Episode 113: Final Exam (9)
The original plan was a bit different.
Yohan’s team was supposed to engage Yu Serin and buy time until the very last moment before elimination.
I never expected them to succeed in taking her down. That would’ve been unrealistic.
Exactly at the moment of their elimination—
That’s when I would strike her from behind with a decisive blow.
That was my initial strategy.
They’d draw her attention from the front, and I’d aim for her only true weakness—her complete blind spot.
As someone without a team, it was a bit cowardly, I’ll admit. But in terms of efficiency, there was no better plan.
However—
“Huh…? Wait, what the…?”
The situation unraveled far faster than I had anticipated.
‘Like autumn leaves in the wind.’
That phrase kept looping in my head.
With one swing of her arm, two people went flying. A swing in the opposite direction—another two vanished.
Movements so effortless, it felt wrong to even call them “attacks.”
The only real strategy I had disappeared the moment Yu Serin dodged the initial flashbang.
Yohan managed to withstand a hit, but… he didn’t look like he’d last much longer either.
In the end, I had no choice but to move in earlier than planned.
‘One strike.’
I had to end it in one strike.
Even though she probably still had plenty of stamina left, I had to go all in, using my maximum output.
I gathered my mana, steadied my breath—
BOOM!!
The blow landed squarely on her back.
My Phalanx pierced through the chains that wrapped around her back and exploded.
Yu Serin was sent flying and slammed straight into the wall of a building.
Debris scattered, dust rose.
From where I stood, I locked eyes with Yohan.
“Hey, man… why are you so weak…?”
It wasn’t meant as a mockery.
I genuinely wanted to know.
And then I focused all my attention on the rubble of the building.
Was it over?
…No. I didn’t think so.
I hit her with everything I had, but I doubted that was enough to take her down.
Then it happened.
The pile of debris trembled and began to shift.
“Oh boy.”
Yeah. I had expected this much.
From the cracks in the collapsed building—
Through the smoky, dust-filled air, something black rose up.
Clink.
Chains.
They shot out from between the broken walls and began clearing the debris one piece at a time.
“Ow… that really hurt…”
With ragged breaths, Yu Serin appeared at the center of it all.
She stretched her back with slumped shoulders, brushing her hair back with one hand.
There was dirt on the bridge of her nose, and her clothes were torn in several places.
“…Wasn’t that a bit much?”
She gave a faint smile as she looked at me.
Her tone was light, but her expression was far more exhausted than before.
The attack had landed.
Even she couldn’t completely hide her fatigue.
“What a shame.”
“Pfft!”
Yu Serin let out a short laugh and lowered the hand gripping the chains.
“You’re a bit late, you know? Your friends already came and went.”
“Yeah, they probably made it to a better place by now.”
The chains scraped along the ground as she slowly walked toward me.
I, too, stepped forward, closing the distance.
Beep.
A signal tone rang out from my watch.
A notification: the boss battle had begun.
“So… why did you come here?”
I pulled out a question I’d been holding onto.
“Oh, that?”
She smiled faintly and nodded, as if it was no big deal.
“Do you remember the rooftop party? The third question I asked?”
“A question…”
It suddenly came back to me.
That day, she asked me three questions.
I thought I had answered them all…
Ah.
“What’s your relationship with Vice President Kang Arin?”
She smiled and said,
“I feel like I never got an answer to that one.”
The moment she said that—
Yu Serin’s silhouette blurred and vanished.
“—!”
I reflexively looked up.
A chain was already sweeping past above my head.
I twisted my body on instinct.
BOOM!
Chunks of grass and dirt burst into the air like an explosion.
The spot right next to where I had been standing—barely a handspan away—was pierced by a twisted black chain embedded in the ground.
Long-range combat wasn’t an option. Just trying to maintain distance would put me at a constant disadvantage.
I had to close the gap, no matter what.
At that moment, a shadow spun through the air as if floating.
At its center, Yu Serin’s eyes curved in a smile.
“I got in a sneak attack too.”
I took a breath, then leapt with all my strength.
“You… did well!”
I shouted my reply as I shot into the air.
Immediately, several chains came flying toward my trajectory.
From the side, behind, diagonally from the front—intertwining from all directions.
Though the number of chains was limited by a set restriction, the pressure was overwhelming.
‘How did they even think of attacking this…?’
That was meant for the assault team.
I give a round of applause to the reckless bravery of my friends who went in first.
I swung my spear like a windmill to deflect the chains coming from behind, forming a makeshift barrier.
Clang! Clang!
I twisted my body to dodge the chains flying in from the front.
Then I charged straight toward her.
When I had closed the distance to just about three steps—
“Huff…”
I heard her breath.
The sound only became audible now that I was this close.
Yu Serin was panting.
The fatigue from continuous combat had clearly accumulated.
But I was just as worn out.
From the punch machine earlier to my last strike, I had already used Phalanx twice in one day.
This fight would likely end as a short match.
Whoosh!
Her chains lashed out again.
I ducked low and slid underneath them.
Clang!
Without even looking, I deflected a chain targeting my side with my spear.
There was no time to spare, even for looking.
“You’re reading my moves now…?”
Yu Serin sounded surprised.
We exchanged a few more brief clashes.
Then, Yu Serin took a sharp breath.
Her shoulder flinched—as if in pain.
That brief hesitation—
That alone was enough.
I couldn’t use Phalanx again.
But I had another technique I’d been working on.
‘Aldebaran’s Second Authority – “Demon Slash.”’
The weapon in my hand wasn’t Catastrophe, just a prototype spear, but I could at least imitate it.
I raised my spear.
This time, I wouldn’t thrust.
I’d swing.
At that instant, Yu Serin quickly retreated backward.
‘…!’
This meant the spear wouldn’t reach her.
She had completely dodged to a safe distance.
‘Got me.’
She had faked the pain, pretending to leave an opening, to lure me in.
A psychological ploy, believing I’d take the bait.
It was the perfect trap.
Her eyes shimmered with clarity.
Twisting her chains, she began preparing a perfect counterattack.
‘She’s… overwhelmingly strong.’
She had even realized I lacked proper long-range attacks.
It was as if she had already completed her analysis.
However, there was one thing she overlooked.
‘Demon Slash’ isn’t a melee technique.
It had never been seen before—so there’s no way she could have known.
The weight surged up my wrist.
I layered it with the memory of that moment.
Even if I couldn’t replicate it perfectly, I could mimic it.
Whiiish!!
The spear tore through the air, as if ripping something apart.
From its tip, a energy—was unleashed.
At close range—just one step away.
It exploded with a violent burst.
Screeeeech!
Yu Serin couldn’t block it.
She had expected my attack wouldn’t land and had committed to a counterattack.
Her defense came too late, and her body was caught mid-motion.
That opening was all I needed.
The spear energy struck her abdomen dead-on.
Crack!
The explosion ripped through my eardrums.
Yu Serin’s body was sent flying through the air in an arc.
And then—
She slammed into the ground, back-first, tracing a wide arc.
Dust billowed up, and the earth caved in where she landed.
Without wasting a moment, I flipped my spear and charged straight at her.
I couldn’t assume it was over yet.
But—
She lay motionless on the ground.
“……”
I landed slowly.
Then turned my head.
Crack…
The spear in my hand began to shatter piece by piece.
It couldn’t withstand the amount of mana I had forced into it—it was only a prototype, after all.
Before long, the spear crumbled completely.
Yu Serin continued to breathe in that same position.
Eyes closed, a faint sound of breath the only indication of life.
Moments later, she let out a small chuckle.
“… Haa.”
She cautiously turned her head toward me, her gaze slightly unfocused.
“Haein-ssi, are you an onion or something?”
“What does that even mean…?”
“The more I peel, the more surprises there are… Instincts, and then that just now… Ugh, it hurts.”
A clear wound was visible through the torn fabric of her clothes.
“Do you admit defeat?”
I pointed the shattered remains of my spear at her.
“… You’re seriously, unbelievably mean.”
She muttered, brushing back her hair with one hand.
Then extended the other toward me.
The glowing screen of her watch came into view.
A black droplet icon shimmered on the screen.
I stepped closer to her.
Gently took her wrist, and just before tapping the screen—
Our eyes met.
I gave a very slight smile.
It was time to give her the answer she had wanted for so long.
“Oh, right. About Kang Arin?”
Her expression stiffened just a bit.
“We made a promise about the future.”
“… Huh?”
Technically, it wasn’t a lie.
Without saying more, I tapped the screen with my finger.
Beep!
A chime rang out from the watch.
> \[Black bell conquered!]
> \[Reward granted]
> \[Solo kill!]
> \[Points earned: +2000]
> \[Total: 2040 pt]
And soon after, a message announcing the end of the exam echoed.
> \[Exam over!]
> \[Remaining Participants]
> \[Blue Team: 77] VS \[White Team: 42]
> \[Score Summary]
> \[4790 points] vs \[5110 points]
> \[White Team Wins!]
They had reached 5000 points, automatically ending the exam.
“… Wow. Damn.”
The Blue Team had gone wild hunting down the White Team.
If it hadn’t been for the Black bell or if I had been just a bit slower, we would’ve lost for sure.
> \[MVP: Jung Haein]
> \[2640 pts earned!]
> \[Black Bell boss solo kill!]
> \[Silver Bell boss solo kill!]
The screen filled with accolades praising me, but I simply turned my wrist and powered off the watch.
“… I’m dead.”
And then, I collapsed flat on my back.
“… Want to come lie down over here? It’s kinda soft.”
Yu Serin’s quiet voice.
There was a teasing tone to it, but the sincerity was unmistakable.
“……”
Now that she said it, she had a point.
I turned my head to look at her, then silently moved over to lie down beside her.
The two of us lay side by side, saying nothing.
Considering we’d just been trying to kill each other moments ago, it made sense.
My breath was caught in my throat, and the mana circuits inside my body were screaming.
‘…It’s over.’
The long final exam had come to an end.