Chapter 52
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Academy (3)
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After the duel ended, the first thing Si-woo did was apply for a name change.
He had no desire to live under some other name when he already had a perfectly good one.
Changing his surname was a complicated process, but since Park Jin-gu was an orphan, it wasn't impossible.
The Great Korean Empire might pretend on the surface that there was no class system, but in reality, it was a brutally stratified society.
Just a few bored looks from an academy cadet were enough to fast-track the administrative process.
'Choi Si-woo.'
Si-woo took the new nameplate from the administrative office and tossed the "Park Jin-gu" tag pinned to his chest.
'This is an F-grade room?'
Si-woo sighed as he eyed the cramped space, no more than two or three pyeong in size. With no money, he had no choice but to stick it out here.
'They treat me like nobility outside, but this? Do nobles have ranks too?'
Si-woo plopped down on the bed with a dissatisfied frown.
It was decently soft and fluffy—no complaints about sleeping there. It reminded him of the tiny goshiwon he'd crashed in briefly before, only with a fancier bed.
'They saw my moves and still rated me F?'
He couldn't wrap his head around it. He started wondering if that professor even had eyes.
This world was built on mana supremacy from the ground up. They'd clocked his clean taijutsu but slapped an F-grade on him based solely on his mana levels.
'No wonder the kids fight like idiots...'
Aside from a few standouts, most just stood in place, gathered their qi, and blasted it all in one shot. He'd thought it was weird when he saw it, but now the reason made sense.
Once that F-grade stamp hit, everything from meals to bedding turned inconvenient.
Staying cooped up in the tiny room felt suffocating, so he headed out of the dorms.
He figured he'd take a stroll and get familiar with the layout.
'University vibe?'
He'd never been to one, but the overall scenery felt a lot like a modern college campus. A big one, too—buildings separated by department, with top-notch training rooms and sports facilities.
'Facilities are solid.'
His own Knight Academy building was bigger than an average high school all by itself.
It was the department Park Jin-gu had chosen back in his past life. A hub for close-quarters combat specialists.
'Huh?'
He'd been heading to check out the cafeteria when he spotted someone crouched on the path ahead.
Curious, he approached and realized she wasn't squatting—she was just hugging her knees and dozing off.
'Amelia?'
It was that quirky pose, knees hugged tight with her chest as a pillow.
'What's she doing out here?'
Maybe she sensed his gaze—her eyelids fluttered. Her long lashes made it look like a fairy waking up.
Their eyes met, violet irises sparkling.
"Ung...?"
She tilted her head and blinked sleepily before whispering softly. They'd been classmates all through high school, so they knew each other's faces.
"Jin-gu...?"
"It's Si-woo now. Choi Si-woo. Changed it."
"Yeah...?"
Amelia gave a small nod and rested her face on her chest again. It looked so soft and pillowy that Si-woo almost wanted to give it a poke.
Then she drifted right back to sleep, her expression showing zero interest in him.
Si-woo pondered how to approach her without raising her guard, then quietly slipped away. Forcing it now would just make her wary.
Leaving Amelia behind, Si-woo stepped into the cafeteria and let out a low whistle of admiration.
The interior was so lavish it felt like a high-end restaurant—one he hadn't set foot in much even after starting to make money.
'Whoa...'
Si-woo nodded appreciatively and stepped up to the kiosk, figuring he'd grab a meal while he was there.
He slid in his student ID, which doubled as a payment card.
"Ha..."
The discrimination wasn't limited to dorms—it hit the food too.
[F-Grade] Basic Meal - Free.
The only free option Si-woo could snag: a few scraps of bread and some stew with bits of meat. That was it.
Meanwhile:
[A-Grade] Fried Platter - 55,000 won.
A fried feast loaded with premium ingredients like lobster chunks. Plenty of other options too—Korean, Western, you name it.
'Fucking expensive.'
Of course, he could've bought it with money.
-Insufficient balance.
If he had money.
"Oh dear! Insufficient funds? How tragic... Shall I cover it for you?"
A beautiful voice chimed from behind him. He turned to see a blonde stunner in a crisp uniform flashing a sweet smile.
She had a sleek, slender build overall, but her chest was a solid E-cup. Perfect model proportions—curves where they counted.
The girls trailing her like celebrity sasaeng fans chattered excitedly.
"Whoa... Hyun-ah, you're too kind!"
"Kyaa! That kind of generosity to an F-grader... You're an angel."
Si-woo ignored the background noise of her entourage.
He focused on the blonde beauty, eyes gleaming.
'Observe.'
-Reuse cooldown active.
'Tch...'
Swallowing his disappointment, Si-woo nodded.
A connection with a beauty like this? He welcomed it.
"Sure, if you're offering. Thanks."
Her agreement made her eyes twitch. Then she looked down at him with open contempt.
In an instant, the disdain filling her face vanished without a trace. Si-woo, who'd been watching her eyes, was floored.
"Alright then... I'll just pay for mine."
Beep! Beep!
She deftly punched in her order and sauntered off with her followers, tossing the meal ticket aside like trash.
Pure image management, like a politician working the crowd. Si-woo let out a hollow chuckle.
"Ha..."
It was refreshing to meet someone so blatantly two-faced after so long.
'Bitch offers to pay then bails...? Gonna have to fuck that one straight too.'
Alongside Amelia, he'd added another target. He memorized her name and face from the nameplate.
'Kang Hyun-ah, huh? But... where do I know her from?'
He was sure they'd never met, yet she felt oddly familiar.
The weekend passed, and first classes finally arrived.
Glancing around the lecture hall, Si-woo saw groups already chatting amiably.
'Makes sense... We've been together since high school.'
Awakened folks got special education facilities, so most faces were familiar from high school days.
Of course, Park Jin-gu had been the class outcast back then, so it was faces only.
Checking his schedule, Si-woo spotted the course name.
[Efficient Mana Control] - Professor Liliane
A recently added practical course, made mandatory across all departments thanks to the dean's strong push.
In a world that prized raw power and mana quantity above all, this subject was an outlier. Its focus: wielding minute amounts of mana with maximum efficiency.
Naturally, hardly anyone liked it. People here would rather spend class pumping out more mana.
'Fair enough with all this ambient mana floating around...'
With mana this plentiful, it was easier and stronger to go for big, splashy power blasts than nitpick tiny flows.
Si-woo took a seat in the corner and scanned the room when his eyes met Princess Helena's. She'd been sneaking glances at him nonstop.
Then the lecture hall door swung open, and a short-haired beauty strode in briskly.
She took her place at the podium wordlessly and wrote on the board.
Liliane.
Her stern expression made her look like a soldier as she spoke.
"That's my name. Questions?"
A girl shot her hand up. Her build was hefty bordering on obese, and even at twenty, her face was etched with pettiness.
Si-woo didn't put much stock in physiognomy, but she was the type you instinctively wanted to steer clear of.
'Ugly.'
Way outside his tastes. She opened her mouth before the professor even gave permission.
Her voice grated like nagging, a shrill tone that could shatter glass.
"Professor! I don't get why we have to take this! Doesn't mana control improve naturally as your mana grows?"
She came off like a shrewish middle-aged auntie screeching.
Kang Su-ho chimed in with his smooth voice.
"Anne! Don't be like that. This class is... yeah, for cadets with barely any mana, like Jin-gu, right?"
The random jab drew all eyes to Park Jin-gu—Si-woo.
"Who's Jin-gu? Oh, him?"
"Kukuku... How'd a mana-less wonder even get in here?"
"He's strong, like a brute. Kikik."
Si-woo ignored the whispers and flashed Kang Su-ho a grin. The more that guy ran his mouth, the more he looked forward to payback.
'Gonna fuck Amelia right in front of that bastard someday.'
Kang Su-ho caught Si-woo's expression and frowned, displeased. Lately, that guy's face had started rubbing him the wrong way.
Precious few in the hall weren't mocking Si-woo. Princess Helena was one—glaring at Kang Su-ho like she was the one insulted.
It was enough hostility to make Si-woo, who'd glanced her way by chance, tilt his head.
'What's her deal?'
Professor Liliane, arms crossed as she watched the cadets yap, finally spoke.
"You two. Names?"
"Anne, sir."
"Kang Su-ho."
"Good. You two cadets—attack me with everything you've got."
"...You sure that's okay?"
"Chicks who can't even grasp their place. Shut up and come at me."
"I'll go first!"
Anne glared daggers at Professor Liliane and bellowed. Her hefty flesh jiggled.
Mana surged through her body as she began forming a mana bolt.
Hummm!
The gathered attack vibrated fiercely—threatening at a glance.
'Three stars, they said... That's D-grade firepower?'
Pure output rivaled a full-power blast from a D-rank hunter. Of course, in a real scrap, she'd get her head lopped off mid-charge.
Fwhoosh!
The mana bolt rocketed toward Professor Liliane with a savage roar, but she stayed utterly nonchalant.
She caught it softly in her palm, spun it once, and lobbed it right back. The bolt reversed course toward Anne.
'Oho...'
Even Si-woo had to admit it was masterful. Pure mana control, like a form of martial art.
Thwack!
"Kyaaak!"
Crash!
The reflected bolt slammed into Anne's gut, sending her tumbling across the floor. Her massive frame made an enormous racket.
Si-woo smirked, then happened to catch Helena's expression. Her lips quivered like she was stifling laughter, eyes alight with glee.
Enough to make him question her nickname.
'Wait, is she really the Ice Princess?'