-Thwack!
"Hey, Seo Woo-jin! What the hell kind of way is that to talk?!"
Seo Woo-jin had barely exchanged greetings with me before suddenly picking on my department out of nowhere.
I was at a loss for words, unsure how to respond, when his childhood friend Han Sora reacted first.
"Wh-what...?"
"How can you say something like that right to someone's face?! Are you out of your mind?"
"N-no. Honestly, it's true, isn't it? What can the Combat Support Department even do on their own...?"
"Seo Woo-jin!!!"
Objectively speaking, the guy wasn't entirely wrong.
In reality, Combat Support Department students were indeed far inferior to those in other combat departments when it came to fighting monsters. That's why their department was named Combat Support—to assist in others' battles.
Because of that, they often got looked down on by students from combat departments... but blurting it out so openly like this was just because this guy lacked any social graces.
'I get that he's weak himself and saying this as some kind of defense mechanism...'
Still, there was no reason to let such rudeness slide.
I was debating whether to poke at his sore spots and provoke him back or play it off magnanimously to build a good impression with Han Sora.
"N-no, that's not it!"
"...Cha Eun-ju?"
Suddenly, Cha Eun-ju shot up from the seat next to me and started defending me against Seo Woo-jin.
"S-Seon-ho is amazing! Way stronger and kinder than someone like you! Wh-what do you even know about Seon-ho...?!"
"..."
"A-and he's a hundred times cooler than a pathetic loser like you! You, you stupid mutt...!!"
...Who would've thought timid little Cha Eun-ju would get this fired up for me.
Honestly, it was a bit touching. It made me think the past week's assistant teaching sessions hadn't been wasted.
Thanks to her, the situation improved dramatically. Instead of awkwardly pretending to hold back while acting nice, I could now highlight Seo Woo-jin's rudeness through her and come off as the bigger person by brushing it off.
"A-and Seon-ho was top of the written exams! A-and also..."
"It's fine, Eun-ju. That's enough."
"B-but he...!"
"I don't mind. The Combat Support Department is bound to get that kind of image. I'm really not bothered, so you can stop."
"Ugh..."
She looked frustrated, but since I told her to stop, Cha Eun-ju sat back down without another word.
If things got too heated, it could mess up my connection with Han Sora, so I popped a cookie into Cha Eun-ju's mouth to lighten the mood.
"Here, have this."
"...Ah-mmph."
-Nom, nom, nom...
As soon as Cha Eun-ju quieted down with the cookie in her mouth, Han Sora immediately apologized for her childhood friend's rudeness.
"Sorry about that. He's just shy and sometimes his words come out weird."
"It's fine. That's the usual perception of the Combat Support Department."
"I-I don't think that way. He's the only weirdo, so don't take it to heart..."
"I told you, I'm not. But you should watch what you say around others. Even if it's not me, it could sour the mood during group projects with other support students."
"I'm really sorry. Hey, apologize, Seo Woo-jin."
"...Sorry."
He made it obvious he hated apologizing, but I didn't care. The more openly hostile he was toward me, the easier it made things for me.
After all, taking her away was never off the table, so at least my mind could be at ease.
"It's cool, I didn't take it personally."
"But seriously, Seon-ho, you're a top scorer? That's surprising."
"Just got lucky. Eun-ju here is one too, anyway."
"No way? Both of you?"
"Everyone here is a top scorer, including you and Seo Woo-jin. What's so surprising?"
"Oh, right... Yeah."
"..."
I deliberately poked at something to irk him, and sure enough, Seo Woo-jin clamped his mouth shut and glared at me.
I just hoped that cowardly, petty personality of his stuck around till the bitter end.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
『The first round of the practical exam will now begin.』
"Whoa, finally starting! I was dying of boredom waiting! Guys, practical exam's on!"
"Ugh, Park Cheon-ho! Shut your damn mouth already, you're embarrassing us!"
As soon as the official practical exam time hit, the announcement blared from the speakers above the exam waiting room.
The examinees, worn out from the long wait, buzzed for a moment before falling silent, all ears perked in tense anticipation.
⚙ EXAM ANNOUNCEMENT ⚙
The Cheonmu Hunter Academy practical exam is a monster subjugation.
"What, same as last year?"
"Had me thinking they'd change it up since they even have a separate waiting room."
It was already well-known that Cheonmu Hunter Academy's practical exam was a monster subjugation.
It'd been the same assignment for years, and there were probably some repeat examinees here who'd taken it last year.
And as with most novel clichés, this was the kind of thing that changed right when the protagonist enrolled.
⚙ EXAM ANNOUNCEMENT ⚙
However, since hologram monsters can't properly gauge new students' abilities, starting this year, the practical exam will differ from previous ones.
"Huh?"
"What does that mean?"
"No way they're making us fight real monsters."
In Korea, it was illegal for civilians—anyone not a licensed hunter or academy student—to fight monsters, except in self-defense.
Intentionally entering a gate without hunter status was basically a crime.
So the examinees here were probably assuming something like "more realistic hologram monsters" and relaxing.
⚙ EXAM ANNOUNCEMENT ⚙
This year's practical exam is live combat.
Examinees must enter a real 'dungeon' with their partner and subjugate actual monsters to prove their skills.
"What?"
"Live combat...?"
"No way... Even Cheonmu Academy wouldn't go that far..."
The waiting room buzzed with half shocked, half skeptical reactions.
Then, the wall opposite the door lifted entirely, revealing a 'gate' that drew every eye.
-Kreeeeak...
"Wh-what...?"
"Isn't that a gate...?"
"No way... We really have to fight monsters?"
Some examinees here had probably never seen a real dungeon gate before.
In this world where hunters were entrenched, gates were dispatched and cleared instantly upon appearance.
Even among top scorers, most would feel some fear seeing a real one.
"S-Seon-ho... Th-that's a real dungeon gate, right...?"
"...Yeah, looks like it."
Just like Cha Eun-ju, who was openly trembling beside me.
To reassure her, I pulled her into my arms, gently stroking her hair as I waited for the announcement to finish.
⚙ EXAM ANNOUNCEMENT ⚙
If any examinee lacks the confidence for this practical exam,
you may leave the waiting room now.
-Clang.
"..."
"..."
The announcement followed the waiting room door swinging open. It was a clear invitation to quit if you couldn't handle real monsters. Sure enough, a few scared examinees stood up.
"N-no way! How are we supposed to fight real monsters?!"
"Isn't this illegal...? We haven't even enrolled yet and they're sending us into a dungeon gate..."
"..."
Some fled from monster fear, others from legal doubts, and some just slipped out quietly.
I checked their faces just in case, but none were characters I recognized.
Obviously—they wouldn't appear on the main stage of Surviving Hunter Academy.
...Of course, while some feared fighting real monsters, others itched with excitement to try.
⚙ EXAM ANNOUNCEMENT ⚙
Students wishing to proceed, line up in order and enter the dungeon gate. This is a transfer-type dungeon that sends you to random coordinates inside upon entry. Maximum two per transfer, so keep hold of your partner...
"Ooooh! Can I fight monsters right away if I go in now?! Me! Pick me! I'll go first!!"
"Goddamn it, shut up, Park Cheon-ho! Now everyone's staring at me too!"
"Let's go! This is my first real monster fight! Hurry! Park Hana, come on!!"
"F-fine, just shut up! ...C-can we go first?"
"If you wish, you may enter. Grip your partner's hand tightly to avoid separation during transfer."
"We can go! Hurry!! Park Hana, hurry!!"
"I get it, no need to yell your head off..."
-Fwhoosh!
After their boisterous exchange, the Park siblings got sucked into the gate.
Seeing Park Cheon-ho and Park Hana exactly as in the novel made me smile involuntarily. It really drove home that I'd entered the novel's world.
"Eh, it'll be fine somehow!"
-Fwhoosh!
"Don't tense up, don't tense up, don't tense up..."
-Fwhoosh!
"Supervisor. My partner's run off."
"In that case, you can find another and take the exam on round two."
"No... I want to go alone. Can I?"
"...If that's what you want, it's fine."
"Okay."
-Fwhoosh!
Once the Park siblings went in, the mood shifted to one of challenge, and examinees started entering one by one.
Seeing Kim Isabel's group and Han Sora's still waiting, I figured it was good timing and stood with Cha Eun-ju.
-Scrape.
"Let's go in too, Eun-ju."
"...Y-you really gonna do it?"
"What, scared now?"
"...No."
"..."
"I-I think I can handle it if I'm with you, Seon-ho."
"Good."
The girl who'd trembled at hologram monsters when we met was now mustering courage for real ones.
'She's grown a lot.'
The past week's training hadn't been in vain. ...Though assistant teaching was the real focus.
To avoid losing her inside, I gripped Cha Eun-ju's hand tightly and stepped into the dungeon gate for the practical exam.