Chapter 46
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Midterm Evaluation (2)
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The mysteries of the dungeons knew no end. Even after decades since gates and mana first appeared, humanity had barely grasped twenty percent of what lay beyond those otherworldly realms. That was the consensus.
Dungeons brimmed with the most terrifying threats imaginable... Yet, every now and then—very rarely—something beneficial to humanity would pop out unexpectedly.
No need to look far. My teacher, the Ice Empress Seol Ha-yeon herself, was a prime example of such a beneficiary.
'It was about seven years ago, I think. Or has it been eight now?'
Once, a massive gate bordering on S-Rank had formed near Russia's Primorsky Krai.
My teacher, who was briefly staying in the north of the collapsed Korean Peninsula at the time, headed there as well...
I remembered hearing how she successfully destroyed the dungeon core beyond the gate, in collaboration with Baek A-yun's grandfather, the Fist Emperor Baek Mu-yeom.
And in that process, she unintentionally acquired her core unique trait as the Grand Sorceress, the Ice Empress: 'Frozen Core.'
Awakened typically couldn't arbitrarily change the innate traits they gained upon awakening, but exceptions like her occasionally appeared.
She was one of only two dual-trait holders in our country, alongside Jin Yong's father, the Dragon King.
In short, Seol Ha-yeon was a woman of extraordinary caliber. My teacher was that great and brilliant sorceress. A pointless swell of pride bubbled up unbidden.
Well, the trait she originally had was practically useless anyway—like a fifth wheel—so it hardly mattered.
Anyway, the point was that some Awakened occasionally acquired new abilities from within dungeons.
The case of Kanzaki Rie, the exchange student from Japan, aligned with that.
I didn't know the full details myself. Back in high school, she had been sucked into a gate that appeared by the roadside against her will.
A few days later, when she returned to reality after single-handedly collapsing the dungeon, a cute black horn had sprouted on her forehead, and a noticeably swaying tail had taken root at the base of her spine.
Traces of a succubus.
She had gained the power of a dream demon.
'That incident caught Yang Chan-ho's eye, leading to her decision to study abroad in Korea.'
Having acquired such a distinctive appearance, she endured immense stress from human relationships, but after coming to Blue Pine Academy, she had calmed down considerably.
This place gathered all sorts of unique Awakened, after all.
Of course, Kanzaki's case was particularly extreme, but at least the overt backbiting had stopped.
Now, she even wielded that trait as her strongest weapon, consistently holding a top spot in the rankings.
Her scores in other areas weren't exceptional. Still, in ranking matches—against male students only—she was practically unmatched.
No need for elaborate tactics; a slight reveal of her horn and a hazy glow in those magenta eyes usually ended things.
Even those who resisted would raise the white flag once she flashed that bewitching smile, their wills crumbling at the limit...
Unless you had mental fortitude like mine, no male student at this school could beat Kanzaki.
Among the top-tier mages, I was the only male anyway.
Conversely, from her perspective, I'd be the biggest thorn in her side.
Mid-to-upper rank mages didn't matter much. Kanzaki's ability didn't care about mage badges.
'But I'm a different story.'
I was, after all, the disciple of a grand sorceress. My mental resilience had earned my teacher's approval.
That made me the only male whose trait countered hers among the 9th cohort.
'...Well, I've lost to her a few times in ranking matches.'
Even accounting for those, my win rate hovered around fifty percent.
Occasional losses came when she desperately stripped down, letting me touch her body in a desperate ploy.
Thus, Kanzaki and I shared a not-quite-enmity from our first year.
Neither of us relished facing each other in ranking matches.
She hated fawning over outsiders with pleas, and I found the seductive aura from her demonic eyes deeply unsettling.
"You've lost your virginity, huh?"
"...."
And today, I found yet another reason to dislike Kanzaki Rie. Not that it brought me joy.
Absurdity bordering on bafflement made me exhale sharply as I turned to her.
"You... could even tell that?"
Kanzaki shrugged.
"Well, I'm a dream demon, after all. With male students' sexual experience, I can't help but notice, even if I'd rather not know."
A straightforward answer.
I openly rubbed my arms and pulled away from her.
"Newly realized, but that's one hell of an intrusive ability."
"Ahaha."
Kanzaki giggled brightly, sleeve over her mouth. Soon, she eyed me with narrowed eyes and a cool tone.
"What good would knowing that about you do me? Rest assured—I have no such intentions."
I clicked my tongue right back.
"Keep that mindset forever."
"Naturally. I won't change. Unless you succumb to desire and crave my affection first..."
Kanzaki trailed off in a twisted voice. Obvious provocation—I had no intention of biting, so I stayed silent.
My silence stopped her elaboration. She returned to her book, and I turned away.
'Sitting with her isn't ideal.'
But Gyeryong Mountain wasn't far.
I'd endure the ride. Closing my eyes, the bus soon hummed softly, rolling steadily along the road.
"Team 37. Lee Hyun-jin, Kanzaki Rie."
"?"
"Team 38. Rachel Bre Hilton, Lim Seo-hyun. Team 39..."
In the team draw announcing the midterm evaluation's start, I got paired with Kanzaki.
I tilted my head with a dubious question mark.
"Eh...?"
Naturally, from the adjacent seat, Kanzaki stared wide-eyed at Teacher Kim Kyung-heon too.
Her uncharacteristically dazed expression. I sighed, rubbing my forehead.
This midterm wouldn't be easy.
Whiiiish! Thwack!
"Kyaaang!"
A frozen wooden vine, slicing through subsonic speeds like a whip, slammed fiercely into a wolf-shaped monster.
The beast collapsed with a dying yelp.
[Team 37 Lee Hyun-jin & Kanzaki Rie: 115(+10)]
The white bracelet detected residual mana from the corpse, glowing green as it tallied subjugation points.
It indicated the wolf was a D-Rank monster. The added 10 points were paltry.
'When will we fill this up?'
I couldn't help but lament. Would I really slip from second place?
As I imagined grim futures, Kanzaki awkwardly approached from behind.
"Uh, um."
She hesitantly spoke, her demeanor uncharacteristically timid.
"You've learned some... intriguing new technique...?"
I nodded lightly.
"Tried mixing it in. Nature magic blends well with most attributes, making it perfect for light experiments."
In truth, it was the 'Plant Manipulation' ability gained from that steamy encounter with Ryu Se-eun, but no need to spell that out.
These wooden vines she favored actually fused surprisingly well with my cold-affinity magic, so it wasn't wrong.
"I-see..."
"Yeah."
"...Y-yes."
Silence fell. Kanzaki pursed her lips, at a loss for words; I felt equally awkward.
Why was this bold Kanzaki Rie from the bus, who said whatever, now tiptoeing around me?
To explain, we needed to delve deeper into her ability.
Dream demon Kanzaki Rie. Female, twenty years old, lust-affinity powers.
Succubi varied by individuality, but Kanzaki's power was strictly 'human-only.'
It didn't work on animals or monsters, regardless of maleness.
What did that mean?
Simple: In this midterm, paired with me, Kanzaki could do nothing.
Absolutely nothing. Utterly useless 'benchwarmer dream demon #1.'
She had some attribute magic, but not enough for meaningful contributions in this subjugation race.
Despite top rankings in matches, her overall scores languished mid-tier for good reason.
I glanced at her ambiguously. She scanned left and right for monsters.
Trying to lighten my double burden, perhaps...
But it wasn't much help.
My presence detection was more efficient.
'...Well, she knew what she was getting into.'
I silently smacked my lips and looked away.
She knew her midterm score would suffer.
What she hadn't anticipated: one, teams of two; two, her partner being me.
...Already sparking at a glance, now she owed me unilaterally.
How could she feel at ease? Probably apologetic, embarrassed, a bit resentful.
"...Hey, don't take it too hard."
Awkward for me too... As I reluctantly scratched my cheek to console her,
"Later, when we steal others' bracelets, your ability might come in hand—"
I turned and cut off mid-sentence.
Kanzaki was gone.
"...What are you doing way over there?"
Precisely, she'd wandered 20 meters ahead, tilting her head quizzically while scouting.
I was about to tell her to save energy since I had presence detection...
"...!"
Red eyes gleamed behind her. My senses caught a threatening presence.
C-Rank bloodsucking mantis. Legs like sawblades grotesquely bent, leaping at the unaware Kanzaki's back.
Kieeeek!
"...Huh...?"
Startled by the sudden shadow? Kanzaki turned blankly, caught off-guard.
Thud!
I kicked off the ground, slamming into the mantis's torso mid-leap.
A fierce gust followed, then a hefty boom.
Kwaaaang-!
"Kyaa...?!"
Kanzaki shrieked, huddling with arms over her face. But her frail guard never faced real threat.
Baek A-yun's specialty, 'Instant Step,' for approach; her leg-strengthening technique, copied perfectly with full proficiency.
Power unmatched its reputation.
Unlike the wolf, the mantis crumpled silently. Thud!
"...Ah."
Kanzaki stared dazedly before snapping to. She turned to me dejectedly.
"Th-thank you... for the help..."
A wilted voice of gratitude.
I frowned reproachfully.
"You'll get seriously hurt slipping up like that. You know that, right?"
"...."
"You're not without magic. If proficiency or mana lacks, hunt elixirs or something..."
Above all, she should embrace her pureblood mage nature and move accordingly—but I advised practically, minding her feelings.
Yet Kanzaki's reaction diverged from expectation.
"...You're right."
No anger.
No slumping.
Just a faint smile, meeting my disapproval evenly.
She bowed her head.
"Thanks for the advice. Hyun-jin is correct."
"...What?"
"Anything... yes. First, solve this chronic mana shortage."
Ignoring my bewilderment, she brushed her cheek.
Her magenta eyes deepened subtly as she murmured,
"...By any means necessary..."
And, for some reason,
"...."
A chill wind ghosted down my spine.
Kanzaki's eyes rippled dangerously, fixing on me.
'Hm.'
...Nah, she realized her mana issue and vowed to train hard.
Good is good. No reason for foreboding.
'Just imagination.'
Shrugging off the ominous hunch, I turned. More monsters to hunt for top scores.