The Protagonist Already Knows

Finding myself back in the knockoff photobooth, I fixed my ruffled hair and took a deep breath.

Then, without skipping a beat, I turned intangible and flew straight up, phasing through the room’s ceiling.

And there...in one of the air vents, I saw it: an oval-shaped door, filled with dark-purple particles.

Sighing in relief, I slowly descended back into my photobooth, seeing a massive television on the wall, its screen split into many squares, each displaying a different scene.

Spotting Professor Sooyung by the exit, eagerly gazing up at the screen, I followed her eyes...seeing her staring at the only black square on the screen.

"..."

Rematerializing back inside my booth, I pushed aside the crimson-red curtains to exit and curiously scanned the television.

On one square, Ren could be seen shooting arrows that swam through the water like fish and impaled various students.

Evangel was standing on the island, her flying metal sword cutting anyone who attempted to escape the lake, and Leon was like an expert fishcatcher, standing on a small floating platform of rock in the lake while stabbing at the water.

"..."

Holding back a laugh, I watched Lily, who had easily crossed the lake with her ice magic, sprint through the forest, with a group of fellow advisory members following.

She plundered fortress after fortress with her group, easily eliminating the few students remaining at each castle and taking golden ball after golden ball.

With golden orbs stuffed into her pockets and hands, she looked like a robber making off with a bank’s loot.

Finally, on the beach, I found Carissa, parrying a sword slash from Han Li with the body of her recurve bow.

Why had she been there...?

If not for her arrows, I would have lost my enlightenment and been eliminated before fully creating the image of my weapon art.

Pushed backward by Han Li’s blade, Carissa disengaged and stepped back; however, as she glanced at her bow, she found the bowstring cut in half.

Just like in the novel...as well.

Shaking my head, I walked toward the room’s exit, finding it quite lonely...since I had been the only one from my advisory eliminated.

Leaning against the sliding door, Professor Sooyung suddenly glanced upward from her smartwatch, her onyx-black eyes meeting mine.

After tilting her head to look around, despite knowing with one hundred percent certainty no one else was in the room, she looked down and just said calmly.

"First one out, really?"

"..."

Really? Not even a compliment? Nothing?

Professor Sooyung looked completely unperturbed, texting away on her smartwatch.

This was Ash’s original sword teacher, right?

After seeing that display, that was all she had to say!?

Failing to hold back my anger, I yelled back.

"I SAW YOU WATCHING ME!"

Not even glancing up from her smartwatch, she responded in the most robotic tone.

"Of course, I watch all my students."

Squinting my eyes, I scoffed and answered.

"Are you just angry I got better with the sword after leaving you?"

Finally putting down her smartwatch and looking up, she suddenly went off.

"Your last diagonal slash was all wrong. I couldn’t even believe I taught you after seeing it."

"..."

"Why would you aim so low at his waist!? You could have just gone straight at his head! No way he would have been able to hit your sword that high in the air, then."

"..."

"I hope you didn’t expect some grand applause after that. Your attack selection is far from adequate."

Turning away to face the massive screen, I muttered.

"I hate you."

"Get used to it. I’m your advisor."

After a moment, her voice suddenly sounded again.

"If you’re just going to quit again, then leave this school."

So Ash had quit swordmanship in the past...?

Clicking my tongue, I responded.

"I’ll do whatever I want."

"Do you still enjoy the sword, then?"

"..."

"Your sword image changed."

Hearing her words, I couldn’t help but pause and panic for a moment before replying vaguely.

"...I changed."

"You’ll fall again."

"Then I’ll get back up."

"..."

As Carissa joined us by the exit and watched the massive screen, Professor Sooyung simply said.

"Please wait a couple of minutes before leaving. The exam is about to end."

As we nodded in response, she turned and left, leaving the two of us alone.

Amidst the silence, I glanced up at the ceiling.

There wasn’t a 100% guarantee they would attack on Friday. Perhaps the Dregs had only attacked on Friday because the exam had ended then.

It was entirely possible that the Dregs had a way of knowing when the exam was over and thus could attack today when the exam ended.

So...then, what was my best possible action?

As the two of us gazed at the screen, I suddenly said in the most casual way possible.

"Hey, how did you lose after all I did?"

Her head flicking to the right, Carissa paused for a moment and blinked, her mouth wide open as she perhaps wondered if she had misheard something.

Eventually, she managed to spit it out after a few moments of silence, still in disbelief.

"...did you say something?"

Crossing my arms and watching as Lily stole yet another golden orb, I calmly answered.

"Are you deaf? Yes, I asked how you lost to Han Li after my sacrifice."

Barely able to hold back a laugh, I watched as she stood there, shell-shocked as if she had been struck by her own electricity.

Eventually, after a solid ten seconds of gazing at me while her amber-brown pupils trembled uncontrollably, Carissa managed to say.

"Sacrifice? You, sacrifice?"

"..."

Her voice now rising to a yell, she looked me dead in the eye.

"YOU DIDN’T EVEN TOUCH HIM!"

"My chest actually touched his fi-"

"YOU WERE USELESS!"

Meeting her gaze, I seriously said.

"Hey, without me, you would not have been able to take down the formation."

Blinking, perhaps to make sure she wasn’t dreaming, Carissa answered after a moment in the most deadpan voice I’d ever heard.

"...you seriously think I wouldn’t be able to hit that huge semi-circle of students by myself?"