Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: The School Nurse Appears (3)
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"Cadet Lee Ho-yeon?"
The B-Class professor looked surprised to see me.
He probably hadn't expected me to raise my hand.
"I want in too."
At that moment, Ellis, who was standing behind me, raised her hand as well.
No, what's her deal? Don't interfere.
"Me too!"
Kim Young-han, who had been keeping quiet, raised his hand.
"I want to do it too!"
"How often do you get a chance to spar with second-years!"
"…?"
About one in ten cadets raised their hands. This wasn't part of my plan?
I just wanted to grab the shorty and get down, but I couldn't exactly say to beat only that bastard and step aside.
"Uh… quite a few volunteers. What do we do?"
"Just have them all go at once?"
"Pardon? Oh, Professor Park. How?"
A male professor popped out from behind the pondering female professor. He was one of the second-year instructors.
He scratched his head annoyedly as he looked at us.
"Just have them come up one by one by ranking and do a winner's bracket. That way everyone gets at least one match without anyone sitting out, and those who want more can use the extra arenas we've set up in the back for free sparring."
"Ah… that's not a bad idea. But the first-years haven't taken their exams yet, so no rankings."
"We can rough it out somehow. I'll go sort the second-years by rank."
"Yes, sure. Got it."
The two professors chatted back and forth before reaching a decision.
The rules the female professor explained were simple.
One first-year and one second-year come up for a one-on-one. The loser leaves the arena, the winner stays.
With over 200 cadets per year, they split into five teams.
The second-years divided by rank, and we first-years grouped roughly based on impressions so far.
I was naturally in the top tier. I hadn't been re-evaluated, but no one thought I was weak.
I'd beaten that scrawny punk who messed with me before.
For reference, Do Jin-hyuk and his lackeys were mostly top-ranked too.
They'd backed off approaching me since that day, which was nice and convenient. Beating people really straightens them out.
"Mind if I go first?"
I asked permission from the roughly forty cadets around me.
My target was the shorty, but I didn't know when he'd come up.
Whatever. I'd just keep knocking them down until the shorty showed.
"Go ahead."
Ellis had the strongest voice even among the first-year top ranks.
Though Nam Da-eun was stronger in raw power, she rarely voiced opinions.
"Looks like they're starting with their number one. You good?"
This was Kim Young-han.
He was naturally in the top ranks too.
I hadn't paid him much attention since he was a guy, but he must really be strong.
"How do you even know that?"
"I have my ways. Ways."
"…Then do you know what rank that short senior is?"
"You mean Senior Yoon Hyun-gyu? Eighth. And isn't that guy on the student council with you? How don't you know?"
"Not really interested."
Kim Young-han was finally fulfilling his role as my intel guy.
Worth raising him up! I'm proud!
'Eighth? So I just need to smash the top eight?'
Now that I knew he was eighth, it'd be great if I could time it to go up exactly then. Should I say something?
"Whoa! Saintess!"
As I pondered how to play it, a word I couldn't ignore hit my ears.
I whipped my head toward the voice.
A stunning woman entered through the auditorium's main doors.
Even after quitting the association, she was dressed in office attire.
Her waist-length straight black hair, snow-white skin, and blue eyes drew every gaze.
The moderate-length skirt and crisp white blouse perfectly fit the office lady image.
Baek A-young fidgeted, glancing around uncomfortably under the stares, until her eyes met mine.
"Ah…."
♀ HEROINE STATUS ♀ 👤 Name: Baek A-young ❤️ Favorability: 84 (+0.2) 💋 Lust: 69 🍽️ Appetite: 30 😴 Fatigue: 35 📍 Current Status: Found…. Baek A-young let out a gasp and started heading straight toward me.
"I-it's the Saintess?!"
I locked eyes with Baek A-young and sent massive "don't come over" signals.
When I called her Saintess, she snapped to and cleared her throat awkwardly before backing off.
The professor behind her approached and asked what brought her here.
"Ah, for my first duty as school nurse, I'm here to handle any accidents from the spars."
"I see… The other professors are gathered over there. Shall we go?"
"No. I'll watch the cadets from here."
"Y-yes, of course."
The male professor tried subtly to lead her away but gave up at her firm tone and retreated.
The cadets kept staring at Baek A-young, amazed to see her at the academy, but no one approached.
They must all have gotten the chairman's memo via their professors.
No one wanted to risk upsetting her.
But leaving her alone like that wasn't great either.
New job, everyone unfamiliar—maybe I should go chat her up?
♀ HEROINE STATUS ♀ 👤 Name: Baek A-young ❤️ Favorability: 84 (+0.2) 💋 Lust: 69 🍽️ Appetite: 30 😴 Fatigue: 35 📍 Current Status: I've come all this way—when will he come see me? Checking her status, it seemed unnecessary.
Awkward? Nah, she wasn't minding her surroundings at all.
She'll be fine, right? In the original, she didn't quit the association, but her quitting because of me feels off…
Whatever.
If I cared about the original, I'd have worried sooner.
The moment I decided on the harem route, twisting the plot was inevitable.
Overcoming it is what matters.
"Orders all set?"
Kim Jin-hyuk, who was judging the top first- and second-year matches, approached us.
"Hold on! Ho-yeon, you're going first?"
"Actually, I just need to face eighth place, so it doesn't matter much."
"How about we go by rank too? Da-eun first, then Ellis, then Lee Ho-yeon third…"
Fine by me, but if Nam Da-eun and Ellis went all out, eighth wouldn't be the issue—they could sweep all forty.
Especially Nam Da-eun, a total cheat character. I couldn't even imagine her strength right now.
"No complaints? First-year strongest, top student, and top pretty boy. Gotta go in that order."
Pretty boy? I've slain mines and ogres too, you know?
Turns out he's been contributing to my bad image too.
"Does this count toward grades?"
Nam Da-eun, who'd been silent, approached Professor Kim Jin-hyuk.
"It's more friendly sparring, so no grade impact."
"Understood."
Seeing that, she probably wasn't planning to try hard.
Then just tell Ellis.
"Ellis, I really want to face second-year eighth. Can you take out up to seventh and forfeit?"
"…Why should I?"
Not great reaction.
♀ HEROINE STATUS ♀ 👤 Name: Ellis ❤️ Favorability: 35 💋 Lust: 25 🍽️ Appetite: 30 😴 Fatigue: 40 📍 Current Status: Thinking about how I acted cute to Dad because of this guy… Ugh. Hmm. She acted cute to her dad to grant my request.
Imagining the usually cool girl acting cute made me miss her.
"You're not still sulking over that bet, are you?"
"Please. Who do you think I am? I'm not."
Ellis scowled and scurried away from me.
She'll probably do it anyway… right?
I let the rest of the first-year order sort itself and watched Nam Da-eun's match.
Nam Da-eun and the second-year rank one faced off in the arena.
"Please go easy."
"Yeah, you too."
Nam Da-eun was polite in formal settings despite appearances—well, aside from barely speaking.
"Begin!"
At Professor Kim Jin-hyuk's signal, Nam Da-eun moved.
Boom-!
Her unique ability, Space Domination, let her control space around her for acceleration, flashing forward in an instant.
The second-year rank one retreated immediately but still took the hit.
"Urk…!"
Blocking her fast strike with his sword was praiseworthy, but he still staggered back several steps, overpowered.
"If second-year number one is this level… I can hold back a bit more."
Nam Da-eun muttered cryptically, then raised her hand.
"I forfeit."
"H-hey!"
The second-year rank one grabbed her arm, pride wounded by the sudden forfeit.
"Can't end it like this! I haven't even started!"
"Sorry. Doesn't seem helpful for my training."
"…."
Wow… that's gotta sting.
Her politeness makes it worse. Feels like she truly got nothing out of it.
The second-year rank one stared blankly at Nam Da-eun, who emotionlessly walked out of the auditorium.
"Er, first-year forfeits. Winner: Second-year Han Seo-yul. Han stays; next first-year up."
Next was Ellis.
She bowed politely and started the match.
"That girl doesn't seem like a first-year."
"Right? Nam Da-eun's just insanely strong so it's hard to tell, but Ellis's technique and mana control are blatantly nuts."
"Her talents are straight broken. Born with mana-heavy gifts, yet she has the reserves too."
The surrounding cadets evaluated Ellis.
Mostly positive, but Ellis had a secret unknown except to a few close aides.
Congenital mana deficiency.
Extremely low mana compared to others.
Even with innate swordsmanship and magic talents, mana limits couldn't be ignored.
So Ellis needed mana stones to use power. With low reserves, balancing sword and magic required forced mana intake.
Thus, she absorbed expensive mana stones daily via gear.
It only boosted quantity, not doping, so Victoria Academy officially permitted it.
Though questionable if she'd get approval without being Iris Guild's daughter… World works that way.
Sizzle-
Ellis's sword sparked scorching heat on contact with Han Seo-yul.
"Guh…."
Not knocked out in one hit like with Nam Da-eun, but Han was steadily pushed back.
Defeat seemed imminent.
Clang!
Han Seo-yul, increasingly cornered, couldn't hold back and charged Ellis.
Whoosh-
He kicked off the ground, mana surging.
His sword multiplied to four, targeting Ellis's limbs.
"Block if you can!"
Looking like an ace move, Ellis casually swung her arm.
She parried the two overhead swords with her own, vines from the floor snagged the one at her right leg.
Force magic nudged the lower left blade, sending it astray.
"Kgh!"
In the exchange's aftermath, Han dropped his sword; Ellis stood unmoved.
Perfect domination.
Second-years shook their heads at their top rank's crushing defeat; first-years cheered.
"Senior, I learned a proper lesson. I forfeit."
And Ellis forfeited.
"…?"
"What?"
Han Seo-yul, wearing a "lost but fought well!" face, looked up startled; even Kim Jin-hyuk asked again, thinking he misheard.
"Senior's on another level. I learned much."
Ellis bowed confidently, impeccably polite.
Why's she like this?
♀ HEROINE STATUS ♀ 👤 Name: Ellis ❤️ Favorability: 35 💋 Lust: 25 🍽️ Appetite: 30 😴 Fatigue: 40 📍 Current Status: At this skill level, worth testing him out. 'Ah… she's testing me.'
Obvious intent to gauge my turn next.
Not upset. More real combat experience is good, and chance to shed "weakling" label.
If showing off, do it flashy.
I strode confidently to the arena.
Before me stood the second-year rank one, face red with fury.
"How much do you have to look down on seniors to humiliate me like this…!"
Did I do that?
"Senior, please go easy."
"…This time, I'll win."
Han Seo-yul swallowed his rage and bowed.
What did this guy do to lose to underclassmen three times?
For the first time, I pitied the second-year.