The Final Night
She had gathered all the points she needed.
With this much, she should satisfy the minimum requirements to pass the exam, and she would have more than enough to place in the upper ranks.
It was thanks to the examinee from the Mado Min family.
‘Attacking me from behind out of nowhere… I could have been seriously hurt.’
Last night, a few hours ago.
Yeon Haneul had been ambushed by an examinee from the Mado Min family.
She could not even begin to describe how flustered she had been.
Just thinking about it made her angry.
It was not that she thought ambushes were cowardly.
In an exam where they were stealing each other’s admission tickets, an ambush could be considered a strategy.
In that kind of situation, the one who got ambushed was the one at fault.
But there was still a line.
The magic the examinee from the Mado Min family had unleashed had been extremely lethal.
If the person hit by that magic had not been her, they could have been badly injured.
With bad luck, they might even have died.
Given that, she could not help but respond somewhat emotionally.
So she had failed to control her strength a little.
To begin with, her opponent had not been someone she could look down on enough to leisurely hold back against, unlike the other examinees.
‘That girl was strong. If I hadn’t forced her into close combat, I wouldn’t have been able to say for sure who would win.’
Perhaps she might have been the one to lose.
That was how much Yeon Haneul acknowledged the examinee from the Mado Min family.
At the same time, she felt somewhat uneasy.
“Me… I’ll be okay, right?”
Yesterday, she had been too angry and too tired to think about it.
But now that she calmly reflected on what had happened, she might have made a serious mistake.
Her opponent was an examinee with ties to the Mado Min family, one of the Ten Great Families.
Since she had defeated such a girl and taken all of her admission tickets, in the worst case, there was a possibility that the family itself might take retaliatory measures.
Of course, that was unlikely to happen, but the very possibility that it could was the problem.
For Yeon Haneul, who tended to live with worries lingering in the back of her mind, it left an unpleasant feeling.
To shake off her anxiety, she decided to recite a magic spell.
“It’s okay. If anything happens, Gyeonu will somehow take care of it.”
Do Gyeonu would solve everything.
In Yeon Haneul’s heart was an infinite trust in him.
As long as he was there, she would not be anxious.
When she pictured his face, a smile naturally spread across hers.
Her rabbit ears also perked up happily.
But only for a moment.
“By the way, where is he?”
Yeon Haneul grumbled as if dissatisfied.
Since she had gathered a sufficient number of admission tickets, she no longer needed to actively participate in the struggle.
So she had been wandering around the island since morning, looking for her childhood friend Do Gyeonu, but she had not found even the slightest clue.
She had been confident that she could find her childhood friend no matter where he was in the world, yet even her rabbit-ear radar was useless.
“Sigh… Another ambush.”
All Yeon Haneul encountered were examinees aiming for her admission tickets.
As a result, only her admission tickets increased.
Leaving the fallen examinees behind, she continued on her way.
‘If possible, it would be nice if I could meet Gyeonu at the place where the supplies I’m heading toward are….’
A short while ago, supplies had been distributed.
All the examinees participating in the exam were moving to secure the supplies closest to them.
Yeon Haneul was no exception.
She was also moving after a parachute dropping nearby.
“Looks like I got here first.”
Soon, she found the supplies.
And the person she met there was not Do Gyeonu, whom she had hoped for, but Lisa Grace.
“…Lisa?”
“Ah, Haneul!”
Lisa, with her braided blond hair resting over her shoulder, looked extremely glad to see her.
Yeon Haneul, who had been on guard for approaching examinees, relaxed her expression as well.
The two of them exchanged friendly conversation on the spot.
“Haneul, it looks like you came to look for supplies too. Um, if it’s all right… could you share a little with me as well? In return, if you’re hurt anywhere, I’ll heal you. I can also cast buffs on you.”
“Yeah, Lisa, you take some too. It’s not like I can carry all of this by myself anyway. And healing… I’m not badly hurt anywhere, and I can use healing magic to some extent myself, so I’m fine. I’m fine on buffs too.”
“I see. Still, please tell me anytime. Haneul, you haven’t eaten lunch yet, right? If it’s all right, would you like to eat together?”
“Yeah, let’s do that. I’d like that too. Then we should sort out what we’ll take first.”
The two joined forces and took the supplies they needed from the box.
Around then, they began to sense the presence of other examinees.
Yeon Haneul’s rabbit ears, which could even catch sounds from far away, could hear their footsteps.
“Other people are coming this way. What should we do? Take them down?”
“That’s one option, but if we make a wrong move, won’t we end up stuck here? Other people might keep chasing after us too.”
“That’s true.”
Lisa made a suggestion.
It was a reasonable point.
Yeon Haneul agreed with her opinion and decided to leave the area quickly.
“Lisa, can you use magic that lets us run faster and reduces the weight of our luggage?”
“Yes, I happen to have something suitable. While I’m at it, I’ll also use Silence magic to suppress our footsteps as much as possible.”
Lisa struck the ground with her staff.
Particles of different-colored light fell over the two of them.
They were buffs.
“Let’s go quickly.”
“Yes.”
The two gathered their luggage and stood up.
They ran in the direction where fewer examinees were gathering.
On the way, they could hear the sounds of those behind them discovering the supply box and being frustrated.
“Someone came and took it first!”
“No! There’s still a little left!”
“I found it first. Everyone, move.”
“Damn it, we’re late!”
Judging by the voices, the examinees seemed to have started arguing over the supplies.
Soon, they could hear the sound of metal clashing as well.
A fight had broken out.
All the examinees’ attention turned toward that place.
Taking advantage of that gap, the two left the area and decided to find a safe place.
* * *
“There’s quite a variety of food here. But Haneul, do you know how to eat this? Three-Minute Dakgangjeong? The cooking method says….”
“You put it in boiling water and heat it up. There’s a stream over there, so we can draw water from there. I’ll do the cooking, so please get some water.”
“Yes, leave it to me.”
They settled down in a quiet forest.
Yeon Haneul and Lisa divided up their roles to eat lunch.
Cooking was Yeon Haneul’s role.
Using the water Lisa brought, she prepared the food that had come in the supplies and set the table on top of a huge wooden box.
“Wow, this is really delicious. If I hadn’t met you, Haneul, I would have been eating a chocolate bar all by myself in a rather pitiful way.”
“As you saw, it’s easy to make. You could’ve done it even if I wasn’t here.”
“Even so, I would have failed to get the water right for the cup ramen and had to eat it while it tasted awful.”
Lisa ate the slightly undercooked cup ramen.
The way she ate carefully and neatly, without letting the sound of noodles be heard, seemed to exude elegance.
‘She really is a princess…. No, an imperial princess, is it?’
Sitting across from her, Yeon Haneul glanced at her and admired inwardly.
Even when Lisa put rice mixed with curry into her mouth, and even when she chewed on dakgangjeong, there was grace in her movements.
It made her feel that Lisa was indeed not someone of ordinary status.
At the same time, a thought suddenly occurred to her.
‘Does Gyeonu like that kind of style too?’
Even from another girl’s point of view, she was beautiful enough to make one think so naturally. What, then, would a man think?
That made her remember that Do Gyeonu had been the one to speak to Lisa first.
Perhaps he liked a refined, elegant style like Lisa’s.
‘Should I braid my hair too….’
Yeon Haneul absentmindedly twisted her own hair around her finger.
She thought it might not be bad to change her hairstyle.
Something a little neater and more elegant.
‘Then would Gyeonu like it?’
Yeon Haneul imagined it in her head.
If she were to change her hairstyle, Do Gyeonu would probably say something like this.
“Haneul, you look good no matter what you do. You’re pretty.”
It was obvious without even seeing it.
It was not some delusion.
He would definitely say that.
She was certain.
‘Kyaaah!’
Just thinking about it made her feel ticklish inside, and her face grew hot.
Overcome with embarrassment, Yeon Haneul writhed and kicked her feet wildly through the air.
“Haneul, why are you suddenly doing that?”
“No, it’s just…. The food is delicious.”
Lisa asked in puzzlement.
Coming back to her senses, Yeon Haneul lowered her bright-red face.
Soon, the two of them filled their stomachs while chatting quietly.
“So what are you going to do from now on? Are you going to look for Gyeonu?”
“I should. I’ve collected all the admission tickets I need, so I’ll look for Gyeonu and collect more tickets while I’m at it. What about you, Lisa?”
“I did manage to gather some somehow… but since I’m a supporter, there’s a limit to how much I can collect on my own. If it’s all right with you, Haneul, may I travel with you?”
“I don’t mind. But if you go around with me, you might not be able to gather much. Is that okay?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
Lisa proposed forming a party.
Yeon Haneul had no reason to refuse, so she accepted the party proposal.
To begin with, she was someone Do Gyeonu had his eye on.
Since he was trying to get close to her, she decided to help him as well.
‘There’s always a reason when Gyeonu does something out of the blue. There must be a reason he’s trying to get close to Lisa too. It can’t simply be romantic interest.’
She had known Do Gyeonu for five years.
Aside from his family, Yeon Haneul had spent more time close to him than anyone else, so she could naturally read his thoughts.
She did not know the reason, but she could guess that he was interested in Lisa and wanted her to pass.
His wish was the same as her own.
She wanted to help him and make it come true.
In any case, Yeon Haneul wandered around Honrim Island with Lisa in order to find him.
It was then.
“Hm?”
“Haneul? What’s wrong?”
“I heard something from over there.”
Yeon Haneul’s rabbit ears perked up in response to a certain sound.
“By the way, did you hear?”
“Hear what?”
“I heard this from someone I know earlier. Apparently, an examinee from the Divine Sword Do family is sweeping up admission tickets right now. They said he probably has the highest score at the moment.”
“How high?”
“From what I heard, it’s over 1,000….”
“Whoa, damn. That’s no joke. Isn’t he first place in this exam, then?”
“He probably is. Though we don’t know how things will play out from here.”
“What do you mean?”
“Think about it. If you just steal that guy’s admission tickets, you can pass the exam and become first place too, right? So everyone’s gathering around him.”
“But he’s from the Divine Sword Do family. Can they win?”
“You never know. If several people join forces and pick a fight with him, will they really have no chance?”
“Well, you’re not wrong.”
“That’s why I’m thinking of going that way too. Everyone’s gathering over there, so that’s where we should hunt. Don’t you want to come with me?”
An examinee from the Divine Sword Do family.
They were definitely talking about Do Gyeonu.
“Ah, there were examinees over there. Are we going to deal with them? Then I’ll cast buffs….”
“….”
“Haneul?”
Yeon Haneul stopped walking.
Lisa called to her in puzzlement.
Without answering the call, Yeon Haneul approached the examinees who were talking.
Then she asked them.
“Can I hear more about that?”
“…Huh?”
“Everyone’s gathering around Gyeonu?”
“….”
“And you’re going to as well?”
“…N-no.”
Because she had appeared without making a sound.
The examinees only blinked, unable to continue speaking.
Soon, they shook their heads fiercely.
But it was already too late.
“So you’re Gyeonu’s enemies.”
Her red eyes gleaming.
Yeon Haneul pulled out her iron hammer.
“H-Haneul… Now that I see it, you’re incredibly strong….”
Lisa trembled as she watched Yeon Haneul crush the examinees in an instant.
* * *
Go Eunbi’s role was deception.
Deceiving others did not suit her temperament, but if she wanted to receive a high score on the exam, there was no helping it.
When it was necessary, she had to do it.
Having received a request from Do Gyeonu, Go Eunbi was roaming around the island and diligently carrying out her role.
‘I found them. …There are five.’
Hiding her presence and concealing herself behind the terrain.
Go Eunbi observed the examinees.
As someone who liked mingling with people, she had an extremely high understanding of human relationships.
“….”
How relationships interacted with one another, whether the links between them were firm or not, whether the structure was horizontal or vertical, what roles the members played, who stood at the center, and so on.
Go Eunbi could grasp the rough shape of a relationship after watching for only a moment.
‘Looks like they haven’t known each other long. And that boy seems to be the leader.’
After judging that much,
Go Eunbi gauged the right moment and cautiously approached them.
Sensing her presence, they revealed their wariness.
Rustle.
“Who’s there! Come out at once!”
“I-I’m coming out now! Don’t be on guard! I don’t have any intention of fighting you! I just came to talk because I thought we might cooperate!”
“Cooperate?”
To show that she was not holding any weapons, she spread her hands wide.
Emerging from the bushes, Go Eunbi brought out the words she had already spoken several times by now.
“You know the examinee from the Divine Sword Do Family, right? The one with the black examinee ticket! Right now, that kid is knocking down everyone nearby and stealing their examinee tickets. So everyone’s moving to take him down. If it’s all right with you, would you lend us your strength too?”
“The examinee from the Divine Sword Do Family? Just how strong is he that you’re trying to gather people?”
“I only watched from a distance earlier, but it looked like he had over 1,000 points. He probably has examinee tickets that aren’t attached to his clothes too, so if you add those in, wouldn’t it be even more?”
“…”
“He’s definitely going to be first place in this exam. I’m telling you, everyone’s been cleaned out because of him.”
She had already identified the person who held real power in the group.
The others were merely following him without complaint.
So Go Eunbi fixed her gaze solely on the one in charge as she explained the situation.
“That’s why I’d like you to help. If we can take him down, then there’ll be a chance to get at least 1,000 points’ worth of examinee tickets, right? Even if we split them among everyone, it should still be a pretty decent gain…”
“Where is that guy now?”
“He’s on the path in the seven o’clock direction from here. If you go that way, you should find him.”
“Hmm… So that’s why the examinee ticket locations were clustered over there.”
“You mean the message that came around three o’clock, right? That’s right. The examinee from the Divine Sword Do Family is holding them all by himself. Then I’ll be going now. I have to go tell the other people nearby too.”
In truth, whether the other party completely believed her or not was not important.
What mattered was spreading the rumor secondhand through them.
Among those tempted by the rumor, someone would certainly try to confirm whether it was true, and through that person, the rumor would gain credibility.
Go Eunbi, who was good at speaking freely even with people she had just met, was about to turn away.
“Wait.”
“…”
But the other party did not let it pass so easily.
He called Go Eunbi to a stop.
Hiding her tension, she answered.
“Why?”
“It doesn’t matter whether what you said is true or not. We’re only interested in the examinee tickets you have. If you don’t want to get beaten by us here, put down the tickets you have and go.”
“I don’t have any, though? Can’t you tell by looking? They were taken by the examinee from the Divine Sword Do Family earlier. That’s why I’m going around as a messenger. I don’t have anything left to lose.”
“How do we know you’re not hiding them while saying that?”
“It’s in the exam rules too. An examinee must have at least one examinee ticket attached to their body. I really don’t have even one, so I’m not wearing any.”
“Tch. Then get lost. Hurry.”
Fortunately, this was within the range of what she had expected.
Anticipating this, Go Eunbi and her friends had entrusted all of their examinee tickets to Do Gyeonu and were roaming the island.
In the end, they gained nothing and disappeared in the direction she had pointed out moments earlier.
Only then could she feel relieved.
“Ugh, I hope Gyeonu takes everything from you.”
As expected, deceiving others did not suit her at all.
Her conscience pricked at her.
If Do Gyeonu had not offered to pay her a generous allowance, she would have refused him outright.
Go Eunbi lightly rubbed her face, steeled herself, and set off once more to deceive the other examinees.
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Mid-Boss