—
Individual Tactical Assessment
: Selected Difficulty [A+]
: Student Information [2nd Year Combat Division Arna Kristin Dotir]
: Clear Record [00:06:24] – New All-Time Record Achieved!
—
“Hmph. A new record, is it?”
Arna, who had just finished her evaluation, stepped out of the Sync Room. Smiling in satisfaction as she glanced at her results.
“6 minutes and change… I cut a full minute from last semester.”
The previous A+ record was around 7 minutes, set last year in the second semester. Now, less than half a year later, it had been shortened by nearly a minute.
“Both records set by me…”
Arna shook her head in disbelief. Even in the highest tiers, where differences of mere seconds could define vast gaps in skill, improving by an entire minute was nearly incomprehensible.
“When did my skills get this sharp?”
It was as if someone had cast a magic spell on her.
—
Pfft! What an idiot! How could he not last even a minute?
The laughter from the adjoining room abruptly broke her thoughts.
“That voice…”
Recognizing it immediately, Arna quietly flattened herself against the wall and tiptoed closer, peeking into the adjacent Sync Room through the glass partition.
“Ah…”
Her suspicions were correct. Sitting inside was none other than Kang Tae-hoon, her rival from the previous year’s top student competition.
“Hey, Rashid! How many tries is this kid on now?”
“Five, to be exact.”
Also present was Rashid, the solitary giant.
“But…”
At the moment, neither Kang Tae-hoon nor Rashid were the ones capturing Arna’s attention. Instead, her focus was fixated on another figure…
Shin Yoon-seong sat slumped on the floor, his dejection palpable.
Haha! You’re so useless… can’t even handle this? Try harder, you useless jerk!
Do you even find this funny? You couldn’t even offer comfort—just mocking him? Are you a psychopath or something?
What? Did you hear that? He called me a psychopath. He might be the real psychopath.
Oh.
Having apparently heard enough, Shin Yoon-seong turned away and approached the kiosk once more.
“What? Doing it again? Why don’t you just lower the difficulty to C and take it easy?”
“My GPA won’t accept a C. That’s my life philosophy.”
Yoon-seong seems to have come here for his own Individual Tactical Assessment, but clearly he hasn’t met his target yet.
Shin Yoon-seong’s despondency was evident as he remained lost in thought.
—
Ice cream? Let’s go get some at Baskin Robbins.
Oh.
While I’m at it, get me one too. Mint Chocolate Chip, though. A Single King should be enough.
Mint? Screw that! Die, you idiot! C’mon, let’s go.
Oh.
As Kang Tae-hoon and Rashid turned to leave, Arna quickly crouched down to avoid being noticed.
“Huff!”
She breathed softly, waiting patiently for them to depart.
—
“Black sorbet? Come on, eat something lighter… why must it always be black?”
Gradually, the voices faded as their owners moved further away.
When the room finally fell silent, Shin Yoon-seong was the only one left behind.
Arna hesitated. Should she visit the next room and see what was going on?
“N-no! Why should I even waste my time on him? All we ever do is argue anyway. This is good! We should remain strangers!”
Despite her words, Arna tidied her slightly disheveled wooden sword, turned off the lights, and headed for the exit.
—
—
Individual Tactical Assessment
: Selected Difficulty [B0]
: Student Information [2nd Year Combat Division Shin Yoon-seong]
: Clear Record [Fail]
—
This is bad. B0 difficulty proved far more challenging than I anticipated.
If there were even a glimmer of hope, it would’ve been in the slim possibility of passing by mere inches. But this… this was no contest. The game ended for me within mere minutes. The lesser monsters and monsters were just too overwhelming with just this spoon to defend myself.
Kiiik—
Is this the limit of a third-rate villain?
Is this all I’m capable of?
Sniff…
“Ahem, ahem.”
What should I do? I have less than a week left to refresh my grade in some way.
“Sniff! Sniff…”
Must I lower the difficulty to C like Kang Tae-hoon suggested?
But if I do, I’ll have to retake it later. And…
“Sniff!”
Should I just be content with a C in my Individual Tactical Assessment?
Even a single C among my grades doesn’t feel so wrong, right?
“Sniff! Sniff! Sniffff…”
No.
I can’t accept it.
Choosing C would mean resigning to the fact that I’m only worth this much.
A man’s pride won’t allow it.
“Heyyyyyy!”
—
“What?”
Suddenly, an ear-piercing scream echoed through the room. Looking up, I saw Arna standing there.
“Since when were you there?”
“Ugh… you must’ve been really lost in thought not to notice me approach.”
Panting to regulate her breath, Arna pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Did you watch my evaluation?”
“Wouldn’t it be obvious if I did?”
“…Wow, your tone makes me want to slap you.”
Next, Arna moved toward the kiosk.
Beep!
“Difficulty B0… six attempts… all ending in failure?”
“Are you here to mock me too?! Do you think I’m pathetic? Do you wish I didn’t exist on this planet? Do you think it’s a waste for me to even breathe?”
“No! Don’t jump to conclusions! I didn’t think any of that! Why are you crying like this?! Over just an assessment? Stop acting like some little kid!”
Arna quickly whipped out a handkerchief and wiped away my tears.
“You wouldn’t dare wipe my nose, would you?”
“No way!”
Arna quickly tucked her handkerchief back into her pocket.
—
“So… where exactly are you struggling?”
“Everywhere.”
“…”
A narrow-eyed glare met my broad statement. Clearly, Arna felt like asking if I was some kind of moron.
“Why don’t you just lower the difficulty to C, then? You don’t actually have to stick with B0, you know.”
“Stop underestimating a man’s pride.”
“Ah, yes…”
Arna wisely chose to keep quiet after that. It was clear that further dialogue would only cause unnecessary exhaustion.
“Training monsters level 2-2 for B0, right?”
“Plus the lesser monsters.”
“Of course, handling it alone is going to be tough.”
Arna nodded. Having closely observed my capabilities, she knew my limitations very well.
I asked, “Where do you think my weaknesses lie?”
“Everywhere.”
“…”
The same line thrown right back at me.
That aside, her words made it seem like I was completely hopeless.
Though, I suppose it’s accurate to an extent.
“So, does that mean there’s no hope?”
“Considering your current state, yes. Your fundamentals aren’t even solid.”
“Basics?”
Arna’s gaze shifted momentarily to the fallen spoon on the floor.
“You’re just blindly swinging that spoon, right?”
“Of course. Isn’t that what weapons are for?”
“Exactly. That’s why you’re failing.”
Arna sighed deeply, shaking her head from side to side. She picked up her practice wooden sword as she continued.
“To properly handle a weapon, you need to master the proper stance and fluid movements.”
Whoosh!
She demonstrated a swift swing, her movements akin to those of a rhythmic gymnast. So graceful.
“Even in baseball, it’s the same principle. They meticulously align every part of their body—from their head to their toes—to achieve the perfect swing.”
Arna’s movements were certainly not random. Watching her made me realize it was the same with Kang Tae-hoon and others. They wielded their weapons as if they were seamless extensions of themselves—unlike me.
“So… what you’re saying is that I need to start with posture correction?”
If Arna said so, then it must be correct.
Besides, I had been handling the spoon far too carelessly all this time.
It wouldn’t hurt to learn properly this time around—both for immediate results and for future progress.
“Hmph… if you like, I could teach you a thing or two.”
Arna seemed to have made some kind of offer, though I paid little attention.
I was too busy pulling out my smartphone.
Ding!*
“Hey, Kang Tae-hoon. It’s me. Can you come by to teach me some swordplay?”
“…”
“Sword. Yes, sword. And bring打包 some ice cream when you come. Mint Chocolate Chip, like we discussed earlier.”
“Wh- What?!”
As I focused on the call, Arna stood frozen beside me, her mouth agape in sheer shock—like she had just witnessed something extraordinary.
