Episode 77: Exchange Battle (2)
The lights in the auditorium were turned off.
Only the screen on the ceiling cast a faint blue glow, dimly illuminating the space.
“Didn’t you tell me to trust you?”
“… Hm, hm.”
Kang Arin and Cheon Yeoul sat side by side, resting their arms on the desk, silently staring at the screen.
The screen displayed the team composition results for the exchange battle group match.
Since neither of them had participated in the mentor-mentee program, the only way to be on the same team as Jung Haein was to be assigned to the four random slots.
However, just like with past class assignments, they thought Kang Arin’s influence might play a role this time as well…
[Jung Haein / Yoon Chae-ha / Yu Hana / Jo Yuri / Kim Dae-hyun / Yoon Sang-hyuk / Han Iri / Go Minjun]
They had failed spectacularly.
Kang Arin narrowed her eyes and let out a short sigh.
“… Ha.”
Cheon Yeoul had buried her head against the desk.
Her fingertips tapped slowly on the surface.
Tok. Tok. Tok.
A rhythmless, emotionless tapping with no pattern.
“The selection process was random, but I heard they prioritized students who had fought together at least once before.”
Kang Arin murmured. Cheon Yeoul remained silent.
“The instructor in charge of the lottery is also new, with no connections to Glory.”
Instead of responding, Cheon Yeoul pressed her head deeper into the desk.
“…If it was going to be like this, I should’ve just done the mentor-mentee program.”
Kang Arin muttered to herself when—
“And how exactly would that have worked?”
Cheon Yeoul responded without lifting her head.
“There weren’t many female students to begin with, and Yu Hana snatched them up like a hawk. The others refused. That only left male students…”
She slowly raised her head.
There was no hint of amusement in her eyes.
“You want me to pair up with some random guy as a mentor-mentee? Might as well ask me to die.”
“I feel the same way.”
Kang Arin nodded.
The two turned back to the screen.
The blue light cast over their faces.
Moments later, another team composition appeared on the screen.
“By the way, where’s Ha Sion? Don’t tell me she’s holed up in the dorms again….”
Just as Cheon Yeoul was about to stand up, Kang Arin pointed to the bottom of the screen.
“There she is.”
A small line of text appeared.
Mock Exchange Battle Opponent Team Leader: Ha Sion
Cheon Yeoul froze for a moment.
Her gaze locked onto the lower part of the screen.
The screen gradually shifted, displaying the roster for the opposing team that Gaon had assembled.
Ha Sion had been placed on that team.
For the mock exchange battle, Gaon had selected some students to form an opponent team.
Cheon Yeoul’s eyes narrowed.
Right beside Sion’s name, Jung Haein’s name stood out clearly.
“…They’re going up against Haein’s team?”
“Looks like it.”
The screen darkened, signaling the start of the mock battle.
A countdown appeared, and the matchups for both teams became clear.
***
It was pure chaos.
Because of the physical fitness test, the schedule got messed up, so Gaon decided to hold both the team selection and the mock battle on the same day.
As a result, we had to gear up before we even had time to memorize each other’s names.
Fortunately, aside from one person, everyone on the team was familiar.
Since the schedule was tight, they had tried to group together people who had trained together before.
“We’re on the same team again.”
I said as I looked at Kim Dae-hyun and Yoon Sang-hyuk in front of me.
Yoon Sang-hyuk grinned and gave a thumbs-up.
“Works for me.”
He had a reason to be so excited.
Simply being part of the exchange battle meant gaining media exposure.
These students were all next-generation heroes, and more than anyone, they needed public attention.
Moreover, Gaon had specifically created an “opposing team,” allowing students who weren’t selected for the main teams to still participate indirectly.
It was a way to provide them with experience while also drawing public interest.
If someone wasn’t even chosen for the opposing team…
‘Well, nothing can be done.’
That was just luck.
There wasn’t much time for introductions.
In ten minutes, the teleportation device would activate, sending everyone to their assigned zones.
At that moment, a hesitant stranger approached.
It was Han Iri.
“Uh… hi…”
He was a student who had been on the opposing team during a past mock dungeon exercise.
The team that had set traps.
He seemed a bit uneasy, probably because of what had happened last time.
“…Sorry about before.”
Han Iri spoke with difficulty.
“It’s fine.”
I replied briefly. I hadn’t really given it much thought.
I knew that he had received some bad looks for a while because of it.
Yoon Sang-hyuk and Kim Dae-hyun also silently nodded, accepting the apology.
A moment later, another person approached.
Go Minjun.
I didn’t recognize him, but his attitude was friendly.
“Haha, I have no idea why I’m here… but anyway, let’s do our best.”
He scratched the back of his head and smiled, offering a handshake to everyone.
He didn’t seem like a bad person.
— Ding!
Just then, the electronic display lit up, revealing the opposing team’s roster.
Everyone turned their eyes to the screen, and a brief silence followed.
“…Ah.”
I muttered under my breath.
I had expected the mock exchange battle to be somewhat relaxed.
“…This is going to be exhausting.”
On the opposing team, I spotted Sion’s name.
Sion and I had grown up under the same mentor, sharing every stage of our development.
We had trained together so much that we had memorized each other’s fighting styles, to the point where we could read each other’s conditions just by listening to our breathing.
That meant she knew everything about me.
And, well… I knew everything about her, too.
In this situation, I couldn’t be the team leader.
She would predict every move I made.
The setup for this mock battle was simple.
A dungeon break has occurred. Rescue the civilians.
We were the hero faction.
The opposing team was the demon faction.
Dungeon breaks sometimes occurred naturally due to internal mana surges, but they could also be artificially triggered by demons or villains.
In such cases, heroes were tasked with protecting or evacuating civilians, while demons focused on taking hostages or creating further chaos.
Ultimately, the key to victory was simple—
Whoever reached the civilians first would have the advantage.
“Who should be our leader?”
Yoon Sang-hyuk cautiously asked.
For a moment, everyone’s gaze shifted toward me.
“Haein should—”
“Haein—”
Yu Hana and Yoon Chae-ha spoke at the same time.
But before they could continue, I quickly pointed at Yu Hana.
“Hana, how about you? You’re ranked the highest among us.”
Yu Hana’s eyes widened slightly, but she soon nodded.
“…Alright. I’ll do it.”
She took a short breath, glanced around at the group, and immediately began briefing us.
As expected of Gaon, the team roles were well-balanced.
“Our main group will consist of Kim Dae-hyun, Yoon Chae-ha, Jo Yuri, Yoon Sang-hyuk, Go Minjun, and Haein.”
It was the right decision to leave it to her.
Her ability to organize and explain things smoothly was impressive.
“Haein and Kim Dae-hyun will take the vanguard. Yoon Sang-hyuk and Go Minjun will stay in the center to protect the mages. I’ll cover the left flank, and Han Iri will take the right.”
It was a solid strategy that played to everyone’s strengths.
A squad of eight formed a single raid team.
At that moment, the side members split off from the main group.
This was a standard tactical formation in modern hero combat, designed to avoid inefficient clustering.
Grouping together enhances focus but reduces spatial control, so the side positions are assigned to those with excellent mobility and judgment.
Yu Hana was strictly following that standard.
Everyone quietly nodded. There was no need for further discussion.
“The teleportation device will activate soon. Everyone, get ready!”
The instructor’s voice echoed.
The magic panel on the wall of the training room instantly lit up.
Thin blue-white waves surrounded them, and the teleportation circle beneath their feet began to rotate slowly.
—Wooooong.
A sensation of space twisting was felt. Their ears became muffled, and a crushing weight pressed down on their bodies.
“Huh?”
Someone let out a gasp.
After a brief moment of dizziness…
What unfolded before them was an urban landscape overgrown with vegetation.
Moss climbing up building walls.
Vines creeping through shattered windows.
Grass and shrubs breaking through the cracked asphalt.
A dungeon break.
The moment the boundary between the dungeon’s interior and the outside world collapsed, the dungeon’s unique properties began to spread and erode the real world.
“They replicated this well.”
Gaon’s simulated dungeon recreated even these details with perfection.
Their mission was simple:
Secure the civilians.
“Form up and move out.”
There was no time for hesitation.
Yu Hana had already checked the map and quickly gave formation orders.
At that moment, I turned my head toward Yu Hana.
“Yu Hana.”
“Yeah?”
“I’ll take the side position.”
I surveyed the scene.
Beside the vine-covered buildings, massive trees stood tall.
For someone wielding a long sword, this field had severe spatial restrictions, both vertically and horizontally.
On top of that, maneuvering through the trees would be an added burden for her.
Adjusting the formation based on the terrain was a common practice.
Understanding my intent, Yu Hana nodded.
As the team leader, she accepted the opinion of her teammate.
“Alright. Take the left side.”
Her decision was swift.
I had left Catastrophe back at the dormitory.
Personal weapons were restricted in the exchange battle, so the only weapon in my hands now was a standard-issue spear provided by Gaon.
On the surface, swords and spears might seem like similar long weapons, but their actual combat application was entirely different.
A sword requires space to swing.
Straight, curved, and continuous motions all need to be accounted for.
A spear, however, only needs to pierce in one direction.
A straight thrust.
That alone was enough to maximize efficiency.
Plus, I was good at climbing trees.
—Boom!
A thunderous explosion echoed in the distance.
Smoke rose from the ground—
The dungeon break had fully begun.
With Yu Hana at the center, the main team maintained formation and advanced.
I moved into the left-side forest, while Han Iri took the opposite flank.
—Rustle.
The sound of stepping on foliage.
Leaves lightly crumpling beneath my feet.
I was moving swiftly between the trees and buildings.
The first role of a side position was simple:
Maintain visual coverage, expand angles from outside the main formation to create a perimeter, and eliminate potential threats in advance.
I kept my gaze locked on the main team as I moved.
Then, something emerged in front of them.
A Green Giant.
A massive golem covered in stone and moss.
A textbook example of a spirit-type monster.
It must have appeared along with the dungeon break.
‘At that level…’
The main team should be more than capable of handling it.
No need for backup.
I just had to clear out the smaller monsters approaching the battle zone.
—Crash!
Yoon Chae-ha’s fireball struck the Green Giant’s abdomen directly.
The massive stone body wavered.
The flow was good.
If this continued, we could push forward a bit more…
At that moment.
“!”
—Sweeaaaak!
[Universal Perception has activated!]
Even without looking in that direction, I sensed the incoming killing intent.
An arrow.
More precisely, an arrow flying in a straight trajectory toward the main team.
Without hesitation, I drew my spear and hurled it.
—Clang!
The spear tip and arrowhead collided midair.
The trajectory twisted, and the deflected arrow embedded itself deep into a nearby tree trunk.
I leaped forward, catching my spear midair.
Then, I turned my gaze.
And I spoke—
To the one watching me from somewhere…
“You’re here?”
The second role of a side position:
When encountering the enemy side, always win.
Side positions typically protect their main team,
But they also launch preemptive strikes on the enemy’s flank.
However, that strategy is usually used when one has a numerical advantage.
For them to have already pushed this far despite equal numbers…
This wasn’t standard tactics.
“Sion.”
She ignored everything else—
And came straight for me.
To meet me, knowing I would be on the left side.
‘She read me again.’
Once again, Sion had predicted my movements.
As expected, I could never fool her.
I planted my foot firmly on a tree trunk and leaped.
Guided by instinct—she was there.
The moment a few leaves parted,
I saw her—bow drawn, aiming at the main team.
Sharp eyes, dark pupils peeking through braided hair.
Her lips parted.
“It’s been a while since we faced off.”
“Yeah.”
—Sweeaaak!
—Clang!
The second arrow was loosed.
I reacted instinctively, throwing my spear once again.
It struck cleanly, knocking the arrow off course.
“How about we enjoy this, just the two of us?”
I retrieved my spear as I spoke.
Sion didn’t lower her bow.
Instead, she slowly tilted her head and replied.
“I…”
The tip of her bow remained aimed directly at me.
Her lips curled into a smile—
A dangerously relaxed, yet strangely seductive smile.
“I always do.”
And the moment those words ended—
—Sweeaaak!
The third arrow tore through the air.
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