NOVEL WEB Chapter 93
“Alright, students. Please wear this before you go in.”
Just as I was about to ask Justitia what kind of test we were about to take, one of the staff members who had been dragged away by her hair earlier handed us something.
What it turned out to be was a sticker-type mini action cam.
“It’s a bit inaccurate from the outside observations, so it’s better to see it through the participant’s eyes!”
Did she just accidentally leak something she shouldn’t have? I can’t help but think she was about to say ‘test subject’ just now.
Others seemed to think similarly, eyeing her with suspicious expressions.
“Ehehe. There shouldn’t be any problems! I just need some video footage…”
This woman might soon get fired or demoted at the company. I stuck the sticker on my cheek while I rationally suspected so.
Not my concern, really. At least she brought me back to my senses. It reminded me that they were using students as test subjects. And not just any random power users, but exceptional, high-quality talents among them.
Really, Heros Company deserves to go down in flames.
I steadied my resolve while watching a woman escape before having her hair grabbed.
“I know you’ve been curious about this. Finally, I can tell you about the trial you will face, which is a simulation of the 2096 Busan Gate Break incident re-created through technology.”
Justitia revealed the long-awaited information to calm the public, and as she hoped, everyone became serious right away.
“The ’96 break was a disaster where monsters poured out of an S-rank gate… Are we… going to face that? No, more importantly, how did they even recreate that?”
“Don’t worry too much. There are of course safety measures in place, and the difficulty is adjusted so that if you try your best, you should be able to handle it.”
Justitia continued, trying to reassure the anxious students.
“Also, this isn’t a solo test. Depending on your strengths, abilities, and personalities, we’ve already formed teams of five. Here’s the list.”
As Justitia pointed to the wall, a huge screen displayed the team lists.
My name was in group 6, and coincidentally, Jinhyeon and Minho were both in the same group.
“Hmph.”
Wasn’t that a bit too obvious? The malicious arrangement made me want to laugh. Well, at least both of them had solid powers, so maybe it would be alright.
The other two were Lucia and someone I didn’t know. Quite an unusual costume. Was that clothing or just ragged cloth?
It looked pretty ridiculous with someone wearing what seemed like rags that had been cut dozens of times.
“Darużej, Blanca… Lucia… And Jinhyeon is here too.”
Minho seemed to know them? Judging by how he spoke, it looked that way. But hey, I didn’t need to memorize extras.
When I casually exchanged greetings with a handshake, Jinhyeon awkwardly approached with a fumbling demeanor.
“…I look forward to working with you.”
What’s this? Is he asking for a handshake? I unconsciously frowned at his silly antics.
Reluctantly, I complied because not doing so would create more hassle. Was there a handshake in the world more awkward than this?
Even a handshake between a communist and a capitalist would likely be more harmonious. After that awkward handshake, I asked Justitia.
“So… what exactly do we need to do?”
That was Yeonhwa’s question. LaPiz, her teammate, was quietly curious and sent her a sparkling gaze.
“Within the limited time of 30 minutes, do your best. Will you defeat the monsters, restore order, or save lives? Do what you think is best.”
That was a clear yet annoyingly vague instruction.
When the answer was basically ‘figure it out’, Yeonhwa seemed confused and unsure. Guessing she expected a definite answer.
“Naturally. This is an exam to evaluate how you deal with situations when you have no clue how to recover it.”
Justitia looked at Yeonhwa as she spoke, then turned to address all the students briefly.
“I’m sure you’re all aware the Gate Break incident of ’96 led to the birth of our heroes. This test evaluates your comprehensive abilities. I believe you all can handle it, so don’t get discouraged and do your best. That’s all I have to say.”
Seems like the heroic aura was still intact, as many looked inspired by her speech.
But before warming up to the emotion, Justitia immediately sent group 1 off.
Suddenly, the big screen shifted from the list to showing group 1’s action cam feed.
Though I wondered if it was okay for Ageha to see this, Justitia casually replied that it wouldn’t matter since we wouldn’t be able to devise a plan anyway.
“Even though the difficulty has been significantly eased, the chaos has not. Plus, the starting locations are assigned randomly.”
Aha. So it wouldn’t help since the spawn points are randomized. Quite malicious indeed.
Hearing it wouldn’t help anyway complicated my feelings. I guess I’d find out if it was true when I saw it myself.
—
As soon as we entered the set, I felt the air change. Something huge was moving far away, shaking the ground, and most importantly, I saw the moon.
“Wasn’t that just a set before…?”
“D-Don’t call it that. And… I don’t really know what’s going on either, so asking me won’t help…”
The shape-shifting ability user who introduced himself as Morgan looked completely bewildered.
The expression showing on a lion’s face felt bizarre. Still, we shouldn’t discriminate against each other in similar situations.
“Whatever it is, we’ll do our best for 30 minutes. Let’s decide on our strategy, guys!”
“Wait, we should know our abilities first…”
“Good point! I can control fire, and here, LaPiz can manipulate the earth! What about you guys?”
“I’m strong!”
Morgan, looking like a bipedal lion, proudly roared. And he really looked it.
“Anything I touch with my left hand turns into the N pole, and my right hand turns into the S pole. That much.”
A guy I didn’t know had his hands in his pockets and gave a brief reply, while a rather grim-looking girl shared that she could transfer wounds.
“I see, you have the ability to transfer wounds… and a magnet… Hmm, I guess that won’t maximize our effectiveness in rescue operations, huh?”
“Well, to some degree, I can feel vibrations…”
It was a bit tricky to suggest giving up on rescuing people, so I pitched a more passive approach.
“Flame Girl is right! Instead of saving people, let’s focus on taking down the monsters! Even if we find them, we wouldn’t be able to treat the wounds anyway!”
But the other team members also agreed with Morgan, leaning towards monster extermination.
“Alright, let’s do that then. LaPiz, I’m really sorry, but we’ll only focus on those with less or no injuries.”
Yeonhwa’s suggestion made sense. If we were to do our best, that was the logical way. But I couldn’t shake off the nagging feeling.
I wondered what Blanca would do in a situation like this. Would she have made the same judgment?
“…For now, let’s proceed like that.”
I couldn’t be sure if Blanca would still help when she couldn’t treat others, but deep down, I felt she would try to help.
Thinking that way, even if I was scared to get shot down, I settled on that lukewarm answer.
“Alright, then let’s go. LaPiz, you said you could feel vibrations, right? Search for the unusual vibrations nearby.”
“Leave it to me.”
“Morgan? Um… please don’t take it badly, but you’re a lion, right? So, uh… your senses are better than a human’s?”
“Of course.”
Perhaps a lesson learned from Blanca, Yeonhwa approached the topic of ‘being different from a human’ very cautiously. Luckily, Morgan didn’t seem to mind.
“So, can you use that sense to find the monsters?”
“I was just about to do that!”
…It’s just a simulation anyway, so there’s no need to feel too guilty.
Thinking that, I pointed toward the faintest but manageable vibrations I could feel.
—
The image displayed on the screen was a scene that was way too brutal to be considered a test.
“Shouldn’t we stop this now?!”
Maria had to be forcibly stopped by Justitia as she stood up.
The magnet guy was already kicked down by an A-rank monster and was unable to get up, and the wound transfer girl looked like a cursed doll that had been used for a hundred years.
At least LaPiz, Yeonhwa, and Morgan were holding their ground, but they hadn’t had a break for 20 minutes and were engaged in relentless battle against the incoming monsters, with no signs of victory.
Then, as soon as the 30-minute timer ended, the action cam’s feed cut off.
Before long, group 1 staggered out from inside the set.
“…Huh?”
“Group 1, time’s up. Good work.”
Group 1 had not a single scratch. It seemed they couldn’t believe it either, fidgeting with their heads, waists, or cheeks, showing utterly dazed reactions.
“Next, group 2.”
The reactions of the others were similar.