Chapter 12

 

At that moment,

“…Hah?”

“Haha?”

“Wahahahaha!!”

Right after the headbutt, laughter erupted from the surrounding crowd.

The previously tense atmosphere was completely shattered by the lighthearted headbutt.

Additionally, seeing the fierce Park Yong looking bewildered added to the comedic effect.

“Is he strong or is he weak?”

“Pfft— haha! Did you see that headbutt? It’s hilarious!”

“Wow, but did you see the class? He did it with his hands on his hips.”

“Which academy is he from? His skills are no joke.”

“Idiot, with skills like that, he’s probably being groomed by a major guild.”

“Really?”

The heavy atmosphere was instantly flipped, and Suho started gaining attention.

It made sense since the counterattack, though humorous, was remarkable to those who understood its significance.

Meanwhile, Park Yong, still holding his mouth, let out a disbelieving laugh.

Then his expression turned deadly serious, exuding a chilling killing intent.

‘Wow, that’s some serious killing intent. But at this rate…’

It was getting dangerous.

Suho decided it was time to end it.

If he undermined Park Yong’s confidence further, something serious might happen.

That was something Suho wanted to avoid.

Suho spoke up,

“This time, I’ll go first.”

With those words, Suho swiftly closed the distance using his footwork. It was much faster than the footwork Park Yong had displayed earlier.

Startled, Park Yong tried to draw his sword, but Suho reached out and pressed down on the hilt.

Then, with his other hand, he struck Park Yong’s chin from below with his palm.

Thwack!

Suho intentionally hit a bit harder to ensure Park Yong would be knocked out.

Unsurprisingly…

Thud!

Unable to withstand Suho’s force, Park Yong lost consciousness.

At that moment,

 

 

Suho had gained a new skill. He dismissed the notification and dusted off his hands before approaching the supervisor.

“I just knocked him out. Please take care of him until he wakes up.”

“Huh? Ah, yes…!”

“Thank you.”

After making the polite request, Suho left the scene.

The first encounter with Park Yong was sufficient.

 

***

 

After a couple of hours, the capsule issue was resolved, and the practical exam resumed.

Suho looked up at the platform where the capsules were placed.

In addition to the existing supervisors assigned to each capsule, there were new people who seemed like technicians at first glance.

‘Those must be the skill inspectors.’

Their real identity was the skill inspectors hastily assembled at Suho’s request.

Of course, among them was Jeong Cheol-min.

‘For just last-minute preparation, they managed to gather quite a team. Cheol-min hyung must have worked hard.’

Satisfied, Suho nodded in approval as the large electronic boards hanging from the ceiling started displaying the candidates’ numbers randomly.

“For fairness, the numbers will be drawn randomly. If your number is called, please report within 5 minutes. Failure to do so will result in automatic disqualification!”

Suho quietly sat and watched the candidates go up to the platform.

After a while, he noticed a few candidates being escorted to the back door by the skill inspectors.

They were suspected of cheating.

‘As expected, Cheol-min hyung does his job well.’

The reason they wore fluorescent vests to conceal their identities was to prevent potential disruptions from those suspected of cheating. This was likely another idea from Jeong Cheol-min.

As a result, the suspected cheaters were escorted out by the inspectors and did not return, allowing other cheaters to be caught off guard without any commotion.

A little while later, Suho’s number finally appeared on the screen.

‘Finally, my turn.’

Suho walked up to the platform with a light step.

Whether it was by coincidence or design, he was assigned to the capsule where Jeong Cheol-min was the inspector. Suho greeted him with a silent nod.

Then he underwent the mana inspection, showing much higher levels than others but passing without any issue since Jeong Cheol-min was already aware of him.

As Suho settled into the capsule, the supervisor spoke.

“If you feel anything unusual during the dive process, immediately request emergency assistance.”

“Yes.”

He knew. The dive capsules of this era often had more malfunctions and errors than expected.

After the capsule module was attached, Suho attempted to dive into the test program.

 

 

The dive progress reached 100%, and Suho’s vision went dark before the surroundings changed dramatically.

A landscape filled with black and white greeted him, followed by another mechanical voice.

 

 

The practical exams in the program were divided into four categories by job class.

Suho had previously taken the exam for the Warrior class, which involved various combat scenarios.

Warriors were evaluated on how long they could endure and how many opponents they could defeat in different combat situations, from one-on-one to one-against-many.

‘For Healers, this means…’

Suddenly, the landscape warped, and screams echoed from all directions.

“Aaaaah!”

“Help me!”

“Heal! Someone, please heal me!”

The screams were just the beginning.

The smell of burning and blood assaulted his nose, and occasional explosions could be heard.

It was a scene of utter chaos, right in the middle of a fierce battlefield.

Seeing the horrific scene, Suho muttered to himself.

“Wow… now I see why this session’s exam is called the Trial by Fire.”

The practical exam aimed to assess how suitable a player was for their chosen class.

For Healers, it was crucial to demonstrate a dedicated heart and the ability to calmly perform healing activities amidst chaos.

‘A bloody battlefield is indeed the most suitable test location for this.’

But it also had to be reasonable.

The injured person screaming in front of him would have induced vomiting or trauma in any unprepared novice.

‘This is why Healers are so highly valued.’

Suho immediately knelt on one knee and began using Healing Light on the injured.

“Ugh, it hurts, it hurts so much…!”

“Hang in there. Help will arrive soon.”

Suho followed standard procedures first.

In the Healer exam, the focus was not on healing power or quantity. This exam was not about testing a Healer’s level but their qualifications for the Hunter license.

In other words, to score the highest in a Healer practical, one must protect the patient at all costs, even at the risk of one’s own life.

Simply put, dying while protecting the patient would suffice. After all, anywhere in the world it was considered that the greatest virtue of a Healer was ‘sacrifice’.

‘This is why Isabella always talked about sacrifice.’

But Suho had no intention of doing that.

‘Why would I let myself get beaten to death by orcs?’

He was a Sword God, after all.

The idea of dying to creatures as insignificant as orcs was unthinkable.

Moreover, the program for this exam simulated pain to enhance realism.

‘Considering they’ve probably replicated my stats in this virtual world, I’d end up enduring much more pain for much longer than the other players before dying.’

Instinctively avoiding attacks could extend that time of suffering even further.

Just imagining it made Suho grimace.

It was a horrifying thought.

After administering first aid, Suho looked around.

He spotted an unattended sword nearby and quickly picked it up.

‘The point of this exam is to protect the patient at all costs.’

So why die unnecessarily?

If he eliminated the threats to the patient, he wouldn’t have to die at all.

Furthermore, this was a virtual world programmed for the exam.

Suho knew that the monsters in the practical program had a set number.

‘Rather than dying, it’s better to fight until the monsters stop coming.’

Just then, orcs began approaching Suho.

There were four of them.

Their fixed gazes indicated that Suho was their target.

‘Hmm.’

After a moment of contemplation, Suho placed the sword at his side.

He didn’t have a proper scabbard, but he positioned the sword as if it were sheathed at his waist and leaned forward.

He couldn’t abandon the patient and run, nor could he leave the patient behind to fight.

If he distanced himself too much from the patient, the program would undoubtedly penalize him.

So, Suho prepared a suitable strategy.

He took a deep breath, calming his senses.

As his focus sharpened, the noises around him became distinct and separated.

Soon, the four orcs charged at him.

Yes, come closer.

Just a bit more.

A bit closer.

Finally, as they stepped within his calculated range, Suho’s sword erupted from his side like an explosion, slashing wide.

Shiiing!

A sharp slicing sound.

And then,

Splurt!

A long slash appeared on the orcs’ bodies, spewing copious amounts of blood everywhere.

Simultaneously,

 

 

Suho reunited with a skill he frequently used.

‘As expected.’

Even though this was virtual reality, as long as it was based on Earth, no one could escape the system’s surveillance.

That’s why physical techniques could be acquired here.

The system judged that the player was moving their body themselves.

After this fact was discovered, many players trained their skills in virtual reality.

In virtual reality, they could reset any physical damage or fatigue.

However, it was soon found that training in virtual reality was inefficient.

The reason was that, unlike real-life training where the body is pushed to its limits, in virtual reality, conditions could be manipulated, and the body healed, leading to lower experience gain.

‘But that’s irrelevant to me.’

However, this didn’t apply to Suho.

The skills he aimed to acquire were not starting from scratch but were ‘true skills’ he had already learned and sacrificed for.

‘I’ll endure for as long as I can.’

Suppressing a smirk, Suho readied his sword again.