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Day 2 of the exam. 7 a.m.
3rd P.o.v.
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At a certain campsite, a blond girl had just woken up. Being both an early bird and a royal, she had a strict routine to follow. She stepped out of the tent, stretching and taking in the early sunlight.
A faint smell of burning butane and cooked meat traveled through her nose. She turned to her right to see her reliable teammate grilling breakfast.
"Good morning, Hajin." She greeted him.
"Ah good morning, Rachel. You're just in time. Breakfast is ready. It's all we have, though." The bot greeted back.
Due to circumstances, mainly the exam, their breakfast only consisted of pork belly. Not much for nutrients but it will do. The fat will provide them with energy for the day.
"I know I've said this yesterday but your cooking is very good, Hajin." Rachel complimented.
"It's nothing, just grilling pork belly. You'll get the hang of it after a few times. And seasoning can be done beforehand." Hajin replied.
"But it's still delicious nonetheless. Thank you, Hajin"
"No problem. We're teammates, after all."
After breakfast, they discussed their plan for the day. Hajin suggested hunting while moving in a direction toward the mark on his map. He didn't mention who or what was there to Rachel.
But she agreed with the plan anyway. If anything happens, they could retreat back to the camp. As they were moving, Hajin suddenly froze in place. His face turned calm and collected.
Noticing the changes in his expression, Rachel asked her companion: "Hajin, wha—".
"Shh."
But Hajin interrupted her, raising his finger to his lips. His body was facing Rachel, but his eyes were looking elsewhere.
This alerted Rachel, but she didn't pull out her rapier. If only Hajin sensed something, it means that something was lurking way out of her range.
And then....
Hajin, with his gun in hand, turned around and fired a bullet toward a branch a couple of trees away from their tent.
*BANG*.
The training gun roared into life, firing out a streak of light. It went straight through the wood, making multiple cracking sounds as it went through anything in its path.
It wasn't what Hajin would normally do when he sensed someone.
'Shoot first, see who's been shot later' was never Hajin's preferred choice of action. He might hurt someone important to the story, which is the last thing he wants.
But doing nothing then could result in an ambush or worse. There is also a chance of a hit on his teammates Rachel giving what he had written about her.
Hajin stared in the direction of the bullet, identifying the killing intent that had been pouring over him until now.
A long, violet-haired girl, Yoo Yeonha, was holding a shorter, black-haired girl back. The latter was inches away from the bullet path. She was about to get shot if not for her companion.
The black-haired girl was holding a bow with an arrow notched. She was about to shoot him before being pulled back by Yeonha.
Yoo Yeonha looked at Hajin with a cold face. His face didn't show any changes. His eyes weren't focused on them. It was pointing at the third person behind those two: Seo Ijin, or rather... The Boss.
Her blackish-purple eyes, hidden behind her mask, looked at Hajin without breaking eye contact. 'Seo Ijin' was evaluating the young cadet.
Facing Kim Hajin, 'Seo Ijin' showed no emotion, concealing her intentions from the boy facing her. And it terrified him greatly, even though he didn't show it on his face.
'What the hell is she doing with Yeonha?' Hajin panicked inside.
'I'm sure that she is here to observe but isn't she supposed to follow Jonghak? Why is she here then? Unless her target is Rachel or me.
In any case, confronting them is a no-go. Our winning chance is zero."
"Let's go," Hajin said.
"Are we just gonna leave?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah. It seems like they don't want to fight right now. It's better if we reserve our strength."
"I see... I'll do as you say then."
The duo slowly backs away and leaves. Their assailants watched them leave without doing anything.
After the two left, the bow-using girl fell on her back.
"What... the hell was that?" She said.
"Now do you see why I told you not to mess with him, Miss Rose?" Yeonha replied.
"Yes, I do. I almost got eliminated just then."
"Good that you now know. Rank is just a number to people like him. If he hadn't left but fought instead, do you think we could come out on top easily?
And one more thing, keep this conversation a secret."
"What? Why?" The girl, Rose, asked.
"Because they might become part of my group someday."
"... Ah! Yes. I'll take it to my grave, I promise... Wait... They?"
"Let's head back."
"YES!!!"
Yeonha and her subordinate turn around and leave. Seo Ijin, The Boss in disguise, however did not move. Her eyes still remained on the boy even after they had left. No one knew what she was thinking at the time.
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————[King Crimson]————
After walking for a while, Kim Hajin looked behind where they had left earlier. No one was following the two of them.
"Haizzz..." He sighed in relief.
Seeing that they are out of danger for now. Hajin sat down, leaning against a tree to rest. He also instructed Rachel to do the same.
"Let's take a break. Then we'll start finding prey to gain points." He said.
"Okay..." His partner replied.
They took a quick rest, hydrated, and checked their equipment. Soon, they headed off again.
.
.
.
Despite their rough morning, Hajin and Rachel had luck in their hunting. They found and hunted monsters with very high efficiency. In no time, the total number of points they had gathered exceeded three digits.
However, good things don't last as an arrow came out of nowhere hitting the monster they were chasing. The deer-like monster dropped itself onto the ground.
"Oh? I didn't know you two were hunting this one." A voice came out from the other side of the deer. It was a male cadet.
"My name is Joo Yeohoon. Sorry for stealing your prey." He continued.
Messy hair combed backward, dead fish eyes, and a sinister grin. Joo Yeohoon looked like a delinquent more than a Hero cadet.
"It's okay. We don't mind at all." Hajin replied.
"Really?"
"Yeah. You killed it. It's yours."
"Thanks, man. Appreciate it." Joo Yeohoon said.
"What do you say... the three of us teaming up?" Yeohoon asked.
Despite his friendly demeanour, Hajin didn't let his guard down. He knew that Joo Yeohoon was acting to catch them by surprise. And he was also a Djinn.
The fact that there were more people spotted hiding behind Joo Yeohoon showed that he wasn't here to make friends. He was waiting for a certain princess to come by.
Hajin noticed that Rachel was holding her still sheathed rapier. Seemed like she had also sensed the hiding adversary.
"The three of us?" Hajin asked.
"Yeah. What do you think, Miss Rachel?"
'His target really is Rachel.' Hajin thought.
"I can't decide that on my own. We are a team after all." Rachel replied.
"I see... Then do you think? It's better if the three of us fight together, right?" Yeohoon turned to Hajin and asked.
"I don't know. It's kinda rude to poach someone in front of their teammates. Isn't that right?" Hajin said.
"Teammates? What are you talking about?" Yeohoon brushed off, sweating.
"Aren't they your teammates over there?" Hajin pointed behind Yeohoon.
Yeohoon grimaced at Hajin's words; his colleagues had been exposed by the puny human in front of him.
"Now now... I'm sure there is a misunde–" *Bang* Yeohoon tried to explain himself but Hajin didn't allow him to do so.
"What is your purpose, Joo Yeohoon?" Hajin asked, knowing full well of Yeohoon's intention.
Yeohoon dropped his smile. He stared at Hajin with anger.
"Tch... I was planning to eliminate you swiftly. But since you wanted to get in my way so badly, so be it." Yeohoon said.
He signaled to his accomplices and drew his bow. The 'cadets' hidden behind him revealed themselves with their weapons drawn toward Hajin and Rachel.
On Hajin's side, the two of them were also prepared for battle. Killing was still forbidden for cadets; but if the opponents weren't human to begin with then it's a different story.
"Be careful, Rachel. We don't know what they're capable of."
"Right."
The fight broke out.
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Back to the present.
Shiki P.o.v.
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"And that's what happened. I couldn't contact Hajin after we got separated."
After listening to Rachel recount her day, I somewhat understood the story.
Apparently, Hajin and Rachel were too difficult for Yeohoon and his accomplices to handle. So they decided to split them apart and chase after Hajin first.
One of them caused a massive stampede to push Rachel away and then abandoned her as soon as she was far enough.
Left alone, Rachel decided to head toward their meeting point, which, either coincidentally or not, was near my camp.
Since the Boundary Field was still active at the time, Rachel wandered around the camp until I fell asleep. Only after the Boundary Field lost its effect did Rachel reach the campsite.
Evandel, seeing her mother approaching, didn't cause a fuss or try to wake me up because Rachel was no stranger to her. She went over and hugged Rachel with a big grin.
Rachel talked to Evandel for a few minutes before finally asking where I was. Evandel led her to the tent where I was, sleeping.
'I've never seen him this vulnerable before. He is still a human, after all.' was what Rachel thought seeing Shiki lying there unconscious.
'But for some reason, I didn't want to leave him alone.'
Subconsciously, Rachel sat down next to him while questioning her previous thoughts. The rest was history.
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.
"I'm truly sorry about earlier. It's just that I have a bad sleeping posture." I rub the back of my head.
"It's okay. You must have been very tired, right? Do you need to rest for a while more?"
"...!!!"
Not only did she forgive me, but she also worried about my health. I might become useless if this goes on. Frankly, I don't care about it.
"Thanks, I'll impose on you for a bit more." I lay back down and closed my eyes.
"Goodnight, Teacher."
"Goodnight, Rachel."
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.
After the best nap I've ever had in a while, I cleaned up the campsite. Rachel offered to help but I refused. She had already helped me more than enough.
Strangely though, my hair didn't feel messy after I woke up. It usually tangles into a big mess given its length. Did something happen when I was napping?
Enough of distraction, I snubbed the remaining ember of the campfire and broke the Boundary Field. Can't have a magic circle outside without surveillance, even if it is inactive. Who knows what kind of 'Final Destination' shenanigans it could cause.
After I finished cleaning, I saw a messy head approaching us from afar. He quickly leapt from one tree to another like a monkey.
I don't understand how he has written this world's system at all. When we're on a flat road, he's the slowest of all cadets. But when there are obstacles, he suddenly becomes the fastest man alive.
What kind of gift allows you to cross difficult terrains at high speed while doing nothing on smooth surfaces? This is magic-level bullshit.
Even some Noble Phantasms have less ridiculous restrictions on their users.
"So you finally remember your meeting place, Hajin. Rachel has been here for a long time," I said.
"Do you really have to tell me that?" Hajin responded.
"Yes. Rachel briefed me about your situation. But it doesn't excuse you from it.
Anyway, we're heading to your camp now. Any questions?"
"Do I have a choice?" he asked.
"No. Because you'll be babysitting Evandel whenever I'm not available. Now go get Rachel. We'll leave right away."
"Fine..."
With that, we soon left this place for Hajin's camp. We decided to get there as quickly as possible to make time for dinner. And since the distance between my camp and Hajin's was quite long, I carried my little princess and ran.
Fortunately, we didn't have to wait for a slowpoke as he was jumping between branches. Still, we took occasional breaks as his stamina couldn't keep up. By the time we arrived, the sun had nearly set.
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Midnight. Hajin's camp.
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In the middle of the night, Shiki, who was sitting near the campfire, watched the flames flicker beneath the sky. Once again, he stayed awake to keep an eye on the people he cared about.
Originally, he was supposed to go inside the tent and wake the next person to take over for him. But before entering the tent, he suddenly changed his mind.
Strange phenomena were occurring around the area. Dark presences were surrounding their camp in unison. Monsters hadn't appeared despite there being no barrier set up.
And the worst of all, the leyline on this island was beginning to shift its course.
'What the hell is that thing trying to do now?' he wondered.
Leylines are the veins of Earth's natural mana. For it to suddenly change was proof of the Counter Guardian meddling, specifically Gaia.
But it wasn't his priority. Now he had to deal with some uninvited guests.
"I know you're there... all of you," he said.
There was no response to his words, but he continued.
"I know you've been skulking around for a while. What do you want?"
From the shadow, four dots of red flickered and stared at him. It was soon revealed to be two strangers wearing hoods and masks.
The mask was black with a red creppy jester smile. It was obvious that they weren't any of the overseers.
They didn't say anything. Both sides were staring each other down silently.
Until one of them came forward and removed his mask. Messy hair combed back, dead fish eyes and creepy smile. Some would recognise him, Joo Yeohoon, immediately.
"Finally wanted to speak? Tell me, why are you here?" Shiki asked.
"You see... We want someone inside that tent. I was hoping you could hand her to us nicely."
"Her?"
"Yes. We want her."
"You're mistaken. There isn't a girl in this camp. It's just an idiot and me here."
"Don't try to trick us. We saw her in your group earlier. Now give us the princess."
"And if I say no?"
"Then we will kill you all except her." Yeohoon said.
"All of us?"
"Of course. Maybe we can wake her up and kill all of you in front of her instead." Yeohoon finished.
His creepy grin hasn't left his face the whole conversation. Still, Shiki didn't answer them with violence. Not yet that is.
He covered his face with his hand, revealing a smile underneath.
"Hehe... Hahahahahaha...
KHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA."
Shiki began to laugh like a madman. His adversaries took a step back. They looked at Shiki as if he had just gone crazy.
"What are you laughing at? Is this funny to you?" Yeohoon questioned.
"No no, you misunderstood. It's just that...."
*Snap*
.
.
.
*Cracked* "ARGHHHH!"
It happened too fast. One moment, Yeohoon was still standing and the second he had dropped to the ground hugging his leg.
In a split second, his leg had been stomped on so hard that it just snapped in half. With one leg broken, Yeohoon couldn't balance himself and fell.
From above, Shiki, who was responsible for the broken leg, looked at Yeohoon's pathetic expression and said:
"WHO do you think you're threatening to KILL?"
If it were just Hajin and Rachel, Shiki would not react so strongly. He is confident that the two of them can handle themselves.
However, Evandel was included in all of them. You don't threaten to kill a man's daughter and expect to walk away peacefully.
But it seemed like Yeohoon didn't hear Shiki. He just kept clutching his leg, screaming.
"Why isn't it healing? What have you done to me?" He said.
It wasn't supposed to be like this. Yeohoon was a Djinn, his leg was supposed to heal in a matter of seconds.
The other associate also fell to the ground. It was like something had drained all his energy.
"Since you're all gonna die anyway, I'll tell you what's happening. *Snap*"
The area around him was lit from below, with walls of light encasing everyone from every direction. Behind Shiki, another person was kneeling.
"An ambush, huh? Good thing he's also a Djinn," Shiki said.
"Grrr... What do you mean by that? What does being a Djinn have to do with this?"
"Oh, it has everything to do with your current state. You see...
This barrier, which traps you here, drains all living beings of their mana to sustain itself. And you know what that means, don't you?"
Yeohoon went into panick. If what Shiki said was true, then the three of them are in bad water.
For a Djinn, mana is everything. They had sacrificed everything their bodies have to offer to become one. Their flesh, blood, and even souls have been exchanged for magical power.
Only their form remains, transformed into that of a Djinn due to the influence of their newfound power.
So logically, stripping them of their mana means taking away everything that makes them powerful. Without mana, all that remains is a body more frail than an elderly person.
"Then why are you still standing? The barrier should have affected you as well. But I don't see you struggling at all."
"Simple, I still have mana in me. If I can generate more mana than losing, then nothing would happen to me."
"Impossible, no human can achieve that kind of feat. You're lying."
"Oh, you poor bastard. You haven't seen what kind of miracles humans can do. This is just a minor fable compared to the majority, trust me.
But you wouldn't believe me anyway. It's time for you to leave this world."
"No! You can't do this to us! It wasn't supposed to be like this."
"The villains are playing the victims... How ironic.
But worry not. I will send you all peacefully to the afterlife, if there is one for you all."
Seeing no need to move his body, Shiki decided to take his time. And since no one could interrupt him, Shiki opted for absolute destruction.
"Let's find out if whatever being had stuck a deal with you answers your prayers." Shiki said.
He began reciting out loud, and the Djinns started to notice their whole body began to change. Many phosphorus-white auroras flew upward like rising heatwaves.
[Ask of Me, and I shall give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession.]
The Djinn's body slowly crumbled away into the auroras. They felt their own existence fleeting away from within. They knew they would die if this continued.
[Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.]
One by one, the Djinns tried to attack Shiki. But without mana or a sliver of strength, standing up was already a miracle.
[Be wise now therefore, O ye kings; be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.]
"Gruooahhh... You bastard! Stop it!!!" Joo Yeohoon yelled.
But such pleas had fallen on deaf ears. For those who had chosen the path of inhumanity, they had nowhere else to go but to the depths of hell.
Seeing no victory, the Djinns pounded on the barrier hoping to break the cage that had trapped them here. But despite all their efforts, nothing changes. The barrier stood there unscathed.
[Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and ye perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.]
"Nooooo..... Stoooopppp..."
[A.....MEN.]
"GROOOOOOUUUU...." Joo Yeohoon lunged at Shiki one more time. His hand reached toward Shiki's throat. But it was far too late for him.
*Peeeeewww*
The barrier was engulfed in a beam of light. It struck down on everyone inside. It pierced through the clouds and cleared out the night sky. The beacon shone bright in the darkest hour.
Unfortunately for the Djinn, that beacon tore into them vigorously, leaving nothing behind.
Eventually, the sky dimmed down and all that remained were Shiki and a few piles of ashes.
"Phew... Took a while but effective all hell. Now I can go wake Hajin up. It's been a long night."
Shiki went inside the tent to cash in his well-earned rest.
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Island Observation tower.
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From a distance, a couple of witnesses saw the miracle Shiki had performed through a monitor. From the barrier to the light of purification, their eyes never left the scene.
"Interesting, the information wasn't false after all. I can see why Yoo Yeonha regard him so highly." The woman said.
"That's the one with the little girl? No wonder he insisted on keeping her with him."
"Looked like I had struck gold. And according to Yoo Yeonha, Kim Hajin isn't a pushover either." She continued.
"Aren't you head over heels for Kim Suho?"
"Suho is still my favourite. But both of them had deceived us once. Can't let that happen again, right?"
"So how are you gonna play this one out, Yoon SungAh?" The man asked.
"I'll try to probe one of them later. The information is still too exaggerated."
"By picking a fight with him? Do you think they will bite?"
"At least one of them will. After all, I have a 200-point bait and he had a daughter to take care of. It's a win-win-win for everyone."
"I see... Try not to go overboard, okay?"
"I'll try, but I can't promise it."
"Good."
'She'll definitely go overboard. It's not my problem anyway.'
The man walked off, leaving Yoon SungAh alone on the tower.
"I'll find out where your limitations are..."
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2 a.m. Hajin P.o.v.
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Outside of his tent, Hajin stretched his limbs. Waking up a bit too early than normal caused him to be a little grumpy and tired.
It also didn't help when Hajin was forcefully woken up by none other than Shiki.
————[ 12 minutes ago ]————
"Oi, wake up, Hajin. Wake up.
Damn."
Shiki's patience grew thinner as time went by. He had tried to wake Hajin up to no avail.
And when Hajin didn't respond to his call the third time, Shiki abandoned the peaceful approach.
"Not waking up, huh? Your funeral then."
Shiki held up his hand. Many lightning sparks slowly gathered around his hand. They wove into each other creating an electric glove.
Shiki shook Hajin with his non-conducting hand and said:
"Last chance, Hajin. If you don't wake up then god be with you."
No response.
"Oh well... I always wanted to do this anyway..... A–hem..."
With a sinister smile, Shiki took a deep breath.
"DORYAH!"
"ARGH!!!"
...
————[Back to present]————
"That damn sadist, I swear I'll get him back one day." Hajin mumbled.
He never expected that there would be a day when someone would wake him up with a taser hand.
"Did it leave a mark?"
Hajin couldn't check his back where Shiki had struck. The tingling sensation still lingered for a while after the initial hit.
"Forget it. I'll just kill some time until Rachel wakes up then leave."
With a sigh, Hajin began exercising his magic circuits. Soon, the sun rose and another day on this island has begun.