“Your next evaluation test is a mock match," the instructor announced.

“...” “This mock battle won’t just be for swordsmen. It will include all the rearguards, such as priests, hunters, and mages who are taking classes at this academy,” he added.

“...”

“You’ll be split into Groups A and B for the mock battle, and like I said, this is how you’ll be evaluated. The groups will be decided randomly, but we’ll inform you in advance if there have been any adjustments to make the groups balanced,” he continued.

‘A mock battle? That’s random.’

I wasn’t the only one rendered speechless, as most of the students couldn’t accept the decision.

‘Who thought holding a mock battle three days after completing the tutorial dungeon was a good idea?’

“We’re still adjusting the exact schedule… but…” he paused.

“...”

“Looks like all of you aren’t fond of this idea. I know this is sudden, but…” the instructor said, trailing off.

‘This isn’t just kind of surprising…’

“But remember that not all players are going into battle prepared. A capable player should be ready at all times. If you utilize the formation you learned today and the things you've learned up until now, you can achieve a good result,” explained the instructor.

‘Good result, my ass.’

A beginner-level triangle formation and a basic sword technique popular during the Bronze Age were the only things we learned over the past three days.

Considering the fact that the first day was an orientation, we had been taking lessons for only the past two days. Except for a few exceptional individuals, most of us were rookies who were fighting as if we were still in the tutorial dungeon.

‘A mock battle with these guys?’

They cleared the tutorial dungeon, but it didn't mean that they were useful in combat.

The tutorial dungeon here was more difficult than ours, but it was still a tutorial dungeon at the end of the day. The tutorial dungeon was made to test their adaptability and survivability rather than their combat prowess.

The majority of these rookies didn’t even know how to create a proper party, so how would they know how to cooperate with their teammates? They had yet to grasp basic swordsmanship knowledge as well.

The tutorial mobs were designed to be taken down by an ordinary adult.

‘You think that's effective?’

No matter how much I thought about it, the decision didn’t make sense, and the incompetency of the Rohen Continent's higher-ups made me groan.

I couldn’t help but tap my thigh.

“That’s right, a good result. This is an opportunity for you guys as well. Many familias will be observing…” the instructor informed.

‘I knew it.’

“Familias famous across the Rohen Continent, such as the Flower and Fertility, the Mistress of the Holy Night, well-known familias, mid-sized familias that have been in Rohen for a long time, and up-and-coming familias will observe you guys.

"This is a golden opportunity for you to leave a good impression if you couldn't do so in the tutorial dungeon,” he added.

‘These bastards…’

“Of course, the recruiters of each familia might be watching you, too,” he said.

“...”

“I’m sure you guys know better than anyone how important this upcoming mock battle is,” he added.

Their intentions were obvious.

I achieved great results in the Beginner’s Trial while completing all the hidden quests.

Woo Hyo-Yeol was an unrivaled genius who had gained everyone’s attention in the tutorial dungeon. This lineup was bound to make the authorities curious. The GENIUSES had probably pressured them, or an event was perhaps already a part of their plans, but the important thing was that they wanted to see Woo Hyo-Yeol and me. ꭆἈɴ𝘰฿Êꞩ

‘They’re curious.’

Anyway, the students were shaken, and many were worried, but when the instructor mentioned the recruiters, an unknown sense of expectation filled their hearts. This probably sounded like good news to them now.

“Can we think of this as an opportunity?”

“It’s kind of sudden, but… well…”

“I don’t want to mess this up… If we don’t make a good impression here, then it's all over, right?”

“...”

“...”

‘Woo Hyo-Yeol probably caught on.’

I turned and saw an excited Woo Hyo-Yeol. He looked like a clumsy punk who had been waiting for P.E. I was convinced that this was my first time seeing him smile.

“It's probably a short time and a long time for some people, while there are some who only need one week to get out of their rookie status. Of course, as your instructor, I believe in your potential,” the instructor mumbled.

“When I think about the things that all of you have shown me, I’m certain that all of you here will achieve good results,” he added.

‘Did they promise to give him some juicy rewards or something?’

Was it just me? The students seemed encouraged by the instructor’s words.

“Now, I’ll announce the groups,” he said.

“...”

“Group A will be Woo Hyo-Yeol… Astrid and Maya Ernum,” he announced.

“...”

“Group B will be Lee Ki-Young, Lim Cheong-Ha… and… and…” he trailed off.

‘I’m not surprised.’

They rigged the groups so that Woo Hyo-Yeol and I would have to fight each other.

‘This is ridiculous.’

If Woo Hyo-Yeol and I were excluded, my group had an advantage. There was a chance that Woo Hyo-Yeol's group members were decided by the instructor who wanted to take revenge for the humiliation on that day.

“All right. That’ll be it for today’s class,” the instructor announced.

“...”

“I'm looking forward to it,” he said.

With that, he left without taking responsibility for his announcement.

I immediately heard mumbling noises around me.

‘So that’s it? What about the meeting?’

“It’s a good thing that we’re in the same group. Don’t you agree, Ki-Young?” Lim Cheong-Ha asked.

“I agree, noona! I’m glad. Come to think of it, Seung-Yoon hyung is also in our group,” I pointed out.

“That’s good. I was actually worried that we wouldn't be in the same group. I can finally relax, but they really are irresponsible. They gave zero information about the mock battle. Are they not going to announce the exact schedule… or the location…?” Lim Cheong-Ha complained.

“I haven’t even seen the faces of the students in the other classes. Isn't that strange? Ki-Young?” Lim Cheong-Ha asked.

“You’re right, noona. I thought they were going to hold a separate meeting, but since they haven’t said anything, I think they just want us to handle it on our own,” I told her.

“What do you mean?” Lim Cheong-Ha questioned.

“Preparing for the mock battle isn’t the only thing we need to do. We need to gather the members

and

prepare for the mock battle. They’re basically saying that we’re responsible for the entire thing. There won’t be a separate training session either

" I checked today’s curriculum, but they haven’t said anything about practicing for the mock battle. The familias that are going to be spectators probably thought that it's better if the instructors don't get involved as much as possible,” I explained.

“Seems that way… To be honest, it’s strange to get evaluated based on a mock battle,” Lim Cheong-Ha remarked.

“But Ki-Young, what do you think about the popular familias coming to watch?” Han Seung-Yoon asked.

“Their goal is probably to recruit people. Actually…” I paused.

“Yeah?”

“I feel bad for saying this… but the recent tutorial… ended in kind of a strange way,” I continued.

My contribution was a hundred percent. Many players wanted to show their potential, but they couldn’t do it because of me.

“You’re right. There’s one guy who earned over 200,000 points,” Han Seung-Yoon chimed in.

“

Ah!

Hyung!” I yelled.

“I didn’t even see any monsters.” Lim Cheong-Ha pointed out.

“Don’t lie, noona. I didn’t take down a lot of monsters. Actually, it’s more like I couldn’t,” I said.

“

Hoho

, really? Sorry,” Lim Cheong-Ha said.

“I’m serious,” I said.

“All right, I got it. I was just joking, so stop making that face, Ki-Young.

Aww

… I just want to pinch your cheeks,” she teased.

“Stop pinching my cheeks, noona,” I said.

“Anyway, so… there’s really a chance we might get recruited, right?” Han Seung-Yoon asked.

“I’m sure of it. As long as we catch their attention, I’m sure the familias won’t just sit by and do nothing. It’ll be a huge event. The GENIUSES are probably watching as well,” I answered.

“

Ah

, you’re right…” Han Seung-Yoon said.

“Even if none of the familias like us, we just have to catch the attention of a GENIUS. Of course, you don’t want to grab their attention for the wrong reasons.

"I think how we socialize with other people is important as well. It probably won’t work on GENIUSES looking for a player to join their familia…” I paused.

“

Hm

, you’re right,” Han Seung-Yoon said.

“So we need to do our best,” Lim Cheong-Ha said.

“Yes, so noona,” I called out.

“Yeah?”

“I want you to summon the members in our group, but not the members of the swordsmanship class,” I requested.

“

Ah…

”

“I want you to take care of that class, hyung…” I added.

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

“You’re going to start today? H-How about resting for today? I actually earned some coins, so I can buy you delicious food…” Han Seung-Yoon offered.

“Hyung!” I yelled.

“...”

“We have to start today no matter what. One week isn’t a lot of time…” I told him.

‘It’s not just short.’

I couldn't see any way of turning these rookies into expert adventurers in just one week.

‘It’s so short that it's ridiculous.’

They could imitate one, but they needed more time to become a party that could go up against Woo Hyo-Yeol. In addition, Woo Hyo-Yeol wasn't alone, so we needed more time.

‘We have to win no matter what.’

That way, he'd become even more curious about me…

If he thought that there was nothing special about me, he’d stop being interested in me, and since he was the type who would give me only attention if he was working under me, then I needed to defeat him with overwhelming power.

If this were to end poorly, he’d have no reason to remain at the academy…

‘There’s a chance.’

The party members just needed to do their job.

We had a really good chance, and they gave us a lot of freedom.

“Hey," someone said from afar.

“Hey!”

‘What now?’

I turned and saw Woo Hyo-Yeol looking at me while standing arrogantly.

“...”

“...”

“Let’s see how things are going to turn out this time, you bastard,” Woo Hyo-Yeol said.

“...”

“Let’s see… if you can keep running that mouth of yours,” he provoked me.

'I’ll just pretend like I didn’t hear or see him, damn it.'

A third-rate thug had just waged war.

“Who’s that jerk? He probably thinks that he looks cool by acting like that. How embarrassing…” Lim Cheong-Ha remarked.

“He’ll hear you, noona,” I warned her.

At this point, I realized that Woo Hyo-Yeol was also concerned about this mock battle.

A few days later, we heard unexpected news.

“Ki-Young!” Lim Cheong-Ha shouted.

“...”

“Ki-Young!!!” Lim Cheong-Ha shouted again.

“...”

“Ki-Young! Did you hear the news?” Lim Cheong-Ha asked.

“...”

“Did you hear the news about how another academy will come here to join in the mock battle?” Lim Cheong-Ha asked.

“

Ah!

Noona! I’m washing up right now! Don’t come in!” I shouted.

“It’s Han Sora! Han Sora is coming! One of the top rankers in the recent tutorial. You know her, right?” Lim Cheong-Ha asked.

The news made me poke my head out.

“Han Sora?” I asked.

“Yeah!”