🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 06
“We’re screwed.”
Serin said that to Woo-hyun, but Woo-hyun loosened up his shoulders with a calm expression as he replied:
“So, are you giving up?”
Woo-hyun showed no sign of giving up. Serin jerked her chin toward the electronic board where the words ‘Boss Appearance’ had appeared.
“No one has ever cleared a Boss Appearance stage in the Korean Player Qualification Exam.”
“I know.”
“And yet you’re saying you won’t give up?”
When Serin asked, as if she couldn’t understand, Woo-hyun calmly answered:
“Personally, I absolutely have to become a Player this time. I can’t afford to wait another three months.”
“But it’s nearly impossible for an F-rank Player to defeat an E-rank monster. From what I saw during the second practical, your Gift doesn’t even seem combat-related.”
At her words, Woo-hyun nodded honestly.
If it were anyone else, maybe he’d have hidden it—but Yu Serin would’ve already realized his Gift wasn’t combat-oriented. Lying now would only risk losing her trust.
Although a Player’s status window details weren’t even disclosed to family members, teammates usually shared at least the general category of their Gift and the types of skills they had.
After all, understanding each other’s abilities led to better teamwork—and better survival.
So Woo-hyun openly admitted to Serin that his Gift wasn’t combat-oriented.
“The Player Management Bureau isn’t stupid. They know an F-rank can’t beat an E-rank monster, especially a freshly awakened one. That’s not the intention behind this test.”
He pointed toward the electronic board, where the words ‘Boss Appearance’ had vanished, replaced by a 20-minute timer.
“They want to see how long you can survive against an opponent you can’t possibly defeat. That’s why, unlike other unexpected situations, there’s a time limit.”
Serin replied in a flat tone:
“I know that too. But with our current strength, even running away for 20 minutes is nearly impossible.”
She was right.
Even for a regressor like Woo-hyun and a future member of the Top Ten like Serin, surviving 20 minutes against an E-rank monster at this stage was virtually impossible.
Sure, survival was far more likely than actually killing it, but it was still teetering at the edge of impossibility.
“Ability… You want to apply it to your Gift, right?”
At Woo-hyun’s words, Serin’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.
For someone as socially blunt as Serin, even that tiny change in expression signaled a strong emotional reaction.
“I noticed you finished your second-round duel pretty quickly, so I managed to watch most of the other candidates’ matches. Your Gift seems to deal with light, doesn’t it? Am I wrong?”
In the first timeline, it had become almost an established fact that Yu Serin’s Gift was the ability to manipulate moonlight.
Even if Players hid their status information, some Gifts were obvious after repeated use.
Combat Gifts especially, since they left plenty of data from frequent battle use.
And Serin’s Gift was a combat type involving light, particularly powerful at night—so it was widely believed to be moonlight manipulation.
Woo-hyun also remembered that, in the first timeline, when Yu Serin later revealed her Ability to the public, she had explained in an interview that it was born as a byproduct while looking for ways to further utilize her Gift.
So he could easily guess why she was so desperate for Ability—and said it aloud.
Of course, he couldn’t mention regression, so he set it up as if he’d simply figured it out after observing her second match.
Nod—
Serin gave a small nod. Woo-hyun continued:
“I’ll explain Ability to you up front. I’ll buy time first. While I’m stalling, you work on applying Ability to your Gift. Once I’m spent, you take over and stall until the 20 minutes are up.”
Serin thought about whether that was even possible, then asked:
“How long can you hold out?”
Seeing the possibility in his strategy, she wanted numbers. Woo-hyun replied briefly:
“If it’s a quadruped, 5 minutes. If it’s bipedal, 8 minutes.”
In a matchup between an E-rank monster and an F-rank Player, the E-rank would inevitably dominate.
And among monsters, quadrupeds were several times more troublesome than bipeds—since they were much faster and more agile.
That’s why Woo-hyun calculated: up to 5 minutes against a quadruped, up to 8 minutes against a biped.
“My Gift will need at least 5 minutes for Ability to take root.”
At her words, Woo-hyun’s eyes sharpened, and he murmured:
“Then let’s pray for a biped.”
<Some time later, in the arena>
Woo-hyun, holding a longsword, stood ready beside Serin.
Since the third team trial required cooperation, the exam allowed up to 10 minutes of strategy time once an unexpected event appeared.
During that time, Woo-hyun hastily explained the three fundamental stages of Ability—condensation, release, and shaping—as well as techniques like body reinforcement, light-step, and manifestation.
He managed to finish right before the 10 minutes were up.
[Ready]
“God, Buddha, Allah—please, just give me a biped!”
Woo-hyun prayed desperately to every deity he knew.
And then—
Fwoosh!
Grrrraaaaaghhh!!!
An E-rank monster appeared—a kobold.
At first glance, Woo-hyun thought its wolf-like head meant it was quadrupedal. But when it stood upright on two legs, he smirked.
Kobolds could move on all fours if needed, but their bodies were fundamentally suited for bipedal motion.
“At least it’s not the worst case.”
Serin lowered her head without replying, muttering something to herself.
Woo-hyun realized she was working out how to apply Ability to her Gift—and wisely chose not to disturb her.
“Eight minutes. Endure—and claim that Player license!”
He swore to himself. And then—
[Start!]
The words appeared on his visor.
Woo-hyun and the kobold charged at each other in a blur.
Serin simply stood in place, whispering to herself, while Woo-hyun rushed forward to intercept the kobold.
Tak-tak-tak!
Woo-hyun raised his longsword and dashed.
‘I need to grab its aggro first. If it goes after Yu Serin, everything falls apart!’
Though his original plan was to stall by running, he first had to ensure the kobold’s focus stayed on him.
Grrraaahhh!!!
The kobold lunged with razor-sharp claws. Woo-hyun charged straight—then suddenly veered at a sharp 90 degrees, using light-step to narrowly evade the slash.
‘It’s fast! Faster than most E-rank bipeds!’
He immediately realized this kobold was among the most agile of its rank.
Still, his priority was clear: keep its attention.
Swish!
After dodging, he swung at the kobold’s now-exposed legs, aiming to cripple its mobility.
But—
Thump—Spin!
The kobold leapt, pivoting a full 360 degrees in midair. Woo-hyun’s blade cut only empty space.
‘Are you kidding me?! What is this, a circus act?!’
The kobold’s unbelievable agility left him shocked.
Scratch!
Landing smoothly, the kobold immediately slashed again. Woo-hyun barely avoided a direct hit by using body reinforcement to accelerate his movement.
[11 Damage!]
‘What the hell?! Just a graze on my cheek cost 11 points?! At this rate, nine more scratches and I’m done!’
“Haah!”
Woo-hyun countered, striking the kobold’s stomach with the pommel of his sword.
Thud!
Yelp!
The kobold let out a pained cry for the first time and quickly retreated, trying to escape his striking range.
Tap!
‘Got you!’
As the kobold moved back, Woo-hyun slashed upward.
‘Kobolds go berserk if you hit one specific spot…’
Slice!
His sword grazed the kobold’s nose, leaving a shallow cut that drew blood.
AUUUUWWWW!!!
The kobold’s eyes went wild as it howled in fury.
Kobolds, after all, were basically humanoid dogs.
Their sense of smell was their most vital sense organ—injuring the nose caused immense pain, like striking a dragon’s reverse scale.
Woo-hyun knew this. That’s why he’d first struck its belly with the pommel—to bait the opening.
Grrrraaaaghhhh!!!
“I’ve got its full attention now. That’s one problem solved. Now the rest is just…”
Rrraaaaaghhh!!!
“…running for my damn life!!!”
Without looking back, Woo-hyun sprinted in the opposite direction of where Serin was standing.
The kobold, enraged, went completely mad and charged after him.
