novelraw Chapter 114 : Chapter 114
Chapter 114 : Chapter 114
Chapter 114: Midterm Evaluation (1)
‘What’s up with the question marks?’
Hojin’s touch count was ‘??????’.
Six question marks.
Does it roughly mean around a hundred thousand units?
I don’t know. What’s certain is that it’s a nonsensical condition.
‘Is it telling me not to mimic humans?’
I glanced at the Mimic floating beside me.
[Nya nya nya! Nya nya nya nya! Heeheeheehee!]
The fellow was making cat sounds while licking the sign itself as if a cat was grooming.
It seemed to say, ‘Is it my business? Do it yourself.’
It’s truly annoying this time too.
‘Even so, there must be a reason why humans specifically have such high numbers.’
Like perhaps there’s another mechanism besides simple physical touch.
While lost in that thought and spacing out, I felt a stinging gaze from behind.
Looking up, Hojin’s gaze was directed precisely at me.
‘Oops.’
Just now, was I acting too ‘unlike a cat’?
A cat sitting still lost in thought.
That could look quite suspicious.
MEOW-
I hurriedly performed emergency grooming.
Licking my front paws with my tongue and rubbing my face briskly, perfectly reproducing cat mode.
However, the effect was minimal.
Hojin still didn’t take his eyes off me.
“...Strange.”
A voice mixed with doubt.
His gaze deepened even more.
‘I’m fucked.’
It’s an emergency.
Hojin noticed something.
Why? Is it because I spaced out as expected?
No, but isn’t that possible?
Cats can space out too.
‘Or perhaps, the passive?’
[Pet Me Human], this was a kind of hypnosis ability.
Humans who see me instinctively reach out and pet me.
Then, they would usually react as if snapping out of hypnosis while regaining consciousness.
Lily was like that, and other people were the same.
But Hojin was different.
He isn’t petting me.
It’s probably due to the mental immune system developed while training assassination arts.
‘Is that why he’s feeling something strange?’
The fur on my back stood on end.
I felt the atmospheric pressure changing subtly.
If he approaches, let’s run immediately.
It’s not strange for a cat to run away.
It’s sufficiently natural.
Just as tension lingered.
“Oh, you’re right?”
Miyu’s voice was heard.
She spoke while still stroking my fur.
“It really is strange? This friend?”
The following bombshell statement.
Even Miyu noticed something strange?
‘Was the transformation not perfect?’
No. It was definitely a complete transformation state.
[Cat (Mimicry)]
[Body Transformation: 100%]
[SP: 203,865]
Definitely 100%.
Moreover, SP was also being consumed properly.
A display resembling an electric meter was spinning on one side of my vision.
The number decreased by 1 at a constant speed.
The cost paid to maintain mimicry.
It’s not particularly burdensome, anyway, it’s clear that it’s working well.
‘...It really is because of the passive.’
Damn it, it’s possible to just equip passives, but why is it impossible to just change appearance?
I looked up at Hojin, disheartened.
Tension flowed tautly.
A silence that choked the breath.
It was Miyu’s side that broke that stuffy air.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen an animal that doesn’t run away even after seeing Hojin-nim?”
‘Huh?’
My head lifted automatically.
“.......”
Hojin lowered his gaze slowly.
He extended his hand with his expressionless face unchanged.
He carefully placed his hand on my head.
His fingertips moved slowly along my nape.
‘Wait, what she said was strange, was because I didn’t run away?’
I thought I was caught.
Are you kidding me.
‘Unbelievable.’
Hojin’s expression was still blank, but his hand was diligent.
[Hojin]
[Curiosity, Satisfaction]
This gentleman, he’s really enjoying it.
“If this kid doesn’t have an owner, perhaps Hojin-nim?”
Miyu playfully encouraged him.
“Well, if it doesn’t have an owner.”
“Right! This kid seems to follow Instructor too.”
It seems like they are trying to claim ownership over my body among themselves.
‘That’s not it.’
My body moved reflexively.
I twisted my body instantly and escaped from his touch.
As soon as my four paws touched the ground, I bolted.
Like a cat, at full speed.
Miyu’s voice was heard from behind.
“Don’t be too heartbroken, Hojin-nim. Cats are originally like that.”
Right, cats are originally like this.
I raised my tail cutting through the night air.
***
Three days later.
The dawn air was chilly.
The cadets were all gathered at the foot of Hallasan.
Murmuring continued here and there.
Perhaps because it was before the instructor’s orders came down, the atmosphere was quite excited.
I quietly raised my head.
Hallasan.
It’s the mountain commonly known, but it’s strangely different.
From a certain point to the top, thick fog was layered.
Like a mushroom cloud wrapping the mountain tightly.
And that fog was the problem for today.
‘It’s a bit fresh, but what kind of evaluation do they do at Hallasan?’
Should I say it’s like Zero? Usually, it’s normal to take exams inside the academy.
Before my thoughts even finished, I felt a touch tapping my shoulder from the side.
“Long time no see?”
It was Do Haru.
For reference, saying it’s been a long time is a lie.
For the past 3 days, she visited every evening without missing a single day, whining about how hard the training was.
“We saw each other yesterday.”
“That means I’m that glad to see you~”
While chatting about trivial things, a label popped up in my vision suddenly caught my eye.
[Do Haru]
[Touch: 4,854]
‘Hers was a manageable figure at least.’
Of course, the 4,800 range is by no means a low number.
But compared to others whose base is around 20 thousand, she was overwhelmingly an angel.
‘If it’s Do Haru’s passive...'
Basic information about most key figures was already organized in my head.
It was the same for Do Haru’s case.
‘Should I challenge Human No. 1 with Do Haru?’
This girl’s passive is valuable.
Quite a lot too.
And it was then.
SWISH-
A palm suddenly cast a shadow in front of my eyes.
“Whoa, you startled me.”
“Spacing out in front of a person? Are you sick by any chance? Hayun was worrying a lot too.”
Do Haru waved her hand and placed it on my forehead.
A while later, she took her hand off and placed it on her own forehead.
“...Do you have a fever?”
“Huh? I don’t think so.”
“Check again.”
Do Haru tilted her head and placed her hand again.
“Hmm, you don’t have any?”
“Then it’s done.”
I shrugged my shoulders and moved on.
I fruitfully filled 2 touches.
Originally, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
“What, unbelievable.”
Do Haru shook her head left and right, then took out a lip balm and applied it.
Then suddenly, her tone of voice changed.
“You, something happened with Hayun, right?”
A sudden direct remark.
My mouth was blocked.
When I didn’t say anything, Do Haru continued.
“It’s somewhat awkward, you two.”
Along with those words, she pointed somewhere with her head.
I turned my gaze following that direction.
It was Seol Hayun.
She was standing alone quietly with her arms crossed, wearing earphones.
The surroundings were strangely empty.
It seemed as if a barrier was set up around her.
For a moment, Seol Hayun glanced this way as if feeling the gaze.
Soon she turned her head back as if she didn’t see.
I know the reason why she’s acting like that.
Seol Hayun still misunderstood that I wet my pants because of her.
‘I didn’t wet myself.’
It’s really frustrating.
To think correcting one misunderstanding would be this difficult.
“Nothing happened.”
I cut it short and said.
But Do Haru tilted her head.
“There’s no way nothing happened? A man and a woman suddenly avoiding gazes? That means there is something. I’ve watched manhwa for 9 years. Only romance fantasy.”
“It’s not what you’re thinking, so take it easy.”
“Aha.”
Do Haru raised the corners of her mouth slightly.
“Something happened? Confirmed.”
“.......”
“I just have to find out from now on. Right?”
Do Haru’s eyes sparkled as if she discovered a fun toy.
There’s no dopamine addict like her.
A human starving for new stimulation.
Still, there was one fortunate point.
Do Haru not knowing means at least Seol Hayun didn’t tell anyone about that incident.
If a rumor that I wet my pants circulated, I might have considered dropping out.
“Everyone gather by groups!”
Instructor Kang Mooseong’s voice rang loudly through the foggy foot of the mountain.
The surroundings were organized in an instant.
The murmuring cadets moved, lining up all at once.
At times like this, everyone was quick.
A bundle of 20 people each.
An instructor and an exam assistant were attached to each group.
“From now on, move following the instructor. Be careful not to fall behind.”
A heavy order.
Tension lingered on the cadets’ faces for the first time in a while.
Soon we arrived at an altitude of 300m above sea level.
It was an area fenced with solid metal fences.
Beyond the fence, fog was thickly clustered.
It seemed as if bricks were molded and stacked with fog.
Kang Mooseong stepped forward with his arms crossed.
“Today at 8 o’clock sharp, the midterm practical evaluation will be conducted.”
An authoritative voice seized the audience.
“The goal you must pursue is only one.”
A brief silence followed by a single word.
“Climbing.”
For a moment, murmurs arose everywhere.
“Climbing?”
“Are we really climbing a mountain?”
As someone started, the commotion spread.
“There is no other goal. Your mission is to enter Hallasan and reach the summit, Baengnokdam.”
Kang Mooseong continued speaking calmly, ignoring all those reactions.
“I will explain the details once we go inside. Everyone move.”
As the concise instruction fell, the assistants opened the fence.
We stepped into the fog.
Passing through the fog, the airflow sweeping the body changed completely.
A sensation that couldn’t be described surged.
WHOOSH-
The air swirled, and my vision shook.
Chill seeped under the skin, engraving a tingling sensation.
The whole body being pressed heavily was a bonus, my mind went distant.
“Ugh, what is this.”
“I can’t... breathe.”
Groans burst out here and there.
Inside the fog was a completely different space from the outside.
Breathing became harder, and bodies naturally sank down due to the gravity that became twice as strong.
Then a firm voice was heard again.
“As I said before, today’s goal is climbing.”
Kang Mooseong’s silhouette was vaguely revealed in the fog.
“Naturally, it is not ordinary hiking. In an extreme environment, your stamina, mental strength, and environmental adaptation ability will be intensively evaluated.”
Just staying still is driving me crazy, but climb the mountain?
The cadets’ expressions hardened gradually.
“Combat between cadets is prohibited. I’m telling you in advance, but flying in the sky is useless too.”
Kang Mooseong pointed at the air and instructed one cadet to fly.
The pointed-out cadet started to float his body, then crashed to the ground as if roughly pressed by something.
“Kuek.”
“As you can see, if you fly recklessly in this zone, you’ll end up like Icarus.”
Kang Mooseong swept his chin and spoke calmly.
“Since there is a little time left until the exam starts at 8, let me tell you one more key point.”
Key point?
What is it this time?
The cadets waited for Kang Mooseong’s words quietly.
“simply put, there are obstacles that will block you.”
“Obstacles...?”
Someone muttered unwittingly at Kang Mooseong’s words.
Everyone had similar thoughts.
Just this space itself seems like an obstacle, what more is there.
Kang Mooseong began to look around slowly.
Soon his gaze stopped at a point.
A bleak wind passed.
Instantly, Kang Mooseong’s form disappeared like a heat shimmer.
In the blink of an eye, he was already standing at a spot far away.
Slowly Kang Mooseong returned again.
Something was struggling in his arms.
“This is a fellow called Guardian.”
What he had tucked under his arm was an existence in human shape made of wood material.
Arms and legs covered with yellowish bark, a head covered with leaves.
Eyes were revealed through them. Those eyes were directed straight at Kang Mooseong.
That was only for a moment, as Kang Mooseong twisted his grip, the Guardian’s neck snapped.
CRACK-
Silence among the crowd at that eerie sound.
The cadets looked at Kang Mooseong, having lost their words.
The ‘Guardian’s’ body melted down slowly.
It became a thick liquid flowing and seeping into the ground.
Kang Mooseong stood still on the spot.
Without any explanation, he moved his gaze up the mountain as if waiting for something.
About 10 minutes passed.
From far away, a sound of cutting through the wind was heard.
Something was coming down at a fast speed.
Soon a silhouette was revealed through the fog.
It was that fellow I saw earlier.
Wooden human holding a wooden spear, Guardian.
The form was the same, but the eyes had become even fiercer.
The fellow charged straight toward Kang Mooseong.
As if it didn’t even perceive the existence of other people at all, it rushed in a straight line only to Kang Mooseong.
SWISH-!
Kang Mooseong lightly dodged the spear the fellow extended.
He looked around the audience and opened his mouth.
“Let me introduce again. It’s the Guardian of the Mountain.”
The Guardian’s arm extended long like a tree root, but Kang Mooseong’s fingertips flashed and cut it off.
“These guys will attack you trying to climb to the summit. And even if destroyed, they will appear again and attack any number of times.”
Grin, the corners of Kang Mooseong’s mouth went up slowly.
“If destroyed to the point of being unable to operate, they are absorbed into the core, the center of the mountain, and reshape their bodies. And they infinitely track the target that attacked them.”
Kang Mooseong raised his head and pointed upwards.
“The mountain protects itself. These are not simple wooden dolls.”
Kang Mooseong extended his hand blade straight and pierced the Guardian’s chest.
Fragments flew along with sticky bodily fluids.
Then, as before, it turned into liquid and seeped into the ground.
“Until you escape this fog, they will aim for your lives over and over again.”
GULP-
Only the sound of someone swallowing saliva rang.
The scenery seemed frozen entirely.
He shook off the bodily fluids on his hand blade briskly and raised his head.
“The information provided ends here. If you are in danger, press the rescue button built into your watch. Patrols and instructors are tracking the coordinate values. Rescue will take place immediately.”
He added lastly.
“The moment you request rescue or the 24 hours end, the coordinate value at that time is your grade. Climbing up somehow will be important.”
And the moment Kang Mooseong finished his explanation.
DING-!
[Tactical Manual]
[Essential Task: Toward Baengnokdam]
[Goal: Reach Hallasan Summit (Baengnokdam) within 24 hours time limit]
[Condition: Combat between cadets prohibited / Survival and climbing record evaluation]
[Reward: 50,000 SP]
[Additional rewards will be given according to the learner’s performance.]
A notification signaling the start of the real exam for me arrived.