Chapter 154
Chapter 154
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 154
Chapter Title: Childhood Friend Can't Satisfy Him Anymore—Only the Blonde Delinquent Will Do (1)
Wrapped up the exam without a hitch. After parting ways with Geum Tae-yeon, I fought in a few small-scale battles and racked up some points.
Considering how much of a mess the whole process had been, the results were pretty damn decent.
"Juyeon-woo!"
It had been a few days since I'd seen Class President Mi. Han-seol was with her. Those who got eliminated early had been holed up in the dorms outside the island.
They apparently hadn't been able to go home until the exam was over.
"We can't let the exam results leak outside. Especially the final practical—it's directly tied to real combat ability."
The teachers had been waiting here too. It made sense for them to stick around near the testing area.
But the cadets hanging around? That was a shock.
"......"
Ran into Park A-young. No avoiding it since we were teammates. The second she spotted me, she spun around and bolted like she was fleeing.
The mood got awkward fast.
Class President Mi stepped in to smooth things over. She defended Park A-young, throwing in a few words here and there.
"A-young just seemed really wiped out."
Park A-young hadn't spilled the beans about what she'd done. Because of that, Class President Mi and Han-seol treated her the same as always.
Park A-young awkwardly dodged around.
'What the hell did she blackmail her with?'
Whatever Geum Tae-yeon had used to threaten her, Park A-young wouldn't blab about what went down between us. That'd throw the whole manga plot off track.
Down the line, after we graduate the academy and drift so far apart we lose touch entirely.
She'd use "lost my virginity to my friend's boyfriend's dick" as her go-to drinking story, saving on booze for life. That was Park A-young's best-case scenario.
"Good work, everyone."
Before heading back to the academy, the teachers gathered all the cadets. Then they called up those who'd lasted till the end.
"Must not have been easy. You all showed some real grit."
Fewer people than I'd expected. All because Geum Tae-yeon went around knocking everyone out.
"Thanks to that villain you could call a great evil, this exam's difficulty was off the charts."
One of the teachers shot a glance at Geum Tae-yeon.
The teachers had been monitoring the exam in real time. They knew better than the cadets who'd lived through it just how much chaos she'd caused.
"That said, we can't just redo the test. Life doesn't come with rewinds."
"......"
"A hero has to perfectly overcome the trials right in front of them. For the sake of others' lives."
Because they've got talents others don't. Letting that go to waste would be a shame.
A lot of cadets enroll in the academy with a carefree attitude. Not everyone's like Han-seol, dead set on becoming a real hero.
The teachers were giving those types a warning. It was their periodic mental conditioning session.
"I'll cut the nagging short. Great job, everyone. Let's have a round of applause!"
A quick word, then they declared the exam over with some claps. Good grades or bad, everyone felt relieved just the same.
We packed our bags one by one and boarded the buses. Fresh escapees from the island and those who'd fought to the finish slumped against the seats, faces etched with exhaustion.
I was no different.
"Ugh..."
My mind was about to blank out. What was one test score even worth, to push us this hard?
The buses rolled out.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Two days later, the final exam results went up on the corridor bulletin board.
With Geum Tae-yeon the disaster running around dropping cadets left and right, practical scores swung wildly. Made predicting rankings damn near impossible.
🏆 1st Year 1st Semester Rankings 🏆
>Infinite Hero Cultivation Academy Cadets Cadets crowded around with tense faces, checking their ranks.
"Ah..."
"I'm screwed. Way too low."
"What the hell's this practical score? Makes no sense."
Ranks were based on combined written and practical totals. Scores listed separately made it easy to spot weak points.
A note at the bottom said cadets wanting score breakdowns should see their homeroom teacher. A few were already turning toward the staff room.
"Juyeon-woo! My, my rank!"
Han-seol poked my side. Then pointed upward with her finger.
Her rank jumped out right away. Impossible to miss.
1. Han-seol (Written 94 + Practical 87) "1st place!"
If I had to classify, Han-seol fell into the model student camp. Training when it was training time, studying when it was study time—she made the most of every moment as a cadet.
Worked way harder than a slacker like me. Her top scores felt downright inevitable.
"Practical's higher than I thought."
"Dropped out early though. Guess the teachers cut me some slack."
Geum Tae-yeon had gone on her rampage. Most cadets got knocked out pointlessly.
What had they shown in the process?
"Mine..."
I wasn't hung up on my rank or anything. Just curious, so I scanned for it.
77. Juyeon-woo (Written 54 + Practical 66) "......"
Han-seol took 1st. And here I was at a measly 77th.
With about 200 first-years, that bullshit week of suffering barely got me into the top 40%.
'All that hassle for nothing.'
What about our team?
Class President Mi ranked higher than me. 6th place.
Her written score beat even Han-seol's. How much studying does she even do?
Spotted Park A-young too. Way down the list.
We took the exam as the same team, but our practicals were miles apart.
'Practical score isn't just from the one exam, huh?'
Seemed like it folded in all past evaluations. No other way to explain Park A-young's score.
'That explains Han-seol's high mark.'
Joy and despair crossed paths in front of the board. Me? Neither happy nor sad.
Didn't study, after all.
Wasn't dreaming of being a real hero like Han-seol. No reason to sweat one academy grade.
Play around moderately, graduate, done.
'...Wanna check the second-years' too.'
Their rankings were on the second-year corridor board, I figured. Slipped over and took a peek.
Geum Tae-yeon was planted firmly in the upper ranks.
15. Geum Tae-yeon (Written 58 + Practical 100) Her overwhelming real-combat talent covered for the crappy written score.
100 points. Perfect evaluation.
No one disputed Geum Tae-yeon's practical. Everyone nodded along with the score.
"Hmm."
That aside, why no reaction? I even thanked her back at the exam site.
'Over because Han-seol found out?'
Possible scenario. Couldn't rule it out.
If that was the case, I'd have to worry about my future a little.
Unless Han-seol awakened as a full-on netorare masochist.
'It'll work itself out somehow.'
When the time was right, my body would handle it on autopilot. All I had to do was wait patiently.
I glanced around the second-year corridor before heading back to the C Class room.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Things with Han-seol were fine and dandy. Semester wrapped, summer break kicked off, but we kept hanging out.
My time at home dropped off a cliff.
Nothing to do alone, so to kill the boredom, I headed out. Mostly met up with Han-seol to mess around.
Couldn't initiate with Eum Ji-hye. Juyeon-hee had gone radio silent since running away.
No one to meet but Han-seol.
Naturally, motel and house visits ramped up. Problem was, we couldn't seal the deal properly.
"Why's this happening?"
Trying it with Han-seol, no erection. Lust hit fine, but my dick wouldn't cooperate.
She gave it her all, sucking and struggling desperately, but the damn thing stayed limp.
"Not happening today either..."
Han-seol laid the disappointment on thick. Nearly a whole month of this—no wonder she was frustrated.
"...Am I not good enough?"
Her confidence tanked. She let out a sigh that was basically self-loathing.
Sadly, I couldn't drop the truth on her.
'Can't exactly say I can't get it up until I fell for Geum Tae-yeon.'
From how things were going, Geum Tae-yeon wasn't gonna summon me herself. Practical exam evaluations wrapped ages ago, no messages.
'Does heroine Juyeon-woo have to cave to lust and go crawling to Geum Tae-yeon?'
Entirely possible. Couldn't be sure, though.
Parted ways with Han-seol and headed home.
"Hmm."
No twitch when Han-seol touched it. Solo relief? Hard in seconds. Weird as hell.
"No helping it."
Until Geum Tae-yeon called the shots, handies it was.
"......"
The pent-up lust from Han-seol fail. Tried soothing it solo in my room.
"...Huh?"
Shaking away, something felt off. That heartbreaking on-the-edge-but-no-release state dragged on.
Grotesque sensation. Like cum was hung up right at the tip, teasing agony.
The urge to blow screamed through my skull.
Hand sped up. Doubled down.
But no dice on cumming.
"Why... why..."
The question didn't linger. Past experience let me clock it quick.
My body was straight-up blocking the ejaculation.
My hand moved on its own. Snatched my smartphone, fired off a message to someone.
Read receipt vanished instantly. Then the call came through.
📱 Incoming Call 📱 Geum Tae-yeon