Chapter 86

[Ah, ugh. Really! Sorry, Sophi… I honestly can’t figure this out no matter how much I look.]

“Mhm, mhm. It’s fine, don’t worry about it. I had a feeling it would turn out like this anyway.”

Sophia, who had her first-place position snatched away in an instant by Han Kangyoon’s efforts, had been wandering lost in the cave even now, 30 minutes after entering.

Of course, she hadn’t made zero progress, but thanks to the quite meticulously laid interference, her progress was slower than expected.

“Hmm. I told you getting tangled up with Kangyoon would just be a loss~”

To be honest, for someone like Sophia, it wasn’t impossible to completely destroy the Barriers spread throughout the cave.

However, even so, she couldn’t do something so dangerous in a place where so many students were gathered.

“He probably anticipated all of that too.”

[…I think I understand what you meant, Sophi. It’s definitely tricky.]

“He’s even more impressive when you actually face him. This is probably just preparatory work to buy time.”

[Ugh, hearing such high praise makes me jealous instead. You never say things like that to me normally.]

“There’s no need to worry at all~ I like Gracie regardless of skill.”

[Your honesty is sometimes a flaw, Sophi.]

Although the two of them were voicing various complaints, they had nonetheless already gotten quite close to the center of the cave.

Glancing at the next passageway, Sophia now intuitively felt that the destination wasn’t far.

“Mhm. Since we’re here, I’d like to face him again quickly before any more interference comes.”

They had clashed once at Yeongwoldo too, but back then, the situation ended before they could really do anything.

Frankly, she wasn’t satisfied at all.

[…Sophi, you look excited for the first time in a while.]

“Ah, well. Hehe. That might be true.”

Regardless of everything, Sophia felt bored with her unchanging life. The grades that always followed her even without doing anything special, the victories obtained too easily.

What others desperately desired held no value for Sophia anymore.

So, she couldn’t help but feel drawn to someone like Han Kangyoon, who stood at the center of change.

“Ah, finally found it.”

The secret passage leading to the cave’s center, where Han Kangyoon was.

However, she wasn’t the only one who discovered it.

“Hello. Familiar faces, as expected~”

“Ugh. I was sure I got here first.”

“…For me to be later than her, this is ridiculous.”

Jeong Hansol and Shin Sora, walking in from different directions as if it were prearranged.

Judging by the lingering remnants of Spiritual Power not yet fully gathered, it was clear they had already faced other teams, eliminated them all, and reached this spot.

“You’re not thinking of fighting here, are you? That would be completely idiotic.”

“…Well, it’s definitely better to settle things once we’re inside.”

“Mhm, mhm. Then let’s all go together. It’s been a while since this group got together.”

Watching the three of them act without any distance despite being enemies, Grace let out a small sigh and muttered.

Sizzle.

[Are you okay, Sophi?]

However, in response to that question, Sophia merely gave a meaningful smile.

“Mhm. No need to worry at all.”

If they ended up fighting, victory would undoubtedly be hers.

“…They’re here.”

I had roughly expected it, but I let out a sigh at the sight of the three of them entering the deepest part as if it were a painting.

I had hoped at least one of them would be held up, but it seemed the position of original work supporting characters wasn’t that easy to deal with.

‘But is Hwang Jihak not here?’

Actually, since Hwang Jihak was one of the trickiest opponents for me right now, this wasn’t such a bad outcome.

“Your Curse is as potent as expected. Since we went through the trouble of coming, it’d be nice if you just handed over the item willingly.”

Shin Sora said to me with a confident smile, while Sophia silently watched from the side.

And Jeong Hansol, who was gauging the situation…

Thud. Thud. Shhh.

Without hesitation, she came right up beside me and began staring at the other two.

“…Hey, Jeong Hansol. Don’t tell me you’re going to…”

As questioning gazes focused on Jeong Hansol, she awkwardly averted her eyes and quickly continued speaking.

“Ahem. Ahem. What are you doing over there? Hurry up and come over here to lend a hand.”

After a brief, forced cough, Jeong Hansol shouted at Shin Sora, then pointed a finger at Sophia and spoke again.

“Do you think you can take her one-on-one? No, right? Then we should deal with her first, treasure or whatever, the three of us together.”

“Hmm, Hansol, you too. Honesty is good, but you’re too consistent.”

“Shut up. The problem is you’re monstrously strong. How many times have I been beaten unconscious by you?”

Jeong Hansol, as if venting her accumulated frustration, raised her momentum and pulled out a Talisman from her waist.

However, Shin Sora sighed and spoke to her.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“What?”

“If I can just eliminate you first this time, I don’t really care about the treasure or anything?”

“Ah, that. I said I was sorry about last time’s exam…”

Jeong Hansol, realizing the fact immediately, apologized while gauging her reaction, but ultimately Shin Sora’s mind didn’t change.

And so, an unexpected 2 vs 2 formation was established.

“…Ah, damn. We’re screwed. I’m not confident about this. Where the hell did Hwang Jihak go in a situation like this?”

A quick check of my Terminal showed that only about 30 minutes remained until the exam ended. Quickly estimating, I drew up my Spiritual Power and formed a Binding Spell Formula.

Whoosh.

And I fired it straight at Jeong Hansol.

Clatter!

“Clear Chain Binding.”

Screech!

Crash!

“…W-wait a minute, why me?”

“Earlier, when I met him, Gilford was telling me an interesting story.”

“No, hey! That’s—!”

Approaching Jeong Hansol, I tore the Identification Tag from her waist and crushed it before she could do anything.

Crunch!

Ding!

【2-A Rank Jeong Hansol : Eliminated】

Since a complete elimination message didn’t appear, it seemed she had hidden at least one teammate in a safe place.

Ignoring Jeong Hansol, who slumped down with a despondent expression, I slowly approached Sophia and Shin Sora.

“Now that it’s come to this, there’s no reason to team up anymore, right?”

“…Fine. Anyway, that Jeong Hansol just invites trouble when she could stay quiet.”

It seemed much more comfortable to have a three-way battle rather than forcing a 2 vs 2 confrontation.

Since I also still held a grudge over the Gilford incident, I made the decision to eliminate Jeong Hansol without hesitation.

“It’s the first time we’ve faced each other like this since the last exam.”

Whoosh.

Sophia leisurely drew up her Spiritual Power and spoke to me, then smiled faintly and instantly fired Art Formulas in multiple directions.

Screech!

Crunch!

Clang!

Crunch!

“But before we do what we came to do, we should tidy up first, right?”

A swift and precise use of powerful Art Formulas—the teammates who had been secretly hiding were instantly stripped of their Identification Tags.

Ding!

【2-B Rank Lee Yoomin : Eliminated】

【2-B Rank Han Chaewon : Eliminated】

【2-C Rank Heo Yunseung : Eliminated】

At that unbelievable skill, the eliminated teammates let out sighs of disbelief.

However, since they were eliminated, there was nothing they could do, so they eventually left the cave one by one with resentful expressions.

“…If you knew, you could have just let them be.”

“Hmm, well. After what happened last time, it’s a bit much to let my guard down, don’t you think?”

Come to think of it, at Yeongwoldo, Sophia had been distracted by me and missed the movements of Cheong Joohwa, who was using a concealment Art Formula in the air, and lost the Barrier Stone.

So, it felt like she was determined not to allow the same trick in this decisive battle.

‘About 23 minutes left.’

However, watching that scene, I secretly hid a smile.

Perhaps at this very moment, the outcome of this battle had already been decided.

I took out the wooden tag worth 1,000 Points from my pocket and threw it into the center of the cavern.

“We should definitely settle this.”

And drawing up my Spiritual Power, I began pulling the Shikigami from within the shadows, one by one.

Slither.

Poof!

Whoosh!

“…Wow, that’s creepy. How many of those are there?”

“Mhm, mhm. That’s more like it. It’s starting to get interesting.”

And so, the final battle of the 2nd Semester Comprehensive Exam finally began.

With only about 5 minutes left until the exam ended.

The professors observing the scene from the monitoring room each let out small exclamations of admiration at the traces of the battle waged by the three.

“My, truly impressive. All three have noticeably improved their skills compared to just a few months ago.”

“…Student Han Kangyoon always brings surprises. I distinctly remember being amazed by his rapid growth in the last exam, and now he’s fighting on equal footing with that group.”

“With this momentum, he could easily rise to the upper ranks even within A-Rank.”

The visible interior of the cavern was almost a complete mess.

It was a miracle it hadn’t collapsed.

No, if Sophia hadn’t been fighting while protecting the entire space with her Cursed Technique, it would have undoubtedly collapsed without a trace.

“…That just goes to show how unparalleled Miss Sophia’s level is even inside there.”

As the professors’ evaluation suggested, the battle inside the cavern was clearly leaning towards a decisive outcome.

Shin Sora was kneeling on one knee, panting heavily, and Han Kangyoon was leaning against the wall, barely maintaining his posture.

Already, several Shikigami had been subjected to Spirit Dismissal; among them, the exceptionally strong Fire Goblin and Black Vulture had fought valiantly, but even they were now in a dazed state, merely hiding behind Han Kangyoon.

Shin Sora, completely exhausted, slumped down and was the first to voice words of resignation.

“Phew, I’m done here. I really can’t handle Sophia. I achieved my goal anyway, so you two decide who gets the thousand Points.”

“Mhm, mhm. You’ve improved more than I thought. You did well too, Sora~”

“…Looks like you’re still not tired. Anyway.”

With only those words, Shin Sora got up and staggered out of the cavern.

Only Han Kangyoon and Sophia remained.

However, Han Kangyoon also let out a sigh and spoke.

“Sorry, but I’ve reached my limit too.”

“Hmm. Really?”

Tilting her head for a moment, Sophia soon looked at Han Kangyoon with a meaningful smile.

“I don’t think that’s quite the case~”

“……”

“Isn’t it stifling to hide so much? You can show me a little more.”

Uncharacteristically, Sophia’s eyes shone sharply as she gazed seriously at Han Kangyoon.

On her face, a barely concealable joy was faintly taking shape.