Chapter 14
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Training and Classes (6)
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Cheon Seo-yun stared at Lee Seongmin right in front of her, utterly speechless.
She had grown up under the intense scrutiny of her family, blessed with exceptional talent.
Because of that, Cheon Seo-yun could usually read people's thoughts just by locking eyes with them.
He's serious.
And what she saw in Lee Seongmin now was that he genuinely wanted all of her.
She had noticed him looking at her with those eyes during today's physical training, but hearing it straight from him like this was on another level.
"Ah..."
Before she knew it, Cheon Seo-yun realized she had been completely overwhelmed by him.
He had boldly revealed his possessive desire for her alone, crushing her under its weight.
"What do you plan to do with me if you have me?"
Regaining her composure with effort, she asked once more.
Lee Seongmin's lips twitched at the question, but he soon replied that it wasn't the time.
"I'll let you know when the time comes."
With that, he turned and staggered back toward the dormitory.
"..."
Cheon Seo-yun stood frozen, unable to even think of following him, and let out a long breath as if her jaw had been clenched tight this whole time.
Once she calmed her body and mind, she suddenly wondered why she had been so overwhelmed by him.
It felt like I was crushed by his presence.
The reason was that the moment he bared his true feelings, a sliver of the aura he had built up came through.
Naturally, after crossing fourteen worlds and fighting countless battles, Lee Seongmin's aura had transcended mortal limits.
That's how serious he was about it.
But Cheon Seo-yun simply thought his desire to possess her was immense.
To be more precise, she figured his desire was so wildly intense that it had made her shrink back.
Even for someone like her, the situation blinded her to the fact that it was tied to his aura.
So this is what it feels like to get confessed to.
She simply committed to memory that this must be what a confession felt like for the first time in her life and turned to leave.
"..."
As she turned away, Lee Seongmin's gaze and confession flashed through her mind once more.
By her guess, the image of him now etched in her head wouldn't fade easily.
-Mr. Lee Seongmin, did you fall for Cheon Seo-yun at first sight or something?
The moment I parted ways with Cheon Seo-yun and returned to the dorm, Lee Seojun hit me with the question like he'd been waiting.
He was looking at me with an expression that screamed, "How could anyone fall at first sight?"
"It's not love at first sight. I just want to have Cheon Seo-yun."
-Isn't that the same thing?
"Similar, but different."
If I had to put it into words, it was closer to wanting her as a comrade to fight alongside, not a lover.
"More importantly, who were you staring at so intently in the auditorium earlier?"
-Ah... You saw that?
"The girl next to Ma Dong-woo, right?"
-Yeah. Her name's Go Ha-seul. She's ranked 290th.
I hadn't really been curious about her rank, but now I knew it was 290th anyway.
I asked again.
"So why were you watching her? Because of Ma Dong-woo?"
-Yes. Go Ha-seul's going through some financial hardship. Because of that, she falls for Ma Dong-woo's scheme and meets her ruin.
"Ruin? How so?"
-She ends up massacring students and self-destructing, her mother turns into a demon, and her little brother becomes a vengeful spirit who later turns villain.
Listening to Lee Seojun, I felt like I couldn't just leave her be.
Her whole family meets a bad end, so maybe it was better to step in now.
"Then we can't just let it happen."
-No way to help right now. Her mom's in a coma from some specific illness, and she's got to support her brother's living expenses too.
Hearing Go Ha-seul's situation, I tilted my head.
"If it's that bad, why even enroll?"
-Enrolling gets her connected to the Geneva Cult. That's when she plans to ask their healers for help or become one herself.
"The Geneva Cult is a world-class crime organization, though."
-People don't know that yet. Even this Hero Officer Academy is the same. Plus, they send an instructor over in the second semester.
Hearing that much, I paused to think.
Of course, I could solve all of Go Ha-seul's problems in a heartbeat.
To put it plainly, I could heal her sick mother and hand over a hefty sum of cash.
"When does Go Ha-seul die?"
-It's a ways off. Second semester.
"No need to rush, then."
-Huh? Wait, can you actually help her?
I nodded casually, like it was no big deal.
"Not hard."
-Then the sooner the better. She saves on meal and training points by selling them to other students to make money.
"That'll stunt her growth."
-It doesn't ruin it, but it's a shame.
"..."
For a moment, I had the reasonable suspicion that Lee Seojun might've dated Go Ha-seul in his game run.
Anyway, I'll handle Go Ha-seul's issue later.
Next, I asked about our fourth teammate, the one with the massive headphones—Park So-yul.
"Oh. What ability does Park So-yul have that made you want her on the team?"
-Park So-yul? She's specialized in scouting and intel relay. And... not sure if I should say this.
Surprisingly, Lee Seojun pondered it seriously.
"Why? Does she have some dangerous power?"
-Dangerous in a way. Ah, better to just tell you. Park So-yul can read people's true thoughts.
"True thoughts?"
-And it happens constantly, without control. That's why she wears those huge headphones—to drown it out with music.
Only then did I understand why Lee Seojun had hesitated.
"If I know about her ability, she'll pick up on my suspicions right away."
-Exactly. And even while we're talking, she might overhear our thoughts, so I told you upfront.
If she could read minds like he said, that spelled trouble in all sorts of ways.
"She'd figure out my Innate Ability isn't the real deal too."
-If you think about the info I've told you, she might even suspect you're a spy.
Lee Seojun had taught me the future based on his game and real experiences.
But the moment I heard it, there was a risk Park So-yul would catch on.
Guess I need to deal with Park So-yul first.
I pictured the headphones on her head. Prioritizing her over Go Ha-seul.
"If she's wearing headphones just to block the constant mind-reading, she can't control her power freely, right?"
-Right. It's like a passive skill that's always on—she can't turn it off.
As expected. I nodded calmly.
Maybe Park So-yul's issue could be solved easily.
"Must've caused her a ton of problems."
-Yeah, she's gone through all sorts of crap because of it. She'd probably kill to get rid of it.
"Perfect. I'll make her wish come true."
-Wait, what? You can do that?
I nodded to show it was entirely possible.
"Anyway, Park So-yul tomorrow. Now we just need to pick classes."
-Right. Got any in mind?
"Like you said in the auditorium, Mana Operation."
I'd already selected the required Practical Combat and Mana Operation—two classes down.
"Need at least three more on top."
-Check your tablet.
I turned on my tablet as he said and navigated to the spot he indicated.
All the classes introduced in the auditorium were listed, easy to scan.
"Herbology, Alchemy look good. Throw in Magic Item Crafting and we're done."
-...All niche classes.
"Don't need combat ones."
Combat classes meant stuff like swordsmanship—too physical for me.
That left magic, and with Lee Seojun around, it might be a solid pick.
-What about magic?
Right on cue, he suggested magic.
"Can't even sense mana—how would I do magic?"
-I couldn't either at first, but it was fine. Plus, your Status Window has that Calculation stat, right? It's brain-related, so leveling it might help your Absolute Clone too.
"Huh."
Truth be told, I was at the level of a grand archmage who could manifest magic through sheer will.
I figured no one in this world had better magic skills than me, so I hadn't picked any classes.
But.
"If it links to Absolute Clone, that's different."
If boosting Calculation let me handle Absolute Clone more freely, it changed things.
"Does learning magic raise Calculation?"
-Yes. Mostly Mana, Calculation, and Resistance. All magic-related stats.
"Got it. Let's do magic then."
-Pick Elemental Magic.
I nodded and selected my sixth class: Elemental Magic.
Classes like Herbology only met once a week, so plenty of free time.
"One more maybe."
I scrolled through the rest, but nothing jumped out.
"What's this Shelter Building class?"
-Oh, that? Digging holes to sleep in. Sometimes it's a 1-night, 2-day gate expedition.
"Enter a gate full of monsters, dig a hole, and sleep?"
-That's the class. Goal is making a place to sleep in any environment.
"Gates have all kinds of terrain, huh."
Sounded decent, but useless for me.
I had a personal pocket dimension like a luxury suite anytime, anywhere.
-It's more popular than you'd think. Aspiring heroes have to gate-dive eventually.
"Pass."
In the end, I settled for six classes.