Arena

Chapter 11 To the Arena Again (Part 1)

As the time of the second exam gets shorter, it feels as if my heart is clenching and I can feel the anxiety. However, my heart is stronger than the first day. It is due to the result of my training.

On the first day of training, spirit summoning, and shooting training, I gained the best method by using Sylph in the shooting. Just have Sylph be in charge of the aiming.

The wind spirit, Sylph, knows how to aim the gun and perfectly hit the target.

And so the moment I pull the trigger, Sylph will be responsible for the tiny adjustments by moving the barrel.

100 out of 100!

In extreme terms, with Sylph’s help, I can shoot better than a special ops veteran army sniper.

I mean, no matter how I shoot, it shoots as if I’ve done all the tiny adjustments already.

‘It was really good that I picked the spirit summon as the main skill.’

I feel secure in my decision that was easy to make to begin with. You can only select one main skill and you cannot change it.

The main skill, which I have chosen but once, will, in the future, be in all my exams. Thus determining my fighting style and be the most important aspect to it all.

First of all, I think that I have at least buttoned my first button well. But I cannot be so optimistic. My method of having chosen the gun as my weapon leaves my close combat weak.

When a red ape like creature is in front of my face with a stone hatchet, attacking me, how will I have the time to load a gun and shoot?

‘The best thing is to just not be in close combat range at all.’

I must act stealthily and not get caught by the enemy. But will that be possible? Let’s think back on the first exam.

Location was a forest. The enemy was the red ape that resides there. It was a bastard that was no different than a wild animal that was very familiar with the forest.

To avoid that kind of creature catching onto me whilst I secretly roam about is impossible. Like the first exam, the enemy will probably discover me first and wait for the opportunity to attack.

‘If I knew this would happen, I would’ve become a navy seal instead*. Who would’ve thought I’d ever be in this position?’

(TN: Literally says ‘sea army’ so I assume it’s the navy.)

The skills that I had collected in the 2 years of being in the rear troops are of no use to me now.

‘There’s no other way. I have to use Sylph very carefully.’

I summon Sylph and ask.

“Sylph. Listen carefully.”

-Meow?

Sylph tilted her face up at me as if to concentrate better on my words.

Aww you cute thing!

“Let’s pretend that you are sitting up on my shoulders.”

-Meow

Sylph actually jumps delicately onto my right shoulder.

Feeling her tail swoosh and wrap around my neck I say.

“And then, from somewhere, a bad bastard creeps up in order to kill me. Before he gets to me, are you able to tell that he is getting closer?”

-Meow!

Sylph nods her head up and down.

“How close does it have to get for you to be able to tell?”

Sylph jumps off my shoulder and spins around like lightning.

Sylph’s afterimage draws out the number 200.

“200 meters? You can tell where all the approaching enemies are within 200 meters?”

Impressive. If Sylph had been there for the first exam, would the red ape have been found out right away?

“Alright then, how about this? We have come into a very dangerous zone, and in order to discern what is around me, I send you out to scout. How much area could you scout?”

This time Sylph draws out 900.

“900 meters? You can be 900 meters away from me?”

-Meow

Sylph nods her face.

“So you’re saying you can’t be more than 900 meters away from me?”

-Meow

“Ok. If my spirit summon level increases, then it’s possible to increase this distance?”

-Meow

Nod nod.

After that, Sylph and I chatted and experimented this and that and learned a great deal about spirit summons.

First. Even if I send out Sylph to scout, the summon time does not decrease. Scouting does not use much strength.

Secondly, however, the further Sylph gets from me, the weaker her powers are. And the closer she is to me, the stronger her powers become.

Thirdly. After using up all the time, in 10 hours, the time completely refills. Sylph’s summon time is 2 hours. What this means is that every 5 minutes, 1 minute will recover.

We experimented in real life. After using up all the summon time, 5 minutes later I call on Sylph again.

Sylph was summoned for 1 minute, and disappeared once more.

‘Ok. The most important probably has been deciphered.’

Inspecting. Scouting. Shooting. I am relying on Sylph a lot.

North, South, East, West. Sylph even will tell me what direction I am facing.

And so the 2 hour summon time is a detrimental weakness to me, but there is a way to recover the summoning time. I will just call on Sylph only when I need her. There is no choice but to in a fight. But in other instances, I just have to call on her once every 5 minutes. She will leave after 60 seconds, then be re-summoned in 5 minutes. I have to be with Sylph in order not to be attacked and that is how this idea was born.

If I am attacked in the 5 minutes where Sylph is not summoned, the situation gets complicated, but that chances of that are not high.

In the 60 seconds she is summoned, I will have her scout as well.

And so, after thinking of many different scenarios, I prepare myself for the 2nd exam. Every morning, I go on the hike and do pushups.

And even this exercise, after 5 days, was not as hard as it was on the 1st day. I think that even in a short time, consistency really pays off.

However, all of my diligent preparation was met with a big barrier. That barrier is...

“SON~!”

Mom abruptly comes into my room. In my complete surprise, I close the laptop where I had been taking notes on this and that regarding the exam.

“Uh. Hey mom?”

“Oh son, what are you quickly covering up?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

And then mom let out an all knowing sigh.

“Son son you are not in your adolescence anymore and you are almost 30...”

“What a misconception! Mom, this isn’t the situation that you think it is...!”

“I know I know. I’m sorry I came in without knocking son.”

“Agh you know what...never mind. Anyway, what are you doing not at work yet?”

“Son should come with me to work.”

“Why would I go to the store? You have dementia already?”

“Oh son, what pretty words.”

I shamelessly shrug it off. But I feel that what is finally expected to come is coming to pass.

The son who spent years studying for the civil exam and is now almost 30, has given up and returned home, is sitting around doing nothing. Mom is anxious, day by day, to drag me into the world of fried chicken.

However, the rest period left for me is only 5 days. I do not want what could possibly be the last 5 days of my life to be spent frying chicken.

“Mom knows you haven’t been back for that long, so I want to let you rest for a while. But ajumma Ye-rim* says she’s sick and can’t come to work today.”

(TN: Ajumma is a respectful term for a middle aged woman.)

Ugh. She’s cornering me into a situation with no escape! Think about it. A way to slip out of this situation...

At that moment, a light bulb goes off in my head.

“Mom, the lady that works with you starting this year is supposed to work 4 days a week and the other days, weren’t you going to hire a part time worker? I thought I heard that the lady wanted to shrink her hours because she’s 60 this year.”

“Oh. Oh my. You remember that son?”

Mom is flustered.

“Of course I remember. You heard the rate for part time hiring at the store is 6000 won (roughly $6 USD) and lamented to me how that was better than what I was making!”

“You should’ve studied with that kind of memory.”

My thoughts exactly.

Like the bbundegi bastard angel said, now that my life is in danger, my head spins round and round.

“Anyway, starting next month, I’ll go out to the store and work too. Let it slide for now? At least while I’m home, I do the cleaning and the laundry.”

“That’s true. Since you’ve been home, the house has been clean. I don’t even see any hair in the bathroom strainer.”

“You see? I (Sylph) clean so well.”

“Alright. I’ll let it slide. But starting next month, if you don’t work, you don’t get an allowance. Ok son?”

“Yes ma’am.”

Mom leaves for work and I let out a deep sigh.

I have lots to do in preparation for my exam.