Episode 288 Week 16 Battle (2)
After class.
Most students maintained their existing pairs, but there were quite a few cases where they formed pairs flexibly.
And the latter, of course, was swarmed by thieves.
– Hey, hey! Come with me!
– Shin Byeong-cheol, you don’t have a partner yet?
– If you go with me, you will definitely win!
Depending on the type of trap, when you get caught in it, you may take damage or be inflicted with various status effects.
From the perspective of the person stepping on it, neither one is pleasant.
However, since you can pair it with the thief class and worry less about traps, it was bound to be popular.
Among them, Shin Byeong-cheol’s popularity was particularly enormous. I don’t know about anything else, but his skills in handling various devices were at the level of a second or third year student.
In Heuksabang, Shin Byeong-cheol broke through all the organs and participated as the main thief group in the break-in to the temporary storage facility.
But Shin Byeong-cheol, for some reason, turned down the flood of love calls and came this way.
Looking at him, Go Hyun-woo said.
“The new type’s organ equipment skills are truly second to none. It’s no wonder he’s so popular.”
“This body’s time has come, that’s what I’m saying.”
Shin Byeong-cheol laughed, then changed his expression to a slightly more serious one and continued speaking.
“However, the man Shin Byeong-cheol is loyal and romantic. He has no intention of abandoning someone who reached out to him when he was in trouble.”
Even when Shin Byeong-cheol was considered the weakest in other competitions and midterms, Go Hyeon-woo always teamed up with him.
So this time, Shin Byeong-cheol and Ko Hyeon-woo will be given priority to form a pair.
I thought Holadang would just go somewhere else to pursue his own interests, but this is unexpected.
A warm atmosphere was created, but this time, Go Hyun-woo let out an awkward laugh.
“I’m sorry, even though it was difficult for you to make the offer.”
“… … What?”
Shin Byeong-cheol’s face hardened, as if he had never imagined that he would be rejected.
“I have a prior engagement. I will accept your offer.”
“What, with who?”
The answer came from elsewhere.
“Come quickly! Come quickly!”
Beyond the classroom door, Han So-mi was waving her hand.
We all looked in that direction, then focused our gaze on Ko Hyun-woo.
I asked.
“How did you end up teaming up with him?”
“That’s right. Sometimes things go in an unintended direction.”
“Just go. Don’t make me wait any longer.”
“Okay, see you later.”
Go Hyun-woo walked away quickly.
Shin Byeong-cheol, who was left alone, looked at me this time, but of course I had a partner.
“… … .”
The lump has already grabbed my arm.
He slowly pulls it towards him as if he has no intention of lending it to me.
I said to Shin Byeong-cheol as I was being dragged away little by little.
“I think you have been faithful enough. Now go find a new relationship.”
“… … I guess there’s nothing you can do. But you’ll regret rejecting my offer.”
Shin Byeong-cheol answered in a solemn tone like a hero and then turned his back.
Those who were watching noticed that Shin Byeong-cheol was up for sale again and swarmed him like a school of piranhas seeking prey.
After watching the scene for a moment, I turned my gaze to the calligrapher.
“Shall we go soon?”
“depart.”
* * *
As soon as I arrived at the arena, I scanned my student ID at the terminal.
While waiting for the match to be made, check out this week’s sub-quests.
[Sub Quest: 16th Week PvP Battle] (In progress…….)
▷Goal: Complete 2 PvP battles (-/2 times)
▷Deadline: ~Sunday midnight
▷Reward: Differential payment based on achievement level
‘The highest achievement is 1st place in both games.’
It won’t be easy.
It’s a two-person, three-way battle, so there are six people participating and there are many variables.
Of course, the compensation would have been higher than other weeks accordingly.
‘It must be pretty substantial.’
If you do well, there is a good chance that you will rank up or receive a high-level stamp coupon.
As I was thinking about that, a notification message was displayed.
[Kim Ho 789 points, Seo Ye-in 801 points]
vs [?]
vs [?]
Since it is a blind rule, all information about the opponent, including their name and score, is kept confidential.
Because the opponents you meet in similar score ranges are all pretty similar, it’s almost possible to tell just by looking at the scores.
Since I already knew, I let it slide, and the calligrapher and I climbed into the teleportation magic circle.
The place we moved to was a small room with walls on all sides.
“… … ?”
The calligrapher poked at the wall here and there out of curiosity, but it was just an ordinary wall.
This is to prevent players from wandering around the labyrinth before the game starts.
Of course, there was no need to wait long.
The countdown began soon after the other teams had entered.
[3]
[2]
[1]
[Start!]
Immediately, one wall began to fade and disappear, revealing a narrow passageway that could accommodate two people.
I exchanged glances with the calligrapher.
“Let’s go calmly.”
“Let’s do that.”
Since this is the first game, it is important to first understand the structure of the labyrinth and what traps are installed where.
So we started to slowly move through the passage where we couldn’t see anything.
Walk a little bit and you will reach a corner, so turn to the side, then continue walking and turn at the next corner.
And then, after going a little further, a wall blocked our path.
I guess this is a dead end.
“… … ?”
The calligrapher stared straight ahead for a few seconds and then tilted his head.
Then he lifts his magic gun, aims it at the wall, and looks at me as if asking if he can shoot.
‘It wouldn’t be a bad idea to try it once.’
As I nodded coolly, the magic gun immediately started emitting blue fire.
– Doo doo doo doo!
A row of magic bullets were fired into the wall, creating continuous blue explosions.
But the wall wasn’t breached; it was just slightly damaged.
It means that it is impossible to move forward while breaking things ignorantly.
I don’t know if there’s a skill like [Passing Step] that a senior student used in the Black Market, but I think there are only a few cases of first-year students learning spatial skills.
The bottom line is that you have to find the maze as the bachelor intended.
The calligrapher also seemed to think so and turned the gun without any hesitation.
We tried to find another direction and made our way through the maze, but we slowed down again.
“It’s slowly coming out.”
“pitfall.”
At first glance, it looks like an ordinary passageway, but if you look closely, you will find traces of traps here and there.
For example, there may be a thin diagonal line drawn on the wall, or a very faint magic circle floating on the floor.
Most of them are traps installed as devices, and some are magical traps that utilize magic circles.
Of course, traps of this level could all be caught with the senses of an old person.
The calligrapher’s gaze also lingered in similar places, and as I had felt before, he seemed to have a pretty good eye.
“… … .”
The only problem is that it doesn’t seem like they’ll just let it go.
He approaches the trap and looks into it with curious eyes.
Then, just like when he shot the wall a moment ago, he looks at me asking for permission.
I noticed what the calligrapher was trying to say and asked.
“You want to step on it?”
– Nod,
“Is it really necessary to do that?”
“……little?”
“Anyway, I’m very curious.”
I can’t eat spicy food, but when I see something spicy, I try to touch it.
When you climb up high, you can’t come down by yourself, so you ask someone to throw it to you.
It still seems to be in a similar context.
‘Still, it’s better to experience it once.’
Rather than explaining and persuading someone in a painful way, it is more memorable to just try it out once.
Your stamina will decrease a little, but since it’s blind anyway, your opponent won’t notice.
At the end of the conversation I nodded.
“Let me step on it once.”
After my permission was granted, the calligrapher cautiously stepped into the trap.
But nothing happened, and at the moment when the calligrapher tilted his head,
– Clang!
Metal pieces protruding from the floor bit into one of my legs.
While I was being held captive, the calligrapher stared at me intently.
“……help.”
“I knew it.”
The two of them manipulated the trap here and there, and surprisingly, they fell into it easily.
This is because the goal is to hold the target for a while and buy time rather than causing damage.
Of course, there were many traps corresponding to the former scattered here and there.
For example,
– Whaaaaa!
– Whoosh whoosh!
A device that shoots arrows when someone approaches.
A magic circle that covers the passage with flames.
Given the existence of such a variety of traps, it seems that the calligrapher’s curiosity has not yet disappeared.
This time, I’m looking down at the magic circle faintly engraved on the floor.
‘Okay, do whatever you want.’
I remained in the position of a bystander, and the calligrapher, perhaps being a little cautious, touched the magic circle with the tip of his magic gun instead of stepping on it directly.
But that wasn’t a very good choice either.
– Swish—
This is because the area that was made up of hard ground immediately became swamp-like.
The calligrapher was submerged up to his waist before he could even react.
“……help.”
“Is that enough now?”
“yes.”
“You’re not going to do it anymore?”
“check.”
Only after receiving a definite answer did I reach out my hand, and the calligrapher took it and pulled me out of the swamp.
I stared into his gray eyes for a moment, then pushed the calligrapher away.
– Swish—
The calligrapher looks up at me again, still waist-deep in the floor.
Although his face is expressionless, his eyes seem to be asking, ‘What is this?’
“I’m feeling bad for no reason.”
“Don’t be grumpy.”
“Okay, I won’t do it. Hold on.”
I just pulled the calligrapher out of the trap like before.
From then on, the calligrapher also took care of himself, and we moved forward while avoiding the traps here and there.
Sometimes, the traps were spread out so wide that they would activate as soon as you got close. In these cases, I just treated them as walls and found another way.
How much time has passed like that,
‘It’s about time we met.’
Now that the game has started and quite some time has passed, I think one of the two teams will face each other.
It’s scary to think like that,
– Kiririririk—!
A familiar rustling noise rang in my ears.
I turned my head in that direction and, sure enough, several arrows were flying from the other side of the passage.
“… … .”
A handful of dark clouds rose from the calligrapher’s wrist and moved around, changing the trajectories of the arrows.
As expected, the one who soon appeared around the corner was Cha Hyun-joo, and a male student whom I was seeing for the first time.
Cha Hyun-joo glared at me, gritting her teeth.
“… … Kim Ho.”
“It’s been a while. Where did Heechan go?”
“I threw it away.”
“How spicy.”
“Shut up.”
Of course, Cha Hyun-joo’s position wasn’t completely incomprehensible.
Because Kang Hee-chan’s skills are not worthy of the attention of a promising prospect.
It is human nature to want to work with team members who are at least a little bit better.
In addition, Kang Hee-chan’s score has dropped significantly due to his losing streak.
When you pair up, your average score goes down, making it less likely that you’ll be matched with someone.
In that respect, Cha Hyun-joo’s intention was right in its own way.
Anyway, I was caught in a one-on-one fight.
Of course, whether that is a good decision is a separate issue.
Cha Hyun-joo glared at me and said.
“Don’t run away, see it through to the end.”
“hmm…….”
I rested my chin on my hand for a moment and pretended to think deeply.
Everyone’s eyes were fixed on me, waiting for the next words to come out of my mouth.
Finally I opened my mouth.
“The end—”
But while they were talking, a wall of ice suddenly rose up and blocked the passage without a gap.
Ice Wall was cast.
“—What are you looking at, you little punk? You’ve been robbed by me several times.”
“Put this away!!”
– Thud, thud!
Cha Hyun-joo’s screams and the sound of someone hitting hard could be heard beyond the ice wall.
It looks like the boy next to him has joined in, but it won’t be easy to break it.
Because it’s a B-rank ice wall copied from a member of the White Magic Club.
I said, strengthening the ice wall even more with Chillwind.
-Whew—
“You should see the end of it, and we’ll go first.”
“This—! Put it away—!!”
Then he took the calligrapher and walked to another place.
The supporters eat it all
