Training Class [5]

'How am I going to get out of this?!' 

I was currently in a scenario where I shouldn't be at all: 

A duel against the main characters. 

But with my current level, this wasn't going to be a duel—it was going to be humiliation. Against these three monsters, I was almost nothing, a mere insect among three lions… That was the best way to describe my current situation. 

"Ah… damn…" 

"Get ready, the training battle is about to begin!" 

shouted Ah-reum from afar, holding an unknown object in her right hand. 

"Hey, who do you think is going to win?" 

"Hard to say between Lim Astread and Park Ha-Joon, but I have a feeling Sae-jin will win..." 

"One thing's for sure, it definitely won't be that bespectacled guy who's already trembling." 

"you're right, no way haha!" 

'Of course not, I have no chance of winning this fight, you're not telling me anything new!' 

I thought as Ah-reum was about to start the countdown. 

The four of us got into position, but I did it only for one reason. 

I was planning to run away from them as soon as the fight started. 

'If things go as I expect, Lim and Ha-joon will forget about me immediately and focus only on Sae-jin. But speaking of him…' 

Turning my head toward Sae-jin, I saw that he was looking at me too, with deep golden eyes and a slight smirk. 

'He definitely won't let me go, I'm sure of it...' 

— 

Among the crowd of students watching, Yeon-seo observed as well. 

'is he a spy sent to threaten my family?'

'Kim Sugil…' 

'You managed to make me remember your name even though you seem weak... after this fight, you better tell me how you know about Yeon-Ha's death, you bastard…' 

She thought, crossing her arms and clenching her fists tightly. 

"Hey, Yeon-seo?" 

Next to her stood Sun Daehyun. 

"Who do you think has the best chance of winning this fight?" 

She asked while watching the four combatants in front of her with a bored expression. 

"I'm not sure... That Lim Astread is pretty strong, I have to admit, and there's also Ha-joon..." 

"But for me, it's definitely Sae-jin who will win." 

"Oh, I'm sure of it too..." 

replied Sun Daehyun with a smile as soon as she heard Sae-jin's name. 

"But I feel a bit bad for Sugil... Does he really have to fight against those three?" 

"..." 

— 

"3!" 

Ah-reum was counting down while still holding that strange device in her hand. 

'With this fight, I might be able to figure out who's the strongest between Sae-jin, Park Ha-joon, and Lim Astread… I currently have no idea which of the three is the most powerful, so this four-way battle will give me a better understanding…' 

'As for Kim Arrietta Sugil… I only included him in this fight so he could see how far behind he is compared to these three and so he would get discouraged even before the practical exams. And secondly, to show all the other students just how inferior their level is compared to them.' 

Madame Lee Ah-reum was using Kim Sugil as a test subject to showcase the difference in strength between normal students and the elite ones. 

"2!" 

— 

"Hey, bastard! I hope you're ready to be humiliated!" 

shouted Park Ha-joon at Sae-jin. 

"Good luck, Sae-jin! And you too, uh… glasses guy." 

"Yeah, yeah, we'll see about that. And good luck, Sugil!" 

'Alright, don't panic, Sugil. You already have your strategy in mind. You just need to wait for the right moments and the right opportunities. Even if Sae-jin won't follow the novel's original sequence because of my presence, Lim and Ha-joon will. I just have to use them…' 

Easier said than done. I couldn't use Lim and Ha-joon as human shields against Sae-jin, because even the two of them together wouldn't be able to do anything against him. Also, they wouldn't let themselves be used so easily—they probably wanted to take me out of the fight right from the start… 

"1!" 

But since I'm already doomed, let's assume Sae-jin is already using the Seijuro style. The best I can do is survive for one minute! 

'Here we go!' 

BEEP

As soon as the countdown ended, a loud beep came from the device in Madame Lee Ah-reum's hand. Around me, Sae-jin, Lim, and Ha-joon, a giant 20-meter cube formed. Was this the [Battle Zone]? 

And suddenly, without knowing how, a sword materialized in my right hand. 

It was neither too long nor too short, about the length of my calf. But I didn't have time to think about that—what mattered most was: 

'Huh?' 

I couldn't even finish thinking that a shadow with two glowing eyes was right before me, raising a long sword above its head. 

'already?'

[Quest: Reach Level 5 during the entrance exam

Rewards: New card abilities of 1 or 2 stars, gain points in STR and END.

Failure to complete the quest within the time limit will result in penalties for the next 10 days. Quest difficulty: RANK F.]