Chapter 31

Chapter 31

The pride of Seoul, the Shinsung Theme Park.

Despite its 1.5 million sq/m size*, the only people currently in it were students from Gaon Academy.

The Shinsung group had let the academy borrow the park for the first-years’ intramurals.

“Wow, we’re doing our exam at a theme park!”

“I heard that the second-years all did their test on a deserted island last year…”

“Thank EunAh.”

The greatest chaebol in South Korea… 

Kim SeukHan, the president of the Shinsung group.

Despite being labelled as someone with an iron will, the one person who made him into putty was his granddaughter, Kim EunAh. The reason why these first years had been allowed this extravagant testing location was due to her and her grandfather’s power.

“How much would it cost to stay at this theme park overnight?”

“…She’s on a totally different level.”

The students’ gazes and their murmurings eventually focused on Kim EunAh.

“There’s no need to make a fuss about something so minor,” she stated.

Something like this was nothing to her. The instructor, Lin Xiao, began to yell while looking at the students who were in the area.

“Hey, hey! You guys know where your lodgings are, right? Gather at the hotel in the water theme park area when it’s time.”

Even the place that the students were staying in was a world-class hotel. The instructor in charge of guiding the students, So HaeJung, tapped the mic to check for feedback, then gave out the instructions.

“Please check where your testing location is, as every class has a different one. Today, you will have some time to gather with your classmates in advance to make a plan. All you have to do for the test is to be at the testing location at 11 AM tomorrow.”

It was a day for rest.

The next day was reserved for the test.

As So HaeJung finished her speech, the students began to split up. The Shinsung Theme Park was the highest-rated amusement park in South Korea, yet there were few students attending Gaon Academy who were excited at the prospect of it, owing to the academy’s focus on strength above all.

Among them, the atmosphere of F Class was the most morose, as they had been labelled the weakest class until then. For them, Shin YuSung, a Seven, was the best chance that the class had ever gotten.  

Because of this, the focus of the F Class students naturally focused on Shin YuSung.

“I can’t believe that F Class has a Seven. So reliable!”

“Hey, YuSung-ah! What about us?”

“Just tell us what we have to do for the test!”

“Me too! Me too!”

Shin YuSung was completely surrounded by his classmates.

Due to this, the crowd eventually pushed Sumire, who had been next to Shin YuSung, to the outside of the circle.

“Ah, uh, U…um! Me too!”

Unlike Sumire, who looked like she was about to burst into tears, Lee SiWoo took advantage of the situation to claim his position next to Shin YuSung and was acting like he was his right-hand man.

“Hey, hey! Just calm down for a moment! YuSung here will hand out all of the roles to you guys.”

Shin YuSung carefully read through a sheet of paper listing every student’s Traits and skills. Then, he began to speak.

“We’re in Zone A, right?”

“Yep, you’re right! Zone A!” responded Lee SiWoo, almost right away.

Zone A, where D Class and F Class were taking their test, was where the Ferris Wheel and the safari area were located. The haunted house and the giant aquarium were located alongside them.

‘…If we want to keep the initiative against the villain team, we absolutely have to block off a few of the paths.’

The combat strength of the F Class students was, as evaluated by Shin YuSung, overall weaker than D Classes. Around 3 or 4 F Class members were needed to stop two D Class members. 

However, each class only had 30 people. Putting the extra missions for individual points into consideration, even cloning himself wouldn’t be enough to make up for the difference. Efficiency was the name of the game for these intramurals.

‘…I have to divide everyone up in the most efficient manner by taking their Traits into consideration.’

Shin YuSung quickly made some calculations in his head. Lee SiWoo, one of the few who could attack from a distance, would be sent to the Ferris Wheel. Meanwhile, Sumire, who had gotten fairly strong on her own and had an artifact to boot, was going to be in charge of a special mission.

‘And for the rest, I’ll divide them up into groups of threes that all have an equal level of skill between each group.’

Shin YuSung’s strategical mind and judgment, which he had inherited from the Fist King, were on par with hunters who were on active duty. He focused on the synergy between the F Class students’ Traits in order for their lacking skills to face off against D Class.

“First, SiWoo. Your group will be composed specifically of those who can make long-range attacks.” YuSung pointed to the Ferris Wheel. “Stop D Class from advancing from there.” 

Lee SiWoo gave an enthusiastic nod at Shin YuSung’s instructions.

“Okay! Gotcha!”

Two students immediately went to Lee SiWoo’s side in a cooperative manner.

“Pick me! My mana bullet can travel over 300 meters!” 

“My Trait is also good for long-range attacks! I promise I can do well!”

Shin YuSung nodded.

“We can’t control the Ferris Wheel, so you guys will have to climb the scaffolding to the top. If you guys attack from there, D Class will have a hard time even trying to retaliate.”

Shin YuSung seemed to be proficient at figuring out the best role for every student—due to being taught tactics from the Fist King himself. As he finished with the long-range group, he turned to Sumire.

“And, Sumire?”

The girl in question raised her hand at his call, even at a far distance.

“Sh-Shin YuSung-ssi! I’m over here!”

She could only approach Shin YuSung after the other students made way for her. He continued to give out commands in a calm manner.

“You’ll be next to me, but as soon as the exam starts, move according to the instructions I gave you. We won’t know where the special mission will be located until that moment, after all.”

The fact that Sumire had been given the task of fulfilling the special mission meant that Shin YuSung had acknowledged her as the strongest teammate.

“M-me!?”

But she was only shocked for a moment.

‘D-does that mean I’m the person in F Class that Shin YuSung-ssi trusts the most…’

Sumire began to laugh in a creepy manner once more. It was only due to luck that she had been partnered with Shin YuSUng during the Jewel Island test, but that was not the case for the intramurals.

He had solely chosen her for her ability to complete the special mission.

“Right! Please leave it to me!” she exclaimed, eyes twinking—something that she hadn’t shown in a while. Even Lee SiWoo, who had been watching her, seemed to change his unfavorable impression of Sumire.

‘She looks less gloomy than before, somehow.

Her change in attitude was all due to Shin YuSung.

* * *

* * *

The class president of D Class, Park HaWon…

She was inspecting the testing zone with her right-hand man, Kang MinSu. As the leader, she had decided to perform a preliminary investigation of the area in order to create a plan.

The main problem was one of the attractions of the theme park, the haunted house.

The building, designed to look like an abandoned hospital, emanated a creepy atmosphere, even from the entrance. The green light spilling out of the pitch-black hallway brought up all sorts of terrors to one’s mind.

“…Why is it so cold here? Did they turn the air conditioner on?”

Park HaWon made an excuse in an effort to hide how frightened she was about the place. On the flip side, Kang MinSu seemed calm, without a single change to his expression.

“Really? It feels the same to me. If you’re so scared of it, why don’t we check the map for the hospital instead?”

“Scared? Why would I be scared, when this is all just fake, anyways… ghosts don’t even exist…what are we, children…?”

Even as she said this, Park HaWon was tightly gripping Kang MinSu’s uniform dress shirt with one hand and fiddling with her glasses.

She exhibited clear signs of nervousness.

“Well, it’s pretty dark around the area, which is good for hiding hostages. There’re a lot of rooms, which are also good for planting ambushes, and…”

And on top of all that, Park HaWon had begun talking more than usual. Kang MinSu laughed at the sight.

“I see.”

“Stop laughing and start thinking about how to win in the intramurals.”

Park HaWon kept muttering while looking around the area, even after telling him off.

“What is the headmaster thinking, letting people use artifacts during the test? This is completely skewed towards F Class. He’s totally on their side…”

Grumbling, Park HaWon crossed the halfway mark of the passageway. As she did so, a beam projector suddenly began to activate.

Vmmm!

A ghost hologram was projected on the wall of the hallway. It had a toothless smile that went up to the eyes, which showed nothing but the whites.

As a giant ghost’s face appeared in the greenlit hallway, Park HaWon froze like a deer in the headlights. 

Kang MinSu looked at the statue that had once been his classmate.

“You said you weren’t scared. What are you doing?” he asked.

Park Ha Won stared down the empty hallways.

With a sob in her throat, she replied to him.

“I wanna go back to the hotel.”

The terror of the abandoned hospital had won against Park HaWon’s pride.

* * * *

8 PM.

Shin YuSung and Sumire were heading back to the resort later than the other students, as they had taken more time to prepare for the special mission. 

There was a brief moment of silence.

Shin YuSung looked at the lights strung up in various colors around the pool in the waterpark. Then, he began to speak.

“You’ve worked hard, Sumire.”

While not quite as strong as Shin YuSUng, she had made incredible progress. Her skills were overwhelming compared to the other F Class members. Someone who had strong physical prowess like Shin YuSung had great synergy with her skeleton summoning Skill. 

The skeleton that Sumire could summon with Shin YuSung’s hair was only three-tenths as strong as the original, but that was still an incredible help for the exam.

Sumire, however, shook her head at his praise.

“Um? N-no! Th-the one who worked hard was you, Shin YuSung-ssi! I just did what you told me to do…”

Sumire quickly spat out the words, voice eventually fading at the end. To someone who had constantly been last place, the fact that Shin YuSung had been her partner and that she had become one of the Sevens felt like a dream.

“…Actually, everyone in F Class is really thankful towards you, Shin YuSung-ssi.”

Sumire wanted to express her gratitude, even if it was embarrassing for her to talk about it so directly.

“Thankful?”

Shin YuSung gave Sumire a bemused look. To him, all that he had done up to this point was in pursuit of his goal to become the strongest.

But Sumire and the other F Class students thought differently.

“Everyone in F Class… has an F-rank Trait. You already know this, but… hunters with F-rank Traits aren’t treated very well, right?”

It was true.

The number of famous hunters with F-rank Traits could be counted on one hand. The majority of hunters couldn’t even properly challenge the Tower and could only make a living with a full-time job through conquering dungeons. Sumire continued to speak with a bitter expression on her face.

“So… we’ve been ostracized a lot, and a bunch of us even gave up on becoming stronger.”

Sumire turned her gaze towards the pool.

Lots of thoughts came to her mind as she stared at the various lights strewn about the area. They were lit up in various colors and placed in unique configurations.

“But that isn’t the case anymore. We know now that it’s possible to be strong, even with an F-rank Trait…”

Sumire looked up at Shin YuSung and beamed.

“Because Shin YuSung-ssi taught all of us that.”

Sumire’s smile was bright.

Shin YuSung had become the hope of both F Class and all F-rank hunters. The trust that the Fist King had first placed in the abandoned Shin YuSung had been nurtured into hope in the boy’s hands—and now, he was planting that same hope into the other F-rank hunters.

Shin YuSung had merely done all of this to get closer to his goal to become the strongest hunter, but the idea that his actions had motivated the others was not unwelcome to him.

In fact, it just felt like he had another reason to beat D Class in the exam.

____

* Around 70% the size of Disneyland Park in California, for comparison.