I Teleported Into the Academy of a S*xy Game - Chapter 125: Survival Test (18)

Survival Test (18)

Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump!

The rush of combat, a sensation I hadn’t experienced in a while, surged through my entire body. Perhaps it was because I hadn’t encountered a strong opponent throughout the survival test, it heightened my tension.

This place is a deserted island with no safety measures whatsoever. Without safeguards, I can’t go all out like in the previous one-on-one duel. There’s a chance she could get seriously hurt. Yet, Nam Daeun, seemingly unfazed, casually employed Spatial Domination, as if to convey her indifference. A radiant purple energy enveloped her sword.

“Hey… you’re not trying to kill me, right?”

“It’s okay. I can control it.”

Her demeanor, as if reassuring me, while she maintained eye contact, was unsettling.

Dammit…

But luckily, it seems she has no intention of utilizing the artifacts hanging from her waist. That means I have a chance. Instead of taking her down, I just need to target her smartwatch. If I can snatch it or forcibly remove the sticker attached to it, victory is mine.

Nam Daeun, full of confidence, swiftly moved toward me.

Thump!

My senses sharpened even further, making every move she made crystal clear. I activated Vision Enhancement and unfurled the Rune Barrier. This is to counter Spatial Domination. If I can block her spatial manipulation with it, her sharp sword will be reduced to just that.

I caught the moment when mana concentrated in her legs. Simultaneously, I triggered Acceleration, preparing for her attack.

Klang!

Closing the distance in an instant with spatial acceleration, Nam Daeun’s sword strike met my Cotton Guard, and I gracefully stepped back.

“That was intense…”

“A bit more than last time, right?”

“Yeah… Looks like you’ve been training hard.” I wiped the ground with my foot as I spoke to her. Demonstrating such growth after just a week of training is an unbelievable talent.

“Let’s go again.” Nam Daeun raised her sword with a slight upward tilt of her mouth. She seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself.

I let out a sigh and distanced myself from her.

***

The 80 students encircling Nam Daeun and Lee Hoyeon were struck speechless. The complacent notion that they were all at a similar level as academy students crumbled in the face of these two.

“Captain, if those two team up, it’ll be tough for us even if we attack together.”

“It’s not that dire.”

Amidst the shock caused by their inexplicable moves, Kim Younghan calmly assessed the situation. Each of them could handle about 15 students. Of course, he didn’t explicitly mention how ridiculously high that number was.

“Real monsters there…”

“I should refrain from pressing the downvote button… If I get caught, I might die.”

“But isn’t it a bit different from the last one-on-one duel in the final? Nam Daeun seems faster, and Lee Hoyeon looks overwhelmed.”

The onlookers, wide-eyed and watching the sparring, couldn’t even think of intervening. There was no obligation to have Nam Daeun engage in a one-on-one. They’re letting her be now, likely out of fear of the consequences if they had intervened in the fight.

No, scratch that. If I have to point it out, while Daeun is giving it her all, Hoyeon seems to be… conserving his energy?

“I can’t understand what he’s thinking, our pretty boy.”

“What is it?”

“Nothing.”

“Captain, you always seem to have something and then claim it’s nothing.”

Ignoring the student’s comment nearby, Kim Younghan continued analyzing the sparring.

***

Swoosh! Boom!

Nam Daeun and I continued our dance of strikes, shifting positions back and forth. Usually, the fight unfolded with me either evading or blocking attacks and creating distance.

“Haa… Haa…” I exhaled rough breaths while wiping the ground with my foot.

I’ve used too much mana, and it’s getting dangerously low.

“Why do you keep running around?” Nam Daeun lowered her sword under her arm and stared at me. She noticed my barrier and ceased using Spatial Domination, leaving her sword devoid of its previous glow.

In a prolonged battle, I would be at a disadvantage.

“I can’t fight you head-on, so I run.”

“You did it last time.”

“No, but rushing at me in a place with no safety measures is dangerous.”

“I can make sure you don’t die.”

The slight curl of her lips revealed genuine frustration.

I don’t know what kind of duel she expected, but I was preparing for victory in my own way. After checking the surroundings while stalling for time, I realized other students had no intention of getting involved in the fight. Even the unsettling factor, Kim Younghan, was silently observing my sparring.

In truth, my preparation is complete.

I discreetly prepared magic circles by roaming around inside this open space created by the students. Drawing a magic circle with my feet was a bit confusing at first, but after a few attempts, I got the hang of it.

The goal is Nam Daeun’s smartwatch. There’s no other way to subdue her without causing harm. Now that the worry about other students intervening is gone, I can finally throw the decisive move.

I raised my mana, ready to face her.

Woom!

Watching Nam Daeun charging at me, I slowly looked at her, dodged her sword, and maneuvered inside. Then, I conjured Spiral in my hand.

If she takes this head-on, she’s in danger, but if I use it overtly, she can avoid it.

As expected, she stepped back, and I activated the magic circles I had prepared.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The magic circles laid on the floor exploded simultaneously, sending columns of fire shooting up from the ground.

I quickly cast fireballs to restrict Nam Daeun’s movements. Watching her dodge the pillars of fire and the fireballs, I attached a spark to her clothes and let it linger.

Done.

Unbeknownst to her, a small spark delicately traversed her body. It’s a technique I developed during training with Alice and massage sessions.

Before Nam Daeun could notice, the small spark reached her smartwatch, and I intensified the flames to quickly incinerate the smartwatch.

Sizzle!

Despite her sudden bewilderment by the flames, the smartwatch had turned into ashes.

“Haa…”

Fortunately, the surprise attack worked. It was a trap that required a fair amount of mana, and it would have been troublesome if it hadn’t worked.

Now, with the remaining mana, I just need to break through this wall of students.

She’s eliminated.

“Huh?”

Why isn’t the forced teleportation working? She should’ve been sent away, marking her elimination.

“I lost again, huh…” In Nam Daeun’s hand, a new smartwatch had magically appeared.

“What the heck. Why are you still here?”

“I have a one-time life-saving voucher. They give it after defeating about 30 boss monsters.”

“…”

Those blasted higher-ups… I can’t believe they arranged it like that.

In the original game, rooted in an adult game foundation, the number of boss monsters one can defeat in a day is limited. Hence, there’s no chance to defeat 30 of them.

I never knew there was such a hidden twist.

“Haa… Fine. You won.”

Some things are beyond my control. I just have to roll with it.

The survival test will enter its seventh day in a few hours. As long as Alice, Lucy, and Lumi survive until then, they can all secure a place in the rankings. The remaining members of Kim Younghan’s team, except for Younghan himself and Nam Daeun, are likely to be eliminated. This should positively impact the heroines’ rankings.

It’s a shame I can’t acquire the hidden piece from the final boss. Guess I’ll need to compensate in another way.

At that moment, Nam Daeun, standing in front of me, fiddled her smartwatch before tossing it in my direction after having taken it off her wrist.

“What?” I caught the smartwatch instinctively and shot her a puzzled look.

What’s going on here? What’s the deal?

“I meant to give it to you from the start. Practical test reward. Consider it a favor owed.”

“…?”

Nam Daeun was looking at me with an expressionless face. As I glanced at the smartwatch to understand the situation, I burst into laughter because it was so absurd.

“You could’ve handed it over earlier.”

“I wanted to spar once.”

“If you want to spar again, just tell me. I’m ready to face you anytime.”

Even without this approach, I would’ve faced her. Dealing with students is a bit tricky for her, probably because she hasn’t really delved into social life.

“Hey, Nam Daeun! What are you doing?” Kim Younghan, who had been watching us, yelled at her for tossing the smartwatch to me.

“I lost, so it’s over now.”

“You can’t do that!”

“I never made any promises with you.”

“…”

Seeing him bite his lip, I could tell he’s been keeping an eye on Nam Daeun since she joined. It would have been better if he had honestly tried to communicate when he accepted her into the team.

“I’ll make good use of it. Thanks.” I read Nam Daeun’s smartwatch with mine.

“Sure.” She gave a brief reply and disappeared with a teleportation spell.

I didn’t expect to receive something like this. So that’s why she stayed in the survival instead of giving up.

I should buy her a gift later.

“Now then…”

Though the students were still looking at me, the animosity was already gone. Kim Younghan was the only exception. The other students who had noticed the situation seemed confused.

The dozens of pillars of fire that suddenly erupted at the end were quite impressive even in my eyes. The surrounding ground had turned into a mess as if there had been an earthquake.

Now’s the chance. Before my remaining mana is exposed, I should escape.

The remaining mana is truly on the edge. If a few students regained their senses and attacked, I might be eliminated right away. There’s about three hours left until the seventh day. The opportunity to escape is now.

I immediately conjured mana and dashed towards the place where I had seen the fewest people during the sparring.

“If you don’t move, you’ll get hurt!”

BOOM!

And I activated the final magic circle prepared for escape. A much larger pillar of fire erupted than before. While the bewildered students were in disarray, I slipped through the gaps and pulled my body out.

“Hey, you guys! Don’t fall for that!”

The magic circle only had a loud sound and visual effects; it wasn’t a spell that caused real damage. Kim Younghan was the first to realize, but it was already too late.

Ignoring the sounds from behind, I ran towards where the heroines were.

***

“Oh… It’s coming.”

Only 5 minutes left until the seventh day.

Kim Younghan persistently pushed and rallied his team forward. With my mana critically low, escaping the tightening encirclement around me seemed nearly impossible.

“But you’re a bit too late, my friend.”

In 5 minutes, the final boss of the survival test would make its entrance.

Alice and the twins had been huddled together for about an hour. They probably avoided coming close after seeing the surrounding students. A wise decision. They were following my instructions well.

Despite the encirclement closing in, I kept my focus on the smartwatch.

58 seconds. 59 seconds. Midnight.

As the seventh day dawned, a single beam of light descended from the dark night sky, gradually illuminating the surroundings.

“Wow… I never realized how intense this was in the game.”

Seeing it in reality, one can imagine how many magic professors must have participated. It must be a grand magic centered around Im Sol.

Something emerged from the light anchored to the large tree at the island’s center. My smartwatch vibrated, signaling an alarm.

[The final day of the survival test has dawned.]

[The High Elf Hunter has appeared on the island. The High Elf prioritizes students with 200 points or fewer.]

At last, the final boss has arrived.