Meritocracy (1)
Meritocracy (1)
A day in October.
Wham—!!
With a clean impact, Kang Seok-ho was sent soaring across the sparring arena, flailing in midair.
In a scene now painfully familiar, he stared blankly up at the arena ceiling.
'Something's off...'
Yeah, something was off.
Over the break, he'd poured himself into training every waking moment beyond eating and sleeping.
He'd even downed an elixir of the kind you couldn't get just because you asked, and he'd consumed a heap of mana herbs that boosted magical reserves.
In fact, by the end of the break, his mana pool had swelled by nearly forty percent, and he could feel that the mana circuits supporting that growth had grown much sturdier too.
On top of that, with some... physical instruction from his eldest brother, he'd gotten pretty adept at selectively hardening only the body parts he wanted with his Steel Ability.
It was hard to say exactly how much stronger that made him, but one thing he was certain of: if he fought his pre-break self, it would be a thoroughly one-sided victory.
Thud—!!
The airborne Kang Seok-ho crashed onto the arena floor back-first, his body flattening against the ground.
'Hurts like hell, seriously...'
Even with his ability active, the shock still rattled right through him. Kang Seok-ho grimaced and pushed himself up.
-Na-young is running a little late.
-Yeah?
Baek Ha-na, who'd been about to step off the arena floor, turned her head back.
Flustered, Kang Seok-ho squeezed his eyes shut and lay back down. Long experience had taught him that making eye contact now would mean ending up standing in front of her again.
'Haah, should I just drop out?'
Ever since his relationship with Baek Ha-na went sideways right at the start of the semester, he'd been getting flattened like a dog in front of his peers, dignity of a Top 10 Guild heir be damned. By now, he'd practically become a slightly sturdier punching bag.
Things had gotten so bad that even children of factions hostile to his had looked at him with pity and offered words of comfort.
Worse still, after the Grade Evaluation, his engagement with Na Ju-hee had gradually unraveled. They'd reached a point where they were no better than strangers who only knew each other's faces.
'All that fuss just because I grabbed her tail...'
He hadn't groped her butt or anything; he'd just seized the tail that had been carelessly exposed. Was that really enough to earn such contempt and all that scolding?
The cold relationship between Kang Seok-ho and Na Ju-hee was one that could actually be mended quickly if Kang Seok-ho would just admit his fault and apologize. But even after all these months, he had never once apologized to Na Ju-hee for grabbing Baek Ha-na's tail.
No matter how many times he replayed all the times he'd deferred to Na Ju-hee before, he still didn't think his judgment had been wrong.
"Ah, perfect, all three of you are here."
'...?'
Kang Seok-ho, who'd planned to play dead until the end-of-lecture chime, cracked his eyes open.
Because the voice belonged to Kang Han-na—someone who'd recently been too busy with Academy Festival preparations to show her face, leaving lectures to self-study.
"This brat's still lying down. Hey, if you're gonna do that, go sleep in your dorm."
Tap, tap.
Kang Han-na, who'd drawn close before he knew it, nudged Kang Seok-ho's shoulder with her foot and grinned.
"...I'm a patient, though."
"What patient. Quit your groaning and get up. You two, come here too."
His jaw had genuinely creaked a little from Baek Ha-na's punch, but Kang Seok-ho just let out a short sigh and hauled himself up.
"Let's see, the time is..."
La la la~♪
As Kang Han-na checked the time, she hummed along to the pleasant melody drifting down from the ceiling, her head tilting up.
"Noon. Eat lunch and come to the Upperclassmen Sparring Ground by two."
"Is it for the festival?"
"Yeah, all the candidates have been picked, so we're all gathering today. Any of you have afternoon lectures?"
Baek Ha-na and Nam Seo-hee raised their hands in perfect sync.
"Tell your professor you have to miss class because of the festival. They'll mark you as present automatically."
"What about the assignments?"
"Same goes for assignments."
Baek Ha-na nodded.
"Heh-heh, good. Then see you in two hours, my little cutie."
"......?"
Baek Ha-na watched Kang Han-na step off the stage, grinning and tapping her own shoulder as she left, with a strange look.
After spending so long together, they'd gotten close enough to speak casually, but she'd never seen Kang Han-na react like that before.
"Ha-na, I already told the others."
"Ah, right. Let's go."
The pangs of hunger rising quickly pushed Kang Han-na from Baek Ha-na's mind, and she headed for the cafeteria.
**
"Seo-hee, this way."
"Okay."
After finishing a pleasant meal, Baek Ha-na walked with Nam Seo-hee toward the east side of the academy.
"I guess that's it."
"It's about the same size as ours."
The two headed toward the enormous domed structure that had come into view and entered through the wide-open entrance.
"Looks like we're the last."
"Seems like it."
As Baek Ha-na and Nam Seo-hee stepped onto the sparring arena and saw the lined-up students and professors, they blinked calmly.
Both Baek Ha-na and Nam Seo-hee lived with family whose members were far from ordinary, so they weren't the types to walk on eggshells over something like this.
Moreover, because of Nam Seo-hee's status and the implicitly understood connection between Baek Ha-na and Claire, none of the upperclassmen or professors gave them any kind of hard time.
-Baek Ha-na, over here.
"......?"
At the sound of her name, Baek Ha-na's gaze naturally turned that way. She spotted Na Ju-hee, her bright red hair hanging down.
"Seo-hee, she says that way."
"...Guess so."
Having long since released all her lingering feelings about Na Ju-hee, Baek Ha-na walked over without a second thought. Nam Seo-hee, her glare several degrees colder than the one she'd once leveled at Idni, followed right behind, eyes fixed on Na Ju-hee.
"Why are you so late?"
"She told us to come by two."
Baek Ha-na answered Na Ju-hee's question plainly.
"...Right. You're not late, after all."
Na Ju-hee knew Baek Ha-na's way of thinking was a little unique compared to other students, so she didn't say anything more. Na Ju-hee still hoped to get closer to Baek Ha-na—more precisely, she was looking for a chance to invite her into the guild.
"By the way, where did you go when the barrier disappeared?"
"Home."
"...I waited, but you never came out?"
"......?"
Baek Ha-na tilted her head at Na Ju-hee's remark. Waited? Where? For whom?
"Ha-na, look ahead. The professor's here."
"Ah......"
Baek Ha-na quickly lifted her head and looked forward.
Nam Seo-hee, having pulled her gaze away from Na Ju-hee, stared straight into those glaring crimson eyes and moved her lips.
-Do. not. cling. to. her.
-I. am. just. try. ing. to. be. friend. ly.
-Bull. shit.
-......?!
Na Ju-hee's eyes flew wide open at the unexpected interpretation, but Nam Seo-hee had already taken Baek Ha-na's hand and was looking straight ahead.
Completely oblivious to what was happening at her side, Baek Ha-na had even risen a little onto her tiptoes to peer toward the front of the stage.
Unkempt black hair.
The oversized glasses that had become a signature.
Broad shoulders and a tall, lean frame.
And an outfit done entirely in deep black.
'...He really does look best in that coat.'
Baek Ha-na took in the sight of Baek Woo-jin, wearing the same old coat he'd worn since the day he came to rescue her, and had to put considerable effort into suppressing the grin that kept trying to creep up at the corners of her mouth.
【I am Baek Woo-jin, appointed Chief Proctor.】
His voice, clear as if he were speaking right beside her, made Baek Ha-na's heart skip a beat.
That day she'd faked an illness on Claire's advice.
The memory of that sweet, low whisper in her ear as he'd stroked her hair naturally tried to surface.
'G-get a grip...'
She couldn't afford to show an unsightly side in a formal setting. So Baek Ha-na had to desperately push that memory down with all her might.
【You have one hundred days. That is the time left until the ceremony.】
Baek Woo-jin's voice continued.
By focusing on the voice in the present, not the past, Baek Ha-na just barely shook off the memory.
【I don't know how it looks from the academy's perspective, but since I had this role dumped on me, I have little interest in what results you produce—or rather, no interest at all.】
-Ahem, hm...
In a space where neither students nor professors dared react, Jaden was the sole person who gave a pointed cough.
【However, since I have accepted the role, I can't simply abandon my duties entirely.】
Click—
The crisp sound of measured heels echoed through the sparring arena.
From among the professors, a cold beauty with her flowing golden hair neatly tied came to stand beside Baek Woo-jin.
Claire Vin Asen.
The moment she appeared at Baek Woo-jin's side, students began to stir.
'...Must be nice.'
Only one person, Baek Ha-na, inwardly pursed her lips so no one would notice.
【At least once a week, and whenever her schedule permits, she will watch over you. I think this is more than enough to fulfill what can be asked of someone in my position.】
The students didn't answer aloud, but they were nodding vigorously inside, and the professors' reactions weren't much different.
A representative of god, someone you'd be lucky to glimpse even once no matter how much gold you offered. And now, not only would they see her face, but they would receive her instruction?
On that fact alone, the students were already resolving to nominate Baek Woo-jin as Chief Proctor again next year without fail.
【Lastly, the one who claims the position of 'King' will be granted a desired benefit for the duration of the title. However, I will add the condition that this must be something feasible within the academy's authority.】
With that, Baek Woo-jin turned and left, Claire following behind him.
'...He'll grant whatever I want?'
After Baek Woo-jin departed, Baek Ha-na's mind was filled entirely with that one sentence.
Thwack—!!
"......?"
The light impact on her shoulder snapped Baek Ha-na back to her senses, and she turned her head toward the figure who had placed a hand there.
"...Professor?"
There, smiling just as she had when she'd tapped her shoulder and left the first-year sparring arena, was Kang Han-na, right in front of her face.
"Heh-heh, my little cutie? What are you standing around spacing out for? Hurry up and go up front."
"......?"
Baek Ha-na turned her head toward where Kang Han-na was pointing.
-All students participating in the Ranking Match, please gather in front of me now.
Where Baek Woo-jin had stood, Jaden now stood, and she could see upperclassmen flocking to line up neatly in front of him.
"What's the Ranking Match?"
"Exactly what it sounds like—a way to rank who's the strongest."
"Ranking... King...?"
"That's right. The strongest one here gets to sit on the throne."
Because the matches were structured so every student faced off against each other regardless of grade, they pre-ranked everyone like this and decided the order of bouts. Being in a higher grade didn't automatically make you stronger, after all. And the students knew that perfectly well.
For an Awakened, the most important factor above all else was the amount of mana you were born with at the moment of awakening.
"Now go claim the throne!!"
"......King."
Muttering the word 'King' under her breath, Baek Ha-na slowly walked forward.
"......"
"......"
Nam Seo-hee and Na Ju-hee, who had been watching her, both fell into step on either side of Baek Ha-na, neither waiting for the other to move first.
Watching Baek Ha-na gradually make her way forward, Kang Han-na smiled with deep satisfaction.
"I bet my whole month's salary on this, so make sure you win."