The Villain is Too Good at Sniping

14. Entrance (4)

“I, I didn’t know you were here! If I had known, I would’ve just left……”

The girl with a crimson hair color in front of me.

Originally, I shouldn’t have met her. I don’t know why this guy, who should be with the main character, is here.

I deliberately avoided eye contact. I was particularly careful not to run into other students.

So, my encounter with ‘Airy’ was unexpected. The fact that I didn’t notice her approach until she got close was even more surprising.

However, that question was resolved when I saw Airy’s shoes.

The shoes Airy took off were artifacts similar to those used by the assassins of Esperanza, made to leave no footprints and aid in stealth.

It was probably thanks to these shoes that she could approach without being detected. In the original story, the main character was also surprised when they saw Airy.

“I, I’m not a high rank, so even if you catch me, you won’t get much!”

“…….”

I hesitated for a moment, facing Airy. The biggest problem was that Airy was in front of me.

Airy De Sugamon.

The main character’s reliable ally and someone who was originally supposed to meet the main character during this entrance exam.

In the original story, after the main character treated Airy’s injuries, the two of them moved together as a team.

Originally, Airy was supposed to be with the main character.

It was a moment when the flow of the original story I knew was derailed. I had expected it, but it was faster than I thought.

“So! Just once! Please pretend you didn’t see me!”

Airy was begging with all her might.

But she didn’t know. I couldn’t shoot Airy. I didn’t think about it, and I didn’t need to.

“…Are you hurt?”

On the contrary, it was the opposite. It would be good to create some debt at this opportunity.

I spun my Glock and put it back in its holster. Then, I lightly raised both hands. It was a gesture indicating I wouldn’t harm her.

Only then did Airy relax her guard. Her voice, trembling with fear, came to my ears.

“…Won’t you hurt me?”

“At least not now.”

“Now, then… does that mean you’ll hurt me later?”

“There’s a misunderstanding. I’ll correct it.”

I tried to help Airy up, but I awkwardly withdrew my hand.

Her bruised ankle was swollen. Airy was currently unable to stand up.

“Let’s combine our strength until the last three are left, and then we’ll have a fair fight. What do you think?”

“Two people, not three?”

“Yes, three.”

Airi tilted her head in puzzlement.

From a listener’s perspective, it’s indeed strange. Usually, in situations like this, the last two people form an alliance, which is the norm.

But this time, there are three of us. Me, Airi, and the protagonist of the original story.

There’s no need for the protagonist of the original story and Airi to work together. Since Airi’s help is only needed at the last moment, it’s enough to just team up until then.

Or, I could help instead.

I crouched down.

“It’s going to hurt a bit, so bear with it.”

“What?”

I took out a bandage from the pouch on my waist. It was a pressure bandage used in ESP training.

With its anesthetic and anti-inflammatory properties, it’s enough to treat minor injuries.

The problem is that the pressure effect is stronger than expected.

“Ahh…!”

“Shh.”

I quickly covered Airi’s mouth with a handkerchief, preventing her from screaming, and wrapped the bandage around her ankle.

The bandage stuck tightly to her ankle.

Although the bracelet can absorb shock, it can’t completely block all damage. Small injuries like ankle sprains can go undetected by the bracelet.

There must be students who take advantage of such weaknesses, and it seems Airi was a victim of one of them.

“Mmm… mmh…”

Airi nodded, still biting on the handkerchief. After receiving the signal that she was okay, I removed the handkerchief. Airi let out a sigh of relief.

“Wow!”

Airi looked at the bandage wrapped around her ankle in amazement.

“…It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“That’s because it’s a specially made bandage.”

“Is there such a thing? I’ve never seen it before.”

“It exists, but it’s a bit pricey, so it’s a problem. We’ll just have to make do with it for now. I’ll pay you back later.”

“Uh…”

“Just kidding.”

At least during this entrance exam, we can manage with the bandage. But just in case, we should get a proper examination after the test is over.

“Let’s form an alliance until the last three are left, right?”

“Yes, three. Ah, right.”

Airi struggled to get up, but fortunately, I didn’t need to support her.

“I’ll accept your alliance proposal. Until the last three are left.”

I nodded instead of responding. Just as I was about to turn around, Airi pouted.

“So, when there are only three of us left……”

“What then……”

“……”

“That’s something we’ll find out when the time comes, and for now, we have an alliance.”

Iri’s eyes still held unease, but she nodded anyway.

“That’s right, isn’t it?”

She forced a awkward smile, her face still lovely.

.

.

.

After that, she took down the students who crossed her path. Of course, it wasn’t a fair fight.

“Rock! Behind the rock! Catch the one with the knife first!”

“Where is it? Is it here?!”

“This guy!”

Sometimes, it was a mess.

“I have three bracelets, how about you?”

“I have two. Then it’s my turn next. I confirmed there were three people below earlier.”

“What’s flying over? What’s this?”

“Crazy, get down!”

Quaang-!

Sometimes, it was a complete rout.

Even so, the remaining students were handled by Iri. I divided the points with Iri, scoring big.

The entrance exam was already in its mid-to-late stages.

Those who had been randomly targeted also caught on to my existence. Unbelievably, an alliance was formed to take me down without me noticing.

“Listen up. Let’s start by catching that guy first.”

“Can we catch him? All we heard was gunfire.”

“We can catch him. We have eight people.”

“Oh, it looks like a four-to-one fight, but eight people can’t win unless it’s not a rifle.”

…But there were more people than I thought. Iri whispered in my ear.

“Shion, is this okay?”

“No, it looks a bit dangerous.”

“Shouldn’t we just turn back?”

“No, we can’t move now. We’ll get caught. Stay still.”

Iri and I, wearing our Gillie suits, lay flat on the roadside. In front of us, eight or so students were passing by in a group.

“We don’t need to fight them.”

“What?”

“This was originally a solo test. Only one person will be left in the end.”

“What…?”

Solo fight. The final winner is one person.

That means…

“Just a minute! What’s this?”

“Is it a bomb?”

“It looks like a bomb, but it hasn’t exploded yet.”

I had just thrown a smoke bomb. The situation that unfolded afterwards was, indeed, hellish.

“Ah-!

“This guy! What are you doing now! Ahh!”

“It’s a team effort! We’ll catch them until the end, it’s an alliance!”

“X- hell! I don’t know! Let’s all go in!”

In the midst of the thick, white fog that spread everywhere, betrayal and desire were present at that place.

A sniper whose location was unknown.

On the other hand, there was a tantalizing student’s backside in front of me.

It was a situation where it wouldn’t be strange even if someone took the first shot.

Everything was perfect. Human patience was indeed fleeting.

“Ugh…….”

Airi had a disgusted face, but there was no choice but to do this. In this situation, 8 vs 2 was impossible, so this was the best option.

The only problem was that entering the smoke bomb was dangerous, so I turned around with Airi. Instead, I threw a stun grenade.

Boom-!

Sion Iraeonhart: 2 points acquired

Sion Iraeonhart: 1 point acquired

Sion Iraeonhart: …….

The watch’s vibration didn’t stop. A total of five kill notifications came up.

It was a sloppy score hunt.

***

Daveon Mountain, where the entrance exam was taking place.

This place, divided into 64 sections, was comparable in size to the entire area of Seoul City.

Some areas had demons living in them, such as plains or caves scattered around.

If you hid in a cave until the end, you might become the demon’s prey.

Of course, since I was wearing a bracelet, I would be instantly summoned back if they bit me.

“Where are we going, Sion?”

“I won’t tell you. Just follow me carefully.”

“But…….”

“We’ll go around the back of the mountain. You can see it on the map.”

Airi followed me, tilting her head in confusion. She asked where we were going, but in reality, even if I told her, she wouldn’t understand.

If I said I was going to find a hidden piece, would she understand?

“Okay, we’re here. This is what I was looking for.”

“…This tree?”

In front of us stood a gigantic apple tree.

Two adult men would have to stretch their arms to their limits to barely hug its massive trunk.

I brought Airi here for this reason. Originally, I would have had to put in the effort to climb this tree, but now Airi was here.

Airi, ‘Airi De Sugamon’, had strength three times greater than mine.

Before starting the real work, I carefully examined the tree. There were faint signs of someone climbing it.

A faint handprint visible through the [Thousand-Mile Eye] characteristic. Someone’s fingerprint remained.

…They had already been here.

The main character had already come and gone. I was following the original storyline, but it seemed I was one step behind.

So, it might be a blessing in disguise. The protagonist was moving according to plan.

My worries had decreased a bit.

Since the entrance exam was essentially a tutorial phase, the hidden pieces were also laid out honestly.

In this state, I would naturally gather the other hidden pieces on this mountain. I just needed to follow the remaining byproducts.

“From now on, I’ll cut down this tree.”

“This tree? How?”

“With a sword. You can do it, can’t you?”

“Uh, um…….”

It was a sudden remark, but Airi summoned her weapon. A magnificently decorated sword appeared in Airi’s hand.

“Will cutting down the tree work?”

“The ones rushing in will be handled by me, so just focus on cutting down the tree.”

“Got it.”

Airi began to strike the tree with her sword.

Cutting down a tree with a sword was a foolish idea, but it wasn’t impossible. Airi’s sword wasn’t a low-grade product that would be dulled by a tree like this.

It wasn’t possible to knock down the tree with a handgun. That’s why Airi was necessary.

The reason I had to knock down the tree was to prevent other variables from emerging, like someone else eating it. If the villain were to eat it, it would be a headache.

“Hua…….”

“Just focus on cutting down the tree.”

“Yes.”

I wiped away the sweat dripping down her face.

The base of the tree was being cut away like an apple being sliced. To be precise, it wasn’t being sliced, but rather “shattered” into pieces.

“…It’s hard.”

Even if I couldn’t do it, the moment I struck it dozens of times.

Ujiik- kkiik-

Finally, the tree began to lean.

“Be careful! It’s going to fall that way!”

“Got it.”

The sight of the towering tree leaning over was quite impressive, but its massive size also made it a bit intimidating.

Kudatang!

Jirlik- jirlik!

The tree crashed down, and a gust of wind swept through the area. The startled birds flying away were an added bonus. Soon, the other students would hear the commotion and rush over.

I rummaged through the fallen tree trunk.

The shockingly beautiful, golden apple cores were shattered from the impact. Of course, I hadn’t cut down the tree to obtain these.

Airi was worried that the enemy might be approaching soon.

“…Found it.”

“……!”

A golden glow sparkled from within the dense foliage.

It was as if it was being protected, covered in thorns.

I cut away the thorns with a dagger and reached in to pull it out.