ALL NOVEL chapter 39
Chapter 39. 100%
“One down.”
Confirming the opponent’s disqualification, Kim Do-jin immediately turned to seek another target.
“Come here.”
“…Who, me?”
“Yeah. You, you little brat.”
Kim Do-jin’s strategy was simple.
He picked off the more skilled students among those nearby, one by one, and by the time he had eliminated seven students on his own, it was clear.
“Clear.”
Before long, only the students of Class 1 remained standing in the area.
The Class 8 students who had charged in first had seen about half of their hundred fall to the ground, while the other half had long since scattered in retreat.
“Ha…”
—
Kim Do-jin wiped the sweat from his brow and glanced back at his teammates.
Among the ‘Arc’ students, the overwhelming talent of Lee Jin-ryul was in Team 1, which allowed Team 2 to be composed of 70 members, all selected for their relatively superior combat abilities, leading to this victory.
“How many got eliminated?”
At Kim Do-jin’s question, Nasca and Renya, who had been counting the fallen, responded.
“Eight!? Wow, incredible! This is a total victory, right!? What happened to us!?”
It was a pity that more than 10% of their strength had been lost, but it was undeniably a great win.
“Alright. Let’s move again. We don’t know what other fools might be eyeing point 7.”
With that, he and his teammates dashed back toward the seventh stronghold.
“Nice!”
After a long run, they arrived at Building 7, which, fortunately, was completely empty.
It seemed that the only ones targeting point 7 were those students from Class 8 earlier.
Kim Do-jin and his team took turns using the elevator to reach the rooftop, where they planted their flag and took a moment to rest.
“Haah…”
This was a decent achievement.
It would have been better if they hadn’t encountered anyone at all, but the odds of that were low from the start.
Kim Do-jin pulled out the canteen strapped to his combat suit and gulped down some water, when he suddenly noticed Carla Arlen sitting across from him.
“Ugh…”
Carla Arlen was also pulling out her canteen, but her purpose was slightly different.
Perhaps from the battle, there was a large smear of mud around her left eye, and she was trying to wash it off with the water from her canteen.
“…”
Kim Do-jin quietly observed her, and suddenly a clever idea struck him.
A way to no longer see Carla Arlen’s strange makeup.
“Hmm…”
He deliberately waited for the moment when Carla Arlen had washed away all the mud, and finally, he spoke up casually.
“Honestly, your bare face is much prettier.”
A moment of silence fell between Kim Do-jin and Carla Arlen.
“…”
And after a brief pause.
“W-what did you say!?”
Carla Arlen’s face flushed bright red as she turned to Kim Do-jin, bewildered.
“Eh? No. Just talking to myself.”
Kim Do-jin, with a calm face, deflected the moment and took another gulp of water.
“……”
Karla Arlen, her face flushed to the brink of bursting, stared at Kim Do-jin for a while before she began to wash her right eyelid, untouched by mud, with water, the sound of it crisp and clear.
‘Good thing he’s not too sharp.’
Feeling a sense of resolution, Kim Do-jin slowly surveyed his surroundings.
Sixty-two survivors were scattered across the rooftop, taking a moment to rest.
Yet, it was Rahim Rashid, standing alone by the railing and peering outside, who suddenly approached Kim Do-jin and spoke.
“Do-jin, I don’t see anyone approaching, but shouldn’t we start setting up defenses?”
He was right.
From the beginning, it seemed that the only group targeting this Building 7 was the 8th group, but it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.
“Yeah, we should.”
Kim Do-jin soon began working alongside Rahim Rashid to establish their defensive position.
Defensive formations, strategies, personnel assignments, and so forth.
“Let’s rotate every thirty minutes.”
As they busily moved about, a thought struck him.
‘Wait, why am I acting like the leader here?’
Was it because he had performed too well in the earlier battle?
Kim Do-jin found himself naturally treated as the leader by the group, and he, without a hint of discomfort, continued to take on the role.
‘Well… it probably doesn’t matter much.’
It was a bit annoying, but he decided to brush it off.
After finishing the tasks, Kim Do-jin turned his attention to the condition of his teammates.
“Ugh….”
Injuries were not uncommon during such combat trials.
Even with the ability to wield mana shields and wearing thick combat gear, it was expected.
– Wooo…!
That was precisely why a ‘healer’ was essential.
The two healers from their group, Hong Hyun-hwa and Kim Yu-jong, were moving about, tending to the wounds of the injured, and Kim Do-jin watched them for a moment before turning his gaze away.
Another figure, like Hong Hyun-hwa and Kim Yu-jong, was also helping teammates here and there.
That was none other than Karla Arlen.
Karla Arlen was no healer like Hong Hyun-hwa or Kim Yu-jong, but she was a supporter capable of charging mana.
As she moved about, replenishing the spent mana of her comrades according to their carefully laid plan, Kim Do-jin couldn’t help but marvel anew at her invaluable ability.
‘Truly a mobile, unlimited rapid mana charger. Where else could one find a supporter like this?’
Indeed, it seemed wise to cultivate a closer bond with Karla Arlen.
Kim Do-jin watched as she placed her palms on Liming’s back, channeling mana into him, when it suddenly struck him that he too needed a recharge.
‘Just now, I burned through nearly 30% of my mana in that fight…’
While his mana would gradually recover through mana breathing, the pace was nowhere near that of Karla Arlen’s replenishment.
With heavy steps, Kim Do-jin shuffled over and plopped down beside Liming, signaling that he was next in line for a charge.
However.
“It’s about following the order.”
For some reason, Karla Arlen skipped over Kim Do-jin’s turn.
“Uh?”
Karla Arlen had begun to charge the mana of John Davis, who had originally been beside Liming, leaving Kim Do-jin gaping in disbelief.
‘What’s the big deal about order in this situation…?’
If anything, it would make more sense to start with the stronger individuals first.
Though he found it hard to understand, Kim Do-jin chose not to press the issue and stood up again.
He walked over to the railing, intending to observe the situation outside.
– Crackle!
Suddenly, a transmission came in from Team 1 in Building 6.
[Can you hear me, over?]
Rahim Rashid, who was wearing the radio, approached Kim Do-jin and handed it over.
“Uh, what’s up?”
As he took it and responded, another transmission came through.
[Is this voice from Do-jin, huh?]
It was easy for Kim Do-jin to recognize the voice as belonging to Dokgo-su.
“What’s the matter?”
– Crackle.
[We spotted a good opportunity while scouting and wanted to share it.]
“What is it?”
[The third squad, having seized Building 8, has boldly redirected their forces to Building 9. It seems that fewer than five remain to guard Building 8.]
Building 8, along with Building 4, had the narrowest entrance, making it a place that was easily defensible once captured.
From the start, targeting that location seemed worth the effort, but the fierce competition led to its abandonment.
Nonetheless, according to Dokgo-su, the third squad, confident in their defensive advantage, appeared to have emptied their ranks.
“Are you sure?”
[Yes. Our Dahee has confirmed, with the eyes of a hawk, that around 90 individuals are moving stealthily.]
If that were true, then indeed, it was worth considering an assault on Building 8.
Of course, there was a possibility it could be a ruse using psychic powers, but for now, it seemed more reasonable to believe they had gone to attack Building 9, given the low likelihood of an incursion on Building 8.
“Understood. Then let’s form a task force and make an attempt.”
[Woohoo! As expected, talking with Dojin is easy! Contact me again before we set off!]
“Okay.”
[Roger that. Dokgo-su out!]
– Zzt!
Thus, the communication ended.
Kim Do-jin quickly gathered his team and conveyed the essentials.
The crux was to assemble a small elite team of 15 to take Building 8 right away.
“Then who’s going?”
At Nasca and Renya’s sudden questions, Kim Do-jin pointed to the HP gauge of his ‘mana coating’ device on his chest.
“Let’s choose from those with over 70% remaining.”
The team members nodded in understanding and checked their own HP gauges.
Soon, only those with over 70% raised their hands.
“Hmm… About 15, I’d say? So, who among them has the most HP left?”
Kim Do-jin slowly scanned the faces of those who raised their hands and asked, to which Rahim Rashid tilted his head and replied.
“That would be you, right?”
As Rahim pointed to Kim Do-jin’s HP gauge, the others, now noticing, widened their eyes in surprise.
“100%!?”
Kim Do-jin’s HP gauge stood at a staggering 100%.
This meant he hadn’t taken a single hit in that fierce battle earlier, which was indeed astonishing.
However, that wasn’t Kim Do-jin’s intention, so he immediately shook his head and added a caveat.
“Not me.”
—
At that moment, Rahim Rashid finally straightened his shoulders and spoke.
“Then it must be me?”
As he said this, Rahim Rashid displayed his HP gauge, marked at 91%, yet no one dared to step forward upon seeing him.
“Alright. Then the first team member will be Rahim Rashid…”
Though they had filled one slot with the strongest fighter, the composition of the squad needed to consider synergy and strategy as well.
Kim Do-jin selected from among the raised hands of his teammates: Yoon Yoo-na, Hong Hyun-hwa, Lim So-hee, Nasca, and Renya, one by one.
Yoon Yoo-na, a dealer on par with Rahim Rashid and capable of providing buffs, was an obvious choice, and since at least one healer was necessary, Hong Hyun-hwa was also picked.
Lim So-hee, whose HP gauge had fallen below 50%, was chosen for her unique ability, which seemed strategically vital, and Nasca and Renya were selected for similar reasons.
One by one, they added members until finally, all 14 team members were chosen.
Immediately after, Kim Do-jin asked if there were any objections, but for some reason, Carla Arlen shot her hand up and said,
“Can I go too?”
“Uh. No.”
Kim Do-jin swiftly dismissed her.
Carla Arlen still had a mission left in this place.
According to the strategy laid out beforehand, it was to charge mana for Lee Jin-ryul, who might swoop in during the latter half of the exam.
“Alright, then let’s get ready to deploy.”
Kim Do-jin made a decision before any further delays, and the team members scattered to begin their tasks.
‘I should have charged up earlier.’
As Kim Do-jin checked his equipment, that thought crossed his mind.
“Hey, wait a moment, will you…?”
For some reason, Carla Arlen approached suddenly and said this.