Chapter 137
Chapter 137
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 137
Chapter Title: How to Steal the Protagonist's Woman
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"I ate before coming to school, haha..."
"Really?"
"Of course."
Seong Sua smiled brightly at my words, then spoke in a playful tone.
"I'm just kidding. Still, I was looking forward to today, so I was a bit disappointed when you didn't show up."
"I'll definitely be there tomorrow."
At my response, Seong Sua chuckled and slowly began her meal.
She steered the conversation toward the cadets, keeping the atmosphere relaxed and natural.
"Starting today, that new cadet I mentioned before will be arriving."
"Ah... that..."
"...?"
The sudden mention of the cadet caught me off guard—I couldn't recall the name right away—but Armonia jumped in immediately.
'Oh, thanks, thanks!'
Twenty days had robbed me of my memory.
Thanks to Armonia, I got the name and bluffed my way through.
"Cadet Seo Ji-eun... I'm worried about her."
"She'll be fine. She's just incredibly talented, so she's growing so fast she's a bit lost right now."
Fortunately, Seong Sua didn't seem to suspect I'd forgotten her name.
"For the time being, she won't participate in classes directly—just observe."
"Yeah, classes with the other kids wouldn't be easy for her."
If her abilities were weak, it would be one thing, but rumors were rife that her raw power was overwhelmingly superior.
If she were to fall into an uncontrollable state during a lesson and begin harming those around her, the situation would spiral out of control instantly.
If the damage were dealt to the cadets rather than the instructors, it would be absolute chaos.
"For now, Cadet Seo Ji-eun wants to resolve this somehow. But perhaps because she doesn't want to harm the other cadets, she seems to be suffering a great deal mentally."
"Hmm...."
Being unable to control one's own power is a truly fatal flaw.
A shadow that cuts the throats of allies while manifesting its power, a shadow that aims for one's own heart.
I wondered if I could truly keep my sanity and strive to overcome it if I were in such a situation.
I might end up more than just a cripple; I could actually die while using my abilities....
Seong Sua and I spent the rest of our meal discussing Cadet Seo Ji-eun.
..
..
'No matter how I think about it, it doesn't make sense.'
'Yeah.'
Even if all sorts of crazy things happened in this world, I couldn't help but question it.
If she had been unable to control her powers from the start, that would be one thing, but the fact that she suddenly started losing control was incomprehensible.
'No, come to think of it. That lightning-attribute professor at Sutra died by his own magic too....'
[But I believe that was a case of extreme misfortune.]
'True... maybe it's not right to compare the two on the same level.'
That lightning-attribute professor was so unlucky that it felt as if things that should only happen three times in a lifetime all happened to him in a single day.
And in the first place, the lightning attribute is something that cannot be easily handled even at Sutra, where magic has been developed through precise magic circles.
Judging by Seong Sua's words, the cadet named Seo Ji-eun had used her abilities with such proficiency that she had reached a state of perfect harmony between herself and her power.
While I was pondering various thoughts about Seo Ji-eun, Armonia spoke.
[However, you haven't even seen this person named Seo Ji-eun yet, but you seem to be showing more interest than I expected.]
'Ahh...'
I gazed at the yellow sun blazing outside the window and replied.
'Reminds me of the old days...'
'...'
I didn't answer, just kept staring out the window.
Sensing something from my silence, Armonia suddenly apologized.
'Huh? It is a game character.'
Whoa, killing intent!
I could feel the murderous vibe through the comms.
'Uh... well... She has the same name as this character I used to like...'
In times like this, the best strategy is to leave her alone in silence.
While reading the room through the communication link, I headed toward Magic Class 7 alone.
Normally, Seong Sua and I would've headed there together after eating.
Perhaps because the VR game had removed any sense of hesitation, she had come to touch me without reserve, and throughout the afternoon, if nothing special happened, we were usually stuck to each other's side.
In just one week, we had established that kind of relationship.
However, since she had a scheduled interview with the new cadet, we parted ways immediately at the cafeteria.
I trudged along alone until I arrived at Magic Class 7.
Noisy sounds were echoing from inside.
(Man, hope the network gets fixed soon.)
(Can you see my hands shaking? I can't play games—I'm going insane.)
(Isn't it a blessing that you can't play games if you're like that?)
The cadets inside were laughing and chatting noisily.
<
The atmosphere was completely different from the Knight class.
Unlike the Knight class, which exuded a sense of discipline, the Magic class had a truly free-spirited vibe.
In the Magic class, people said whatever they wanted, and classes were conducted as self-directed training.
In contrast, the atmosphere in the Knight class was heavy, and classes proceeded under the strict lead of the instructor.
That didn't mean the Magic class cadets looked down on the instructors or assistant instructors just because they were free-spirited.
They also maintained their manners and focused diligently during class.
At this point, I became curious about something.
'...Wonder what Healing Class is like?'
I knew nothing about Healing Class, nor had I ever personally visited the Healing Class building.
Seeing as almost no information was known to the outside, it seemed that even an assistant instructor like me couldn't easily enter and exit the Recovery Department building.
'I think it's about time I start gathering information on Cho Gang-hyeon....'
'Oh, good idea. We've gotten close now. She won't think it's weird.'
'...'
Her saying that means Armonia's mood is back to normal, right?
..
..
'She's late.'
I'd entered Magic Class 7 alone and was waiting for Seong Sua.
A fair amount of class time had already passed, but Seong Sua still hadn't shown.
The cadets kept chattering away boisterously.
While waiting, I scanned the classroom.
This huge room had just five cadets.
Those five cadets had arranged their desks in a complete mess, haphazardly taking seats in whatever positions they found comfortable.
'Hah... seeing how uncomfortable that looks to me, have I become a kkondae?'
[I also find it uncomfortable.]
The moment NTL Corporation's CEO and COO were outed as fogeys.
Honestly, if they were going to sit like that, I wondered if they even needed desks.
It felt as if they might as well have decorated the place like a children's playroom.
Just as I was observing the cadets chatting like I was at a zoo, I heard the sound of the door opening.
The person who walked in was....
Seong Sua... and...
"...Hello."
It was the girl exuding an elegant grace whom I had seen at the main gate this morning.
..
..
I sat primly in my chair, checking Seo Ji-eun's traits.
We weren't right next to each other.
For each other's sake, we kept a polite distance.
'Her face is all calm and composed, but inside, she's shaking with anxiety.'
'Show me her magic-related levels.'
The details of Seo Ji-eun's magic were magnified.
-[Magic Power LV 25], [Magic Resistance LV 14], [Shadow Attribute LV 19]-
Her levels were way beyond cadet norms already.
Other Magic Class cadets averaged around 15 in magic power, but hers was a solid 25.
Moreover, it was impressive that she maintained that level despite not receiving training for a while? Impressive.
'She must've been a monster in first year.'
It seemed plausible.
If she'd kept training, that is...
Seo Ji-eun caught my gaze and met my eyes with her dark ones.
For five seconds.
Then she turned away, watching the cadets train.
From her traits, one thing was clear.
'It's not a trait-based problem, right?'
[While there are significant symptoms of anxiety, no Traits related to the loss of magic control are visible.]
'....'
In the end, all I could discover about Seo Ji-eun was that, contrary to her expression, she was a child plagued by internal anxiety.
She might have been a child who had nothing to do with me, but as an assistant instructor, I had to make an effort to do something to leave a good impression on Seong Sua.
'Well, it's not like looking at her like this will solve anything, but....'
[Su-ho-nim.]
'Yeah?'
[Seong Sua is looking at you slyly.]
'...'
Seong Sua was eyeing me curiously.
She was looking, sure... but Slyly? How?
..
..
"Phew, another day done~."
I finished work and headed straight back to my dorm room.
The place was spotless—like I hadn't left it empty for 20 days.
Technically just two days...
I flopped onto the bed in the corner and fiddled with the VR gear on the nightstand.
Seeing it brought Seong Sua to mind instantly.
Right after class ended, she'd said she needed to talk more with Cadet Seo Ji-eun and begged me to wait if she was late.
Knowing her personality, she wouldn't wrap it up quick.
She'd try her hardest to connect with Seo Ji-eun.
"Since she's the host, no point logging in now, right?"
"...Yeah."
She'd handed me the device without resetting it, I remembered.
Last time, I'd checked her profile and picked Animal Village, her longest-played game.
"...Let's do it!"
I donned the VR headset and powered it up.
A black void appeared, dotted with floating blue holograms.
I eyed the hologram and said,
"First... let's check Seong Sua's account profile?"
I opened the profile I'd skimmed before, poring over every detail.
Not much there—just basics like name, gender, age.
But one thing caught my eye.
"Birthday? No way—it's soon?"
Twenty days away.
"Well, I guess this counts as information too."
[Just in case, I will keep a record of it.]
"Thank you. Now... can I see anything else? Ah, I can see the friend list."
The friend list I unfolded was larger than I expected.
And there were numerous friend requests floating next to it....
"Wow, she's really popular... Huh? Cho Seo-hyeon is here too."
Cho Seo-hyeon was on the friend list.
It was only natural. The two of them must have known each other for a long time.
"...She's playing a game?"
The status was set to online, and it displayed the game she was currently playing, her ID, and her playtime.
When I had entered Cho Seo-hyeon's dream last time, I already knew she enjoyed games.
But to think she'd dive straight into a game the moment she got off work....
The game she was playing was 'Watch of Legends,' her ID was 'Cho the Little Warrior,' and her playtime was not yet ten minutes.
Fortunately, I was also able to check the profile of Cho Seo-hyeon from the friend list.
On her profile....
"Twenty-four? Does she have any conscience?"
Cho Seo-hyeon's age was thirty.
Well, looking at her appearance, one might believe her if she said she was seventeen....
Since she had an insane baby-face, it seemed that such a discrepancy wasn't much of an issue.
Still, it was definitely a lack of conscience....
While browsing, I was also able to find Cho Seo-hyeon's birthday.
"It's next month."
It was the beginning of next month.
Just as I was diligently searching for information on Cho Seo-hyeon, Seong Soo-ah's voice reached me.
(Whew... Instructor Seong Su-ho, I'm here.)