Heart Fluttering on the Ascending Path (3)
[Skill 《Charm》 activated!]
Kang Seojun clenched his eyes shut. The flickering pink flames shot straight toward Jin Serin.
Yet before they could reach her, the flames vanished like a candle in the wind.
'What...!?'
"Why...?"
"Eh?"
Jin Serin remained exactly as she had been until now.
Not a single change in her expression.
The charm had failed to take effect.
Why?
Kang Seojun hurriedly opened the charm skill window.
──────《Skill》──────
▶ Charm
◆Grade [Common]
◆Description - When activated, it amplifies the caster’s attractiveness to captivate the target’s heart.
────────────────
‘Ah...!’ Soon Kang Seojun found the answer inside the description and his heart dropped to his feet.
‘Amplifying attractiveness...!’
Attractiveness was something each person felt relatively. It was impossible to quantify precisely.
Still, there existed some objective, universal criteria.
Clear skin, sharp features, graceful curves—these were the standards.
By those standards, Kang Seojun was a wreck.
Decayed skin, sunken features, twisted curves.
His overall score, after all calculations, was 0.
In fact, far lower.
It bordered on the minus column reserved for the lowest grades.
No matter how you multiplied or added that level of charm, nothing would change.
‘This...!’
Even a long-time veteran like Kang Seojun had never tried charm on such a wretched appearance, so this result was one he had never anticipated.
[Quest Title]
📍 Location: Academy Arrival Path
🎁 Reward: +1 to Durability, Strength, and Agility
【Two beats! A thrilling morning commute!】
📍 Location: Campus Entrance Road
🎁 Reward: +1 Durability • +1 Strength • +1 Agility
Durability +1
Strength +1
Agility +1
Constellations admire your swift response!
Constellations admire your heroine’s instant instinct!
Some constellations are enjoying the flow of events!
Queen of the Deepest Abyss reduces your necrotic dermatitis by one tier.
Tree That Tends the Flower World sponsors dimensional currency.
Brightly Shining One sponsors dimensional currency.
Kang Seojun stared at the empty air with a miserable expression.
Jin Serin’s face darkened as well.
‘Because I startled him, she’s angry now...’
For Jin Serin as well, this morning had felt surprisingly eventful.
The reason she had flinched at Kang Seojun’s touch was because he had once told her he might be a “worm sorcerer.”
She had heard countless times that beneath the skin of a worm sorcerer, worms instead of blood flowed and could burst through at any moment. That was why her body had reacted on its own.
It was fear of the worms, nothing more.
She had tried to explain right away, but words failed her and the chance slipped by.
Now Kang Seojun’s face looked terribly displeased.
‘Why did it turn out like this... hee hee...’
Jin Serin’s eyebrows curled down like rabbit ears.
‘Because of this, the distance to quest completion has grown even greater!’
◆Description - Before arriving at the Academy, make the heroines’ hearts flutter with excitement!
With each attempt, the quest had not drawn closer; it had only receded further.
Yet he had not despaired. Thanks to his 30 Willpower, he had simply begun thinking of the next move.
No matter how dire the situation, that high Willpower forced him onward.
‘If I had known this would happen, I should have invested more in Intelligence...!’
At his current brain speed, no good idea would appear.
His steps were slow.
His thoughts raced.
Kang Seojun walked as slowly as he could, fully deploying his brain.
But no matter how he thought, with this wretched appearance, there were not many choices that would work.
‘If I were just a little less ugly...!’
If he had used charm to surpass entertainers, the quest would have been cleared long ago.
At the very latest, the moment he helped her tidy her messy hair, the quest would have succeeded.
In the end, both of them walked with serious faces as the Academy grew nearer.
‘What remaining means do I have...’
Besides the absurd luck at work, there seemed to be no other way.
Soon the traffic light turned green.
The moment Kang Seojun and Jin Serin crossed the empty intersection.
Suddenly a loud crash echoed from the left.
Both their heads turned left at the same time.
From a distance of less than twenty meters, a massive AI dump truck barreled toward them at terrifying speed.
“Mi-mad...!”
“Kya!?”
Without time to think, Kang Seojun instantly pulled out his skill.
Counterattack Time
-50 HP
The deafening explosion swallowed Kang Seojun.
The dump truck crumpled like an aluminum can.
But the force was concentrated in a small area.
The truck rose slightly, its rear lifted high as if standing on its tail.
“Eh, eh?”
“...!”
Then, as it tilted and toppled, the heavy cargo came crashing down right toward Kang Seojun and Jin Serin.
The thought flashed through his mind: ‘If I get hit, I’m dead?’
Counterattack Time only worked against close-range attacks.
The tilting truck was one thing, but the falling debris could not be avoided.
Willpower screamed to dodge, yet his sluggish body could not respond.
He could only watch the approaching death with the Eye of Providence.
And then—
Kang Seojun’s world flipped.
The dump truck slid across the asphalt with a bone-chilling screech.
Everything on the road was smashed and pulverized, thick acrid smoke billowing up.
And then—
“Colc... colc!”
“Haa... colc! Haa...”
Jin Serin and Kang Seojun lay chest to chest, breathing heavily.
Jin Serin had thrown her body in front of him to save him.
If she had been even a moment slower, the asphalt would have been the one crushed, not human flesh.
At the exact instant the enormous cargo was about to crush Kang Seojun’s head—
Jin Serin’s body moved on its own.
The moment was so short there had been no time to think, no chance to feel anything.
In that brief instant, it was pure instinct.
No fear of the worms beneath his skin.
No hesitation.
And that instinctive side that could save another person—
It might have been why the Brightly Shining Constellation had chosen Jin Serin.
A deep scratch mark on the asphalt stretched long from where the truck had stopped, only a span away.
The overturned AI dump truck wailed and its heart beat a little faster than the rhythm.
But since their bodies were pressed together, it was impossible to tell whose heart was beating.
Still, through the thick white smoke, Kang Seojun forced his eyes open.
“Ugh...”
Half-hidden by smoke, Jin Serin was faintly stirring.
‘I’m alive... thanks to her...’
Looking at the woman moaning faintly, Kang Seojun felt relief.
But the relief lasted only an instant.
“Kurk...!!”
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot up his spine.
When he fell heavily, the twisted waist had twisted painfully.
“Khak! Colc! Guhk!”
As Kang Seojun gasped and coughed, Jin Serin realized she was crushing him and hurriedly pulled away.
“Ah! I-I’m sorry!”
“Guhk...!”
Kang Seojun groaned and slowly looked up at her.
Where his gaze landed were Jin Serin’s night-sky-like eyes.
She immediately leaned in to check his condition.
“Colc! Hah...! It’s okay, right...?”
Jin Serin asked, trying to hold back the smoke-induced cough.
Only her eyes flickered through the white haze.
“Thank you...”
“Hmm! Can you stand?”
Although her waist had twisted a little, she could move if she gritted her teeth.
“Yeah.”
“I-I’ll hold your hand!”
Through the lingering smoke, Jin Serin’s small, fair hands reached out.
For a moment Kang Seojun recalled the image of her avoiding his touch the other day and wondered if it was still okay to take it.
But since the hand had been offered, he had no choice but to reach out carefully.
Jin Serin did not step back or dodge.
When he extended his hand, she grabbed it firmly with both of hers.
She wanted to atone for the mistake of injuring him.
“One! Two! Three!”
Jin Serin pulled him with all her strength.
“O... o!”
Although two weeks had passed and he had lost quite a bit of weight, his still-heavy body rose lightly.
All the things Jin Serin had shown him yesterday had not been reliable, but the fact that she was a Stigma holder whose physical specs far exceeded those of ordinary people was felt anew.
“Colc! Cuhk! First, head toward the sidewalk...”
“Colc! Colc! Whew...! Yeah.”
The smoke’s bitterness had become unbearable.
If he stayed even ten seconds longer, he would choke.
“This way...!”
Jin Serin led him across the crosswalk while still gripping his hand tightly.
The moment they reached the sidewalk, Jin Serin pulled out her smartphone from her pocket.
“I’ll call the police. Just a second...”
Her eyes and lips grew solemn as she looked at the screen.
Kang Seojun turned his head toward the dump truck.
The AI unmanned transport dump truck lay completely overturned, still slowly spewing white smoke.
The wailing sound continued.
It seemed he needed to organize his thoughts about that.
Normally, AI unmanned dump trucks did not run over people.
Even looking at one-year accident statistics, their stability was extremely high.
In fact, in the Grand Hunter Academy, AI dump trucks had never caused accidents with players unless someone was deliberately controlling them.
Yet the reason this truck had come at them was probably because of—
[50 Luck]
It felt like the work of Luck, but—
This kind of bizarre incident was almost certainly the result of Luck unless someone had deliberately arranged it.
‘But why did Luck activate like this...? What was I supposed to do in this situation... I almost died.’
◆Description - Before arriving at the Academy, make the heroines’ hearts flutter with excitement!
Of course his heart was beating because of the accident.
The problem was that this was not the flutter caused by excitement, and most of all, it was Kang Seojun’s heart, not the heroine’s, so the connection felt meaningless.
Kang Seojun looked at Jin Serin talking to the police for a long time.
“Yeah! Here’s the location...”
‘I’m going crazy. What the hell am I supposed to do...’
Kang Seojun sighed inwardly.
At that moment.
[Quest Title]
📍 Location: Campus Entrance Road
🎁 Reward: +1 to Durability, Strength, and Agility
“...!?”
Suddenly a quest completion message appeared.
Durability +1
Strength +1
Agility +1
Constellations admire your quick response!
Constellations admire your heroine’s instant instinct!
Some constellations are enjoying the flow of events!
Queen of the Deepest Abyss reduces your necrotic dermatitis by one tier.
Tree That Tends the Flower World sponsors dimensional currency.
Brightly Shining One sponsors dimensional currency.
Kang Seojun almost swallowed the word that wanted to burst out.
‘What is this...!? Why did the quest suddenly...?’
Kang Seojun’s mind spun rapidly.
‘Could it be that I’m the heroine’s type...?’
No. That thought was dismissed in less than three seconds.
The quest had been given to him, and the heroine clearly pointed to Jin Serin.
Then, could it be...?
Jin Serin...?
No, that couldn’t be.
Kang Seojun, who had low-grade female heart disease, could say with certainty.
During the time it took to reach this point, Jin Serin had never felt any flutter of excitement.
But the quest had succeeded...
“Whatever...”
The Golden Fox of the Sun and Moon Palace expects the events that will unfold next.
Tree That Tends the Flower World expects the events that will unfold next.
Queen of the Deepest Abyss expects the events that will unfold next.
‘What exactly happened...?’
Was this also some complicated female heart?
It was always a difficult problem for Kang Seojun.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
On the high rooftop overlooking the wide bustling street.
A woman leaned on the railing, enjoying the wind.
The strong wind sweeping from above ruffled her thick brown hair.
Her name was Lim Chaewon.
This rooftop was the garden on top of her penthouse.
She loved looking down at the vast city from here.
Once she entered the Academy, she would live in the dormitory, so she was bidding farewell to this view for now.
That was why she had lingered on the rooftop until the last moment, capturing the landscape she loved.
From this height, looking down at the city, she felt as if she were a tycoon.
She liked managing and growing something.
Her ultimate life goal was that.
One day, she would inherit her father’s guild and raise it into a far greater and more powerful one.
That was her ambition and goal.
She had the talent and passion to achieve it.
But recently, she had been troubled by quite a few worries.
Her father, the guild master, had acquired martial power and retired from the front lines.
His uncle, who had been eyeing the position, had received countless real powers.
“Haah...”
Lim Chaewon sighed deeply.
Her uncle was not suited to run a guild at all.
He had no ability, only desire.
He did not use what he had productively, but always consumed it for immediate pleasure.
The more serious problem was the board members who surrounded him.
They planned to use him to sell the guild his mother had dedicated her life to building to a foreign country.
To Lim Chaewon, the guild was not just her father’s life, but like her mother’s legacy.
She could not let such a thing fall into the dirty hands of greedy people.
Charm activated. Attractiveness amplified.
She had intended to find the answer to this worry at the Academy.
The Academy held two keys to solving this problem.
The first was, of course, the Fruit of the Sun.
If she obtained it, no matter how much the board members pushed, she had the resolve to endure.
Of course, obtaining the Fruit of the Sun would be as difficult as confronting the greedy ones.
But it was something she could only know by trying.
Recently, the leading candidate for valedictorian had been said to be Park Sinhu.
He had not even eaten the Fruit of the Astral Rank yet, yet his three B-grade abilities already...
“Well. That’s enough to try.”
She was also among those with relatively high specs compared to her fellow students.
Her skills were both Mana and Senses, both B-grade.
If she continued to grow, she could compete with Park Sinhu.
And the second key, as important as the Fruit of the Sun.
Lim Chaewon needed to obtain a “talent” at the Academy.
Even if the Fruit of the Sun gave her one’s own martial power, that would only supplement the guild, not become its essence.
The essence of a guild was not the individual, but the group.
Harmony, not independence.
Lim Chaewon thought that a guild was a gathering of individuals with their own individuality to achieve greater things.
For her, who aimed to be guild master, selecting talented talents at the Academy was as important as the Fruit of the Sun.
Charm activated. Attractiveness amplified.
The moment Lim Chaewon, who had firmly established her goal several times, turned to head to the Academy.
Suddenly a piercing siren rang out from the intersection below.
Lim Chaewon’s head reflexively turned toward the sound.
“Eh!?”
What she saw was a man and a woman wearing the exact same cadet uniforms as herself.
And a massive dump truck charging toward them with terrifying momentum.
She sensed an impending accident and clamped her mouth shut.
But the surprise had only just begun.
-70 HP
As the dump truck collided with the man, a loud noise shook the entire bustling street.
“...!”
While the alarm screamed, it was not the man but the dump truck that was crushed.
The dump truck crumpled like paper, as if driven into a diamond pillar, then stood upright on its tail.
Soon the dump truck and cargo collapsed, thick smoke enveloping them.
“Wh-what...!?”
Lim Chaewon leaned over the railing, stretching her waist to peer through the smoke.
Through the haze, two blurred figures seemed to be supporting each other.
“...”
Her right hand that had been clamped over her mouth slowly lowered.
But her mouth remained open.
‘What just happened...?’
She had stopped a dump truck running at nearly full speed with her bare hands. No, she had crushed it.
What specs would be needed to perform such a stunt?
Strength, mana, stamina, agility—all had to be at least A-grade by default.
The most important durability stat was...
“At least A+... or above S...!”
The clothes the man was wearing were clearly cadet uniforms.
Then he was clearly a cadet like her, yet what kind of performance had he just shown?
A glint appeared in Lim Chaewon’s eyes, and a strange flutter settled in her chest.
She did not know the man’s true identity, but if she could recruit that power into her own allies...
“...Interesting.”
Lim Chaewon was confident she had found a talent faster than she thought.