The principal remained in place for quite some time even after Kim Ho had left.
Eventually, he turned to the approaching vice principal and asked,
“Feeling satisfied?”
“Not at all.”
“Not at all? Your face looks completely refreshed and pleased.”
In reality, these two had known each other since the days when the principal was a hero.
There was no way he couldn’t notice even the slightest change in her expression, and compared to usual, the vice principal’s face looked not just bright but practically glowing.
She replied with a neutral expression on her face,
“To be honest, I feel a bit disappointed.”
“Disappointed? About what?”“He only hit you three times.”
She had hoped to see him go the full ten.
The principal palmed his face with his hand and let out a faint chuckle without realizing it.
Then he turned his gaze back toward the door.
“What can you do? If he says he’s stopping, I can’t very well tell him to finish all ten before leaving.”
He too felt a twinge of regret but was also somewhat relieved.
Even though this situation had come about due to Kim Ho’s request, it was still rather embarrassing for someone of his stature as a school principal to be hit by a student.
There were plenty of questions he still wanted to ask, but did it really have to be today, and while taking more hits?
Besides, though some of the questions had been a bit surface-level, he had managed to grasp a vague understanding of Kim Ho through their brief exchange of words and actions.
In a way, he had achieved some measure of success.
The principal turned to the vice principal to confirm.
“For now, I think it’s okay to leave him be. What do you think?”
“I feel the same way.”
Currently, Kim Ho had mastered Inferno Fist and another prohibited technique that appeared to be the Mysterious Yin Jade Demon Finger.
Both were ranked high on the prohibited skills list.
Yet, instead of imposing sanctions or bringing the matter to a faculty meeting, the principal and vice principal chose to put the issue on hold.
“It seems like he knows where the line is.”
“Yes, he’s clever.”
At Dragon Slayer Academy, the main reason certain items and skills were prohibited was because of the penalties associated with them.
Even if one gained immense power in the short term, it would inevitably lead to losses in the long run.
What was the point of unleashing such immense firepower if it only ended up burning one’s own hands?
On the other hand, Kim Ho had managed to cast Inferno Fist repeatedly without facing severe penalties. It seemed he had prepared some sort of buffer in advance.
He also demonstrated restraint. He knew knowing to step back without pushing himself too far, which significantly reduced the likelihood of any problems arising.
The goals Kim Ho had disclosed were just as modest.
– I’m here to learn.
– To grow alongside my friends while helping them out.
– That’s what I enjoy doing.
Since mental interference skills didn’t work on a Monarch, it was impossible to determine whether he was being honest.
Still, based on the conversation they had while facing each other directly, it didn’t seem like a lie.
And if it turned out to be a lie, they could deal with it then and there.
“If it’s true, then it’s something to celebrate.”
After all, it would mean that such a powerful being as a Monarch would eventually join their side.
Kim Ho had already proven his capabilities by defeating the Witch of Corruption without losing a single life.
In that regard, helping him and those around him grow seemed like an excellent choice.
Of course, the principal and vice principal couldn’t get too involved due to their positions.
“But we can at least act as a safety net.”
They would make sure that he could grow freely without interference.
At that moment, something crossed the principal’s mind and he asked,
“What about the Blood Cult?”
“They were confirmed to have left Dungeon Island just a few days ago.”
“They’ve got an uncanny sense for timing, don’t they?”
The Blood Cult had gone so far as to sneak in two Elder-rank members during the mentoring program on the Dungeon Island.
One of them had been caught in an utterly ridiculous manner during the final week of the program at the Black Market in the downtown area.
On top of that, their meticulously planned “Blood Fury” incident, into which they had poured significant resources, was resolved without yielding any meaningful results. This had weakened their momentum.
And now, during their retreat, even their ally the Witch of Corruption had been taken down, which forced them to decide to pull out completely.
After all, they knew they could be next, and getting caught without achieving anything would only mean a meaningless death.
“Still, do you think they’ll give up? Those persistent bastards?”
“They’ll return. Definitely.”
Whether they tried something during the break or sent another master infiltrator to Dungeon Island in the second semester, they were bound to make a move.
But, of course, Dragon Slayer Academy had no intention of giving up either.
No matter what tricks the enemy tried to pull, they were determined to protect their students.
“For now, let’s focus on the final exams. We can’t let them catch us off guard a second time.”
“I’ll make sure we’re fully prepared.”
***
Monday morning.
As usual, I called out Seo Ye-in.
While killing some time at the meeting spot, I spotted a head of gray hair in the distance.
“……”
Seo Ye-in noticed me as well and walked toward me at a relatively brisk pace.
Then she gently tugged on my sleeve and gazed up at me intently.
“I missed you.”
“It’s been almost a week.”
Since I skipped an entire week of the strategy battle and classes,
It wasn’t a particularly long time, but it wasn’t exactly short either.
“Did you train hard?”
Seo Ye-in slowly nodded her head up and down in response.
“Didn’t sleep much.”
“Really? How many hours a day?”
“Ten hours.”
“…You really worked hard.”
For a human sloth like her to sleep only ten hours a day. It was impressive.
If Ahn Jeong-mi heard about this, she’d probably be so moved she’d get teary-eyed.
Just as I was about to ask her how the strategy battle had gone,
“Kim-hyung, Miss Seo!”
Go Hyeon-woo waved at us from a distance as he walked over.
Once he got close enough, he asked,
“What happened to the Witch of Corruption?”
“She’s no longer a threat to Dragon Slayer Academy.”
“I see.”
Go Hyeon-woo smiled. He interpreted that as confirmation that she’d been taken down.
Meanwhile, Seo Ye-in who had been moving stealthily in the opposite direction since Go Hyeon-woo appeared ended up hiding behind my back.
Peeking out from over my shoulder, she cautiously eyed him.
For some reason, it felt like the distance between them had grown even wider than before.
I glanced back and forth between the two of them and said,
“Looks like something happened during the strategy battle.”
“Haha, nothing gets past you, Kim-hyung.”
Go Hyeon-woo let out an awkward laugh.
If something had happened between the two, it would’ve been during the strategy battle. That much was clear.
I pressed him further.
“Last week’s rules were for a boss raid, right? In a hostile environment?”
“That’s right.”
“Let me guess. You guys couldn’t sync up well, so the strategy battle dragged on. And you kept encouraging her like, ‘Miss Seo! Let’s push through! Just a little more effort!’ or something along those lines.”
“Exactly as you said. Did you watch a replay or something?”
“No. I just know you two well enough to piece it together.”
Go Hyeon-woo looked a bit impressed.
He seemed amazed that I’d accurately guessed what had happened without actually seeing it.
To be fair, it wasn’t entirely his fault.
Objectively speaking, Go Hyeon-woo had done his part diligently.
There wasn’t much to criticize about him as a teammate.
But since I was firmly on Team Seo Ye-in, my judgment was inevitably biased.
“This one’s mostly your fault.”
“Hmm, can I ask why?”
“Because you couldn’t match the sloth’s tempo.”
Given their skills, the two of them should’ve been able to crush an F-rank boss with ease.
In that case, they should’ve focused on maintaining their condition and taken things at a more relaxed pace.
Seo Ye-in popped her head out from behind my shoulder and added her own comment.
“Disqualified as a butler.”
“The sloth’s tempo… I see. I hadn’t considered that. As expected, Kim-hyung seems like the right person to lead Miss Seo.”
Even though I had half-jokingly thrown that out there, Go Hyeon-woo nodded his head as if he was fully convinced.
Seo Ye-in stared at me and declared,
“Qualified as a butler.”
“I told you, I’m not doing it.”
She just wouldn’t give up.
***
The duel battle class.
Teacher Lee Soo-dok scanned the room and uttered a single word.
“Final exams.”
“….…!”
“….…!”
It seemed like the timing was about right to make the announcement, so the students weren’t as shocked as they had been during the midterm exam announcement.
Still, the weight of the word “final exams” carried a lot of significance, and a heavy tension hung in the room.
Regardless of their reactions, Lee Soo-dok continued his explanation in an almost casual manner.
“Starting in two weeks, on the 18th week, we’ll begin the final exams. The format will be similar to the midterms. Everything you’ve learned and experienced so far will come into play. Of course…”
A slight smirk curled the corner of Lee Soo-dok’s lips, and the scars crisscrossing his face seemed to twitch.
“…hostile environments will be waiting for you in the final exams as well. For those of you who still haven’t adapted, you’re in for a treat.”
Not a single person brightened at those words.
Lee Soo-dok’s eyes scanned the room again as he took in the reactions, though his eyes lingered on me for a moment before narrowing slightly.
It was as if he were silently saying that I had spoiled his fun.
Well, it made sense. After all, I had returned unscathed even from an A-rank dungeon.
Since I hadn’t done anything wrong except being a “stagnant water”, I calmly met his gaze until he finally looked away and resumed the lecture.
“This week is no different. Among the hostile environments, there are natural ones, but there are also quite a few artificial ones.”
With that, he snapped his fingers and a word appeared on the blackboard:
[Traps]
The students’ reactions were strikingly divided.
The majority displayed expressions layered with disgust, while a small minority looked delighted with their faces lighting up in excitement.
That small minority, of course, included Shin Byeong-cheol and the members of the thieves club.
Well, it made sense. What could be more fitting for thieves than setting and dismantling traps?
Next, Lee Soo-dok displayed the rules and environment for the test on the board.
MAP: [Trap Labyrinth]
RULE: [Double][Three-Way Battle][Blind]
“I don’t think there’s any need to explain the environment. You’ll experience it for yourselves.”
After all, there wasn’t much more to say beyond “a labyrinth filled with traps.”
What’s more, if my memory served me correctly, the terrain was random and the locations of the traps were random.
And to make matters worse, the number of traps increased as time went on.
Therefore, there was no point in showing it in advance, and watching other people’s replays would just be a waste of 100 points.
“You’ve all experienced both double battles and three-way battles at least once before. Think of this as a combination of the two.”
In short, it was 2:2:2.
The rankings were determined by how long each team could hold out.
The key point here was that even if one teammate became incapacitated, as long as the other teammate managed to hold out until the end, there was still a chance to finish in first or second place.
“Lastly, for this week, no information will be displayed.”
The [Blind] rule.
Previously, the scoreboard kindly displayed the names of opponents and their health gauges, but this time, the scoreboard itself wouldn’t exist.
This meant you had to enter and see for yourself who your opponents were and how much health they had left.
Because in real battle, there’s no such thing as displayed information.
Duel battles and strategy battles weren’t sports; they were nothing more than practice drills for actual battle scenarios in the future.
When I heard this, I nodded my head with great satisfaction.
This is my favorite type of week.
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