Chapter 73
A day had passed since we checked the matchups for the practical exam.
I headed not to the classroom but to Hanul Hall early in the morning.
It was to prepare for the individual practical skill test.
Maybe it was because this was a ranking match that determined each person’s standing.
A cold, tense atmosphere filled Hanul Hall.
Everyone’s nerves were sharpened to the limit, and the mood was heavier than during yesterday’s written test.
I found a decent spot and began to loosen up my body slowly.
Originally, I planned to casually chat with Park Siwoo or Dan Chun-woo, but the atmosphere felt so stiff that opening my mouth might get me stoned.
Before long, the door to Hanul Hall opened, and Instructor Kang Jae-seok entered.
After giving us a brief glance, he called roll and then spoke.
“Everyone’s gathered. Today is your individual practical exam. You’ve all seen the matchup table from yesterday, I presume. Pair up with your designated opponents.”
The cadets started glancing around, looking for their partners.
I also looked around to find Park Min-seo.
Just then, someone suddenly grabbed my shoulder from behind.
“Were you looking for me?”
“Oh, you were there.”
How could his presence feel so faint?
It felt like it had been a while since I last saw him, but Park Min-seo had changed completely since then.
First of all—he was strong.
So much stronger than before that the difference was almost incomparable.
Of course, as a Demon, it wasn’t strange for him to grow stronger so suddenly, but still…
“You…”
Just as I was about to say something, Instructor Kang Jae-seok spoke again.
“If you’ve paired up, move to your designated positions.”
“Let’s move first.”
Following the instructor’s directions, Park Min-seo and I took our positions.
Once all the cadets had moved to their respective spots, Instructor Kang Jae-seok tapped his tablet several times.
Then, a blue barrier spread around the hall, forming a shimmering protective field.
His voice echoed through the air.
“The duels won’t proceed in order—they’ll all begin simultaneously. Once every pair finishes their match, the next set of duels will proceed according to the matchup chart. Keep that in mind.”
I had noticed this while playing the game too—the developers were really clever.
Usually, in-game practical exams consisted of duels between students or assignment-based ranking tests.
But the Academy’s duel system didn’t follow that approach.
All matches began at once, minimizing information leaks between cadets while also reducing total exam time.
Each cadet could only focus on their own opponent.
Although the matches were sequential, they weren’t fights between winners—each duel was based on opponents the instructors had chosen according to the students’ aptitude and progress.
Through these matches, the instructors would judge the cadets’ combat compatibility and situational adaptability.
…Well, none of that was particularly good news for me.
The reason being—
“And all matches of this individual practical exam will be recorded and uploaded to the school’s official website.”
At that, I heard several cadets swallow hard.
For precise evaluation and promotional purposes, surveillance cameras were installed all around.
Being a spy who had to be careful with my every move, having my identity broadcasted from every angle was… unpleasant.
But that was only my personal issue.
The other cadets seemed tense for an entirely different reason.
After all, Guilds were the lifelines of Heroes.
Doing something careless here could ruin one’s career after graduation.
The pressure they were feeling now was probably comparable to that of high school seniors taking their college entrance exams.
“That’s all for the announcements. The duels will begin in five minutes.”
As he finished, a countdown appeared in midair.
When that counter reached zero, the matches would start.
I subtly lifted my head and looked around.
Not far away, I spotted Park Siwoo and Dan Chun-woo.
Unluckily, they had been paired for the first match.
It had begun.
That duel was the very point where Dan Chun-woo’s change started in Become a Hero.
The moment when the guy who thought he was unbeatable faced defeat and shed his arrogance—the “Redemption Event.”
It was an unavoidable event if one played Dan Chun-woo as a Playable Character.
It was brutal.
Once, some veteran player had poured countless Hidden Pieces into Dan Chun-woo, raising him to a near warlord-level.
Yet Park Siwoo grew alongside him—and crushed him completely.
That was how predetermined this defeat was in the scenario.
And yet…
For some reason, I had a feeling that duel wouldn’t go the same way it did in the game.
Maybe because over the past few days, I had come to painfully realize—this world was no longer just a game.
“You seem distracted by something other than the exam. Are you that curious about their match?”
“Who wouldn’t be? It’s quite the hot topic among the cadets, you know.”
“That’s true.”
Park Min-seo, who was standing across from me, nodded.
Come to think of it, his style had clearly changed too.
Back during the mock Wave Training and our outing, his main weapons had been a shield and a one-handed sword.
But now, Park Min-seo held only a single one-handed sword.
Just then—beep!—the red light on the floating counter blinked.
Time to focus.
We naturally took our stances, facing each other.
Beeep—!
The sound marked the start of the duel, and the hall erupted with the clangs of clashing weapons.
Kwoooom!
Park Min-seo’s sword gleamed blue with dense magical energy.
The air shifted, and a gale swirled around him.
Starting with such a powerful strike right off the bat?
He must’ve thought that ending the match as quickly as possible would be advantageous since the exams consisted of multiple rounds.
But he seemed to know one thing—and miss two.
No matter how strong the attack, there was no avoiding the brief opening that came in that instant of power release.
In other words, efficiency was just as important as strength!
I charged toward him immediately.
Heat gathered in my fist, igniting like a burst of flame.
But as I closed in, I noticed Park Min-seo’s lips curl faintly upward.
Something felt wrong.
The moment I sensed it—his sword swung.
Block it first!
I thrust my hand forward and detonated the Infernal Flame at the same time.
The explosion’s recoil pushed my body backward as I charged toward him.
Ku-ga-ga-ga-gang!
The sword aura bursting from his blade sliced sharply through the air around us.
So he had a ranged-type attack hidden after all.
But I wasn’t careless.
From the moment he’d started preparing that large technique, I’d already suspected it might be a trap.
It made sense—back during the picnic, his fighting style had been cunning and calculated.
I spun back once to ease the impact of the recoil and dashed straight toward him again.
A fierce sonic boom echoed as my fist clashed against his sword.
He immediately widened the distance between us, as if refusing to allow close combat.
It was a strategy meant to exploit the reach advantage of his weapon.
So began a brief game of tag—throwing punches, creating distance, and chasing after him again and again.
Hmm.
His swordsmanship had become quite tricky since the last time I saw him.
That Storm Swordsmanship—each swing of the blade unleashed a cluster of sword aura bursts, making it difficult to get close.
And whenever I tried to use the Infernal Flame to attack, the gusts from his swordplay dissipated my flames.
“That’s not all, though.”
A wry laugh escaped me at the sight before my eyes.
Infernal Flame now burned along Park Min-seo’s sword.
He had stolen my flame.
“When you can control the wind, this kind of thing becomes possible.”
His sword aura blazed blue, merging with the Infernal Flame to grow even stronger.
“That’s not manipulating wind—that’s just cheating.”
Instead of replying, Park Min-seo swung his sword, unleashing a crescent-shaped slash wreathed in fire.
I struck at the oncoming sword aura with my fists and kicks.
Each clash caused flames to erupt, heating the entire arena.
“Ow, it’s hot!”
“Hey! You two think the dueling ground’s all yours?!”
Complaints erupted from the other students, but I didn’t have time to care about that now.
Because the Infernal Flame on Park Min-seo’s sword began drawing in the air like a brush painting across the sky.
Damn it, the flow of mana was anything but normal…
In moments, flames filled the air, forming a colossal shape—
a dragon of fire born from the Infernal Flame.
Park Min-seo smiled at me.
“This is my victory.”
“Oh, come on, seriously.”
At that moment, his sword swung, and the giant fire dragon lunged toward me.
Kuwaaaa!
The flaming dragon swept through the arena with a thunderous tremor.
To think he drained my Infernal Flame to such a degree and used it to display a technique like this.
That meant he’d strategized against me from the moment he saw the matchup.
Fine. I’d give him that—he’d done well.
But there was one thing he’d overlooked.
As I expanded my domain, I reached out toward the onrushing dragon.
The immense power it carried began to unravel the instant it touched my hand.
Park Min-seo’s eyes widened.
“You should’ve just attacked me with your own strength instead.”
Having awakened my domain, my control over Infernal Flame had reached its peak—
attacks that tried to use my own power against me no longer worked.
If he had instead extracted my flame and enveloped it purely with the magical energy of his Storm Swordsmanship,
he might have had a chance.
He muttered in disbelief.
“What did you do…? I knew I couldn’t catch up to you in a month, but this is just unfair…”
He lowered his head in despair.
Who was he calling unfair?
I almost smirked at the thought—but then a terrible chill ran down my spine.
Every hair on my body stood on end.
Don’t tell me—he’s going berserk as a Demon now?
No… this was different from a normal Demon rampage.
A Demon rampage didn’t feel like this.
Then his gaze locked onto me.
His irises had turned ash-gray.
Park Min-seo’s energy had completely changed.
An overwhelming pressure I couldn’t imagine coming from him crushed down on me.
He raised his sword high, taking the same upper stance as he had at the very beginning.
But the power radiating from it was on a completely different level.
This was dangerous.
My mind began spinning rapidly.
With the Power of Regeneration, I could at least keep my life.
But with the strength he was showing now, he could shatter the arena’s barrier and injure the other cadets.
Unacceptable.
What technique could I use?
Was there anything safe to use here, surrounded by cameras?
Should I use Asura Descent?
No—that would destroy Hanul Hall entirely once our powers clashed head-on.
Even with Instructor Kang Jae-seok here, other cadets would definitely get hurt.
What I needed now was something to absorb the impact of his strike.
Damn it, either way, I’m the only one suffering here!
I invoked the Asura Divine Art, igniting the Infernal Flame.
Wild fire burst from my body.
The flames condensed and twisted together, forming a single massive entity—
A monster with three heads and six arms.
Unlike Park Min-seo’s imitation dragon made of flame, this was a proper summoned being.
Our gazes met and tangled midair.
From his ash-gray irises, a red gleam flickered.
A faint trace of demonic energy—something only I, who was sensitive to Demonic Energy, could feel.
Then his sword cleaved the air.
His Storm Swordsmanship, packed with countless sword auras, clashed against the Infernal Flame-formed monster with three heads and six arms.
Kuwaaaaang!
A massive explosion dyed the entire arena crimson.
The six-armed monster batted away the slashing wind blades with its many arms.
The ones it couldn’t deflect—it embraced instead.
Suppressing the explosion, it took everything head-on, preventing the countless bursts of sword aura from spreading to the cadets.
Finally, the explosion subsided.
The three-headed, six-armed monster had been torn apart and vanished—but it had done its job well.
“…Didn’t expect things to go this way right from the first match. Damn it.”
If that explosion hadn’t been contained, it would’ve been a catastrophe.
But since I had suppressed it, the backlash of every technique had fallen on me.
As the thick cloud of dust settled, Park Min-seo’s figure came into view.
He lay collapsed on the ground, seemingly unconscious.
Then, above his body, a blue magic circle appeared—
and cracks began to spread across it.
Pakang.
It was the shock-absorption and protective magic designed to prevent cadets from being injured during duels.
…Should I finish him off?
Just as I was about to move—
Beeeep!
A sharp buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the match.
Instructor Kang Jae-seok’s voice echoed from above.
“[Yoo Seongwoo, Park Min-seo. The duel is over.]”