Chapter 57: Heart-Pounding First Ranking Tournament (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 57: Heart-Pounding First Ranking Tournament (3)
I managed to figure out why Ha-ni was perfectly fine even after using the Cursed Sword.
It was something the original Ha-ni had lost when she first gripped the blade, but something she possessed now.
Confidence in her own skills and her pride as a swordsman.
— As long as those mental aspects don’t waver, she probably won’t be consumed by the sword.
To be precise, that’s what our monkey brother told me.
It wasn’t bad. In fact, it was good.
Originally, I had planned to secretly destroy that Cursed Sword before any worst-case scenarios occurred. Whether it was Ten-thousand-year Cold Iron or Mithril, they were legendary metals, but they wouldn’t be stronger than the Ruyi. Once I got a bit stronger, it would have been a challenge worth attempting.
My initial plan was to find her a nice, quiet, normal sword to replace it, but this changed things.
The Setting Book stated that Seol-ah was a growing Cursed Sword with perfect compatibility with Ha-ni.
It was called a “Cursed Sword,” but it didn’t actually gnaw away at one’s sanity. It was labeled as such because its ever-sharpening blade and the sensation of cutting through enemies without needing technique would cause a master to degenerate as a swordsman and lose themselves.
In other words, for someone with a rock-solid will who stayed focused, it was the ultimate weapon.
If Ha-ni didn’t lose to Lilac or Cheon Yu-hak in this first Ranking Tournament, there was a high probability she wouldn’t lose her confidence like she did in the original story.
Well, that wasn’t something I could control, so I’d leave it at that.
“Whew.”
I headed to a secluded spot to do some thinking, only to find that others had beaten me to it.
“Hey, who exactly are you to keep calling my brother a loser? I mean, it might be a joke between friends, but the person listening might not take it as one. I’m genuinely curious.”
“T-that’s, you see…”
“Hmm, it seems a bit over the line to be an expression of affection. If it’s a sign of closeness, would it be okay if I did the same to you? I’m an inspector, so I’d like to get close to the cadets too.”
“Unnie… that’s…”
“Oh my, why am I your ‘Unnie’? When have we ever met? Just because I said I want to get close doesn’t mean we’re close yet, right?”
Shit. I didn’t see a thing.
With the Ranking Tournament right around the corner, I just wanted to rest. I didn’t want to waste energy on something like this. Transmigrators are people too! People! We need to rest and play sometimes.
Butt, who had been enjoying her role as a pseudo-bully since the start of the semester, was currently being scolded by a sister who felt like a real bully.
— Aren’t those your friend and your sister?
‘I don’t know. I have no idea what you’re talking about.’
— Do you wish to avoid them?
‘Yes, obviously.’
— Your sister has already noticed you. You’ll regret it if you keep going.
‘You should have told me that first.’
I immediately sprinted over to show my respect to my honorable and beautiful elder sister.
— …How did a fellow like this pass the trial?
For a moment, a pathetic-sounding voice echoed in my head, but I ignored it.
“I thought you were going to run away. How unexpected. Or is it because of her?”
“Why would I ever run away from you, Noona?”
Even to my own ears, my tone and attitude felt incredibly awkward.
I had run into her occasionally on campus since I dumped her on Professor Cathy that day, but we hadn’t had a proper conversation. Even if we had, this wasn’t the kind of awkwardness that would vanish easily.
“Anyway, I’m going to finish my chat with her, so So-hyun, you—”
“No, for now, please just let her go.”
Her fine brows furrowed slightly.
Scary.
“Did I…”
The hostility she was directing at Kim Ga-eul shifted slightly and turned toward me.
“Just hear you correctly?”
“No? I think you heard me exactly right.”
Kim Ga-eul was looking at me as if she were moved, but obviously, I wasn’t helping her because she was pretty.
If I could have run away without being noticed, that would be one thing, but since I’d been caught, it was better to minimize the damage. This place was secluded, but that didn’t mean no one else would come here for some quiet reflection like I did.
If Noona blew up at Kim Ga-eul, there was no telling what kind of rumors would be flying around tomorrow.
“…Hey, why are you taking her side?”
“Me? I’m not taking sides. I’m just thinking about your position. Honestly, it doesn’t look great for an External Inspector to be doing this to a cadet.”
I thought it was a fairly persuasive argument, but she didn’t even pretend to listen. However, for whatever reason, she sighed and released Kim Ga-eul.
“Hey, I’m watching you. I’m letting it slide this time for So-hyun’s sake, but I’m not the type of bitch who cares about her public image, okay? If I catch you acting up again, you’re dead.”
She spat those words at Kim Ga-eul and then glanced back at me.
“The first Ranking Tournament is soon, right?”
“Ah, yes.”
“…Don’t push yourself too hard. There will be plenty of Ranking Tournaments in the future. If you get hurt by overdoing it, you’ll just fall behind the others. There’s no need to overexert yourself. Oh, and make some time after the tournament is over.”
“Huh? Time?”
“…Father said we should at least have a family meal once in a while.”
“Sure, why not.”
When I nodded without much thought, her expression crumpled slightly again for some reason.
“…Right. Thanks.”
I really need to clear the air with her. But I need to know exactly what happened to do that.
“Then, make sure you listen to Cathy Unnie. See you later.”
“…Who?”
“Who else? I mean Cathy. She’s your professor in charge.”
…Wait, that’s strange.
In my last memory of them, they weren’t on such friendly terms that they’d call each other ‘Unnie’ and ‘Dongsaeng’…?
But I didn’t point out the discrepancy. Well, I’m sure they worked it out while talking without me. Professor Cathy isn’t the type to be hated by anyone, so they probably cleared up any misunderstandings.
I am absolutely not running away because I’m afraid to look into the abyss.
“Yes, of course.”
Long after Noona had left, the sound of someone collapsing echoed.
“You okay?”
“I’m not okay. Your sister is so scary. I think she’s got it out for me. Loser, what am I going to do…?”
“Seeing as you still call me a loser even after getting chewed out like that, I have to hand it to you. Just keep calling me a loser.”
Kim Ga-eul, who had been trembling, suddenly stiffened her expression with a strangely serious look.
“I’m not! I’m practicing! It’ll be soon!”
“…What will?”
“Shut up, loser. That’s why I call you a loser, loser.”
Oh, she’s got some nerve. I save her from a scolding and tell her she can call me what she wants, and she gets snappy with me?
“But seeing you up close, you really do look alike.”
“Me and Noona?”
“Yeah. So you should try to look a bit more presentable too. Your sister is so pretty.”
…Is that so? Actually, I heard we aren’t blood-related, but I guess I should look into that too.
“Um, anyway, thanks for help—”
Growl.
Wow, what cartoonish timing for a stomach growl.
Perhaps the hunger had rushed in once the tension broke; Kim Ga-eul’s face turned beet red as her stomach roared. Seeing her eyes well up with tears from sheer embarrassment, I didn’t even feel like teasing her.
However, I lacked both the ability and the will to offer sentimental, delicate comfort like Lilac would.
“Ah, I’m hungry. Hey, let’s go get something to eat.”
“Huh? Oh. You must be really hungry. That was really loud.”
“Yeah, I’m starving, so let’s hurry up.”
* * *
“Eat up, cadets.”
“Thank you, Professor! But is it really okay for you to buy us this?”
“Yes. It would be a problem if I were accepting treats from cadets, but there’s nothing wrong with me buying.”
The moment I stepped out of the school gates to get Ga-eul some Tteokbokki, Professor Cathy appeared with impeccable timing and offered to treat us.
In the end, almost all the members we were close with gathered for an impromptu Tteokbokki party.
…This was just a coincidence, right?
For some reason, the frequency of my encounters with Professor Cathy seemed to be increasing lately, giving me a strange sense of unease.
The others, who had hesitated at first, ordered what they wanted after being told not to hold back.
With so many people, the orders were incredibly varied. Right now, in front of me, someone was happily eating something I could never accept as Tteokbokki.
“Lilac, what on earth is that…?”
“This? Rose Tteokbokki. Yu-na likes it, so I started eating it with her, and I got used to it. Want to try some?”
“Look, Lilac. The Rose Tteokbokki I know doesn’t have that in it.”
As far as I knew, “Rose” referred to a neutral-flavored orange or pink sauce made by mixing cream sauce with something spicy. I was fairly certain it wasn’t made with vanilla ice cream.
“Hey, it might look a bit odd, but the sweetness goes really well with the spice.”
I turned my head away from the horrific culinary abomination.
“Oh, So-hyun, you’re coming on the trip, right?”
“The trip?”
“Yeah. The club decided to go. The seniors said they’ve prepared a lot of fun things for our first trip on the weekend after the Ranking Tournament.”
Oh, right. That was a thing.
The initiation ceremony for the travel addicts who, in the original story, refused to give up on their trip even when the Academy was half-destroyed.
In the original, the Ranking Tournament had been delayed, so the event happened before the tournament, but this was the original intended order.
“You go to dungeons with Yu-hak and hang out with Han-hee every day. It’ll be a total betrayal if you don’t come on the trip with me.”
“Yeah, I’ll go.”
“Ah, don’t be like that, let’s just… wait, what?”
“I said I’ll go. Why are you so surprised?”
“Usually, you have this really annoyed face and ask, ‘Hey, what are we even going to do there?’”
“Wow, that was spot on.”
“Pfft.”
Kang Ha-ni chimed in, and Kim Ga-eul burst out laughing. Even Lee Yu-na was rareley seen giggling behind her hand.
These guys, seriously. I’m only putting up with this because I’m weak.
Then, my eyes met Kang Ha-ni’s, who was still smiling.
Come to think of it, how was Kang Ha-ni planning to go on the trip? Did she have a plan?
I was a bit curious, but since I couldn’t ask right now, I decided to let it go.
“I was planning to go anyway. If I miss the first trip, it’ll be hard to get to know the seniors. If I joined the club, I should participate in the activities.”
“Exactly! I told you it’d be fun if we went together!”
Yeah, it’ll be so much fun. Sure.
Recalling what the first trip was like in the original story, it was definitely a trip to look forward to. While not as intense as the summer destination, the first trip was quite eventful in its own right.
A fortuitous encounter necessary for my plan.
Something I needed, which had been mentioned in passing and then forgotten in the settings, was scheduled to appear there.
“Excuse me, Cadet Lilac.”
“…Yes? What is it, Professor Cathy?”
“This might be very rude of me to ask, but where is the Travel Club’s first trip going to be?”
“…Huh?”
“Oh, just… I’m worried. Yes, I’m worried. If it’s a dangerous place, I can’t just let the cadets go alone.”
“Ah, don’t worry. I heard we’re going somewhere safe.”
Honestly, it wasn’t that safe.
“Ah… is that so?”
She looked openly disappointed, but everyone else seemed too caught up in the atmosphere to notice.
“Still, everyone, don’t get too excited and be careful. And you know the Ranking Tournament and midterms come first, right?”
Ha-ni, who had been snickering, reacted to those words.
“Ah, right. Lilac, you better be ready. The top rank in practical skills is going to change this time.”
“Oh, you think you can beat both Yu-hak and me?”
“Of course. I’m going to reveal the secret weapon I saved during the entrance ceremony, so get ready.”
“Hmm, I should be careful then. I’m getting nervous.”
Lilac replied in a tone that didn’t sound nervous at all, and a small spark seemed to fly between him and Kang Ha-ni.
* * *
The pleasant Tteokbokki party ended, and time flew by like an arrow.
Everyone focused on their training with their own resolutions, and finally, the morning of the Ranking Tournament dawned.
“What the fuck.”
— Sudden Quest: Farmer’s Wrath. An angry farmer is approaching. He will never forgive the one who mocked the essence of the earth and the sweat of a farmer.
The sudden quest notification made my head spin.
…I was the one who called him, but why the hell is this guy showing up now?
The disaster I had summoned was about to crash into the Leilan Academy Ranking Tournament.