As soon as we passed through the dungeon gate, a thick forest blended with jungle stretched out before our eyes.
In the original story, they had dropped into a similar forest area, so it looked like the exam location hadn't changed.
There was a slight dizziness right after going through the gate, but that was probably just a feature of transfer-type gates.
"Ahh, ughhh... "
"You okay, Cha Eun-ju?"
"U-ugh, y-yeah... It's just a little dizzy..."
She clutched my hand tightly, stumbling slightly before snapping out of it and scanning our surroundings.
Realizing we'd been dumped straight into the middle of the forest, tension was plain on her face.
"Th-this is really inside the dungeon... We actually came in..."
"Let me buff you first. If a monster jumps out while we're walking, I might not have time to cast it."
"Ah, o-okay...!"
I cast Suggestion: Potion of Courage on Cha Eun-ju as she reflexively tilted her head toward me, then we wandered the forest aimlessly for a bit.
If things followed the original story, Kim Isabel wouldn't pass through the gate until near the end, so I needed to scout as much terrain as possible beforehand.
-Rustle.
"...!"
"..."
A few minutes into our walk, rustling came from behind a tree. Moments later, two goblins gripping wooden clubs lunged right in front of Cha Eun-ju.
'Keruk!'
'Kehek, kehehek!'
"R-real monsters..."
"Stay calm and do it like we practiced."
"...Okay."
She looked terrified at facing real monsters instead of holograms, but my hand on her shoulder seemed to steady her nerves somewhat.
The moment the goblins charged us, Cha Eun-ju's dark magic flew toward them.
"Sh-Shadow Ball!"
-Thud, smack!
'Gehk...'
The pair took Shadow Balls to the face, letting out faint death rattles before collapsing.
It was probably her first time facing live monsters today, yet she'd overcome her fear and taken them down cleanly.
"Haa, haa, haa..."
"You did great, Eun-ju."
"D-did I really kill them...? Real monsters...?"
"Yeah. You did great."
"N-no... Without your buff, Seon-ho, it would've been impossible..."
Sure, that was part of it. But I'd only given her courage, and her casting magic this smoothly came down to raw talent.
Any run-of-the-mill extra would've needed several more suggestions layered on top of the Potion of Courage just to contribute.
"Having you by my side makes me feel secure, Eun-ju."
"L-leave it to me! No matter what monster shows up, I'll protect you, Seon-ho! G-goblins or orcs, or even... trolls...!"
She had the looks of someone who needed protecting, not the other way around.
Still, her skills were trustworthy, making her my most reliable ally at this point.
"Where to now...? The forest is dangerous with monsters popping out everywhere, so shouldn't we head out?"
"Fair point, but let's handle these first."
"...Huh?"
Cha Eun-ju eyed me quizzically as I approached the fallen monsters. I set her aside for a moment and pulled out the monster material pouch and self-defense pocket knife we'd gotten before entering.
This practical exam wasn't scored solely on slaying monsters.
It covered hunting real monsters without flinching and harvesting their most valuable parts to simulate a pro hunter's earnings.
The announcement hadn't spelled it out nicely, just saying "slay real monsters." But anyone quick on the uptake would've pieced it together from the knife and pouch.
"The academy even handed out material pouches like this, so collecting after kills is probably part of the judging too."
"Ah, y-yeah...!"
"Hand over your material pouch, Eun-ju. I'll butcher and store them."
"B-but I should do it myself..."
"Just give it here. I can't even fight monsters, so I have to handle this much at least."
"..."
She looked like she wanted to argue about me saying "this much at least," but since it came straight from me, she held back from snapping like before.
I stored a Goblin Heart in the material pouch Cha Eun-ju handed over with that conflicted look.
[1/10]
The count etched on the pouch's exterior ticked up by one the instant I added the material.
Individual contributions to kills mattered, of course, but the total value of materials gathered in this dungeon would heavily sway our final practical exam rankings too.
[1/10]
I stored a Goblin Heart in my own pouch after hers, then stood.
I skipped the remaining ears, teeth, and hides.
"Let's go now. Gotta find more monsters."
"Wh-what about the ears...? I heard you need goblin ears as proof of kill..."
"Heart counts as proof. Besides, the pouch only has ten slots to begin with."
"Huh...?"
"If we're farming goblins anyway, focusing on hearts over random scraps should net the highest score."
"Y-yeah, makes sense..."
"Don't think 'gotta fill all ten slots somehow.' Think 'only ten slots available.' You know the heart's the most valuable part from a goblin body, right, Eun-ju?"
"Yeah, I know."
"I figure my partner can handle at least twenty goblins. Am I asking too much?"
"N-no! Of course I can! Yeah!"
"Good, knew you'd say that, Eun-ju."
She'd already taken down thirty holograms in a single day, so twenty live ones wouldn't wear her out.
In the end, though, we probably wouldn't only be hunting goblins.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Why bring that up there and kill the vibe? Seo Woo-jin, are you seriously an idiot?"
"...It wasn't wrong, though."
"Who asked if it was wrong?! There's stuff you say with someone right there and stuff you don't."
"..."
"We might end up seeing each other all the time after enrolling, and you already ruin the mood? Huh?"
"...Dunno. I wasn't even trying to talk, she just came up to me out of nowhere."
"Haa, seriously..."
Lee Seon-ho and Cha Eun-ju had passed through the gate not long ago. Han Sora and Seo Woo-jin entered the dungeon shortly after.
Maybe because of what happened in the waiting room earlier, Han Sora was snapping at Seo Woo-jin a bit sharply.
"H-honestly, Sora, you know hanging with support kids would just cramp your style. They get clingy if you're nice..."
"We haven't even enrolled yet. How would you know?"
"I-it's all over the internet. Support kids act like hotshots after you get a little friendly, so best not to even..."
"Haa, the internet again? Get your head straight for once, Seo Woo-jin!"
"..."
"And what, you think you're pulling your weight? You barely took down five goblins in an hour at training yesterday. Got any room to trash others?"
"Wh-what can I do? My ability hasn't fully awakened yet... But I still fight better than support kids..."
"You always blame it on your ability not being ready. What's this power of yours anyway? Tell me so I can help. You've zipped your mouth for years pretending you don't know."
"N-no... I can't tell you..."
"...Haa, you're so frustrating."
Why was she childhood friends with a girl like this?
She'd thought Seo Woo-jin had a good heart despite lacking power, but hearing her spout weird stuff at a total stranger today had soured her view a bit.
Never opening up about her presumed physical enhancement awakening ability, reciting internet rumors like personal experience—it all baffled Han Sora.
"..."
...But after all their history, she couldn't just ditch her outright.
Stuck between a rock and a hard place, she dragged the baggage-like Seo Woo-jin along out of childhood loyalty for now.
"Whatever, just hurry up. We need to figure out where we are first."
"Wh-what if we run into monsters wandering blindly...?"
"Then we kill 'em! That's why we came in! You're the frontliner—how am I supposed to keep up if you're slower than the backliner?"
"B-but you're stronger than me anyway, Sora..."
"You at least buy time so I can shoot! Ugh, just hurry up already, Seo Woo-jin!"
"...Fine. Stop yelling..."
They'd made it into the dungeon together somehow, but things were creaking from the start.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Most examinees had trickled out of the practical exam waiting room, choosing to enter the dungeon gate or forfeit.
The last two girls remaining chatted cautiously in front of the gate, debating whether to go in.
"You sure about this, Ye-won? Real monsters and all..."
"We're going in together anyway. With my spear and Isabel's heals, anything's one-shot."
"What if we get separated inside..."
"Why would I leave you behind? Such a worrywart."
"..."
Spear Arts Department applicant Min Ye-won and Recovery Department applicant Kim Isabel.
Their debate over entering had delayed them to last.
As a healer, Kim Isabel had no way to defend herself if separated from Min Ye-won inside.
Her recovery ability outshone her peers, sure—but healing alone couldn't kill monsters.
Still, with Min Ye-won persuading her nonstop to go together, she'd eventually steeled herself and agreed.
Forfeiting her "Round 1 Practical Exam" here would've screwed over her partner Min Ye-won too.
They'd only known each other a few days, but that didn't justify screwing her over.
"Okay, Ye-won. Let's go."
"Good call."
A trace of fear lingered, but with a combat-type partner, she'd manage somehow.
With that in mind—and a bit of trepidation—Kim Isabel stepped through the dungeon gate.
-Thud.
'...Huh?'
She sensed confusion the instant Min Ye-won's hand slipped from hers after passing through.
-Snap!
The moment she felt something off and tried to back out, the gate swallowed Kim Isabel whole.
"Kyaa, kyaak! I-Isabel!"
"Stay calm, examinee. If you enter right now, you probably won't spawn far—"
"Wh-what do we do! Isabel's a healer—she can't handle monsters alone! What now?!"
"It's fine. The dungeon's managed by Cheonmu Hunter Academy... Anyway, a lone healer won't cause issues."
"Wh-what do I do...? Sh-should I go in now...? B-but alone against monsters, I..."
"...Sigh."
Min Ye-won clutched her head and sank to the floor in front of the exasperated gate attendant.
...A faint, inexplicable smile played on her lips as she muttered to herself in feigned panic.