Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Giant Black Lizard Hunt
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“Please don’t say such nonsense.”
As I said that, I glanced subtly at Choi Seo-yoon.
Choi Seo-yoon was stealing glances at Lee Seo-jun, clearly conscious of him. She’d been the one bragging big to me, but really, she was the most hung up on those two.
“You’re the one paying the most attention yourself, yet you’re saying…”
“Huh? Me? Oh, no, I’m not.”
Well, look at her dodging it.
“You like Lee Seo-jun, don’t you?”
“…No. It’s admiration.”
Admiration… Well, her feelings might still be closer to that for now.
In the original story, Choi Seo-yoon didn’t fall head over heels for Lee Seo-jun until after a few incidents in the special class.
But I couldn’t deny that even now, she was feeling some rational attraction to him.
“Hmm.”
Come to think of it, with me switched into Choi Seo-yoon’s group for this special class, the story had changed.
In the original, the group activities in the special class were what made Choi Seo-yoon fall for Lee Seo-jun hard. But since she and I were grouped together now, that development might disappear altogether.
If that happened, Lee Seo-jun would lose a powerful ally in Choi Seo-yoon, and his survival rate might drop even lower than before his regression.
What should I do?
Should I try to hook Choi Seo-yoon up with Lee Seo-jun…?
Choi Seo-yoon and I were wandering through the monster field.
Our destination was a small mountain behind the campsite.
We’d gotten a briefing from the teacher on the monster field, monster habitats, and hunting methods, then been thrown into the field.
The teacher had assigned missions to each group, and ours was to hunt a giant black lizard and bring back its hide and horn.
I didn’t get why we were doing this on the first day of special class training, but orders were orders, so we had no choice.
“…How are we supposed to find a giant black lizard in this huge place?”
Choi Seo-yoon muttered with a sigh.
“Tell me about it.”
“I heard Seung-ah’s group got monster fairy.”
“Monster fairy? What? The difficulty difference is insane.”
Monster fairies were common monsters scattered across various habitats in the monster field.
On the other hand, the giant black lizard was so rare you could comb the mountains and still not spot one.
We might not find it by the end of the day.
“And it’s already getting dark. The weather’s turning cold too.”
It was currently 8:30 p.m. The sun had set long ago.
Especially at night, monsters grew more ferocious, so you had to be extra careful traversing a monster field like this.
“Watch your step.”
“Yes.”
-Grrooo…
A monster’s growl echoed from somewhere.
“Eek. Scary.”
Choi Seo-yoon shrank back a little.
“It’s too dark to see. Should I light up the area with magic?”
“No. It’ll scare the monsters away.”
“Oh, right.”
Choi Seo-yoon nodded as if convinced. We kept walking like that for about 20 minutes. I shot her a sidelong glance and spoke up.
“Choi Seo-yoon.”
“Yes?”
“Want me to help you get with Lee Seo-jun?”
“…Huh?”
My out-of-the-blue comment filled her eyes with confusion.
“What’s that supposed to mean all of a sudden?”
“Exactly what I said.”
Of course, even if I helped, the odds of them getting together were slim.
Lee Seo-jun had a powerful childhood friend in Lee Hyun-joo by his side.
But if Choi Seo-yoon fell for him like in the original, it would bring huge stability to future developments and Lee Seo-jun’s survival.
So, I was inclined to give her a push.
Choi Seo-yoon eyed me suspiciously for a while before speaking.
“Sunbae, did you eat something bad?”
As she said that, she clapped her hands as if realizing something.
“I get it. It’s because of Park Min-ye sunbae, right? You’re worried I’ll go after Lee Seo-jun sunbae?”
Choi Seo-yoon grinned slyly.
I hadn’t expected Park Min-ye—Jang Ye—to come up again.
“Hey, you…”
I started to scold her but stopped.
“Sigh. Think whatever you want.”
“Should I help push you and Park Min-ye sunbae together?”
Choi Seo-yoon giggled. She’d completely misunderstood.
“No need.”
“Why not? You’re even offering to set me up with Lee Seo-jun sunbae, so it must be more than just liking her a little.”
“Shut up.”
“You’re embarrassed.”
—Rraaagh!
Right then, a monster’s screech rang out from somewhere.
“Huh? Looks like another group took down a monster.”
“Yeah. When are we gonna find and kill ours?”
We were chatting idly like that when suddenly a chill ran down my spine.
At the same time, thumping footsteps approached from afar.
I instinctively reinforced my body with mana. Then I swiftly grabbed Choi Seo-yoon’s wrist and yanked her toward me.
“Kyaa!”
Swoosh!
Something shot past at high speed through the spot where Choi Seo-yoon had just been.
It was a monster ambush.
I turned my gaze toward the monster’s direction.
A black lizard crouched there, glaring at us.
“S-Sunbae! It hurts!”
“Oh, sorry.”
I released Choi Seo-yoon’s wrist. I’d unknowingly gripped it tight with mana-reinforced strength.
Hope she’s okay. That must’ve hurt.
“You good?”
“Ow. Yeah, for now.”
Choi Seo-yoon rubbed her wrist and said that. Then she turned her eyes to the monster that had just ambushed us.
“…Giant black lizard?”
“Yeah. Get ready for battle.”
Giant black lizard.
It was the very monster we’d been hunting for our mission. We’d been struggling to find it, but it had kindly shown up right in front of us.
“I’ll handle it. Support me from behind just in case.”
“Yes!”
I manifested magic orbs above my hands and stepped forward.
The giant black lizard growled lowly, probing me, then charged.
-Kaang!
I calmly unleashed magic at the lizard. It twisted its body with agile movements, dodging my attack.
“Tch!”
I prepared a follow-up attack right away.
That’s when it happened. A surge of powerful mana came from behind me, and an ice spear shot toward the beast.
Swoooosh!
Crack!
The ice spear pierced its leg at blinding speed. The creature rolled on the ground with a horrific scream.
“Whoa.”
I was impressed by the clean spellcasting. As expected of the top 1st-year. But I didn’t have time to admire it.
I gathered mana and manifested a new spell.
With its movements restricted now, this was the perfect timing to finish it off.
Whoooosh.
A magic orb floated above my hand.
I thrust it out toward the creature’s forehead.
After the battle with the giant black lizard ended.
Choi Seo-yoon and I were butchering its corpse.
She skillfully sliced off the lizard’s horn and hide with an ice knife conjured by magic.
Blood was splattering everywhere—it should’ve been gruesome—but she showed no fear.
“This should do it, right?”
“Yeah. Looks good enough. Good work.”
“Phew~ Finally done.”
Choi Seo-yoon stood up and stretched big.
Then she glanced at me and spoke.
“Oh, right! Thanks for earlier, sunbae.”
Her sudden gratitude made me look at her. Choi Seo-yoon was smiling at me with her usual bright expression. Probably thanks for saving her from the giant black lizard’s ambush.
And then.
[The character ‘Choi Seo-yoon’ feels gratitude toward you.]
[You acquire 1,000 points as a reward.]
The message popped up, so it seemed genuine.
“No big deal. Let’s head back.”
She nodded quietly with a smile at my response.
“But sunbae, your reaction time was crazy fast earlier. Got some secret technique? Looked like a reinforcement wizard.”
Choi Seo-yoon rubbed her slightly red wrist as she said that.
“My reactions are fast because you were careless.”
“Sigh. Even when I compliment you.”
Choi Seo-yoon pouted.
Ignoring her, I headed straight for the campsite assembly point.
Time passed.
Choi Seo-yoon and I made it back to the campsite before long.
When we submitted the giant black lizard’s horn and hide, Park Jung-wan looked surprised.
“Oh. That’s a tough one to find, but you finished quicker than expected? Good job, Choi Seo-yoon, Kim Sun-woo.”
“Yes.”
After wrapping up everything, Choi Seo-yoon and I sat in an empty spot.
Glancing around, surprisingly few students had completed their missions.
Lee Seo-jun hadn’t returned yet either.
I was a bit worried about him being alone with Jang Ye, but the current Lee Seo-jun wouldn’t go down easily even to a surprise attack from her, so no need to fret too much.
As I was lost in thought, Lee Seo-jun and Jang Ye arrived right on cue.
Lee Seo-jun held a ‘giant beast fang’ in his hand. He showed it to Park Jung-wan.
“Good work, Lee Seo-jun, Park Min-ye. Return to your seats and rest.”
“Yes.”
Lee Seo-jun nodded and sat down with Jang Ye.
The handsome guy and pretty girl together looked like a painting.
From their conversation, they seemed to have gotten pretty close.
I glanced at Choi Seo-yoon.
Surprisingly, she wasn’t paying them any mind and was staring at her smart student handbook.
But her expression was a bit serious.
‘I know what’s up.’
It was the start of the Choi Seo-yoon-related episode from the original story.
The Choi family, known as one of the five great magic noble houses, had many enemies.
Especially her father, Choi Jae-hyung, who never forgave anyone blocking his path, had amassed a ton of foes due to his ruthless personality.
Some of those people, desperate for revenge on Choi Jae-hyung, had plotted to use his only daughter, Choi Seo-yoon.
And among them were even demons, making the situation dire.
She’d probably sensed malicious intent toward her recently and reported it to the Wizards Association. But just now, she must’ve gotten a message that the investigation ended with no results.
“Something bothering you?”
“…Huh? No.”
At my question, Choi Seo-yoon looked up from her smart student handbook and flashed her usual fake smile. But I could sense the anxiety in her eyes.
“I can tell something’s up.”
“If something’s wrong, will you help?”
Choi Seo-yoon stared straight into my eyes. I met her gaze and replied.
“Who knows.”
She looked baffled at my answer.
“‘Who knows’ what?”
Instead of answering, I shrugged. It was an ambiguous response, mixing my wish for her to rely on Lee Seo-jun instead of me with worry that some butterfly effect might bring her harm.
Unaware of my inner conflict, Choi Seo-yoon sighed deeply.
“Whatever. You won’t even step up and offer to help. So heartless.”
She stuck out her lower lip. I just chuckled idly.
Late into the night.
In the pitch-black hideout of the Ten Demon Council, a vortex of mana swirled into existence. It gradually took shape, forming into a man.
The man walked through the darkness to a spot and stopped before a massive, ornate throne.
The man lounging bored on the throne—the king—spoke.
“Sung Jin. What brings you here at this hour?”
“I have a report regarding the Demonic Duel Realm.”
The king’s loyal vassal and S-Rank Demon, Sung Jin, knelt before him. The king stared at him and said,
“Speak.”
“Our investigation revealed that the exam hall where the Demonic Duel Realm was installed during the Magic Academy midterms had no CCTV. With no other leads, we relied on rumors to track it.”
“And?”
“The 2nd-year sparring exam still had two hours left, so most 18-year-olds were doing personal training to warm up. But from info gathered from reporters and guild scouts, we identified one 18-year-old present in the exam hall.”
The king looked at Sung Jin.
“Who?”
“Lee Seo-jun.”
“…Lee Seo-jun?”
“Yes.”
The king fell silent for a moment. He needed to think.
“Lee Seo-jun… Is this the Lee Seo-jun I know?”
“Yes, it is.”
“…To think Lee Seo-jun was the child of demon slayers.”
Lee Seo-jun.
He was already famous among demons—there wasn’t a soul who hadn’t heard of him.