Chapter 64

I Became A Childhood Friend Of The Middle Boss 63

Chapter 63

The exam students seemed unaware.

In reality, within the foundation of this gate’s dreamlike hotel, monsters lurked in every room.

Monsters belonging to the Monma species.

Mostly creatures that hide in the pictures in each room, concealing their existence in the world of symbols, they are active between 10 PM and 6 AM.

Guests who fall asleep during that time become their prey.

“Are the exam students all in their rooms?”

“We’ve cast alarm spells in the corridors, so we’d immediately know if any students come out of their rooms.”

“I’m checking with the screen eye, but there’s none as of now!”

“The assistant guardians stationed on each floor have reported the same.”

“They must all be fast asleep after the banquet, right?”

“Yes, probably deep in dreams.”

Unbeknownst to the exam students, the 4th practical exam was about subduing the monsters hidden in the rooms.

And in their world of symbols.

The examiners induced the situation by adding a sleep-inducing substance to the food consumed by the students in the hotel.

It was a drug that accumulated in the body, so subtle in dosage and minimal in effect that it was hard to detect, yet it was a substance that could lead to addiction and decay if accumulated.

Moving forward, the evaluators eased the tension of the examinees with delicious food, lively music, and games, disrupting their focus and fueling their doubts, ultimately luring them into complacency.

It was all to create conditions where monsters could infiltrate the minds of the examinees in the simulated world.

“But… Can we really do this? Conducting exams unexpectedly without informing the examinees of anything…”

“That’s right.”

“After all, didn’t the examinees agree by signing the pledge? The explanations regarding the exam might not be sufficient, and the Gyeonggang Academy does not take responsibility for issues arising from it; the responsibility lies solely with the individuals.”

“Who would read all of that?”

“It’s a pledge to take responsibility for one’s life; one should read it all. What if someone signs the pledge without thinking?”

“That’s true. If you’re going to become a Hunter, you should be prepared to die at any moment. That includes the exam.”

“But there will inevitably be objections to the exam…”

“There will be those who raise objections. But didn’t we really not inform them about the exam at all? It seems like we’ve scattered some clues.”

“How many would have noticed that?”

“It seems like only a few examinees from Yeonseong Namga did.”

“And we even lied that passing the 4th practical exam by spending a day at a hotel would guarantee success.”

“Lies… will surely lead to objections.”

If the 4th practical exam were to be made public, it would undoubtedly spark controversy.

Hence, there were evaluators expressing concerns about the exam.

At that moment, the overseeing supervisor spoke up.

“When did we lie?”

“…”

“The examinees who spend a day at the hotel are indeed supposed to pass the practical exam. However, the condition is that they must spend the day ‘safely.’ Setting that aside, stop gossiping and focus on the exam. Continuously chattering will only stir up more controversy.”

“Yes!”

An exam testing the examinees’ mental fortitude.

As the 4th practical exam took place in the simulated world, the role of the evaluators was significantly diminished.

However, their role was more crucial than ever.

The supervisor reminded the evaluators of this fact and urged them on.

“The ones entering people’s dreams show them unpleasant dreams to shatter their minds and take over their bodies. Go around your assigned areas and rescue the examinees who have fallen victim to that.”

“Yes, understood!”

While the Academy did not take responsibility for the deaths of the examinees, those who could be saved still needed to be rescued.

From now until 6 a.m.

The supervisor and evaluators had to stay up all night to monitor the condition of the examinees.

It would be an extremely challenging day for both the examinees and themselves.

The supervisor dismissed the evaluators.

Then, almost as a complaint, he muttered to himself.

“Why did the chairman plan such an exam…?”

In truth, the supervisor shared the same doubts as the evaluators.

If the goal was to evaluate the examinees’ mental resilience, it could have been done in a different way.

There was no need to go this far.

The difficulty level of the exam was too high.

It felt as if…

‘It’s like preparing them for what lies ahead.’

It’s an absurd situation.

However, it was hard to dismiss if the one who planned the test was none other than So Hye-ryul, the director of Geumgang Academy, also known as the Witch of the Stars.

The supervisor was lost in thought.

* * *

The younger skies, no, the witches of disaster, were closing in on me.

Attacking me from all sides without discrimination.

Shooosh… Swish!

“Ugh!”

They even fell from above.

Due to the sound of rain, I noticed late and hastily dodged her attack.

At that moment, the ones nearby rushed towards me.

“It never ends for real.”

Their attacks were relentless.

No time to catch my breath properly.

I frantically blocked, countered, and evaded their swords.

“Gyeonwoo.” “Gyeonwoo.” “Gyeonwoo.”

“….”

Meanwhile, she multiplied.

Appearing from somewhere, they surrounded me from a distance.

As if to prevent me from escaping, or perhaps waiting for their turn to fight.

“Gyeonwoo.” “Gyeonwoo.”

“…Stop calling me.”

They multiplied again.

When I looked around again, their density in the space had increased.

Filling every gap around me.

“Gyeonwoo.”

With black hair clinging to my wet cheek.

The rain-soaked women flashed crimson eyes.

Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands… Perhaps an infinite number of gazes were fixed on me.

Shortly after, bows appeared in their hands.

As they pulled the bows.

“What kind of dream is this for real.”

Flames lit the arrows as they were pulled by the women.

All the arrows they released were aimed at me.

It couldn’t be a situation where I wasn’t dreaming.

“Though I am actually dreaming.”

But that doesn’t mean I can ignore it.

I couldn’t foresee how the pain experienced in dreams would affect me.

The death in dreams could even lead to death in reality.

Bloodshed!

“….”

Arrows of flames soared through the air.

I must avoid it.

But there’s nowhere to escape.

They were everywhere.

If that’s the case, I have no choice but to block.

Yet, with my skills, I couldn’t manage to stop the infinite arrows flying from all directions.

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Swish!

“I can do this.”

This is my dream.

A world based on my subconscious.

It materializes as I imagine.

Whiiiiing!

Just as the conviction that the impossible is possible stems from the consciousness that believes in magic.

I rotated with a mindset to perform magic, filled with conviction.

The military blue blade roared fiercely.

The wind from the military blue blade instantly turned into a massive vortex in the dark sky, meeting rain and transforming into a typhoon.

“…It’s working.”

Something that would have been impossible in a game.

The arrows of flames were blocked by the wall of the typhoon and couldn’t get inside.

The ethereal beings were also entangled in the typhoon, making them invisible around.

As I entered the eye of the typhoon, I could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

“But I can’t stay here forever.”

I had only bought time for a brief rest.

The situation hadn’t changed.

I needed to find and kill the one hiding somewhere in this world who had thrown me into this dreadful nightmare.

Meanwhile, that person would undoubtedly be looking for an opportunity to kill me too.

So, if my thoughts were correct.

“That person is definitely among the ethereal beings, waiting for the right moment. …But it feels awkward to call them ethereal beings.”

The likelihood was high.

That way, I could catch a glimpse of an opportunity to be killed among them.

The problem is that finding that person among the constantly splitting ethereal beings is almost impossible.

“I’m not particularly inclined to kill them one by one… It doesn’t sit well with me.”

Even though it’s all happening in a dream, I still didn’t want to kill her with my own hands.

No, I can’t kill her.

I couldn’t bring myself to convert my military straight sword into a reversed sword while fighting with those women.

Even though I knew it was foolish, I just couldn’t do it.

“I wouldn’t follow the split even if I killed the heavens. Even if I unleash a wide-area attack using my dream world… if even one person survives, they would exponentially multiply. Killing the heavens is an inefficient act.”

I was a coward.

So, as a coward, I decided to overcome the situation in my own way.

There was a way.

“I’ll use my instinct to dodge.”

It was a strange thing.

My Gift only sporadically activated to deal with the women attacking from all directions, not continuously.

Although I was clearly in danger, my instinct to dodge did not perceive it as a threat as I had thought.

Judging from that.

“I’m aware of whether the instinct to dodge attacks in my dream world actually affects me or not.”

It was akin to distinguishing between illusion and reality in the second practical exam.

However, the sporadic activation meant I perceived it as a threat that could actually affect my life.

There was only one threat that could actually affect me.

In other words…

“The heavens attacking me with an attack that could trigger my instinct to dodge are the real threat.”

I was certain.

If I just paid attention to the activation of my Gift, I could locate the monsters without killing those women.

Given their large numbers, it would take quite some time.

“No, there’s another way.”

Suddenly, a thought came to mind.

If this also went according to my thoughts, it might be possible to shorten the time.

Whoosh…

After finishing my thoughts, I escaped from the dispersing storm.

Outside, those women, who seemed to have increased since a while ago, were waiting for me.

“Kyungwoo.” “Kyungwoo.” “Kyungwoo.”

“Kyungwoo.” “Kyungwoo.” “Kyungwoo….”

“Hey, Yeonha.”

“….”

Unlike the Yeonha I knew, these women had dyed their hair black. Their skin was also tanned.

There was something I really wanted to say to those women.

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I spoke up.

“Aren’t you going overboard?”

“…?”

“You told me not to dye my hair or burn my skin, so why are you doing it? Aren’t you being hypocritical for telling me what not to do?”

“Kyungwoo.” “Kyungwoo.” “Kyungwoo….”

“So, if you did it, then I’ll do it too.”

“…What?” “…What?” “…What?” “…?”

“I’m going to dye and burn too.”

There are things I can’t do in my dreams.

I ran my hand through my hair.

Sadly, even though I couldn’t see it directly, I could feel that my hair had turned yellow.

And the eyes of those in front of me widened significantly.

Next, my skin…

“No.” “Don’t do it.” “Gyunwoo.”

“Black hair.” “Protect them.” “Don’t do it.”

“I don’t like it, I’ll do it.”

It’s my dream, my body.

If no one is going to take responsibility for my life, no one can interfere.

Having burned my skin like those girls, I decided to get my ears pierced.

I got a tattoo on my forearm.

When I rolled up my sleeve, a vulgar rabbit was engraved on the burnt skin.

“No, don’t…” “Gyunwoo…” “Oh…”

“Come back.” “Don’t do this.”

“Are you the only one turning black? I’ll turn black too.”

“It doesn’t suit you.” “Please…”

“Think of your mother.”

“Now, even muscles…”

“No!” “Decisive!” “Oppose!” “Stop!”

“…Sh*t.”

Even though it’s my dream, I can’t do as I please.

I had to give up on the idea of becoming a muscular man that the girls rushed at me for.

But there was one thing I couldn’t give up on.

I imagined it.

The imagination became reality.

“Heaven.” “This is my dream.”

Splitting isn’t your privilege. Did you think only you could split? I can split too, you know?”

One, two, three, four, five, six…

I was growing exponentially.

…!

Their faces showed confusion.

I raised the corners of my mouth.

“Now things are finally getting balanced.”