An Angel Walking Outside (3)

With the help of his martial arts classmates, Refri had obtained completely irrefutable evidence. Now all that was left was to witness Yusihyun finally offering a humiliating apology to Yumari, right?

'Unfortunately... that's probably not gonna happen.'

But unfortunately, Refri couldn't see Yusihyun apologizing.

"Mari, you know this too... It's impossible to get an apology from Yusihyun."

If he shoved this evidence in her face and demanded a public apology... she would apologize. And she'd probably offer generous compensation too. But if that happened... who knew what a vengeful Yusihyun might do. And the price for it would all fall on Yumari.

Refri couldn't bear to see that.

"I understand what you mean. Use this evidence... to negotiate better treatment within the family, right?"

"Yeah."

So this was the best option. Instead of humiliating Yusihyun, ensure Mari got better treatment in the family. This was why Refri had caused such a ruckus.

'Not really. It was for the angel power.'

Well, whatever. He had indeed gained angel power, so that worked.

Refri looked at Yumari and said,

"Mari."

"...Yes."

"You're not a dragon."

Yumari put on her usual kind smile, acting out the laugh.

"Of course not."

"...No matter what the Seocheon Yu family says, you're not a dragon."

"Yes, I know. I'm human."

The Yumari who had despaired of the world and flown ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to this one, and the current Yumari. There were words Refri wanted to say to both girls.

And they were...

"You're not a dragon."

"......"

The boy's words continued. Yumari couldn't respond to them. She just hung her head low, murmuring a soft 'I understand.' That was all she could manage.

Overwhelmed by emotions she couldn't put into words, Yumari bowed her head even deeper. She didn't know what expression to make. Or how to look at the boy.

"...See you tomorrow then."

See you tomorrow. See you again tomorrow.

"...Yes."

But at 'see you tomorrow,' the girl could immediately smile and reply.

And the amazing thing was... her smile wasn't fake.

"See you tomorrow."

The girl waved brightly with a full smile.

Like all schools, Central Superhuman Academy also had midterms.

"I-Is this for real?"

But one thing different from other schools... all the exams were practical.

Or more precisely, not just practical subjects, but...

'Dungeon raid, villain capture, raid conquest, or rift sealing—one to choose? They're all real combat!'

Assigning pro-hero level tasks as kids' midterm projects? Refri couldn't help but feel a wave of dizziness.

'We're students first, right? All these assignments... aren't they way too dangerous?'

Such questions were pointless. Only those ignorant of Central Academy would ask them.

What everyone said was simple: Don't expect common sense from Central Academy.

And the students didn't bat an eye at such exams, treating them ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as a given. Some swordsmanship department students were even chatting about which to pick.

"Conquering Spiderland sounds good."

"Dude, that's where like ten people go missing a month."

"Yeah, that's kinda concerning."

Hearing this, Refri thought, 'So even they find it scary.' And felt relieved.

Then came the response that shattered his expectations.

"Ten missing a month is too easy, though. Conquering a place like that won't get you good grades."

'Too easy? Where people go missing?'

Refri ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was a bit shocked by the student's reply.

"Wh-what about Leviathan's Cave, where three pro heroes went missing recently? That seems decent."

"Hmm, not bad..."

A cave where three pro heroes vanished. And kids had to go there just for an exam?

Hearing this, Refri sat quietly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in the corner, organizing his thoughts.

'Ten missing a month is too easy difficulty?'

The boy muttered, 'The world outside the blanket is dangerous!' and burrowed deeper into the corner.

In truth, Refri was greatly mistaken right now.

What mistake? Thinking he himself was weak.

Thanks to the spirit's blessing this time, Refri had gained tremendous angel power.

And as always, he invested it all into specs.

The result...

His level rose by 2, and all stats except SP increased significantly. Magic rose especially high, letting him keep up with Klein's classes even without his title's power.

Now, his strength and agility were bottom-tier among Central Academy freshmen—but that still meant he was viable in major guilds or families.

Plus, Refri's power wasn't just stats. His professors' key skills had advanced past novice to Lv.3, nearing expert threshold.

His Divine Abilities strengthened too; his healing now rivaled Professor Rebecca's.

Thus reinforced, Refri was objectively strong. Stronger than those swordsmanship students chatting earlier. He could even beat some second-years.

But Refri didn't think so. He got thrashed by Rusa daily in spars, cleanly lost to Yumari, bitten by Hongwol, and even beaten by Soya.

Fighting such overwhelming superiors, he couldn't help feeling weak.

'Even a total loss to Soya...'

Soya often seemed immature, but she was a powerful magic warrior who could drag out a melee stall against Hongwol unprepared.

With soul-etched curses pulling foes into her range, even Yumari might... No, excluding Student Council President Yusihyun, Soya could beat any other student.

Of course, oblivious Refri just sighed and prepared for midterms.

If he bombed them...

'I'd get expelled... No angel to protect future heroes means...'

The world ends. So the fate of this world hinged on one boy's grades.

'Hmm, dungeons or raids seem too risky... Rifts are okay as civilian support healer since I can bail, but no telling when they'll pop...'

That left villain capture.

'Villain capture... not easy either.'

So-called "villains" were superhuman mobsters or criminals. Like Jeogwol could be called one.

And villains rarely acted alone. They banded with ability users to dominate underworld biz or brainwashed followers with powers...

"Hold up."

A villain using powers to make followers—one Refri had a huge matchup advantage against.

'I'm super favorable against him. That guy's definitely...'

Pretty infamous too. And lesser-known, a Mawang follower.

His name:

"Prophet Kim Mansu."

Prophet Kim Mansu. After the otherworldly empire fell, he stole part of an angel corpse the empire held as a relic.

Using it, he founded the New Truth Church, a cult.

'And that New Truth Church later devolves into a Mawang-worshipping nightmare for humanity.'

Refri had a duty to stop them.

"Boy, decided on your midterm?"

A familiar voice from behind. Long pink hair swaying—Hongwol.

"Yeah. Villain capture."

"...Nice!"

Her tail swished excitedly, like a cat spotting prey. Hongwol asked naturally,

"When do we head out?"

"Huh?"

"Villain hunting. When?"

Refri panicked briefly. He hadn't planned to team with Hongwol. Levels too different.

'If we did, I'd get dinged for riding coattails.'

Then.

"Refri."

Tall, near-adult height, beauty hard to look away from. Somehow like Hongwol...

Yumari greeted lightly.

"Oh, Mari."

"And Miss Hongwol."

"Kek, snake girl."

Yumari brought it up smoothly.

"Refri, you're not planning to take the midterm with Miss Hongwol, are you?"

"...Still thinking."

"Good. Miss Hongwol isn't bad, of course."

Yumari took Refri's hand naturally.

"Like with the spirit's blessing, the three of us together..."

But Yumari couldn't finish.

Smack—

Hongwol's light nya-punch made her step back.

"Quit touching what's mine!"

"Hongwol, what are you talking about? Refri isn't mine... anyone's."

Hongwol bared fangs in fury; Yumari countered with icy blankness.

Caught between: the clueless angel.

'Why are the girls fighting?'

Then he spotted a sniffling witch far off, hat brim low—probably teary-eyed.

The young witch, unable to join their fight, could only mutter,

"So anti-black-mage..."

Seeing her, Refri steeled himself.

"Hongwol, Yumari... listen up."

He looked at them and declared,

"I'm no one's."

With that, the boy grabbed Soya's hand and headed out.

Hand held, Soya muttered in a choked voice,

"...Good thing you're not a total idiot."

Her lips twitched up slyly, but then she huffed, pouting.

"Still too late! You should've asked me to team up before the midterm notice! How long I waited..."

"Huh? You waited?"

"N-No, not at all!"

Then Soya grumbled on. Why no team talk during spirit blessing? Why make her worry pulling the holy sword?

After venting, she finally muttered,

"B-But today was a little pro-black-mage..."

Saying so, Soya's cheeks flushed pink.