Just to be sure, I checked again—and sure enough, my hunch was right.
What the hell, is this because the notebook goes into my inventory?
If it's invisible, then chances are this counts as a unique item of mine.
My head was getting tangled with thoughts when—
Clink.
The examiner in front shook the small bell in his hand.
"Please put everything on your desk into the bag. Your pencil case too. We'll provide mechanical pencils."
Of course, even in the Polygon exam, there are supervisors.
But as expected, he didn't even glance my way.
'Don't tell me this thing is really invisible?'
Normally, I should've bagged the "Baek Kang-hyun's Notebook." But for confirmation, I left it sitting on the desk.
The notebook sat there all alone.
Yet the examiner passed right by as if nothing was there.
And that wasn't even the end of it.
[Would you like to activate the Notebook in Always-On Mode? (YES/NO).]
A short message window suddenly appeared.
So my notebook actually had an "Always-On Mode."
The method was simple—just focus on it, like bringing up a status window.
'How the hell did I not notice this until now?'
If I'd paid just a little more attention, I could've found it. But rote memorization had become second nature to me, so I never thought twice.
Still, better late than never.
The notebook content appeared before my eyes—transformed into neatly organized slides. Even my little side notes were stuck on like speech bubbles.
'This is insane.'
The truth is, even if others couldn't see the notebook, there was always the risk I'd get caught.
And this was an exam hall for awakened candidates.
If I kept glancing at a physical notebook, the examiner would definitely notice—those guys are hawks when it comes to shifty eyes.
But with Always-On Mode…
'It follows my line of sight?'
That problem disappeared neatly.
It was like wearing some kind of special lens.
Of course, the physical notebook had vanished—naturally, since it was now inside my lens-view.
With this setup, there was no way I'd get caught.
"Just to remind you, there's a mana detector in place. Do not attempt to cheat."
Naturally, Polygon exams had airtight security.
But even then—
"This one's clear."
Sure enough, my "Baek Kang-hyun Notebook Lens" passed with ease!
A man with a mana detector followed behind the examiner and walked past me. I worried for a second—but nope, no issues.
With this lens, I didn't even need to roll my eyes around. I could look directly at the exam sheet, and the answers would pop right up.
And the notebook lens…
'The pages flip with just a thought?'
I could flip forward or backward at will. I could even search.
Absolutely perfect.
Soon, exam sheets and answer sheets were being passed forward. Along with them came the Polygon-provided mechanical pencils.
When mine arrived, I loosened my wrist, then picked up the pencil.
'Alright, let's do this.'
Preparations were complete.
This was the start of my Polygon exam.
I blew warm air into my hands as I walked out of Gwangwoon University Station.
I'd been taking the last train home and the first train out every day—but today, I overslept.
"Damn, it's freezing."
It had already been a week since the first round of the Polygon exam.
As expected, the test questions were exactly what I'd predicted.
And with the notebook lens—the answer sheet itself—there was nothing to worry about. A perfect score was guaranteed.
Passing was a given; now I just had to wait for the announcement.
'As long as I have this notebook, school life will be a breeze.'
Since the questions matched completely, once I got into Polygon, I'd ace every test after this too.
I'd already solved every past exam, year after year. Even without the notebook, I could've scored decently.
'But seriously, why the hell isn't Jung Hoon leaving his house?'
Today marked the sixth day straight.
I had only one reason for being here—
To complete Jung Hoon's "Opportunity" mission before the practical exam.
But the guy hadn't left his house once.
I'd come here so often, I even memorized the shortcuts.
'This is definitely his house, though.'
I sat on a bench in front of an apartment villa.
According to my notebook, Jung Hoon lived here. I'd checked his address before, and it hadn't changed.
He wasn't the type to let go once he grew attached. That applied to his home too.
Even ten years later, when he became Korea's representative tanker, "Iron Wall Jung Hoon," he still lived at this very station.
A frugal but steadfast man—that was him.
'But I can't just barge in, can I?'
We were only acquaintances at best.
Even if I knew where he lived, storming into his home was out of the question.
If I hadn't had the experience of staking out people back when I was a journalist, I wouldn't even be trying this.
'Damn it, I should've just waited back then.'
If I'd waited in front of the exam hall, I wouldn't be in this mess.
But back then, I'd barely known him for a few hours.
The written exam lasted three hours. He turned in his paper right away, which meant waiting would've taken over two hours.
'And it wasn't even lunch at the time.'
The test started at 3 p.m. By the time it ended, it was dinner—not lunch.
It'd have been too weird to wait two hours just to ask him to grab lunch the next day.
'Besides, I didn't even know if he did well.'
If he'd failed, inviting him to eat would've been salt in the wound.
"Sigh."
I exhaled heavily.
In my memory, Jung Hoon went out for a jog every morning.
But despite riding the first train here six days in a row, I hadn't seen him once.
'Damn it, but I can't just give up.'
For the second-round practical exam, I needed Jung Hoon's skill more than anyone else's.
The skill: Unyielding Will.
Its defining feature was raising physical endurance.
On top of that, it maximized the efficiency of any shield he carried.
'I need it. Absolutely need it.'
With my bizarre "Opportunity" ability, I had no defense skills of my own.
Sure, I could use Yong Sang-jae's Frost Shaping to make an ice shield—but without reinforcement, it was just brittle ice.
One tap, and it'd shatter.
"Sighhh."
Another long sigh escaped me.
And then—
"Oh? Kang-hyun?"
Finally, the man himself emerged from the villa.
"Wow, it's great to see you! Been forever!"
"Yeah, it really has."
God, I was thrilled.
"What brings you here? Do you live around here?"
"No, just came to visit a friend. Heading back now."
"Ah, really? What a coincidence! Anyway, seriously, it's so good to see you!"
He smiled brightly as he walked toward me.
Coincidence? Sure. A manufactured one.
"Oh, right—how was the Polygon exam for you?"
"The written one?"
"…Ah, sorry. Shouldn't have asked, huh?"
Well, he could ask. But I realized why he hesitated.
Since I'd handed in my paper first, he must've thought I'd bombed it. But sorry to disappoint…
"Pretty sure I ranked first."
"Ahaha, yeah, maybe!"
"Oh? You don't believe me?"
"No, I do! But honestly, the questions were tough, weren't they? I've been making an error notebook for six straight days."
"…An error notebook?"
That one I didn't expect.
Was he really making a mistake log, re-solving every wrong problem?
"Yeah. The test gets posted on the Polygon site the same day. I redid all the questions."
Right, he was a hardcore grinder.
Still, locking himself up for six whole days?
'Just how much does this guy love studying?'
I nodded lightly.
Anyway, that wasn't the point. I needed to have lunch with him.
Casually, without awkwardness. I broke the ice.
"So, where were you headed?"
"Hm? Oh, my dad's lunchbox side dishes ran out."
Ah, right. His father carried a lunchbox.
Wait—
"Don't tell me you're the one making them?"
"Yeah. I like cooking."
Huh. First I'd heard of that.
So the Iron Wall Tanker was actually a cooking guy, huh?
With that kind of hobby, you'd think he'd make it onto variety shows.
'But damn, this complicates things.'
My plan was to suggest lunch after this "chance" encounter.
But if he was buying ingredients, odds were he'd cook at home.
And he was famous for frugality.
How was I supposed to steer this toward eating lunch together…?
"Well, guess that's too bad then."
"Hm? What is?"
"I was thinking maybe we could grab lunch together since we ran into each other."
"Lunch? Oh—you haven't eaten yet?"
"Yeah. Not yet. And since we met like this, I thought we could talk a bit."
"Talk? Talk, huh…"
I tossed the bait.
I'd gone back over my notes after the exam, and it mentioned Jung Hoon was currently hitting a "wall" in his growth.
And if there was something he wanted to ask me about, it'd definitely be—
'Yong Sang-jae.'
A same-aged S-rank awakened who'd shattered his wall in an instant. No way Jung Hoon wasn't curious.
And with such an obvious bait—
"Then… should I cook for us instead?"
Hook, line, sinker.
[Opportunity Condition, Stage 1 – 'Have lunch with Jung Hoon' has been completed!]
[Character, Jung Hoon's skill has been added to your selection slot!]
Finally, I cleared Jung Hoon's "Opportunity Mission."
The exhaustion of the past days melted away in a rush of euphoria!
It was even better than the thrill of landing an exclusive scoop back in my journalism days.
And his kimchi stew? Incredible.
It was as spicy and savory as any restaurant's, perfectly suiting my taste buds.
My lips kept twitching with satisfaction and fullness.
Heaven had to be like this.
"Not sure if it's good enough…"
"No way, it's delicious. Seriously. You're really good at cooking. Do you have a cooking skill or something?"
"No, nothing like that."
He scratched his neck, embarrassed, avoiding my eyes.
Just in case, I checked his status window again—but as expected, no cooking-related skills.
What the hell. A guy with no skill making food this good?
"Uh, Kang-hyun. Can I ask you something…?"
"Yeah?"
I was shoveling kimchi stew when I looked up.
He rubbed his neck, flustered.
"It's about your friend, Yong Sang-jae…"
"Hm? What about him?"
"Could you maybe… introduce me to him someday?"
"Sure, why not."
"R-really? I mean, but… huh?"
"Yeah, you want to meet him, right? I'll make it happen. We're all going into Polygon anyway—you, me, and him."
"R-right. But what if… one of us doesn't pass?"
Whoa, did this guy just assume I'd be the one to fail?
He tried to backpedal, but too late—I heard it.
At that moment—
Bzzzzt.
Both our smartphones vibrated.
Right, today made exactly one week. Perfect timing.
I quickly checked my phone, and it was exactly what I expected.
Meanwhile, he was holding his phone and… praying with his eyes shut?
"Hey, Jung Hoon."
"H-huh?"
"…Aren't you gonna open it?"
"Uh, yeah… I'm just nervous."
This guy was supposed to become Korea's future tanker?
He looked like a total coward.
'And why the hell is he watching me like that?'
Was he really expecting me to fail?
Tsk. No way I could let that slide.
"Fine, I'll go first. I passed."
I shoved my phone toward him.
Peeking at the screen beneath his half-closed eyes, his jaw dropped wider and wider.
'Yeah, no surprise.'
Because on my screen, it said—
=
Examinee Number POLGTT206713404, Baek Kang-hyun.
Congratulations on passing the Polygon Round 1 Written Exam!
Your rank in the 7th Polygon Written Exam: [1st Place].
…exactly that.
I glanced at Jung Hoon—his eyes darted between me and the screen, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.
That's right, kid. This hyung is kind of a big deal.
I leaned back, let out a satisfied burp, and grinned.
"Burrrp. See? Told you I'd pass."
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