Why Is Everyone in This Dating Sim Trying to Kill Me?!

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Translator: Vine

Chapter Title: The Approaching Shadow (4)

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Above the skies of the uninhabited island.

A massive airship hovered there.

"Those crazy bitches, they're all just insane humans… This exam wasn't supposed to be like this…!"

Such harsh words were unbelievable coming from the Director of Velvet Academy, who was in charge.

Especially considering the 'crazy bitches' she referred to were the academy's students.

What she just said was highly problematic.

Yet, the academy instructors listening beside her nodded reluctantly.

Because they couldn't help but agree with her.

This exam was originally meant to test mental fortitude and survival, with students fending for themselves in parties.

The uninhabited island midterm evaluation had already far exceeded their expectations.

Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

Those who forcefully stomped their feet, exhaling breaths drawn from their dantian.

At the scene displayed on the large holographic screen.

Director Lina squeezed her eyes shut as if she'd seen something unspeakable.

"...Are you truly becoming savages?! Have you been cursed with declining intelligence, for crying out loud!!!"

The midterm evaluation was currently split into two main groups.

On one side were those led by Lee Yuri, living communally in primitive attire.

And on the other, those led by Shin Se-hee, heavily armed and appearing modern.

It was as if the early migration period of America, when it once dominated,

a great war was being re-enacted, with armed Americans invading a continent and engaging in a bloody battle with the natives.

However, there was a significant difference in numbers,

with the majority of students joining Lee Yuri's faction.

Only those who dared not participate in such madness remained under Shin Se-hee.

The temptation of deviance was indeed that powerful.

"With that guy quiet, now the others are running wild and giving me a headache…"

The Director said in a resigned voice, looking at the situation that had become inexplicably strange beyond control.

There was no need to specify who 'that guy' she mentioned was.

Since the Director had been wary of only one person from the start.

Jin Yuha.

It was like being blindsided from an entirely unexpected direction while being wary of him.

It seemed that every single one of the individuals in the Utopia party was out of their minds.

"Huh? Now that you mention it, what is he doing right now?"

Instructor Hong Jina, who had been watching the students' standoff with interest from behind, spoke.

The Director then gestured with her head towards a corner of the hologram.

"...What is that guy doing *now*?"

Hong Jina, turning her eyes to where the Director pointed, gaped in bewilderment.

"Education."

The answer came from Baek Seolhee.

Baek Seolhee had consistently shown no interest in whatever madness the other students were up to, watching only that spot from the beginning of the midterm evaluation until now.

There, Jin Yuha was swinging a sword at a blonde-haired student.

As ferociously as if encountering a mortal enemy on a narrow bridge.

And the female student was desperately dodging, her face pale.

To anyone watching, it looked like he was trying to snatch the opponent's coins, now that attacks between students were permitted.

"...Education? *That*? He's going to kill that kid!"

No matter how one looked at it, calling that 'education' was a stretch.

What crazy bitch in the world would teach by relentlessly swinging such a terrifying, lethal sword at someone's vital points?

That crazy bitch, no, Baek Seolhee, simply stared intently at the screen without responding to her words.

'He's pressing them to the very edge where they can barely react, swinging his sword. Well learned. Hmm. But he could have pushed a little further just now. My disciple is still too soft-hearted, it seems.'

Baek Seolhee nodded contentedly, making an assessment internally that would have shocked everyone.

It was then.

Just before the Shield Tribe students and Shin Se-hee's faction were about to engage in an all-out battle.

Wiiiiiiiiing—!

Suddenly, the airship's interior flickered with red light, and a noisy siren blared.

All the instructors quickly grabbed their gear and looked around.

"Suddenly, what in the...?"

The Director frowned, a strange sense of déjà vu washing over her once more.

Bang!

An instructor burst into the airship's observation room, their face urgent.

"Director! Gates have burst!"

"...Grades and locations."

"A-grade, AA-grade, and... S! S-grade! Three gates burst simultaneously in Anyang, Ilsan, and Pohang!"

"The Bureau?"

"The Hunter Management Bureau has already deployed. But they've requested support, saying their personnel are insufficient!"

'...'

The Director unconsciously bit her lip.

An A-grade and AA-grade gate could be sufficiently handled by dispatching the instructors present here.

But an S-grade gate.

Of all times, right when the exam was underway!

'...I have to go, don't I?'

It was obvious what would happen if she didn't go immediately.

Yet, somehow, Lina's feet wouldn't move right away.

Because the thought that she would regret leaving this place right now washed over her.

Then, suddenly.

Her gaze fell upon one spot.

It was none other than Jin Yuha's holographic screen.

And then,

she felt the ominous premonition and worry she had been feeling instantly vanish as if washed away.

"..."

After glancing at him for a moment, the Director turned back to Baek Seolhee.

"Seolhee, immediately assemble the Extermination Squad. You will head to the S-grade gate with me."

"Yes."

"Instructor Hong Jina, lead the Combat Instructor Team and provide support to the AA-grade gate."

"Yes, ma'am! Understood!"

"And the rest will support the A-grade gates."

"Are the students also going out with us?"

Director Lina shook her head decisively.

"No, once we're deployed, the students are irrelevant. Let's depart immediately then."

As the Director's orders were given, the instructors nodded with firm resolve.

And Lina, once again, turned her head to look at Jin Yuha.

'I'm counting on you. Please, this time, please…'

She didn't even understand what she was asking of him,

but she prayed with all her heart.

* * *

"I truly didn't expect you, Ms. Lee Yuri, to come out like this from day one."

A war of nerves between the leaders of each faction,

Shin Se-hee, who had stepped forward, touched her temple with a slightly troubled expression.

"...I didn't expect it either."

Lee Yuri replied with a sincere voice that came from within.

"Ha, what are you saying, someone who's already built such a massive force...? Lee Yuri, you're truly a terrifying woman, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not."

"Truly, it was a method I never even considered. Pleasure that transcends comfort and convenience... The idea of turning this midterm evaluation itself into a game…"

"I said no."

"And as soon as combat between students was allowed, you created an external enemy to solidify the loose internal bonds of the three-person party limit? Ha, the foxy bear who was playing coy beside Mr. Jin Yuha has finally shown her true colors, hasn't she?"

"..."

There was no getting through to her.

It felt like she finally understood why Kang Do-hee kept calling Shin Se-hee a "flower garden brain."

'But wait, why are *you* doing that there... Weren't you on bad terms with her!?'

Kang Do-hee, standing beside Shin Se-hee, arms crossed, glaring at her with a deeply furrowed brow.

"You! What are you saying to our leader! Apologize immediately!"

Lee Min-young, who had been guarding her spot, shouted, claiming that since Kang Do-hee had come out, they needed to match numbers.

Shin Se-hee's gaze then turned that way.

"Oh, you're... Student Lee Min-young? The one who challenged Mr. Jin Yuha every time and got thoroughly crushed. I heard you'd been quiet recently…"

"...Ha, you'd better brace yourself today. Today, our Tribal Chief Lee Yuri and our students will definitely defeat you and claim victory."

"That really fits the saying 'the fox borrowing the tiger's might,' doesn't it? Since you have no power of your own, you'll borrow the strength of those around you to gain an advantage? Truly, a loser's mindset."

*Grind—*

A sharp sound escaped Lee Min-young's clenched teeth, her raw nerve touched.

Lee Yuri's eyes went dead.

'No, you're the same... You brought Kang Do-hee along even though you're on bad terms with her. And they seem to get along surprisingly well, don't they...?'

Originally, Lee Min-young's chemistry with Shin Se-hee was completely opposite,

but as they 'darkened,' they became similar.

"Originally, I intended to deal with this after recruiting Mr. Jin Yuha... Hmm, no, this is actually better. This time, instead of borrowing Mr. Jin Yuha's strength, it might be better to let him achieve a complete victory solely on his own."

Jin Yuha.

As that name left Shin Se-hee's lips, Lee Yuri's gaze turned serious.

'Hmm, come to think of it, I owe him a debt, and I haven't repaid any of it yet, have I?'

If so, she couldn't lose.

This fight wasn't just about getting a good score in the midterm evaluation.

It was a competition for Jin Yuha, a place where they vied against each other!

Although she had stumbled into the position of leader, Lee Yuri was willing to endure the shame if it meant she could give something valuable to Jin Yuha.

"...Alright then, let's fight."

Lee Yuri said to Shin Se-hee in a stiff voice.

She snorted.

With the leaders having ended their war of nerves, they returned to their respective factions.

Soon, a massive all-out war began on the uninhabited island.

.

.

.

"Sophia. That's enough now. Let's go."

"...*Gasp*. *Gasp*. What!? Where? Wh-where are we going!?"

"It's time for those trashy bastards to make their move. We have to go deal with them."

"?"

And Jin Yuha, from the start of the exam,

instinctively knew that the moment he had been waiting for had arrived,

and headed towards the center of the uninhabited island.