Chapter 24
024. How to Scam Erina Esnatia
"The professors won't accept you into classes outside your year."
Instructor Lee Dok-sa looked at me as if my choice was truly baffling. I expected the students' mockery to follow, but perhaps because the news about Professor Kang Geom-seon had just spread, no one said much.
I just felt piercing gazes from somewhere.
"Why did that bastard apply for another year's class?" "Could it be he's got something up his sleeve? He even got into Professor Kang Geom-seon's class." "As if. He's not even rank two, he's 1,000th place. How is he supposed to get in? Is there some kind of perk for being dead last?"
...I guess I was mistaken. No, that's all fine and dandy, but why are you gossiping loud enough for me to hear?
'I'm memorizing your faces.'
I could feel two particularly piercing gazes. Needless to say, it was Kang Hwa-yeon and Baek A-rin.
This time, even Baek A-rin's eyes held a strange look—a mix of anticipation and a bit of distrust.
'Well, of course.'
It's impossible for me, the student in dead last, to take a higher year's class. More accurately, the professors wouldn't accept me. It was the Academy's unspoken rule that no one except the Top Student and the Second Place student could take classes meant for higher years. Therefore, the professors had no reason to break this unwritten rule just to let a lower-year student in.
'Even more so for the student in dead last.'
In other words, to the average person, I was just an idiot throwing away a class application opportunity.
That's what they must be thinking.
"This will probably be reject— huh?"
Lee Dok-sa stared intently at the tablet as if he couldn't believe his eyes.
"They accepted it... How?"
It was something impossible within the system, so his surprise was justified.
"What, accepted?" "Did he bribe someone?" "Are you crazy?! Watch your mouth. Would a method like that even work here? Idiot. It's probably just a system error." "No, seriously, does he actually have something? Should I try to buddy up with him now?"
At her words, the surroundings grew noisy.
"How...?" "I told you, didn't I? I knew he had something."
At the same time, I overheard Kang Hwa-yeon and Baek A-rin's conversation.
Knew what? Your eyes were full of distrust just a moment ago.
Lee Dok-sa looked at me and asked.
"What kind of magic did our student Si-woo use? Or is it simply an error?"
....
[Except for the Rank 1 and Rank 2 students, first-years cannot take higher year classes.]
Though absolutely observed, this was, at the end of the day, an unwritten rule. It didn't mean it was institutionally impossible.
Naturally, any other professor wouldn't have bothered accepting me. But she needed a test subject for her research performance, and I needed the C-Rank monster I would encounter in her class.
It was only possible because our interests aligned.
Lee Dok-sa frowned and said, "Still, this is a first, so I'll need to discuss this with the administration office..."
Bang—
The moment Lee Dok-sa finished speaking, the classroom door violently slammed open.
"No need for that~!"
A woman with an unlit cigarette dangling from her mouth, one corner of her lips curled up in a smirk. That arrogant attitude and face leaning against the door. Messy long brown hair and hollow, sunken eyes.
'It's Professor Shin So-a.'
She had a similar appearance to Yoon So-a, and even the same name. However, contrary to the incredibly kind Yoon So-a, her words, actions, and appearance reeked of being worn down by society. Because of that, Yoon So-a was called "Angel So-a". And Professor Shin So-a was called "Rotten So-a".
'Rotten So-a...'
She narrowed her eyes and swept her gaze across the classroom.
"Ah, there you are!"
...It seemed she had found me.
"You there, Kim Si-woo! I read the email you sent. You think I need you? How arrogant!"
She clicked her tongue after saying that.
Despite her appearance, she used a strangely old-fashioned way of speaking.
"Well, you're right! I was actually planning to propose it first. But you beat me to the punch?! And with such interesting conditions attached, too!"
"Who is that?" "Judging by how she speaks, she sounds like a professor." "But why is she looking for Kim Si-woo?"
"Now, everyone, quiet down!"
Lee Dok-sa calmed the noisy class and approached Professor Shin So-a to stop her sudden intrusion.
"Excuse me, but who are you? We are in the middle of a class. Outsiders are not allowed."
The moment Instructor Lee Dok-sa approached her while exuding a murderous aura...
"Oh...? Professor Shin So-a?"
After recognizing her, the green hue fading into his eyes subsided.
"Th-That's right! Put away that threatening aura and calm down, Instructor."
Professor Shin So-a hurriedly showed her ID and said.
"So, what brings you here..." "Well, sorry about this, but I eavesdropped a little. Regarding student Kim Si-woo. No need to go to the administration office. Everything has already been settled, even with the Principal~."
Neat as expected. Being Professor Shin So-a, she must have already heard the story of when I took down the Panpagia. She probably already knew the grade I received on the test back then. She must have thought I was worth taking a gamble on.
"Professor, your class is a second-year lecture. May I ask why you accepted student Si-woo?"
At Lee Dok-sa's question, Professor Shin So-a hesitated, seemingly a bit flustered, before breaking into a smile.
"I judged that he was more than capable of taking my class. If so, isn't there no reason to turn him away? In my eyes, it looks like he can keep up just as well as the top two students." "That is..."
Lee Dok-sa made a face as if to say 'what kind of nonsense is that,' but then soon...
"That certainly makes sense." "Ah... Yes! That's exactly it. Haha!"
Professor Shin So-a, a bit caught off guard that Lee Dok-sa nodded at her carelessly thrown words, quickly laughed it off.
...It seemed that, at least in Instructor Lee Dok-sa's mind, my learning ability was already on par with the top two students.
'Somehow, my evaluation keeps skyrocketing.'
"Anyway, student Kim Si-woo is joining my class, alright? That's how it's going to be?!"
Professor Shin So-a must have been terrified by the murderous intent Lee Dok-sa emitted earlier, as she scurried away like she was fleeing. At the same time, the class instantly broke into an uproar.
"Was that just Professor Shin So-a?! What was that conversation about?" "Hey, if you think about it, Kim Si-woo took on the most dangerous role during the Panpagia subjugation. Even if his skill book is like that, doesn't he have something going on?" "I told you, didn't I? There had to be a reason he was accepted. I'm Si-woo's bestie, you know." "Weren't you just saying he bribed his way in?"
Why do they gossip so loudly? Is that a required trait for web novel extras?
—I told you, Lancelot. I knew that guy was hiding something. —Arthur. As expected, he must be from that secret organization... —Shh. This isn't the place for that. It's time to just observe for now. We need to see if he'll be a threat or an asset to our Luanox. —We shall see if he's truly a person befitting 'That One'. ... —Merlin, 'Arthur' will be the one to judge. —Sir! Arthur!
At this point, even Kim Si-woo had no idea.
That 'Luanox', a conspiracy theorist otaku club that even blasphemed against the gods, was 『observing』 him.
Baek A-rin found herself smiling without realizing it.
Up until now, Baek A-rin had been sizing up Kim Si-woo, wondering if she could use him as one of her cards. And now, she could somewhat feel that Kim Si-woo indeed had something to him.
'He definitely has something.'
Thinking only about what she had witnessed so far, she felt he was trustworthy. However, that was strictly based on Baek A-rin's own perspective.
[Therefore, her impatience might have manifested as confirmation bias in her judgment. It could be that she was the only one who thought there was something special about him.]
Harboring those thoughts, Baek A-rin had been watching Kim Si-woo.
But today's incident made things clear.
'For Professor Kang Geom-seon to accept Kim Si-woo, there must have been a recommendation from Lee Dok-sa. And receiving a recommendation meant that, at the very least, Kim Si-woo appeared valuable enough in Lee Dok-sa's eyes. The moment he could have proven that worth was...'
"During the Panpagia subjugation..."
As expected, that was the only time. That's what Baek A-rin believed.
'If Kim Si-woo received a high evaluation during the subjugation, it meant the weakness he knew wasn't something he just knew beforehand, but something he figured out on the spot. He must have proven that.'
In the eyes of Instructor Lee Dok-sa, who was at least qualified to teach the A-Class, Kim Si-woo had earned a tremendous evaluation. It wasn't just what she wanted to believe anymore; there was now an objective indicator.
At the same time. Though she wasn't entirely sure, Professor Shin So-a had sought him out today.
'It means he's a man interesting enough for a professor to go out of her way to find him, right? Kim Si-woo?'
All the surrounding circumstances were fueling Baek A-rin's interest in Kim Si-woo.
'There must be others sniffing around besides me. Perhaps Professor Shin So-a is one of them.'
Up until now, Kim Si-woo had no superficial achievements to his name. Honestly, if he gained any proper achievements, it wouldn't be strange for another faction to snatch him away.
'He might be an even bigger shot than I thought. If that's the case... I should make the decision to pull him completely to my side now.'
I succeeded in getting permission to take Professor Shin So-a's class. Honestly, being Professor Shin So-a, I expected her to make the offer first.
'Still, just in case.'
I sent an email first, proposing that if she accepted me, I could help with her research. Of course, while maintaining the facade that I only had a one-page skill book.
'Not that she'd believe it anyway.'
That was the important part. It was about creating a win-win situation while keeping each other's boundaries.
Now, the important thing is to successfully fool Erina Esnatia...
"It's about time she showed up."
The place I was currently sitting was a cherry blossom-lined path behind the Academy's Building A dormitory complex. If you walk quite a ways past that, an incredibly large cherry blossom tree appears.
Beneath that cherry blossom tree. I sat with my back leaning against it, looking like someone with a complicated backstory.
This is it. The place where I will have a fateful reunion with Juliet from the Cheonggukjang restaurant... No, with Erina Esnatia.
Here, I will use my newly acquired skill, [Phantasm], to convince Erina Esnatia that I am Lee Sung-hyun.
'It feels like I'm just constantly scamming people.'
Not that I feel any guilt about it.
If I don't deceive her anyway, Erina Esnatia is destined to meet a dead-end at the hands of Lee Sung-hyun. I am trying to prevent that now.
'Erina Esnatia gets to save her life, and I get to use her. I'm just collecting the price for saving her.'
Since few people knew about this place, there were no prying eyes. The time was right when the sun hung low on the horizon. The sky was dyed in a captivating blend of pink and purple.
'Even the scenery is perfect.'
The time was exactly 7 PM.
In my mind, I recalled Ashter's Dragon, which Lee Sung-hyun had used.
[Phantasm]
In that moment, a blazing flame wrapped around my hand.