Chapter 125
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 125: How to Face the Past (11)
I finally observed the Metapoint window carefully.
[Metapoints: 38052] [Metapoints: 37912] [Metapoints: 38152] [Metapoints: 38042] [Metapoints: 38222]
My Metapoint count was constantly changing, and looking closely, it was repeating a cycle of dropping and then rising.
So this was why.
It wasn't that the points I'd gathered so far were low, but knowing that the accumulation speed had slowed down because of this useless controversy made it feel like a bit of a waste.
But what can I do? Just shout, "I'm a virgin!" out of nowhere?
Even if I indirectly said, ‘I’ve never had a boyfriend,’ I doubt they would change easily. They started suspecting just from the fact that I have a male friend.
That suspicion probably won't disappear unless a so-called ‘author’ or some other omniscient being declares it.
It was a difficult point to deal with right now.
The fortunate thing was that the points were, at least, on an overall upward trend.
[Comment Section]
ㅇㅇ lolol, do they not have friends of the opposite sex? What crazy bastards…
ㅇㅇ Leave them be, it's 'cause they're losers (jjindda).
ㅇㅇ Over-immersion, legendary lolol
ㅇㅇ Yep~ Eo-Jeong-Gang~ Anyway, the Main Heroine is Kang Nahyun~ You can troll, but it's the truth, right? Nothing to say, right?
ㅇㅇ Yep, your heroine is a non-virgin.
ㅇㅇ Look at them latching on with all their might just because they found something to nitpick. Idiots lolol
The overall atmosphere of the comment section was also leaning toward treating the proponents of the non-virgin theory as trolls.
The so-called... ‘Kang Nahyun non-virgin theory’... I can't stand this, damn it. Anyway, it seemed to be half a joke and half a psychological move to keep me in check while pushing for a different heroine.
I'll have to be careful for a while.
I despaired for a moment at the reality of having to be careful about this, but I quickly gathered my wits.
[Appearance Part]
...I lost the seat next to Nahyun. I only realized it after hearing Na Yuri's words. I see. Had I, at some point, started taking Nahyun being by my side for granted...
Nahyun, who had been flustered, seemed to be talking with Mihail. The desire to finish my business quickly and go get her welled up. Just as my urgent business finally ended and I was about to approach Nahyun, “I have arrived—!” Nika barged in.
[Comment Section]
ㅇㅇ F*ck, someone kill that Fox bastard.
ㅇㅇ Yep, non-virgin.
ㅇㅇ Someone kill this bastard too.
ㅇㅇ Protect your main wife, In-gong!!!
ㅇㅇ At this point, the kid responding to him is also the problem.
ㅇㅇ ?bullshit, no
Wow, the comments are really burning.
I was slowly reaching a state of enjoyment.
When the anger peaked, laughter came out instead.
I talked to a guy! So what? What! Do I have to be controlled on who I talk to?! Huh!?
Should I call it fortunate? After that, Nika's sudden appearance drew all the attention, so the male characters weren't highlighted, and public sentiment seemed to calm down.
[Comment Section]
ㅇㅇ Now I can breathe.
ㅇㅇNam-cae out, drift out.
ㅇㅇ Author, take this chance to add a 'Kang Yu is a girl in disguise' setting.
ㅇㅇReverse-harem...
...What is with those last two, really.
Anyway, I can't do anything about their controversy right now.
But having grasped the absolute usefulness of the points, I can't throw this system away either.
Soon, I'll make it so those problematic reader-bastards can't even make a peep!
I guess I have no choice but to stick close to Na Yuhan for the time being. The Kang Nahyun supporters will take care of the trolls for me.
My shareholders! Good luck! Go kill them!!
Yggdil completely sealed my new technique, <Omission>.
Then, as if worried my combat skills would degenerate because of <Omission>, she made us go through even tougher training than before.
Thanks to that, everyone reached a level of proficiency in 1-on-1 duels with monsters.
Even that Na Yuhan sometimes defeated a monster alone using items!
In that state of having been thoroughly hardened, we faced the midterm practical exam.
“Alright, then! Special evaluation examinees! Let's go!” “Ah, yes!” “We'll be back.” “We'll work hard!”
Min Jaeyun, Na Yuri, and Park Siwoo had already taken their practical exams a few days ago for the special evaluation.
We saw off the three as they followed Yggdil.
Min Jaeyun looked nervous, but at the same time, she was burning with a passion to do well. The way her expression wavered between the two was quite cute.
Park Siwoo seemed adept at being in front of people, preparing indifferently.
Na Yuri had been reviewing data and conducting analysis throughout the prep period, saying she had to thoroughly analyze all the challengers....
Everyone is working hard.
“Fighting!”
I waved my hand at them, hoping the special evaluation would end smoothly.
Just then, the practical exam started over here, and my name was called. Maybe because my surname is Kang, I was always first for individual exams.
My opponent was a wyvern hatchling.
Kieeee—!
“It’s tiny!”
Acting all high and mighty 'cause it's a wyvern, it threatened me by spreading its wings, but as soon as I fired a few bullets from my dual pistols, it flinched and then spread its wings wide to ascend.
I'm used to that pattern.
I grinned and swapped my guns for a sniper rifle. At the same time, I took out a shield item.
“‘Safe Zone’ activate.”
The ball-shaped item, as soon as I crushed it, burst with light and created a hemispherical barrier around me.
From inside it, I raised the sniper rifle and focused on the wyvern.
Kie?! Kie!
The wyvern hatchling tried to attack the shield several times, but its small, weak claws and teeth seemed insufficient to break it.
It grew angry, flapped its wings, and began to rotate its body rapidly. It seemed to intend to charge straight in and break the shield with a body slam.
I turned my eyes to the core of the wyvern as it spun round and round, plummeting toward me.
Spin, spin.
Each time the wyvern's body turned, the core embedded in its chest appeared and disappeared.
Spin.
One, I take a breath,
Spin.
Two, I gather my mana,
Kiiii—!
Finally, three, the moment it lunged at me, I fired the bullet.
Clang—!
The core shatters into pieces, reflecting the indoor lights.
A brilliant scattering of light occurs, and the glass-like shards of the wyvern'score rain down onto my shield.
At last, the body of the wyvern hatchling, its breath cut off in an instant, crashed to the ground with a thud.
I confirmed the result and smiled at the teachers.
“Thank you for your hard work!”
As for the grade, what else could it be?
A, of course.
“Good work!” “Wow… for a Government-Sponsored Awakened student to become this strong.” “She’s among the top of this year’s class.”
I tuned out the teachers' exclamations and clenched my fist.
Right. I was F-rank when I started. I couldn't believe that I could become this strong.
But that’s why this current achievement… made me happy.
My other friends also passed the practical exam without issue.
It felt like Yggdil's hell training was harder, so we didn't have to worry about our grades.
Without worrying, I looked at the girl over there, smiling relaxedly and waving this way.
“Choi Borim!”
When her name was called, Choi Borim walked confidently to the exam hall.
“Heuaak!”
And she didn't last even a few minutes.
The sword strikes from the two-handed sword she wielded looked flashy and cool at first glance, but looking closely, they were all show and had no power.
The slime, too, was flustered at first and retreated, but it soon realized she was full of openings, leisurely dug in, and defeated her.
I suddenly felt she was pathetic.
She was lucky enough to get a monster like a slime, yet she lost because she panicked. A slime was a monster she could have easily won against if she had just calmly dealt with it as she’d learned.
…You still don’t know what’s important and are just obsessed with outward appearances.
It was the moment when even the strange sympathy and sense of kinship I’d felt for her shattered.
But Choi Borim, despite losing in such a short time, walked confidently to the judges’ table and applied for a special evaluation.
The opponent, of course, was Min Jaeyun.
It’s obvious. Choi Borim must be planning to ruthlessly dig into Min Jaeyun's trauma to break her mental state.
“This isn't good….”
I quietly agreed with Na Yuhan, who was muttering beside me, and looked at Min Jaeyun preparing her gear over there.
Will she be okay, Jaeyun?
But regardless of my worries, the regular evaluations passed quickly, and the special evaluation time finally arrived.
"Who do you think will win?" "My money's on the challengers!" "Hey, but they're Class A! Class A will win!"
The special evaluation, unlike the regular evaluation, was interpreted as a kind of event among the students.
Who is stronger! Can this challenger actually win?! It was close to a 'Versus' game.
Anyway, quite a few students who enjoy watching other people's fights remained, so the special evaluation hall was still crowded. The audience gathered in small groups, trying to predict who would pass the special evaluation.
“Yuri and Siwoo will be tough... but don't you think Jaeyun is doable?” “Right. Isn't her curse the only problem? I heard that's gotten better lately.” “But why did Min Jaeyun become an examinee? Wouldn't Shin Baran be better?” “I dunno. I hear she’s gotten a lot stronger lately?”
And the most popular opponent, naturally, was Min Jaeyun.
After Min Jaeyun became able to control her curse to some extent, her threat level, at least outwardly, seemed to have dropped.
Well, most students had probably only seen Jaeyun in her state of extremely low stats due to low self-esteem.
It's no wonder they're puzzled.
But that evaluation will change, starting today.
‘Jaeyun.’ ‘Yeah?’ ‘You’re strong. You can win.’ ‘Yeah. Of course!’
I remembered Min Jaeyun, who had smiled brightly and answered confidently.
Min Jaeyun was no longer the Min Jaeyun of the past, nor the Min Jaeyun of the ‘novel’.
So, it's fine.
I looked at Min Jaeyun standing in the exam hall and the large student standing opposite her, and smiled gently.
The referee raised his arm and shouted.
“Exam start!”
At the same time, a precarious tension flowed between the two.
But the tension didn't last long.
"Here I come! To Class A!"
That student, the large one, held up a talisman that looked like a curse cleansing item and charged confidently at Min Jaeyun, but he was instantly thrown aside.
Thwack—! Clatter!
Min Jaeyun didn't even use her curse; she just knocked the large student out with a single kick.
“Kim Cheolsu! Unable to fight! Min Jaeyun wins!”
Well, it was mostly like that afterward.
My kid is strong.
You can become strong without despairing.
I didn't suppress the pride welling up and smiled brightly.
The special evaluation proceeded faster than expected.
“I thought Min Jaeyun was possible, but no one can even touch her….” “So is no one going to pass the special evaluation in the end?” “Still, the overall level is high.”
Amidst the murmuring people, Choi Borim seemed to be observing Min Jaeyun—who was felling enemies one by one—while still smiling relaxedly.
Before long, Choi Borim's turn came.
“Next! Choi Borim!”
Choi Borim walked down with a confident stride and faced Min Jaeyun.
Exam start!
Amidst the referee's loud shout, the two female students faced off, exchanging sharp glances.
Choi Borim, glaring at the solidly standing Min Jaeyun, eventually fixed a crooked smile on her face. Then, she threw her dagger-like words.
“How are you living these days? It seems like everyone finds you annoying. But then again. Who would like someone like you?”
But Min Jaeyun, even at those provocative words, just looked at Choi Borim with calm eyes.