Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: If You're Pissed, Fight Me
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Thud.
In the classroom shrouded in heavy silence, the only sound was the slam of a desk. What few gazes there were now converged on one spot.
Where? Obviously, on me.
"You said you weren't with him, right?"
"He is with me. This trash of a human. He didn't tell me a damn thing and ditched me to run off alone!"
Blue eyes and black eyes glared down at me. I looked up at them both, cold sweat pouring down my body.
Yeah, I'm trash, sure. But staring like that kinda hurts my feelings.
"There seems to be some misunderstanding—"
"Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding? If it's the one about you not being trash, that got cleared up ages ago. So take it like a champ!"
I wished she'd just shut up. I was already scrambling for excuses, but this damn blonde was devouring her team and turning on me.
No matter how I thought about it, they'd stuck me with the wrong guide. She wasn't a guide—she was a saboteur. Saboteur Yellow.
"Look, at first, I was gonna apologize. I thought maybe I'd been rude to a stranger."
Isia's eyes widened in fury. Her glare was terrifying.
"You're real trash."
Isia looked down at me, Raphael shot me daggers. Whispers rose around us.
—How do you ditch a girl that tiny?
—What a trashbag. For real.
—But damn, she's pretty. He ditched someone like that?
Ah. I could hear it. I could hear the familiar sound. The kind I'd heard back in high school and college.
The sound of school life going down the drain!
"Don't you even have the mindset of a hero candidate? How do you leave a girl getting hassled by thugs—"
I let Isia's spot-on lecture flow in one ear and out the other as I glared at the culprit behind this mess. A simple "thanks for saving me" would've sufficed. No need to drag her all the way here.
"What?"
Her brazen attitude pissed me off. Perfectly clueless about what she'd done. I clenched my fist under the desk.
"Are you even listening? You don't belong at Justitia—"
If this kept up, I'd be branded trash (unfairly) and school life would be hell, forget interference.
Isia had her own brand of reckless justice. Spoiled as the Magic Association chair's daughter.
What I meant was, she forced her views on others. The type who grew up sheltered, thinking their words were gospel without considering anyone else.
And with her massive talent, it was even worse.
Bottom line: she'd hound me till I dropped out or turned over a new leaf. I knew best, since I created her.
For now, best to fake some remorse and defuse. To avoid Isia, to save school life. No choice.
I opened my mouth quietly.
"Sor—"
"Sor? Sorry what? You gonna apologize now? Seong-hoon. If you wanna apologize, get on your knees. That's the only way I'd forgive you. Nah, even that's not enough. Add '[Great and Mighty Archangel Raphael, forgive this lowly worm.]' and maybe I'll consider it. Go on, repeat after me. Great and Mighty Raphael~"
Watching Raphael throw her solo tantrum, different words tumbled out instead of the apology. No way I could say that.
"Mi, mi..."
"Huh?"
"You crazy bitch, if you're pissed, fight me then."
Ah. Goodbye, school life.
Bye-bye.
Sometimes in life, you hit a moment where you just know it's all over. Cold sweat drenches you, your brain screams "Can I turn back time?"
I'm feeling that in full force right now.
My clothes are soaked with sweat, my face pale enough to feel it, legs shaking uncontrollably.
Is this what they call mental breakdown?
"Puhahaha... Hng... Khngh... Hngh..."
"..."
And beside me, the jerk mocking me, struggling to hold back laughs for some reason.
"Funny? Having fun?"
"Y-Yeah... Khngh... Hng... Ever heard of 'reap what you sow'? Take it like a m-man... Hng!! Hngh... Khngh..."
Just laugh outright, why don't you? I wanted to say, but couldn't. Our homeroom teacher was talking up front. The standoff with Isia had broken thanks to his interruption.
"I'm your homeroom teacher for the next three years, Kiha!"
Kiha. In Justitia, where classes don't shuffle for three years, a side character who pops up as Kim Tae-hyun's teacher sometimes.
I remembered setting him pretty strong. World ranking around 5000th? A frequent minor role.
But the issue wasn't that. It was his personality. One word: hot-blooded teacher. The musclehead idiot who believes you bond by clashing bodies.
Hence this mess.
"Friendship sparring's gonna be a blast!"
Not the classroom, but a dimly lit space with eight iron cages. Cages encircling the ring to prevent escape: the octagon. Kiha grinned in front of it.
I hung my head. An odd outfit draped my body caught my eye. Skin-tight black clothes. Justitia-made sparring gear boosting magic and physical resistance. No clue who designed it, but embarrassing as hell.
"Alright, let's set the matchups!! Anyone pick opponents yet?"
Kiha waved his hands around asking. Cold sweat started again. I remembered my situation. Thanks to the damn blonde beside me choking back laughs, it hadn't even been 10 minutes since I picked a fight with Isia.
Which meant—
"Teacher."
"Yeah? What?"
"I want to spar with Lee Seong-hoon."
This. I turned to look back, meeting the black-haired girl's murderous glare.
Once eyes met, no turning away. Staring contests aren't kid stuff. Once started, no losing.
"This guy's at it again."
Shut up.
We glared for a while until Isia huffed and turned away. I won.
"Good. Seong-hoon, you cool?"
Kiha looked at me. Couldn't say no here, so I nodded. He looked kinda pitiful—probably my ranking.
"But you okay? For real?"
Raphael, wiping laugh-tears on her sleeve now that she'd laughed it out, asked. Why did her clothes do that? They were supposed to adjust to the wearer. Yet sleeves hung long, hiding her white hands.
"Just apologize to me and her and call it? Don't get cocky? If you die, I can't go back to the Heaven Realm?"
"Why's my death the premise?"
"Got a plan then?"
"Like I would."
I really didn't. Pure impulse.
"Then what? Your physical stats suck compared to mine, no mana. Can't cast spells. All you're good at is pissing people off."
"..."
I had no retort to her bullseye. But apologizing to Raphael? Better to fight.
And if fighting, better win.
"Good. Isia, Lee Seong-hoon. Up front."
I stood at his call and headed to the octagon. Raphael trailed, chattering.
"Why do this? Just apologize to me. I'll settle for '[Great Raphael, sorry.]'"
I ignored her. Who got me into this?
Maybe for the best. Isia becomes Kim Tae-hyun's heroine, teaches him magic. Center of his magical growth.
Win, and I disrupt that.
Nothing more precious than life, but if ambushed targeting her, just bail max speed.
"Ah! Do this! Surrender right away! No need to fight someone you can't beat!"
I pointed at Raphael yapping before Kiha. Fix her, please. But he didn't give the answer I wanted.
"She's cheering already? You two are buddies!"
Cheering in your eyes? I stared at Kiha in disbelief, but he barreled on.
"Grab weapons roughly and get in the ring. Pure friendly spar. No grades, just to bond. No need to go all out."
I half-listened, eyed the weapon rack. Swords, spears, bows, axes, hammers. Everything.
Everything but my problem.
"No weapons I know how to use."
"Just shoot a gun. Pull the trigger."
Guns a joke to her? Never did military. Don't know how, and bad form dislocates your shoulder—basic. Form matters, no form means gun's riskiest.
"Whatever you pick, you'll eat shit and come down. Grab a sword or whatever."
"Maybe."
I grabbed a sword casually. And its weight...
"Heavy!"
Insanely heavy. Tough for my strength, but I grunted it up and headed to the octagon. Raphael eyed me pitifully—please don't.
"Can't even lift that, what're you gonna do?"
"..."
I ignored, reached the top. Isia waited, arms crossed. Empty hands.
Makes sense. Mage.
"If I win, apologize to me and her."
Isia pointed behind me. Raphael there: "Don't lose ugly—surrender! Lose fun at least~!"
Her face screamed hilarious. Fine. I'll win even if it kills me.
"That it?"
"Yeah."
I shook my head at nodding Isia.
"Nah. If I lose, I'll apologize and drop out."
"Huh? No need for—"
"But if I win,"
Isia. Magic Association chair's daughter. Rich. Or, clueless pushover blind to the world.
Since we're fighting, drain her to the bone. Already tangled—squeeze every drop.
"Whatever you want" won't cut it. "Anything?!" makes her flinch like romcom, but that's one-use straw. So...
"If I win, be my maid."
Yeah. Perfect.