novelraw Chapter 6 : Chapter 6
Chapter 6 : Chapter 6
Chapter 6: The Final Exam (3)
As I approached a secluded building in the virtual city, the ‘variable’ revealed itself.
“Hm? Looks like you knew I was following you? You seem to have some sense.”
It was a boy with sharp eyes, dressed in black from top to bottom.
The fellow with the name tag number 461 ironically showed clear hostility towards me, a fellow examinee.
“You were having fun with the test all by yourself, so I decided to follow along. Geez, ‘Citizen Carry and Dash’……. That wasn't part of the academy's official announcement, was it?”
Number 461 seemed to have a problem with my method.
The type to say, ‘While others are struggling to fight, are you having it easy just by running away?’
“The academy did make it clear. The key is how you interpret the keyword ‘rescue’.”
“Really? Well, that does make some sense. Grasping the examiner's intent! You’re saying you did that well, right? But, you know what?”
Number 461 shrugged and continued.
“In this test, the rescued citizen becomes a ‘card,’ and the goal is to collect 10 of them. The interesting thing here is that there's no rule against examinees attacking each other.”
“…….”
“That would also be a valid strategy, right? To grasp the examiner's intent, that is. Just like how you got a free pass on rescuing citizens.”
The blatant hostility and unabashed provocation quickly conveyed his purpose.
He intended to take the cards I had collected.
This was the variable in this test.
The fact that despite it being a test to select hero candidates, stealing cards from each other was not prohibited.
Other examinees taking on a sort of ‘villain’ role naturally allowed for the evaluation of interpersonal combat skills as well.
“Wait, I don’t get it?”
“What?”
“In the end, I’ve basically told you the answer. You can just use the same method. Then you can stably rescue 10 citizens. So why are you trying to fight me? If you get eliminated, it's your loss.”
At my words, Number 461 gave a cynical smile and then began to burst into laughter.
Like someone who had heard a funny joke.
“Eliminated? Me? I get eliminated from fighting you?”
The fellow, who had been laughing and talking for a long while, suddenly put on a serious expression and lowered his voice.
“I’ll tell you two things. First, you’re no match for me. You’re a Non-Awakened, aren’t you?”
With those words, he gave a sneer and took something out from his clothes.
It was two sharply honed throwing daggers.
“Second, the reason they didn't bother to stop us from attacking each other is probably so that the other examinees can filter out impurities like you themselves.”
The moment he finished speaking, his form blurred.
As expected, he was a guy who fought based on fast mobility.
The sharp daggers flew in, making a cool sound.
Ping-!
However, the dagger just cut through the air.
A single nod of my head was enough.
The [Evasion Instinct] passive was working nicely again.
Right after, the fellow’s brow twitched at the sword that didn't connect.
“Oh, you dodged?”
A slightly surprised reaction. He probably intended to finish it in one shot.
But his attitude was still relaxed.
The fellow approached again with a swaggering gait.
My choice, facing such a guy, was simple.
“Are you running away from me too?”
I ran. A voice that sounded dumbfounded came from behind.
As I’ve said repeatedly, there is no reason to fight him.
I have nothing to gain even if I win, and I lose 8 cards if I lose.
There is no reason to engage in such an unfair fight.
“Damn it, why can’t I hit you?”
The fellow’s feet were slightly faster.
Sharp stabs continuously came at me.
Fortunately, thanks to the strange evasion ability overlaid on my body, I didn't allow any effective hits.
Most of the attacks just cut through the air.
However, it was a bothersome situation.
I was in a position where it wouldn't be enough to just quickly complete the citizen rescue, but now I was caught up in a pointless fight.
“Stop running away!”
The fellow, unable to bear it any longer, got ahead of me and blocked my path.
The sharply honed blade rushed toward me.
The moment a cynical smile appeared on the fellow's face, as if I couldn't dodge this time.
The attack once again cut through the air.
One more time. And again.
The result was always the same.
“Why……?”
The fellow muttered blankly. Why couldn't he reach me?
The reason was simple.
An agitated opponent charges in.
There is no tempo or rhythm.
Since such an obvious attack was coming, I just obviously dodged it.
The problem was that my attacks couldn't reach him either.
Because he was a fundamentally agile fellow.
‘I can’t use a skill right now.’
If I use [Hundred Night Yaksha] once, I won't be able to move my body for a while.
I couldn't ruin the test just to take care of one pest.
‘Rather…….’
My thought process began to speed up.
To find a move I could use right now.
And finally, one possibility came to mind.
“Hoo-up-!”
The timing of the fellow charging in again.
I dodged by slightly sidestepping the attack he threw out.
And in that fleeting moment that was revealed.
Shiik—!
I swung my sword widely.
“Ugh-.”
A surprise attack aimed at a moment of carelessness.
It seemed successful, but.
Teong-!
My sword missed him and hit the floor.
He had dodged it acrobatically by throwing his body backward.
“Ha! You think I’d get hit by something like that?”
The fellow sneered. My swordsmanship is certainly sloppy without using a skill.
But the fellow made a mistake.
By throwing his body backward to dodge my clumsy sword strike.
That alone was enough to create distance and seize the timing.
I entered the building right next to us without delay.
Because on flat ground, no matter how much I got away, he would just catch up again.
“After all that nonsense, you’re just gonna run away!”
Cursing was heard from below.
The sound of running up the stairs soon followed.
And another sound was heard too.
“P-please, save me!”
The screams and shouts of a citizen asking for rescue from a room on the 3rd floor.
For me, it was a welcome sound.
***
“Damn it, running around like a rat.”
Number 461 cursed as he ran up the stairs.
He was in the middle of an unexpected chase.
The target was trainee number 456.
He thought he could take care of him easily and get 8 citizen cards, but things weren't going as smoothly as he thought.
‘Why can’t I hit him?’
He was confident in his speed, if nothing else.
But his sword just couldn't reach the guy.
Because every time he thrust or swung his sword, the guy would dodge it with a strange reaction speed.
Although it was some kind of superhuman ability, he didn't feel any magic power at all. It was strange.
After dodging all the attacks coming at him, Ryu Jinwoo ran straight into the building.
“You think you can get away with just running!”
Number 461 listened for Ryu Jinwoo’s footsteps.
The footsteps, which had been moving diligently, stopped in a room on the 4th floor.
An obvious trick. He probably went inside the building to launch a surprise attack.
But no chance.
He approached the room with his guard raised as high as possible.
If he comes with a surprise attack, I'll counter him right away.
Number 461 was confident in his speed.
That’s why he entered the room without hesitation, and.
“……Where did he go?”
There was no surprise attack as expected. Just a wide-open window.
Number 461 looked outside the window.
He had a feeling, and as expected, Ryu Jinwoo was there.
He was looking at Number 461 with a calm expression.
With a citizen in his arms.
Looking at that scene, his anger flared up.
Is that bastard messing with me?
‘I was just going to knock him out, but I should make it so he can’t even use his legs…….’
Just as he was about to kick off the ground with a rough resolve, something was strange.
His balance began to waver.
Number 461 reflexively looked at the floor.
A crack, as if someone had intentionally broken it, was carved beneath his feet.
‘Don't tell me……!’
By the time he realized, it was already too late.
Kwang! Urereu-.
The floor broke, and his body was already falling.
Teodeong-!
Due to the collapsing floor, Number 461 fell to the floor directly below.
Naturally, falling from one story high doesn't cause any injuries.
The problem was the sense of unease he had been feeling for a while.
Number 461 recalled Ryu Jinwoo’s appearance.
‘He was holding a citizen.’
At the same time, he could tell the source of the unease.
Geureureu-
A certain ominous sound was heard.
A sound like the low growl of a beast.
Sprawled on the floor, Number 461 slowly raised his head.
A massive body and presence that seemed to fill the room, and hot breath reminiscent of a steam engine were felt up close.
A humanoid monster with the face of a bull, a Minotaur.
That monster was showing blatant hostility toward Number 461.
“You son of a-.”
Number 461 couldn't finish his words.
Kwang-!
Because with the wild body slam that followed, Number 461’s body flew through the air, breaking through the wall.
Kung-!
A cloud of dust rose once in the empty field.
“Eu-eo……eo…….”
Number 461, who was roughly slammed to the ground, saw Ryu Jinwoo’s face upside down in his vision.
Ryu Jinwoo watched him for a moment and then coolly walked away.
A moment later, the roar of the Minotaur that had been echoing from above suddenly died down.
In his blurring vision, he could see Ryu Jinwoo organizing the newly acquired card.
When their eyes met with the sprawled-out Number 461, Ryu Jinwoo lightly raised his middle finger.
“You…… you son of a bi…….”
This time too, Number 461 couldn't finish his curse.
His vision went black as if the screen had faded out.
***
[Ryu Jinwoo (456) - Rescued: 9/10]
Leaving behind Number 461, who was sprawled out unconscious, I coolly left the scene.
Although I was a bit flustered because the Mimic guy suddenly appeared and laughed bizarrely at the opponent who fell for my trap.
Now, only one last person was left in the test.
Since there could be others like that guy aiming for the cards I collected, the key was to quickly fill the last slot.
I wandered around the buildings as I had been doing.
Because if I found a citizen inside a building, I could rescue them without a fight.
But from a certain point, every building I entered was empty.
“Do I have to take care of the last one outside.”
I had been avoiding battle to minimize the risks, but at this rate, I might have no choice.
Just as I was diligently moving my feet.
“Kyaak-!”
How long had I been wandering?
A high, sharp scream echoed.
It was a clue that a citizen was nearby.
‘Should I check it out first? If it's a weak monster, I can just take it down.’
After organizing my thoughts, I ran toward the sound of the scream.
As expected, a citizen was trembling in fear there.
But she was not alone.
A monster had already been summoned.
The summoned monster was a giant scorpion-type monster.
Its size was three times that of an adult man, and its armored body shone with a luster, clearly showing its hardness.
From the tail raised high above its head, a venomous liquid, as black as petroleum and overflowing with a foul aura, dripped down.
And standing calmly in front of it was a person.
A girl with silver hair that came down to her waist and red eyes that shone like rubies.
The flames that wrapped around her entire body swayed like a heat haze.
“……Seol Hayun?”
One of the main characters of [Heroes Zero].
A familiar face I had often seen in the game.
The moment she took a step, the heat began to rise.
Before long, fierce flames rose up from around her.