Chương 98: THE FINAL EVALUATION (1)

Jimin soon arrived at the school. The moment he stepped into the training hall, he found the students already fully geared up like him, chatting and laughing among themselves. The usual lively atmosphere filled the hall, but beneath the excitement lingered an unmistakable layer of nervous anticipation. He quickly spotted his party and joined them, catching up as they discussed their preparations for the evaluation. After a while- A sharp whistle pierced through the hall.

The chatter vanished almost instantly as the students hurried into formation. Standing before them was Instructor Ryu Seong-ho. His posture remained as rigid as ever, his expression unusually stern. Agh... I really should've controlled myself yesterday. My head feels like it's about to burst.

"The instructor looks even more serious today," Yu-jun whispered from beside Jimin. A few nearby students nodded in tense agreement. While, Jimin and Yuna simply stared ahead with deadpan expressions. You guys should've seen him yesterday. Jimin had to suppress a grin. Watching Seong-ho desperately maintain the image of a strict, dignified instructor while clearly fighting a brutal hangover was oddly entertaining. Suddenly-"Ahem," Seong-ho cleared his throat, the sharp sound echoing throughout the silent hall.

"Good morning, students," he began, his voice slightly gravelly but no less authoritative.

"Today marks your final evaluation." His gaze slowly swept across the rows of young faces before him.

"For the past three months, I have watched each of you push your bodies and minds to their absolute limits inside this very hall. You've bled, you've healed, and you've grown stronger… Regardless of whether you pass or fail today... This will be your final class with me." The students straightened, the room falling silent.

"Now, let's move on to your evaluation method," Seong-ho continued.

"It's simple… There's no time limit this time. Each party will enter the Temporary Rift assigned to them. Your objective is straightforward… Navigate the Rift, eliminate the boss monster, collect its mana core along with any remaining loot, and exit safely. Nothing more. Nothing less." Seong-ho adjusted his posture, wanting to wrap things up before his headache worsened.

"Your assigned Rifts have already been determined. Minibuses are waiting outside to transport each team to its designated location. You'll be departing in exactly twenty minutes." He glanced around one final time.

"Use that time to prepare yourselves… That's all." Without another word, Seong-ho turned on his heel and strode out of the training hall. I need a quiet room and some painkillers. The moment the doors shut behind him, the hall erupted into conversations once again. Students immediately gathered with their respective parties, discussing strategies and making last-minute checks.

Jimin's team formed a tight circle near the edge of the hall.

"Alright, everyone," Yu-jun began.

"Since there's no time limit, we don't need to rush anything. We'll just do what we've been doing all this time." He looked around at each member.

"Understood," Yuna, Min-su, and Hye-jin answered in unison. Min-ji nodded quietly, instinctively tightening her grip on the staff. Dong-hyun remained silent, giving only a stiff nod. But Gun-woo had something to say.

"But isn't that what we usually do…" he said.

"Rush." His remark annoyed Yu-jun.

"Oh, just shut up, Gun-woo," he retorted.

"Did I say anything wrong?" Gun-woo whispered to Yuna. Yuna just gave a disappointed nod, letting out a sigh. Yu-jun then turned his gaze directly toward Jimin, his expression turning firm.

"And Jimin... This time it's the official final evaluation. So, you need to stick with the party. No going solo, alright?" Jimin winced slightly, caught off guard by the callout. Ah, that was the plan this time. He scratched the back of his neck as a wave of awkwardness washed over him.

"Right, yeah. Got it," Jimin replied aloud with an awkward smile.

"I'll stick to the party formation."

"Good," Yu-jun nodded, satisfied. Jimin let out a big sigh. We've trained three months for this. We're ready.

"Our van should be waiting," Jimin said, quickly changing the subject.

"Let's move out."

The group left the hall and stepped out into the crisp morning air. The school campus buzzed with nervous excitement as teams made their way toward the waiting minibuses. As they approached the parking lot, Jimin spotted a familiar figure leaning casually against the school gate, drawing curious glances from nearly everyone who passed by. It was none other than Hyun-woo.

"Hey! You actually made it," Jimin called out with a grin as he walked over.

"Told you I'd drop by," Hyun-woo replied, pushing himself off the gate with an easy smile. The rest of the party immediately recognized him. Yu-jun, Gun-woo and Min-ji had attended the same school as Hyun-woo, though they had never been particularly close. The others were meeting him for the first time. But every single one of them already knew exactly who he was. Whether from Jimin and Yuna's stories... or from the incredible performance he'd put on during the entrance exam.

An excited murmur rippled through the group.

"Wow... It's really him," Hye-jin whispered, her eyes widening. Gun-woo practically shoved his way to the front, throwing both hands into the air.

"Congratulations!" he exclaimed.

"Your duel was absolutely insane!" The rest of the team crowded around, eagerly adding their own congratulations and praises. Hyun-woo accepted the sudden wave of attention with a humble smile, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Thanks, everyone. I appreciate it." If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Sensing the perfect opportunity, Yu-jun stepped forward. Unlike the others, his expression wasn't filled with excitement, but with respect.

"If you don't mind me asking..." he began, "do you have any advice for us? Anything we should keep in mind before entering our Rift?" The party instantly fell silent. Hyun-woo thought for a brief moment before speaking.

"There's not much to say. You guys already know the drill. It's not that different from a Field Rift… Just more compact." Everyone listened with utmost attention. But their gaze pressured him to say something more, something cool.

"I would say be aggressive..." Hyun-woo continued, "But be aggressive with caution. If you trust each other and fight like a proper team… You'll walk out with that monster core." Everyone gave a firm nod, "Understood."

"Thanks," said Yu-jun. The others quickly echoed him.

"Don't sweat it," Hyun-woo waved it off casually.

"Good luck out there, everyone. Now go earn those licenses."

"We will!" Yuna declared, puffing out her chest with renewed confidence. The tension weighing on the party noticeably eased. Soon, their departure time arrived. The group located their assigned minibus parked near the school entrance and climbed aboard one after another. Jimin was the last to step inside. Before entering, he glanced back one final time. Hyun-woo simply smiled and gave him a small nod. And Jimin returned it. No words were needed. The sliding door shut. The engine rumbled to life.

Moments later, the minibus rolled through the school gates, while Hyun-woo simply witnessed their departure. As the minibus vanished from his sight, he stretched his arms and back. I've a whole day off. Maybe, I'll just move around a bit and get some ice-cream. With that, Hyun-woo strolled out of the school gate to enjoy his little holiday. While Jimin and his party awaited their arrival, as the minibus carried them toward the Temporary Rift that would open the path to their journey as professional Rifters.

Around then- Far to the north, near South Korea's border with North Korea, in Paju- The atmosphere inside the underground control room was suffocating. The air smelled faintly of stale coffee and cold sweat. Rows upon rows of tactical monitors bathed the operators' tense faces in a blue glow. Suddenly- BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! A sharp red warning light began flashing across the central monitor. Every head snapped toward it. The lieutenant's throat tightened.

He quickly pressed the button on his communication device to contact the commander's private line.

"Commander, this is Watch-Post One! Actual, code red!" the lieutenant barked into his headset, his voice cracking slightly. Commander Park, who was reviewing documents on the other side of the facility, picked up his receiver, his eyes locking onto the broadcast screen.

"Report, Lieutenant. What are we looking at?" The lieutenant rapidly pulled up the live readings from the radar, his fingers trembling slightly.

"We've detected irregular mana signatures, sir." Several enormous energy signatures blinked into existence on the display. Then more. And more. His face slowly turned pale.

"Multiple massive mana readings are converging twelve kilometers ahead. Sir…" He swallowed.

"It's a monster wave." The commander froze, stunned by the words. A monster wave? That's impossible. There hasn't been one in nearly a decade. Following 'The Great Apocalypse', North Korea had fallen into complete ruin. Since then, the uncleared Rifts resulted in constant Rift outbreaks, turning the entire northern territory into a permanent Danger Zone.

In the past, those unchecked monsters used to turn into a wave of migrating monsters, invading neighbouring countries until the South Korean military strengthened and expanded their cleanup operations. That's why it was so shocking. A suffocating sense of unease settled over Commander Park. It makes no sense. The military clean-up happened just last week. How did an army of this scale form overnight? He looked at the sheer volume of targets blinking on the screen.

"Establish an emergency channel immediately," Commander Park ordered immediately, his voice tight.

"Get me a direct secure line to the Association. Contact the top rankers, their guilds and all local guilds. Call for reinforcements. I want full mobilization. Now!"

"Yes, sir!" the Lieutenant complied instantly. The control room exploded into motion as operators scrambled between terminals, Commander Park stared at the screen, his hands gripping the edge of the table. A deep, unsettling dread gripped his chest. What on earth is happening to this country?

The party's minibus rolled to a stop beside an abandoned warehouse district. One by one, they stepped outside. Jimin lifted his gaze toward the Rift Gate pulsing with erratic bluish mana in the middle of the empty lot.

"Welcome, Party Four," their assigned supervisor said, glancing down at his clipboard before giving them a professional nod.

"I'll be stationed outside monitoring the situation. Good luck." The entire party nodded. Yu-jun stepped forward first, raising a fist.

"Let's show them what a perfect run looks like."

"Yeah!" Min-su pumped his spear into the air.

"Let's ace this evaluation and finally earn our licenses!"

"We've got this," Hye-jin said with a confident smile. Even Min-ji smiled brightly.

"I'm ready whenever you guys are." A smile naturally formed on Jimin's face as he looked around at his partymates. Everyone is in top shape today. Three months of non-stop grinding. It's finally time to show the results. Without another word, the party completed their registration before stepping through the shimmering Rift Gate.

On the other side- The party emerged out of the gate, finding themselves standing under a dense, foggy, gloomy forest canopy. The air was thick with the smell of damp earth, decaying moss, and a distinct, sharp stench that made them twitch. Every member of the party felt an instant, overwhelming familiarity, recognizing it on the spot. Yu-jun raised his shield with a grin.

"We got goblins." The atmosphere instantly relaxed. The nervousness that had been lingering moments earlier melted away into confidence. Jimin, however, couldn't help but let out a quiet sigh. It's honestly getting a little boring. Feels like I've been fighting goblins forever. At this rate... I might actually become a Goblin Slayer. A grin spread across his face. Well... at least it makes today's evaluation a whole lot easier.

With a subtle flick of his wrist, Jimin summoned three of his usual daggers, keeping the fourth one hidden away in his inventory for now. And commanded Mimi to activate combat mode. Just like that, his preparation was complete. The party advanced deeper into the forest, naturally falling into their usual formation. Yu-jun and Min-su led the front. Gun-woo followed closely behind them. Jimin and Hye-jin secured the middle flanks. While Yuna, Min-ji, and Dong-hyun covered the rear. The forest remained eerily quiet.

Soon- The party encountered a group of five goblins, of which Hye-jin had already alerted from far. The goblins shrieked, as they lunged from the bushes. Jimin had already decided to let his party members play their part. So, he didn't take the initiative on the spot. Yu-jun and Min-su blocked the frontal charge of the goblins. Jimin intensified his telekinesis over his daggers. This much is enough. They don't need to waste resources on small fry.

His three daggers instantly shot forward, dancing through the air with terrifying precision. Within a second, the blades cleanly pierced through the goblins' necks before the creatures could even finish their battle cry, their dead bodies crashing into the dirt. Silence returned to the forest. Jimin cracked his fingers. Smooth and quick. Yu-jun slowly lowered his shield.

"Can you at least leave us one?" Min-su complained.

"Every single time..." Gun-woo muttered with a helpless chuckle. Jimin simply shrugged.

"My bad." Right then-"You have killed five goblins," Mimi notified. Notification windows popped up as usual. Jimin was about to dismiss those, but as his gaze fell on the text, his breath hitched. Because, that's when he noticed something unusual.

【An E-Rank 'Goblin' has been killed】 Reward: +33 LP Total LP: 774 The value shocked Jimin. Thirty three LP? Which means the base LP is… Thirty! His mind raced. Isn't the base usually twenty per goblin- In that instance, a memory suddenly resurfaced in Jimin's mind. A memory regarding the value 'Thirty'. His eyes widened instantly, his heart skipping a beat. The Rift Outbreak…