Rumors spread like wildfire through the ranks of the examinees—rumors born from the mouths of those who had fallen to Do Gyeon-woo.
Those who lost their exam tags to him were quick to summon allies, hoping to reclaim what had been stolen.
“It’s that kid from the Sword Sage Sect! He’s the problem!”
“He stole every last one of our tags!”
“Do you even know how many points he’s stacked up?! It’s said to be over a thousand! A thousand!”
All across Spiritwood Island, the examinees began to converge on a single point.
Some came to reclaim their lost tags. Others, seeking to benefit from the chaos, aimed for opportunistic gain.
Their reasons varied, but the center of this storm remained the same: Do Gyeon-woo.
“Hmph… Do Gyeon-woo from the Sword Sage Sect, is it…”
By dusk, tales of his exploits had traveled the breadth of the island. It was impossible for Lee Ga-hyeon not to have heard.
Perched atop a towering tree, she watched the wave of examinees flowing in one direction—and her curiosity was piqued.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t seen the Sword Sage Sect’s examinee yet.”
Her tongue ran across her lips.
From the stories, Do Gyeon-woo had earned two conflicting nicknames: Rabbit, for cowardice—and Lion Cub, imbued with cryptic menace.
To her, both names were equally charming.
“Adorable.”
A rabbit? A lion cub? For someone from the Sword Sage Sect, those were absurdly endearing monikers.
Naturally, her intrigue deepened.
And if he truly had been overpowering examinees left and right, then he must also possess considerable skill.
That mix of prowess and such names? Impossible to picture. The contrast was staggering.
“Let’s see how strong this rabbit really is, shall we?”
Just who was this Do Gyeon-woo?
Lee Ga-hyeon had to know.
Trailing the surge of examinees, she set out to find him.
And there he was, locked in battle amidst the open plains.
…
He was a striking youth—raven-black hair, delicate facial features.
A picture of elegance and gentleness. The type to obediently follow his parents’ instructions, diligent and unblemished.
At least, in her view.
“He probably cries beautifully. Teaching him would be a rewarding experience.”
His face invited cruelty. And yet, when his eyes sharpened, his demeanor changed entirely.
Form Twelve of the Royal Beast Arts
Lion’s Flight
Though heavily outnumbered, Do Gyeon-woo stood unshaken, engaging every challenger without a shred of fear.
No—he overwhelmed them.
He evaded every attack with a dancer’s grace, his confident smirk suggesting he relished every second of it.
That expression—it was as if he took joy in dominance.
A face that could draw you into submission before you realized it.
“…Sexy.”
How could someone embody both cruelty and vulnerability in a single expression?
It hit her like lightning.
Literally.
Each swing of his blade erupted in crackling blue current, the air around him roaring with energy.
It was the Thunderclap Technique.
Barely seventeen and already commanding it so masterfully—there was no longer any need to question his skill.
“Pass. Mega pass. He’s completely my type. Even if it brings trouble later, I want to add him to my collection.”
Lee Ga-hyeon swung her legs where she perched, licking her lips, swallowing hard.
It had been a while since she’d felt this kind of possessiveness.
But she had to resist.
Do Gyeon-woo was still in progress. Still ripening. Only when he was fully matured would making him her doll feel truly satisfying.
She had to wait. She had to.
To cool her blazing anticipation, she made a compromise.
“I can’t just watch from afar. I want to see him up close. Might as well go say hello.”
She stood, still trembling with suppressed excitement.
Just as she was about to plunge into the chaos, she reconsidered.
“No, that won’t do. I want to play alone with him. This crowd won’t let us enjoy that.”
She looked skyward.
The sun was nearly gone. Soon the heavens would darken, and night would descend.
Monsters would grow more ferocious. The battle below would pause, briefly.
That would be her moment.
“Yes… that’s the time to strike.”
She giggled to herself.
She looked forward to nightfall.
As dusk fell, the examinees began to retreat from the plains, their energy spent.
It was then that I—Do Gyeon-woo—began to feel the full weight of my fatigue.
Even with the potions I’d gathered and the healing I received from Go Eun-bi’s companion, my body had reached its limit.
[Your body has broken through its limits.]
[Stamina +1]
[Strength +1]
[Endurance +1]
[Magic +1]
[Luck +1]
The stats I rarely managed to increase—excluding agility—had all risen by one. That said everything about how brutally I had pushed myself.
Time to rest.
I returned to the prearranged campsite with Go Eun-bi.
“Gyeon-woo, you’re back? You worked so hard…”
“…So did you, Eun-bi. Everyone did.”
They were all visibly worn down.
No doubt I looked just the same.
We shared in our exhaustion, bound by common struggle.
But the moment we tallied our spoils, energy returned like magic.
“Wow, all of these are exam tags?!”
“Even split between five people, how much is that each?!”
Aside from the tags pinned to my clothes, my bag was stuffed with them—some black, some blue.
The others couldn’t help but gape.
I chuckled.
“Eun-bi, just divide them fairly. Don’t forget my share.”
“It’ll take some work to appraise them all, but okay. Still—are you sure you’re fine taking the same cut as us? You did the most.”
“It’s not like I suffered alone. You all did your parts, and those weren’t easy either.”
“If you say so… thank you! I’ll take it gladly!”
“Thanks, Gyeon-woo!”
They lit up with joy.
I merely nodded in return and fell into thought.
So… Lee Ga-hyeon never showed up after all.
Now that I had enough tags, my thoughts drifted elsewhere—to the Doll Witch, Lee Ga-hyeon.
I had orchestrated that battlefield chaos to draw her in.
She had not evaluated me in person.
Or perhaps not directly.
Because I did feel a gaze—one that pierced from afar.
I had enhanced my vision toward its source, spotting a woman with a yellow tag—matching Eun-bi’s description of her.
No doubt about it. It was her.
And yet, she had only watched.
Was it because she knew she couldn’t fight me properly in that situation…?
A pity, from my perspective.
But her interest was certain.
Had it not been, she wouldn’t have watched so intently for so long.
Knowing her temperament, she would return.
And if I were to guess when…
Tonight. It has to be tonight.
The test ends tomorrow.
If she intends to confront me, tonight is her only chance.
Maybe early dawn, at the latest.
And it’s not just her. Other examinees are in the same position—seeking to reclaim tags, meet the pass threshold, or boost their scores.
That’s why they retreated earlier—saving their strength for the night skirmishes.
Beep!
My Gate Watch vibrated.
A message flashed.
[21:00:00]
[Displaying all exam tags within 500 meters.]
The location pings that came every three hours.
As I saw the screen, I let out a bitter chuckle.
Go Eun-bi echoed the sentiment.
“Whoa… we really did collect a lot. Our position is just a massive dot cluster. And all around us…”
“…”
From beyond the limits of our detection field, they were lying in wait.
All around us.
The second clash would be fiercer than the first.
The very idea of sleep had to be abandoned.
It was going to be a loud, chaotic night.
“Lee Ga-hyeon must be nearby.”
Among the many dots scattered across the map, there had to be one marking her location.
While preparing for the inevitable night raids by other examinees, I also had to remain aware of her presence.
And as if the circumstances weren’t already difficult enough—things only continued to worsen.
Beep!
An hour had passed since the last alert.
It was now 10 PM.
Once again, my Gate Watch buzzed to life.
[22:00:00]
[The location of the Gate is now designated. The Gate will be accessible starting from 9:00 AM tomorrow.]
[From 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM tomorrow, proctors will evaluate examinees’ performance in front of the Gate. All examinees are asked to arrive within the designated timeframe.]
[The examination concludes at 9:00 AM tomorrow. All skirmishes must cease beyond this time. Noncompliance may result in penalties.]
I scrolled down to the bottom of the message.
A full map of Spiritwood Island was displayed, with the Gate’s newly assigned location marked prominently.
The moment I saw it, I scowled.
“Gyeon-woo, the Gate’s location is…”
“Yeah. I saw it too.”
“What are we going to do?”
“…What we have to.”
“Gyeon-woo, I trust you. I know you’ll figure something out.”
“Then let’s go in ready to die.”
“So… there really is no plan.”
Fate had chosen poorly.
The Gate’s location was far too close to our campsite.
That meant far more examinees were likely to swarm this area—drawn here like moths to flame.
After all, to finish the exam, every one of them would have to pass through that Gate.
And the tags? Naturally, they’d be heading in the same direction.
It was inevitable: the battlefield would shift to surround the Gate.
“So nobody gets to dream about sleeping tonight. If you want to sleep, go outside and do it there.”
“To summarize—everyone on the island is going to keep flooding toward our position, trying to claw back their last chance to pass. Not just that, but you’ll have people camping near the Gate, and others hunting them… and still more people hunting those hunters…”
“In simple terms, every single examinee on this island is headed our way.”
“Yeah, we’re doomed! We’re totally screwed! What are we supposed to do?!”
Go Eun-bi’s voice cracked as her face crumpled into a tearful grimace.
Whether it was her or the others, everyone looked like they’d just been hit with the full weight of despair.
But staring blankly at our misfortune wasn’t going to solve anything.
I had to snap them out of it.
“We’re not doomed. Not yet. And we won’t be, as long as we prepare.”
“Gyeon-woo, I’ve been thinking… What if we make a run for it? If it gets any darker, they might not even realize we’re gone.”
“And how exactly do we get past the surveillance net surrounding us?”
“…Should we dig a tunnel and hide in the ground?”
“Give it up. Accept reality. We’re not the only ones under threat—those other groups will end up fighting each other too. Everyone’s surrounded by enemies. So let’s stay sharp, and if you can get some sleep, take it.”
“You said not to even think about sleep.”
“Figure of speech. We can’t fight without rest. Let’s take turns standing watch—two at a time. Oh, and Eun-bi, I need to ask you something.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
I leaned closer and whispered.
Because if we couldn’t predict what would happen next, the least we could do was prepare for all possibilities.
And just like that…
The final night of the examination began.
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