Chapter 19
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Professor Chae Yeon-hwa (2)
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Under Professor Chae Yeon-hwa's guidance, I entered the research lab and paused at the threshold for a moment before slowly taking in the surroundings.
The first thing that caught my eye was the sunlight slanting through a small window, softly illuminating the papers on the desk.
At a glance, it felt like the serene office of a perfectly ordinary professor, not a demon at all.
But at that moment, as if warning me not to let my guard down yet, a fragrance drifted to my nose—slightly different from the one in the lecture hall.
It was thicker, sweeter, enough to cloud the mind.
'Shit... damn it, this succubus is using her skill again...'
"Please, have a seat."
"...Ah, yes."
Seeing me standing there half-dazed, Professor Chae Yeon-hwa gave a seductive smile and gestured toward the sofa.
That smile seemed to say she wasn't dangerous at all, no need to be wary.
But at the same time, somewhere in her eyes lurked the sharp glint of a predator eyeing its prey.
I barely pulled myself together and cautiously leaned back on the sofa.
"Kang Hyun-sol, you were the only student who created a protective barrier in today's class. Quite impressive for a first try."
"I see... It was pretty lacking, but thank you for the praise."
"Hehe, humble too. I like that. Now, as I mentioned, it's time for your reward..."
Professor Chae Yeon-hwa glanced at my face, then tilted her head slightly with a peculiar smile.
"...But first, one thing I'd like to ask... Kang Hyun-sol, are you perhaps not heterosexual? Gay, maybe?"
"...Pardon?"
"All the other boys couldn't focus at all—they were too busy staring at my face and body. But you alone showed a clear will to avoid even glancing at me for a single second?"
"It felt like you were desperately trying not to look at something forbidden. If you're not gay, could you explain why you acted that way? It's a bit embarrassing to say, but... I thought I wasn't the type to be ignored anywhere..."
"Uh... that is..."
'...What? This bold question I can't even grasp the intent of?'
Of course, I figured she'd noticed I wasn't affected by the Dreamlike Fragrance and called me here to probe or secretly test me.
But right now, she seemed like she didn't care about anything else—just, Why aren't you interested in me? I'm so pretty!
Caught off guard by the completely unexpected direct question, I forgot all the excuses I'd prepared moments ago.
With no choice, I cleared my throat and, trying to stay as expressionless as possible, blurted out whatever came to mind without filtering.
"...Ahem, well... Everyone has their own tastes, right? I know Professor Chae Yeon-hwa has a great figure and is beautiful enough to outshine most celebrities by hundreds..."
"But she's very, very far from my type, so I guess I instinctively avoided looking."
"...W-What... did you say?"
The relaxed, alluring smile from before vanished. Professor Chae Yeon-hwa's expression turned to one of disbelief, as if she'd heard something unbelievable.
Seeing her visibly flustered, I belatedly wondered if I'd gone too far for a succubus, but the words were already out.
"Uh... I mean, don't misunderstand. What I said doesn't mean you're not beautiful..."
I tried to hurriedly add flowery compliments.
But Professor Chae Yeon-hwa stared at me with an expression that said she didn't need to hear more, as if ready to pierce right through me.
"...Ahem, hmph... Interesting. It's the first time I've heard something like that in my life. Me, not your type..."
"Ha, really... unbelievable... You're not it."
"..."
"But you know, Kang Hyun-sol? There's one thing I just can't understand."
She crossed her legs and lightly tapped her thigh with her fingertips.
"Don't people usually feel a subtle interest in the exact opposite of themselves? Even if I'm not your type, avoiding my gaze so deliberately seems a bit odd..."
'...Damn it, she won't let it slide that easily.'
I felt sweat beading as I forced the most innocent smile I could muster.
"That's... probably because I'm naturally introverted. I'm just not good at making eye contact."
"Hmm... An introverted student... That doesn't quite add up, but fine. Let's leave it there for today. We have plenty of time ahead, and I need to talk about the reward I brought you here for."
Tak—!
With that, Professor Chae Yeon-hwa pulled a small glass vial from her subspace pocket and placed it on the desk.
It was a potion filled with clear pink liquid.
Shimmering in the sunlight, it looked just like a ruby gem.
She slid the potion toward me and began explaining.
"This is a barrier arts auxiliary skill potion I commissioned from Korea's top alchemist, Master Yoo Tae-min, to make exactly five of before coming to the academy."
"...Pardon? This is your skill potion? Really?"
"Oh? You know about skill potions? They're quite rare..."
"Ah... yes, I happened to come across one once..."
'What the hell? Why is something like that in her pocket?'
In this game's world, there are various ways to acquire skills.
The most common and well-known method is through repeated actions.
For mages, after learning a spell, using it hundreds or thousands of times turns it into a skill.
Once proficient enough, they can cast it without incantation, just by saying the spell's name.
And while this is a bit different...
Sophia, with her unique S-Rank trait [Mana Recollection], stores spells she can use in mana stones. She just infuses mana without incantation to cast them instantly.
Thanks to that, without making skills, Sophia could use any spell she learned once with no restrictions.
That's how she earned the title of once-in-a-generation genius mage.
Anyway, skills are so hard to create that nearly all hunters invest enormous time just for one.
But there's one way to get a skill effortlessly, without all that effort.
That's the skill potion.
I didn't fully understand the exact explanation from the setting document, but roughly summarized:
A skill potion analyzes the unique mana pattern of an Awakener's skill, extracts it as a mana record, and brews it into a potion.
If another Awakener drinks it, they gain the exact same skill as the original owner.
But alchemists who can make such incredible skill potions are rare enough to count on one hand.
Even for an F-Rank skill, production costs millions, and they sell for tens of millions once made.
What Professor Chae Yeon-hwa showed me was an item so precious most Awakeners wouldn't see one in a lifetime.
'And she's giving a skill potion like that to a mere first-year student, just like that?'
I suppressed the excitement bubbling up inside me.
"Here, take it."
Professor Chae Yeon-hwa nudged the vial with her fingertip and stared at me intently.
"The talent to succeed at a protective barrier on the first try... That's no ordinary gift. More than worth investing in. And you call yourself introverted, yet your expression doesn't change even during conversation."
"..."
"For such a rare talent, this reward isn't the least bit wasteful."
Her voice was still soft, but I couldn't read the intent in her eyes at all.
It felt like she was hiding some scheme.
'Haa... I don't know her intentions, but if it's really a barrier arts auxiliary skill potion, I need it badly...'
If it were anyone else, I'd snatch it up without hesitation.
But this was different.
In the original story, there was no event where you get a skill potion from Chae Yeon-hwa.
As I said earlier, no matter how high you raised affinity, her reactions were always either slicing you in half with a greatsword or fleeing the academy.
In other words, this situation was another variable.
"Hmm... If it's too much, feel free to decline."
Sensing my hesitation, she added playfully with a smile.
"But... since you know about skill potions, Kang Hyun-sol, I'm sure you understand how precious a gift this is."
"..."
'Should I drink it? Or refuse?'
The two choices clashed in my head.
Normally, I'd bolt out without a second thought.
But in my current situation, where I need to get stronger by any means, a skill—especially a barrier-related one—was like rain in a drought.
"..."
I bit my lip hard, agonizing one last time.
Refusing would be safe.
No need to take risks.
But... every chance to grow was precious to me now.
"...I understand. Thank you. I'll gratefully accept."
Deciding to take Professor Chae Yeon-hwa's skill potion, I reached out calmly and picked up the vial.
Of course, for minimal safety, I'd check it first.
'Item check.'
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[Item: Skill Potion]
Rank: B
Effect: Drinking this grants the skill Barrier Weaving.
※ This potion is a unique creation by Korea's alchemist, Master Yoo Tae-min.
==============================
'...Good, no weird effects.'
Confirming the potion was safe, I took a deep breath, uncorked it, and downed the liquid in one gulp without hesitation.
Gulp—!
As the liquid slid down my throat, a sensation of hot and cold energy spread through my body.
[Acquired a new skill.]
[Barrier Weaving]
Rank: B
Description: Extend mana like thin threads to reinforce barrier gaps. Greatly enhances stability and durability; can layer multiple barriers simultaneously.
*Currently at basic level, limited for full barriers, but high growth potential.
Barrier success rate greatly increases.
Barrier duration improved.
Barrier control enhanced.
Higher proficiency allows more precise, multi-layered barrier structures.
After drinking the entire potion, I stared blankly at the floating skill description, reading every detail.
Realizing belatedly that I hadn't thanked her yet, I hurriedly bowed to Professor Chae Yeon-hwa, who was watching.
"......Thank you, Professor."
She nodded in satisfaction.
"Hehe, glad you like it. Please keep attending barrier arts classes diligently."
"Yes. To repay your kindness, I'll treat barrier arts as my minor and study it hard."
"Good~ Well, business is done, so head back safely. Or..."
Mid-sentence, she crossed her legs, winked with one eye, and struck a pose like she was seducing me.
"...want to do some other research together..."
"Then I'll be going!! Thank you so much!!"
Seeing that, I reflexively jumped from the sofa and fled the research lab like my life depended on it.
"Huu... That was close."
Does a succubus live up to her name or what? That final temptation almost made me fall completely.
Without Mental Resistance, I'd be 100%...
"Ugh, horrifying."
The thought that I nearly lost the Vow of Purity—hard-fought for not even three weeks since the constraint—sent chills down my spine.
I sprinted madly away from Professor Chae Yeon-hwa's lab... no, the whole building, and barely made it safely back to my dorm, my home base.
But just as I relaxed in the dorm, an utterly unexpected notification appeared.
[Vow of Purity and Crisis Overcoming traits successfully resisted Dreamlike Fragrance (A+) and Twilight Feast (S).]
[Reward for overcoming a high succubus's temptation: 100 SP granted.]
"...? Crisis Overcoming activated? When? Wait, before that..."
Reading the full system message, my brain froze for a moment.
I remembered the Vow of Purity's constraint mentioning SP rewards for refusals.
But until now, refusing Sophia's nightly library magic research invites or Wol Ha-yeon's lunch sparring requests never gave rewards like this.
Yet rejecting temptation from Chae Yeon-hwa—not a heroine, but a demon villain—grants a reward? If it were Vow of No Retreat, maybe, but this made no sense.
Still...
"Ah... My head hurts like hell, damn succubus. Walking perfume bottle or what, spraying that much fragrance..."
My head spun from inhaling so much succubus scent—it felt pickled.
I decided to look into the SP reason later and passed out into sleep.