Chapter 48
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Midterm Evaluation (4)
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Ever since awakening her succubus trait, Kanzaki had been subtly ostracized, whether she realized it or not. It was because her ability carried such a strong otherworldly vibe.
Of course, at its core, she was still just a human from Earth influenced by the trait...
But perceptions from myths and folklore across cultures worldwide—especially regarding appearances—tended to be like that.
A beautiful demon that drained humans of their vital essence.
Naturally, it was impossible for her to be accepted without prejudice. Especially since, among the countless Awakeners, there weren't many who had awakened traits similar to a succubus.
In particular, there was virtually no one who could wield succubus powers as authentically as Kanzaki Rie.
That was the reason she had come to study at Blue Pine Academy. If she was going to be seen as suspicious no matter where she went, she might as well go to an educational institution full of similar people.
That had been her thinking. So Kanzaki had gladly taken the hand extended by Korea's hero.
'In the end, not much changed, though.'
The problem was, well... even at an Awakener academy, people's attitudes toward her hadn't improved much.
It wasn't as blatant as being treated like a 'creepy existence' in her Japanese high school days, but she couldn't shake the feeling of being subtly avoided.
'What can you do? It's my karma...'
Still, Kanzaki wasn't in a position to complain.
Because this time, she had some fault in the matter herself.
At first, she thought it was the proper attitude for an exchange student to give her all.
So during ranking matches, she always put in her best effort.
In other words, by using her most powerful weapon—her 'eyes'—to enchant the male students, she had climbed all the way to 5th place.
But as a result... she belatedly realized she had become an outsider among her classmates and grade-mates.
It wasn't like the early awakening days years ago, where she faced gazes of contempt or disgust.
But she couldn't deny that she had become somewhat uncomfortable to be around.
By the time she realized this, she had already been ranked 'Number 1 Opponent I Least Want to Face in Ranking Matches.'
She had felt so defeated back then.
A child in need of teachers' care and classmates' active attention. A pitiful girl who had to go around insisting 'I'm not dangerous!'
...Grand words, but in the end, it just meant she'd become a plain old loner.
Kanzaki Rie.
Twenty years old.
Female.
No friends.
If she wrote out her profile, it might look something like that. As she seriously pondered this, Kanzaki suddenly snapped out of it with a 'Huh.'
'So why am I even thinking about this...?'
A slightly belated realization. How had she ended up in this pathetic situation, reminiscing about the past?
She could quickly recall the sequence of events.
"...Ah."
Covering her mouth lightly, Kanzaki let out a short gasp and cautiously glanced around.
Centered on her, within about a 50-meter radius, a full-scale war was raging in the battlefield.
Krarung! Lightning crashed down, and crack! an ice barrier rose up, swallowing the surging golden flames like it was devouring them.
Just then, another flash of light blazed.
"Eek!"
Kanzaki, who had been sitting there dazed, flinched in terror and rolled her body across the ground.
A coniferous tree standing straight at her side had been struck by lightning and reduced to ashes.
If she had moved even a little slower, she probably would have been roasted right there into 'Kanzaki barbecue.'
"Hic."
A hiccup escaped her unwittingly. Trembling like a frightened small animal, Kanzaki pitifully lifted her head.
And she witnessed it.
Plunging a spear of fierce blue-white lightning from the sky, with an expression mixed with mischief—but eyes strangely intoxicated by the thrill of battle—
The descent of a thunder god upon the mortal world.
The name of that god in the form of a girl was Cheon So-yul. The undisputed strongest female student in the 9th class.
And as far as Kanzaki knew...
She was also the girl with the thickest budding romance with Lee Hyun-jin, even though they seemed on bad terms at first glance.
In other words, with that Lee Hyun-jin, whom Kanzaki had just been desperately trying to devour.
"..."
Hm. Kanzaki let out a small sigh and pressed her lips into a firm line.
She dusted herself off, stood up, and knelt demurely.
For the first time, she recalled the trigger of the incident. In other words, the moment she had tried to seduce Lee Hyun-jin and drain his essence.
Someone might ask her why, of all people, it had to be Lee Hyun-jin.
'Rumors about her and Cheon So-yul... Of course, I knew some of them...'
Stealing someone who already had an owner was a gravely immoral act. Fox-like behavior, or whatever. Anyway, it was deplorable.
But there was one more fact Kanzaki knew.
It was that Lee Hyun-jin and Cheon So-yul weren't officially dating.
It seemed like the so-called push-pull phase, establishing a power dynamic...
So slipping in between them might not quite cross into true villainy(?)
At least, that's how Kanzaki viewed relationships.
It was a pretty open-minded judgment, but that was fine. Above all, she only planned to drain Lee Hyun-jin's essence once.
In other words, it was a one-time plea. After all, she wasn't the type with a hobby of stealing other women's men; she was just an ordinary girl.
Ahem. Clearing her throat a couple of times, Kanzaki defended herself like that.
The fact that she had lost her reason and pounced on Lee Hyun-jin 10 minutes ago had long been erased from memory.
Anyway, she wondered if it was okay to share someone else's man just once—a naive but somewhat frivolous thought.
Until now, she had gritted her teeth and restrained herself from draining essence from men.
So even just once, gulping down a man's vital energy would undoubtedly provide a massive boost to her magic power.
That was why Kanzaki had targeted Lee Hyun-jin.
The primary reason was that he had first suggested she absorb spirit elixirs, and the secondary was their relationship.
A fact she hadn't told anyone.
Kanzaki Rie actually didn't hate Lee Hyun-jin that much.
No, she could say she disliked him, but...
'...He's the only one who talks to a succubus like me without prejudice.'
Still, she felt grateful. A somewhat illogical state of harboring multiple contradictory emotions toward one person?
Her seduction didn't work well, so during every ranking match, she had to touch her chest or lift her skirt hem—it pissed her off.
But even so, he was one of the few 'friend'-like existences for Kanzaki Rie, who was shunned at the academy.
A weird guy who openly acted creeped out by her succubus nature but always exchanged a few words whenever they met.
Choosing him when she had to pick one man wasn't strange at all.
Plus, wasn't this a win-win where neither lost anything?
He got to climax from the touch of a pretty, pure girl like her, and she got to drink his essence.
How rational a deal was that?
If he was okay with it, Kanzaki was even considering a long-term supply contract.
Calling each other when he wanted, or she wanted, and fulfilling those desires.
Her heart had pounded to its limit at the thought of possibly developing that kind of relationship, her face flushed hot—probably with a slight blush.
She had finally succeeded in seducing Lee Hyun-jin and was about to proceed to the act.
-Kuhk...!
Kim I-jun fell from the sky.
Whoosh flying in and boom crashing.
He had been struck by Cheon So-yul's lightning swung like a bat.
Kanzaki swallowed dryly in fear.
'...How can someone send a person flying like that?'
For her, who could do nothing but seduce men, it was a swing of power she couldn't even dream of attempting.
You couldn't hit a baseball that far with a wooden bat anyway. And aiming wouldn't even be possible...
But that wasn't all. Belatedly noticing, Kanzaki spotted another male student collapsed far away.
It was Jin Yong.
Ranked in the 20s, but said to be top-tier among the 9th class in true combat power—the lazy successor to the Dragon King.
In terms of mainly wielding powers gained from beyond otherworld dungeons, he even resembled her a bit.
With no other students in sight, it seemed Cheon So-yul's teammate had been eliminated by Kim I-jun or Jin Yong—but
That made it even more absurd. Had she handled both of them alone?
Even retiring both in the process.
She was a monster in her own right.
'And Hyun-jin, holding his own against that monster... Really...'
Kanzaki let out a soundless, hollow laugh. She realized there was nothing more she could do here.
Feeling an inexplicable emptiness, she propped herself up with both hands and looked up at the sky.
The once clear, bright sky was now dyed with endless white cold air spilling out and sparks of leaping lightning.
Kanzaki stared at it briefly, then suddenly realized something and shifted her gaze.
'...Come to think of it.'
What she looked at was the collapsed (not dead) Kim I-jun.
More precisely, the bracelet on his wrist.
It was the latest magic tool distributed by the academy to store points earned from subjugating monsters.
Kanzaki's eyes narrowed slightly.
Coincidentally, Kim I-jun was unconscious. Removing the bracelet might be simple.
'Hmm...'
She reflexively glanced at Cheon So-yul, but the thunder god paid her no attention.
She was solely focused on viciously swinging her lightning spear with the intent to pummel Lee Hyun-jin.
"..."
Hm.
Hmm.
The deliberation was short, the decision swift. After a moment of conflicted groaning, Kanzaki began crawling forward stealthily.
Boom!!
Cheon So-yul's lightning, scattering blue-white currents in all directions, swung toward me—with enough force to split me in half.
I grimaced but calmly planted my foot on the ground. Fortunately, the rising ice pillar blocked the lightning.
Of course, that didn't end the situation. I immediately gathered frozen cold air in one hand, and the moment her attack was blocked, Cheon So-yul spun and extended her long leg toward me.
Thud!
Cheon So-yul's physical abilities were pretty average overall... but this lightning-clad roundhouse kick was fairly threatening.
"Tsk."
I winced slightly and exhaled lowly. The white breath that naturally followed was the precursor to ice magic.
"!"
Cheon So-yul's eyes widened. She hurriedly pulled back, but this time I moved a step faster.
I extended my palm straight, and the highly compressed cold air exploded outright.
Kwagagagagak!
An ice spear spreading out in a fan shape.
Cheon So-yul's brows furrowed properly.
Her response was extremely simple. The moment she swung her arm diagonally wide, dozens of lightning bolts poured down like a shower from the sky, offsetting my attack.
Crack!
Seizing the gap, Cheon So-yul kicked off the ground and retreated far back.
A quiet silence and brief standoff.
I shrugged lightly.
"I'm really innocent, you know."
I tried to appeal to my innocence somehow, but the thoroughly sulky So-yul just took even my words the wrong way.
"Shut up. No excuses."
"It's not an excuse..."
She growled in a low, downturned voice.
I muttered bitterly.
Was there ever such injustice? But since there's precedent, I can't help it, I suppose.
Don't cops suspect those with criminal records first when something happens?
This situation felt similar. Resigning myself that there was no helping it in the end, I concluded I needed to escape this place quickly.
Withdraw for now and clear the misunderstanding once So-yul calms down?
That's what I thought as I began slowly backing away, but...
"Trying to run?"
Curiously, Cheon So-yul didn't try to catch me. She just smirked mockingly and nodded toward my rear.
"Think that'll work? Idiot."
Her lips moved, and that's when I sensed something off too.
I hardened my expression and urgently wrapped cold air around my body, but
"Too late."
Cheon So-yul kicking off the ground was faster, and even more so, the small lightning hidden among the dirt and fallen leaves shot out ahead.
"...!"
Like a sniper's bullet, a golden beam pierced through me with a ping!
I felt my body go rigid with paralysis at that instant. Crystal clear.
Approaching me like that, Cheon So-yul skillfully hooked her leg—
Thump!
"...Ugh."
In the end, I had to roll around with Cheon So-yul in a pathetic close-quarters brawl.
And no matter the physical gap, the paralysis effect was unavoidable.
"Got you."
"Ah, tsk."
Cheon So-yul hooked her arm around my weakening neck, completing a stable headlock.
Not only was my breath blocked, but her fresh body scent wafted strongly, inflicting yet another status ailment on me.
"Lee Hyun-jin, you keep making me feel neglected?"
I tried to push away the slender arm choking my neck somehow, but Cheon So-yul laughed mockingly at my futile resistance and began pressuring me with a giggling voice.
"After all that, I have to see you fooling around with another girl even during exam time? Is this for real? You know what I always say. Stick to the time and place, okay?"
Squeeze...
With every punctuated word, my breath was cut off more severely.
Cheon So-yul was clearly inflicting pain on me with emotion.
"If you're horny, just come to me. I'll help you out. But you couldn't hold it in for a bit and went after Kanzaki? And right where I could see? You wanna die that bad?"
"...No, that's."
"What, praying for me to get jealous or something?"
Above all, her voice was terrifying. One I didn't hear often—seeming laced with amusement yet subtly icy, with a dash of jealousy and possessiveness.
In truth, I had a few ways to escape or counterattack even now...
But her pressure was so overwhelming I couldn't bring myself to act.
In the end, I had no choice but to surrender unconditionally.
"...Okay, my bad."
I extended my trembling hand and tapped weakly. By then, Cheon So-yul huffed disdainfully and released me readily.
Still, the paralysis hadn't fully worn off.
"Ow, damn."
I flopped limply, resting my head on Cheon So-yul's lap. Lifting my eyes, I saw her with arms crossed, her face screaming 'I'm mad.'
She glanced down at me briefly, then puffed her cheeks in worldly dissatisfaction.
"Hey."
Calling me curtly, she added just a few words.
"You know the condoms are all gone, right?"
"..."
"Buy more and stock up. Wait for me in the room tonight. Got it?"
Her intent was as plain as day.
My face darkened.
...Another round after the weekend?
For real, wifey?
I sent her a trembling, anxious glance probing her intentions, but Cheon So-yul's expression didn't waver.
If anything, she crossed her arms coolly, like 'What's the problem?'
As if she was graciously doing me a special favor for my horny self.
Her cheeks slightly flushed made it seem like she was making a big concession for me.
'Am I gonna die of dehydration or what...?'
Even so, I thought that was too much.
The moment I tried to voice my refusal—
Woooooong!
A siren blared across the entire Mt. Gyerong, slamming into our ears.
And a mechanical voice followed.
[Team 37: Lee Hyun-jin, Kanzaki Rie. First to reach target score. Midterm evaluation for 2nd year, 1st semester concluded. Over.]
"...?"
Something about that announcement felt a bit—no, quite off.
The voice was definitely Teacher Kim Kyung-heon's, though?
Right then, rustling sounds came from a short distance away, along with the presence of a third party—not me or Cheon So-yul.
We immediately turned toward it and confirmed the source.
"Ah, ahaha..."
There stood Kanzaki, giving an awkward laugh while scratching her cheek.
With three bracelets each on both hands, no less.
Alternately gauging me on the lap pillow and Cheon So-yul, she asked cautiously,
"U-Um, mind if I join in a little?"
"?"
"How about a threesome...?"