Lim Sol's Research Lab
Easy.
The written exam was really just a matter of sore hands—the questions themselves weren't a problem. I breezed through the morning's magic-track written test with a perfect score. I hadn't seen the official answers, but unless the textbooks and papers I'd studied from were wrong, I had every last one right.
"Hey, let's compare answers."
"People who want to compare answers? Dead giveaway they bombed it."
"Yeah, well I still did better than you~."
"This exam was seriously hard."
"For real. Everyone's scores are gonna get wrecked."
Once the test was over, the lecture hall filled with the chatter of cadets.
"Aahh! The professor definitely covered this one and I still got it wrong..."
"It's okay, Lucy... You'll get it next time."
The twins were talking about the exam too, just like everyone else.
"Hey, let's go eat. I'm starving."
I, of course, had zero interest in comparing answers.
"Lee Ho-yeon, you crushed that exam, didn't you? You're way too relaxed."
"Eh, I did alright."
Once the report cards came out, everyone would know anyway. No point in bragging.
We decided to head to the student cafeteria for lunch.
"Mmm~ so good. The cafeteria steak is actually amazing—why doesn't anyone eat it?"
"Right? The steak's the best thing on the menu."
Lucy and I dug into our steaks while Rumi hunched over her omelet rice, shoveling it down.
"Y-yeah..."
"Rumi, why do you look so drained?"
"W-well... everyone's staring so much..."
"...Yeah, they are."
Ah. So this is what fame feels like.
Everyone eating in the cafeteria kept sneaking glances our way. At me, more precisely. I'd gotten way too famous lately. The upside was that fewer idiots came looking for a fight... The downside was that now everyone just stared instead.
"Don't worry about it. They're just curious."
"O-okay. I understand..."
Click!
I even heard a camera shutter from somewhere. I looked toward the sound, but with this many people packed in, picking out the culprit was impossible.
Wow. This is driving me insane.
Was this what Mun Su-rin felt like all the time? I could almost sympathize... except it had to be far worse for her.
"Ugh, that's scary."
"What's scary?"
"Nothing."
I shoveled food into my mouth, determined to get out of the cafeteria as fast as possible.
The afternoon written exam flew by just as fast. The questions were so brutally difficult that the other cadets looked like they were having out-of-body experiences.
After the exam, I was about to leave the lecture hall when several cadets' smartwatches chimed at once.
One-on-One Duel Preliminaries
Group A, Team 3 — Lee Ho-yeon
Please report to Arena A by 4:30 PM.
"Looks like the prelims notification."
"I got one too. Says Arena B."
"I... I didn't get one..."
"No wonder the written exam wrapped up a bit early. I've gotta head to the arena, so I'll see you tomorrow."
"Byeee! Rumi! Come with me to Arena B!"
"O-okay."
I said goodbye to the twins and took off for Arena A.
A decent crowd was already waiting. It wasn't just Class A—cadets from other classes were gathered too. Looks like this was a tournament with first-years drawn at random from the entire grade.
"Next! Team 2, step up!"
A professor was directing cadets from the arena floor. At his instruction, two guys climbed up. You wouldn't know who you were fighting until both of you were already on the stage.
This whole thing was a crapshoot. If two strong kids drew each other in the prelims, that was just their unlucky day.
"Ready, begin!"
I had zero interest in those two guys' fight, so I just stared at my smartwatch and waited for my turn.
"Winner! Jeon Young-ju!"
After a few exchanges, a winner was decided. Everyone around me started clapping, so I threw in a few polite ones myself.
"Next! Team 3, step up!"
I hopped onto the arena without wasting a second. Let's see... My opponent climbing up the other side looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place him. Just an extra. No need to get tense.
"H-hey, Ho-yeon."
"Yeah?"
My opponent fidgeted, then finally opened his mouth.
"I-I'm sorry about last time. That wasn't what I meant to do, it just kind of... happened..."
What was this guy on about? I slowly rewound my memories. Where had I seen this face? I knew I'd seen him, but was he even in Class A?
"Ah..."
I remembered. He was one of the extras who'd been hiding behind Do Jinhyeok—the guy who'd been snickering in the background when Do Jinhyeok picked a fight with me at the start of the semester.
"It's fine. I don't care."
"R-really? Thanks."
I watched him let out a sigh of relief, then stirred the mana in my body.
"I'll wrap this up quick. Don't worry."
"W-wait, what?"
If he'd kept his mouth shut, I might never have placed him. Some people just have a talent for digging their own graves.
I finished the duel in the blink of an eye and headed over to see Professor Lim Sol. Officially, I was there to say hello and introduce her to Baek A-young. Beyond that, there was the paper I was helping her with, and plenty of other things if I wanted to find them. It had been a while since my last visit, and for some reason that made me nervous.
Whoa. I need to step it up.
Checking Lim Sol's status window made me decide I needed to try harder. An affection of fifty wasn't low by any means. But given how much physical contact we'd already had, I'd expected it to be higher. For it to still be sitting at fifty after all that skinship... I wasn't sure whether to be impressed or concerned.
"I've still got a bit of grading left. Want to sit over there and wait? Help yourself to snacks or coffee."
"Yes, Professor."
I sat down on the lab sofa and started unwrapping chocolate cookies one by one, popping them into my mouth. Watching Lim Sol grade what I assumed were exam papers, an obvious question occurred to me.
"I know I came to see you, but... is it alright to meet with a professor during exam period like this?"
Normally you'd minimize contact with professors during exams, or offices like this would be off-limits, right? I was a little worried something might go wrong.
"Doesn't matter. We all take a Mana Oath not to leak the exams."
"A M-Mana Oath..."
So this world had Mana Oaths too!
"Why so shocked? First time hearing about a Mana Oath?"
"...No. It's just my first time seeing one in person. It's fascinating."
I'd just confirmed the existence of the one thing you had to be most careful about in any world with mana: the Mana Oath.
"If you've got nothing to do, help me with my work."
Lim Sol magically sent about twenty sheets flying my way from the towering stack of papers. They were students' exam answer sheets.
"...Professor, you really shouldn't have a cadet grading exams, no matter what."
"It's fine. Just don't go around telling anyone."
"..."
Well, I couldn't actually talk to her until this was all finished anyway. Looking on the bright side, I started helping her grade the exams.
An executive of the Iris Guild. Sebas Chan.
Today, once again, he was tailing Lee Ho-yeon. There was definitely something going on—he was sure of it—but Ho-yeon had gone into Professor Lim Sol's lab, and now Sebas was stuck trying to figure out how to check inside.
Then he sensed someone.
On the opposite side of the building, someone was concealed.
Their level... is about the same as mine.
As of yesterday, no such man had been circling around Lee Ho-yeon.
So I was made after all.
The only explanation was that Lee Ho-yeon had noticed his presence and assigned a bodyguard. Being able to bring in talent of that caliber in a single day meant Ho-yeon's importance was that high.
I don't know who his backer is, but they're at least on Lady Elise's level.
He couldn't reveal himself here. The Iris Guild always operated in silence. The moment his identity was exposed, Iris would have lost. Sebas Chan swallowed hard and began to withdraw.
Secretary Jeong, the right-hand man of the Korean Hunter Association's president.
In his effort to uncover the relationship between Baek A-young and the Academy, he'd hit the pavement himself and turned up one piece of information.
There's an Academy cadet who's genuinely close with Baek A-young.
Today, he'd infiltrated Victoria Academy to investigate that cadet. Even if it was just a student he was looking into, he gave it his all. He moved without being detected and left no trail whatsoever.
And yet...
Someone's here.
On the exact opposite side from him, someone was concealed. It looked as though they were protecting Lee Ho-yeon. And their level was no joke.
That level... that's top-tier even among A-class hunters. I cannot make contact.
Someone was watching Lee Ho-yeon's back. If Secretary Jeong had noticed them, they would have noticed him too. The moment he reached that conclusion, he quickly retreated. At the same time, the presence he'd felt on the opposite side vanished as well. They must have found a direct confrontation equally unappealing.
"Lee Ho-yeon... just who the hell is backing him?"
Secretary Jeong wrote his report, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"What was that?"
"Is something wrong, Professor?"
They'd finished the work, and Lim Sol, sitting across from him with a cup of coffee, frowned.
"I felt like something was stirring outside, but it vanished right away. Must've been my imagination."
"...?"
Why was she bringing this up out of nowhere?
"Come to think of it, how'd you do on the exam?"
"Great."
I could say that with confidence. I'd be in first place, after all.
"Ohh? The written exam for the magic track wasn't supposed to be easy this time."
"Want to make a bet? I'll wager I got every single one right."
"Pass."
"..."
Shame. I could've squeezed something out of her.
"Pfft. I just don't like betting. Sorry."
Lim Sol laughed, took a sip of coffee, and went on.
"Come to think of it, you've been in contact with that Min Yeji girl, haven't you?"
Why was Lim Sol suddenly bringing up Min Yeji? I'd been in contact with her, so I didn't deny it.
"How did you know? She tried to recruit me into her guild, and when I turned her down, she said we should do business together."
"You turned down a guild recruitment? She's Iron Blood Guild, you know."
"Well, I don't particularly want to join anywhere. There's still a lot of time left until I graduate from the Academy anyway."
As long as this many heroines were here, graduating from the Academy was non-negotiable. By then my market value would be even higher, so there was no need to decide now. And again—my relationships with women were complicated enough that joining a guild felt like a bad idea.
"Hmm. It's your call, so I won't say anything. That said, I don't recommend doing whatever business she's talking about."
"Why's that?"
Was it some kind of pyramid scheme?
"Well, I got suckered by her pitch once and actually received a business proposal... Haah. Never mind. Just don't do it if I tell you not to."
Just what kind of situation would require me to wear a bikini?
Gulp.
I found myself reevaluating this Min Yeji person.
