— There’s nothing special about him.

The voice answered after ten minutes. The woman smacked her lips when she was dissatisfied.

— Really. He’s an orphan without parents or relatives. The orphanage held an examination for potential heroes, and the Military Agent Academy admitted him at the age of 6. He never stood out with a below-average rank before Cube. He also has a 300 million won debt. That’s about it.

“…”

Then how did he notice me? The Siren’s Necklace was a mythical grade accessory with perception distortion, among many other abilities. Named after the half-human half-bird creature from Greek mythology, it was impossible to see through without exceptional perception and eyesight.

— Do you still have doubts? I can put his name down in the notebook if you want.

“… No.”

The woman shook her head.

“We still have many chances. We can write his name down after finding out more about him.”

“Oh, Boss, you were here.”

An imposing voice resounded. The woman turned and saw a huge man smiling viciously.

“It’s been a while, Boss.”

It was a bit funny seeing him call her Boss when she didn’t even reach his shoulders. However, the man treated her with great respect.

“This place is filled with powerful heroes.”

Click, click. The man clenched and unclenched his gauntlets.

“Take it off. We didn’t come here to cause trouble.”

“Ah, right. I almost forgot.”

At the woman’s command, the man's black gauntlets scattered into dust. He scratched his neck in silence while she coldly glared at him.

“W-What?” Startled, the man asked. 

— The report.

The mysterious voice asked instead of Boss.

“Oh, right. There’s nothing to report. I can pop everyone’s head with the flick of a finger.”

— Idiot. That’s obvious. I’m talking about their future potential.

The man rubbed his chin.

“Hmm… I’m not sure. I went to watch the second year’s rank 1 cadet, but he wasn’t anything special.”

— You should be watching the first years. They said this year’s freshmen were exceptional, so look again. Oh, Boss, I have something to do now, so I’ll talk to you later.

“Yeah, screw off.”

— You shut up.

The voice disappeared, and the man smiled as he stared at the woman.

“Boss, I don’t think there are any good saplings. What do we do? Since we’re here, can’t we fight these self-proclaimed heroes?”

The man couldn’t hold back his desire to fight. He flaunted his battle spirit by releasing his magic power, which fluttered in the air. Although it was careless and a keen hero could notice, the woman watched apathetically.

“… Gyeong.”

“Mmm?”

“Let’s test something.”

She imbued magic power into the necklace, and it changed color from gold to blue.

“How is it? Can you see me?”

“Oh, is that the treasure you got before? I can see a faint silhouette, but not your face. Ah, I have to focus. Even though you’re not moving, I keep losing sight of you. Ah, you just fused with the tree, Boss!”

“…”

As expected, the necklace worked fine. Although the man was a muscle-brained brute, he still had a high perception that matched his skills. Even he couldn’t see her, so how did a mere cadet do so?

“Oh, dang. I can’t tell where you are now, Boss. Let me borrow that too. I’m way too noticeable because of my large body. If there’s someone I wanted to kill…”

“We’re done here. Go.”

The woman cut off his chatter.

“Make sure you complete your mission.”

“Yes, Boss.”

He turned around without a fuss as she watched him walk away. His bulky back, mountainous shoulders, and flawlessly refined physique definitely stood out. He was an irregular who inherited the old Martial God’s spirit and vigor.

— Cheok Jungyeong wasn’t always that stupid, right Boss?

His name was Cheok Jungyeong. Through enlightenment and inheritance, he awakened his past life as Korea’s strongest swordsman who commanded the country’s fate.

***

The weekend passed, and combat exams began. Monday’s exam was a duel. Cadets could nominate other cadets to fight. Each cadet had 3 nominations, and a nominated cadet couldn’t refuse.

Although it might seem like the strong would bully the weak, Cube wasn’t that stupid. They designed the exam to be fair and gave bonus points based on differences in rankings. For example, if the rank 1 Kim Suho fought a bottom-ranked cadet, he would receive negative points even if he won, while the bottom-ranked cadet would gain points even if he lost.

Furthermore, an ungraded element called fame encouraged cadets to challenge stronger opponents. Thousands of cadets fought in numerous duel arenas under limited time. Naturally, scouts from multiple countries and guilds spectated the high ranking cadets, so low ranking cadets could also appeal to these scouts by challenging up the ranks.

“… I knew this would happen.”

Even with this mechanism that encouraged fairness and challenge, the rank 18 cadet nominated me.

[Duel 1] [Rank 18 Kim Horak vs. Rank 934 Kim Hajin]

If Kim Horak won, he wouldn’t gain more than three points. In a fight between rank 934 and rank 18, this muscle-brained buffoon would obviously win.

“Well, what can I do.” He wanted to beat me up. 

I put my laptop in my cross bag and left the dorm. The scenery outside felt heartwarming with a flowery scent in the wind.

“Yunseok, say cheese! Wow, isn’t that Kim Suho? O-Oppa, are you friends with him!? I want to take a picture with him!”

Cadets went about with their families. Since last Friday, their families stayed with them in the same dorm room. I walked alone, watching other cadets laugh and joke with their families.

“Where are you going?”

Someone scurried next to me like a cat. I paused and turned.

“To the duel arena.”

“Oh right, Horak nominated you.” Yoo Yeonha feigned ignorance.

“… Is there something you want to say?”

“I tried to stop him, but he insisted on fighting you. I had no choice.”

“Oh, I see.”

I continued walking. Yoo Yeonha followed me, then suddenly backed off. She didn’t want a camera to record us together. Once the camera disappeared, she came back.

“Oh, also…”

Tak. She snapped her fingers. A tall man walked up and handed her a suitcase.

“Here are 100 pinnacle grade bullets. If you need more, just tell me. Of course, you can also ask for any defensive equipment.”

“Oh?” 

Yoo Yeonha suddenly pulled the suitcase back when I was about to take it.

“But don’t misunderstand. This isn’t payment for saving my life.”

“Huh?” I was confused.

Yoo Yeonha stuttered somewhat bashfully.

“T-This is… just a present.”

“Yeah, I get it, so give it here.”

I snatched the suitcase.

“Also, they're asking for my testimony.”

“Hmm?”

“For the djinn incident.”

“Oh yeah, what about it?”

“They want me to testify, but I’ve been delaying it since it looked like you wanted to hide your power.”

So she purposely didn’t report that I sniped the djinn.

“… Then keep doing that.”

Yun Hyun contracted with an especially dangerous devil. Lilith’s djinns were all ill-natured and heinous, so things could get problematic if they found out I killed Yun Hyun.

“Understood. Ah, by the way, will Horak win?”

Her question had a strange connotation. It sounded like she was asking if I would lose on purpose. I couldn’t win even if I wanted to.

“Then I’m off.”

Before I could reply, Yoo Yeonha left. Was there another camera? A group of reporters noticed Yoo Yeonha and ran towards her.

***

I arrived at the second duel arena. It was only eight in the morning, but the place bustled with people. Numerous reporters filmed with cameras and microphones.

Coincidentally, a nearby reporter explained why.

“Today, Kim Suho, Chae Nayun, and Kim Horak are scheduled to duel from 9 A.M. to 11 A.M.”

I maneuvered through the crowd and proceeded towards the arena. Suddenly, a man in an official Cube uniform stopped me. I asked, somewhat disgruntled.

“I’m wearing a cadet uniform, can’t you see?”

“Haha, it’s not that. Cadets need to go that way.”

The man pointed at a pathway next to the main entrance.

“Oh, thank you.”

I walked through and arrived at my assigned waiting room.

[Waiting Room 5]    

This room should be full of extras like me. People like Kim Suho and Chae Nayun resided in waiting room 1, closest to the reporters.

I opened the door, and the 30-40 cadets talking among themselves suddenly turned quiet. They all stared at me for about three seconds before resuming their previous activities.

I walked in and sat down on a random seat.

“I heard Kim Horak nominated you.”

As I rested, a stranger struck up a conversation. His face looked somewhat familiar, probably someone from my class. I nodded without replying.

“Damn, Kim Horak must have you marked. You shouldn’t have shown off so much.”

“…”

I wanted to say something but gave up. Instead, I murmured inwardly.

Unlike you guys, I get stronger by showing off.

“Oh right, why do you keep leaving Cube? Are you really throwing money away in cabaret clubs and brothels?”

It seemed these rumors still went around. I shook my head silently.

“No way, you do?”

Somehow, he interpreted my gesture however he wanted. I opened my mouth without a choice.

“No. Even if I wanted to, I don’t have the money.”