Baek Geonwoo’s tanking skills were undeniably good. He’d apparently done nothing but tank during training, and it didn’t seem like that effort had been wasted.
When he provoked the Midnights, the ones hiding in Stealth revealed themselves. Then Yoo Seowoo would cut them down. That was the strategy.
Simple, but highly effective. Once their assassination trait was gone, Midnights weren’t particularly troublesome, so having a Tanker handle them was essentially a strategy in itself.
For that strategy to function like a cheat key, you needed a dealer strong enough to kill a Midnight in a single blow. And that was Yoo Seowoo.
Watching Seowoo and Geonwoo with dissatisfied eyes, Sihyeon clicked his tongue and looked away. He’d told them to take it easy, but anyone could see they were going all out.
At this rate, they’ll hit the five-minute mark.
It took roughly about a minute to take down one. Sihyeon classified Yoo Seowoo as someone who didn’t know how to hold back. His gaze shifted toward Hamin and Haeun, who had just entered the field. Normally, Hamin would have charged in like his life depended on it, but today, for some reason, he remained quiet even after stepping in. That was unusual.
Is he actually paying attention to what I said?
What, is this like giving us a one-minute handicap?
Even the act of “going easy” felt like something straight out of a cliché male lead. As he kept watching, Hamin—his expression oddly complicated—drew his sword. Standing within the field, he received various buffs from Haeun. Even in the middle of that, Haeun must’ve been fooling around, because Hamin, who had been wrapped in a golden aura, suddenly staggered and fell over.
Giggle—even though the sound was blocked, it felt like Haeun’s laughter could be heard. He was consistently ridiculous in the most unnecessary ways.
After punching Haeun once, Hamin grabbed his sword again. The boy, spreading the golden aura like wings, charged straight at the Irregulars. Not a ‘specific’ Irregular—all of them.
With a swift slash, Hamin surged forward, cutting down multiple Irregulars. 18, 17, 16, 15. The Timed Attack clock rapidly ticked down. Lee Hamin, who never knew how to retreat, seemed to have chosen to kill every single Irregular.
Even if you killed all ten non-designated targets, the time reduction was only ten minutes. Finishing the remaining five within the remaining ten minutes was as easy as breathing for Hamin.
“Wow, he’s seriously no joke….”
Admiration followed his unprecedented fighting style. It was a method only possible because his skill backed it up.
3 minutes 22 seconds.
That was how long it took Hamin to finish the evaluation, using Taunt at the right moments to ensure Haeun wasn’t attacked even during the fight.
Considering he’d hesitated a bit after entering, the actual clear time was closer to 3 minutes. Fifteen Irregulars, killed in just three minutes. It was a brute-force method that suited Hamin, who hated thinking—but at the same time, it was flashy.
5 minutes 38 seconds, 3 minutes 22 seconds.
Looking at the absurd records from both fields, Sihyeon furrowed his brow.
Did they forget when I told them to take it easy? Didn’t I say it to Yoo Seowoo? And to Lee Hamin too?
No matter how he thought back, he was certain he’d said it. He even remembered getting reasonable answers. Especially from Yoo Seowoo—he’d confirmed it multiple times.
Those damn Four Heavenly Kings.
Muttering the phrase under his breath for the first time in a while, Sihyeon looked toward Hamin, who was approaching him. Having stepped down from the field, Hamin still looked just as irritating as ever.
“…2 minutes.”
“Huh?”
“We’re doing it in 2 minutes, hyung. You can do it, right?”
He planned to handle all the support himself. Since Haru would be the one attacking the Irregulars with that support, Sihyeon said it while looking at him. Haru nodded. He looked a bit clumsy, but his usual skill inspired trust.
“Kang Sihyeon, Ban Haru.”
Finally, when his name was called, Sihyeon reached out his hand toward Haru. After hesitating, Haru took it and slowly stepped forward. It had been the same during the Class Test, and now again. Always being called last—at this point, it felt like even he had bad luck attached to him.
As they walked forward, they ran into Hamin, who was returning to his seat. Meeting his gaze, Sihyeon frowned and moved his red lips.
“How brainless. If you were going to wipe them all out anyway, you could’ve at least delayed by 30 seconds.”
“I go easy and you still complain.”
Haru was the one fidgeting at their brief exchange, while Haeun was the one clearly enjoying it.
“Sihyeon, fighting! You and I have someone we need to raise!”
That lunatic, seriously.
He casually spouted nonsense like it was nothing. Ignoring him, Sihyeon habitually reviewed the situation. As he wondered how things had ended up like this, they quickly reached the stairs. Climbing the translucent steps, the teacher handed Sihyeon and Haru devices that looked like vibration bells.
“The bell you’ve been given is an emergency bell developed by Strongest High. If you press it in a dangerous situation, an alarm will sound and the evaluation will end. If you fail to clear and press the bell, you will be disqualified, so please choose carefully.”
“Ah, okay.”
He’d assumed the teachers would stop things if it got dangerous, but apparently the students had to press the bell themselves. Nodding, Sihyeon fiddled with the small bell that fit neatly in his hand before slipping it into his pocket. It didn’t seem like he’d need to use it.
“The monster you need to eliminate is the Yeti. Please note that eliminating other Irregulars will reduce your time limit. When you’re ready, you may open the door and enter. Then—good luck.”
The dry voice sounded oddly cold. Letting out a hollow laugh at hearing good luck here—something he hadn’t even heard in the military before his transmigration—Sihyeon turned his head toward Haru. Haru, fidgeting with the emergency bell, came into view.
“They said the target is a Yeti. You good with that?”
“Ah, yeah….”
“Then let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
At Haru’s nod, Sihyeon swallowed and opened the field door.
“GROOOAR—!!”
The moment the door opened, a roar rang out. After confirming Haru had entered, Sihyeon closed the door behind them.
Click—the door shut.
Beep. The Time Attack clock started.
19:59
Looking at the numbers displayed in the hologram, Sihyeon gripped his staff. With a swift swing of his pink staff, a sturdy Barrier formed around his body. It was a Barrier that consumed a full third of his Mana. Confirming the Barrier that guaranteed Sihyeon’s safety, Haru nodded.
Sensing the three skills he could use at any moment upon their agreed signal, Sihyeon tightened his grip on the staff.
It was the real start.
“GROOOAR!”
As soon as preparations were complete, the Yeti pounded its chest and charged toward Haru and Sihyeon. As if that were a trigger, the remaining Irregulars all began moving at once.
Tsst— even the Midnights concealed themselves with Stealth. And at that moment, Sihyeon swung his staff.
“Grr?”
“Kururuk?”
Five Yetis suddenly floated up into the air at once. At the same time, Sihyeon cast a Flight buff on Haru. Wrapped in a golden aura, Haru began to fly. Having instantly lost one of their targets to the air, the Irregulars made grotesque noises in confusion.
Yeti, Siren, Midnight.
None of the three were capable of aerial combat. And Sihyeon intended to exploit that fact thoroughly.
“GROOOAR, KUUUAR!!”
The airborne Yetis flailed their limbs in anger. They were massive—three meters tall. Even if he had copied Telekinesis, he couldn’t perfectly replicate the original user’s proficiency. Frowning as if it were taxing, Sihyeon carried out the next step of his plan.
To avoid attacks from other Irregulars, he buffed himself with Flight as well and rose into the air, then swung his staff again.
Sleep.
A skill that could put up to five targets to sleep at once activated, and the Sirens fell asleep. At the same time, Haru activated Stealth.
And then—
Pshhk!
From the neck of a struggling Yeti, red blood burst out. It happened in the blink of an eye.
Through the fountain-like spray, Haru revealed himself. Then, just as quickly, he used Stealth again.
Pshhk!
Another Yeti’s neck burst with blood. Suspended helplessly in the air by Telekinesis, the Yetis had no choice but to watch as their kin were cut down one by one.
“Kururuk?”
Startled by the fast and stealthy attacks, the other Yetis panicked. That moment of carelessness, born from confusion, became a shortcut to their deaths.
Two Yetis had already had their weak point—their necks—targeted. In that state, Sihyeon sent the suspended Yetis flying toward the edge of the field before releasing the Telekinesis acting on them, then shifted his gaze to the others.
Boom!
Ignoring the massive crash, the assault continued. No—it was hardly even a battle. It was a one-sided massacre.
Every time Haru revealed himself, one Yeti died. He looked like a grim reaper.
“GROOOAGH!”
Another Yeti screamed as Haru appeared again. The fifth scream. Sihyeon turned his head to check the time.
19:02
Even considering Haru’s usual speed, it was excessively fast.
Knowing the reason, Sihyeon’s lips curled upward.
Acceleration.
Not just on himself—he had, through practice, become able to accelerate a specific target as well. In a Timed Attack where speed was everything, there was nothing better.
Whoosh!
The final Yeti that had been launched upward—
BOOM!
—was slammed straight into the ground.
“Grrr….”
The last Yeti trembled violently as it lay smashed into the ground. As Haru released Stealth for the final time, he wiped the blood from his face with the back of his hand.
“…….”
Five Yetis lay embedded into the field floor. Staring silently at the scene, Haru turned his gaze toward Sihyeon. The conversation they had shared the night before resurfaced in his mind.
“Since we only need to kill specific Irregulars anyway, I’ll copy Telekinesis and lift them into the air. Then hyung, you kill them. You said Assassin-type attacks are stronger after using Stealth, right? If they’re caught off guard by the sudden situation, you’ll have time to enter Stealth. If the damage isn’t enough, I’ll make up for it by dropping them.”
“…But if we do that, won’t you also need to give me a Flight buff?”
“Yes. Since it’s a Timed Attack, I’m also planning to use Acceleration.”
“Then your Mana….”
“It’s fine. When I use Copy skills, I don’t lose Mana.”
Recalling that much, Haru looked at Sihyeon, whose breathing hadn’t faltered in the slightest. Compared to the last Monthly Evaluation, when he had supported the battle, Sihyeon had done far more this time—yet he showed no signs of fatigue. If anything, he looked so perfectly fine it was surprising.
“Ah, hyung.”
“…?”
At the sound of his voice, Haru tilted his head. Sihyeon swung his staff toward him. Watching as Haru’s body was cleaned by the Clean skill, Sihyeon nodded. His voice, saying that’s good, carried a hint of satisfaction.
“…….”
Regripping his dagger, Haru lowered his gaze back to the Yeti embedded in the ground. The creature, which had been trembling, finally stopped moving.
Beep—
As the mechanical sound signaling the clear rang out, the Time Attack clock stopped.
18:55
1 minute 5 seconds.
That was the record of Haru and Sihyeon.
