◈ Episode 021. Doing the midterm exam alone (3)
A huge dome-shaped stadium in the center of Valhalla.
In the middle, there were first-year students from Valhalla gathered together with nervous expressions on their faces.
However, despite the huge number of 1,500 people gathered there, there was no sound of commotion.
That was because all of the 1,500 students currently gathered there were concentrating on the podium built on one side of the stadium.
And on the podium where all the students are concentrating.
“I will now explain the contents of the midterm exam.”
Lee Sang-cheol, Valhalla’s most senior combat instructor, was opening his mouth with a total of 52 instructors standing behind the podium.
“Today, the subject you will be taking is ‘Dungeon Strategy.’”
The students immediately began to murmur at Lee Sang-cheol’s words.
However, Lee Sang-cheol did not even try to silence the students and just kept a cool face and continued talking.
“I will tell you what you need to do from now on. From now on, you will form a team of eight people and enter the artificial dungeon created in Valhalla.”
Uuuuuung-!!
“!?”
As if waiting for Lee Sang-cheol’s words, the Valhalla stadium began to shake with a rough mechanical sound and something began to rise.
However, Lee Sang-cheol continued talking.
“You are free to decide how to form a team. It doesn’t matter whether you go with friends or think about your roles and form a harmonious team. “If there are a lot of people, you can reduce the number of people.”
Geez Geuk Geuk-!!!
“Similarly, although the number of people was said to be 8, it can be increased. “You can go in with 10 people, or you can go in with 20 people.”
Drurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!!!
“Once you enter the dungeon, conquer the artificial dungeon that is no different from the real one, and get out, the test is over.”
thud!
When Lee Sang-cheol finished, the loud noise of the machine stopped as if it had been waiting, and soon the students realized that a huge number of iron doors had appeared around them.
“Then let me explain the grading criteria.”
Attention focused on him once again.
“The grading criteria will be purely based on the percentage contribution to dungeon clearing. and-“
Dang-!
The time watch turned on above his head as he spoke.
“There is only one disqualification criterion. If you don’t pass on time, that’s it.”
As soon as Lee Sang-cheol finished speaking, the electronic time watch above his head began to run in an instant-
[4:59]
-Soon it started moving.
“… … .”
Inside the stadium, silence begins to form for a moment.
Lee Sang-cheol looked back at the students who had momentarily stopped, smiled and spoke.
“Oh, just for your information, the default difficulty level of all the artificial dungeons you will enter now is set to F+. In short, the slower you go, the more likely you are to be disqualified.”
and.
“Also, I think I’m misunderstanding something, but the exam has already started, so we’d all better move quickly.”
At the same time as those words became a catalyst-
“Siwon, let’s do this together, Youngmi, you too!”
-The full-scale test has begun.
“Hey Jiwon Lee! “Come here!”
“healer! “I’m looking for someone who can become a heel!”
“dealer! dealer! “Someone needs a dealer!”
“Hey Jo Hyun-seok! Are you going there!? “You should do it with me!”
“Sorry, you’re a slob.”
“Hey, you son of a bitch!”
The students suddenly become a crucible of chaos and start running around.
Some people hurriedly gather friends, while others shout to gather the necessary roles for the party, such as healers and dealer tanks.
In addition to that, what is visible is the breakdown of various human relationships.
“… … .”
However, there were people who quickly found stability even in the chaotic situation.
“Jinbae and Sanggeun, come with me. Oh, Yeonhee too.”
“huh!”
“Soyeon, if you call me, of course I have to go!”
“me too!”
“I don’t have enough dealers, but does anyone know someone I can bring in?”
“I’ll call you!”
The first is Yoo So-yeon of the Yushin family.
As soon as Lee Sang-cheol finished speaking, she immediately used her name to gather six party members in an instant.
They are all people who shine significantly less brightly than themselves.
‘There is no need to hire someone who will contribute more than me.’
She saw right through the essence of this test.
‘The conditions are very generous, so you can bring a lot of people, and 5 hours is not a short time to conquer an F+ dungeon with 8 people.’
Her eyes move constantly, checking the situation and continuing her thoughts.
‘But the point is not in conquering the dungeon but in contributing.’
That was what the confused students were forgetting.
Thanks to the disqualification criteria that instructor Lee Sang-cheol mentioned, students were gathering people to clear the dungeon right away, but in reality, it was difficult to get a high score by doing so.
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‘Become a leader and select people who are completely lower than you, but have enough skills to conquer the dungeon, as party members and raise their contribution within the team to the highest level.’
That was the key point of this test that confused students were not yet aware of.
‘… … ‘It’s ridiculously difficult.’
It looks very easy at first glance, but she was put off by the fact that the difficulty level increases exponentially as people try to get high scores.
“Kids, let’s leave right away… … !”
Among the 1,500 students, I was the first to gather party members and enter the artificial dungeon.
“Uh, huh? Hey, get together quickly! Gather together!”
“Just anyone, come! anyone!”
“Hey what? Why nine? “I don’t know, just go in!”
“All the abandoned bastards gather together! “Let’s just join the 20-man assault force!”
Among the students who confirmed that Yoo So-yeon had entered, even more impatience than before spread and they began to enter the artificial dungeon without restraint.
As a result, the number of students in the stadium gradually began to decrease.
The remaining students were running around the stadium, almost screaming, feeling even more anxious, and the stadium, which had been a market, had suddenly become something more than a market.
However, contrary to the situation in the stadium, which was in such chaos.
“Well, it’s nice because it’s comfortable.”
Kim Joo-hyuk still smiled as he watched the students running around like that, and then looked at the instructors who were still standing on the podium.
The instructors are already moving their heads frequently and writing down things, as if checking something.
Kim Joo-hyuk, who glanced at the scene, immediately looked at Choi A-rin who was next to him and said.
“What are you going to do?”
“I will do as Joo-hyuk says.”
Choi A-rin looks at herself with unwavering eyes even in a confusing situation.
Kim Joo-hyuk looked at this with a somewhat shocked expression.
‘… … ‘Why is he like this?’
Of course, it’s been about two weeks since she started talking like that, but for some reason, I can’t get used to it every time I hear it.
‘I’m sure it wasn’t like this at first, right?’
When I think about two weeks ago, I didn’t know what kind of mental state I was in, but I was just doing what I was told, but in the last two weeks, I was just following what I was told instead of doing what I was told.
That too too much.
He hadn’t asked until now, but for some reason it had been going on for two weeks and he felt uncomfortable, so Kim Joo-hyuk asked Choi A-rin with a strange expression.
“But why do you keep saying you do what I tell you these days?”
“?”
“?”
“?”
“… … “What is that questioning look on your face there?”
“… … ?”
“… … done.”
Isn’t that obvious? Kim Joo-hyuk, who had given up trying to understand the mental state of Choi Arin, who was tilting her head with an expression like, lightly shrugged her shoulders and said,
“I’m going in alone, so you go in on your own.”
“Can I go in alone too?”
“I see.”
Kim Joo-hyuk answered like that and immediately waved his hand and walked toward the door next to him as if he didn’t have to think about it anymore.
Choi A-rin, who was looking at him, looked at Kim Joo-hyuk like that.
“excuse me!”
“?”
I turned my attention to the voice coming from behind me.
When she turned her gaze, what she saw were students.
“You’re Choi Arin, right?”
“?”
“Would you like to come in with us? “There are just 7 of us?”
As the student who seemed to be the leader said, there were exactly 7 people gathered.
Moreover, considering the weapons they had, the balance seemed to be very good, as if the roles were thoroughly divided in their own way.
however.
“no.”
Choi A-rin shook her head to the students who reached out to her and told them that she would not enter the party.
“why? It looks like you don’t have any party members either… … ? Wouldn’t it be better? “If it’s because of your contribution, I’m willing to push you a little more in your direction.”
“I’m going in alone.”
“… … Are you going in alone? Dungeon? “No matter what, it’s such a foolish choice-”
“Joohyuk said it was possible.”
“what?”
After saying those words, Choi A-rin turned around without listening to what the student said.
In fact, Choi A-rin had no confidence in whether she could clear the dungeon on her own.
Because she had never entered a dungeon in the first place.
However, the reason she tried to enter the dungeon alone was because of what Kim Joo-hyuk said.
‘I see.’
That light word.
However, with those words, Choi A-rin had already decided to enter the dungeon alone.
Of course, looking at that decision, someone could have thought that Choi Arin did not understand anything.
However, in Choi Ah-rin’s mind, Kim Joo-hyuk was currently serving as her guidepost.
That’s because when Choi A-rin followed Kim Joo-hyuk’s words, she never failed.
She had many failures.
It started when I lost my mother.
Even when I heard the Tao alone.
Even when I made friends.
Furthermore, when continuing human relationships.
Even when I tried to progress further and gain recognition from my family.
She succeeded at nothing and failed at everything.
Because she failed at making friends, her interpersonal relationships were even worse.
Even in the process of continuing human relationships, those relationships were so easily broken.
At least it can’t be called a success or a failure, and the triangles are the degrees she’s built up until now.
However, that sword was only a triangle and not a success.
Because Choi A-rin trained alone on the road, she never achieved what she wanted.
But what was it like after meeting Kim Joo-hyuk?
Just by following Kim Joo-hyuk’s words, her skills improved so quickly that she wondered if she could do this.
I grow every time I hear a word from Kim Joo-hyuk.
I realized this every time I heard a word from Kim Joo-hyuk.
Every time I heard a word from Kim Joo-hyuk, I became more confident.
Kim Joo-hyuk drew so many circles in the life of Choi Ah-rin, who failed at everything, in that short period of time.
‘you can do it.’
so that.
‘Because Joo-hyuk said he could do it.’
Choi Arin had no doubts.
