Evaluation Match
The banquet had come to an end.
The people returned to their assigned rooms to rest briefly.
Then, when the appointed time came, they gathered in the central entrance hall on the first floor.
Soon, Grandfather, who had come down the stairs last, swept his gaze over the crowd.
“Are all the people here?”
“Yes, Patriarch. Aside from those who said they would remain in their rooms due to poor condition, everyone is here.”
“Is that so. Then let us go to the artificial Gate. If there is anyone who is late or has changed their mind and wishes to participate in the evaluation match, tell them to come to the artificial Gate.”
“Yes, understood.”
The Chief Steward, who managed all the servants of the main house, reported the headcount.
Grandfather nodded impassively and then moved under the Chief Steward’s guidance.
My family, I, and the other clan members soon followed after Grandfather.
“You should have stayed in your room too….”
“Gyeonu is participating. How could I wait in my room?”
Father and Mother whispered as they went down the stairs.
Father seemed inwardly uneasy at the thought of Mother, an ordinary person, entering the Gate.
But Mother was adamant.
“I’ll just be watching under the protection of the clan’s Hunters, so it shouldn’t be dangerous. And if something goes wrong, you’re there, aren’t you?”
“Mom! I’m here too!”
“Sigh… Fine. Then stick close to my side, alright? Yeeun, you shouldn’t play around in the Gate either.”
“Okaaay.”
In the end, Father had to raise his hands in surrender.
I snickered as I heard Mother copying Yeeun’s tone in her answer.
“Hehe. You all get along well.”
Had Grandfather heard us as well?
Just then, I heard Grandfather, who was walking ahead, chuckle softly and say something that seemed directed at us.
When he glanced back at us, I knew it was about us.
‘He wouldn’t even spare us a glance before….’
If it were before, he wouldn’t have even listened to our family’s words.
No, our family would have been too intimidated, keeping our mouths shut so as not to be caught on the slightest fault.
But after I defeated Do Seungu, it seemed to change my family’s spirits and draw Grandfather’s attention.
‘Not bad. No, this is good.’
The stronger my position grew within the clan, the more my family’s confidence would grow with it.
That was one more reason I had to stand out in this evaluation match.
How much time had passed since then?
“The Gate seems to be operating well.”
“….”
The main estate of the Divine Sword Do Clan, third basement floor.
We were able to enter the room where the artificial Gate was installed.
As if to show it was active, the Gate was dyed yellow.
Just then, one of the Hunters guarding the artificial Gate approached and explained.
“We began the clear at the same time the banquet started, so if nothing went wrong, they should have finished setting up the stage and be waiting inside by now.”
“I see. Good work.”
This meant that the dangerous elements within the artificial Gate had been mostly eliminated.
After receiving the Hunter’s report, Grandfather reached out to the yellow dimensional rift.
“Then let us all go in.”
With those words,
Grandfather entered the Gate.
Soon, the others also stepped through.
For an instant, my vision was dyed yellow….
[You have entered the Gate.]
[Yellow: The Sovereign’s Great Jungle IV]
Whoosh!
When my vision returned to normal,
we were met by a fierce wind blowing from beyond without warning.
‘The wind is no joke.’
It was hard to even open my eyes.
I hurriedly swiped away the messages with my hand and raised both arms to block the wind.
Only once the wind died down did I have the leisure to take in the world before me.
I lowered my raised arms.
“….”
Beyond that,
a vast jungle was spread out.
Only then did I realize that I was standing atop a cliff.
Below my feet, I saw dense greenery and a sheer precipice.
The height of the cliff was considerable.
And in the midst of it all….
[Transmitting clear conditions in order.]
[Descend the cliff.]
A message floated before my eyes.
It was the first clear condition.
“They want us to descend this cliff….”
“How are we supposed to get down from here?”
“….”
By then, it seemed the others had checked their clear conditions as well.
The faces of those participating in the raid turned pale as they looked down the cliff.
Understandably, it was enough to instill fear.
Even I had been momentarily flustered.
“I will now begin the evaluation match.”
Nevertheless, Grandfather opened his mouth calmly, unfazed.
* * *
“You must have confirmed it through the message as well, but clearing this Gate begins with descending the cliff you stand upon.”
“….”
“After you descend the cliff, the Gate will inform you of the next clear condition. Following the Gate’s clear conditions, you must break through that jungle on your own and head to the lake at the center.”
Grandfather pointed with his finger.
The people’s heads naturally turned.
“That is the lake.”
A lake clearly visible even amidst the jungle thick with deep green trees.
The lake, its surface sparkling brilliantly in the sunlight, revealed its presence.
Had we not come to clear the Gate, it would have been a sight pure enough to evoke genuine admiration.
“In that lake lives the Sovereign. It is a Rank 3 monster that never shows itself outside the water; fundamentally, you must fight it underwater to defeat it.”
“….”
“Of course, I am not telling you to enter the water and defeat the Sovereign with your skills.”
Grandfather smirked.
Those who had decided to participate in the evaluation match let out sighs of relief.
Of course, I was the same.
‘Telling us, who aren’t even High Academy students yet, to fight underwater would be insane.’
Grandfather continued speaking.
“Taking your abilities into consideration… the Hunters who entered beforehand captured the Sovereign and placed a sealing magic on the water’s surface to prevent it from returning to the depths.”
“….”
“Furthermore, they have drained the Sovereign’s strength and applied debuffs. So all you must do is kill the Sovereign, which has been dragged out onto the water surface, in its weakened state. At this level, even you should be able to clear it easily.”
No one answered.
Fighting on the water’s surface also presented considerable difficulty.
It was merely less difficult than entering the water; that was the only difference.
Not to mention….
‘It’s not like we’re only facing the Sovereign.’
I quickly estimated the distance from the cliff to the lake.
I would likely expend quite a bit of stamina on the way to the lake.
All the more so considering the possibility of encountering monsters hiding within the jungle.
“Do not worry. The Hunters have already roughly subjugated the monsters that would pose a threat to you.”
“….”
“There may be monsters they failed to detect on occasion… but should such a thing happen, we will dispatch a rescue at any time.”
Grandfather pointed to one side again.
The Hunters had already prepared seats for the clan members to observe.
Grandfather sat in the seat of honor among them and looked up at the massive screen floating in the air.
The screen, divided into dozens of feeds, showed different parts of the jungle.
“It is one of the artifacts for communication inside the Gate. Through this artifact, we can monitor the jungle in real time and watch over you. You there.”
“Yes, Patriarch.”
“Distribute those to the children.”
When Grandfather spoke to one Hunter, he brought over a box placed near the viewing seats.
Then the other Hunters took items from the box and distributed them to the evaluation match participants.
They were chokers with cameras attached.
Designation: ‘Screen Choker.’
‘So this is where I see one.’
It was an artifact that students in the Academy of the Academy City wore around their necks during lessons in artificial Gates.
It could be called a video transmission device.
“You must wear those at all times during the evaluation match. Only then can we check your performance in detail and, above all, track your location. That is the ‘Gate Watch,’ which monitors your mana state and pulse.”
Next, we received wristwatches made of a sweat-resistant material.
This, too, had appeared in the game.
“If a problem arises, we will immediately pinpoint your location through the artifacts you wear and send nearby Hunters.”
“….”
“Your safety is guaranteed, so please focus on clearing the Gate without needless worry. And do not break the artifacts by mistake.”
Even without Grandfather saying so, the people handled the artifacts as if they were precious treasures.
After that,
we learned how to use the artifacts from the nearby Hunters.
“The evaluation match will last for three hours, so set your timers.”
* * *
“Once you slay the Sovereign, the Gate Key will be given to the person who contributed the most to the clear. When that happens, do not take the key outside. Hand it over to the nearby Hunter before exiting.”
The Gate spawns near the key.
Therefore, if one wished to change where the Gate spawned, it was necessary to move the Gate Key to the desired location.
Grandfather was giving these instructions in preparation for their return after the evaluation match ended.
Because if someone took the Gate Key outside, the Gate would be fixed at that location, forcing the observers here to travel all the way to the lake.
‘If that happened, Grandfather would be furious. Not just Grandfather, but everyone else would be annoyed too….’
Unless I wanted to make an enemy of the entire clan, I absolutely had to remember that.
Of course, the Hunters waiting near the lake would be told beforehand to prevent that from happening.
For reference, the fixed Gate created after taking the Gate Key outside lasted 24 hours from the moment it was removed.
If 24 hours passed, the Gate would disappear completely, and no one knew what would happen after that.
“Participants, stand at the edge of the cliff.”
In any case, once all the explanations were finished,
the time to conduct the evaluation match drew near.
Listening to Grandfather’s voice, I bid farewell to my family.
“Then I’ll be back. Please don’t worry and watch over me.”
“Yes, don’t let your guard down just because you trust your skills. Not that you would….”
“I won’t. Would I do that?”
Father smiled bitterly.
Having witnessed my skills before, Father did not seem particularly worried.
Mother, on the other hand, was different.
“Don’t overdo it. Be careful not to get hurt. Alright?”
“Yes, don’t worry.”
Overwhelmed by the Gate’s world, Mother gave me several words of caution.
I understood Mother’s feelings and nodded.
And Yeeun….
“I wish I could… I want to turn eight quickly so I can do the evaluation match with Oppa.”
“…I’ll be back, Yeeun.”
“Yeah! Do your best, hwaiting!”
Those who entered elementary school this year, whether direct or collateral descendants, had all given up participating out of fear.
Yeeun even grew excited looking at the monsters occasionally shown on the screen.
She was a sister who knew no fear.
I clicked my tongue at Yeeun and then stepped onto the edge of the cliff.
“You’ve all set your timers, I presume?”
“Yes!”
“Then press your timers the moment the starting signal is given.”
Including me, there were seventeen participants in the evaluation match.
We looked down below the cliff while maintaining a certain distance from one another.
Soon.
Psssh!
A Hunter fired a flare gun toward the lake.
Red smoke cut across the air.
It was the signal announcing the start of the evaluation match.
We immediately activated our Gate Watches, which were set to the time limit.
03:00:00
The remaining time was displayed on the watches.
Having confirmed the artifact was working, I gripped the rope descending below the cliff tightly.
“H-how do we get down this….”
Around then, the others were also grabbing ropes and preparing to descend.
Some hesitated.
When they tried to go down the cliff, their bodies wouldn’t move as they wished.
‘I can’t be afraid.’
So I wouldn’t end up like them.
I planted my feet on the steep cliff, doing my best not to look down.
Fortunately, the first descent was the hard part; after that, it wasn’t difficult.
Once I had grown somewhat accustomed to the sensation, I relied on the safety harness around my body and let go of the rope in my hand.
My body plummeted downward.
“I-I forfeit!”
A voice came from above then.
It seemed the first dropout had appeared.
Listening to the fading voice, I manifested mana within my body.
‘It’s fine.’
My Evasion Instinct had activated.
Entrusting my body to my Gift, I grabbed the rope at the right moment.
Then I swung my body in midair, pressing myself against the cliff face.
And the moment my feet touched the cliff, I leaped down again.
——!
The sound of the wind was fierce.
That sound made my consciousness dizzy.
But my Evasion Instinct held onto my consciousness, telling me the right timing to move.
I repeated my previous actions, shortening the time it took to descend the cliff.
Soon, when the ground was not far away….
Tak!
I used the rocks jutting from the cliff like stairs, stepping down to prevent a fall.
Activating the mana circuits in my lower body, I jumped from the remaining height.
I dispersed the shock of the fall through both legs as they touched the ground.
And so….
“It was more doable than I thought.”
I landed safely.
[Transmitting the next clear condition.]
[Break through the jungle and move to the Sovereign’s Lake.]
That was when the message appeared.
Having read the contents, I leaped into the jungle spread out before my eyes.
I became the childhood friend of the mid-boss