guild.
Of course, she was excitedly making all these plans without telling JaeHyun.
‘Teacher… is strangely excited whenever she teaches me. It’s a bit terrifying, but her ability is undeniable.’
A shadow appeared in front of JaeHyun who was shivering at the thought of his spars with Yoo Sung-Eun.
It was SooHyuk.
“You… What kind of dirty trick did you use that allowed you to fight like that?”
JaeHyun shrugged.
“There’s nothing more to what you just saw, though?”
“…As if it wasn’t enough that you left the safety of the defense line, you completely annihilated the enemy all by yourself… Do you really think I’ll believe you? Doing something like that is impossible without cheating somehow!”
“Regardless, I have nothing more to say. I have nothing to hide.”
“Ha!”
“Don’t make me repeat myself.”
A low sound filled with warning came out of JaeHyun’s mouth.
“I told you. I have nothing to be ashamed of.”
JaeHyun smirked with a cold expression.
“Why? If you’re curious, I can let you check right now.”
“This fucking bastard…!”
“You two over there. Is there a problem?”
Standing far away, Kim Seok-Gi turned his head at the noise and asked. SooHyuk furrowed his brow and clenched his fists.
If he created a problem here, there’d be no way to salvage the situation.
This place was where the strong were absolute. A mere cadet fighting in front of an instructor was not something that would be tolerated in a military academy for the Awakened.
If one was unfortunate enough to make a mistake, they would possibly be left unable to cope with the consequences.
‘Damn.’
SooHyuk could only keep his mouth shut. He was annoyed he couldn’t get one over JaeHyun, but for now, there was nothing he could do.
He could taste blood from where he’d clenched his teeth, but there was no more time to think about it. JaeHyun was turning away.
SooHyuk took a step forward to combat the sense of inferiority that was overwhelming him.
Soon, a sentence he hadn’t meant to say burst out from his mouth.
“Don’t think you’ve won.”
JaeHyun paused for a moment and replied.
“I don’t think I’ve lost either.”
“The Millaes Academy Festival.”
SooHyuk glared at JaeHyun with clenched fists.
“Let’s fight then.”
“No.”
At JaeHyun’s quick answer, SooHyuk’s face crumpled into a frown.
However, JaeHyun just walked away with a slight smile.
“I’ve already made plans with someone else.”
***
[In the old cadet dormitory]
Ahn HoYeon lay on his bed and recalled what JaeHyun had said a while ago.
一No.
一I’ve already made plans with someone else.
In a volatile situation with Lee SooHyuk, JaeHyun had said that.
HoYeon couldn’t help but feel his blood boil in excitement. The ‘plans’ JaeHyun had mentioned was probably referring to the promise the two had made during the ‘Freshmen Hunt.’
“That’s right… It means JaeHyun also considers me competition…”
HoYeon clenched his fists.
JaeHyun was his benefactor who had saved him twice. First, in the fight with the goblins, and again when he was under the mind controlling spell during the Freshmen Hunt.
Min JaeHyun.
To HoYeon, that name had the power of allowing him to find that which he had lost sight of in the past—
Why he had wanted to be a raider.
What he had wanted to protect.
When he remembered it all, JaeHyun had already become his goal.
一I won’t lose next time.
That was what HoYeon had said at the time.
Sitting up from the bed suddenly, he put on the cadet’s combat suit and went out. His destination was the cadet training hall in the academy. Standing in front of the training dummy, he made a decision with his sword in hand.
“I can’t let him down.”
一The Active Skill 《Martial Ascendance》 has been activated.
The sword covered in mana left a bluish effect in its wake as it devastated the dummy. There was no hesitation in his movements as he slashed with his sword while breathing heavily.
His goal appeared to be clear once more.
‘I won’t lose next time.’
A small smile appeared on HoYeon’s face. He planned to keep his promise with JaeHyun.
***
“There are 3 cadets who received a full 200 points. Ahn HoYeon, Cha YooWon, and Min JaeHyun. Even amongst them, Min JaeHyun showed much better results.”
“Thank you, Instructor Kim. You’ve worked hard.”
[At the Chairman’s office]
Seok-Gi was in the middle of reporting the results of today’s endurance test to Gu Ja-In. It was important for them to separate the promising seedlings from the rest.
To the cadets who showed the most promise, they poured more resources.
And to those who didn’t, they were cruel.
This was how Millaes was usually run.
Ja-In didn’t show much interest in Ahn HoYeon or Cha YooWon who also got perfect scores. Of course, they would become strong. But in Ja-In’s mind, there was someone who would grow much more than they would—
Min JaeHyun.
The cadet who showed overwhelming results in the Freshmen Hunt and got a perfect score in the endurance test.
To Ja-In, Min JaeHyun was a very attractive prospect.
“Continue to report Min JaeHyun’s actions and results to me. If he ever acts strangely, tell me right away.”
“Understood, Chairman. But… is this really alright?”
Kim Seok-Gi hesitated before continuing.
“Min JaeHyun is truly a talented cadet. But it’s also true that he doesn’t have a great personality. He also argued with a teammate during the test today.”
“Haha. Here I thought it was something important.
Instructor Kim Seok-Gi. You already know. Our Millaes Academy’s policy.”
Giving little regard to the other’s words, Ja-In continued with a solemn expression.
“Only the strong survive. Having a good character and disposition doesn’t mean you will be better at hunting monsters. We are only responsible for creating living weapons.”
“…I was too short-sighted. If that is the academy’s policy, we are to follow it.”
“I feel more confident knowing you are here to help, Instructor Kim. Keep up the good work.”
<A moment later>
After Kim Seok-Gi left the chairman’s office. Gu Ja-In crossed his legs and organized what he knew about Min JaeHyun in his mind.
JaeHyu plainly showed animosity from the very first time they met.
‘Almost as if he knew me from somewhere.’
No matter how he thought about it, it was strange. What was his current position?
He was the chairman of Millaes Academy who caught the envy of everyone. But to such an individual, JaeHyun expressed annoyance and disregard.
A cadet who was still enrolled at Millaes Academy, at that.
It was impossible unless there was some logic behind his actions.
‘I also don’t understand why he rejected the conditions offered by the academy. For a kid that’s just turned 17, he’s too calm. I’m certain there’s a problem somewhere.’
Min JaeHyun was a cadet with immense talent. But no matter how strong he was, it was meaningless if Gu Ja-In couldn’t control him.
Ja-In clearly understood this fact and planned to tame JaeHyun into being what he wanted.
And he would stop at nothing to make his plans come true.
“Fortunately, there’s a good event coming up.”
Ja-In smiled insidiously as he propped his chin up.
“Dungeon Practicum. Let’s tame that brat in there.”
____