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"Why in the world?"

Clusters of dots on the mini-map were swarming toward the island\'s center.

"They\'re heading our way."

"Should we make a run for it?!"

"Ho-Hoyeon…"

"Calm down, Lumi. Let\'s hold off for now. They\'re acting foolishly."

Looks like Kim Younghan isn\'t managing his team as well as he thinks. Despite surpassing Alice and securing 3rd place, he\'s leading his team to attack me. That sly guy wouldn\'t make such a dumb move. There\'s no benefit in top players like us battling each other.

"Let\'s keep a reasonable distance and retreat."

We should scrap the plan to head to the island\'s center. At this rate, we\'ll encounter Kim Younghan\'s team before the 7th day arrives.

"Lucy, Lumi, how many points do you have?"

"I\'ve got 210 points!"

"I\'m at 180 points…"

"That\'s sufficient."

We need to maintain at least 200 points before the 7th day. That\'s the survival condition. Lumi is short by about 20 points, but I can support her, so it\'s not a problem. Catching up to Nam Daeun is already too late, so dividing the points is fine. The gap won\'t narrow even if we defeat the final boss.

"But why keep this distance?"

"Alice, let\'s just… wait."

It would be nice if Alice just followed my words like the twins, but convincing her requires presenting logical reasons.

"I think there might be something in the center of the island. See the empty space and big tree there?"

"Yes?"

"That could be some marker; that\'s why we should head to the center eventually. But for now, let\'s retreat."

"It would\'ve been helpful if you told us that earlier. Okay, I get it now."

Phew…

Taking a relieved breath, we walked toward the opposite side of Kim Younghan\'s team.

***

Leading the way, Kim Younghan followed Lee Hoyeon with a large group of students in tow.

At this pace, we\'ll catch up with them soon.

His team had been busy defeating boss monsters, discovering treasures, and hunting down other creatures. They had accumulated a substantial number of artifacts along the way.

Among these artifacts were some that boosted movement speed in confined spaces and others that enhanced buffs. Initially, a few students playfully experimented with these artifacts. But unexpectedly, the synergy between two particular artifacts kicked in, propelling the entire Kim Younghan\'s team forward.

"Let\'s go nab Lee Hoyeon!"

"Come on, let\'s go!"

Excited by the increased tracking speed, students enthusiastically raised their hands and followed Kim Younghan.

What\'s the big deal that has them cheering like that… Those overly enthusiastic ones are always the first to go down.

"Sigh…"

In a situation where Kim Younghan was accumulating points bit by bit from over 80 students, he couldn\'t simply bail out because he wasn\'t in the mood. He reluctantly took the lead in chasing Lee Hoyeon.

"Captain, what\'s with the sigh?"

"Don\'t call me that."

Right. I should stay positive. It\'s better that they\'re focusing on Hoyeon rather than coming after me.

The moment someone questions why you\'re ranked 3rd in points when everyone is working together, it\'s trouble. Because Kim Younghan monopolized codes for treasures and boss monsters, other students couldn\'t check the point rankings. But with locations being public, the possibility of point rankings becoming known remained.

"Let\'s go! To take down the enemy of men, the pretty boy, Lee Hoyeon!" Kim Younghan enthusiastically incited the students.

Sorry, pretty boy…

"Charge!"

"The enemy of men! Get him!"

"Men are so straightforward… Well, Daeun will handle everything, right?"

"Of course. She\'s really strong."

Kim Younghan\'s team pursued Lee Hoyeon, each driven by their own motives.

***

"Aren\'t they too fast…?"

As Kim Younghan\'s team increased their speed, we also accelerated. However, in response, they sped up even more, chasing us at a speed over three times faster than our full sprint.

"They must have obtained some artifacts."

"At this rate, we\'re practically handing ourselves over to them."

Alice and I, the minds behind our team\'s strategy, convened.

Should I hide our coordinates now?

As an experiment, I tried it out and found out that with Rune Barrier, I could cloak our coordinates provided in the Battle Royale. Now, the real issue is how the academy will respond this little trick. Sure, it makes sense to permit a student\'s skill, but there\'s always the chance of a discontented murmur from other students.

If the response is, \'The student went and broke the rules of the exam,\' well, that\'s fine and dandy. But if it turns into, \'The academy couldn\'t even crack through a student\'s skill,\' then I\'m brewing up a storm of trouble.

Having had my fair share of the Victoria Academy\'s incompetence, I\'d rather not get entangled in their mess again. If I do decide to wipe our coordinates, it\'ll be a last-ditch effort when there\'s absolutely no other way out. I\'ll just have to pretend it\'s not intentional.

"Let\'s keep moving for now. I\'ll try to buy some time."

"Why are you doing that…?"

"Because I\'m the only one who can escape."

It\'s as straightforward as it gets. No matter how furiously those guys pursue me, if I simultaneously use \'Acceleration\' and \'Rune Barrier\' to cloak the location, they\'ll be running in circles. As long as Alice, Lucy, or Lumi can hang on until the 7th day while I play the sacrificial lamb, then it\'s our victory.

Alice looked at me as if surprised by the unexpected decision.

In this situation, I don\'t see how anyone can be as nice as me.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Alice]

[Affection: 42]

[Lust: 38]

[Appetite: 25]

[Fatigue: 45]

Current Status: I\'m trying to figure out if he\'s putting on a good act or if he\'s genuinely kind.

Alice must\'ve endured quite the ordeal with unsavory characters to be so hesitant to trust others. Given her difficult past, I get it. But she\'ll catch on to my \'pure\' intentions sooner or later.

"Girls, do you know about my Rune Barrier?"

"Yes."

"With that, I can briefly conceal your coordinates. The barrier will be released when you move too far away from me. Stay hidden until then, got it? Let\'s meet at the center, connecting the coordinates of the four of us on the final day, tomorrow."

Lucy and Lumi, who were listening nearby, shared a look. Even though they worried about me stalling, they gave reassuring nods when I insisted everything would be fine. Alice couldn\'t hide her surprise at the news about the barrier blocking location coordinates. But there was no time for a lengthy explanation. Kim Younghan\'s team was closing in even as we spoke.

"I\'ll go this way. Let\'s regroup after staying hidden."

While Kim Younghan\'s team need a bit to catch up, the girls need time to vanish. To buy that time, I have to confront them head-on.

"Hoyeon…"

"You must survive for sure!"

"Got it… Thanks."

Lucy and Lumi bid me farewell as if sending off a husband to the battlefield. I told them we\'d meet again soon. Alice looked at me with a somber expression. I waved lightly and dashed towards Kim Younghan\'s team.

***

"What is happening…?" Kim Younghan was the first to sense something amiss. Having tracked Lee Hoyeon\'s coordinates for hours, he was the most perceptive.

"Captain, what\'s wrong?"

"Why is the pretty boy heading this way?"

Lee Hoyeon\'s coordinates suddenly made a U-turn, approaching them.

What\'s going on in his mind? Even if it\'s him, it\'s kinda wild to hustle toward us solo with 80 students on our side. Even if there are some low-levels among us, one guy can\'t take them all down.

"The coordinates of the three girls are still… huh?"

The coordinates of Lee Hoyeon\'s team, flickering on the minimap just a bit ago, disappeared.

Did he defeat them?

Younghan quickly checked the point rankings. Alice\'s name didn\'t disappear. Lucy and Lumi, lower on the list, were also still there.

"Could our pretty boy be carried away by the thrill of being a runner up in the practical test?"

The coordinates of the three girls likely disappeared because they got their hands on some artifact that conceals their whereabouts. Though it\'s a bit hard to believe such an artifact exists, there\'s no other logical reasoning.

"Hey, why is Lee Hoyeon charging towards us alone?"

"He\'s going 1v80?"

"Do you need that level of determination to win over a girl…"

Other students also started to notice.

"Captain, what should we do?"

"…"

Is there a variable in play? But there seems to be no downside. Running into Hoyeon while following his coordinates is bound to happen anyway. If a fight breaks out, we can handle it without a hitch. Even if there\'s no confrontation, it\'s no loss; we\'ll just continue our chase.

"Divide into four teams and surround him! Lee Hoyeon is coming!"

"The Captain orders a surround!"

Kim Younghan took the smartest route on the fly. The team split into four, encircling Lee Hoyeon. Even with all eyes on this move, their target didn\'t make a run for it.

The encirclement is already complete. There\'s no escape.

Kim Younghan welcomed him with confidence. Hoyeon looked oddly chipper, as if he was on a camping trip rather than a survival challenge.

"Well, Younghan. Seeking payback for that 1v1 loss?"

"Long time no see, Mr. Handsome Lee Hoyeon."

In a large circle, 80 students surrounded Lee Hoyeon. Yet, he seemed relaxed.

"Wow. Quite the gathering. Pulling them together like this is quite the skill."

"What\'s on your mind…? You\'re completely surrounded. It\'s not the time to be so carefree."

Kim Younghan couldn\'t comprehend the situation.

Why is he so laid-back? What trick does he have up his sleeve?

"Heh, take it easy. This isn\'t a war. But winning doesn\'t mean not getting a scratch."

Hoyeon shrugged, and hearing that, Younghan let out a bitter laugh.

"Guess it\'s just me being serious again."

With a slight nod, Kim Younghan softened his stern expression and cracked a grin. Clearly, he came to buy time to protect the girls. He didn\'t need to dissect Hoyeon\'s motives.

"Hey, everyone! Surround—"

"I\'ve got Lee Hoyeon. You can leave it to me." Cutting off Younghan\'s words, a girl emerged from the crowd. With features like a work of art and long, flowing hair, she was an enchanting girl.

"Nam Daeun? What\'s this…" Seeing the bewildered face, Kim Younghan seemed unaware beforehand.

"I said I\'d take care of him, that\'s what you agreed to."

"That was when we knew Lee Hoyeon\'s team of four simultaneously—Nam Daeun, uh, Miss Daeun?" As Kim Younghan spoke, she approached without responding.

"…?"

Lee Hoyeon also seemed thrown off by her abrupt appearance.

I was just trying to ruffle some feathers and make a quick getaway with Acceleration… Why is she doing this all of a sudden?

Lee Hoyeon checked Nam Daeun\'s status window.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Nam Daeun]

[Affection: 51]

[Lust: 17]

[Appetite: 34]

[Fatigue: 26]

Current Status: I\'ve geared up for you… A little sparring won\'t hurt, right?

Nam Daeun\'s body was decked out in island-obtainable artifacts.

She\'s so eager to spar with me?

"Long time no see. I appreciated your help back then." Nam Daeun thanked him while holding a sword.

What\'s with the sudden grudge against me?

Lee Hoyeon swallowed nervously, and simultaneously, his heart began to race, and mana started accelerating.