Breaking Up With the Heroine in an Otome Game

Chapter 52

52 – Midterm Exam (4)

052.

“Team leader?”

As a girl who looked like an extra expressed doubt, I nodded slowly and spoke calmly.

“Yeah. Since we have to conquer the dungeon as a team, we need someone to assess the situation quickly and give orders.”

Just before entering the dungeon, because the team members had been chosen, opinions weren’t being balanced well.

The Academy used the quick alignment of opinions and consensus among students who didn’t know each other’s abilities and strengths as an evaluation criterion.

That’s why taking on the role of a leader and guiding the kids well could easily earn additional points.

Yeah, what I’m aiming for is those extra points, additional points.

The team’s evaluation score and the individual evaluation score are different, after all.

“Well, then, um…”

Seonari glanced at my face discreetly.

Except for Yuseolhyun, she didn’t really like taking direct orders from anyone. But she had experience teaming up with me during the performance evaluation.

Back then, thanks to my strategy and leadership skills, we achieved good grades, so in a way, it was a natural choice.

Well, Seonari wasn’t the type to use her head from the start.

“Shouldn’t she just do it? She’s kinda smart in her own way, right?”

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“I don’t know.”

Finally, a male student expressed his puzzled emotions in a somewhat blunt voice.

Ah, I knew it. That guy.

He couldn’t possibly stay quiet. He’s not the type to enjoy taking orders from someone like Seonari.

“That’s Lee Jinhyuk, right? Our classmate who almost entered as the bottom of the rankings? Do we really have to listen to someone like him?”

“Hey, whether he almost entered at the bottom or not, what does it matter? What the operator needs is knowledge and decision-making ability.”

It was Lee Junghoon from Class 6.

Probably ranked 29th among new students.

He’s from a fairly famous clan and has a strong sense of pride.

So, he’d be dissatisfied.

Listening to unheard-of commands.

“And that guy subtly holds a sense of rivalry toward Serena… There’s a setting that suggests he might not like me indulging in that. Simply put, he’s someone who can’t be persuaded easily in a short amount of time.”

Even if I boast about actually experiencing conquering the Yeongdeung Mountain Dungeon myself, just to blurt it out, it might provoke an even more negative response, fueling unnecessary arrogance.

Well, it’s fine.

I never intended to persuade with words in the first place.

Actions speak louder than words, after all.

“I might as well issue the orders myself, and then you guys… Wait, what?”

For a moment, Lee Junghoon’s words trailed off.

It was because he spotted a grim shadow suddenly rising from the wall far in the cave.

Sure enough, they’re appearing here too.

“W-What’s that over there?”

“The shadow… it’s moving?”

“I think I saw that during class.”

“Darn it, prepare for battle!”

The kids, flustered yet prompt, assumed combat stances.

“Ssiiii, ssiiii.”

That monster’s name is Shadow Sentinel.

It looks like a lone raven.

You could say it’s quite an annoying artificial monster.

But these kids seem not to know much about this monster’s name either.

I did briefly explain about monster biology in class before, though.

“Ah, dang! Why isn’t this working?”

The first to throw a punch was the impulsive Serena, but even with her enhanced physical abilities, the Shadow Sentinel just staggered and continued its eerie movements, seemingly unfazed.

It was as if punching firm clay.

The Shadow Sentinel had considerably high physical resistance and magical resistance, making it almost impervious to most attacks.

A good punching bag, indeed.

“That monster, it’s probably called the Shadow Sentinel. I heard it has resistance to physical attacks.”

“P-Physical… resistance…? Th-Then how?”

The timid-looking girl wore a worried expression.

The children, moving about in all directions, tried to attack the shadow sentinel, only to find that their efforts were in vain. Frustration bit down hard on their lower lips.

“Well, there’s nothing we can do. Kids, let’s retreat for now…”

Just as unexpectedly, at the moment when Lee Jung-hoon was about to shout for a retreat, I took a step forward with an arrow nocked.

“No, wait.”

“You?”

Do they know why I silently led the shadow sentinel to this point without any convincing?

To show the children.

In person.

With these kinds of kids, you have to show results, not just talk.

“Hey, that kind of attack won’t work…”

Oh, really?

Ignoring his words, I released the arrow.

Towards the lower left side of the shadow sentinel.

And then…

“Kki, kkiik? Kkiiiiiiii?!”

Wouldn’t the shadow sentinel, who was impervious to attacks from Sounari and Lee Jung-hoon, let out a wail akin to a whale?

Alright, looks like it hit.

“Huh, huh?”

Lee Jung-hoon looked slightly perplexed.

I shot an arrow imbued with magic towards the mouth of the shadow sentinel that was screaming.

Thanks to the artifact, I could concentrate a considerable amount of magic at once.

Suddenly, the arrow went straight into its mouth with a thud!

The shadow sentinel exploded inside its mouth, and a gooey liquid oozed out, causing it to collapse with a thud.

“…”

I took down that monster with just two attacks.

The monster that Sounari and Lee Jung-hoon couldn’t touch.

“What… what is this? How did you…?”

“That’s a shadow sentinel.”

I pointed at the fallen monster and continued.

“I knew too, but…”

“Although it has high physical and magical resistance, there’s a nucleus-like structure in the epidermis near the left lower abdomen. Due to concentrated nerves in that area, attacking it can cause intense pain.”

“Uh, uh…?”

“Of course, that alone won’t bring it down, but the Shadow Sentinel is resilient to external attacks, while internal attacks are highly vulnerable. Moreover, there’s a vulnerable point in its mouth.”

“Firing an arrow into its mouth while screaming in pain?”

“Yes. I judged that a magic-infused arrow would be sufficient to bring it down.”

Designed as a fake monster created by the Archmage to test the children, it was easy to defeat if one could exploit its weaknesses.

“…Did you know all of that?”

“Of course. I’ve memorized books on monsters, textbooks, almost everything related to them. I even read research papers.”

“Uh, really?”

Yeah, of course it’s a lie.

When do I have time to read research papers?

But saying this makes me seem knowledgeable, doesn’t it?

“Furthermore, this isn’t a real battle; it’s a test, right? The weaknesses of the monsters are likely clear. It’s a test to see if you can strategize.”

Yeah, a test.

This dungeon conquest is a test.

It’s not just about brute force; it’s an evaluation of whether you’ve been studying the theoretical side diligently by summoning monsters with clear weaknesses. And I’ve been figuring out the weaknesses of the monsters that appear here one by one.

Where to attack, how to attack, how much to attack.

“Oh, right, you were correct…? I was skeptical at first.”

“Huh?”

“I heard there’s an academy student who, along with Gaon Nuri clan members, actually conquered a dungeon. They say she’s amazing at understanding monster weaknesses… Seo Woo Unni praised you a lot.”

What? She knows Han Seowoo?

“Wait, hero rescues? Dungeon conquest? …Her?”

“Yeah. Didn’t you know? She’s already tried a real dungeon conquest. She made quite an impact.”

“…Huh.”

As Seonari spoke, Lee Junghoon swallowed hard.

Learning belatedly that she had participated in a dungeon conquest that even pro heroes had failed, I suddenly seemed different.

Originally, revealing this kind of thing on your own doesn’t have much effect.

It must be revealed through the perspective of a third party to have great persuasiveness and objectivity.

Alright, anyway, the flow is good.

I should take this opportunity to speak.

“Hey, kids, how about entrusting the order role to me?”

I said, scanning the faces of the kids.

Except for Seonari and Lee Junghoon, the other two were extras, so I don’t really know who they are, but it doesn’t matter.

With those two alone, it’s enough to break through.

“If you follow my orders, I’ll promise one thing.”

At times like this, you shouldn’t hesitate or speak as if you’re unsure.

You have to speak confidently and with more certainty than anyone else.

“We’ll conquer the dungeon faster than you think.”

I said, looking at Lee Junghoon.

“I’ve had real experience conquering dungeons. Won’t you trust me once?”

“…”

Lee Junghoon looked at me for a moment, then sighed.

It was a silent approval.

Yeah, with actual combat experience and showing how I took down the Shadow Sentinel by exploiting its weakness just now, even you won’t have much to say.

The other kids seemed to trust me quite a bit because of that last display.

“…Well, the time was a bit delayed, but well, it doesn’t matter.”

Even if I want to lose to the other kids in this first test, my side is too advantageous to lose.

Really.

***

Jin Soyeon, who finished conquering the dungeon.

She was able to safely complete the first test of the midterm exams that had been going on for a few weeks.

But…

“Sigh… I guess I couldn’t make it into the top rankings after all.”

She muttered to herself alone while looking at the 3D screen in the auditorium where the trainees were waiting.

The 3D screen displayed real-time rankings from 1st to 10th place for those who quickly conquered the dungeon.

She worked quite hard, but she still couldn’t break into the top rankings.

The academy had balanced the team members reasonably, so she had confidence in herself, you know.

“First place again, Is it Lee Siwoon? Impressive.”

1. Dungeon cleared in 37 minutes and 9 seconds. Lee Siwoon, Park Seongwoon, Lee Hankyung, Choi Juwoon, Kim Ohoo.

2. Dungeon cleared in 37 minutes and 43 seconds. Kang Daehan, Lee Jeonggyeol, Daehanwool, Oh Sooyeon, Lee Hanbom.

3. …

37 minutes?

Indeed, it’s Lee Siwoon.

In the case of the Jin Soyeon team, it took nearly an hour…

“Yuseolhyun, you’re fifth.”

Could it be a slight disappointment?

Of course, individual scores can’t be compared with Yuseolhyun’s, but this exam is a team competition, a team competition.

He could have done much better.

“Ah, it’s Siwoon after all! Wow, 37 minutes? How did you clear it so fast?”

“Siwoon’s team took the bus, the bus. Siwoon, is the bus sweet?”

“I envy that~ If I were on Siwoon’s team, I would have cleared it quickly too.”

Lee Siwoon was the subject of admiration among many girls around.

“Ah, Daehan, it’s really regrettable. Because of your teammates holding you back, you couldn’t get first place.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter. Team rankings and all. We just need to show it in the ranking match anyway.”

“True, right? No matter how good Siwoon is, 1v1 won’t work against our Daehan!”

Kang Daehan was also making a lot of noise with several people around him.

‘…Both of them are amazing. In the 30-minute range.’

Certainly, you could feel that Jin Soyeon and Lee Siwoon were on a different level.

“Huh? Soyeon, didn’t you make it to the top ranks?”

“What’s up with you? Did you come here to say that?”

“No, just curious.”

“Ugh.”

When Yuseolhyun smiled proudly, Jin Soyeon bit her lower lip slightly. Unlucky, Yuseolhyun.

Yes, she’s fifth, isn’t she?

Of course, those rankings are only the dungeon clear times, and actual individual scores will vary based on the actions displayed in the dungeon. Nevertheless, having a high rank is not a bad thing.

“Hmm. What about the team of Lee Jinhyuk? I wonder what place he’s in.”

“As if Jinhyuk would make it to the top ranks?”

“Well, how about that? Hoho. Are you looking forward to it too?”

Yu Seol-hyun smiled knowingly, as if she was in on a secret.

That smile was subtly irritating.

Pretending to know it all.

“Who knows, maybe Lee Jin-hyuk will get a higher score than expected….”

And then it happened.

“Hey, what’s this? Look at that! Did the rankings change? What the heck?”

“Wait, is that for real?”

“Huh? Lee Si-woon is overtaken?”

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