Chapter 49: Survival of the Fittest

The training center, the designated meeting place, was just as dilapidated and rundown as Ruah remembered.

A building untouched by renovation or repair since the days when elementary school students visited in groups back in the 90s or 2000s.

Except for the banner bearing the ‘Nick’s Brothers’ Guild logo, which resembled a stylized lizard, and the cars parked in the field, it was practically a ruin.

“Why did they call us to a place like this?”

“This is just for the briefing.”

Ruah and Juju walked towards the main building together.

Participants and instructors who arrived around the same time passed by, their sharp gazes sweeping over the two.

“Ugh…”

“Don’t be intimidated.”

Juju put her arm around Ruah.

“It’s a battle of nerves.”

“Y-Yes.”

The gazes directed at Juju and Ruah were particularly intense. It was probably because they were participants from Felix Academy.

‘Those are the words I should be saying.’

Ruah steeled herself as they entered the auditorium. She was here as Juju’s instructor. She had to be brave for her student.

“Excuse me. We’ll be confirming the participants.”

A man dressed in black approached them. Ruah handed him her ID and documents, which he checked and returned.

“Welcome, Yoo Juju. And you are… instructor Han Ruah… correct?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Then, Ms. Han Ruah, please wear this.”

The man handed her a thick bracelet. It was hard, as if it contained some electronic device.

“What’s this?”

Juju narrowed her eyes, but the man simply replied,

“All instructors are required to wear it.”

“…Alright.”

Ruah put the bracelet on her left wrist. Juju stared at the bracelet, still suspicious, but she couldn’t find anything unusual about its appearance.

“Your seats are inside. The briefing will begin shortly, so please wait.”

The man stepped aside, and Ruah and Juju entered the auditorium.

The training center’s auditorium was in better condition than the exterior. Comfortable chairs were arranged, each with a nameplate indicating the participant’s name.

A banner hung on the stage at the front, reading <Welcome to the Scholarship Selection Camp>, and soft music played in the background.

The overall atmosphere was meant to be relaxing, but the reality was a little different.

“…”

“…Hmm.”

A dozen or so participants and instructors were already seated, silently scanning the newcomers. The fierce competition seemed to have already begun.

“This is serious.”

“Y-Yes.”

Ruah and Juju, trying to appear confident, walked in with their shoulders back and found their seats.

As Ruah reached for a drink on the chair, hoping to relax—

“—Oh my, fancy meeting you here!”

“?!”

A cheerful voice suddenly called out from behind. Startled, Ruah choked on her drink and spat it back into the bottle.

“Ugh…”

“Right? You’re the school nurse from that time?”

The owner of the voice walked around to the front of Ruah and Juju and greeted them.

“Hello!”

A tall woman with a pretty face and a staff in her hand. Ruah remembered her.

“Uh… you’re the one from…”

“That’s right! I saw you at the Gate incident!”

The mage grabbed Ruah’s hand and shook it.

She was the mage who had been with them in the boss room during the first-year special class Gate excursion. Ruah, Juju, and Himari had formed an impromptu party and defeated the Skeleton Knight.

“Ah, hello.”

Ruah greeted her hesitantly. Even though they had met before, she was uncomfortable around strangers, especially outgoing types like this.

“What a small world, meeting you here! Oh, and this student is the tank from back then?”

“Hello! I’m Yoo Juju! It’s nice to see you again!”

Juju bowed her head politely.

“No, no. I should be thanking you. I escaped thanks to you guys.”

The mage took out a business card and handed one each to Ruah and Juju.

<Leon Academy, Mage Department Instructor>
<Former Olympus Guild Strategy Team 1>
<010-XXXX-XXXX><Shin Hwayeon>

‘Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve learned her name.’

Back then, she had only thought of her as an NPC in the main story, so this was the first time she learned her name.

“Y-Your affiliation has changed.”

“Actually, I got fired from the guild after that incident.”

Shin Hwayeon sighed.

“They gave me so much flak for taking outsiders into a low-rank Gate and causing an incident. So I just quit.”

“I’m sorry, it’s because of us…”

“Don’t worry about it. Elites like me have plenty of options.”

Hwayeon pinched Juju’s cheek playfully and smiled. The casual touch of an extrovert.

“Anyway, I didn’t expect to see you here. What a small world…”

“Yes.”

Ruah wanted to end the awkward conversation, but Hwayeon, seemingly delighted to see them, started chattering about her experiences being ostracized in the guild, asking how Himari, who had defeated the boss, was doing, and encouraging them to do their best in the camp.

Although Juju responded, she seemed slightly uncomfortable.

Fortunately, the auditorium lights dimmed, naturally bringing Hwayeon’s monologue to an end.

“Oh, looks like it’s starting. See you later.”

She waved and returned to her seat. Ruah and Juju exchanged relieved sighs and sat down.

—Click.

The auditorium lights, which had been gradually dimming, went completely dark.

“…”

A tense silence filled the air, but soon, the lights on the stage turned on.

Someone was standing in the center of the stage.

A woman with impressive muscles that would make a bodybuilder envious. She was missing her left arm, which had been replaced with a large prosthetic made of steel.

“…Ah!”

Juju gasped softly beside Ruah.

It was clear who this person was. Hunter Kim Jiyeon, the ‘Iron Empress.’ The Guild Master of ‘Nick’s Brothers’ and the head of the selection committee for this camp.

“Welcome to all the participants.”

A powerful voice boomed through the speakers, and applause erupted naturally from the audience.

“I am Kim Jiyeon, Guild Master of ‘Nick’s Brothers’.”

Ruah glanced at Juju. She was listening intently to Hunter Kim Jiyeon, her hands clasped together as if listening to a divine decree.

‘So Kim Jiyeon was the Hunter who saved Juju.’

Juju had told her about her past. When she was young, she was caught in a Gate incident, and the Hunters reached the place where she was hiding. One of them even lost an arm.

Despite the desperate situation, the Hunter, who had lost an arm, had uttered the words, “Children should rely on adults,” before defeating the boss and saving Juju.

If that Hunter who lost an arm was the Iron Empress, Kim Jiyeon, then everything made sense.

“Before we begin the camp, I’ll give you a brief explanation of our ‘Nick’s Brothers’ Guild.”

Kim Jiyeon began to explain in her clear voice.

“Our guild’s origins go back ten years, to the time when I lost my arm in battle.”

A photo of Kim Jiyeon smiling brightly appeared on the screen. Ten years ago, both her arms were intact.

“I was fighting as a Hunter when I lost my left arm in a battle against a monster during a Gate raid. My career as a Hunter was practically over.”

Newspaper clippings appeared on the screen. Headlines such as ‘Hunter Kim Jiyeon Critically Injured’ were prominent. It was probably the same incident where she saved Juju.

“I was lost. Contemplating extreme measures, I somehow ended up drifting to an island in the South Sea.”

Everyone listened intently as the Guild Master shared her past.

“I had an epiphany on the island and decided to stand up again. I got a prosthetic arm and trained relentlessly until I could fight monsters again.”

—Ta-da!

With a sound effect, a photo of Kim Jiyeon after her successful comeback appeared.

“But I thought to myself, there must be many other injured Hunters like me. How wonderful would it be if they could also stand up again like I did! So I gathered comrades who shared my vision and formed a guild. That is ‘Nick’s Brothers’!”

—Clank!

Kim Jiyeon raised her prosthetic arm. With a metallic sound, it transformed into a combat form. Sharp spikes and blades protruded from it, drawing applause from the audience.

“It’s been ten years, but I always try to remember . We spare no effort in providing medical and technical support to injured Hunters so they can return to the battlefield. We strive to enable them to fight for people again, to drive away monsters again.”

Looking around, Ruah saw that all the guild members seemed to have prosthetic limbs or parts of their bodies replaced with machinery.

“But the most important thing is the Academy students who will become Hunters in the future—in other words, you.”

Hunter Kim Jiyeon pointed to the audience with her prosthetic arm, which had returned to its original form.

“So, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of our ‘Nick’s Brothers’ Guild, we have prepared the first Scholarship Selection Camp to support the tuition fees of an outstanding student.”

‘Here comes the main part.’

Ruah stifled a yawn and clapped along with the others.

“Now then—”

Kim Jiyeon pressed a button on a remote control.

—Thump!

With a sound effect, a screen with the words <Selection Camp Schedule> written in black on a white background appeared. The audience shifted in their seats, their attention focused on the words.

“This camp will last for two nights and three days. After this orientation, the participants will have a final check and then move to the main stage for the test.”

“Main stage? It seems like we’re going somewhere else.”

Juju whispered.

“It’s here.”

The screen changed.

A lush green landscape filled the large screen. It was an aerial view of a round island.

“The camp will be held on ‘Inryong Island,’ the place where I had my epiphany and the private property of our guild. It’s a completely uninhabited island, a place where nature is perfectly preserved.”

A participant raised their hand.

“What kind of program will be held? Will there be interviews or leadership activities?”

“There’s only one program on Inryong Island.”

A sharp smile appeared on Kim Jiyeon’s lips.

“Survive until only one remains.”