Chapter 17
Translator: uly
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Hong Yu-hwa (1)
“...I lost?”
Hong Yu-hwa stared at the official rankings list, her eyes fixed on the numbers in disbelief.
Her team, comprised of herself and her most loyal followers, had managed to score a respectable 9 points.
Yet, that performance only placed them in a distant second.
1st place: Lee Seo-ha's team – 30 points.
2nd place: Hong Yu-hwa's team – 9 points.
3rd place: Kim Seo-hyun – 8 points.
.
.
.
30 points. Was a score like that even mathematically possible under the current system?
The academy had clearly announced that the exam was graded out of 10 points. How could someone achieve a 30?
“W-We worked so incredibly hard for this...”
“30 points out of 10? What kind of absolute nonsense is that supposed to be...?”
Hong Yu-hwa's followers let out heavy, defeated sighs. Instructor Seo Woo-ju was infamous throughout the academy for his stubbornness and rigid standards.
Even the rumors circulating among the Teaching Assistants were no joke.
Word was already spreading like wildfire that Lee Seo-ha, Erhil, and Kim Ara had taken down a massive, high-tier monster that shouldn't have been in the field.
“A-Are you alright, Lady Hong Yu-hwa?”
A blue-haired follower spoke up, his voice laced with genuine concern for her pride.
Hong Yu-hwa lifted her chin with practiced, haughty elegance.
“I'm perfectly fine. We will simply ensure we do better next time.”
“A-As expected of Lady Hong Yu-hwa! Such grace!”
“Truly noble... her spirit is unbreakable.”
“You all performed well today. Go and get some proper rest,” she commanded.
Hong Yu-hwa turned away from her entourage and headed toward her private penthouse suite.
She habitually checked her surroundings to ensure no one was nearby to witness her composure slip.
Thud.
The moment the door closed, Hong Yu-hwa flopped face-first onto her bed.
“Me? Second place? Me?”
Tsk.
Hong Yu-hwa ground her teeth together in frustration. It felt so deeply unfair. They had tried so damn hard to optimize their route!
In the entire history of the Korea Hero Academy, fewer than three students had ever managed to score a perfect 10 on this specific test. And now, someone had scored 30? It felt like the universe was messing with her.
“This has to be cheating!” she muffled into her pillow.
Hot tears of frustration began to well up in Hong Yu-hwa's eyes.
This time, she had been truly confident in her victory.
Her followers were supposed to lure the monsters into a single, tight kill-zone, and she would sweep them all away with her high-yield magic. It was a simple strategy, but she trusted her overwhelming firepower enough to aim for the top spot.
The proof of her skill was there: she had actually beaten the protagonist, Kim Seo-hyun.
But the result still stung. Second place. Her, relegated to second?
She had placed fourth in the entrance exam and had struggled desperately to climb the ladder in this ranking test. Yet, she still couldn't overcome the seemingly insurmountable wall that was Lee Seo-ha.
Hong Yu-hwa kicked her feet against the mattress in a fit of pique.
—Yu-hwa. If you truly know yourself and your enemy, you will emerge victorious in every battle. Learn everything about your foe before you dare to challenge them again.
Her grandfather's stern, wise words floated to the surface of her mind.
He was right. He always guided her down the straight and narrow path of excellence. With those words as her fuel, she contacted her butler and had him secretly procure a high-resolution photo of Lee Seo-ha.
Using a basic telekinesis spell—the very first one learners of her discipline mastered—she floated the photo up toward the ceiling.
She stuck Lee Seo-ha's photo directly above her bed.
Right where she would be forced to see his face every single time she went to sleep and every time she woke up.
That way, she could stew in this sense of injustice and meticulously plot her revenge.
Morning, evening, bedtime – she would stare at that face and steel her resolve anew until she surpassed him.
Hong Yu-hwa gazed up at the ceiling from her pillow.
There was Lee Seo-ha, smirking down at her in an infuriatingly calm manner.
“It's so unfair...”
Why did the photographer have to capture that specific, smug expression? The way he looked down from the frame gave off a strange, unsettling vibe.
Hong Yu-hwa rolled over, burying her tear-streaked face back into her pillow as she made a silent, solemn vow.
Next time, she absolutely would not lose.
Tossing and turning in the bitter coldness of defeat, Hong Yu-hwa finally drifted off into a restless sleep.
“There was once an era when humanity relied solely on the advancement of science. However, approximately 70 years ago, profound anomalies began to occur across the globe. Elements from other worlds started overlapping with Earth, and the power we now call 'mana' was first observed.”
The professor, his hair slicked back into a severe, perfect pompadour, spoke in a flat, academic drone.
“We have uncovered much since those dark days, but this world remains full of mysteries. Towers, dungeons, dimensional gates... reality is brimming with the unknown. And then, of course, there are the alien races and the transcendent beings from other realms.”
Spin.
I twirled my pen idly as I half-listened to the lecture. It wasn't that I didn't know the material—I knew it better than the textbook—but I simply couldn't focus on the history of mana today.
Lately, my skin had been crawling.
More precisely, ever since yesterday's rankings were posted, I had been feeling a constant, heavy gaze on me.
An intensely piercing, burning stare.
It was coming directly from the seat to my right.
I glanced over subtly, and there she was: Hong Yu-hwa.
She was pretending to listen, but she was glaring daggers at the side of my head while the professor spoke.
—Master, that red-haired wench has been staring at you with murderous intent for the last twenty minutes, the Black Heaven Demon Sword whispered from my side.
‘Ah, it’s definitely because of yesterday's test results.’
They had announced the official rankings from the monster hunt, so it made sense that someone as hyper-competitive as Yu-hwa would have me on her mental hit list. The girl possessed a drive that bordered on pathological.
“...Therefore, class, that concludes our overview. Hm, it seems we are at time. Class dismissed. Enjoy your lunch.”
The professor wrapped up his notes and headed out. Immediately, the students surged to their feet and stampeded toward the cafeteria.
Seeing that, they still seemed like normal kids despite their powers.
“Seo-ha, let’s go grab some food.”
“Yeah, sounds good.”
I headed down to the dining hall with Kim Seo-hyun. The cafeteria was massive, with each grade level assigned its own sprawling section.
“So, tell me the truth—what kind of monster did you guys actually take down yesterday? The TAs were making a massive scene in the faculty lounge.”
“Just something we found in a hole. It was a good fight.”
I gave a characteristically vague reply to Seo-hyun's prying and made my way to the Korean food line.
I loaded my tray with kimchi, spicy pork stir-fry, seolleongtang, donkatsu, and a mountain of rice before finding a table.
“...Pork stir-fry again? Seriously?”
“You're having tteokbokki. You eat that every single day. Don't you ever get tired of it?”
“Nope. Tteokbokki is the food of the gods,” Kim Seo-hyun said, plopping down across from me with a bright smile.
I eyed his tray. He had bright red tteokbokki that looked painfully spicy, along with fritters, dumplings, and sausages. Next to that was a bowl of cream pasta with dipping bread.
“You actually think you can power through Instructor Seo’s training on that diet?”
“Huh? Is it too little? Haha! I guess a guy's gotta eat more to keep up,” he said, getting up to grab ice cream and more bread.
“H-Huh?! Lady Hong Yu-hwa, is it really okay for you to eat that much?”
“L-Lady Yu-hwa is getting... commoner food?”
I turned toward the shocked voices. Standing at the counter was Hong Yu-hwa, surrounded by her bewildered followers.
A closer look at her tray showed she had ordered the exact same menu as me.
Spicy pork stir-fry, donkatsu, seolleongtang, rice, and kimchi. Every single item matched perfectly.
“...”
This was getting a bit ridiculous.
I hadn't expected her to be this obsessively conscious of my every move.
I stared at her in disbelief, and our eyes locked across the cafeteria.
She glared back at me with eyes that seemed to glow with literal fire.
Feeling awkward under that level of intensity, I was the first to look away—and I caught her breaking into a small, strangely satisfied smile of victory.
“...”
Unbelievable.
After the afternoon classes ended, I headed straight to the training grounds for my daily workout.
The place was already packed with students. Park Un-hyuk was showing off his physique by hoisting a 500kg barbell. Seo Ga-yeon was already tucked away in a corner, drenched in sweat.
“Man, it's crowded in here today.”
“Still, this facility is amazing. There's barely any sweat smell because of the air filtration. All the equipment is top-of-the-line too,” Kim Seo-hyun noted with a grin.
“My old school? The body odor in the gym was enough to knock a dragon unconscious.”
“That sounds rough.”
I stretched lightly while keeping a subtle eye on Seo Ga-yeon. I was still hoping she would show an interest in magic over the sword.
‘I can't exactly force her path, though.’
Maybe she would naturally awaken her mana after the 'incident' from the original story, just like in the canon timeline.
“How about a light two-hour session today?” Seo-hyun asked.
“...Sure. Lead the way.”
Kim Seo-hyun beamed with joy. I really didn't want to be there, but for the sake of my long-term survival, I had to build a baseline of physical strength.
“Let's start simple. We'll warm up with 50kg on the bench.”
Give me a break, man.
Contrary to my internal pleading, Kim Seo-hyun was cheerfully adding plates to the bar.
Suddenly, I felt that familiar gaze boring into the side of my face again.
I looked over, and there was Hong Yu-hwa, standing by the rack.
“Lady Hong Yu-hwa? You're doing the bench press all of a sudden?” her follower asked.
“Yes. I have recently realized the vital importance of basic strength training even for a mage,” Yu-hwa replied aloofly.
Her follower looked puzzled but quickly moved to spot her.
“Alright, keep your back flat, bar just above the chest... Ah, with your chest size, aligning it with your bust should be the best point of reference.”
Even lying down, her substantial chest didn't flatten much, leaving the poor follower visibly flustered as she adjusted the spotting position.
“What, Yu-hwa is doing the bench too? Good idea! Even mages benefit from a strong core,” Kim Seo-hyun shouted over.
“Hey, how much are you lifting?” he asked her follower.
“How much? We're at... Oh, you mean Seo-ha's weight. He's doing 50kg.”
“Actually, make it 55kg for me,” I said to Seo-hyun.
Hong Yu-hwa's follower panicked slightly at my words and looked at Yu-hwa.
“Doesn't she usually skip the heavy strength training?” Seo-hyun whispered in my ear.
“I thought so too,” I whispered back.
Kim Seo-hyun's cheeks flushed a bit at our proximity. This felt weirdly intimate for a gym setting.
I forced my gaze back to Hong Yu-hwa. She had demanded an extra 5kg to match me and was now visibly struggling to press the 55kg bar.
“Nngh!”
She was making some truly strained noises.
“Hrng... Hnngh... Ngh...!”
Her face had turned beet red minutes ago. With her teeth gritted in a terrifying snarl, she lowered the bar to her chest, completed a single, shaky rep, and racked it with a heavy clang.
Panting heavily, Hong Yu-hwa immediately looked my way.
“Hah... Hngh... Did you... S-Saw that?”
With a strangely triumphant, arrogant smile, she stood up and headed off to another machine before I could even respond.
“...Yu-hwa's competitive streak is truly no joke,” Seo-hyun noted.
“Yeah. It's something else.”
I had nothing to say as I watched her walk away with a smug grin. Usually, when people brag about a weight, they're supposed to do at least five reps minimum.