Chapter 71
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Academy (22)
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The academy suspended all classes for a fortnight.
That was enough time for the local medical standards to heal most injuries, barring fatal wounds.
Even though Si-woo's group had resolved the crisis swiftly, there were still casualties.
Several lowest-grade cadets had died, and dozens more were injured. No one could expect classes to proceed normally under those circumstances.
'The ringleader was Professor Park Sang-hoon?'
The cadets hadn't been given the full story, but Helena had filled him in on the details.
Having missed his chance to flee, Professor Park had been captured in the end. After torturing the captured demon cadets and uncovering various pieces of evidence, he'd been confirmed as the culprit.
Posing as a professor, he'd infiltrated the academy and spent years committing all sorts of atrocities.
They were still investigating the fallout, checking for backers, and interrogating him about their objectives.
'That F-grade assigning bastard... serves him right.'
Glaring at the cramped dorm he'd barely survived thanks to Professor Park filled him with irritation. Knowing the man was being tortured now was deeply satisfying.
'Any chance of grade reassignment?'
Money for meals could be scraped together by hunting monsters now and then. But the overcrowded dorm was pure misery. Plus, an A-grade dorm would make sneaking into Amelia's room far easier.
'Dorms are split by gender... but that's child's play.'
Even last night, he'd tumbled around in her bed until dawn before slipping out.
'Has Amelia woken up yet, though?'
Ever since she'd absorbed his energy, she'd been sleeping soundly. Problem was, she now loved it a bit too much.
She dozed off at the drop of a hat. The difference from before was that it wasn't exhaustion anymore—she slept with a blissful smile, deeply and limp like jelly.
He'd messaged her, but no reply as expected. She was probably still out after he'd worn her down all night.
Knock. Knock.
"Amelia?"
He punched in the password she'd given him and stepped inside.
Amelia lay curled up like a shrimp, beaming in her sleep as she hugged her own chest with a look of pure happiness.
He prodded the plump sideboob spilling out. Warm and soft... he could've kept at it forever.
Five minutes of poking later, he snapped out of it.
"Damn... what a sinful rack."
"Mm...?"
Amelia blinked sleepily up at Si-woo.
"Hee... Si-woo. Hug meee..."
"Get up already. You forgetting we gotta collect our rewards today?"
"Hiiiing... so gooood..."
"Jeez."
He slipped his hands under her armpits and hauled her upright. Only after a solid minute of tight hugging did she let go, looking reluctant.
He dragged her pouting self to the bathroom and made her splash water on her face.
'Grown body, baby mind.'
How the hell had she survived on her own until now?
Academy dean's office.
They'd come to claim their rewards for resolving the artificial rift incident.
Helena scowled faintly. Amelia clung to Si-woo's collar, grinning at her. The sight grated in a subtle way.
The pair seemed much closer than before. Frowning in displeasure, she turned away.
The dean. Aiela.
An ageless superhuman.
Over a few hundred years old, yet she looked like a college girl. Her body brimmed with overflowing mana, granting her a complete physical transformation.
The academy's undisputed strongest—and one of the world's elite.
A fluffy white furball draped her shoulders beneath a coat that trailed to the floor.
Si-woo stared, at a loss for words.
Aiela's chest projected an overwhelming presence. Shoulders squared proudly, her already massive breasts strained to burst free.
'Hot as hell, and she's in a coat...'
A powerhouse like her probably ignored weather, but a fur coat in midsummer was still bizarre.
Odd attire, yet it suited her subtly. The faint aura of a true master pulled it off.
She skimmed what looked like an official citation.
"Hmm... The cadets above responded admirably to the emergency. I commend you."
It felt like a heavily truncated speech. Sure enough, the secretary—standing like an ice sculpture—twitched ever so slightly.
"Bear with me. Can't hand out fanfare with casualties involved. This stuff isn't the point anyway, so I skipped ahead. Fine by you?"
Si-woo nodded. He had zero interest in pomp.
"Yes. I'm good."
The dean beamed, pleased, and bobbed her head.
"Haha! A cadet right up my alley. Material rewards are what count, eh?"
She eyed them with a smile.
"Pick your prize. Up to a 4th-grade elixir or artifact. Which'll it be? Elixir, and I'll select something fitting."
'4th-grade is perfect for me.'
Mana core aside, his body sat between 4-star second-rate and first-rate. He needed an elixir to grasp the elusive peak realm.
"Note: if elixir, take it in the training sanctuary you're about to enter. Scores are low, but you stopped a terror plot—points don't matter. I'll authorize entry."
'Oh. That training sanctuary with mana density five times normal?'
Details were hush-hush, but it was the ultimate cultivation spot. One of the academy's guarded treasures, off-limits to most.
'Artifacts sound tempting too...'
Whatever it was, it'd match an elixir's value. He wanted a peek.
As he pondered, the impassive, android-like secretary behind the dean spoke in a crisp voice.
"Dean, next schedule in twenty minutes."
"Ah, right. Short on time—such a shame. Haha! You'll get both, so no sweat."
Now he saw the mischief twinkling in her smile.
"Need your wrists to pick fitting elixirs. Hate a body scan? I'll grab something random."
Helena stepped up first.
"Dean, any chance of a Radiant Star Pill?"
The Radiant Star Pill temporarily converted all bodily mana to light attribute.
"None at all. You?"
Amelia fidgeted shyly before offering her wrist. The dean gave her a pitying glance and nodded.
"...Body's frailer than your mana right now. Blood Replenishing Pill to restore stamina first."
"Yes."
Si-woo's turn last. The instant she gripped his wrist, pure mana surged through him.
'Insane.'
No blocking it. No resisting—her energy coursed everywhere. Handling another's body like her own marked a true master.
"Hoo... intriguing energy."
After observing his Mixed Origin Qi a moment, she opened her eyes. A buzz echoed in his mind.
-Mixed attributes, but fire dominates. Balance it with a yin-heavy elixir. It'll hurt, but full absorption means greater strength. Interested?
A telepathy variant. He nodded after a beat. Curious about the path to his next realm.
"Good. Moonlight Herb for him. And... this cadet's F-grade?"
"Yes, Dean."
Her eyebrow twitched at the secretary's reply. The perpetual playfulness hardened slightly.
"Hmm... Let me see."
Her gaze fixed on him. Half-expecting a grade bump, he instinctively stepped back.
'What the...?'
Cold sweat trickled down his nape. His body reacted before his mind. She stood still, yet instinct screamed danger.
'...A test?'
The dean smiled, satisfied, and turned to the secretary.
"Hoo... an F-grade like this? Missed it while distracted—academy's a mess. Who handled admissions?"
"Professor Park Sang-hoon."
The terror ringleader they'd nabbed recently.
"Phew... Cadet Choi Si-woo, my apologies. Reassign to A-grade. No way he's F."
The secretary's face—a perfect blank slate—cracked with faint surprise at the dean's bold decree. It reset quickly.
"Yes, Dean."
He'd half-hoped, but a real reassignment? Finally free of that chicken coop.
The dean eyed them approvingly.
"Collect artifacts and elixirs from the secretary. Once more: outstanding work. Pinpointing and resolving the anomaly so fast..."
They followed the secretary after Aiela's final praise. She handed over the elixirs.
"As the dean specified. Please verify."
He took the Moonlight Herb—a spirit plant that absorbed lunar essence daily without fail for a decade.
A flower radiating bone-chilling cold, its pristine white leaves glowing faintly.
"Consume the elixir in the training sanctuary, as recommended. Now, to select your artifact."
The secretary remained all business from start to finish. Straight out of a noble house, like a stern butler.
"Follow me."
Click. Clack.
She led the way to the academy's treasure vault. Her sleek legs, clad in heels and sheer black stockings, proved tempting.
A prim gait, yet her hips swayed with natural feminine allure.
Si-woo idly wondered if even a woman like her moaned in bed.