Chapter 211 |
[Entrance Exam (7)]
Ain has the ability to locate people who have communicated telepathically with her, provided they are within Ain’s telepathic range.
Of course, this ability is contingent on the condition that the person is within Ain’s telepathic radius.
[Kim Minji! Where are you!]
The test takers had just entered the maze.
This happened shortly after the examinees entered the maze.
Jin Parang, while navigating with his group, secretly sent telepathic messages to Minji.
[We are nearby too. I will come to you. Lead your group to a place where they can’t escape.].
[Parang, oppa. Can you hear me now? It’s Seona. I sensed your aura nearby and sent you telepathy].
Having given up rolling his head over it earlier, Parang now sent a telepathic message to Seona about the current situation.
[Then join Minji, and the two of you attack our group. Good luck with the exam].
[You do the same].
The plan went smoothly.
Parang, who received the telepathic message, eliminated the remaining members of the group of nine, including himself, leaving six behind.
One had been expelled from the group for attempting to snatch another child’s necklace as soon as the exam started.
Two others didn’t trust their group members and left the group to fend for themselves.
It was a manageable number for Parang to handle alone.
Parang, acting nonchalant, led his group members in a different direction.
«Hey? Isn’t this a dead end?»
«Looks like the group over there took the wrong way.»
Parang guided the children toward Minji’s aura.
The unsuspecting children were confused when they reached a dead-end before the other group, who had arrived there first.
Just then,
«Wolves appeared.»
Minji, who was already at the dead-end, whispered.
«Wolves appeared!»
Parang chuckled and followed suit, his voice trembling.
The wolves, who had concealed their identities until now, couldn’t ignore the truth revealed suddenly by the two.
«What? what’s happening?»
«Wolves appeared!»
It turned out the group at the dead-end wasn’t just one, but two.
Minji had used her charm to capture another group.
The prey had increased.
«What, what is this!?»
«How can this be…!»
The sheep panicked.
The sheep scrambled around, realizing that they were surrounded by the two wolves.
Meanwhile, the wolves pounced on the sheep.
The sheep were unable to overcome the wolves’ attack and were forced to hand over their necklaces.
«Do you all want more necklaces? Then obey us quietly.»
«If you try any tricks, I’ll take your necklaces too. Be careful.»
Minji unfairly distributed the necklaces she had snatched from the sheep.
With a face he had practiced in the slums, Parang threatened the wolves.
The wolves thought it was unfair, but they couldn’t help themselves and reluctantly accepted the offer.
«Parang, send telepathy to Seona. We’re done here.»
«Got it.»
Minji, Parang, and Seona had planned to collect more necklaces before entering the maze.
First, Parang would join Minji, or alternatively, join Seona.
Next, the two would team up.
And then Seona would be driven.
[Oppa Parang, we’re on our way, you’ll see us in a bit].
«Seona says she’s coming over here.»
«Guys, there will be new sheep up ahead! Don’t care if they’re wolves or not, just take them all!»
Seona’s role was important.
She had to lie to the other kids that she was a sheep until the test was over.
So the wolf pack, led by Minji and Parang, attacked the approaching group indiscriminately from the front.
Any children who tried to run away in surprise were grabbed by Parang and had their necklaces taken from them, even those who screamed that they were wolves.
«Hey, give me yours.»
«…….»
Seona did a good job of acting like a fox.
Toward the end of the raid, Parang pretended to struggle and held out his hand to the captured Seona.
She handed him the necklace.
[Oppa, see you later. Make sure you take care of my necklace.]
[You’re the one who should take care of them].
A wolf can take a necklace from another wolf.
Another way to interpret this is that wolves can transfer collars between themselves.
[There’s a group right around the corner].
The children wouldn’t know.
That Seona, without a necklace, might be a wolf.
Seona, who had left the group, found the nearby group.
«Help! Wolves are blocking the way over there! I also got my necklace snatched just now…»
Seona quickly spilled out lines to prevent the group from having time to think, claiming there were wolves ahead blocking the path.
The surprised children, upon hearing there was a wolf pack ahead, decided to change direction.
She smoothly blended into the children’s group, shared her telepathy with Parang and blended into the group near her.
«Charge!!»
Minji stepped forward silently in the direction indicated by Seona.
She had already sent the signal in advance, and the wolves turned Seona’s group into chaos.
«Direction at 3 o’clock. About six people.»
«Direction at 12 o’clock. The coming path will be a bit complicated.»
«Next, let’s…»
The children were helpless against the strategy of the three.
The sheep who had their necklaces taken roamed the maze, sensing the presence of Parang and Minji, but no one thought Seona might be a wolf.
The information spread by the children only created confusion.
Seona also used distorted information to lure the children.
«…Huh?»
In the midst of all this,
Seona spotted Eunhyuk from the next group.
Eunhyuk, who didn’t have the strength to navigate to the exit alone after leaving his group like Eunha and Hayang, was leading his group to find the exit.
«Help! There are wolves over there!»
Seona didn’t panic; she ran toward him.
Using her acting skills, she had infiltrated his group, sending telepathy separately to Eunhyuk.
[Any of them should pass with us?]
«…There’s a wolf in there? No, there’s no way there’s a ‘no’ ….»
Eunhyuk replied with a fake smile.
Seona, who had blended in among the children, chuckled softly at his performance.
Anyway, it meant that there were no other children in the group to save but Eunhyuk.
[I’ll give the signal later. We’ll make a gap for Minji to escape. Eunhyuk, you run for the exit when we give the signal].
The exit was not far away.
The flow of mana through the maze became more complicated as time passed, but they could see the mana pointing to the exit.
Eunhyuk nodded in agreement.
The exit must be just around the corner, and he didn’t need to be with his group anymore.
From here, he would be able to deal with the wolves without depleting his mana.
«Hey, there are wolves!»
«What the hell, I thought they weren’t here!»
«Don’t miss a single one of them!»
Starting with the signal from Minji, who was waiting around the corner, the kids in Eunhyuk’s group panicked.
Eunhyuk quickly raised the mana in his body the moment the wolves attacked the group.
There was no need to conserve any more energy.
There was an exit right there.
He ran blindly toward the exit through the path Minji had made for him.
Through his senses, he could sense the sheep running at full speed in the other direction.
He gritted his teeth and ran.
When the children he met at the fork in the road were still trying to figure out which way to go, he didn’t hesitate to take the path to the exit.
A moment later, a dark space appeared up ahead.
His intuition screamed.
That’s the exit.
He ran straight for it.
«…B.»
Back in the testing center, Eunhyuk saw his name on the board.
It was a B.
He didn’t know if it would be a B+, just a B, or the lowest B-.
But he did know one thing.
There had to be people who had gotten through before him, except for Eunha and Hayang.
…I’ll get stronger, stronger, and even stronger.
He didn’t boast about his abilities.
Eunha taught him not to be conceited.
So, he could reflect on his shortcomings.
He did not despair.
The determination to surpass them someday became a spark that ignited.
☆
Seona quietly watched the children who had been robbed of their necklaces, shedding tears, along with Minji and Parang.
You can’t take the necklace away from the sheep.
The robbed children had to pass through the exit just like that.
The wolves, exhausted from trying to recover the necklaces, were attacked by other wolves and left stranded in the maze.
Aren’t you sorry for the kids?
No, not at all.
Seona answered herself.
In this exam, there were so many people she deceived that she couldn’t count them with her fingers.
The determination of the kids to become players in front of her was ruthlessly crushed.
Still, she felt no guilt.
There was no need to be sorry.
My heart is not infinite.
That day, she realized when her classmates turned into enemies.
She didn’t have to care about all of them.
Kindness should be given to those who are kind.
Affection should be given to those who are affectionate.
Feelings are finite.
She didn’t have the luxury of giving her heart to people who didn’t treat her the same.
«It’s almost over.»
Meanwhile, Minji sighed.
The wolves followed her, their necks heavy with necklaces.
And the one who had more necklaces than them was her and Parang.
«Parang, let’s stop here. This should be enough to get an A+.»
«Okay! It was really fun after a long time. But what about Seona’s necklace? Are we going to share it between us?»
«I doubt it. There are so many wolves here.»
The wolves were momentarily taken aback.
Minji and Parang had a gleam in their eyes as they looked at the wolves.
It was the same look they had when they attacked the sheep.
«…Do you want to pay for it, or do you want us to take it all? It’s up to you.»
Crossing her arms, Minji gave them a choice.
None of the wolves dared to keep the necklace.
They had seen the two of them at their best.
Seona took the necklace that the wolves had voluntarily surrendered.
«That’s enough, let’s go!»
«Oh!»
«I can’t wait to get home and get some rest.»
The three of them left the shivering wolves alone and made their way to the exit.
The abandoned wolves had to either fight among themselves or find their way out.
«…That’s good.»
If it meant passing, she wouldn’t hesitate to use any means.
With that determination, Minji checked the scoreboard as soon as she left the maze and clenched her fist.
She got an A grade.
Not just her, but the other two also got an A grade.
☆
«Phew, well…»
The chief supervisor leaned back in his chair.
A sigh of admiration and astonishment escaped him.
There was no other way.
Jin Parang, Jin Seona, Kim Minji.
The strategy presented by the three wolves was nothing short of amazing.
«»»……»
The other supervisors felt the same way.
They had expected the wolves to form factions.
They hoped the wolves would do that and were curious about how they would steal the sheep’s necklaces.
They also wanted to see the wolves fighting each other.
But how did the situation turn out like this?
Wolves that excel in human relationships.
Wolves that are strong but ignorant.
Wolves disguised as sheep.
The three of them assigned roles and led the wolf pack.
Jin Seona and Jin Parang, who used telepathy at a young age, demonstrated their abilities.
And Kim Minji, who commanded the two, showed the qualities of a leader of the pack.
The supervisors had no choice but to unanimously give them an A+ for their performance.
«It’s amazing. We thought they would be hostile and fight each other…»
Someone said that.
The chief supervisor thought the same.
Even though the three of them came from the same elementary school, they thought they would at least have the intention to take more necklaces than others.
Or they would be cautious of each other.
But the three of them never doubted each other from the beginning to the end.
That’s why this result came out.
«Hmm…»
The chief supervisor became very curious.
Would they maintain a trusting relationship in the academy and even after becoming players?
He looked forward to next year.
This year, apart from them, there were quite a few individuals who showed remarkable abilities.
Even more than previous years.
Perhaps the 031st batch entering next year might become the pillars supporting the future player industry.
He vaguely had such thoughts.
«─With this, the Player Academy entrance exam concludes. All supervisors will gather in the meeting room as soon as the exam hall is cleaned up. That’s all!»
The chief supervisor sent a message to the supervisors through a telepathist.
Even though the exam was over, the supervisors’ work was far from finished.
It was time to discuss the pros and cons of this year’s exam and the students.
The meeting would probably be quite long.
All supervisors would have a lot to say in the meeting.
About Jung Hayang, who was admitted as the top student, and No Eunha, who was admitted as the second.
And more.
The 031st batch was an exceptionally talented group.