Chapter 20: Partial examination (1)

Recently, I’ve become very skeptical about my luck. A phrase people often use popped into my head “What kind of crime did I commit in my past life…?”

As someone who vividly remembers his previous life as a regular person, I can confidently say I didn’t do anything so awful. Seriously.

Even if I could reluctantly accept that I might have gotten tangled up with the main heroines, I could at least comfort myself by thinking meeting them was a coincidence that defied mere chance.

‘But damn it.’

It finally happened. The story is very different when it comes to the main character, Leon van Reinhardt. In the end, I knew in my head I was responsible for the choices I’d made, but accepting them as they were was another matter.

When I heard Leon was the team leader, I tried to complain and back out, but the decision had already been approved. Upon asking in the faculty office, they told me Rachel, that sly fox, had discovered I didn’t have a team and had already submitted the request to add me to theirs.

I laughed in disbelief—it was so ridiculous that I almost wanted to cut the situation off at the source. If she was going to put so much effort in, she could have taken the responsibility of leading the team herself instead of dumping it on Leon.

I remembered a post I’d seen randomly on social media: “Group Project Experience, College-Style.” Back then, not being in college myself, I couldn’t understand it, but now I know exactly what it meant.

What a hassle.

With a heavy head, I leaned back against my chair, and Chloe approached me timidly, noticing my dismay.

“Kang Geom-Ma, is something wrong? Since that wretch… I mean, since that blonde left, you don’t look too good.”

“It’s just that working with the Class Star students makes me a bit nervous and worried.”

“There’s no one in the Star Class who’s stronger than you, Kang Geom-Ma. I’m sure of it!”

“…Thanks.”

Chloe cheered me on, raising her fists. Though her words were sincere, they didn’t exactly lighten my spirits.

I considered asking the instructor to take me out of the team, but it would be irresponsible to leave now after having Chloe join because of me.

Alright, it’s just this one time. I shouldn’t look at the situation so negatively. When I think about it, the team I’m on now is made up entirely of “elite” students.

There’s Chloe, who joined thanks to me, from the Auditore family; a friend of Rachel’s from Dragon Class; Rachel, the successor of the Changseong family and fourth in the academy; and, of course, Leon, the protagonist and the most powerful character in the game.

Just hearing the lineup is enough to impress anyone. While other students are struggling to form teams, I unknowingly joined the strongest group in the academy.

‘Not bad.’

I could just fade into the background without attracting attention. My blessing, which only lasts 30 seconds, won’t be of much use anyway, so that’s fine.

There’s no use regretting things now. Although my time at the academy has been unstable, I’ve managed to get by each time by adjusting accordingly.

Of course, I still plan to teach Rachel a lesson for dragging me into the team without my permission. Not that I’ll go so far as to cut her… even if I lose my temper, I won’t pull a knife over something like this.

‘It’s settled.’

Once I made the decision, a smile of relief appeared on my face, and Chloe smiled too, seeing me more relaxed.

“Chloe, what time is our team meeting this evening?”

“Oh, the blonde said we’d meet at six at the main building’s café.”

Apparently, Rachel is just “the blonde” to Chloe now. I took out my phone and checked the time. We had about two hours left.

Even though it was just a team meeting, I felt nervous. The reason was, of course, Leon. On his first day, I’d only seen him from afar among a crowd of students, but now I’d be having a face-to-face encounter with the character I had once played as. It was a feeling that was hard to describe.

As I rested my chin on my hand, I suddenly asked Chloe.

“Have you been to the café in the main building before?”

“Yes! The avocado shake there is delicious, so I go pretty often.”

“How much does it cost?”

“Around 50,000 won.”

I was speechless.

***

Inside the Starbucks café on the first floor of the academy’s main building.

Chloe and I arrived about 15 minutes before the appointed time. The place was filled with teenage boys and girls. Fortunately, Leon had reserved a private room so our team could meet there.

…But.

Looking at the menu from the counter, I couldn’t help but frown.

What the hell? Why does an americano cost 25,000 won? Even with the staff discount, the price was still around 20,000. Since the café was operated by an external provider, the discounts were minimal.

Even with café prices being sky-high these days, this was too much. In the restaurant where I used to work, that price would cover an entire omakase set.

The difference in how nobles and commoners perceived money was overwhelming.

‘What a joke.’

As I stared at the menu, Chloe watched me closely.

“Kang Geom-Ma, have you decided what you’ll get?”

“Yes, an espresso.”

“That’s too bitter; I can’t drink it.”

“You don’t understand yet. Espresso is the true taste of adults.”

“Wow, that sounds cool…”

Chloe looked at me with bright eyes. I couldn’t tell her I chose the espresso because it was the cheapest—it was only around 10,000 won. I have my pride.

Unlike me, Chloe ordered her avocado shake without a second thought, which cost a whopping 48,000 won.

‘This is nuts.’

With our drinks in hand, we entered the meeting room with frosted glass walls. The interior had an old-fashioned style with a long, rectangular table. We sat in a corner as inconspicuously as possible.

“No one’s here yet.”

“True. I guess it’s because we’re still ten minutes early.”

“Maybe.”

Just then, the glass door opened.

“Oh, Geom-Ma and little one! You two arrived early.”

Rachel entered with an iced americano in hand, greeting us cheerfully. Two other guys were following behind her. One was her friend from Dragon Class, and the other was Leon van Reinhardt.

The Dragon Class guy was a young man with two-toned hair who greeted us with a slight nod before dropping into one of the empty chairs.

‘Troublemaker?’

Then my eyes automatically turned to Leon. Seeing Leon up close was simply impressive.

It was easy to see why the heroines fell for him at just a glance. His blonde hair shone like the sun, and his blue eyes sparkled. On top of all that, he had a kind personality—how could girls not fall for him?

As I stood there, momentarily speechless, Leon smiled and extended his hand to greet me.

“Nice to meet you.”

His voice had a natural elegance to it. I shook his hand in return.

“Kang Geom-Ma.”

He gave a bright smile and took his seat.

“The duel in the alternate space the other day was impressive. I’m glad to have you on the team, Geom-Ma.”

A typical protagonist line. But coming from him, it didn’t feel out of place at all.

“Why don’t we start by introducing ourselves?”

“Alright!”

Rachel, sipping her shake, raised her hand enthusiastically. Her friend nodded along without saying much.

“I’ll start as the leader. I’m Leon van Reinhardt, from the Star Class. I’ve been assigned as the team leader, and while I’m not perfect, I hope we can work well together during the exams.”

“I don’t need an introduction, do I? I’ll pass!”

Rachel laughed and passed the turn to the two-toned hair guy.

“I’m Speed Weapon from Dragon Class.”

“Speed Weapon… doesn’t sound like the type to talk much.”

After Leon’s comment, Chloe introduced herself more confidently than I’d expected. When it was my turn, I scratched my neck before speaking.

“I’m Kang Geom-Ma, from Wolf Class, same as Chloe.”

After the introductions, Leon smiled at me and pulled a laptop from his bag.

After a few clicks, a hologram projected the map of the island where we’d be taking the exam. A clear reminder that we weren’t on Earth.

The hologram displayed the map of the island where we’d be taking the exam.

The hologram displayed the map of the island where we’d be taking the exam. In the bottom right corner, it showed the island’s area: 163.6 km², a massive stretch of land. There was no doubt that this was the world’s most prestigious academy since even midterm exams for first-year students were conducted at this scale.

Leon checked that everyone could see the hologram clearly before starting his explanation.

“Today, during lunch, our head instructor gave the team leaders a file. This is the map of Scopuli Island, where the exam will take place.”

Leon took a sip of coffee to clear his throat before continuing.

“First, on the day of the exam, we’ll transport to this island through a spatial gate. However, even though the gate is an alternate space, the island itself is a real location, so the monsters there can inflict real injuries. Keep that in mind.”

With that, Leon typed a few keys to zoom in on the hologram, showing a more detailed view.

“We’ve been assigned the northeastern coastline. Besides our team, two other teams will also be hunting ‘demonic beasts’ in the same area. The exam’s goal is to see which team can kill the most creatures within the set time.”

Leon’s firm tone and his ability to explain things clearly had everyone nodding in understanding. No wonder he was the protagonist. I crossed my arms, listening in silence.

“Alright, does anyone have questions?”

Leon turned to check for questions, and Speed Weapon, who had been quiet, raised his hand hesitantly.

“If it’s Scopuli Island, sirens are known to appear there, right? Is there any risk associated with that?”

“The instructors already checked that during the pre-inspection, so there’s no need to worry about it.”

“Understood.”

“Any other questions?”

This time, Chloe cautiously raised her hand.

“Um… Could there be ambushes or fights between teams assigned to the same area?”

Chloe’s question, typical of someone from an assassin family, left Rachel and Speed Weapon a bit surprised. However, Leon smiled kindly and answered.

“The purpose of this exam is to focus on hunting monsters, so any conflicts between students would result in disqualification. Does that answer your question?”

Chloe nodded repeatedly to confirm her understanding.

“Good. That’s all for today. We still have a week before the exam, so let’s work together for good results.”

As soon as Leon finished speaking, he started packing up his laptop. The others stood and left the meeting room. Since I was sitting in the furthest corner, I waited for everyone else to exit first.

As I reached the door, Leon, who had just finished packing his things, called out to me.

“Hey.”

“Yes? What’s up?”

“Kang Geom-Ma, where are you from?”