Chapter 146: Drug Incident at the Academy (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 146: Drug Incident at the Academy (1)
Saturday morning finally arrived, and I was finally able to achieve a noticeable result.
I had grown accustomed to sparring with Noona, and I somehow managed to win a round.
Being able to defeat a B-rank hero using pure swordsmanship and martial arts, without the help of hidden weapons or auxiliary artifacts, was a significant step forward.
Noona, having lost to me, insisted on another round as if she couldn’t believe it, but regardless, the one who wins the last round is the ultimate winner.
They don’t say “Yeah, you’re absolute trash” for nothing, you know?
I immersed myself in training to avoid losing the sensation I felt this morning, and perhaps because I was in a good mood, my progress was quite decent.
Ah, I’m training alone today.
The others asked to hang out again, so I sent a clone instead.
Well, if you ask if I’m strictly alone, that’s not exactly true…
“It is nearly time for your vitamin intake, Master. How would you like some lemons steeped in honey?”
“That’s not how you do that move~”
…If I decide they aren’t part of my group, then they aren’t, dammit. So what? I don’t know those people.
Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I could call the maid—who has been offering me something made with mysterious honey every single day lately—an acquaintance. But the white-haired girl who appears out of nowhere like a ghost to give unsolicited training advice is a complete stranger.
“Hmm, you shouldn’t ignore me like that today, you know? I’ve been trying my best to hold back, but I came here because I have information that might help my cute junior~”
“If you dislike honey-steeped lemons, would you prefer honey water instead?”
Since those two are also treating each other as if they’re half-invisible, shouldn’t we consider this a space occupied by three individuals rather than a group?
In this chaotic space where the maid was stirring honey water, I was swinging my sword, and Baek Seol was fluttering about trying to catch my attention, Baek Seol was the first to surrender.
“Sigh, this isn’t easy. Why is farming affection with our junior so difficult? I wanted to act all smug about it, but since I came to tell you of my own accord, I’ll just give it to you as a gift. If you don’t want to hear it, just pretend you didn’t.”
I swung my sword.
“A delinquent circle within the school is making suspicious moves. It seems they plan to bully a few students as an example during this ranking tournament, and our cute junior’s name is on that list.”
My sword path wavered.
I had tried not to listen, but it was a topic of interest that was hard to ignore.
Baek Seol seemed to realize this, as the corners of her mouth curled into an arc.
“You’re interested, aren’t you? Junior.”
“…Sigh.”
“Seriously, in this academy, you’re probably the only one who would react like that when I talk to them~”
“This is exactly why I can’t stand people who know they’re popular.”
“Junior, do you realize you said that out loud~?”
“I said it so you’d hear it.”
“Aww, how cute. I just want to bite you.”
As the conversation began, Rose transferred the honey-steeped lemons into a teacup and skillfully began preparing black tea.
Baek Seol.
Since regaining my memories, my evaluation of Baek Seol had become truly complicated.
Originally, I perceived her as a crazed rationalist who eventually becomes something akin to a villain because of that very rationalism, but now I felt a different kind of aversion toward her.
Thanks to the fact that we weren’t on great terms before my regression, I had fought this woman several times.
Even back then, she had unilaterally expressed her favor toward me.
One day, while we were fighting as enemies like usual, she suddenly burst into laughter.
— Aha, so you’re the same kind as me. I wondered why I felt so drawn to you from the start, and now I’m certain. I was happy because you have the same eyes as me. You don’t see people as people either, do you? I know the feeling well. I’m the same. Do you know how happy I am right now?
Baek Seol had laughed truly joyfully and reached out her hand to me.
— In this wide world, I’ve finally met a human other than myself, so of course I’m in a good mood. Since we’re the only two humans, is there any need for us to fight? Let’s be friends.
Of course, I told her to fuck off and tried to cut off her wrist, but unfortunately, I wasn’t at a level where I could defeat Baek Seol at the time.
“Junior, what are you thinking about~?”
Crazy psychopathic bitch.
Wait. Now that I’ve summarized it in one phrase, it doesn’t seem like much has changed?
“I just gave you some really helpful advice, so why does it look like your affection for me dropped even further? That’s strange.”
She fluttered about as if acting cute, but knowing it was all an act, I didn’t feel much of anything.
“I have prepared some tea for you to enjoy while you converse.”
A cup containing black tea with honey-steeped lemons and a cup containing some sort of pitch-black liquid were placed before us.
Naturally, the black tea was mine, and the dishwater seemed to be for Baek Seol.
“My, you express your dislike quite straightforwardly, don’t you?”
“Perish the thought. I harbor no personal ill will. I am simply excluding you because it seems my Master does not particularly care for your presence.”
“I like how your loyalty makes you seem like a clever puppy. It seems the Yuseong Group trains their maids well. But personally, I’m not a fan of submissive dogs, you know?”
A brief silence fell between the two.
However, the situation concluded with Baek Seol standing up and giving me a polite nod.
“Anyway, it’s still just a ‘rumor,’ but there’s talk that the delinquents are distributing dangerous items, so I came to tell you to be careful. Next time we meet, let’s use this information to build a more intimate relationship, shall we~?”
Rumor, my ass. She’s already certain. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s already secretly gathering evidence.
Once she left, Rose also bowed to me and silently began tidying up the spot where she had been sitting.
…But come to think of it, was there always a tea table in the park? It looked like she just pulled it out along with the tea set as if it were nothing. Does she have some kind of artifact?
* * *
I already knew about the Ability Awakening Drug incident, but I honestly felt a bit grateful to Baek Seol because I didn’t expect those bastards to try and target me.
Well, I’m sure it wasn’t out of pure goodwill; she probably intends to use me as bait to dismantle the entire circle.
I knew from the original story that these guys had an initiation ceremony where they’d pick on students who seemed easy or who they didn’t like during the ranking tournament, but I didn’t think they’d pull that shit with me.
The Ability Awakening Drug incident.
More accurately, the Superhuman Berserk Drug incident is a situation where a drug that drastically enhances abilities when consumed by those with weak powers spreads through society, centered around the Academy—a common trope in academy fiction.
It’s a classic item that causes dependency symptoms the more it’s used and eats away at one’s sanity. Surprisingly, in the original story, this incident dragged on for quite a while without being resolved.
Because the true identity of the drug everyone was snorting like narcotics was just a simple vitamin supplement.
I think it took Lilac about 30 chapters to figure out that trick.
“Well, it won’t take that long this time, so it doesn’t matter.”
Tricks are usually simple once you know the principle behind them, right?
“Now then, how should I play with them?”
I hoped they wouldn’t burn out too quickly and would resist enough to give the kids some experience points, but at the same time, I debated whether I should just cut them down without dragging it out.
* * *
Sunday dawn.
Ha-ni and Noona were watching us from a distance.
Today marked exactly one week, so if I lost the duel today, I would be forced to grant Professor Cathy’s wish.
Perhaps intending to lighten the mood before the duel, the Professor, who was light on her feet, gave a beaming smile.
“Don’t worry, So-hyun. I don’t plan on asking for anything too grand.”
…I see. For someone saying that, you’re speaking quite casually and calling me So-hyun even though Ha-ni is watching. Your sense of distance is a mess, you know? And is my loss already a foregone conclusion?
In the first place, she hadn’t been in her normal condition since we first met today; that’s how much she seemed to be anticipating this.
Did she lose sleep last night or something?
Well, as the one who has to duel her, it’s fine by me.
I took my stance and focused on my sword.
I had mostly mastered the basics now, so it was time to test out some variations.
Honestly, I didn’t think I could win, but I thought I might at least be able to give her a surprise.
“Then, get ready.”
As usual, Noona announced the start of the duel.
“Begin!”
Professor Cathy made the first move.
From what I had gathered over the past week, the Professor almost always opened a frontal confrontation with a direct, linear kick.
The attack was concise but powerful.
It was an honest strike that perfectly reflected her tastes, but normally, it was at a speed that one couldn’t react to by sight, leading to defeat or panic even if blocked.
But what if I knew it was coming?
Avoiding it wasn’t difficult.
It was a matter of prediction rather than following with my eyes. She looked surprised by my perfect evasion, which was different from usual, but she soon began to chase after me even faster, looking delighted.
The following punch used her right fist.
After that, a left hook as a feint followed by a low kick. Occasionally, she would throw in a roundhouse or a Brazilian kick to vary the pattern, but ultimately, considering the weakness of a martial artist’s range, it was just a matter of keeping my distance and evading.
And then, the Professor’s bad habit would emerge.
Growing impatient, the Professor closed the distance and took a stance to throw a straight punch—her most confident posture and her finishing move.
This was the timing.
This split second, when Professor Cathy hesitated ever so slightly to visualize the perfect punch, was my chance to dive in.
Using the physical abilities I had elevated through Reinforcement, I closed the distance and blocked the path of her fist with my sword before she could swing.
Unable to play out the battle according to her own tastes, the Professor couldn’t hide her displeasure as she tried to adjust the distance.
Not a chance.
The biggest characteristic of my swordsmanship is that many of the moves are instantaneous, with almost no preparatory stance.
Designed to take down those stronger than myself, my sword, swung half a beat faster than the original rhythm, grazed her clothes.
There was a chance for victory.
Perhaps intending to clear the distracting sword first, she shifted her target from me to the blade, but I deactivated my Reinforcement and avoided her hand with a movement that was a beat slower than she expected.
I didn’t have the ability to use shifting techniques that were ever-changing and free-flowing.
However, as long as I could freely adjust my own abilities, I was capable of a similar imitation.
Today is the day I take a round…!
“Nice.”
And at that point, the Professor seemed to have completely warmed up, as she looked at me with sparkling eyes.
Ah, I’m screwed.
I should have finished it while she was still excited.
“But I can’t give you a high score, So-hyun. Ever-changing attacks are good, but you have to be faithful to the basics first.”
Attacks should be concise yet powerful.
If I was going to drag her into an unpleasant fight by messing with the timing, she would showcase even more concise movements as if to say she wouldn’t even give me the time to pull such tricks.
Like a lie, the Professor’s fist, which had become one level faster, arrived before my eyes.
…It meant that I had lost today’s duel as well, and I was now in a position where I had no choice but to grant the Professor’s wish.
* * *
And there was one person watching this scene from afar.
He tried his best to deny the fact that Kang So-hyun’s performance was more impressive than expected, and seeing Kang Han-hee nearby, he nodded as if it made sense.
He was envious.
That just by having the right friends, he could be in such a great environment and be close to the person he admired.
Professor Cathy.
She was kind and warm to everyone, but she was someone who strangely maintained a clear sense of distance.
What was that guy to her that she would allow him to be so close?
Even as he thought this, the small remaining fragments of his reason felt a strange doubt about why he was having such thoughts.
It felt like negative thoughts had been increasing ever since his seniors gave him that medicine, saying it was good stuff.
But that doubt was short-lived.
The moment he saw the Professor wiping So-hyun’s sweat with a towel, his doubts no longer mattered.
Yes, the seniors were right.
A guy like that needed to be publicly humiliated at least once.
…But did he really need to wait until the ranking tournament?
The sooner, the better.
As he began to lose his reason, he became certain that this was the right answer and began to move his feet.