Aftermath of the Entrance Exam
Finding I Gahyeon was not difficult.
Driven to the brink of death, she had failed to regulate the mana leaking from her, and was giving off the distinctive aura of a demon.
Above all, there were only two presences I could sense near the Gate, including hers.
Thanks to that, I was spared the trouble of checking each one with the status window.
Lion’s Joy and Sorrow
The moment I confirmed her identity, I unleashed my sword art without hesitation.
I Gahyeon, who had transferred her soul into the body of a Rank 1 monster, the Pikatail, could not escape death this time.
Her body was torn apart and vanished under the sword strike that came crashing down to the ground, and she spat out a soul stone.
Thus, her end was ugly, and utterly without honor.
‘Not that an honorable death exists for demons in the first place…’
In a way, it was not a bad death for a villain.
Of course, the I Gahyeon I killed was only a clone body.
As long as her main body existed, her death would not end here.
When I fought her main body in the not-too-distant future, she would not die this emptily.
It would be an extremely fierce battle.
I decided not to grow arrogant just because I had defeated her clone.
I picked up the soul stone lying in the grass.
“So this is a soul stone.”
It was smaller than my index finger.
The soul stone, shaped like a perfectly cut sphere, held a brilliant light within it.
It looked like a translucent blue crystal with a rainbow dwelling inside.
[Incomplete Soul Stone of the Puppet Demoness]
◆ Consumable Classification
―Soul Stone
◆ Detailed Description
―A soul stone containing a portion of the soul of I Gahyeon, the Puppet Demoness, one of the Six Demons of the Demon Society.
―It has value as equipment crafting material, but little can be expected from it in its incomplete state.
◆ Detailed Effects
―When used as equipment crafting material, there is a chance for a physical enhancement option to be applied to the crafted equipment. (Success Rate: 2% / Failure Rate: 98%)
It was indeed I Gahyeon’s soul stone.
After checking it once more with the status window, I could finally feel relieved.
In any case, I had achieved my goal of killing her clone, weakening the abilities of her main body, and thereby lowering the difficulty of the story to come.
Soon, I turned my gaze toward one place.
‘The timing really was good. I never expected her to be here.’
Of the two presences I had first sensed, the remaining one excluding I Gahyeon.
A female examinee with jewel-like green eyes stood with her back to the direction of the Gate.
She was a major character in the game.
‘I only saw her from afar during the second test. Is this the first time I’m seeing her face-to-face?’
One of the protagonist Gang Hanbyeol’s party members.
A direct descendant of the foremost family famed for spirit arts, a clan belonging to the Ten Clans.
Cha Eunsol, the lazy genius of the Cycle Cha Clan.
I spoke to her, who had helped me catch I Gahyeon.
“Thanks for the help. Because of you, I was able to catch the demon who ran away easily.”
“…”
Cha Eunsol stared at me in silence.
Her eyes were shining brightly, and animals with translucent forms were gathered around her.
A green eagle, a red mouse, a yellow fox, a blue deer, and more…
There were many kinds of animals.
They were spirits lending her their power.
As if they would attack me at any moment if she gave the order, they revealed their vigilance.
‘There was mention that a lot of spirits gathered around Cha Eunsol, but seeing it like this, it’s really incredible.’
A spirit master’s ability depended on how many powerful spirits they had with them.
How loved they were by those spirits, how well they could resonate with them, and how skillfully they could command them were also things that could not be left out.
In that sense, Cha Eunsol’s ability was absurd enough that even I, who did not know much about spirit arts in detail, could tell at a glance.
In a different sense from Nam Yuri, she was a monster who had stepped outside the realm of humanity to the point that one could wonder if she was truly human.
‘And if that monster ever runs out of control, she could destroy the world.’
In the game, there was also an ending related to Cha Eunsol.
Naturally, it was a bad ending.
And of all things, it was the world-ending kind.
Recalling that ending in my head, I decided to exchange names with her while I had the chance.
“My name is Do Gyeonu. You should know if I say I’m from the Divine Sword Do Clan, right?”
“…”
Cha Eunsol still said nothing.
She simply stared at me.
With her lips pressed tightly shut and her eyes glowing, no emotion could be read from her face.
It only felt as if she were threatening me.
But knowing her personality, I was not nervous.
“Won’t you tell me your name too?”
“…”
As one could tell from her alias, the lazy genius, Cha Eunsol possessed outstanding talent but disliked putting it to use, and her nature was exceedingly lazy.
Because of that, she found everything bothersome, hated moving her body, spent her time idly, and preferred eating and sleeping.
As long as one did not provoke her unnecessarily, she did not show hostility for no reason.
She was not actually a dangerous person.
Sure enough.
“I’m Cha Eunsol.”
I Gahyeon was dead and gone now.
Cha Eunsol calmed the spirits, and at the same time extinguished the light in her own eyes.
Then she turned away from me at once.
“I’m sleepy. I’m going back to sleep.”
As if I was no longer of any concern to her, Cha Eunsol soared into the sky.
She flew off at high speed and soon disappeared far into the distance.
“…That’s just like Cha Eunsol.”
She must have had plenty of things she wanted to ask, like what had happened in the forest and why a demon had been here.
Yet she chose to leave without voicing a single question.
It was likely because she did not want to get caught up in something that might become troublesome.
That was why she left without asking or prying.
On the other hand, her action was probably also because she prioritized her own feeling of being sleepy.
I looked at the dawn sky and gave a bitter smile.
‘Looks like they’re finally coming.’
Around then, I sensed presences approaching the place where I was.
There was a high chance they belonged to the examiners.
There was no way the examiners, who had been watching the exam through the Gate Eye, had failed to notice the situation.
They had probably only arrived now because they had been dealing with the chaos in the forest.
A short while later.
“We apologize for being late, examinee! Are you hurt anywhere?”
“The Puppet Demoness is nowhere to be seen. Where did she flee to!?”
Just as expected, the examiners appeared.
With blue monster blood smeared on their bodies and their hair disheveled from running, they asked in urgent voices.
I answered calmly.
“She’s already dead.”
“…Pardon?”
“I killed her, so she’s gone now.”
“No, what… Is that true? Did a soul stone come out as well?”
The examiners, especially the person who seemed to be the supervising proctor in charge of this exam, looked flustered.
He seemed unable to believe the fact that I had subjugated I Gahyeon.
So I showed them the soul stone in my hand to prove the subjugation.
“If you mean the soul stone, it’s right here. Is that enough?”
“…”
The soul stone shimmered with rainbow light.
After confirming the soul stone lying on my palm, all the examiners were left speechless.
Then, the supervising proctor forced himself to regain his composure and stammered.
“S-still, we will need to confirm whether that is truly the Puppet Demoness’s soul stone. Examinee, could you hand the soul stone over to us for confirmation?”
Unlike me, who could check item information, other people could confirm it through appraisal.
Therefore, the supervising proctor’s thought of making absolutely sure they had not been tricked by I Gahyeon and confused it with another demon’s soul stone was reasonable.
However, I had no intention of complying.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can do that. For starters, it’s the spoils I obtained.”
“We’re not saying we’ll take it. We’ll just confirm it briefly and return it…”
“I know that too, but it’s quite valuable, and who knows if the Puppet Demoness has another clone somewhere? I’m worried.”
“…”
“So I’d like to entrust the soul stone to another instructor. Would that be all right?”
“Another instructor… Just who are you referring to?”
“The Seven-Colored Witch.”
“…Do you mean Instructor Hong Yena?”
“Yes. She may not be serving as an examiner, but isn’t she here to watch the exam? I’ll entrust it to her.”
How could I hand over the soul stone when I had no way of knowing whether any of the examiners here might be in league with demons?
At times like this, it was better to entrust it to someone I could trust.
In that sense, the Seven-Colored Witch, Hong Yena, fit the role perfectly.
* * *
I would entrust the soul stone to Hong Yena.
The examiners could not bend my will.
In the end, they had to find and bring her back while she was out evacuating the examinees.
Perhaps because she had been running around all night, she looked tired.
“Do you have to work me like this to feel satisfied? You could just ask the other instructors for something like this instead of me.”
“Why would I entrust it to someone I don’t know when you’re here, Lady Witch? Please.”
“Haa. Knowing I have your trust doesn’t make me feel pleased in the slightest.”
Though she grumbled on the outside,
Hong Yena could not refuse my request and accepted the soul stone.
Brushing back her short chestnut-brown hair, she glared at me once, then disappeared beyond the Gate.
‘Is this settled for now?’
Since Hong Yena had the soul stone, there should be no need to worry.
The problem was how the situation would unfold after the appraisal of the soul stone was finished.
‘Chairwoman So Hyeyul will probably handle the aftermath somehow…’
Considering So Hyeyul’s personality, it was likely, but I could not say so with complete certainty.
From now on, I had to quietly wait and see how she would react.
Meanwhile, there was still some time left before the exam ended.
It was not over yet.
To announce that fact, the examiners ran through the forest and shouted.
“The confusion has all been resolved, so the exam will now continue! Examinees, please check the information delivered through your Gate Watches. And Examinee No. 1532.”
“Yes.”
“The examinees who fought alongside you are likely hearing this around now as well, but please do not disclose the matter of defeating the Puppet Demoness. The same applies after the exam is over. This is to prevent anxiety among the examinees and the public, but also because the examinees may end up becoming targets of the Demon Society if the matter is spoken of. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“…Yes, I’ll keep it secret.”
At that moment, the supervising proctor who had stayed there gave me that advice.
I nodded without complaint.
It was what I wanted as well.
If I proceeded through the game’s story, I would inevitably become entangled with the Demon Society someday, but I did not want that to happen right now.
‘Even so, I won’t be able to hide the fact that I killed I Gahyeon forever.’
It could not be helped.
Sooner or later, it was bound to become known to the world.
When that time came, I Gahyeon would become aware of my existence.
So I had to hope that time came as late as possible, and build up my strength so I could contend with her main body.
For now, I should finish the exam.
Just then, a message related to the exam arrived on my Gate Watch.
[Please continue the exam.]
[The end time is 9:00 a.m.]
[There are no changes to the location where the Gate has been set.]
[Current time remaining until the end of the exam]
[03:34:27]
After reading the message, I fell into thought.
‘What should I do…?’
In truth, I had already passed the exam for all intents and purposes.
The examinee badges attached to my clothes alone easily surpassed 200 points.
Because I had been fighting I Gahyeon, the badges I had stored separately were with Go Eunbi, but the number I currently had was enough.
My score should be guaranteed to some extent.
There was no need to go out of my way to steal the badges held by other examinees.
‘And I don’t have the strength for it either…’
I had consumed quite a bit of stamina and mana.
On top of that, I was tired from fighting without having slept properly.
In this condition, it seemed better to rest comfortably somewhere out of sight until the exam ended.
It was then.
“Ah! Found you! Gyeonu!”
“Hm? Ah… You guys came.”
“I’m glad it ended well somehow.”
“Do Gyeonu! I heard the story! You’re the one who brought her down in the end!?”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
Go Eunbi, Yeon Haneul, Yong Haerang, and Lisa, who had helped me take down I Gahyeon, walked out of the forest.
When they saw me, their faces lit up with relief and joy.
I was glad to see them, too.
But Min Arin and Nam Yuri were nowhere to be seen.
“What about Nam Yuri and Min Arin? Didn’t they come with you?”
“The girl named Min Arin said she was going to spend the remaining time gathering exam slips, so we parted ways. As for the girl named Nam Yuri… she said, ‘Gyeonu-Gyeonu isn’t here anymore, and it looks like the situation’s been settled, so I’ll be going now! Bye, guys!’ and left.”
Go Eunbi explained what had happened.
The way she imitated Nam Yuri’s tone was rather clever.
Then she held out the luggage she had been carrying to me.
“And I brought all the exam slips, too! Here, Gyeonu. These are the ones you collected.”
“Ah, you kept them safe. I was just regretting not being able to take them with me. Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it! Thanks to you, I got a lot for myself too!”
I took the luggage Go Eunbi handed me.
Inside were the exam slips I had collected so far.
With this, it seemed I no longer had to worry about the exam.
Just then, Yeon Haneul asked,
“You really did collect a lot… So? What are you going to do now?”
Yeon Haneul peered into the luggage in admiration.
At her question, the others turned their gazes toward me.
‘Somehow, it feels like I’m the one who has to decide.’
They all looked as if they would follow my opinion.
Even Yong Haerang went so far as to say, “Hmm, if I had my way, I’d like to cross swords with you right away, but neither of us is in peak condition, so I suppose we have no choice but to put it off until next time.”
Being on the receiving end of their gazes made me feel a bit embarrassed, but not in a bad way.
I opened my mouth.
“It looks like everyone’s gathered the exam slips they need, and you must all be exhausted from fighting, so let’s find somewhere comfortable and rest.”
“Agreed! I’m all for it!”
“I think that would be best, too.”
“If you put it that way, I suppose there’s no helping it.”
“I agree as well.”
The four of them readily agreed.
Though they hadn’t shown it until now, it seemed they were tired as well.
Well, after fighting so fiercely in the middle of the night, of course they would be.
The number of people we had was just right, and everyone was highly skilled.
We found a spot out of sight and decided to rest while taking turns standing watch.
“Huh? Isn’t that Gyeonu over there?”
“Hey! Do you know how much trouble we went through searching for exam slips because of you!?”
“Do you have any idea how miserable it was, having to look for exam slips in the middle of the night!?”
“Ah, shut up… So you guys were alive too. Aren’t you tired? Why don’t you rest as well?”
“…There’s no way we’re not tired. I’m so sleepy I could die right now.”
“Can we rest there too?”
“I knew we could count on no one but Gyeonu! Thanks!”
“Good timing. Stand watch first.”
“…So you had an ulterior motive after all?”
“Of course you did…”
“Damn it… We shouldn’t have come.”
The triplets showed up along the way as well.
Thanks to them, the burden of standing watch was greatly reduced.
I made them stand watch and slept with the others.
The spot was shaded, so it was fairly cool, and with the breeze blowing gently, I fell asleep easily.
Some time passed after that.
[The exam is now over.]
[All examinees, please take your exam slips and proceed to the gate.]
[The exam has ended. From this point onward, any combat between examinees may result in penalties.]
At last, the exam was over.
Hearing the alarm from our Gate Watches, we gathered our things and got up.
In front of the gate, the evaluators were checking exam slips.
We lined up, waited for our turn, and went to the evaluators.
“Examinee No. 1532, you have passed. You’ve worked hard taking the exam. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, you will likely be ranked first in the fifth practical exam.”
“I see. Then may I leave through the gate now?”
“Yes, you may. However…”
Now I could return to the original world.
I decided that as soon as I returned to the hotel where I was staying in Academy City, I would wash up, collapse onto the bed, and sleep some more.
But just as I received confirmation that I had passed and was about to leave through the gate,
the evaluator added,
“Number 1532… no, Examinee Do Gyeonu.”
“Yes.”
“The chairwoman asked me to tell you that she would like to see you once you’re outside.”
The chairwoman of Geumgang Academy.
The Star Witch, So Hyeyul.
At last, she had made her move.
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Mid-Boss