Wien Joun (1)

Two days had passed since the exam ended.

They say even tigers come if you so much as mention them, and sure enough, right after I picked it, a message popped up from Jeon Dam-bi. But the content was... seriously, is this woman insane?

'......'

She must be having way too much fun teasing her junior. What a vicious senior. I quickly closed the screen before anyone could see.

In the meantime, chatter came from the two sitting next to me.

"Seriously, three of them ganged up on him?! Isn't that too dirty?"

"...I agree. One of them was Jeon Dam-bi, apparently... Personally, I think she crossed the line way too far."

"Why do they hate Siwoo so much? Wouldn't it be good for them if more strong kids joined?"

"...My guess is it's lingering distrust from the 'Hundred-Year War' twenty years ago... The 'Royal Blood' side strongly opposed it back then too, but it passed by majority vote anyway."

"That ended with the non-Royal Bloods banding together for an internal coup, right?"

"Yeah. A ton of committee members lost their lives over it. Of course, even accounting for that, I still think they went too far..."

I paused the pen in my hand at Song Junho's words.

'Hm? Hold on.'

"You know that damn bitch... I mean, Jeon Dam-bi?"

"Of course I do. It'd be weirder if I didn't."

"Yeah, Siwoo! I've heard of Senior Jeon Dam-bi too. She's definitely in the top ranks of the school's boob size list—"

"—Ohana, that's not the right timing for that story. From what I hear, she's a formidable powerhouse. Supposedly has a great personality too, and tons of connections everywhere."

"Hmm..."

So that's how it is. I rested my chin on my hand, watching the two chatter away.

Ohana wore a navy-tinged cardigan with the badge symbolizing A-Class, while Song Junho sported a sharply dressed uniform. They both had that fresh newbie vibe—something vibrant and lively that naturally brought a smile to my lips.

▶Clothes make the man, huh... They both look kinda different somehow.

'Yeah, tell me about it.'

In my previous life, everyone just wore drab reinforced suits. This was way nicer by comparison.

By the way, our trio was currently huddled in the A-Class classroom. We'd just finished first period and were waiting for second period...

'Damn, those punks... staring hard.'

I turned my head and spotted guys pretending not to look while eyeing us. Every one of them reeked of jealousy and envy. It wasn't much different from when I first climbed to B-Class... but this time, it was three of us, including me, so the scope was wider.

"These stares are prickling. They could kill with looks alone."

At my snide remark, Ohana scratched her cheek.

"Well, can't be helped. It wasn't the official match every six months or anything... we just got promoted out of nowhere today. And even if you two are fine, I'm honestly a stretch for A-Class..."

"Don't worry, Ohana. With your talent, you'll adapt in no time. And I'm not about to get discouraged by something this minor."

I widened my eyes at Song Junho's words.

"What? Why are you suddenly showing confidence? Normally you'd be like, 'I'm kinda nervous. Gotta hit the bathroom.'"

"...I don't know what image of me you have in your head, but... I've been rethinking things lately."

"Rethinking what?"

"The monster attack. I've never felt my life in such danger or my own powerlessness as acutely as then."

The guy suddenly got all serious. The admiring look he shot me made my stomach churn. No way, not again with the cringey stuff...

"Overcoming that trial made me realize... all the problems I've been agonizing over were nothing. So let's stop bowing our heads and charge forward."

"...I did everything. You didn't do shit."

"That's exactly why. This life I got through you—I won't forget it. So if shit hits the fan later, I'll help you this time."

I couldn't hold back; my limbs curled up in secondhand embarrassment. As I coughed up blood from my deficient resistance, Ohana let out an 'Ooh!' of admiration.

"This is manly friendship! I saw it in a movie! Comradeship! Like swapping clothes and the leather club's two blocks down!"

"...Ohana. That's a different genre."

"...Feels like she learned it wrong, but—ah, class bell."

No sooner had the words left than the classroom door slid open with a rumble. Sharp heel clicks echoed alongside a glamorous beauty with flowing red hair.

Ohana unwittingly let out a sigh.

"Whoa, she's seriously pretty... and that magic pouch is huge. Like it's gonna burst."

The woman standing at the podium flashed a charming smile as she surveyed the class.

"Nice to meet you all. You're lively this morning. Must be because of the new transfers, right?"

I got the illusion that her gaze lingered especially on me.

"Anyway, since some of you might be hearing this for the first time, I'll explain using a magic formula. Pens and notebooks out, everyone."

I listened quietly to her explanation. As expected of an A-Class instructor, she casually jotted down advanced formulas without batting an eye.

'...Jegalrin.'

The main instructor for magic studies at Prunel Academy. She also handled pharmacology and analysis with equal competence. If Yoon Jiye's cuteness made her popular, Jegalrin's violent curves and mature allure drew her fans.

Whatever, I didn't care about that. The reason I paid attention to her was different.

'Jeon Eunbyeol's older sister.'

Among those Jeon Eunbyeol—who despised her own family—trusted and followed, Jegalrin was practically the only one. Even in my previous life, she'd seek her help when in trouble.

That said, the two weren't blood sisters from the same womb.

'Same father, different mothers.'

The current family head and their father, Jegal-sik, had married a noble lady from a prestigious house, as befitted his high status. Jeon Eunbyeol was born from that union. On the flip side, Jegalrin was the result of his youthful lust overwhelming him with a family maid.

Thus, as the illegitimate daughter, Jegalrin never got proper treatment in the family. Watching that grow up, Jeon Eunbyeol grew sick of the household's bloodline obsessions and ran away.

'That's probably why Jeon Eunbyeol turned out that way... family environment's influence, no doubt.'

Lost in thought, I lifted my head at a sudden gaze. Jegalrin had been staring steadily at me from who-knows-when.

'...What.'

Staring like that—might as well call me out...

"Choi Siwoo?"

Damn it.

"...You called?"

Jegalrin curved her lips into a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠smile and tapped the blackboard.

"Could you come up front for a sec?"

No choice—I scratched the back of my head and walked out. Sharp stares stabbed at my skin with every step. I gave her a bored nod.

"...So, what do I do?"

Jegalrin pulled three materials from her pocket and set them on the podium.

"Choi Siwoo. Do you know the affiliation of this formula in front of you?"

"...Isn't it Blue? Looks related to cold and water."

"Correct. Good thing you're not a total magic newbie. Now for the real problem."

She infused a sliver of mana into the drawn formula. Dots connected, filling a rhombus inside a square.

"This formula uses flower blossom from Blue Mage Ihwan-hong. Effect: massive freeze and explosion. It's famous for overcoming Blue's weakness of low power. But there was one fatal flaw. Ihwan-hong realized it late, agonized over it, and solved it by swapping his staff's catalyst. Pick the material from this podium."

'...Asking a martial artist something straight out of a test textbook...'

Blood really tells, huh? I could see a tiny bit of Jeon Eunbyeol's bitchy personality in her.

Snickers from the kids reached my ears.

"......"

I met Jegalrin's eyes for a moment. Seemed like she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wanted to mess with me, but no—her gaze held conviction. Conviction that I'd solve it.

'Heard something from her sister, maybe.'

Felt shitty falling for the ploy, but if I screwed up here, Song Junho and Ohana would catch flak too.

'Can't have that.'

No touching my people. Tap-tap. I grabbed the chalk and drew a new formula on the board.

"As you said, flower blossom excellently grants opposing properties of explosion and harmony. But that's why it causes massive backlash on the caster. The developer, Ihwan-hong, didn't know at first and classified it as 5th-order based on difficulty alone. But factoring backlash, it's at least 6th-order; to master it, 7th-order mage needed. Learning from his disciple, he overcame it using sword material from a lizardman tribe he'd visited—their shell."

Right after answering, I picked up the leftmost material on the podium. Metal-like but with unique lightness, air-whistling sound, glossy sheen—clearly insect carapace.

"The answer: Mantihen shell. Lizardmen hunted them for light, tough weapons. Unbeknownst to them, it absorbs mana itself, absorbing the formula's backlash too."

The room went dead silent. Some gawked in shock, clearly clueless before.

'...Not into showing off to kids...'

▶Question. Hasn't Master been flexing strength since regressing?

'Kay. Don't be a coward and spill the truth.'

Clap-clap. She smiled in satisfaction and quietly applauded.

"Excellent. You even know ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stuff not in books. No need to worry about you not keeping up."

"...Thanks."

"Now, assignment for everyone. It'll count toward midterms every six months, so focus up."

'Huh?'

Before I could question, she grabbed my hand and raised it high.

"In one week, procure an item to substitute this material. Rank doesn't matter. But you must get it yourself. You all know what that means."

The class looked baffled at the sudden announcement. Meanwhile, Jegalrin winked at me and sent a mental voice.

I pressed my temple. Was an instructor allowed to be this biased?

For a second, I wondered if she was serious... but her expression said yes. She muttered worriedly, 'Our Eunbyeol... she's so sensitive, what to do?'

And so, my first encounter with Jegalrin ended with the class bell.

Lunchtime. I ate alone, splitting from Ohana and Song Junho to think.

Munching on a rice ball, I reread Jeon Eunbyeol's message carefully.

'...Location: Manor of the Eternal White-Horned Poison Centipede.'

An ancient curse dungeon based on gu poison motifs. The whole place was a massive jar teeming with venomous bugs and bizarre creatures—a hellscape beyond human ken. Definitely dangerous, but she'd picked a weakened version via her poison arts, knowing it well.

'Jeon Eunbyeol's got skills, so with full power, no issue.'

But something bugged me: the objects scattered around and the boss's properties.

'Special oxidation poison that periodically sets everything ablaze.'

Fire itself was manageable. The problem was the boss. When sensing mortal danger, it self-immolated for a buff... but that burned most of its internals useless afterward.

'To achieve my goal, I need the poison sac and most organs intact.'

So ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I had to fight without letting it do that... Easy if just killing it, but babysitting that was a pain.

Freezing with Ghost Cry Slash crossed my mind... but probably impossible. It was secondary; not a cold-focused technique. No confidence in that precision.

'No helping it.'

Time to spend saved cash or points on 'cold'-related gear. Sword preferably. My current blade was one hit from breaking anyway.

Just as I opened the market app—

A group came thundering down the stairs ahead. About five people fussily escorting one female student.

And in the center, naturally receiving their guard, a woman met my eyes.

That woman is...

'Wien Joun?'