Chapter 19
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: First Class (5)
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-But, Lee Seongmin.
After wrapping up my business with Park So-yul, I headed toward where Cheon Seo-yun was.
Along the way, I turned at the sound of Lee Seojun calling me and looked at him.
-With your skills, Lee Seongmin, couldn't you have forcibly subdued Park So-yul and sealed her ability?
"It wouldn't be hard."
If I set my mind to it, I could seal her ability without her even noticing.
-Why didn't you?
"No reason to."
-No reason?
I nodded to Lee Seojun, who asked in return.
"She's not a villain, not hostile toward me, and hasn't caused me any harm."
After I gave him the rough explanation, Lee Seojun looked at me with a worried expression.
-I trust your abilities, Lee Seongmin... but it feels a bit too lax.
"Sure, but if I nitpicked everything like you, it wouldn't be easy to hold out."
-Ah.
Lee Seojun let out a short exclamation as he realized this was my fifteenth time regressing into this world.
-I've been short-sighted. You must have it the toughest here.
"Don't worry about it. I pick up something new each time I cross worlds, so it's manageable."
-Something like that flying sword?
"Yeah. And plenty of other abilities besides."
So far, I'd shown him Warlord's Weapon and Collection Cuisine Summon.
Of course, I had all sorts of other abilities beyond those two, but I wondered if I could reveal them all.
"Anyway, no need to worry. If things get messy, I'll just smash the hostile forces first."
-The problem is those hostile forces always hide away tight. Plus, even in the game, their locations were random, so it's hard to find them without clues.
"Random? That's interesting."
-Honestly, I didn't get it before. Even if their locations were fixed, you couldn't just charge in right away.
But after being kidnapped into this world, Lee Seojun spoke as if it suddenly made sense.
"And now?"
-If their location was fixed, I'd have just dropped a meteor on it.
Apparently, Lee Seojun had dropped a meteor before.
In any case, chatting for a bit brought me to where Cheon Seo-yun was before I knew it.
"......"
Cheon Seo-yun, who had been waiting blankly for me to arrive, made a sullen face the moment she spotted me.
"You're late."
"Really? I thought I got here quick."
"You're late, so buy me lunch too."
Now that I noticed, it seemed she planned to mooch lunch off me after breakfast this morning.
"Fine by me, but where?"
My Collection Cuisine Summon couldn't be used just anywhere.
If I got caught, it'd cause all sorts of headaches, so I needed somewhere without people.
"Dorm."
Cheon Seo-yun, aware of that, immediately suggested the dorm.
"Can I even enter the dorm?"
Of course, the dorms were separated into male and female sections.
Unsure if I could get in, I glanced at Lee Seojun for confirmation.
-Normally, no. But sneaking in without getting caught is possible.
"......"
Wasn't sneaking in the very definition of not allowed?
As I mulled that over, Cheon Seo-yun voiced the same thought.
"Just sneak in."
"......And if we get caught?"
"Be careful."
Realizing nothing I said would sway her, I let out a quiet sigh.
Needless to say, we headed to my dorm.
Cheon Seo-yun, ranked 300th, lived in a six-person room, so my dorm was the only option.
"By the way, up to what rank gets a single room?"
It sounded like I was asking Cheon Seo-yun, but really it was for Lee Seojun.
-You can assume the top 20 all have singles.
"And separate male and female dorms."
Lee Seojun got it and explained right away.
-Ah, right. Of course, if there's an empty single, even those outside the top 20 can use it. Like if there are 15 guys in the top 20, the remaining five singles go to the next ranks.
In other words, the top 40 overall could end up with singles.
But to guarantee a single, you needed top 20.
Understanding that, I nodded to Lee Seojun.
"How's the single?"
Since I'd brought it up, Cheon Seo-yun asked about the one she'd lost to me.
"Just a place to wash up and sleep. Different for you?"
"Always noisy."
Living with six people probably made it rowdy every day.
'With her personality, she'd probably prefer that.'
Thinking that, I slipped into my dorm through the back door Lee Seojun had told me about.
Cheon Seo-yun, following me in, looked around the room's interior with curious eyes.
"Quiet room."
"Only me living here."
After staying in noisy rooms yesterday and today, mine felt relatively peaceful to her.
"You ate a ton at breakfast. Still room for lunch?"
"Yeah."
Cheon Seo-yun answered without hesitation, as if it went without saying.
Hero or not, her stomach seemed tougher than a normal person's.
'But it's still too early for lunch.'
As I checked the time and thought that, Cheon Seo-yun, who had been looking around the room, spoke up.
"What'd you talk about with Park So-yul?"
Park So-yul?
"Personal stuff. Nothing worth repeating."
"......"
Cheon Seo-yun stared at my face for a moment, her eyes saying she wanted to know too.
But I couldn't spill Park So-yul's ability, so I played dumb and changed the subject.
"Oh, right. What classes did you pick, Cheon Seo-yun?"
To kill time, I asked about classes, and luckily she answered straightforwardly.
"Swordsmanship. Hand-to-hand combat. Meditation. Self-improvement. Poison resistance. Gate tactics......"
I listened to her list them off diligently and thought.
'Not a single overlap.'
The only class we shared was practical combat.
Everything else was separate. Confirming that, Cheon Seo-yun asked the same.
"You?"
"Me? Alchemy, herbology, magic item crafting. And magic too."
At my answer, Cheon Seo-yun's face showed subtle dissatisfaction.
Probably realizing we had zero classes together.
"Help with my training."
And just like that, she asked for training help.
"Training?"
"Yeah. After classes, evenings."
Her response sounded like she planned to handle dinner with Collection Cuisine Summon too.
Made sense—sticking with me could save up to 15 points a day.
"But training......"
"Here."
Remembering my terms, she lifted her chin with bright eyes.
Meaning she'd accept a one-minute kiss.
But I hadn't expected her to go for it so easily.
'She heard what I said before.'
Back then, I'd been upfront about my desires, so I figured she'd be more guarded.
Apparently not.
'Or maybe she thinks a kiss is fine.'
With that in mind, I approached Cheon Seo-yun.
No reason to miss even a small chance at her, no matter how briefly I'd hesitated.
'First things first.'
Priority was chipping away at her resistance to this kind of intimacy.
I gently cupped her face with both hands and pressed my lips to hers—soft at first glance.
"Mm."
Slowly rubbing our lips together, my hands caressed around her ears pleasurably.
Soon, I felt the subtle tension in her easing bit by bit.
'Now......'
Moving my caressing hands to her ears and nape, I licked her lips with the tip of my tongue.
Cheon Seo-yun flinched at the stronger stimulation but didn't pull away.
Confirming that, I pressed my body tight against her chest and slipped my tongue a little deeper.
"M-mmph?"
She finally noticed my intruding tongue amid the closeness, showing a hint of surprise.
But the pleasant caresses at her ears and nape gradually melted her fluster...
Click—
Then Cheon Seo-yun carefully pushed my shoulders and stepped back.
As I looked at her, she spoke with eyes slightly more relaxed than before the kiss.
"One minute's up."
"Wouldn't mind a bit more."
She shook her head.
"Any more and it'd get dangerous."
"......"
Seemed like her instincts kicked in before her resistance fully dropped.
'No deep kissing yet, huh.'
Plenty of chances ahead, so I nodded without regret.
Still, checking the time, I saw it had been five minutes, not one.
After that, Cheon Seo-yun and I had an early lunch before parting for our next classes.
I was heading to the building for my next class, Mana Manipulation, when Lee Seojun spoke up.
-Surprising. Didn't think Cheon Seo-yun would accept that offer.
He meant the kiss in exchange for training help.
I'd expected her to take it, knowing her potential, but the timing was quicker than anticipated.
"Yeah. Figured it'd take at least a week."
-A week?
"No one else can beat her right now except me."
Meaning others wouldn't help her improve.
More precisely, no students besides instructors would be much use to her.
"Can't exactly ask the instructors either."
Fine during class, but awkward after dinner.
Me? We were already friendly enough, and I'd offered terms, so it was easier.
-Not sure if training with you will actually help, though.
"It's fine. I've got a plan for that."
-Really?
"She'll be satisfied, I'm sure."
I left it at that and kept walking.