A trap designed to launch the user in the direction of movement, propelling them into the air while triggering an explosion to boost speed.
This allowed us to cover the remaining distance in one leap, soaring all the way to Foggy Mountain’s summit.
Though reckless, it enabled Yeon-ha and me to arrive just in time.
As our feet touched the ground, the Gate Watch automatically stopped, displaying the time taken from the exam’s start to reaching the summit.
04:00:00
Exactly 4 hours.
Had we been a second late, we’d have received 2nd grade instead of 1st.
Relieved, I collapsed onto the ground.
Never again…
The feeling of hurtling through the fog like a missile, with no control and no idea what lay ahead, was something I never wanted to experience again.
Yeon-ha seemed to share the sentiment.
“N-Never again… I can’t. I don’t want to…”
“Same here…”
“I thought I’d die from fear. Do you know how hard it was to time the deceleration and landing?”
“Yeah, tough luck.”
Yeon-ha, her head resting on my stomach, spoke almost tearfully.
I comforted her, patting her head.
We lay there for a moment before getting up.
Evaluators, tasked with grading our performance, awaited us near the gate.
“Candidates #1532 and #5784, both of you achieved 1st grade.”
“So, can we leave now?”
“Yes. Leave your Gate Watch and Screen Choker there when exiting. Assistants outside the gate will explain the third practical exam.”
Starving and eager to rest, Yeon-ha and I followed the evaluator’s instructions and exited the gate.
…
The blinding light faded.
When my senses returned, we stood before the artificial gate.
An assistant approached.
“Thank you for your efforts today. The third practical exam is scheduled for tomorrow morning. Please arrive at the designated location on time.”
The assistant handed us a printout.
It detailed the third exam’s schedule and location.
9 AM, Dimension Hall 206.
“Where are you, Heaven?”
“I’m at Dimension Hall 206. You?”
“Same here. Great.”
We’ll be taking the exam together tomorrow.
Having confirmed the location, we decided to leave.
“The exam’s over, let’s head back to the hotel. I want to shower right away.”
“Didn’t you clean yourself with Purification Magic?”
“It’s different to shower properly. Magic feels… sticky.”
“True, but it’s evening… Are you hungry, Heaven?”
“Hungry? Now that you mention it, it’s been hours since lunch… I’m starving.”
“How about we grab a meal on the way back to the hotel? We can shower afterwards.”
“Ugh… It’s a hassle to go out again after showering, so let’s do that. I feel like eating something other than hotel food.”
“What do you feel like eating?”
“I’m fine with anything.”
“That’s the hardest to deal with, you know?”
“Well… then something delicious!”
“According to Sis Shi-eun, there’s a place near the main gate that serves great soup rice, especially ox bone soup.”
“Ox bone soup? Hmm… Not bad, but is there anything else?”
“How about blood sausage soup…”
“You want soup rice, or do you just know soup rice?”
“It’s a staple for Koreans. Why not? It’s hot and tasty.”
“Ugh… Alright, let’s go for soup rice. You’re craving it, so we should.”
“Wait, I’ll ask Sis Shi-eun if there’s another place.”
She’s probably busy assisting, but I’ll send her a message just in case.
“Huh? She read it.”
“What’d she say?”
“Um…”
Fortunately, Do Shi-eun checked my message shortly after I sent it.
I read her reply.
[Do Shi-eun]: Want to eat together when you have time? (Cat holding fish and wagging tail emoji)
“…She’s suggesting we eat together? What do you think? I’ll introduce you to Sis Shi-eun.”
“What? Hmm… Sure, why not.”
The Brilliant Cafe, sharing history with Golden Academy, is located within its grounds.
In the game, this cafe provided players with various information—like where certain dungeons had specific monsters, or when particular items were up for auction.
It also served as a place to encounter unexpected characters or receive quests from those within the cafe.
There was even a quest board allowing players to take on missions at any time.
In a way, the Brilliant Cafe was content that helped players grow beyond the main game story, assisting the protagonist Kang Strong-bell and his party.
We were now at this very cafe.
For a cafe, it feels like a high-end restaurant. Truly deserving of its reputation as a longstanding social hub for elites.
A 3-story cafe with a vintage ambience.
Surrounded by ivy and plants climbing its exterior walls, the cafe’s interior was no different, featuring a well-maintained garden.
Do Shi-eun, who’d agreed to have dinner with us, was waiting there.
She greeted us.
“Welcome. Must’ve been tough taking the exam.”
“It’s been a while, sis. We’ve been meaning to grab a meal whenever I visit the Academy City, and finally, we’re doing it.”
“I know, I’m sorry. Lately, I’ve been swamped with work, making it hard to find time.”
“No need to apologize. I know you’re busy as student council president. I’ve been busy too, with the qualification exams.”
Five years had passed since I’d gotten close to Do Shi-eun.
Compared to back then, she’d grown taller.
Now, I’m just a bit taller than her.
More than that, her demeanour had changed.
No, it had been refined.
She’d once reminded me of a chivalrous knight; now, she exuded a much calmer and more mature aura.
She looked almost exactly like her in-game illustration.
“Thanks for understanding.”
At that moment, Do Shi-eun smiled.
Was it because we were cousins?
Unlike her in-game counterpart, the Do Shi-eun I’d known for five years often smiled.
Soon, her blue eyes turned to Yeon-ha beside me.
“You must be Heaven, the Seven-Colored Witch’s disciple. Jianwu often talks about you.”
“Hi, sis. I’m Yeon-ha. I’ve heard a lot about you too.”
“You can speak casually. Jianwu does, and I prefer that.”
“Sure… if you’re okay with it, I will.”
It was Do Shi-eun and Yeon-ha’s first meeting.
Having learned about each other through me, they exchanged greetings warmly.
I was worried Yeon-ha might be shy, but thankfully, she wasn’t.
Perhaps because I’d mentioned Do Shi-eun from time to time.
Yeon-ha showed no wariness toward her, even calling her “sis” without hesitation and treating her亲切ly.
Her gaze toward her was quite friendly.
I felt a sense of pride for some reason.
“Speaking of which, we haven’t ordered anything yet. Are you hungry? Order whatever you want. I’ll treat.”
“Wow! Thanks, sis! I’ll eat well!”
“What’s good here?”
“Everything’s decent, but I often have this.”
“…Cheese tonkatsu?”
“Yeah, it’s delicious here.”
The Brilliant Cafe offered not just drinks but meals as well.
We perused the menu.
“I’ll have the cheese tonkatsu.”
“How about you, Heaven?”
“I’ll try what sis is having.”
“Then I’ll go with… this.”
“Ham steak?”
“Ah, that’s good too.”
“I’ll have that.”
“Choose your drinks too, kids.”
After deciding our orders, we chatted until the food arrived.
“By the way, sis, were you the one during the first exam, glaring from behind to stop evaluators from laughing?”
“Oh, yeah… I couldn’t let hardworking candidates become a laughingstock.”
“Must’ve been exhausting.”
“Not too bad… I guess?”
“How many fainted?”
“Around… 14?”
“Wow, that’s a lot.”
“Ah, is that a lot?”
“No, not really? In our exam hall, there were even more…”
“Heaven, really….”
“What? What’d I say?”
“You’re right.”
As exam candidates, Yeon-ha and I, and Do Shi-eun as an assistant, naturally discussed exam-related topics.
Then, our ordered dishes arrived.
“Whoa, the cheese is stretching so far?”
“That’s why students come here and post on SNS showing how much the cheese stretches. It even reaches the ceiling.”
“The ceiling? Really?”
“I’ll show you a photo next time. Ah, phone number…”
“Give me your number, sis. I’ll save it.”
Yeon-ha and Do Shi-eun exchanged phone numbers mid-meal.
Having both their numbers, I silently took a bite of my ham steak.
It’s delicious.
Now I understood why Kang Strong-bell liked this cafe’s ham steak in the game.
I’d probably visit often after passing.
Speaking of which…
Sis Shi-eun and cheese tonkatsu…
Though I felt bad for her, it didn’t suit her image at all.
Watching her cut the tonkatsu primly made me want to laugh.
At that moment, our eyes met.
“Want a bite?”
Unaware of my thoughts, Do Shi-eun tilted her head.
Then, she offered me a piece of her freshly cut tonkatsu.
Suppressing my laughter, I said,
“I’ll give you one of mine too. Here.”
“Ah, let’s swap.”
One to Do Shi-eun, one to Yeon-ha.
I handed them my portions and received a piece of tonkatsu.
This is tasty too.
Taking a bite, the cheese inside stretched without breaking.
Though eating too much might be overwhelming, the rich cheese flavor was delightful.
“Delicious. I’ll probably come here often.”
“Me too.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. You should avoid coming here during lunch and dinner times. It’s hard to find a seat then.”
Given the exam, Yeon-ha, Do Shi-eun, and I couldn’t linger long. So we decided to stay put, sipping drinks to pass the time.
Then it occurred to me.
“Sis, you know?”
“Hmm?”
“As an assistant, don’t you know anything about tomorrow’s exam?”
“We don’t oversee the exams, so we don’t know anything about them. We only find out right before. And even if we did, we couldn’t tell you.”
“Tch.”
“But I don’t know anything, so…”
“…?”
“I guess I could give some advice about the exam.”
“What kind of advice?”
“Thinking about the types of the 1st and 2nd exams, for the 3rd exam…”
“…”
Do Shi-eun drew the Shuiyan Sword from her scabbard.
The pale blade reflected Yeon-ha’s and my faces.
“I think they might ask about this.”
Do Shi-eun channeled her internal mana.
Mana infused the Shuiyan Sword.
“…Water droplets?”
Water droplets formed around the blade.
Blue droplets, red droplets.
Droplets of different colors hovered around us.
January nights are long.
Candidate #3452.
By the time the candidate finished the 2nd practical exam and left Golden Academy, dusk had fallen, and pitch-black night had set in.
“Another exam tomorrow…”
The candidate sighed.
Golden Academy’s admission practical exam had 5 rounds.
Having received the lowest grade in the 2nd exam, the candidate couldn’t be sure if they’d last until then.
Anxiety loomed.
“Isn’t this too hard…”
Tired. Hungry. Lost.
First, to prepare for tomorrow’s exam, they should return to their lodging and rest.
Passing under the lights of high-rise buildings, the candidate headed toward the most underdeveloped area of District 23.
Why choose lodging far from Golden Academy, with poor security and underdeveloped conditions? Two main reasons.
Prices were exorbitant.
They had no money.
Candidates with little sponsorship had no choice but to stay here.
“Are there really this many cockroaches? What kind of academy city is this…”
From a certain road onward, the atmosphere changed.
Passing under streetlights that were off.
No one else was around.
The surroundings were eerily dark.
Someone’s watching.
Someone’s following.
The candidate distinctly heard a sound.
Click.
No.
It wasn’t a feeling.
The candidate heard it.
“…”
Someone’s watching.
Following.
The candidate quickly turned their head.
Nothing.
“…I should hurry back.”
Something felt off.
Instinct rang an alarm.
The candidate sped up, not looking back, and began to run.
Wishing it was their imagination.
Click-click.
But the footsteps continued.
The sound of high heels echoed in the labyrinthine alleyways.
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