Chapter 32 — Freshmen Hunt (2)
To elaborate, a demi-plane usually referred to a world fabricated with a human’s magic.
In this space, reality could be distorted in many ways, not short of transcending time and lifting the constraints on space.
Using such distortions, Gu Ja-In hosted the event ‘Freshmen Hunt.’
A huge field was created in the demi-plane, and the cadets were all piled in. Then he had them steal each other’s name tags.
The field created in this manner was about 21,500,000m². It was on an overwhelming scale that easily surpassed that of 20 average universities in Korea combined.
In addition, there were several pieces of equipment in the field. For example, there were traps that bestowed different debuffs on those caught, snares, healing springs, nightmare forest, shelters meant for freshmen, etc.
Using these things, JaeHyun planned to hunt for seniors with Kim YooJung.
However, a variable had suddenly appeared.
Seo Ina was here after warping with them.
‘Truthfully, having Seo Ina with us would benefit us. But…’
Just from a glance, it seemed difficult to approach her.
If he talked to her for no reason and made a mistake, it would be difficult to approach her again in the future. A bad first impression of him would take a long time to change afterwards.
After thinking for a moment, JaeHyun nodded his head.
‘We’ll go our separate ways here. Although Seo Ina is important due to her potential, my plan can also work without her.’
Thinking so, JaeHyun quietly whispered to YooJung.
“Let’s go. We have to stay here for 3 days. It’s best to find a shelter first.”
A shelter was a place where freshmen could hide from the seniors and get rest.
Although there were a few conditions, to survive in an event that would take 3 days, a shelter was necessary.
In the past, JaeHyun wasn’t able to last long because he hadn’t been able to find a shelter. That was also expected since the number of shelters were not enough for the number of cadets participating in this event.
So now that the event had just begun, it was best to find a shelter first.
‘We have to set up a base first so we can take care of any variables that pop up.’
That was his conclusion. JaeHyun planned to move quickly and leave this place. It was because the area was open on all sides and there was almost no place to hide.
But then, as he was about to leave, YooJung suddenly grabbed JaeHyun’s arm.
“Just a sec. Min JaeHyun. Wouldn’t it be safer to take that person with us?”
“What? By ‘that person’, do you mean…”
JaeHyun followed the direction Kim YooJung pointed at with her chin.
As expected.
Seo Ina was there staring at the field with bewildered eyes.
Kim YooJung added.
“Right now, we need more people. She’s a Magician like us, so winning her over would be good.”
Why did Kim YooJung have to make rational decisions at a time like this?
Although Seo Ina was truly an excellent card to have, she was also that much unpredictable. According to the rumors JaeHyun heard before regressing, she could sometimes be quite cruel.
JaeHyun thought for a moment. What if Seo Ina betrayed them after they teamed up?
Then no matter what JaeHyun thought, there was almost nothing he could do to fix things.
According to the rules, skills above B-rank couldn’t be used in this place. The damage-dealing skill he had, 《 Lightning Chain 》, was A-rank.
Although JaeHyun had high stats, he couldn’t say for certain that he could win against Seo Ina in this place.
‘To bring someone into our team in here, it must be someone that I can control.’
YooJung was an exception since they’d known each other since they were really young. Her strength didn’t matter.
But Seo Ina was different.
“That person is too strong. If she betrays us, then there’ll be nothing we can do.”
Although not to the same level as Ahn HoYeon, Seo Ina was also quite famous. There was no way Kim YooJung, who had a lot of interest in magic, wouldn’t know her.
“No way. She is a Magic freshman like us. As long as she’s not stupid, she should also know well. That if we meet a senior who’s a Warrior, that would be the end. We have to work together here.”
She wasn’t wrong.
If they could gather a few more people who could help here, they could take it easy from then on. JaeHyun was also aware of that.
But he didn’t have the confidence to convince Seo Ina to work with them.
Before regressing, there wasn’t a lot of information available about Seo Ina. Among what little there was was the fact that she was reticent and skeptical.
Seo Ina usually didn’t trust others.
‘It’s probably related to her family background. It’s not something I can do anything about.’
JaeHyun knew a little about her situation.
Although he’d only read about it in the news and seen it on TV, at the very least, he probably knew more about her than any other cadet here.
He looked at the aloof girl for a moment regretfully.
If only information about things she liked or her hobbies were broadcast, then he would have an easier time approaching her. But only the things that JaeHyun had already mentioned were known about Seo Ina.
‘What should we do? It would really be a shame if I gave up on her here. But…’
As he was lost in worries, Kim YooJung approached Seo Ina first.
“Um… Hi. I’m also a Magic freshman, Kim YooJung.”
“…I’m Seo Ina.”
Her gaze clearly contained some hostility. JaeHyun realized that Seo Ina was someone like him. Just looking at how she didn’t trust others easily and put them at a distance told him so.
It would not be easy to win Seo Ina over.
JaeHyun realized it intuitively. But Kim YooJung, who didn’t know this, asked with a naive expression.
“If it’s alright with you, would you like to come with us? That guy’s also a Magician.”
“What? But…”
Her act of lacing her thoughts with hesitation made JaeHyun think to himself.
‘I can see for certain that she’s cautious and unsocial.’
JaeHyun was currently unceasingly updating the information he had on Seo Ina. As he was doing so, YooJung continued to convince Seo Ina.
“No matter how you look at it, this event is unfair to freshmen. So sticking together seems to be the best way forward. Especially for Magicians since it’s easier for us to fight if there are more of us.”
“…That’s true, but…”
The way she answered Kim YooJung’s question appeared very awkward. He had also felt it when he saw her on the bus, but Seo Ina seemed to have a very introverted personality.
It was giving him a headache, but there wasn’t any more time to think.
JaeHyun sighed and pointed upwards.
“It seems that deciding whether you’ll be coming with us or not will have to be left for later.”
“…What?”
Seo Ina stared at JaeHyun with a slightly dazed expression. It was a face that showed she couldn’t understand what he meant.
Kim YooJung had already taken her staff out and was holding it in her hand.
Soon, Seo Ina also realized what JaeHyun meant and looked up.
‘Something is coming this way.’
Swoosh一
Crash!
They could hear the sound of something ripping through the air. Then, together with the sound of something heavy falling, an unknown object landed in front of them.
The sound came twice.
JaeHyun put up a barrier so that the dust in the air didn’t block his line of sight. When he did so, he started to be able to see things clearly.
He could see a guy with lumps of fat attached to his body and a blonde girl with really dark circles under her eyes.
The girl spoke first.
“It seems we’ll have an easy time earning points this year. To think we’ve already found three freshmen.”
“I know. Let’s eat something delicious after the hunt.”
YooJung and Seo Ina quickly analyzed the situation and took on a fighting stance.
But JaeHyun tilted his head, seemingly thinking that something was strange, and simply stared at the two seniors.
He was clearly having different thoughts than the two beside him.
‘…Aren’t they too weak considering they’re seniors?’
***
***
The two seniors’ names were written on their name tags. The girl was Kwon SoYul, and the boy was Shin JunSang.
JaeHyun narrowed his eyes.
‘Kwon SoYul and Shin JunSang…?’
They were familiar names. JaeHyun had heard their names before his regression.
“Those seniors are Warriors. Wouldn’t it be best if we escape from here first?”
YooJung asked worriedly. Her words were said after rationally analyzing the situation. However, JaeHyun shook his head.
They had gone up against the wrong people.
“No. We have to catch them here.”
Aside from his swordsmanship, Shin JunSang wouldn’t be a problem. Although evading his attacks would be a bit difficult, taking care of him was possible.
The problem was Kwon SoYul.
‘If I remember correctly, Kwon SoYul has a Unique Skill called 《 Search 》 that allows her to find any target she focuses on within 300km. If we don’t get rid of them here, there is a chance they will meet up with other seniors and attack us. We have to end things here no matter what.’
Kwon SoYul smirked and started to slowly move toward him. Not getting pushed back by her act, JaeHyun took a step forward as he gathered his mana.
‘I can’t show that I can cast spells without incanting here.’
It would be problematic if he showed chairman Gu Ja-In all the cards he held in his hands.
Here, JaeHyun had to act like a Magic cadet with extreme talent. Not someone who suddenly gained strength one day due to a Mythic item.
Whoosh…
The gathered mana started to flow out like watercolor that’s touched water. Kwon SoYul frowned for a moment, then her expression returned to normal.
‘This guy… seems to want a fight? He even has quite a bit of mana.’
There would certainly be a reason why that freshman wasn’t running away.
After coming to that conclusion, Kwon SoYul quickly took out her sword and held it in her hand. Like a lion staring at its prey about to attack at any moment, she was overflowing with mana.
Shin JunSang also reacted similarly.
Within the anxious atmosphere, a fight of 3 against 2 was formed.
Kim YooJung stood beside JaeHyun thinking that there wasn’t any other choice.
“Eugh… Okay. Why not? So what should we do?”
“Just wait first.”
Although YooJung was doubtful, she followed JaeHyun’s instructions. JaeHyun looked at the two in front of him without a sign of anxiety.
‘Honestly, I can take care of guys like these in a minute if I wanted.’
An idea suddenly went through his mind at that point. JaeHyun decided to make this fight a bit more dramatic. He planned to demonstrate his worth to Gu Ja-In and the instructors of Millaes Academy.
Shin JunSang sighed, as if annoyed, before taking his sword out.
“These guys seem to want a fight. What a pain in the ass.”
“Don’t let your guard down. Especially that handsome guy. He looks a bit dangerous.”
“He’s still just a freshman. Hey, it’s not like we’ve run this event just once or twice.
Look carefully. I’ll take care of them all in an instant.”
After Shin JunSang waved his hand a couple of times to show he wasn’t worried, he immediately stomped on the ground.
A fierce sword attack headed for JaeHyun.
Although the ordinary white longsword had a blue light from mana, compared to everything before JaeHyun regressed, it was a dull attack.
‘It’s been a while since anyone attacked me with a blade.’
JaeHyun smiled dubiously and easily dodged the attack. He moved his feet and turned his body, the continuous movements all looking incredibly natural.
Looking at him, Shin JunSang started to narrow his eyes.
‘Wh-What? My sword attacks… He’s dodging all of them?’
Swish! Swish!
The sword only kept cutting through the air and didn’t cut a single hair on JaeHyun.
Meanwhile, JaeHyun dodged Shin JunSang’s attacks with ease and then kicked him.
Thud!
“Huh?”
A confused sound came out of Shin JunSang’s mouth.
Getting pushed back, he fixed his posture. Dizzily, he then coughed up some blood.
‘What is this…?’
A kick from a Magician freshman injured his tough Warrior body.
What had just happened?
“If you leave behind your name tag right now, I’ll let you go without tormenting you any more. I’ll give you 3 seconds.”
At JaeHyun’s sudden words, Kwon SoYul and Shin JunSang both became astonished.
What kind of bastard was this that was showing such a domineering attitude to seniors like them?
He was nothing but a freshman cadet.
JaeHyun approached the two people standing in shock and slowly started to count.
“3, 2, 1…
Time’s up.”
____
