Chapter 37
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Will You Switch Seats?
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Will you switch seats with me?
"Back in my day, I was so pressed for time that I didn't even sleep—I trained nonstop... What the hell is wrong with kids these days..."
"Wow, you're such a boomer."
"I don't know what that means, but it's definitely an insult."
'Quick on the uptake, huh.'
The moment I entered the Mental Realm, I shot back at his nagging, and the inaugural Ferocious Tiger picked up on it instantly, like it was nothing.
"To think the successor I've finally connected with after so long is a wastrel son like you... Ferocious Tiger has truly run its course."
"You say that, but you're worried the lineage will die out..."
"Talking back to your master?"
Time to drill respect for elders into him the hard way.
With those words, the inaugural Ferocious Tiger closed the distance in the blink of an eye.
'He was at least 20 meters away for sure.'
Did he teleport or something?
As I pondered that, he ignored my reaction and kept rambling on.
"You're just a kid with decent strength at best. Ferocious Tiger kills with minimal force—overpowering with brute size is for those detail-blind Mountain Lord idiots."
Thud, crack!
His fist shot out naturally mid-sentence, slamming into my jaw.
It was on another level from my clumsy Heaven and Earth Shaker.
This wasn't just shaking heaven and earth—it felt like flipping them upside down.
"Urghhhh...!"
The world spun—heaven became ground, ground became heaven—and I puked up everything inside me.
"Your Heaven and Earth Shaker is solid enough for real use, but the goal isn't shaking—it's overturning."
He didn't care if I was vomiting; he just kept talking.
"Ferocious Tiger doesn't aim for maximum power. Unless it's all-out, you don't go all-out. Just enough strength to kill—that's it."
"What is strength? Endless definitions out there, but Ferocious Tiger's is clear: toying with your prey's life and death. That's strength."
He finished and waited patiently for me to stagger back up.
"Avoid daggers and knuckles if you can—they're hindrances for someone who can't even manifest True Name."
"Pardon?"
What the hell was that about all of a sudden?
I stared at him in confusion, and he answered as if he'd anticipated it.
"You can't even handle the Ferocious Tiger Energy inside you—how do you plan to draw external energy?"
"You're a novice without solid basics. That Viscera Tear you used on... what was it, Tatakum? That should've been full power barehanded."
"I'll teach you today. Feel it with your body first."
Pardon? With my body?
Before I could retort, he slipped into my guard. One blink, and he'd created an impossible opening with footwork that defied logic.
By the time I registered it, he was in striking range; by the time I saw it, the attack had landed.
"Call me Master from now on."
Viscera Extraction.
With that—the inaugural Ferocious Tiger, no, my master's final words—I blacked out.
'Fuck...'
I'll get stronger and land one good hit on him someday.
A firm resolve from this new disciple's perspective.
Click-clack-click-clack.
I wasn't wearing shoes, but it felt like I could hear heels echoing.
Swishhh.
The academy hallway looked the same as yesterday, yet it seemed like a red carpet had been rolled out—an optical illusion.
Bang! Parade!
Bang! Parade!
"The lady's coming!"
Of course, there was no wedding march or herald announcing her arrival.
But everyone in the hallway felt the corridor transform with her mere presence.
"So this is Hero Academy?"
She boldly critiqued a place others despaired at even approaching.
Step! Step! Step!
The cadets hearing her showed no displeasure—they plastered themselves against the walls.
Deep down, they knew blocking her path was unthinkable.
All they could do was hold their breath and reread yesterday's article in their minds.
Mountain Lords and Radmos Family Engagement Confirmed! Official Announcement: Mountain Lords Heir Eldest Son Kim Geon-ho and Radmos Family Heiress Heila's Engagement Is Real!
Mountain Lords Side: "Anyone thinking of foul play on this blessed path will be crushed flat."
Holy fuck... this real? Not wastrel vs lady, but wastrel x lady?
What combo is this? Pics make 'em look like a perfect couple lol plausible af ㅋㅋ
But as a Hero Academy guy, I know Kim Geon-ho's got a girlfriend?
This dude's gonna get wrecked by Mountain Lords fr
Agreed ㅋㅋ Mountain Lords don't sue—they just kill crazy bitches outright
No fr, Kim Geon-ho's always with girls—wtf is this engagement?
This guy's done for... true or not, GTFO.
'That... article was real?'
Otherwise, there was no explaining why Heila—who'd declared no interest in academy studies—had come to Hero Academy.
Her radiant golden hair and starry eyes.
Even in the same uniform, the fabric seemed finer on her; the practical sneakers felt like luxury heels.
She embodied "people as luxury goods" just by existing, and headed straight for Kim Geon-ho's class.
Transfer paperwork done, class assignment received—only one task left.
"Will you switch seats with me?"
Claiming the seat next to her philandering fiancé.
Stick close, find an opening for humiliation, deliver a thorough lesson, then break the engagement—that was Heila's goal.
Securing the spot beside Kim Geon-ho was priority one.
But even Heila hadn't foreseen this...
"No."
His seatmate was Marren Mayribel.
"No?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"'Cause I'm Geon-ho's seatmate."
From their first exchange, they instinctively knew they could never get along.
The moment Heila entered the class, Marren unconsciously radiated killing intent; Heila brushed it off casually as she spoke.
"An arranged family engagement like that can be crushed anytime, right? It's fake anyway."
Marren smiled thinly, her eyes dead cold.
"Fake?"
Heila laughed in disbelief at the implication hidden in that smile.
"Yeah, fake."
"You don't like my husband, do you?"
"Isn't it obvious? We're seatmates, and Geon-ho and I are getting real close."
Crackle, crackle.
Was the spark between their gazes an illusion or real?
Either way, the surrounding mana churned wildly with every exchange.
"He's just a playboy who confuses lust and love—you need to snap out of it."
"Why keep calling him 'my husband'? It's just an engagement."
The underworld clan's heiress versus the imperial family's honor-bound heiress.
For them, Kim Geon-ho's seat was no longer just a spot—it was pride, a line that couldn't be crossed.
'...Where the hell is Kim Geon-ho?'
The classmates could only watch breathlessly, dying inside.
But heroes emerge in crises.
Rastel Apael, crown prince of leading conglomerate Empire, opened his mouth to end the war.
"Everyone, stop—why not like me instead? Better than Kim Geon-ho..."
"Rastel, shut it before I rip your mouth."
"Better than my husband? Hmm, you don't look it."
"..."
It took a mere 3 seconds to lose without even breaking even.
Marren and Heila, brief allies, resumed battle.
"Engagements are formalities—we'll live together, cherish each other; girls he fooled around with have no place."
"You wish. You haven't even made progress with Geon-ho."
"How long do you think body-based bonds last? It's fleeting—you're deluded."
Crackle-crackle-crackle.
Rumble-rumble-rumble.
The classroom, perfectly still moments ago, began to shake like an earthquake.
"Third party with no real ties but the clan."
"Slut who thinks pussy conquers all."
"Brainless idiot whose whole vocab is 'honor.'"
"Daring to speak when you can't even show your face."
The Radmos and Mayribel families had never gotten along—frontstage glory versus backstage shadows.
Light and darkness, literally!
A powder keg ready to explode before even a formal duel!
"Ah!"
Slap!
Suddenly, a slap echoed from the hall, followed by Kim Geon-ho's whining.
"No, you did it wrong... it's not what we agreed... that's why I'm asking you to keep your promise—why slap me first?!"
"Shut up, you player! Idiot! Don't talk to me ever again!"
Slap!
Kim Geon-ho had been desperately begging Airi Grashiel for the handjob she'd cut short yesterday.
Airi, slapping his cheeks mercilessly—slap! slap!—strode into the class.
"Still... we're classmates with history—how can you be so heartless... Huh?"
Then Kim Geon-ho saw it.
All eyes on him.
"Husband? Some slut's taken your seat next to you?"
"Geon-ho, I'm thrilled right now—if you don't explain properly, it's gonna be so fun."
Two killing intents hurtling toward his heart.
And finally...
"Y-You real player..."
Slap! Slap!
Airi's rage-fueled double slap.
Processing it all at once, Kim Geon-ho muttered briefly.
"Call 119 right now."
I might actually die here.