Chapter 8

Chapter 8: An Seri (2)

The 3rd Strategic Simulation Room, set up for academy classes.

Right now, it also served as the arena for An Seri and my contest.

"If I win, you tell me the information about the Clairvoyance. If you win, Professor, I take your class. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

An Seri was a powerful playable character in the early game, as befitting the 4th-place finisher on the entrance exam.

Though she hit a rough patch starting mid-game, once she obtained the Clairvoyance, she could soar again.

Of course, "strong" was only relative to students.

No matter how strong she was, against adults she was still a child.

CLUNK!

The simulator in the center of the room began to activate.

While the machine's noise reverberated, countless thoughts raced through my head.

An Seri wasn't stupid.

A professor wasn't a hill some freshly enrolled student could dare to challenge. She had to know she couldn't win no matter how hard she fought.

"You're looking down on me in your head, aren't you, Professor?"

"Who knows."

Of course, on my end, I was all title and no substance—a hollow shell of a professor.

Of course, An Seri didn't know that.

"I'll make you regret it."

The fact that she'd challenged me despite all that meant she had the confidence to win at this specifically, even against a professor.

─Setup complete. Users An Seri and Cha Eunwoo confirmed.

Right on cue, the machine chimed that preparations were done. An Seri and I went to opposite sides and began configuring.

"The detail is way better than the game version."

Boss raid simulation.

Florian Rhapsody was a shit game where your character got deleted the moment you died.

But it had at least a shred of conscience—right before a boss fight, you could run a mock battle.

It wasn't an exact replica of the actual boss fight; it was a simplified system where the player assembled a party and an AI ran it. But even that was a massive help.

The contest: who could defeat the boss first.

An Seri had worked tirelessly in every direction to become the heir of Geumok.

Party composition was one of the most essential skills for a guild master. On top of that, An Seri had a natural gift for command, so she could hold her own against most professors.

─Time limit: 30 minutes. Please deploy all units within that time.

Sorry, but I was confident too.

The simulator and boss raids were inseparable. I'd run the simulator more times than I could count.

Countless compositions surfaced in my mind. A well-balanced hybrid comp, a high-firepower mage comp, an all-melee warrior comp, and more.

Alright, let's go with this.

After considering the boss monster and the characters available to me, I arrived at the optimal conclusion.

I slowly transferred the composition from my head into the simulator. The moment I pressed the complete button, the machine chimed.

─The time limit has expired.

I'd burned it all. A masterpiece built on a full year of gaming-addict experience. No matter how good An Seri was, there was no way she could handle this.

***

"Acting all clever, and look where it got you. Biting a bait that obvious—what an idiot."

Whether or not an academy had a strategic simulation room carried significant weight in evaluating guilds.

Human lives were singular. It was only natural that everyone wanted to clear bosses as safely as possible.

However, due to the steep cost, few guilds had their own simulation rooms. Most paid rental fees and borrowed them from larger guilds.

Florian was an academy built with fairly generous funding, but even so, it didn't have the budget for a full simulation room.

As a stopgap, they'd brought in a downgraded version at a cheaper price. The Florian simulation room only featured four types of boss monsters. The available party member options were limited too.

Considering the purpose was student education, it was an extremely reasonable choice.

An Seri had exploited that blind spot.

In preparation for a potential simulation class someday, she'd enlisted experts to create cheat sheets for the highest possible scores. Drawing on that experience, she'd proposed the match on the spot.

No matter how impressive a professor was, there was no way they could assemble a stronger party than hers in thirty minutes.

Then again, how would a professor who'd just been appointed this year even know about that? An Seri scoffed at Cha Eunwoo's ignorance.

─Time limit: 30 minutes. Please deploy all units within that time.

An Seri operated the machine with practiced hands and finished in an instant.

Of the 30-minute time limit, she'd used only 3 minutes before hitting the submit button.

─Party has been registered.

A clueless professor who only knew how to sit in his office reading books.

The world was about results.

"I'll put the Clairvoyance to good use. What's the point of knowing a lot if you don't have the wisdom to use it?"

She was curious about why Cha Eunwoo wanted her to take his class, but she quickly lost interest.

He was a nobody anyway. His purpose was surely just as unremarkable.

─The time limit has expired.

Time was up.

An Seri and Cha Eunwoo headed to the simulator in the center.

"Feeling confident? Because I am."

An Seri tossed out a relaxed taunt, but Cha Eunwoo answered with silence.

His attitude was rather amusing.

She couldn't wait to see what expression he'd make when the results came in.

She'd make him regret saying An Sehyeon's name in front of her.

─Initiating Simulation 1.

The simulator displayed An Seri's party first as a hologram.

Two tanks holding the front, three DPS spread out wide. What was remarkable was that the DPS consisted of one mage and two warriors.

The boss, the Golden Staff Lich, was undead-type.

Not using physical DPS against undead monsters was common sense among common sense.

They inherently had high resistance to physical attacks, and some individuals even had complete physical immunity.

On top of that, the Golden Staff Lich had a skill that dealt continuous damage to anyone within a certain range. Because of that, deploying warriors for extended periods was impossible.

Despite all that, anyone would think putting two warriors in was insane.

"An interesting setup."

Cha Eunwoo gave a brief comment.

An Seri scoffed internally. As if someone like you could understand my intent. Even the guild's experts didn't believe it until they saw the results themselves.

─Boss, Golden Staff Lich's HP is at 75%.

Inside the simulator, while the warriors could only stamp their feet from a distance, the lone mage attacked in solitude.

Naturally, the pace was noticeably slower than having multiple DPS.

"Still feeling confident?"

Thinking he'd seized the advantage, Cha Eunwoo taunted.

As expected, this professor didn't know a thing.

About the picture An Seri was painting.

"Professor, question. What's the most important thing to watch out for when raiding the Golden Staff Lich?"

"That would be... the barrier that appears when Phase 2 begins."

"Exactly."

The Golden Staff Lich had one defining trait.

When its HP dropped below half, it deployed a barrier around itself. A barrier with monstrously high magic resistance.

It was no exaggeration to say that how quickly you broke the barrier determined your clear speed.

─Boss, Golden Staff Lich's HP is at half. Phase 2 will now begin.

It was finally time for this party's true value to show. An Seri broke into a radiant smile.

"Showtime."

The moment the barrier went up, the two warriors in the rear charged forward.

The barrier, unlike the Lich itself, was weak to physical attacks. Close-range attacks were far more effective than ranged ones. As the two warriors attacked, the barrier began to crack.

CRASH—!

It wasn't long before the barrier shattered, and what remained was the mage's one-sided onslaught.

A single magic DPS might seem lacking in firepower at a glance, but it was more than enough to shave down the Lich's reduced HP.

─Boss, Golden Staff Lich has been defeated. Time: 3 minutes 51 seconds. New record.

"Yes!"

An Seri clenched her fist adorably.

The previous record had been 4 minutes 35 seconds. She'd shaved off a full 44 seconds. On top of that, the party had suffered almost no casualties.

If this had been a test, she was certain she would've scored beyond full marks—extra credit included.

An Seri was sure of her victory.

"Is there really any reason to waste each other's time?"

Go on. Despair. Crumble.

Try denying reality. Throw a fit, insist you can't accept it. That'll only make your defeat more pathetic.

What expression would you make as you swallow this humiliation, after all that posturing?

The eyes of the Cha Eunwoo she faced were—

"Ugh......!"

Utterly serene.

What? He has to know he can't win. How can he look like that? Did he lose his mind?

─Initiating Simulation 2.

While An Seri's mind raced with a thousand thoughts, the simulator ran on indifferently.

Realizing she was the only one worked up in this room, An Seri's expression hardened. The simulator kept running all the while.

Let's see what kind of party he put together to be so relaxed. Probably nothing special.

"Huh? What... what is this supposed to be?"

An Seri's party had been unusual, but Cha Eunwoo's was far more bizarre.

A tank at the front, with all five party members lined up in a single file. And four of the five behind the tank were mages.

Cha Eunwoo's party charged toward the boss in a straight line.

─Allied Tank 1 is in critical condition.

The boss's attacks, which An Seri's party had absorbed with two tanks, were being weathered by a single tank alone. Naturally, it was shredded in no time.

But with four mages, the firepower was overwhelming.

The Lich's HP was carved off in chunks, reduced to a rag in the blink of an eye.

─Boss, Golden Staff Lich's HP is at half. Phase 2 will now begin.

"Hmph, it's over."

That was all it amounted to.

Four mages were useless against a barrier packed with magic resistance. Sure, they could chip away at it all day and eventually break through, but the tank would be dead long before that.

Forget a speed run—she couldn't even guarantee a clear at this point.

"Are you stupid? You knew the barrier was the thing to watch, and you still brought four magic DPS? What were you thinking with this comp?"

"Miss Seri, let me give you a short lecture. What advantage does lining up a party in single file provide?"

Cha Eunwoo's expression was perfectly calm. It grated on her.

"You can protect more DPS with fewer tanks. Like your party right now, Professor."

"And?"

"Hmm... it's good for a rush comp?"

"Correct."

Cha Eunwoo grinned like someone who'd gotten exactly the answer they wanted.

She didn't understand the professor's intent.

A rush? So what? Why would you rush here of all......

"Huh?"

Right—Cha Eunwoo's party had been advancing. Using the tank as a shield, charging straight at the boss.

An Seri looked back at the simulation and was stunned.

Cha Eunwoo's party had already closed to point-blank range with the boss.

"How is that......"

He was going to skip breaking the barrier entirely and attack from inside it?

There was no way such a ridiculous approach would work.

Sure, they could deal damage, but the Golden Staff Lich was a boss that hurt anyone within its range. Even warriors couldn't last long in that death zone—and he was driving mages into it?

─Allied Mage 1 is in critical condition.

─Allied Mage 2 is......

Sure enough, the mages' HP plummeted.

They were only holograms, but as someone with the heart of a commander, she couldn't bear to watch heroes being trampled by a mere monster.

"Stop this! There's no way you can beat me like this. Before the Lich goes down, the heroes will......"

"Watch carefully. Let's see what happens."

An Seri couldn't believe her eyes.

When the mages were on death's door, she'd thought it was over. But the Lich was in the same state. Four mages pouring out desperate attacks had left it with almost no HP.

"Shall I borrow your expression? It's showtime."

Could that even be called a strategy anymore?

It was simply two masses of beasts entangled together, tearing each other apart.

─Allied Mage 3 has been killed.

One mage with particularly low HP went down. The boss's remaining HP: 15%.

─Allied Mage 2 has been killed.

─Allied Mage 4 has been killed.

Shortly after, two mages died simultaneously. The boss's remaining HP: 7%. A small number, but it looked slightly too much for the last mage to handle alone.

─Allied Mage 1 has been killed.

All the mages were finally dead. The boss's remaining HP at that point: a mere 2%.

"Beat it to death."

The lone surviving tank fought on valiantly, smashing the boss with his shield. At an agonizingly slow pace, he scraped away every last bit of remaining HP.

─Boss, Golden Staff Lich has been defeated. Time: 2 minutes 1 second. New record.

Half of An Seri's time. An absurd speed.

The Golden Staff Lich had been cleared without breaking the barrier.

She couldn't accept this result. An Seri screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Is something wrong with your head? What kind of strategy is this?"

"What's the problem?"

"Four died and one is critically injured! By any guild's standards, this is a failure. You know that?"

She simply couldn't comprehend it.

Cha Eunwoo must have known from the start this would happen.

"Do you think boss hunting is some kind of computer game? People's lives are on the line!"

How was this kind of thinking even possible?

It wasn't just putting party members in danger—it was a strategy that treated party member deaths as a given. No commander in the world would plan a strategy this way.

"Wasn't the condition of our match to clear the dungeon as fast as possible? Seems the rules changed without my knowledge."

"Ugh......"

It was an irrefutable argument.

An Seri shut her mouth.

"A deal's a deal. I trust I don't need to separately confirm that you've registered for the course? I'll see you on lecture day."

An Seri stood there and watched Cha Eunwoo's back as he walked away.

What an obnoxious-looking back of the head.