Chapter 28
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Midterm Sparring Evaluation (5)
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As time passed, perhaps the effect of the Oath of Indulgence had weakened...
Or maybe Sophia's desperate—for reasons I couldn't quite grasp—efforts had finally gotten through. Whatever the case, thanks to Amelia somewhat regaining her senses and composure...
Fortunately, the situation wrapped up without any bloodshed.
"Ugh... I'm really sorry. I don't know why I acted like that... I just wanted to learn about the mana you possess, but suddenly..."
Of course, after Amelia—who had been clinging to my arm like she was about to rip it off—snapped out of it...
Even though I kept telling her it was fine, she was still bowing her head repeatedly in apology, her face flushed red. That was a bit of a problem...
"No, it's... whatever. These things happen. Really, it's fine now. You can stop apologizing."
"Still..."
Amelia seemed thoroughly embarrassed and flustered by the whole situation.
With her head bowed deeply and her hands clasped tightly together, she looked like she wanted to crawl into a mouse hole and hide.
Her slightly visible face was so beet red that, from a distance, you could mistake it for a tomato.
Judging from Amelia's reaction, it seemed the Oath of Indulgence only kicked in under specific circumstances for each heroine? There appeared to be limits to it.
After all, I met Yoon Seo-rin and Wol Ha-yeon every morning, and there hadn't been any noticeable emotional or behavioral changes from them.
"Really, it's fine. If anything, it was more like a rewa... no, not that—anyway, it was really go... argh! Whatever, just... it's fine."
'Why does my tongue keep twisting like this...'
Honestly, I was a bit flustered at first and pretended to curse the Book of Restraints, but by the middle, I was enjoying it just as much.
How could I not? What man in the world would hate having a pretty girl hanging all over him?
Especially since Amelia had the best figure among the heroines.
Maybe that's why she had the most risqué scenes in the game.
And beyond all that, the fact that I'd already focused all my nerves into my elbow to feel those voluptuous curves as vividly as possible said it all.
No further explanation needed.
"Um... you're really forgiving me?"
Amelia, who had been peering around for a mouse hole with her head down, cautiously lifted it to gauge my reaction.
Her lime-green eyes trembled wildly, like a child awaiting a scolding.
'Kuh... she's so damn pretty and cute! Those cheeks look so soft and squishy... No, snap out of it.'
"There's nothing to forgive. It didn't bother me at all. And my mana... it's just because I have a bit of a unique constitution."
When I smiled and spoke, Amelia let out a relieved breath a beat later and nodded.
"Yes, got it...! Thank you so much for forgiving me!"
"......"
After a brief silence, Sophia—who had been quietly watching from the side—flipped through her book with a displeased expression and spoke up.
"Haa... Seriously, I thought you'd finally gone crazy and turned from saintess to total nutcase or something? Your eyes suddenly rolled back, and you latched onto a guy. You scared me."
"Sorry, Miss Sophia..."
"...Don't add 'Miss' to my name. It creeps me out."
"Don't feel creeped out, Miss Sophia..."
"Fuck this."
Even the brief verbal sparring between the two girls drew intrigued glances from the surrounding students.
Still, the atmosphere in the waiting room felt like it had returned to its usual lightness.
'Good...'
I leaned back in my chair, crossed my arms, and let out a sigh.
'Whew... That was a scare.'
As I cooled my head and looked around, I saw students busily preparing for their next matches.
Some were meditating with eyes closed in silent prayer, while others were chattering animatedly with their spirits.
Just looking at this scene, they didn't feel like students facing a crucial evaluation that would shape their futures.
It was more like the casual vibe of ordinary college kids awaiting exams.
On one side, someone was mimicking Sophia's magic while saying, "Sophia's spell earlier was insane."
On another, a guy was boldly confessing his perverted tastes to his friends: "Getting punched just once by Amelia's holy power-infused fist would make my dreams come true."
'...That guy's a real psycho.'
Even a tiny handful of top-rankers were side-eyeing me warily.
'...Well, can't blame them. From their perspective, who can't sense Star Mana, seeing a bottom-of-the-barrel enrollee—who barely learned magic—bash a rival with basic 1-circle spells would make anyone wary.'
The fact that students were already sizing me up, even though the evaluation was far from over, gave me an odd sense of pride?
It felt like this extra, Kang Hyun-sol, was finally proving something substantial.
Of course, separately from that, attracting attention wasn't exactly a good omen.
I knew Chae Yeon-hwa's perverted personality, so I didn't hide my talents from her, but that didn't apply to other demons or fiends.
If they spotted a human who might interfere with their grand schemes, they'd try to kill them by any means.
And from those demons' viewpoint, the emergence of an utterly unexpected variable wouldn't look favorable.
Did I have anything to counter that? No, I had nothing yet.
Saint-tier magic was still at the crawling stage, my swordsmanship had barely escaped beginner level, and my circle was still imperfect.
So I needed to either stay under the radar as long as possible or hide my power entirely.
But then I wouldn't earn SP, and ultimately, I couldn't grow stronger.
"Haa... For now, Kim Do-yoon and the others are drawing almost all the attention, so let's focus on the present."
I turned my head again and stared indifferently at the front screen.
Thinking about it, there was no need to get anxious already about fiends marking me just because students were starting to check me out.
I already knew they were sensitive to new variables, but they weren't bold enough to take immediate action.
All I had to do was keep giving my all, just like now.
A crackle came from the speakers, followed by the match announcement.
[The next match is underdog sensation Kang Hyun-sol versus Kim Sung-jun! Please enter the arena without delay!!!]
"...Has that damn 'underdog' title completely stuck now...?"
No matter how many times I heard it, I couldn't get used to that moniker.
I slowly stood from my seat, stretched lightly, and headed for the waiting room door.
Or at least, I tried to.
But the moment I grabbed the doorknob, Sophia—who had been bickering with Amelia—shouted at me.
"Hyun-sol!! Win this match, and we meet next, got it? You have to win!!"
"...Yeah, I'll do my best."
I waved lightly and exited the waiting room.
At that moment...
In the arena's VIP seats, reserved exclusively for guests personally invited by the academy and select officials...
One woman—a ponytail girl in aqua blue—was boldly occupying a seat, mindlessly replaying footage of a certain male student's match on repeat.
Smacking her lips, she turned to the white-haired old man beside her.
"Grandpa, doesn't this guy seem really promising? His trait being unmeasurable is a bit iffy, but he definitely looks S-Rank or higher."
"Sigh... Ji-an, even if this old man is the world's top alchemist, my energy's waning these days. S-Rank in this state would be too much, don't you think?"
The white-haired elder caught on to what his granddaughter was angling for and shook his head wearily.
But the girl only made her olive eyes sparkle more dramatically, acting coquettish despite his reaction.
"Grandpa~ It's your one and only granddaughter's request. Can't you grant it just this once? I really, really want that guy's trait..."
"Ahem..."
The old man closed his eyes tiredly for a moment, then sighed as he looked at his granddaughter clinging and fawning over him.
"...I can guess why our Ji-an is so greedy. That male student's magic is definitely different from ordinary mana... It's tempting, I admit."
"Hehe, Grandpa knows me too well. Exactly. The moment I saw that magic, I felt it... I have to have it in my hands.
I have a feeling that if I get that guy's trait, I could complete alchemy on a whole new level beyond what I have now."
Unable to hide her excitement, she fidgeted in her seat.
Her olive eyes gleamed like those of a beast that had spotted prey.
Yoo Tae-min lowered his voice seriously.
"Ji-an."
"Yes?"
"But remember one thing for sure. From what I see, that boy's potential isn't something to sum up with just one trait. Rush in recklessly, and you might ruin everything."
"Pfft~ Don't worry, Grandpa. I always approach carefully."
Yoo Ji-an curled her lip up, twirling her hair around her finger.
Yet her expression betrayed an unmistakable, eerie obsession and longing.
"If I let a trait like that slip away... I might regret it for life. A power that casually ignores Inferno Chains and illusion mana.
Imagine what amazing potions I could make by applying that to my trait."
"......"
Yoo Tae-min fell silent for a while before finally nodding.
"Understood. Once you've set your sights on it, there's no stopping our Ji-an. But don't approach rashly.
Don't forget the pinnacle of your trait, Transmutation... Use that power to slowly, naturally draw close to him."
"Oh... As expected of Grandpa!"
Yoo Ji-an instantly latched onto her grandfather's arm and beamed.
"Grandpa's the only one for me. So, you can secure what I want nice and quick, right?"
"Of course, for our granddaughter's request, Grandpa will pull some strings. But Ji-an, always remember—greed can sometimes become a honed blade that cuts you."
"Hehe, if it's a blade, even better. My potions only get their true color when blood splashes."
Gazing at his granddaughter's greed-filled eyes, Yoo Tae-min smoothed his wrinkled face and said,
"Fine... Do as you wish, but the responsibility is yours."
"Got it~ Then I'll... slip in nice and slow, ever so slowly, next to Hyun-sol."
Yoo Ji-an let out a small laugh, staring greedily at Kang Hyun-sol on the screen—as if he were a lab specimen—waiting his turn.
"If I like the trait that much, I could just keep him by my side and extract mana whenever I need it."
"Sigh......"
Yoo Tae-min shook his head at his granddaughter's demeanor.
And...
"...What the? Why this sudden bone-chilling cold shiver...?"
As I headed to the arena, I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine like I'd been stabbed, and I turned to scan my surroundings.
But there was nothing around.