Chapter 85

‘A thousand points?’

There was no denying it—this was the highest-scoring mission that had appeared so far.

Moreover, with the occurrence of such a mission, changes simultaneously took place in the terminal’s ranking board.

Ding!

【1st Place: 2-B Rank Yoon Ihwa Team】

▶1600P

Even though the exam’s end time—the moment the mission would be considered achieved—had not yet arrived, the points were already being recognized.

And what that meant was simple.

‘…They intend to seriously induce competition.’

Due to the ranking board’s update, all remaining teams would now know who possessed the treasure.

In simple terms, we had, at this very moment, become public targets.

“What’s going on?”

“A thousand points?”

“The situation is turning really strange…”

The team members also recognized the impending crisis, each letting out a low groan.

Watching this, Yoon Ihwa posed a question through the communicator.

[…Should we just give up the treasure?]

That wasn’t an odd reaction. Of course, it would be a lie to say we weren’t tempted, but holding onto it was far too dangerous and could lead to a worse outcome than not having it at all.

[Even if we hand the treasure over to another team, we’d still be within the top 5. That’s absolutely not a bad score, right?]

At that, the team members also fell into serious contemplation.

“Honestly, being too greedy here might just lead to losses.”

“Hah, it’s a shame, but what can we do?”

“Ihwa’s right. If we get wiped out for no reason, the chances of falling below 5th place in the final tally are even higher.”

However, things in this world don’t go that easily. Han Chaewon, who had first noticed the anomaly, changed her expression again and relayed new information.

“Um, excuse me. Our names are already engraved on the wooden plaque…?”

[What do you mean?]

Hurriedly checking the treasure, it was indeed true. The characters for “2-B Yoon Ihwa Team,” which definitely hadn’t been there before, were now clearly visible.

‘…They must have placed a Cursed Technique on it beforehand.’

It seemed the examiners had no intention of letting us take the easy way out.

Yoon Ihwa, letting out a deep sigh, spoke again.

[It’s like this again. There’s no choice now, is there?]

“So we have no choice but to hold out somehow?”

[Unfortunately, it seems so.]

Amid the team members, resigned and planning their next moves, I, who had been silently observing, finally spoke up.

“Is there really a need to leave here?”

“Then what do you plan to do? If we stay here, all the other teams will definitely swarm this place, won’t they?”

Top-ranking teams confident in their abilities, and lower-ranking teams aiming for a dramatic reversal.

Realistically, there were countless reasons why we’d be targeted.

However, even if we went outside, the same thing would just repeat. In that case, it might be better to hide within the complex structure of the cave interior.

[I see, you mean to use the cave’s maze to hold out. That makes sense.]

As mentioned before, in this cave, I could utilize my Shikigami to their fullest potential. Moreover, there was a high chance that opposing teams would encounter and check each other during their journey to the deeper parts.

“Hearing it now, that sounds right? I agree.”

“I have no objections either.”

“There isn’t that much time left until the exam ends anyway. It might be more doable than we think.”

As the team members agreed, Yoon Ihwa also nodded and said.

[Alright. If not now, when else would we aim for first place in an exam? It won’t be easy, but let’s do what we can.]

Then, the first thing to do was decided.

I began moving the remaining three team members to suitable positions while drawing up my Spiritual Power.

“…What are you planning?”

“I’m going to deploy a Barrier.”

Since we decided to defend this place, we obviously couldn’t just let the enemy waltz in comfortably, right?

“We should at least drain their strength.”

Recalling the vicious Cursed Technique I had experienced countless times in the game, I let out an involuntary laugh.

There exists a Cursed Technique called the Bichak (Protective Error) Barrier.

A type of Intermediate-Rank Barrier Technique, it was a horrifying Art Formula that first appeared in Series 2 and drew the ire of countless players.

‘…It was famously called the Spinning Barrier.’

Despite being a Barrier Technique, this Art Formula offered not a speck of combat utility—it didn’t trap people within its range or inflict damage.

However, it possessed one special effect that seemed absolutely brimming with the developers’ malice.

‘Even thinking about it now is sickening.’

That effect was an optical illusion affecting a certain range.

Sometimes it deceived the eyes, sometimes it muddled thoughts, ultimately causing significant hindrance in progressing towards a destination.

In short, inside this Barrier, finding a path, an object, or a person became several times more difficult than usual.

“Even though we passed here earlier, it doesn’t seem like the path I knew.”

“…This is really going to be confusing.”

[From my position outside the Barrier’s range, it looks that way too. Is it a method that overlays the effect directly onto the terrain itself?]

Yoon Ihwa’s guess was accurate.

If it were a mental or hallucination-type Art Formula directly affecting the target, its effect could be negated depending on one’s specs. However, the Bichak Barrier was truly malicious—it was an Art Formula that targeted the terrain and features.

Therefore, unless the entire Barrier was destroyed, anything within would inevitably be affected by the technique.

‘The reason it was made is so blatant it’s laughable.’

Thanks to such performance, the Bichak Barrier was the main culprit in the game, appearing incessantly as a stage gimmick and tiring out players.

‘Eventually, after Series 4, it vanished due to complaints about being a useless playtime extender…’

But now, that very effect of pointlessly dragging out time was desperately needed.

Although its usage difficulty itself was on par with high-level Art Formulas, its classification was still Intermediate-Rank, so it was just barely within my current capabilities to use.

Having deployed the Barrier Technique at the cave’s central area, I took out all the Phantom Wood Hungry Ghosts I had and had them roam the passages, spewing out a Curse mist.

With this much, whoever it is will have quite a hard time getting here.

[Alright, let’s summarize the plan. Han Kangyoon will hold the wooden plaque with the points. First, we hold off the enemy as much as possible. If it seems impossible, we scatter and escape.]

“Understood. Even if we draw their attention, as long as the person with the plaque survives…”

“To begin with, with this level of defense, there probably won’t be any team that can reach here quickly. We struggled quite a bit to find it even without any interference, right?”

Before we knew it, there were 3 hours left until the exam ended.

If things went well, it seemed we could hold out sufficiently, so the team’s atmosphere wasn’t bad.

And indeed, several teams had already entered the cave but were struggling to penetrate into the deeper parts.

‘…So far, it’s going as expected.’

The problem was the top-ranking teams with the power to break through all that and reach this place.

And as expected, around the time the exam end drew near, a team finally appeared that broke through the path leading to the deepest part.

The time we had to hold out was neither more nor less—exactly one hour from now.

Unbeknownst to us, the final showdown of the exam was about to unfold.

“An unexpected team got their hands on the treasure, didn’t they?”

Around the time Han Kangyoon’s team, Yoon Ihwa’s team, acquired the cave treasure, the professors gathered in one place to watch let out curious exclamations.

“Indeed, with Han Kangyoon, who is skilled in Shikigami Art, his contribution in such an exam is significant.”

“I was certain the acquirer would come from a team with students within the top 5 of the grade…”

“Hoho, regardless, a rather interesting situation is about to unfold.”

The meaning of the thousand points attached to the treasure is significant.

At this point, with most missions cleared, it’s the final chance to overturn the rankings.

Naturally, competition for it will intensify.

“Then, shall we make some predictions as well?”

It was Yoo Hyejin, who had newly taken office as Dean this time.

“Predictions, you say?”

“Yes. About who will ultimately stand at the top in the final results. With a bonus on the line.”

At Yoo Hyejin’s words, a momentary tension flowed among the professors.

Usually, the bonuses Yoo Hyejin talked about were not just a pittance.

“What if there are multiple correct guesses?”

“I’ll divide it fairly.”

“Then, Sophia.”

“I also think she will take the final 1st place.”

“I’ll go with Miss Charlotte too!”

The opinions were mostly unified in atmosphere.

To begin with, her team’s current score was nothing to scoff at, and the professors had personally witnessed her immense talent up close on a daily basis.

“Isn’t Sophia an exceptional talent even within the Academy’s long history?”

“Excluding the current Special-Rank Exorcist, Cheong Soha, I honestly haven’t seen talent like hers.”

“Moreover, that talent is Blooming day by day. She was already incredible in her first year, but hasn’t she grown unrecognizably more now?”

Most Exorcists who have seen her say it: she will undoubtedly be the next leading figure.

In short, Sophia was, in name and reality, a top-class talent even on a global scale.

Amid that atmosphere, four professors voiced differing opinions.

Namely, Baek Jieun, the homeroom professor for A-Rank; Ko Dahye, the Forbidden Arts Studies professor; Dean Yoo Hyejin; and finally, Hwang Mansoo, one of the Graduating Class homeroom professors.

First, Hwang Mansoo picked Hwang Jihak over Sophia.

“Miss Charlotte’s talent is, of course, splendid, but the runner-up, Hwang Jihak, is also an extremely outstanding student. He’s likely to sharply target any openings.”

And the remaining three all chose Han Kangyoon. The other professors looked at them with puzzled expressions.

“He certainly has been showing an unusual growth rate lately… But not to that extent, right?”

“I’ve seen him a few times in class, but I recall he still wasn’t at a level to compare with Miss Charlotte.”

“Of course, being the current holder of the treasure, there is a possibility…”

However, the three did not change their opinions despite those looks.

Baek Jieun, who could be said to have observed Han Kangyoon the longest, nodded and spoke.

“In a straightforward fight, he’d likely have a hard time winning against Sophia. But… those who know would understand, Han Kangyoon’s specialty isn’t that kind of thing.”

Then, Ko Dahye also began to agree.

“Frankly, his other Cursed Techniques aren’t particularly amazing, but the power of his Curse-Type Art Formulas is no joke. Those would deal sufficient damage even to Miss Charlotte.”

At such evaluations, everyone looked with interest at the last remaining person, Yoo Hyejin.

And she, with a meaningful smile, opened her mouth.

“I didn’t really think of a particular reason. It’s just fun, isn’t it?”

“Ah. R-right…”

But regardless of the process, it was clear that a full three professors had chosen Han Kangyoon.

Intrigued by this fact, the professors focused even more intently, shifting their gazes beyond the screen.