The Madwoman's Interest

Mari let out a massive yawn. The level here was truly pathetic. Ah, this was so damn boring. She'd come to the Elphon Academy with some expectations, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but the thrill had completely evaporated.

Tap. Someone smacked the back of her head hard.

"Ah."

Mari turned toward the source. It was some old geezer who looked like a nagging fossil.

"Don't you know it's rude to yawn in front of students while they're taking a test?"

Should I just kill this old bastard right here?

"Hurry up and apologize to the students. Can't you see how depressed their faces look because of you?"

Yeah. Let's just slit his throat here and now.

Mari pulled out the sharp dagger she'd tucked into her sleeve. Just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as she was about to slice the old man's neck,

her eyes caught the training field visible through the window. Jin Hyewon of the Crystal Guild stood there quietly. A boy had begun walking toward her.

But his steps halted immediately. It was because of the magic barrier Jin Hyewon had erected.

At that moment, the young man reached out his hand. The corner of the magic barrier cracked.

"Oh?"

Mari's lips curved into a sly smile.

Now this is an interesting one.

Jin Hyewon was a fairly skilled hunter whose name had been flagged for attention even within Requiem. Yet he'd managed to crack her barrier—even if only at the corner?

"Ah. I should have been the one supervising his test."

Mari clicked her tongue. The old man was glaring at her.

"Sigh. Grandpa, I'm heading out first. I just spotted someone fun."

"What?"

With those words, Mari left the classroom.

I had entered the school building and was walking toward my classroom.

Thud. Thud.

As I trudged down the hallway without much energy, a woman with long black hair suddenly appeared right in front of me.

She looked at me and grinned.

"Hi?"

"......"

A chill ran down my spine. Why the hell had this woman appeared in front of me? I couldn't understand the reason at all.

She was smiling brightly at me—the expression she only showed to people who had caught her interest.

I swallowed hard.

"You were pretty interesting, you know?"

She spoke with a sweet smile.

"So I was thinking about conducting an even more fun experiment."

Her face gradually filled with a smile. But then, in an instant, that smile vanished.

And at that moment, she began to raise her arm.

Whoosh—

"!!!"

A violent gust of wind whipped through my hair. The moment I closed and reopened my eyes, Mari's fist was already extended right in front of my face.

It had been completely invisible. There was no time to dodge or even react. I hadn't been able to perceive her movement at all.

In the blink of an eye, her fist had stopped right before my face.

I swallowed again.

If it had advanced even one more centimeter, I would already be on my way to the afterlife.

"Oh. So you noticed I wasn't really planning to attack?"

Mari grinned.

"...."

I had really almost died.

"You read the killing intent. What an interesting fellow you are?"

"....."

It looked like her switch had flipped to ON.

"Then this time I'll attack for real, so try to dodge properly."

She laughed like a maniac as she spoke. Her arm began to rise again.

I'm going to die. I'm really going to die.

At that moment—

Ring—

A phone notification sounded from her pocket.

"Hold on. Wait right there. Hello?"

"...Yeah, come in now?"

"...Got it."

She hung up and looked at me.

"See you next time. Today was pretty fun, wasn't it? Oh, and."

Mari handed me a business card.

"This is my contact information, so make sure you keep it safe."

With those words, Mari vanished.

"...."

This business card was something she only gave to people she truly liked. It contained her direct phone number.

I had no idea why she'd given it to me of all people. Still, I was relieved to be alive.

My legs went weak.

"I really thought I was going to die."

Blood dripped from the dagger in Mari's hand.

"The traitor was this guy."

"Yeah. He was leaking information to the outside."

The vice-captain spoke.

"More importantly, how was the training session at Elphon Academy today? Any useful ones?"

"Nope. They were all pathetic."

"That's disappointing."

The vice-captain clicked his tongue.

"Wait, actually… there was one guy who seemed a bit interesting."

"What? Who? Tell me."

"No."

"What? Are you defying orders?"

"Then go ahead and tattle to the boss."

"Sigh— Fine. Who could stop you anyway? Do whatever you want."

The vice-captain shook his head helplessly.

Mari smiled slyly.

She had no intention of letting others covet the one she'd set her eyes on. A shining raw gemstone only revealed its true value when you were the only one who knew about it.

When will I get to meet him next?

That night, I dragged my exhausted body back to the dormitory.

Having one room per person was truly a revolution. The moment I stepped inside, I dove straight onto the bed.

I had really almost died today. I couldn't even track Mari's movements.

No matter how overpowered Nam Doyun's skills were, they were useless if my stats couldn't keep up. Elixirs could raise my stats, but only temporarily while they were active. Without them, I was completely defenseless.

There would be a solution later, so I'd think about it then. For now, I sat down at the computer, still tired.

There were two notifications on the bell icon.

A fan meeting?

My novel was currently buried deep in the abyss. The only person leaving consistent comments used the ID JeongHanna. If I actually held a fan meeting, it was obvious only that one person would show up.

The moment I posted the reply, another notification rang.

At that moment, my phone notification went off.

Ring—

"It's already in two days."

Elphon Academy periodically took students on experiential learning trips to overseas dungeons. The purpose was to broaden their horizons by letting them experience dungeons that didn't exist in Korea.

The difference this time was that the entire Class 1-A would be exploring the Japan dungeon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠together.

The accommodation was an entire Japanese inn reserved by the academy. The problem was that it wasn't an ordinary inn. Monsters would invade while the students were sleeping, and those monsters were far too strong for the current students to handle.

Nor would they be able to receive help from the teachers. There was an ending where the entire Class 1-A was wiped out here.

I had to prevent that at all costs.

In front of a large building in Gangnam, people in suits waited in the lobby.

Screech—

A black sedan soon stopped before them. A woman stepped out.

"Welcome, Director."

The employees bowed deeply toward her.

"...Yes. It's been a while. Nice to see you."

It was Cha Jiyun.

"Please come inside."

An employee guided her in. They were all staff from the Oriental Guild.

"Where would you like to begin?"

The man in the suit asked.

"...Let's start with the scout team."

"Understood. Please follow me this way."

Creak—

Cha Jiyun opened the door and stepped inside.

"Welcome, Director."

The employees bowed.

"...Yes. I heard you've found some good data."

She pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Ah, yes! We've obtained data that should definitely meet your expectations."

"...If you're saying that, it must be quite promising."

"Yes. An insider from the number one ranked guild, Crystal, passed the materials to us."

"...I'm looking forward to it. Please show me right away."

"Understood. I'll display the PPT immediately."

"First, Radeon matched our existing database exactly."

The man continued speaking from the presentation stand.

"....."

Cha Jiyun nodded.

"Of course, we didn't invite you here just to present something this obvious. There is data here that deserves your attention."

He moved to the next slide.

"This report was written after Nam Doyun fought Kate."

"...."

"The report written after the fight against Kate matched the data in our database. Stats that weren't worth our attention."

"..."

"However, there is one strange point. Please look at the next screen."

"This is the report written after Crystal Guild's visit to Elphon Academy. His evaluation suddenly changed completely."

"...."

"Above all, he is the only student whose stats are marked with question marks in the reports written by Jin Hyewon. The phrase 'concealing his strength' particularly stands out."

"...."

"His current entrance ranking is dead last. However, if Jin Hyewon evaluated him this way, he is undoubtedly hiding considerable power."

"....Haa."

Cha Jiyun let out a soft sigh.

"Director? Is there something that doesn't sit well with you?"

"...No, it's nothing. Please continue."

"Yes, understood. So in my opinion, Nam Doyun is someone our side must absolutely..."

The man continued speaking, but none of it reached Cha Jiyun's ears.

Two days later.

Rattle.

I entered the airport entrance dragging a suitcase packed full of luggage. The trip was scheduled for three days and two nights.

Elphon Academy students were gathered inside the airport. I was walking toward them when a very pleasant fragrance came from the side.

I turned my head.

"....?"

It was Cha Jiyun. She was staring directly at me. It looked like she had something she wanted to ask.

"Hello. Do you have business with me?"

"...It would be wise to act with a little more caution from now on."

"...Pardon?"

What did she mean?

"...Other guilds have begun to pay attention to you. It would be troublesome if you draw their notice, wouldn't it? I understand that is why you are hiding your strength."

"....."

It was a statement I couldn't make sense of.