I Entered an Academy in a Ruined Game

Chapter 84 : Top Student (1)

"Instructor Lim. Thank you for your hard work."

The instructors approached Instructor Lim Jeong-tae as he returned with a beaming face.

"Wow, that was intense. That kid is something else, isn't he?"

"I was honestly surprised."

Instructor Oh Chang-seong said with a serious face.

"It didn't seem like you were going easy on him..."

"Well. I did adjust my strength and speed to match his. But that was it. What's clear is that I had no intention of giving up my marker."

"But you lost it anyway."

"That's right."

Lim Jeong-tae shrugged.

Three-section spear, arming sword, and unarmed combat.

In those three areas, Su-hyeon held his own against Lim Jeong-tae without being overwhelmed.

No, rather.

'He even succeeded in impressive counterattacks several times with irregular movements using his Mana Shield.'

The two scenes—evading the palm strike and striking the nose with an elbow, and pushing the standing foot while receiving a high kick—were such beautiful counters that even Oh Chang-seong watching couldn't help but verbally express his admiration.

'The explosive power created by that doping technique that momentarily overwhelmed Crusher the Ma-in was also remarkable.'

Would he have been able to avoid it if he had been in that position?

It wouldn't have been easy.

Oh Chang-seong's gaze shifted to Su-hyeon, who was returning to his seat with the support of Nam Tae-hoon and Kang Geon-woo.

'If Seo Jun-seong doesn't fight as well as that guy, the top position in this midterm exam might change.'

The most outstanding fight in the fourth group was between Choi Mina and Seo Jun-seong.

"Ugh!"

However, unlike Choi Mina who eventually collapsed after trying to buy time.

Seo Jun-seong's fight was quite different.

Pishung! Pishuuung!

The laser fired by Instructor Gu Hyeong-min flew toward Seo Jun-seong at an unrecognizable speed.

No matter how overpowered telekinesis might be, it's impossible to block an attack that can't be perceived.

That was the weakness of Seo Jun-seong that Gu Hyeong-min had identified, but.

"Hreup!"

Seo Jun-seong had also found an answer.

Gugugugugu.

Seo Jun-seong's massive telekinetic power compressed into the space around him, creating a gravitational field that compressed the trajectory of attacks coming from outside.

"Woaaah!"

That intense physical force succeeded in making even Gu Hyeong-min's light bullets miss their mark.

'This guy!'

Gu Hyeong-min raised his competitive spirit as he watched Seo Jun-seong brilliantly foil his first strategy.

'But that kind of method is far from a defense that can be maintained for long.'

It was clearly something that required enormous mana, and.

Wooooong.

It was difficult to inflict damage on Gu Hyeong-min by using the remaining energy for attacks while maintaining a defensive barrier.

Pishuung!

Gu Hyeong-min easily escaped Seo Jun-seong's attack range by riding the trajectory of his laser and moving in a zigzag pattern.

'As expected, I can't both defend and attack simultaneously against Instructor Gu.'

Seo Jun-seong changed his tactics in a way he normally wouldn't.

That is, disregarding defense, he deployed telekinesis throughout the entire arena area, captured Gu Hyeong-min's physical form, and pressed down hard.

"Woaaaa!"

"Got him!"

Seo Jun-seong lifted all the broken floor materials and shot them towards Gu Hyeong-min with irregular trajectories.

"Aiyooo!"

'That bastard is destroying the entire facility!'

Ignoring the desperate cry of the administrative manager.

"Hmm!"

Gu Hyeong-min controlled light to create a round barrier around himself.

'So it can be used for defense too!'

Seo Jun-seong clicked his tongue.

"The proficiency level of characteristics makes all the difference, proficiency."

Gu Hyeong-min smiled arrogantly and fired a light bullet at Seo Jun-seong, who had deactivated his defensive barrier to concentrate on attack.

Kwang!

Seo Jun-seong, who hurriedly gathered telekinetic power in front of himself, was thrown backward, unable to withstand the explosive energy.

'Kuk!'

Although he avoided a direct hit, the power was so strong that Seo Jun-seong's body, momentarily failing to control his telekinesis, fell defenseless to the floor.

"That's going to be out of bounds!"

"It's over!"

But.

'Now!'

Just before Seo Jun-seong's back landed out of bounds.

'Huh?!'

The marker attached to Gu Hyeong-min's neck detached itself with a rattle.

'This guy, when did he...!'

Only then did he realize that Seo Jun-seong hadn't lost control of his ability but had feigned it to exploit his vulnerability.

But it was too late.

Tuk!

Gu Hyeong-min clutched his head in dismay as he stared blankly at the marker rolling on the floor.

"Aaaack!"

They had exchanged attacks targeting each other's openings—one focusing on offense at the expense of defense.

"What the, how does this work out?"

"Is it a draw?"

"Video review! We need video review!"

"This isn't soccer..."

"Quiet! Be quiet!"

Instructor Kim Cheol-han, who calmed the murmuring cadets, stepped forward.

"We'll review the footage on camera and determine the winner."

All the instructors rushed to the recording screen.

"...The marker fell first."

"Hmm."

In terms of time, 0.4 seconds.

But there was clearly a difference that was too significant to call it a draw.

[After review, Cadet Seo Jun-seong has been determined the winner.]

"Woaaah!"

Seo Jun-seong became the second person to achieve victory against an instructor, following Su-hyeon.

❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀

That night, while the instructors entered an overnight meeting for precise scoring.

The cadets engaged in heated discussions about which of the two victors, Su-hyeon and Seo Jun-seong, would take first place in the midterm exams.

"It has to be Jun-seong, right?"

Oh Min-seon, Kang Geon-woo, and Jeremy McGarr were among those supporting this side.

"No way, honestly, Su-hyeon did better this time."

Kwon Seung-yeon, Hwang Ji-su, and Lee Yu-jin supported this view.

"Who would win if they fought each other is something we'd have to see, but Jun-seong was in better shape after the fight with the instructor."

Whereas Su-hyeon had collapsed from exhaustion right after securing the marker.

"Well, that's true."

Kwon Seung-yeon licked her lips at Kang Geon-woo's words.

"Is damage after the match important? This exam has a structure where penalty and bonus points are given reflecting a variety of factors."

Hwang Ji-su objected.

"In terms of performance, it's Jeong Su-hyeon. While Seo Jun-seong might have caught his opponent off guard better, Jeong Su-hyeon matched the instructor for a much longer time. In my view, he should have more high-scoring elements."

"Hmm."

On that point, even Kang Geon-woo nodded.

Honestly, he too had been more amazed and excited by Su-hyeon's fight.

"Ah, I don't know. We'll see the results when we wake up tomorrow anyway."

Kwon Seung-yeon interlaced her fingers behind her neck and leaned back against the backrest.

"But what's up with Su-hyeon? He messaged that he's skipping training today because he pushed himself too hard."

Kwon Seung-yeon stuck out her tongue, saying it seems he would have exercised today too if he hadn't overdone it.

"Yeah, he said he's going to bed right after turning off the lights."

Nam Tae-hoon shrugged.

"He must be tough if he's not even going to the infirmary."

"Su-hyeon. Did you eat?"

Lee Yu-jin asked worriedly.

"No."

"You should at least eat something."

"Leave him be. If he gets hungry, he'll at least eat some protein."

"Heartless guy. Are you really his roommate?"

Nam Tae-hoon snorted at Kwon Seung-yeon's criticism.

"You don't know. That guy makes my life miserable."

"You must have done something wrong."

"That's right."

"Wow, you're all ganging up on me."

Nam Tae-hoon reflected on his usual image.

❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀

I was replaying my fight with Instructor Lim Jeong-tae while staring at the black ceiling.

'I shouldn't have moved like that there.'

Today's fight had significant implications for me too.

'I've played this game longer than anyone. But that doesn't mean I can beat just anyone.'

In a way, it was an obvious statement.

What I can boast about is knowing the characters' stories, their abilities, and tactics.

And the skills I've learned from numerous teachers over multiple playthroughs.

'But in the end, it's nothing more than an indirect experience through a monitor, keyboard, and mouse.'

Until now, it was enough to internalize those through my own training.

Things I couldn't do alone, like sword energy or shields, I could either learn directly or substitute with skills.

But.

I still had a long way to go to truly match an instructor-class expert.

'What needs to be improved isn't just physical ability. I somehow forgot that fact.'

The true state of ascension cannot be reached by knowledge alone.

The body must follow that state.

That's why I felt regret.

'If I had done a bit more, I might have grasped that thread.'

I fought with maximum immersion.

The sublime moves I performed, which even I can't remember how I did, gave me a sense of elevation just by reviewing them.

'That was honestly sick.'

...It felt good to indulge in a bit of self-admiration.

❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀

The next morning.

The first-year midterm exam ranking announcement posted in front of the faculty office once again turned the academy upside down.

[Midterm Exam Results Announcement.]

1st: Jeong Su-hyeon 2nd: Seo Jun-seong 3rd: Hwang Ji-su 4th: Lee Yu-jin 5th: Hong In-hyeon 6th: Choi Mina .......

Jeong Su-hyeon's name above Seo Jun-seong's caused an enormous ripple.

"Jeong Su-hyeon is first place?"

"Really?"

"Wow, so it turned out like this."

"Isn't there some mistake?"

"What mistake? Honestly, it wouldn't have been strange for either of them to be first."

"Right. I even heard that Jeong Su-hyeon's written test scores were a bit higher."

Among the cadets, Seo Jun-seong had always been remembered as the undisputed number one.

While Lee Yu-jin and Hwang Ji-su were mentioned alongside him as comparable figures.

Nevertheless, Seo Jun-seong's name, combining ability, talent, and even his father's background, was positioned at a seemingly untouchable level.

Despite Jeong Su-hyeon's impressive momentum, it's true that the prevailing view was still "not yet."

But that structure was overturned through this midterm exam.

[Main Quest, successfully cleared the midterm exams!]

[6P Skill Points have been awarded!]

[You surpassed Seo Jun-seong and took first place! An unimaginable achievement!]

[Achievement points 1000 awarded!]

Su-hyeon smiled as he saw the Achievement points that had finally broken through 1000 points.

'At this rate, I might get a few more skills before the end of the semester.'

Su-hyeon's smile looked like the victory declaration of an underdog who had succeeded in an upset.

"...!"

Seo Jun-seong's gaze met his in mid-air from the opposite side.

"...I should congratulate you."

As Seo Jun-seong walked over, the cadets parted like the tide to the left and right.

Today, for the first time, he had fallen behind someone.

For the first time, he had been caught up to by someone.

For the first time, he was in a position where he had to chase someone else's back.

"I was lucky. It was a hair's breadth difference."

When Su-hyeon showed humility, Seo Jun-seong shook his head.

"No one who saw your fight would think that. You were amazing."

But.

"This won't happen in the final exams."

Seeing his eyes quietly burning, Su-hyeon smiled with a "hoot."

'He must be mortified to death.'

Because Seo Jun-seong's lofty pride was based on undeniable skill and achievements.

Now that the foundation had crumbled, his anger and determination would be tremendous.

'He'll come at me with gritted teeth during the final exams.'

That was what Su-hyeon wanted too.

After all, he knew best how strong Seo Jun-seong could become when his competitive spirit was ignited.

"There won't be a change in our rankings in the final exams either."

That's why Su-hyeon said that, and.

"That's how it should be."

Seo Jun-seong followed with a cold smile of his own.