“But before that, let’s start with a simple test.”

Abel said this as he began tapping on his tablet.

The tablets on our desks buzzed, and questions appeared on the screens.

“These are questions about today’s advanced courses in Demon Realm Studies and Monster Studies. In other words, a review. You have twenty minutes to answer and submit. Begin!”

Without giving us time to prepare, Abel shouted the start.

The students immediately lowered their heads, gripping their styluses as they focused on the tablets.

Half the questions were multiple choice, while the other half were written response.

‘This is different from the game.’

In the game, tests after class did exist.

But they were always simple—just two or three quiz-style multiple-choice questions.

Here, with reality fleshed out, the omitted parts were fully in place.

Still, that didn’t mean I couldn’t handle it.

If I’d only memorized the answers to quiz questions, I might have despaired at the exam paper. There were several questions that had never appeared in the game.

But I had never skipped the text while replaying.

I’d always enjoyed reading, and I had a deep interest in settings and lore.

Thanks to that, I had nearly all of Latesai’s lore memorized.

It wasn’t difficult to complete every question.

When I looked up afterward, I saw several others had also finished and raised their heads.

Toby from Crystal, Rune from Magica, Ao from Martial God, and Ha Yugeun from Ucheon. Lastly, Jang Taeil from Dai.

These were the brains of each academy—exactly who I expected.

After some time, more students began glancing around, done with their answers.

Lumina and Seo Yui had also shifted in their seats, apparently finished.

From behind me came groans of frustration, making me sigh.

‘Told you not to slack off.’

“Alright, time’s up.”

As Abel spoke, he tapped his tablet, and the exam questions vanished from my screen.

‘Merciless.’

Just then, someone raised her hand.

A girl with tanned skin and yellow hair.

‘Maria Morais from Ucheon Academy.’

She was their ranged dealer, nicknamed the Bomber.

“Will the scores from this test affect how we get meal tickets?”

Her face looked strangely desperate.

Now that I noticed, all four students from Ucheon looked drained.

‘That’s right. Ucheon was at the bottom of the lunch ticket race.’

Most likely because Bella had gotten lazy and refused to participate properly.

“No. This test has nothing to do with meal tickets. It’ll count toward your final grades later.”

The professor’s words immediately drew a tense silence over the classroom.

“Alright then, let’s move on to something fun. Everyone, follow me.”

Abel whistled as he led us out of the classroom.

Not to the practice hall indoors, but to the outdoor training grounds.

“Each academy, send one student to draw lots.”

He held out slips of folded paper.

I stepped forward and drew one.

The bottom of mine had a green line drawn across it.

“Green lots form one team. Red lots form the other.”

I quickly scanned the students.

Ao from Martial God and Rio from Ucheon also held green slips.

‘That means…’

I turned my gaze.

Iris stood clutching a red slip, glaring straight at me.

Rune from Magicka and Jang Taeil from Dai had red slips as well.

‘Good.’

If I had ended up on the same team as Iris, it would’ve been a nightmare.

There was no chance she would cooperate with me.

And Magicka, with Meiling and her twin, would’ve been another problem. Dai’s group wouldn’t have been eager to work with me either.

“We’re on the same team.”

“Let’s do our best! Not sure what we’re playing yet, but still!”

Ao and Rio stepped up to me with bright smiles.

“Now then, we’ll be playing a game for dinner meal tickets.”

Abel grinned as he explained.

From the way he had us draw lots and split into 3-versus-3 teams, I already had a good guess.

‘It’s going to be King’s Guard.’

“The game is called King’s Guard. Each team chooses a King, then protects that King while trying to capture the other team’s. First to succeed wins.”

As expected.

Abel went over the detailed rules.

Each team splits into roles: King, Warrior, Mage, and Guardian.

Warriors fight bare-handed.

Mages wield a Level-1 wand, capable only of launching basic magic projectiles when shaken.

Guardians carry a Level-5 shield, but cannot attack.

The King can neither attack nor defend. They carry a staff embedded with a single-use movement skill gem.

Each team can only have one King, but the remaining roles can be distributed however we choose.

“Also, everyone except the King must wear this special shield belt.”

Abel held one up.

“These belts are set to break after two hits, regardless of damage. Once your shield breaks, you’re eliminated and must act like you’re dead. On top of that, if a Guardian’s shield breaks, they’re also out. And here’s the belt for the King.”

He held up a slightly different one.

“This one breaks after just a single hit. Alright, you have ten minutes for strategy discussion.”

The students quickly split into their two teams.

“Who’ll be the King?”

Cheongryong asked.

“I will.”

I immediately volunteered.

All eyes turned toward me.

“In this game, the King can only dodge once. That means they’re useless in combat. To be honest, I’m the weakest one here. If I’m the King, our odds of winning improve—at least slightly.”

“That’s some twisted confidence. You’re certain you’re the weakest?”

Rio Kalves from Ucheon tilted his head, baffled.

“Students of Martial God and Ucheon, if you’ll allow it, I’d like to take the role of both King and leader.”

I looked at the others squarely as I spoke.

“I have a sure strategy that will win us this game.”

Everyone’s eyes widened.

“What is it?”

Bella asked.

“Better be real. We have to win this one. I’m starving!”

Maria from Ucheon clutched her stomach.

I nodded firmly.

“The only thing that matters in this game is whether you can kill the enemy King while keeping your own alive.”

I laid out each role and explained the plan that made use of them.

Their eyes changed as they listened.

“I don’t know… I can’t be certain your plan will work. If you’re even slightly wrong, we’ll lose instantly.”

Jin Cheongryong crossed his arms, frowning.

“It will work.”

I spoke with conviction.

“The opposing team has Crystal and Magicka. They’ll act exactly as I described. If my plan fails, then I’ll give all of our future meal tickets to your two academies.”

At that, the Martial God and Ucheon students looked shocked.

And it wasn’t just them—everyone else was surprised as well.

“What? Hey! Nam Yein! How can you make a promise like that on your own?”

Meiling exploded.

“I’m certain. We can win—without fail.”

This was where I had to push through.

There wasn’t time to persuade them slowly. If I showed even a hint of hesitation, objections would start flying.

“Alright.”

“Ao?”

Jin Cheongryong raised his brows when he saw Ao nod.

“Senior Cheongryong, Gwangcheon brought back meal tickets faster than anyone in today’s lunch race. That proves their capability. And I think Yein’s plan is more than viable—this is a single-round match, after all.”

Rio hesitated, then turned to look at his team.

“Yugeun. What do you think?”

“…Seems fine.”

When the dark-green-haired boy answered, Rio nodded.

“Honestly, I can’t think of any strategy myself. If someone’s willing to step up and lead, I’ve no reason to refuse. But if we lose, don’t forget—you’ll hand over all the meal tickets you get from now on.”

“Thank you for the trust. I’ll go collect the gear.”

With that, I walked up to Abel.

“Oh? So you’re the spokesperson for Team Green after all.”

Abel smiled at me.

“I heard the rumors, but I didn’t expect Gwangcheon to have students like you. Now I get why the Chair said this would be fun.”

“I’d like to receive our equipment.”

“Right, right. How do you want it?”

“Three wands and three shields.”

“Got it.”

Abel reached into his inventory, pulling out shimmering curls of heat-haze and dropping them into mine.

“Here—three wands, three shields. And the King’s staff… You saw the shield belts earlier, right? If you’re not sure, ask.”

“No need. I remember.”

“Good.”

Just then, Toby from the Red team walked over.

He glanced at me as I stood before Abel.

“Remember, the number of each side’s equipment stays secret until the moment the game starts.”

I nodded at Abel’s reminder and headed back to my team first.

Not that I needed Toby’s reaction to deduce their lineup. If I couldn’t, I wouldn’t have a plan to begin with.

A few minutes later, twenty-four first-year Hunter hopefuls from six academies stood split into two teams, facing each other.

“So the difference really is just Martial God versus Magicka, huh,” Toby murmured, eyeing the opposing formation a hundred meters away.

Our side—Martial God, Ucheon, and Gwangcheon—had five Warriors, three Mages, and three Guardians.

Crystal, Magicka, and Dai fielded three Warriors, five Mages, and three Guardians.

Toby’s gaze drifted and caught Iris’s face. She was baring her teeth at our side.

“That arrogant brat. Who does he think he is, taking the King’s role?”

“If you put it like that, it sounds like I made myself King for the same reason,” Toby said wryly, lifting the staff set with a movement-skill gem.

“That’s different. You’re what they call a ‘wise commander’—a King suited to leading the team.”

“That might describe Nam Yein too, you know.”

“Hmph. He’s just a fox—good at preening behind a tiger’s back.”

“Why are you so biased against him, Iris?”

“…”

When Iris didn’t answer, Toby exhaled through his nose.

“In any case, I’m counting on you, Iris. You hold the key to this match.”

“Count on it. I’ll take Nam Yein’s head myself.”

Her eyes sharpened, her lips curving up.

“Don’t take his head—just pop the shield,” Toby sighed, then looked to his academy mate, Jo Inhu, who was holding a shield.

“Inhu, watch Iris closely.”

“Don’t worry.”

Inhu thumped his shield with a fist and grinned.

“Rune, I’ll leave command of the Mage unit to you. All you have to do is lay down covering fire so Iris reaches their line.”

Rune nodded, her red hair shifting with the motion. Her eyes were locked on Meilin, who stood at my side.

“Alright, on my count. One last reminder—no abilities or skills! If anyone uses one, that team loses on the spot!”

Abel raised his voice, then called the numbers.

“Three! Two! One! Match start!”

At once, Iris, Jo Inhu, and Jang Taeil from Dai sprinted forward.

Guardian Inhu led with his shield raised, with Warriors Iris and Taeil—and Joji—right behind.

At midfield, Rune’s Mage unit formed a line to repel advances with ranged fire.

At the very back, Toby stood between Dai’s Pof Yan and Mayu Takanashi, both holding shields to guard their King.

A vanguard, a fire-support line, and a rear guard for the King.

It was the formation Toby considered the most balanced.

‘We’re short a few in the charge since we’re paired with Magicka, but the support line will hold Martial God back. As long as Iris breaks into their inner formation, the game’s over.’

With that confidence, Toby looked ahead—and his face hardened.

“What the…!”

The three shield-bearers on our side were… charging.

Behind them, four Martial God Warriors and Gwangcheon’s Lumina poured forward.

“Fire!”

Under Rune’s command, the Magicka Mages whipped their wands.

Small mana-bullets—tinier than the ones you’d get from a proper skill gem—arced toward us.

But every shot was absorbed by our leading shield line.

“Damn it! Keep firing!” Rune barked, shaking her wand.

The second volley also splashed harmlessly against our shields.

‘They’re sending every Guardian into the charge? What are they thinking?’

Toby couldn’t make sense of it.

The critical point of this game was to attack the enemy King while protecting your own.

But our team looked as if we’d abandoned the King’s defense entirely.

And that wasn’t all.

With the Shields screening them, our Warriors shot past Toby’s vanguard, refusing to engage, and kept driving straight ahead.

“Iris! At this rate our King’s in danger! We have to pull back!”

Jang Taeil, Dai’s leader, shouted over his shoulder.

“No! We keep going!” Iris yelled.

“They’ve got no rear guard! We still have two Guardians on our King! Mages are slow to attack and have no defense—if we rush now, we can take the King’s head! Move!”

“Now that’s the spirit! That’s our leader!”

Jo Inhu bared his teeth in a grin and sped up.

Taeil hesitated for a heartbeat, then he and Joji pushed on after Iris.

“Shoot! Keep shooting!” Rune cried, flustered.

The four Martial God Warriors and Lumina kept advancing under the cover of our Shields.

“They’re Level-5 shields! If we keep pounding them, they’ll break!” Rune insisted—and she was right.

Cracks were spreading visibly across the wooden shields our Guardians carried.

Toby’s Mages swung their wands with everything they had.

Spheres of mana burst against the shields in rapid bangs.

Craaaack!

At last, our Guardians’ shields shattered all at once.

Seo Yui and Ucheon’s Rio Kalves and Ha Yugeun dropped immediately to the ground.

Guardians were counted as dead the moment their shields broke.

But by then, our Warriors were already in the Mages’ faces.

Thud! Thud!

Fists drummed the shield belts in near-unison.

“Damn…!” Rune’s face twisted.

All five Mages on Toby’s team had their shields stripped.

“Hey! If you’re dead, lie down—now!” Abel shouted.

Toby’s Mages had no choice but to flop to the ground like corpses.

(End of Chapter)

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