It was strange. Extremely strange…….
So strange that I even began to wonder whether Joo Arin had made a mistake.
I was about to ask again, but apparently my expression had already given me away.
“You really do have a talent for exhausting people in all sorts of ways.”
Joo Arin let out a shallow sigh and personally showed me the number she had drawn.
“It really is.”
Now that I had seen it, I had no choice but to believe her.
It was really a 9. Not an upside-down 6, but an actual 9. A hollow laugh escaped me before I knew it.
The plot had changed…….
Because the difficulty of the conquest varied depending on the draw, Joo Arin’s team was originally supposed to encounter Saripgoe, Magical Beasts of moderate difficulty, clear the stage relatively quickly, and finish in fourth place.
That was how events were supposed to unfold.
But something had changed.
Could the variable known as me have thrown something off?
“Tsk. How are we supposed to fight while dragging around two pieces of dead weight?”
Kang Cheolmin grinned, oblivious to the situation, but I ignored him.
“Any more questions? If not, let us head to the waiting area.”
Joo Arin turned away coldly and strode ahead.
For the moment, I followed her.
Worrying about it would not solve anything.
The condition of my teammates left much to be desired, but we had Joo Arin, who ranked above Lee Daeho, and we also had me, whose attacks packed considerable destructive power.
So we would manage somehow.
“Besides, it is only third place, not first.”
I would be lying if I said I was not uneasy, but I was not afraid.
After all, momentum was fundamental in battle.
Whether it was the worst possible opponent or anything else, I needed the resolve to smash the head of anything that stood in my way…….
With that much determination, half the battle was already won.
At least, according to the common sense I knew.
***
The G-17 Nest that Class A was assigned to occupy was located somewhere around Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province.
It would have taken well over an hour by car, but this was a world originally based on a novel.
It possessed transportation devices convenient enough to make physical distance practically irrelevant.
CRACKLE, CRACKLE.
We stood before a portal with the code number ‘G-17-9,’ which had been prepared behind the plaza.
Once we passed through that curtain of light, we could travel directly to Opening Stage No. 9 of the G-17 Nest without any cumbersome journey.
It was a type of long-distance transportation magic that Taehak had installed in advance.
“Team 4, all members standing by.”
After Joo Arin reported in, Lee Taekjin’s voice came through the earpiece in my ear.
-Reception is clear. The evaluation begins the moment you enter. Team 4’s objective today is to occupy Opening Stage No. 9. Completion time, team member safety, and difficulty will all factor into your evaluation. Good luck.
We had been granted permission to enter.
“Everyone ready?”
“Yes. Arin, I am counting on you!”
“……Yes, I am ready.”
“All right, let us go!”
“Until we understand the situation inside, we will prioritize safety over speed. Everyone, maintain your assigned positions.”
Joo Arin raised her long, pale fingers and gave the signal.
At her cue, the team members leaped into the portal one after another, maintaining fixed intervals between themselves.
At the very front was Kang Cheolmin of the Superhuman System, who was capable of both offense and defense.
Behind him came Min Youngji, a Support System user who would serve as our guide.
The ranged support positions were occupied by Joo Arin of the Summoning System, who could react immediately to danger, followed by Lee Minha of the Magic System.
And in the rear was the slowest member, but also the one with the greatest destructive power.
The Sorcery Arts System user.
Me.
It was the formation we had decided on while making our way to the entrance.
Without hesitation, I jumped in after the teammates who had entered before me.
“Hup.”
The instant I did, my body spun around as though I had unknowingly stepped into an open manhole.
My vision went black, and darkness swallowed everything around me.
……What the hell?
For someone who had leaped in so boldly, I ended up falling in a remarkably undignified manner.
WHOOOOOOOOSH───────!
It felt like riding a roller coaster with my eyes closed while standing upright.
With my sense of direction becoming completely muddled as well, my stomach began to churn.
THUDDD.
Fortunately, I reached the other end sooner than expected.
By sheer luck, I had apparently landed on something soft rather than the stone floor…….
“Aaaagh! My back!”
“Gaaaaah! You lunatic!”
……Apparently not.
No wonder there had been a slightly sour smell.
“Ah, fuck! Get off me already, you idiot! Is this your first time using a portal?”
Yes, it is, asshole.
As my vision cleared, I saw a somewhat narrow back pinned beneath my rear.
Perhaps this was divine justice. Heaven itself must have sent Kang Cheolmin ahead so that he could serve as my landing pad.
“Up we go.”
“Aaaagh, you son of a—”
To honor such a noble intention, I planted my foot firmly on his thick hand as I stood up.
“You did that on purpose, did you not?”
At least he was fairly perceptive.
“I am done putting up with you. You bastard, I have not liked you since the Special Scholarship Student selection match.”
What did the scholarship selection have to do with anything?
Kang Cheolmin, thoroughly enraged, glared at me and approached as though he intended to throw one punch—no, several.
“Are you all right?”
That was, until Joo Arin hurried over and gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
Kang Cheolmin immediately became flustered, and his face reddened for an entirely different reason.
“Well, I instinctively broke my fall, so…….”
“Whew.”
Only then did Joo Arin’s expression visibly relax as she breathed a sigh of relief.
“W-were you that worried……? Ahem. Were you worried that I might have gotten hurt?”
“Of course. What would we have done if we had lost safety points before we even started? The person underneath should have moved out of the way.”
Ah, she was worried about the score, not him?
“And as the team leader, I am warning you. It would be best to refrain from pointless hostility. If this keeps happening, I will report it separately to the professor.”
“……Right.”
Kang Cheolmin had clearly been expecting something else. Even I felt embarrassed for him.
Joo Arin turned away with her usual cold demeanor, then fired a remark at me as well.
“You need to keep your head straight too. This is not like the Diagnostic Assessment, where you can get by on sheer luck.”
That stung a little, but at least I was not as humiliated as that bastard.
Feeling a flicker of pity for him, I decided to offer an apology.
“My mistake.”
“……Shut up.”
Just then, Lee Minha hurried over to Kang Cheolmin and muttered.
“Cheolmin, thank you.”
Was that really what she was supposed to say?
***
The situation was quickly brought under control.
Joo Arin hurriedly delivered the report that had been delayed.
-Team 4. Entry complete.
-I will transmit the information. Confirm receipt.
Soon afterward, along with Lee Taekjin’s voice, the phone in my pocket vibrated.
Joo Arin took out her phone and projected the information we had received for everyone to see.
It concerned the Magical Beasts lurking within Opening Stage No. 9, the area we had to occupy today.
───────────────
[Entity: Kkeomeoksari]
[Threat Level: Grade 10 - Grade 7]
[Attribute: Dark (55%)]
[Characteristics: Magical Beasts that live in groups. Possess the ability to become incorporeal, allowing them to pass through terrain and physical obstacles. Primitive, but possess intelligence. The leader is relatively powerful.]
───────────────
“Ah, damn it.”
“Kkeomeoksari? Those are extremely troublesome Magical Beasts, are they not?”
The expressions of my teammates darkened after reading the information.
Just as in the original story, they were Kkeomeoksari.
They were Magical Beasts about the size of three-year-old children, with vicious temperaments and pitch-black bodies.
Even with only a fifty-five percent affinity, their Dark Attribute made them difficult opponents.
They moved in packs numbering in the dozens.
On top of that, their leader was Grade 7.
On a scale ranging from Grade 10 to Grade 1, that placed it around the lower-middle ranks, but it was still not something second-year students could handle easily.
The Magical Beast I had killed before had been Grade 9, which meant this leader would be the strongest Magical Beast I had encountered so far.
……Wait.
Killing Magical Beasts?
At that moment, the original purpose I had nearly forgotten flashed through my mind.
“Of all the things to forget.”
How could I have gone through all that hardship and completely forgotten about it?
Hunting Magical Beasts was another method of obtaining time.
I might have been heading out to hunt them because of the quest, but I was still on my way to kill Magical Beasts.
And this was a nest.
A nest where, once you entered, Magical Beasts came swarming toward you of their own accord.
“How many hours would I earn if I killed all of them?”
I barely managed to suppress the grin threatening to spread across my face.
Joo Arin, by contrast, looked quite serious.
“It seems we drew the worst possible option. Still, stronger enemies should give us a higher difficulty score, so let us try to look at the positive side.”
Whatever else I might think, I agreed with that.
The stronger the opponent, the more time it would cough up, so from my perspective, this was a benefit.
“Since they have the Dark Attribute, let us start by stating the Attributes each of us can use. I can use the Water Attribute and Ice.”
“I am in the Superhuman System, so mine is simple. Just the Earth Attribute.”
“My main specialty is Fire Attribute magic, but I can handle a little of the Metal Attribute too.”
“I-I use the Wind Attribute. I probably will not be much help in combat, though…….”
At Joo Arin’s question, Kang Cheolmin, Lee Minha, and Min Youngji answered in that order.
Then it was my turn.
“I can use all…….”
I barely swallowed the rest of the sentence.
That was close.
Attributes, along with mana and Traits, were among the fundamental elements of this world.
There were six basic Attributes in total: Fire, Water, Metal, Earth, Wood, and Wind.
Above them were higher-order Attributes such as Lightning, Ice, Light, and Dark, which the Ten Great Families wielded almost like unique Traits.
Each person had certain Attributes with which they possessed an affinity, and most people developed their abilities around those Attributes.
Two was average. Anyone capable of using three or more was treated as a multi-Attribute user.
Those capable of four or more were extremely rare, and someone like Baek Sayoung, who would eventually become capable of wielding all of them, was considered a heaven-sent talent—a genius.
So what would happen if I said I belonged to the same category?
Even if I explained that it was thanks to Manifestation, they would not merely doubt me.
They would probably think I was insane.
“Excuse me?”
When Joo Arin asked again, I gave her a suitably vague answer.
“Fire, Water, and Wind. About three?”
“……You can really use all three?”
“What a load of crap. Since when does someone ranked 700th handle three Attributes?”
Had I named too many?
Still, it was not entirely implausible.
“I am a sorcerer.”
“Ah. A sorcerer…….”
“Even so……”
One of the defining characteristics of sorcerers was their affinity with multiple Attributes.
Rather than possessing a representative higher-order Attribute, sorcerers specialized in combining and using the basic Attributes.
“I wonder whether you can even use them properly.”
“……For now, I understand. Then I will explain the basic plan.”
Fortunately, no one questioned me any further. Though they might simply have not believed me at all…….
Joo Arin paused to think for a moment before issuing her instructions.
“To reduce our conquest time, Kang Cheolmin, I need you to handle the leader. Can you do it?”
“That much is nothing. I was feeling stiff anyway, so this works out perfectly.”
“……Do not overdo it. Just keep it occupied. Once we quickly eliminate the ordinary ones, I will finish it off.”
Apparently she still felt uneasy, because she assigned Lee Minha to support him.
She asked Min Youngji only to guide us quickly and accurately.
Finally, her gaze settled on me.
She seemed to be thinking quite hard about what to do with me…….
“You……”
“Can you handle all the ordinary ones by yourself? I will support you.”
I spoke first.
That was what I wanted as well.
“I do not know. I might actually find it easier alone.”
……Really?
That was not the answer I had expected.
Just as the atmosphere threatened to become awkward again, Joo Arin reluctantly continued.
“All right. For now, support me.”
“For now?”
“I mean…… that the arrangement may change.”
“Sure, then.”
Apparently, if she decided I was not useful enough, she intended to handle them alone instead.
Well, Park Hayul’s reputation must have been that bad.
It was not as though I had shown people much yet.
I had become a Special Scholarship Student, but that alone was not enough to overturn my previous image overnight.
Still, when had anything in life ever gone entirely according to plan?
Things became tangled and plans fell apart as you moved forward.
All I needed to do was ride the confusion and take whatever I wanted from it.
I would use Joo Arin’s strength to harvest the ordinary creatures first, then target the weakened leader at the end.
“We are moving out.”
Joo Arin took a small sphere from her pocket and tossed it into the air.
WHIRRRR.
It was essentially a CCTV camera.
A piece of magitech equipment capable of broadcasting the conquest in real time while simultaneously recording it.
With that, all preparations were complete.
“Th-then I will guide you.”
With Min Youngji leading the way, we advanced.
Toward Opening Stage No. 9, the stage with the highest difficulty.
Toward what had now become a treasure trove of time.