The Calm Before the Storm
The way to handle a B-rank monster known as the Cutleric Turtle is simple. Because of their turtle-like appearance, you attack from be—
The professor lectured with such fervor that sweat trickled down his forehead. But no matter how passionate he was, it didn’t make the class any more interesting. I sat in the back row, scanning the room with a bored stare.
I wasn’t the only one who found it dull. People were yawning or sneaking in naps. A few grade-obsessed students were actually taking proper notes, but that was about it.
“Not writing anything down?”
Yeah. Take her, for example.
Tana leaned in close and whispered. A recorder sat beside her, ready to capture the lecture for later, while her notebook brimmed with enthusiastic handwriting.
“Don’t need to.”
“Why not?”
“Just don’t.”
Tana gave me the look usually reserved for strange zoo animals.
“You’re not trying to keep your top spot?”
“I am.”
“Then why aren’t you taking notes?”
“Don’t need them.”
“What kind of confidence is that? Even the girl next to you is scribbling away.”
The girl next to me, huh…
I turned and saw Cheon Yu-ha roughly jotting things in her notebook. She only seemed to write down whatever actually caught her attention.
Could you even call that note-taking?
More importantly, why was she even here?
“Why are you here?”
“……”
“Hey.”
“…It’s comfortable.”
What the hell did that mean?
As I tilted my head, Tana nodded like she completely understood.
“True. It is pretty comfortable next to him.”
For a brief moment, Tana and Cheon Yu-ha’s eyes met. They exchanged silent glances, then nodded in perfect sync.
What is this? Some private conversation I’m not invited to? Let me in on it.
I kept staring at Tana until she explained. I didn’t poke her—just stared until she felt it.
She paused her recording and finally spoke.
“What?”
“Why is it comfortable around me?”
“…Are you actually asking because you don’t know?”
Yes, I was. I nodded vigorously. Tana looked at me like she was utterly fed up and pointed across the room.
“Look over there.”
I followed her finger. A whole group of students had turned to stare in unison. So those occasional gazes I’d been feeling were from them.
Some faces in the crowd stood out.
They were probably Cheon Yu-ha’s usual followers. But she was sitting here. Shouldn’t they be coming over too?
The answer came from Tana.
“They can’t come over because of you.”
“What?”
What had I done to make them avoid me? I hadn’t beaten them up or harassed anyone.
Was there another reason?
“They don’t want to get involved with a crazy bastard.”
Her calm delivery ripped my heart to shreds. Sure, I’d caused a scene right at the start of the academy, but had I really become such a lunatic that people couldn’t even approach me?
This… completely ruined my academy life.
“What did I even do that was so bad…?”
“…Are you serious?”
“Crazy bastard.”
My quiet mutter drew strong reactions from both Tana and Cheon Yu-ha.
Wait, Cheon Yu-ha was showing that much emotion? I thought that level of reaction only appeared after a certain amount of favorability.
“You broke all the freshman records, beat up three classmates before the semester even started, and made one of them so terrified they run away at the sight of you?”
“Then you took an overnight leave during the first semester of first year, claiming you were sick.”
“Yeah, a perfectly healthy guy skipping out when overnights are banned for first-years.”
Beating up classmates before classes even began. Scaring one so badly they couldn’t look me in the eye. Faking illness to sneak out for an overnight leave…
When you laid it out like that, I really did sound like a total delinquent.
The truth was completely different, though.
“I really was sick. That’s why I left.”
“Then where exactly did it hurt?”
Tana’s question sealed my lips. I couldn’t tell her the truth. No matter how shameless I was, I didn’t have the balls to admit—in front of the entire freshman class—that I’d gone out to buy Viagra.
And telling only Tana privately? That wasn’t an option either.
I’d only told the dean and Siren because they were faculty. They had something to gain by making it public, so they did. Even if they hadn’t, the medicine would’ve been discovered during inspections eventually.
But Tana and Cheon Yu-ha were different. They had no way of knowing about my condition or the medicine I was taking.
Besides, there was nothing good about letting too many people know.
“……”
“See? You can’t say it.”
So silence was my only choice. Even if the slander kept coming, I had to endure it.
Still, knowing the truth and recognizing their words as baseless attacks didn’t change anything. Of course, if the rumors grew louder or turned physical, it would get complicated…
But it was fine. Conversation always held the answer.
Didn’t heroes always purify villains through talks filled with love and justice?
And even without conversation, the truth eventually came out. No matter how hard they tried to hide it, it was useless.
“Delinquent.”
…So for now, I would simply endure.
I ignored the slander coming from beside me and twirled the pencil in my hand.
With only about a month left until the Sword Princess Corruption episode, no major events remained.
At most, there would be routine training, sparring, and the occasional hunt that users experienced during academy life.
Even if episodes appeared, they’d be sub-events. The real focus was growth and building relationships with characters.
Once those relationships reached a certain level, you faced the corrupted heroine—Tana Erhen. If the relationships weren’t high enough, the user had to handle it alone.
Since it was an early episode, raising favorability was fairly easy. That left new users with a happy dilemma.
Which character should I bring to the subjugation battle?
No event progressed relationships quite like a subjugation battle. Watching people raise their weapons for each other while injured and on the verge of death in front of a powerful enemy was honestly spectacular.
The directing and story were well-crafted, as expected of a main episode.
However, since my goal wasn’t simply clearing the battle but rescuing Tana, the available members were limited.
Only three people, including myself, could join the Sword Princess subjugation.
One was Cheon Yu-ha, who was yawning boredly beside me right now.
The other was the Saint.
Normally, people associated the title “Saint” with a healer. But at Final Academy—especially when dealing with the devil’s minions—the meaning changed completely.
Demonic Energy and Holy Power were polar opposites. They loathed each other, and the Saint, master of that Holy Power, naturally despised demons.
Because she hated them so much, the usually gentle healer would, the moment she detected demonic energy, mercilessly pummel her target with fists wrapped in divine power.
Ah, I really don’t want to meet her.
I’d brushed it off in the game, but in reality I had no idea what she might do. Given her personality, she might throw a punch the second she saw me.
Her temper really was something else.
“That concludes today’s lecture.”
The professor wiped his forehead with a handkerchief and left. The lecture hall instantly erupted into noise. With no more classes left, everyone chattered about what to do next.
“Ugh. It’s finally over.”
Tana stood and stretched. She packed her notes and recorder, then patted Cheon Yu-ha on the back.
“It’s over. Wake up.”
“Uh… uh…”
Cheon Yu-ha, still gripping her pen tightly, peeled her face off the desk and rose. She’d held out for a while but had eventually dozed off.
“Hey, hey.”
“What?”
“We’re heading to the café. Want to come?”
I thought about it for a second before shaking my head. Talking more with them at the café sounded nice, but I needed to see the Saint first.
I couldn’t keep putting it off. It was time to face her.
“Really? Then we’ll go ahead.”
Tana led Cheon Yu-ha out of the hall.
Wait, when did you two get so close? Weren’t you practically strangers just two days ago?
Apparently some insider bonding had happened without me noticing. As expected, their social game was on a level I couldn’t touch.
I dragged my slumped shoulders toward the second-year lecture hall.
When I poked my head inside, I heard the sharp sounds of combat. They seemed to be sparring.
But class should’ve ended by now?
Looking around, the professor was indeed gone. Only students remained.
The timetable confirmed the lecture was over.
So they were voluntarily sparring? And why here of all places?
I had no idea.
I carefully opened the door and stepped in. A few resting second-years spotted me and widened their eyes.
“Who’s that? A first-year?”
“Hey, that’s him. The freshman top student.”
“Ah. The guy who beat up his own classmates?”
My rumors had apparently spread all the way to the upperclassmen. I’d expected it, but hearing it out loud was still embarrassing. Whatever.
“But why is he here?”
I wanted to know the answer to that myself.
Regardless of my inner thoughts, my feet carried me steadily forward until I stood in front of the two students currently sparring.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
A clean strike sent one student flying into the air.
He crashed to the floor and lay still. Only then did his opponent stop moving.
“Hm? A first-year?”
Pink hair. Golden eyes. Traces of battle across her entire body. White bandages wrapped around her fists. And a physique so perfectly trained it drew involuntary admiration.
I recalled the description and looked at the woman before me.
She strode over and asked.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Elesia.”
“First-year student. Lee Sungjin.”
“Oh, so you’re that top student?”
I gave a small nod. Elesia muttered “I see,” then smiled brightly.
“Wanna date me?”
That single sentence confirmed it. She was the Saint. The person I needed to recruit.
And it reminded me of one very important fact.
The Saint was a total crazy bitch.