Chapter 92
Chapter 92
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: Information Guild's Ace
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Congratulations, Cadet Lee Ho-yeon. Ten stages in nine seconds—that's a new record. First place in this practical monster training is basically yours."
"…Thank you."
She's even happier than I am. What a kind professor.
"As expected of the academy's rising star. Keep it up!"
"Yes…"
I came down from the arena, buoyed by the professor's encouragement.
Who would've thought that scarecrow was the 'Nightmare of Hamel Dungeon'?
It did look pretty creepy, now that I think about it.
"Lee Ho-yeon! What the heck~!"
"Ho-yeon, that's, that's amazing!"
The moment I stepped down, Lucy and Lumi, who'd been waiting, rushed over to greet me.
"I got lucky. It matched my strengths perfectly."
Of course, I would've beaten anything else that came up, but I wouldn't have set a nine-second record.
A random monster specialized in mental attacks popped up, and my special privilege—which I didn't fully understand—turned out to grant immunity to mental assaults.
That was pure luck.
"Still, amazing is amazing!"
"Yeah… I was thrilled with stage eight."
"You'll catch up in no time. Once all three of us are done, wanna head out?"
With all our exams finished, there was no need to stick around the testing grounds.
"Aww, not gonna watch the others?"
"Huh… Watch?"
"Of course! Watching other people fight is the best."
Honestly, I wasn't that interested.
But I didn't have anything else to do if I left early, so maybe I'd just hang out with them.
The moment I was about to say okay, I caught sight of Nam Da-eun in the corner of my vision.
Our eyes met, her pupils shook, and she spun around, bolting out of the testing grounds.
'Should I follow her?'
Her face was pale as a ghost—she looked seriously unwell…
"Come watch with us, okay?"
"S-stay with us…"
"Uh…"
Lucy hooked her arm through mine, clinging tight, while Lumi timidly grabbed the hem of my clothes.
With both of them asking like that, it was hard to say no.
And Nam Da-eun was long gone anyway.
"Sure. Let's watch together."
"Yay!"
She's probably just going to call her little sister, anyway.
She's not the type to crumble that easily.
She held up fine in the original story, too.
*
Nam Da-eun arrived at Lee Ho-yeon's arena and faced reality head-on.
[9sec]
The glowing stopwatch above the arena read nine seconds, and the cadets were cheering over the new record.
"This practical might actually shake up the top spot."
"Yeah. Ho-yeon's in top form."
"Nam Da-eun's strong and all, but… she's kinda plateaued, you know?"
She ignored the cadets' careless trash talk. She was past the point of caring about that.
The real problem was the professors heaping praise on Ho-yeon.
"Stage eight measurement, but that kind of power…"
"It's her mana control—exceptional relative to her mana capacity. Means huge growth potential."
"The internet's gonna explode again."
"I'm more worried about the guild scouts coming to watch the one-on-ones tomorrow. Sigh…"
"Leave that to Professor Kim Jin-hyuk."
Nam Da-eun's sharp senses picked up even the professors chatting from afar.
Caught in unfamiliar, tangled emotions, she whipped her head around—only to lock eyes with Ho-yeon.
Ho-yeon had set that record and was laughing carefree with her friends.
'My life depends on this exam.'
Nam Da-eun fled the testing grounds.
Jealousy toward Ho-yeon flooded her mind.
'How can she be so happy when she's blessed with talent like mine?'
I've suffered because of this talent.
Why does she get to smile like that?
I wish everyone was as miserable as me…
The negative thoughts snowballed.
Slap!
Nam Da-eun smacked her own cheek, banishing the dark ideas.
"Haa… No more ugly jealousy."
Lately, these pessimistic thoughts had been creeping in more often.
Times like this, she needed to push harder.
Nam Da-eun activated her smartwatch and messaged her hospitalized little sister.
Her one source of healing, her heart's refuge: Nam Da-hee.
After getting scolded last time for jumping straight into a video call while she was in the bathroom, she always messaged first now.
- Me: Da-hee. Okay to talk?
- My Da-hee: Yeah! All good!
The reply came instantly, so Nam Da-eun called her sister on video.
- Unnie! I missed you!
"Me too. What'd you do today?"
- Drew some pictures! Wanna see?
Nam Da-hee showed her a crooked sketch of two people holding hands and smiling.
- It's me and Unnie. Cute, right?
"…Yeah. Super cute. You've got talent for drawing too?"
Watching her sister grin while clutching her sketchbook, Nam Da-eun didn't dare loosen her grip on her composure.
Let go even a little, and the tears would fall.
Every call with Da-hee tore at her heart.
It was agony watching her little sister—who should be running around elementary school—wither away in bed all day.
She hated her powerless self, hated this cruel world.
But she kept going, day by day, for her sister.
She couldn't leave that child behind.
If Da-hee wished it, she could slaughter every Viper guild member and join her in death.
Thoughts like that came all too naturally in her despair.
- Unnie! You're getting first place again, right? I'll draw it ahead of time!
"…Yeah. Of course. First place for sure."
- Yay! Oh, the nurse is here. I'll call back later, okay?
"Got it. Text me."
- Love you, Unnie! Mwah mwah.
"Yeah, me too…"
Beep.
The screen went black, and Nam Da-eun hung her head.
"I have to get first. No matter what…"
To protect that smile, she'd do anything.
Nam Da-eun started clawing at her hair again.
*
Ellis was in a foul mood.
She hadn't cleared stage ten again today.
'If only I'd drawn the magic circle a bit faster at the end…!'
Stage nine was always smooth, but stage ten's difficulty spiked, blocking her every time.
Nam Da-eun had cleared ten in thirty seconds flat, and checking EveryDay in the car revealed Ho-yeon did it in nine. Stress piled on.
On the bright side, she'd come even closer than last time, so her odds were better next round.
"Hoo…"
She was sipping wine to unwind and savor its aroma when Sebastian, in the driver's seat, spoke up.
"Miss. Interim report on Cadet Lee Ho-yeon."
"…Interim? That much to dig into?"
She'd said just a hunch, keep it light, but he was going overboard.
"Well, I got into it. Turns out he's a bottomless pit."
Sebastian kept his eyes forward, gripping the wheel, and continued flawlessly.
"Embarrassing to admit upfront, but… I got careless during the investigation and he spotted me. My apologies. He's had a bodyguard since."
"…Uncle, you got caught by Ho-yeon?"
Did that even make sense?
An Iris Guild executive's stealth, noticed by a mere cadet…?
"Not sure if it's his ability. Maybe he had help from the start. But he definitely has backing."
"Hmm… And?"
Backers weren't surprising.
A guy with that talent? Someone was bound to notice and latch on.
Given his ties to Moon Soo-rin, the academy was likely, but maybe Baek A-young or Im Sol personally.
Or another guild entirely.
"First, he meets the Saintess regularly for treatments."
"…Some chronic condition?"
Regular Saintess visits for healing—what could be that severe?
"Hard to say. They were close even before she joined as school nurse. About a month ago, they started meeting steadily. And around then, he switched from knight to mage track in exams."
"Career switch… That's just for show."
Ellis had seen the abrupt change. She'd dismissed him then, unaware of his potential—like most cadets.
"Agreed. No one masters magic in a month to that level. But if he'd been practicing longer, his mana pool wouldn't look so deficient."
"Yeah, everyone's assuming he just started recently."
"Precisely. Which doesn't add up. Also, he's buying top-grade magic stones with mysterious funds."
"Top-grade…? Why would a cadet need those? Less efficient than mid-to-low grades, way pricier."
Unlike everyday mid-to-low stones, top-grade ones were for research or artifacts—rare even for active hunters.
Supply was low, demand steady, prices climbing.
"Not enough for resale profit, too many for personal study. And he buys steadily, once a week, price no object."
"No clue."
A casual probe had spiraled this deep. Regretting unearthing what she shouldn't?
Slurp.
She savored her wine, awaiting Sebastian's next words.
"My guess, Miss—as you know, magic stones treat mana disorders beyond research or artifacts."
"Wait, you don't mean…"
One illness flashed in Ellis's mind.
"Steady purchases, mana starved despite skill, regular Saintess treatments…"
"Congenital mana deficiency…"
The disease Ellis suffered.
Born with a body that held scant mana, forcing reliance on stones to cast.
"Yes. Cadet Lee Ho-yeon likely has the same rare condition as you, Miss."
"Never imagined. Impressive, Sebastian."
Piecing mundane details into that conclusion.
Vintage Iris Guild executive skill—claws unblunted by time.
"Thank you. And, well…"
Sebastian hesitated on Ho-yeon's women.
But stopping here felt incomplete.
Decades-honed instinct screamed: more to uncover. A big secret.
"Something else?"
Ellis leaned in, intrigued.
One rival weakness was gold; more intel?
"Nothing solid yet. I'll confirm by weekend and report back."
"Got it. Good luck."
"Yes. Won't get caught this time."
"Sure, sure."
For some reason, Ellis felt a strange kinship with Ho-yeon.