Chapter 16
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Straggler Reorganization Exam
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"…You can call me Cheon Da-eun, right?"
Her voice was shy in a way that didn't suit an instructor at all, and I couldn't help but let out a chuckle. She flinched at the sound of my laughter and buried her face even deeper into my chest.
"D-Don't laugh…!"
"Got it. I won't laugh, Da-eun sis."
This must be what people call post-nut clarity.
I gently wrapped my arms around Cheon Da-eun's shoulders. Her back was trembling faintly.
I softly lifted her chin and pressed a light kiss to her flushed lips.
We repeated short, teasing touches of our lips over and over. It was a ticklish kiss, different from the intensity from before.
"Now you really feel like my woman, Da-eun sis."
"…Nonsense."
"Can I keep calling you that from now on?"
"Do whatever you want. I'm your summon anyway, aren't I?"
"Still, your feelings matter most to me, Da-eun sis."
She fell silent at my words for a moment. Then, in a tiny voice, almost like she was talking to herself, she murmured.
"…It's not… bad, I guess."
"Huh?"
"Ah, nothing! I'm tired. I need to sleep."
A clone needs sleep?
I chuckled as I looked at Cheon Da-eun, who had pulled the blanket up to her neck.
I turned my head to gaze down at the bedsheet we were lying on. Even in the dim lighting, the traces were vivid.
A faint pink stain spread across the white sheet.
It was the mark left by her first red blood and the white semen I had poured into her multiple times, mixed together. That stain was blatant proof of how fiercely we'd tangled just moments ago.
She's a clone, but… I still took her first time.
The fact that she had remained a virgin into her late twenties—even after rising to the position of an elite academy instructor—said volumes about her personality.
A life of strict self-discipline, prioritizing principles, and abstaining from everything outside of hunter duties. Incredibly conservative and ascetic.
Well, thinking back to that first rift raid, she doesn't seem to mind breaking the law much…
Either way, one thing was clear: Cheon Da-eun's first experience was no small matter.
If she weren't a clone, it wouldn't be strange to demand marriage on the spot.
Just thinking about it is scary.
I gazed quietly at her face, pretending to sleep. Without her usual sharpness, she looked somehow vulnerable and soft.
It wasn't some grand sense of responsibility, but a strange tickle tugged at a corner of my heart.
I might have to worry about accidentally calling the real instructor "sis"...
"Kang Ihyeon."
"Yes, sis."
Before I knew it, she had peeked her face out from under the blanket again and was looking up at me.
"You know, about that exam."
"The exam?"
"Yeah. The reorganization exam in three days. What's your plan?"
I gently brushed her hair back and grinned.
"Don't worry, sis. I've been preparing well."
"You think that makes me not worry? Especially this exam—!"
"I know. But trust me this time."
I looked straight into her eyes and spoke confidently.
"I've got an ace up my sleeve. Just watch. This time, I'll really make the cut."
Reorganization exam day.
At the appointed time, I arrived at the exam venue with the instructor.
The location was Academy Training Ground 7, which was hardly used anymore and practically abandoned.
It seemed to have been hastily renovated for this straggler program, with a shabby temporary sign at the entrance.
"Stragglers really get the cold shoulder, huh."
"Obviously. What were you expecting?"
"Heh, no real expectations. But Instructor Cheon Da-eun."
"Hm."
"Caught a cold or something?"
The real Instructor Cheon Da-eun's voice was as cold as ever, but somehow subtly different.
There was a slight nasal tone, and unlike usual, she wore a thick black mask covering more than half her face.
At my question, her shoulders twitched for a moment. She averted her gaze and replied curtly.
"…Don't worry about it. Just precautions."
"Precautions? No big epidemics going around."
"Q-Quiet. Don't come closer. You stink…"
Her eyes sharpened slightly over the mask. She was definitely hiding something… but it wasn't the mood to pry further.
As I hesitated, she swiftly changed the subject to the exam, as if she'd been waiting.
"Enough chit-chat. Let me explain today's exam."
"Yes."
"As you know, the evaluation is divided into two main stages. First is basic ability measurement."
The instructor gestured toward the inside of the training ground. Various devices like mana gauges and strength testers were placed around the wide space.
"We'll re-evaluate basic physical abilities, mana capacity, and other fundamentals as a hunter. The goal is to quantitatively assess how much you've improved compared to previous records."
"Will other instructors be here too?"
"Of course. Vice Principal Wolfgang Kraus and all the straggler program instructors, including me, will observe and participate in the evaluation. It won't just be raw numbers—we'll judge actual utilization and growth potential comprehensively."
With that, Instructor Cheon Da-eun poked my side with her elbow.
"Do well."
Very much her style of encouragement.
Ten minutes later, other instructors and their straggler students began arriving one by one.
Instructor John Miller with his broad shoulders, followed by tense-faced male students.
Instructor Seraphina, with her flashy looks, yawned boredly as she led a few students, followed by Instructor Eleanor Vance encouraging hers with a kind smile. Instructor Park Minjun also herded his students with a weary face.
And finally, Vice Principal Wolfgang Kraus appeared at the front of the group, beaming benevolently. With his signature leisurely stride, he walked to the center and boomed.
"Alright, everyone's here! Shall we get started?"
With Kraus's opening declaration, the training ground buzzed to life in an instant.
Instructors dispersed to the evaluation stations, and students murmured tensely.
The basic ability evaluation consisted of six events.
Mana capacity measurement, physical measurement, skill proficiency evaluation, endurance evaluation, reflexes and judgment evaluation, and mock combat evaluation.
Whew—
I stood quietly in a corner of the training ground, steadying my breath.
A total of twenty straggler students.
They were all in similar boats to me, but my reputation was uniquely the worst. I felt fleeting glances.
No, probably not.
They don't even know my face.
I'm just imagining it.
But the blatant whispers reaching my ears felt all too real.
"Hey, heard? That guy's coming today."
"Who? The one who failed thirty times?"
"Who else? Shameless bastard. I'd have dropped out from shame."
"Can't drop out at our school, though."
"Just saying. You know his face? Only heard the name."
"Nah?"
I listened to their conversation expressionlessly, quietly waiting for my turn. No urge to retort or get angry. They weren't wrong, after all.
Now, I'd just prove it with results.
This wasn't a simple ranking. Absolute evaluation.
A test to prove how much you'd grown from your past self and if you had the potential to survive real rifts ahead.
Their sneers? I'd shut them up with skill.
If it were before, maybe. But now, I have way more skills.
First up: mana capacity measurement.
Students lined up one by one before the crystal orb mana gauge on one side of the training ground.
The proctor was Eleanor Vance, the healing mage and counselor. She greeted students with her usual warm smile, but her eyes on the score sheet were sharp.
"Next, Kang Ihyeon."
At Instructor Eleanor's call, I stepped forward from the corner. I ignored the stares from those who'd mocked me earlier. Standing before the gauge, she said softly.
"Relax, place your hand here, and flow your mana in comfortably. Focus as much as possible."
"Yes."
Among the evaluations, I'd put the most effort into increasing my mana capacity.
For that, I'd minimized mana allocation and visited Nocturne Town.
Fortunately, after that day, I'd received five bottles of low-grade mana elixirs from Doris Finch.
That ridiculous recipe you brought actually worked~! Keeheeheehee! Of course, the effect is the lowest of the low-grade, like dust level~
As promised, here's the result made with your materials~
I'm dying of curiosity about that weird recipe of yours~! So come back to my workshop soon! That's an order!
—The Great Alchemist, Doris Finch—
The letter was as eccentric as ever, but the point was success in elixir production. That day, I'd downed all five bottles of low-grade mana elixirs right there.
Items that permanently boosted base mana—even if not shown in the skill window—were top-tier spec-ups in the game.
Low-grade or not, permanent stat increase!
Five bottles meant maybe a 20-30% bump numerically?
I placed my palm on the cold crystal orb as instructed.
Whew—!
One more deep breath, then I consciously amplified the mana inside me and focused it into my palm. Not just flowing it—pushing it like an explosion.
The real test started now.
For a strong first impression in any event, no holding back!
350… 480… 620… 750… 880… 1120… 1450… 1780…!
2000!
Nice!
As the measurement ended, the orb's light faded to a soft glow.
Clearing the minimum pass of 2,000!
Compared to my previous record of just over 300, it was over six times the growth—an overwhelming jump.
Obvious with the low-grade elixirs I'd chugged, but shocking to others.
Instructor Eleanor swallowed sharply, her eyes wide as she alternated between the gauge and me.
"Kang Ihyeon! Impressive! Your mana capacity… it's skyrocketed from before!"
"Ahaha, got lucky, I guess."
"No luck about it! You've clearly put in a ton of effort!"
She noted my score with a small smile—not just encouragement, but genuine surprise. Murmurs rose around us. From those who'd mocked me.
"What? That's really Kang Ihyeon?"
"No way… His old record was rock bottom."
"Something wrong with the machine?"
"For real? How…?"
The murmurs turned to near uproar.
Denying the thrill would be a lie.
I ignored them and headed quietly to the next station.
Just the first event.
To prepare countermeasures for the mock rift, surviving comes first.
My second countermeasure.
A brand-new clone creation.