118

A red-haired girl sat at the top of a cliff, glaring down intently. Her ponytail, loosely tied with a twig, swayed in the wind.

Her wild red eyes had become even sharper, now resembling those of a predator stalking its prey.

After a while, she stood up and dusted off her backside with a few quick flicks.

Then, with her hands clasped above her head and her neck bent, she suddenly threw herself off the cliff.

Swoosh!

Her hair trailed behind her like a red silk thread as she fell.

Anyone witnessing this scene would have cried madness, but even as she plummeted, Kang Do-hee's expression remained unchanged.

Her gaze was fixed solely on the monster she had been observing from above.

As she drew closer to the ground, the trees, which had been smaller than a finger joint, now grew to the size of a palm.

The massive, hairy, muscular monster below, known as a Croka, also came into clearer view.

Swish!

Kang Do-hee spun in the air.

Her outstretched legs carried the full force of the fall as she landed.

The heel of her foot, still carrying the acceleration of the fall, struck the Croka's head.

Bang!!!

The Croka's bulging eyes burst from the impact of the sudden blow to its head.

Pish.

Pish.

"Kyaurk!!!!!!?"

But it was a very short death cry.

"..."

As the monster's brain exploded and its entire head turned into mush, there was nothing more it could do.

Dong!!!

Thud.

With a short death cry, the Croka lay down its massive body without putting up any resistance.

Kang Do-hee lightly jumped off the mush that was its head and landed gracefully on the ground.

She took out a cigarette she had bought from the store and flicked her lighter.

Chik!

Sssp.

Haa─

It was now the sixth day since the mid-term evaluation had begun.

"Hmm, I wonder how much this one is worth."

Kang Do-hee stared at the dead Croka, its head a mess, and spoke.

Then.

Clap, clap, clap, clap─!

Suddenly, a small round of applause sounded from beside her.

"As expected~! It's you! To take down a Croka in one blow, you're truly amazing!"

Even though it was a compliment, Kang Do-hee's eyebrows furrowed.

"...Flower-brain."

"Yes, Kang Puppy."

The owner of the voice was none other than Shin Se-hee.

Ugh.

The embarrassing nickname given to her by Jin Yuhua escaped her lips, and something welled up inside her.

Kang Do-hee narrowed her eyes and glared at Shin Se-hee. Despite the harsh conditions of the deserted island, she still managed to maintain a neat appearance.

"Flower-brain. Do you really want to die?"

Kang Do-hee growled, setting up a confrontation.

Although they were technically on the same team, Utopia, under Jin Yuhua, the two of them had not gotten any closer. In fact, they were more like mortal enemies.

Of course, they acknowledged each other's abilities, but apart from that, their personalities just didn't mix, like oil and water.

"Hehe, you know that fighting between students is still prohibited, right? Why would you say something like that?"

Shin Se-hee smiled brightly, deflecting Kang Do-hee's words. But despite her gentle tone, her voice was cold.

"And…"

Tap─!

As Shin Se-hee snapped her fingers.

Rumble─!

Numerous students emerged from behind her.

"I haven't exactly been playing around all this time, you know?"

A simple calculation put the odds at 1 to 100.

It was impossible to maintain their usual lifestyle on the deserted island, so they all looked a bit disheveled. But they were all decently armed.

Kang Do-hee's expression hardened as she assessed their weapons.

Shin Se-hee's smile deepened.

"Hehe, I'm not here to threaten you. Relax your face, Puppy."

"..."

"Fighting with you here would only hurt my own cause, so why would I make such a stupid choice?"

"...Then why are you here?"

"Well, the nominal reason is to propose a deal regarding the Croka you just caught. And there are a few things I'd like to discuss with you, just the two of us."

"...Cleanup?"

"Yes, no matter how strong you are, you can't bring a monster of that size to the store by yourself. If you leave it to me, you'll be able to keep more for yourself."

'This b*tch is like a hyena.'

Kang Do-hee clicked her tongue as she looked at Shin Se-hee, who was smiling pleasantly.

But her proposal wasn't necessarily bad for Kang Do-hee. In fact, she had been taking a significant loss by only exchanging the magic stones for coins, leaving the rest of the monster behind.

Kang Do-hee nodded, not bothering to hide her displeasure.

"...Go ahead with that. What else?"

Shin Se-hee looked around.

"Well, this isn't the place to talk about it… Shall we move to a more private location?"

Shin Se-hee took the lead, with Kang Do-hee following behind.

The students who had come with Shin Se-hee swarmed over the Croka's corpse like ants, beginning the process of dismantling it.

In a place now free from prying eyes.

"So, what's the other thing?"

"You really are too hasty. You didn't even ask how I've been doing and went straight to the point."

"I'm not the type to laugh and joke around with you."

"...Hey, everyone knows that when Jin Yuhua calls, you come running like a dog wagging its tail. Kang Puppy?"

Grrr─

A sharp sound escaped between Kang Do-hee's teeth.

Everything this b*tch says gets on my nerves.

Just as Kang Do-hee was about to snap back, Shin Se-hee spoke first.

"You don't have a party yet, do you?"

"..."

"Neither do I."

"...What? Then what about them?"

"They're just business partners. We help each other out. You don't need to form a party to do that, right?"

Tap, tap─

Shin Se-hee tapped the coins on her chest.

[53,130 coins]

Considering that only six days had passed since the test began, this was an impressive achievement.

"Anyway, that's not what I wanted to talk about. Kang Do-hee, you're also waiting for Jin Yuhua to call you, right?"

Kang Do-hee glared at her without answering. But Shin Se-hee continued as if she had expected this reaction.

"I already know Jin Yuhua's location."

"What!?!"

This time, Kang Do-hee couldn't help but react.

After all, Kang Do-hee had been hunting monsters and searching all over the deserted island, but she hadn't found Jin Yuhua.

"Now I've got your attention."

"Shut up, The Little Fool. Where is he?"

"...Hmm, I know his location, but it's a bit tricky to interfere."

"...Tricky?"

"Yes, it seems Jin Yuhua has already formed a party with someone."

Kang Do-hee's expression froze.

The reason Shin Se-hee was telling her this was because she herself wasn't the one who had formed a party with Jin Yuhua.

'...Then, is it Lee Yoo-ri?'

As if guessing her thoughts, Shin Se-hee said, "No, it's not Lee Yoo-ri, so don't make such a serious face. Rather I'd prefer if it was her…"

Phew─

Shin Se-hee let out a small sigh.

"...Someone I've never heard of. I thought I knew the names and faces of all the first-year students. I wonder where he picked up such a woman…"

"A woman?"

"Yes, her name is Sophia, and she's a Healer."

Kang Do-hee's expression immediately turned serious.

"...A Healer. So, that Little Fool has been waiting to recruit that b*tch."

"Yes, probably."

Now, both Kang Do-hee and Shin Se-hee had a pretty good idea. Jin Yuhua was not the type to let just anyone close to him.

How could they not know?

After all, countless people had tried to get close to Jin Yuhua in the past.

Some had offered wealth or power that even surprised Shin Se-hee, while others had tried to squeeze their way into Utopia by taking advantage of the fact that the party lacked a Healer.

But Jin Yuhua had rejected all those proposals outright.

Because he already had someone in mind.

"So, why are you telling me this?"

"I intend to go for that remaining spot. And I assume you have the same goal."

"..."

"Don't deny it. I can guess what you're thinking."

Shin Se-hee frowned as if she had a headache.

"But I don't have enough power to secure that spot by myself. That's why I'm proposing an alliance."

"...Alliance?"

What the hell is this b*tch talking about?

First of all, Shin Se-hee was probably the one with the most coins at the moment.

How could she say she lacked power?

And there was only one spot left next to Jin Yuhua. She was proposing an alliance to compete for that spot?

Kang Do-hee's face twisted in confusion, unable to understand any of it.

"As things stand, the person who will become Jin Yuhua's remaining party member is not you or me, but Lee Yoo-ri. And my power is just an illusion that will scatter when the student-to-student combat begins if I go against her."

Shin Se-hee spoke with a seriousness she had never shown before, and held out her hand to Kang Do-hee.

'...I feel like there's been a similar situation before.'

Was she asking for help to secure the spot next to Jin Yuhua? But what Shin Se-hee was saying now was similar yet quite different from what she had said in the past.

"As it is, we have no chance against that woman. First, we need to balance the power between us, and then we can have a proper showdown. What do you say? I'm proposing a strategic alliance."

.

.

.

"We're under attack!!!"

Lee Minyoung, the orange-haired student, pulled back the tent flap with a worried look on her face.

Lee Yoo-ri, who had been lying on a leather bed, sat up drowsily.

"...An attack? Where is it coming from now?"

"It's a Rhino! A rhino is invading our Shield Village!"

"A rhino? The one with a horn?"

"Yes! One of our Shield Village tribesmen seems to have ventured into the Rhino's territory!"

At her words, Lee Yoo-ri's eyes went blank.

'...Don't call them tribesmen, and what's this Shield Village…'

How did things end up like this?

Lee Yoo-ri was confused.

It had all started when she built a temporary shelter and began living on the deserted island.

Then, out of a sense of meddlesomeness, she had helped a few people who were in danger.

Before she knew it, the number of such people grew, and when it reached over ten, her influence increased exponentially.

The students, wearing training uniforms like primitive people, had their bodies painted with brown plant juice like tattoos.

Who would recognize them as students of Velvet Academy now?

'...How did it come to this!!!!'

Lee Yoo-ri, the chief of the Shield Village, closed her eyes tightly.

'But since there's an attack…'

She sighed heavily.

"So, where is it?"

"Over there! The Rhino is destroying the buildings!"

"...Dare to destroy the buildings I made?"

She grabbed the shield that was lying next to her bed and stood up resolutely.

"Just wait, I'll tear you apart."

Lee Yoo-ri's appearance was that of an excellent tribal chief.

"...As expected, Chief Lee Yoo-ri!"

Lee Min-young's eyes sparkled as she followed Lee Yoo-ri's back, as if enchanted.

"Don't call me chief!!!"