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chapter 380
Even though the instructor went so far as to use a presentation to explain the practical exam, the summary was simple.
Each student would enter a dungeon created within virtual reality, and their performance would be evaluated based on how they handled the various events that could occur within that dungeon.
Of course, most of these events involved monsters either appearing head-on or ambushing from the sides or rear.
‘So they probably won’t give us anything too difficult.’
It seemed that as long as a student didn’t panic when witnessing an event, they could still receive a decent score even if they failed to resolve it completely.
“Especially when a monster appears, defeating it will give you the highest score. But running away won’t result in a penalty. At least that’s better than dying while fighting it. Charging at a monster you can’t handle is foolish.”
The instructor emphasized several times that students should flee when faced with an undefeatable monster.
And rightly so. Charging at a monster you can’t beat is reckless. Running away from such a monster is nothing to be ashamed of.
‘Surprisingly, there are quite a few awakened students who don’t realize this and stubbornly refuse to run out of pride.’
Some overestimate their abilities, and some recklessly charge thinking they can handle a monster as long as they defeat the one in front of them. Usually, unless support arrives immediately, the results are unfavorable.
“Enough explanation… Attendance number 1, Kang Garam. Step forward.”
“Yes.”
At the instructor’s command, Kang Garam stood and moved forward. Various weapons appeared before her.
“Choose your preferred weapon before entering.”
Garam selected a sword. The instructor flinched at the choice. Probably because the attendance sheet listed her as a magician.
“…”
But the instructor didn’t question or comment on it. In class, maybe, but this was an exam.
Whoosh…!
In the next moment, Kang Garam disappeared—she had entered the dungeon.
“Focus on the front screen.”
As the instructor said, the presentation screen now displayed a video. In the center of the screen, Kang Garam cautiously advanced, surveying her surroundings.
Scratch, scratch….
The instructor jotted something down on the evaluation sheet. Garam’s behavior was textbook, so at least it wasn’t a negative mark.
“Ah, a monster appeared.”
“Starting with an orc. I wonder if Garam can handle that.”
“An orc is nothing…”
Upon seeing the orc, Garam launched a surprise attack, cutting the orc’s neck before it could react.
‘…The orc isn’t weak by any means.’
For a typical awakened high school student to face an orc alone, victory would be rare. Orcs are stronger than humans and usually travel in groups rather than alone. Garam could defeat the orc only because she was strong—the sixth strongest in our class.
‘…Actually, now that I think about it, that’s not even the top half of ten students.’
Before regression, she would never have missed the top rank. Still, among the five stronger than Garam, three were me, Lee Ha-eun, and Elena—those who had surpassed the wall—and the other two, Elliot and Lee Doo-min, were veteran-level awakened. Definitely not your average high schoolers. So Garam not ranking in the top five didn’t mean she was weak.
“Ah, an ogre.”
“Looks like she’s running immediately.”
This didn’t mean Garam was strong enough to defeat an ogre. On the screen, she kept her distance, carefully avoiding the ogre’s gaze.
‘Even academy-level students would struggle against an ogre.’
Just like the earlier orc. Garam could kill the orc and escape from the ogre, but an ordinary student would have to flee from the orc too. The difficulty seemed odd.
‘Could it be that the dungeon’s difficulty in VR isn’t based on high school students but on academy students?’
It was possible. After all, the VR equipment we used was probably borrowed from the academy. If the settings hadn’t been adjusted, it would still be in the academy’s configuration. And…
‘…So third- and second-year students who took this test before us did it under the same settings.’
That must have been a confidence crusher.
“Hmm? Isn’t that a signal that she’s giving up on clearing the dungeon?”
“Yeah. With an ogre present, that’s normal.”
On screen, Garam gave a signal that she was abandoning the dungeon, prompting the instructor to manipulate the system. Garam’s screen changed instantly—she was transferred to another dungeon. Realizing the exam wasn’t over, she moved forward again.
‘…This time, goblins.’
It seemed the difficulty of the first dungeon was intentional—placing her in an academy-level dungeon to bruise her pride before starting the actual evaluation in a standard dungeon.
As a result, Garam’s evaluation proceeded smoothly. She had already defeated an orc, and goblins were nothing to her. She had been consistently top-ranked in high school and the academy before regression, so there was no real challenge. She handled the events without issue, and her evaluation was completed.
“Next, attendance number 2, Kim Eun-yeon.”
“I… I’m a non-combatant… do I really have to do this?”
“You can give up now.”
“Then… I’ll give up.”
“Good. Next, attendance number 3, Ryu A-min.”
The exams for other students also went smoothly. The main difference was that, unlike Garam, they made more mistakes. Still, nothing serious. Considering they were high school students, the instructor didn’t penalize them harshly. There was a score gap compared to Garam, who made no mistakes, but it was minor.
Then a problem arose.
“…What’s wrong with Elena? Why is she like that?”
On screen, Elena appeared flustered while trying to fight an orc. I sighed.
‘Seems her spirit magic isn’t working.’
Elena tried to dodge the orc and cast spirit magic, but nothing worked. Eventually, she used the terrain to trap the orc and barely won. The instructor summoned her.
“(…! Ah, you startled me…)”
“Elena, still can’t use spirit magic?”
“Yes, seems so.”
“Don’t worry. Some abilities or constitutions don’t sync well with VR. We won’t deduct points for that.”
Elena’s expression didn’t improve.
“It’s strange… I’ve used VR before, and it worked fine then.”
“The equipment model might be different. Sit down now. You remained calm and used traps to defeat the orc, so I’ll give extra points.”
Elena nodded and sat. Next, Elliot was evaluated, followed by Lee Doo-min. Another problem arose.
“…Ha-eun can’t use magic either?”
“Seems like it…”
Ha-eun fled from the orc without using magic. The instructor summoned her before she was caught.
‘So after Elena, Ha-eun experiences the same issue.’
‘What do they have in common?’
Both had surpassed the wall. Perhaps the VR device couldn’t detect the energy of those who had transcended the wall. After all, such awakened students unconsciously protect themselves—myself with a protective aura, Ha-eun with an invisible shield, and Elena likely using wind spirit magic for protection. If the VR device couldn’t penetrate that, this result made sense.
‘Even though it bypassed the mental barrier to pull consciousness into VR.’
Anyway, Ha-eun’s exam was stopped, and Jin Chun-ha’s exam was completed. Only I remained.
“Attendance number 10, Han Gun-woo. Step forward.”
I stepped forward and grabbed a sword. The next moment, I was in the dungeon. Hoping to test it, I tried using my ki while swinging the sword.
‘Hmm?’
I realized the VR equipment couldn’t read my physical abilities, not just my ki.
“Damn…”
Still, it wasn’t the worst. My physical ability was weakened but not to civilian level—still comparable to a moderately trained awakened. Still weak compared to an orc.
‘No ki, and my physical abilities are only this strong…’
I advanced toward the orc, knowing I couldn’t sense it with ki, and the orc wasn’t visible. But recalling how others always started against orcs, there was no doubt one lay ahead.
‘Right now, I’m much weaker than an orc.’
It had been a long time since I felt like the underdog. I slowly increased my speed.
‘But would I really lose to an orc?’
No way. I once cleared an entire orc dungeon as an elementary student. Though weaker now, I still had techniques left.
‘…There it is!’
After some running, I spotted the orc and accelerated.
Swish…!
I hadn’t hidden, so the orc saw me. It screamed and swung its club.
Whoosh…!
I narrowly dodged—not recklessly, just avoiding losing momentum.
Slash…!
I used my speed to cut its leg. Pain stung my palm.
‘…Being VR, the pain is faint.’
The cut couldn’t be avoided—I had swung using ki, which I couldn’t fully utilize. This was the limit of my current strength.
Slash…! Slash…!
I continued striking and retreating, ignoring the pain. Even with real sensation, I would have acted the same.
Thud…!
The orc’s vital heart was exposed.
Swish… Thud!
I stabbed its heart, and it collapsed.
