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

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Translator: Vine

Chapter Title: The Hunt (5)

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KAAANG—!

Lee Yu-ri's aggro skill enveloped all the students.

Their gazes were fixed on one spot.

And the scene they witnessed was Lee Yu-ri with Kang Do-hee and Shin Se-hee.

They knew that Kang Do-hee and Shin Se-hee had joined forces.

However, since Shin Se-hee wasn't engaging Lee Yu-ri, and the situation had evolved into a one-on-one between Shin Se-hee and Kang Do-hee, the students trusted their leader and for a moment, concentrated on their own fights.

"...Ch-Chief is in danger! It's a two-on-one attack from Kang Do-hee and Shin Se-hee—!"

Lee Min-young, who had been locked in a fierce battle with another student, belatedly widened her eyes and issued a command, but…

"Everyone, please stop fighting for a moment and listen to me."

Shin Se-hee's voice cut sharply into her words.

"First, I would like to apologize."

Shin Se-hee abruptly bowed deeply towards the students.

"...Huh?"

"What's she suddenly doing?"

"She's bowing to us?"

"Uh, is it a surrender...?"

"...Shin Se-hee! What is the meaning of this?!"

Her unconventional actions instantly threw the area into an uproar.

Shin Se-hee calmly surveyed the battlefield, steadying her breath.

'...Well, I've succeeded in grabbing their attention.'

She recalled what Jin Yu-ha had asked of her just moments ago.

—You need to unite the students.

—Me? I, I unite the students?

—Yes. Very dangerous guys are attacking from outside, and if the students are fighting among themselves then, what do you think will happen?

—They'll exploit that opening...

—Yes, exactly. When we should be uniting, if we're fighting among ourselves, we'll just become delicious prey. So, the fighting must stop now, and the students must unite.

'...Did this man know what he was asking when he made that request?'

These were people who had been fiercely fighting, blades drawn against each other, until now.

Of course, it wasn't a battlefield where death led to actual death, nor were they complete strangers,

So when the first battles began, they seemed to have started quite jovially, with a light atmosphere and some humor mixed in.

—Heh, look at that mess. So damn funny.

—And you, are you cosplaying as a medieval knight?

—Have you perhaps looked in a bronze mirror?

But, an hour, two hours...

As the battle continued,

they now looked as desperate as if they were fighting a real war.

—Die!!! You half-human beasts!!!

—Hmph, you damned capitalist stooges...!

Just because there was no death didn't mean there was no pain, and the scattered blood gave birth to madness.

It was a battlefield where wounds would remain if not treated in time.

In such a situation, it might have been different if one group had been overwhelmingly superior.

But the evenly matched battle created a deep sense of immersion between the groups.

Madness became a wave far larger than expected, engulfing them.

To the extent that one might worry about factions forming among the students even after the exam.

'To unite such people... And not even after the battle has ended, but in the middle of it.'

—I know it's a difficult request. But this is something only you can do.

Jin Yu-ha's eyes, as he said that, were filled with trust.

Honestly, in the face of that gaze, the words 'I can't do it' simply wouldn't come out, not even if she died.

'Anyway, he's always the one asking for unreasonable things...'

Pfft—

Shin Se-hee let out a soft chuckle and swept her gaze over the students.

'Now, this is important.'

Now, she had to persuade them and unite them.

With the weapon she was best at, the one she was most confident in.

That was,

'A lie mixed with truth.'

Shin Se-hee opened her mouth, her voice not loud, but clear.

"I know you're all confused, but first, look around you."

At that, the students frowned, then looked around.

And Kang Do-hee and Lee Yu-ri, who were nearby, also looked around at the students.

"What in the world are we supposed to...?! Huh?! Wh-What in the...!?!"

Then Lee Yu-ri's eyes widened like lanterns.

And Kang Do-hee, though she didn't make a sound, clearly showed signs of dismay.

"...H-How long has it been since so many people disappeared?!"

Lee Yu-ri's voice echoed, as if speaking for all of them.

Everyone seemed to realize the truth belatedly, looking around in confusion.

And that was inevitable.

While initially, a number of people akin to a major battle had clashed, now only about a third of the students remained in this area.

It was impossible not to find this strange.

As if proving the saying 'assassinate if undetected,' Jin Yu-ha had blended among the students without anyone knowing, sending all the students who saw him back to the airship!

Shin Se-hee decided to capitalize on this very point.

She figured they wouldn't have noticed this fact, which she herself had only realized after stepping out of the battlefield for a moment to catch her breath.

He truly was an incredible person.

After briefly reiterating her admiration for Jin Yu-ha internally, she opened her mouth once more.

"Isn't it strange? So many people have vanished from this spot, yet no one noticed."

"...Uh, um. Wh-What happened? Don't tell me, you guys caught them all?!"

Lee Yu-ri asked from beside her, her face flustered.

Shin Se-hee slowly shook her head.

"No. If that were the case, there would have been a dramatic change in the number of coins we possessed. Nearly two-thirds of the participants disappeared; wouldn't it make sense for the coins to increase proportionally?"

At that, the students, one after another, checked their own coins and their opponents' coins.

The remaining students' coins had increased slightly, but not dramatically.

Confusion settled over their faces as they confirmed this.

Shin Se-hee gave them a moment to process the situation, then spoke again.

"...We have completely failed to grasp the true purpose of this exam."

"...!"

"This midterm evaluation was never intended for us to fight among ourselves. Rather, it was for us to fight against external enemies."

Click—

Shin Se-hee took a step forward.

"In other words, the battle between students before your eyes was merely a diversion."

Shin Se-hee's clear voice struck the students hard, like a blow to the back of their heads.

Those who had been dazed quickly came to their senses, wearing bewildered expressions.

"Th-That's... So what have we been fighting for until now...?"

"The exam... we've been taking it wrong all along?"

"Then, who exactly are these guys we're supposed to fight...?"

Among the students who had been shedding blood and sweat for the exam, a sense of futility began to spread.

However, there were those who couldn't simply accept this at face value.

"Don't make me laugh... Don't make me laugh!!! It's a trick! Chief Lee Yu-ri! Don't be swayed by that wicked snake's tongue!!!!"

The voice belonged to Lee Min-young, who had proclaimed herself Lee Yu-ri's loyal subordinate within her faction.

'Hmm, as expected... They won't just let it go.'

Shin Se-hee, who had already anticipated such a reaction, grinned.

"Then, I shall prove it. That there isn't an ounce of falsehood in my words."

"...H-How? How are you going to prove something that has no substance?!"

And Shin Se-hee slowly turned her head to look at Lee Yu-ri, whose face was filled with alarm.

"I admit responsibility for having led the students down the wrong path until now, and in this place, I will relinquish all the coins I possess."

***

Shock.

No other word could describe the current situation.

Cheon Hwa, who had been considered the most likely winner of the midterm evaluation, and who possessed the most coins,

declared that she would withdraw from the game herself.

So utterly confused, those who had been fighting forgot they were in battle and exchanged words with each other.

"...Hey, what did I just hear?"

"Sh-She said she'd give up her coins?"

"Huh? C-Can she even do that...?"

"...I don't know either?"

Shin Se-hee was one of the people who had delved deepest into the 'Coin System' during this midterm evaluation.

Starting from whether it was possible to exchange coins among students,

to what extent items could be sold to the shop, and whether purchased items could be resold,

and how coins could be increased exponentially.

It wasn't until the homunculus inside the shop, identical to the Director, was practically begging her to leave that Shin Se-hee managed to discover a few loopholes.

'...Heh, I never thought I'd get to use this like this.'

And in a way that truly didn't suit her.

Originally, dying at Lee Yu-ri's hands here would also have been excellent proof.

But she definitely didn't want that.

Not even dying by Jin Yu-ha's hand,

But Lee Yu-ri?

'Besides, it's the first mission he's entrusted me with as a combatant, so I can't handle it so carelessly.'

Shin Se-hee took out a mana potion from her pocket.

She had purchased it from the shop in case her mana ran out.

'Basically, this coin system is like a safety net protecting the students' bodies.'

If they sustained life-threatening injuries, high-level healing magic sufficient to preserve their lives would immediately activate, and they would be summoned to the airship.

And they would likely receive full treatment inside the airship.

An unavoidable measure since it was an uninhabited island, not a place like Velvet Academy, which the Demon King had spent a long time establishing.

That's why there was room for Shin Se-hee to delve into it.

Of course, it wouldn't be easy for a mere student to uncover something created by the 'Demon King,' the No. 1 Hunter.

'There was another hidden condition for being summoned to the airship.'

A fact the homunculus resembling the Director had casually let slip, with an expression of extreme annoyance, telling her to take it and leave.

That was the complete depletion of mana.

However, no matter how much mana one drew out and used, completely depleting naturally regenerating mana was almost impossible.

That's why she had spoken of it without much thought.

However, Shin Se-hee could use a slight trick to artificially reduce her mana to zero for a brief moment.

Swoosh—

She concentrated.

Shin Se-hee's mana slowly pushed outwards, blocking off her surroundings.

As if an invisible barrier had been erected,

the path for naturally absorbed mana was blocked.

Hummm—

Next, she summoned the largest possible flame into the air.

"...H-Huh?! What's she doing?!"

"Th-That's it! Chief! Stop that woman at once!!!"

But Shin Se-hee shot the massive sphere of fire not at someone, but into the empty air.

Whoosh—

The fireball soared vertically, cutting through the air.

Everyone's gaze followed the fiery trail it left behind.

Since her magic didn't hit anything,

it simply flew into the sky and vanished into a single point.

"Gah!"

The recoil from her mana instantly dropping to zero scraped at the acupuncture points throughout her entire body.

Horrible pain assailed her.

Shin Se-hee urgently drank the mana potion with trembling hands.

Gulp—

Hummm—!

Then, for a moment, her body blurred before becoming clear again.

And on her chest,

[ 0 coin ]

only the reset coin count remained.

Shin Se-hee looked at the bewildered students, then wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with the cloth Jin Yu-ha had tied for her.

"Now, has my sincerity been proven?"

It was a beautiful smile, as if painted.