Episode 18: Mock Dungeon (2)
“The first Seed student will start by selecting one team member in order from 1 to 8. Then, starting from the 8th Seed, the selection will proceed in reverse order, from 8 to 1. Each student will select three members in total.” the instructor explained.
“Yu Hana, please make your selection first. You may choose from either Class A or Class B.”
At the instructor’s words, Yu Hana slowly raised her head and began scanning the students.
As her gaze passed over each student, their shoulders seemed to flinch ever so slightly.
Yu Hana naturally had a cold and sharp aura. While her smile could soften that edge, her expressionless face, like now, had a way of making people feel uneasy.
Without hesitation, she pointed at someone with her finger.
It was a mid-tier female student, fairly competent. The chosen student stood up with a stiff expression and walked toward Yu Hana.
Next was Yohan’s turn.
His choice was Jang Ho-yeon, a male student from Class B. Ho-yeon was one of Yohan’s usual companions and boasted impressive physical abilities.
‘Nothing out of the ordinary.’
I watched without much interest as the selection process continued.
As each Seed took their turn, the tension among the students grew palpable.
“Ha Sion, want to team up?”
Suddenly, someone called out while gazing off into the distance. It was Han Iri, ranked 13th.
Ha Sion’s eyes widened in surprise at being chosen.
After hesitating for a moment, she didn’t stand up but instead cautiously asked the instructor,
“Um… is it possible to refuse being chosen?”
The instructor nodded.
The instructor nodded. “Of course. Opting to observe is entirely up to the student.”
Ha Sion lowered her head apologetically and gave Han Iri a small smile.
“Sorry, I just want to observe today.”
Han Iri stared blankly at her before nodding, trying to appear nonchalant.
“Oh, uh… sure! That’s fine!”
‘He got completely rejected.’
The rejection was so clear-cut that it even felt pitiful to watch.
Ha Sion seemed to be quite popular.
“Alright then, Ju Han-gang, come here.”
Han Iri quickly chose someone else to wrap up the situation. His new pick was Ju Han-gang, ranked 36th.
Han-gang had been staring at me ever since the Seeds were announced, as if he believed he should have been the eighth Seed instead.
Now, it was almost my turn.
Two of the three team member slots had already been filled. I’d already decided who to pick.
“Next, Jung Haein.”
At the instructor’s call, I stood up slowly, feeling everyone’s eyes on me as I walked forward.
“Sung Siwoo.”
I didn’t hesitate. My first choice was Sung Siwoo.
He’d been quiet lately, almost as if his spirit had been dampened. He still carried his sword around, though….
In any case, he needed experience working as part of a team, so I decided to bring him on board.
Besides, today’s mock dungeon wasn’t going to be just a simple dungeon exploration.
But instead of standing up, Sung Siwoo turned to the instructor and said,
“I refuse.”
What?
So this is what it feels like to be rejected by a guy.
It was not an emotion I ever wanted to feel again.
“Jung Haein, please choose another student.” the instructor said calmly.
I sighed and moved on to my backup plan.
“Kim Dae-hyun.”
Kim Dae-hyun?
Who’s that?
I heard murmurs ripple through the crowd.
Until now, all the selected students had been ranked within the top 100, but Kim Dae-hyun was ranked somewhere in the 500s.
Even he looked stunned to hear his name called.
Kim Dae-hyun hadn’t been bad during the last unit class. It wasn’t just that he performed well compared to his rank—he’d stood out.
When I had acted as the team leader and issued orders, he followed them with trust and executed them perfectly.
In my judgment, he was an underrated student relative to his rank.
Standing beside me, Kim Dae-hyun mumbled softly.
“Thanks, Haein….”
I silently patted his shoulder twice.
However, having been rejected by someone I initially planned to choose, I was stuck on who to pick next.
As my eyes wandered across the training field, they landed on someone.
‘Sion?’
She was looking at me.
The same Sion who had earlier rejected Han Iri’s choice was now openly staring in my direction.
‘Ah, forget it.’
I decided to take a chance and pointed at her.
“Ha Sion, interested?”
I’d already been rejected once today. Could it happen twice?
The atmosphere in the room froze for a moment.
Han Iri stared at her, eyes full of disbelief.
To be honest, Sion was such an overpowered choice that I’d ruled her out from the start.
We had trained together under the same mentor for a long time.
‘Five years? Six?’
It had been that long, if you went by the calendar.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Sion slowly rose from her seat.
“It’s not Ha Sion.” she said, walking toward me.
“Call me Sion. Just Sion.”
Thankfully, I avoided the humiliation of being rejected twice in a row.
Sion took her place beside me, smiling softly.
The murmurs in the room started up again.
“Are you sure about this?” I asked her.
Han Iri, still stunned, stared at the two of us.
“I figured this was the only way to make him understand.” she said casually, shrugging her shoulders.
“…I see.”
I sighed softly and nodded.
It seemed there had been some one-sided pining going on.
Sion, however, didn’t seem bothered by the situation and calmly turned her gaze away.
The selection process went around one more time, leaving just one final pick for me to make.
I asked my teammates for suggestions, but they had none.
When there’s no strong preference, it’s often best to go with a familiar face.
“Yoon Sang-hyuk.”
From the waiting area, Yoon Sang-hyuk immediately shot to his feet and shouted,
“Nice!!”
…Nice?
He leaped forward, as if he’d been waiting for this moment.
Caught off guard by his reaction, I blinked in surprise.
Yoon Sang-hyuk ran up to me with an enthusiastic expression and declared confidently,
“I’ll do my best!”
This wasn’t like him.
His behavior felt oddly exaggerated.
I looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Scratching his head, he gave a sheepish laugh.
“Well, uh… the unit class results last time were ridiculous….”
““Back then, I was really sorry!”
Ah, that made sense.
Apparently, the unit class results had been announced while I was in the hospital.
I turned to Kim Dae-hyun, who stood beside me, and asked,
“You too?”
He nodded slightly, also scratching his head.
“Yeah… They went over each person’s results one by one, and mine came out pretty well.”
So that’s why they’re so hyped.
But suddenly, a question popped into my mind.
Earlier, the reactions of students like Joo Han-gang made it clear they were questioning how someone like me, with no rank, had been selected as a Seed.
Among students, having “no rank” often implies you’ve been parachuted into the academy by someone influential.
In other words, they still didn’t know my true identity.
Kim Dae-hyun seemed like the type to keep his thoughts to himself, so I wasn’t too worried about him.
But Yoon Sang-hyuk and Lee Sang-bong…
‘Hmm…’
I figured they’d likely spread rumors.
Turning my gaze to Yoon Sang-hyuk, I asked,
“By the way.”
“Hm?”
“You sure keep things to yourself.”
Yoon Sang-hyuk gave a playful smile and shrugged his shoulders.
“Why would I spread something like that?”
Was he more tight-lipped than I thought?
Maybe I’d misjudged him based on appearances….
“If you get too famous, there’ll be no room for me to shine.”
“?”
“Before you shine too much, I want to ride your coattails at least once.”
He clenched his fist dramatically and looked at me with exaggerated sincerity.
“So thank you for letting me join your team!”
I sighed and shook my head.
“Seems like I’ve got a good friend…”
Beside me, Sion chuckled lightly, her smile tinged with bitterness.
“Doesn’t it?”
***
-BOOM!-
Once the teams were finalized, a massive device at the front of the training field began to activate.
Huge metal panels interlocked and rotated until, finally, a portal shimmering with blue light emerged.
It resembled the portal I’d seen at Iano’s Tomb before—intricately designed and highly refined.
“From now on, the eight teams will enter the dungeon and begin their exploration.” the instructor announced, her voice echoing through the training field.
“Exploration will end either upon clearing the dungeon and claiming rewards, being rendered unable to continue, or when the allotted time runs out.”
The students gathered into their respective teams.
The eight teams stood before the portal, where a mechanism beneath their feet began a countdown.
It was a tense moment, and many students’ faces were frozen with nerves.
-10
-9
Suddenly, the instructor stepped forward, drawing everyone’s attention.
“Before we start, let’s consider a scenario, shall we?”
-8
-7
Her tone was calm, but it carried a strangely chilling undertone.
“Let’s say you’ve officially obtained the right to explore or received permission to investigate and have entered the dungeon.”
-6
-5
She began walking slowly in our direction, continuing her explanation.
“But during the exploration, you encounter another group inside the dungeon.”
-4
“If that happens, let me be clear.”
-3
Her voice dropped slightly, carrying a hint of menace.
“They are always your enemy.”
-2
“They could be cultists, treasure hunters, or even fugitives hiding from the law.”
Her lips curled into a slow smile.
-1
“So, if you happen to encounter another team in today’s mock dungeon….”
-0
-Scenario loaded. Entering the dungeon.
“I hope you emerge victorious in your battle against the enemy.”
Before her words fully settled, the glowing blue portal flared brightly, transporting the teams inside.