Half a month passed more productively and quickly than usual. After increasing the sparring sessions from twice a day to three, Sihyeon frowned as he reached the point where he could stop a match without even calling out “stop.” His entire body throbbed with muscle pain—it was no longer something he could endure by roughly kneading it out. Raising his trembling arm, Sihyeon used Heal, and a brief light flickered. As the pain faded, it felt like salvation had arrived.
“I should’ve used this earlier….”
“Hm?”
“It’s nothing. Anyway, tomorrow’s the Monthly Evaluation—have you thought about it?”
“Ah….”
It had already been half a month since he asked whether he would take on a pure support role or act as a tank at the beginning. Since he still hadn’t received a clear answer, Sihyeon asked again. Haru tightened his grip on the dagger he was holding.
“I… I’d prefer it if you just focused on support….”
“Will you be okay on your own? This evaluation is a timed attack.”
The second Monthly Evaluation—Partner War. The notice that arrived the day before yesterday was still stored in his Pairing. Since the topic had come up, Sihyeon tapped his Pairing and scanned the holographic screen with blue eyes.
[Monthly Evaluation Notice]
First Year, First Semester, 2nd Monthly Evaluation
Topic: Partner Evaluation (Partner War)
Details: Together with your partner, eliminate as many Irregulars designated as targets as possible within the given time.
Type: Timed Attack
Date: Friday, May 31st, Periods 1–8
Note: This is a real situation and will not use the virtual reality system. Healers of Class B or higher will be on standby, but please prioritize safety and avoid injury whenever possible.
Compared to the previous Monthly Evaluation notice, the difference in difficulty was obvious. A timed attack? What a headache. With that thought, Sihyeon dismissed the screen and looked at Haru.
As an Assassin, Haru’s main strength was speed. But the same could be said for Hamin, who was also fast. There was no guarantee they could take first place just because Sihyeon provided support while Haru ran around.
After all, he was a Healer—not a Buffer.
When it came to offensive support alone, Hamin, who had a Buffer, held a slight advantage.
As Haru fell into troubled contemplation, Sihyeon also sank into thought. If only he could Copy a wide-area damage skill. Unfortunately, he had never seen one in person. The closest thing was Jihye’s—
“Ah.”
“……?”
If it was fire with spreading properties, it would be extremely useful in a time attack. In a team battle, it might be different, but with only Haru as an ally, it was even better. That meant the ones to watch out for were Hamin and Jihye… though Dawoon’s standby ability wasn’t something to underestimate either.
Looking at it this way, Sihyeon realized that Dawoon and Jihye’s classes—ones he hadn’t paid much attention to because of the Four Heavenly Kings—were actually quite threatening. He pressed his lips together. Unexpected variables were unwelcome.
No matter how strong Dawoon and Jihye were, he could confidently say Haru or Hamin were faster. However, if the enemies came in large numbers, that was a different story.
“Ah, this is troublesome.”
“Hm?”
Haru tilted his head at Sihyeon, who had been muttering to himself for a while. At the question, Sihyeon parted his lips slightly, recalling a line from the notice.
‘Irregulars designated as targets.’
That meant there could also be Irregulars that were not targets.
In that case, wide-area attacks might not be useful after all.
Since he didn’t have a suitable wide-area skill to Copy anyway, it was actually a relief. Sihyeon continued to think. Tap, tap—his hand holding the staff moved out of habit, and the tip struck the bench, the sound echoing through the training room.
He could Copy three skills at a time.
He had around thirty skills he had already copied and could use proficiently. From those, he needed to pick something suitable for this evaluation.
To be honest, wide-area attacks weren’t bad, except for the fact that only specific Irregulars had to be killed. However, the only wide-area skills he could Copy were Haeun’s debuff, Dawoon’s air-related skill, and Jihye’s fire-related skill. Among those, the most efficient was—
Fire.
Even if only one target was set ablaze, letting them cluster together would cause everything around them to burn. That was the best option. But the problem was—
“…Why does it have to be fire?”
“Huh?”
“…It’s nothing.”
Fire wouldn’t work.
Sihyeon’s fingertips twitched as he lowered his gaze. The situation had returned to square one. His brows furrowed, his mind working nonstop. After long deliberation, just as the bell signaling the end of training rang, Sihyeon finished his thoughts and lifted his head. The bell echoed through the room. He looked at Haru, who had just stood up from the bench.
“Hyung.”
“…Huh?”
“I’ll help you, so let’s take first place.”
“…….”
“I’ll open the way for you.”
It was an abrupt statement, completely out of the blue. Startled, Haru looked stunned. Knowing he had to explain before Haeun arrived, Sihyeon grabbed Haru and laid out his plan. After hearing the brief outline, Haru showed clear discomfort. Only after Sihyeon repeatedly assured him that his safety would be guaranteed did he finally agree.
At last, Haru nodded. Sihyeon rose to his feet.
The plan was set.
Bang!
As if perfectly timed with the end of their conversation, the door burst open the moment they finished talking. More accurately, “stormed in” was the better description. Without even knocking, Haeun entered and immediately suggested they go eat. Sihyeon stood up and headed toward the cafeteria.
“Since it’s the Monthly Evaluation tomorrow, we can bring Pia!”
While eating, Haeun said this, causing Sihyeon’s eyes to widen as he hurriedly covered his mouth. Cough—caught off guard, Haeun choked on his food. Sihyeon pulled his hand away and frowned.
“I told you not to talk about Pia outside.”
“It’s not like anyone would know who that is anyway!”
“Kang Haeun.”
“…You’re such a tyrant, seriously.”
Already struggling from choking, now he was getting scolded too, Haeun grumbled. Sihyeon sighed and picked up his spoon again. As he glanced to the side, he saw Hamin quietly eating.
He did seem like he wanted to raise it too.
At first, he had been completely against it, but after Pia cried a few times, he acted almost entranced. Thinking he should bring it up to him when the opportunity arose, Sihyeon continued his meal.
***
The day of the Monthly Evaluation arrived. This time, they were told to gather at the field instead of the auditorium. Wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, Sihyeon blinked as he looked at Haru, who was wearing one of the outfits he had picked out for him. When their eyes met, Haru showed a hint of disappointment.
It seemed he was upset because Sihyeon hadn’t worn the outfit he had picked.
“…It’s hot.”
Even though Haru hadn’t said anything, Sihyeon felt guilty and made an excuse. Only then did Haru’s expression slowly soften.
After Haeun and Hamin finished getting dressed as well, they headed to the field, where students were already lined up by class. Previously, they had stood in order of arrival, but that didn’t seem to be the case this time. Looking around, Sihyeon spotted Class A’s line—which had noticeably fewer students than the others—and walked over. Seowoo and Geonwoo were already there.
As expected of class leaders—they were diligent.
Approaching Seowoo, who was holding a sign indicating the Class A line, Sihyeon stood in front of him and met his gaze. Platinum-colored eyes looked at him intently. It had been a while since they held eye contact this long.
“Don’t forget what you promised.”
“Do you really think I’d forget your request?”
Just in case, Sihyeon reminded him. Seowoo smiled faintly in response, his eyes curving gently. Sihyeon turned his head. In the distance, Dawoon and Jihye were approaching.
Bwooo— A horn-like sound rang out just then.
Does this school change how it grabs attention every single time? Grimacing at the deafening noise, Sihyeon covered his ears and looked up. At the front of the field stood the Principal. Above him were two massive black curtains, as if covering something.
Floating in the sky.
Two enormous black curtains.
“How high is their proficiency…?”
Each curtain alone was nearly half the size of the field. Shocked that someone was holding not one but two of them aloft, Sihyeon stared at them. Since they seemed to be covering something rectangular, it wasn’t just the curtains floating—it had to be whatever was inside as well.
“Ahh, greetings to all first-year students of Strongest High!”
The familiar greeting was followed by an introduction. Half-listening, Sihyeon finally focused when the Monthly Evaluation explanation began.
“This evaluation will be conducted as a timed attack with your partner. You will fight within the field you see above.”
As the teacher pointed at the curtain, Sihyeon’s gaze naturally followed upward. So the curtain was hiding the field.
Is there an Awakened who can create fields? Then again, there are people whose skill is literally a loudspeaker, so maybe it’s not that strange.
“In this evaluation, you and your partner must cooperate to eliminate ‘one type’ of Irregular designated by the supervising teacher within the time limit. If you eliminate other Irregulars during the process, your time limit will be reduced by one minute per Irregular.”
Just as he expected.
No—there was even a penalty, making it worse than expected. At least it seemed they were lenient if non-target Irregulars were merely injured. As Sihyeon thought this, the Principal continued.
“The time limit for the time attack is 20 minutes. Due to the short time, only Warning-level Irregulars have been placed in the field, with five of each type. I believe all of you, our proud students, can accomplish this, but if any team fails the time attack….”
“…….”
“That team will be transferred to Beomin High School.”
“…….”
Someone gasped.
He had expected it, but once again, the absurdity of Strongest High made Sihyeon press his lips together.
Fail to eliminate the Irregulars within the time limit, and you’re out. Compared to the last evaluation, the difficulty hadn’t just increased by two or three levels—it was like a game saying, ‘Now that you’ve finished the tutorial, try playing on hard mode.’ As Sihyeon clicked his tongue at how insane the school was becoming, the teacher adjusted the microphone again. The same old routine.
“Now then, let me introduce the Warning-level Irregulars you’ll be facing: Siren, Yeti, and Midnight!”
Whoosh— The curtain was pulled away as the Principal shouted. The black fabric dropped, revealing the field and fifteen Irregulars inside. Seeing a giant over three meters tall, Sihyeon couldn’t help but doubt his own eyes and ears.
“As for the Yeti, it is particularly strong even among Warning-level Irregulars, so be careful to avoid injury during combat. Now, I hereby begin the 2nd Monthly Evaluation of the 2019 academic year!”
With that resounding declaration, the Monthly Evaluation began.
Staring at the towering, imposing Yeti, Sihyeon swallowed hard.
