A test to steal an exam ticket?
For someone who had snuck into the testing site to evaluate the examinees’ abilities, this was nothing short of a perfect opportunity.
She had already been silently observing from the shadows, growing bored of the passive surveillance.
“Only chaff around me… I was starting to think coming here was a waste of time. Guess not.”
The third and fourth rounds had offered little insight into the true potential of the examinees. Especially the fourth—being conducted entirely within their dreams—had yielded nothing of value.
Worse still, the sheer number of participants meant the tests were split, making it impossible to watch them all.
But this test was different.
Every examinee participated, and the freedom of approach was considerable.
[You have entered the Gate.]
[Yellow: Misty Island V]
Lee Ga-hyeon, the doll-like girl possessing a test-taker marked with a yellow ticket, was more than pleased by this setup.
“Hmm… So it’s happening on an island.”
She dismissed the message that hovered in her vision and opened her eyes to a dense forest.
No one seemed to be nearby.
At least not visibly.
“…Too many eyes on me.”
Even though she restrained her emotions, she was still an examinee—barely stepping into the world. It wasn’t as if they were accustomed to hunting humans.
But Lee Ga-hyeon, someone who had no hesitation in killing, could feel the hesitation in their eyes.
“To be the hunted for once… Not bad. Not bad at all.”
In fact, she rather welcomed the situation that confronted her the moment she entered the Gate.
Ever since becoming one of the Six Demons, no one dared to touch her.
Now, people were aiming for her again.
It was a long-forgotten feeling.
It made her feel young.
She licked her lips.
“I wonder who’ll be the first to take me down?”
Humming a carefree tune, she wandered through the woods with feigned vulnerability, fully aware of the eyes upon her.
She played the part of an unguarded prey.
And in doing so, she baited them.
Bang!
“You’re first, huh?”
The shot rang out.
Hearing the projectile zip through the air, a sly smile curved her lips.
She drew two daggers from her belt and deflected the incoming bullet with a flick.
Rubber.
“Adorable.”
Suppressing a giggle, she sprinted toward the direction the shot had come from.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Her attacker grew visibly agitated when his surprise attack was dodged and met with retaliation.
More gunfire echoed.
But guns were fickle weapons.
Even a slight tremor could throw off the aim.
She didn’t even need to dodge. The bullets missed her of their own accord.
“That’s it? For someone trying to take me down first? Pathetic.”
She’d seen enough.
Without hesitation, she decided to eliminate him.
With a flick of her wrist, the dagger in her left hand spun through the air.
“…Ack!”
It sank into his shoulder just as he tried to flee, startled by her counterattack.
He tumbled from his perch in a nearby tree.
Thud.
Lee Ga-hyeon approached the fallen boy.
One of his arms bent at an unnatural angle.
“Urgh…”
“You need to learn how to keep calm. You’re out. I’ll be taking this.”
She didn’t kill him.
She wasn’t foolish enough to attract the attention of the evaluators.
Without a shred of sympathy for his moaning, she reached down to retrieve his exam ticket.
Mana Crasher
Just then, other examinees broke from their hiding spots.
They had waited for the right moment—when her attention was on the fallen opponent—to strike.
“These ones… they can read the flow.”
But it was no use.
Lee Ga-hyeon dodged the slash that came from behind and turned on the nearest examinees.
The fight didn’t last long.
“Th-this is impossible…”
“Why would someone with a yellow ticket be this strong…?”
After a few exchanges, all who had challenged her were lying on the ground.
They all wore the same expression of disbelief.
She walked among them, assessing their worth.
“You, you, you… and you.”
“All disqualified.”
The mocking tone made their faces twist in pain and humiliation.
But none could rise. The pain was too great.
She ripped their exam tickets from their bodies without pause.
“No one else? Pity.”
She had gathered enough tickets to pass.
But that wasn’t her goal.
She wanted to evaluate their capabilities.
And so, she moved on, playing the prey to lure out more hunters.
“You’re disqualified too.”
Unaware they were the ones being hunted.
She clicked her tongue as she looked at the tickets she’d collected.
“None of them met my standards.”
Though it was the final round and most examinees were competent, not a single one thrilled her.
None were beautiful or powerful enough to ignite her soul.
Her motivation waned.
Suddenly, the sound of air splitting reached her ears.
A massive tree swayed in the direction of the noise.
Lee Ga-hyeon silenced her steps and moved toward it.
“You trying to run now? That’s no way for a man to act!”
“…”
Two examinees were fighting.
And the battle was decidedly one-sided.
Her gaze focused on the dominant fighter.
“That boy…”
A tanned young man.
On the back and chest of his black uniform, the characters for 侠 and 义—“Chivalry” and “Justice”—were embroidered.
She knew who he was.
“A direct descendant of the Martial Virtue Dragon Clan.”
The foremost martial family.
Finding one of their examinees was an unexpected delight.
She watched him fight.
“Impressive.”
No trickery in his strikes—only raw, unyielding power.
Each blow was destructive in its purity.
His opponent, despite dodging for dear life, eventually couldn’t hold out and collapsed.
It was over.
Lee Ga-hyeon, having quietly observed, decided it was time to confirm his skill for herself.
“You showed promise… A good fight overall. I’ll take your exam tick—kgh!”
As the heir of the Martial Virtue Dragon Clan stood unaware, Lee Ga-hyeon closed the distance and leapt, delivering a flying kick.
Only at the last second did he sense her presence and raise his arms in time to block.
Still, he was forced back by her strength.
“What the hell is this ambush?”
His eyes narrowed between the raised arms.
He was clearly annoyed.
But she didn’t back down.
She lunged again, daggers flashing.
“So, you want to fight me? Fine. I’ll correct that attitude of yours.”
His knuckle guards shifted, transforming into full gauntlets that shielded his forearms.
Her blades couldn’t cut through.
Instead, he parried them and threw a counterpunch.
Boom!
His fist flew toward her face.
She twisted away, but the shockwave sliced a gash down her cheek.
“Tch. I liked this face. His punches are blades. As expected of the Martial Virtue Dragon Clan.”
Blood misted at the edge of her vision.
And yet, she smiled.
“You pass.”
“What!?”
He stared, confused.
She didn’t elaborate.
Instead, she kicked again.
Crack! Whoosh! Smack!
The heir reacted.
He raised both arms, forming a mana barrier.
Her attack collided, doing no damage.
But that hadn’t been her true aim.
Swish!
Using the barrier as a springboard, she flipped mid-air and landed far from her original position.
“Good luck with the rest of the test.”
“Hey! You’re just going to run away?! Get back here, coward! Finish what you started!”
She showed no hesitation as she turned her back and vanished into the woods.
Only then did he realize her intention—and roared in fury.
He tried to give chase, but the distance was too great.
She got away.
“Fight fair next time, dammit!”
Meanwhile, the examinee who had nearly lost his exam ticket to him had already fled.
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