Chapter 41
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Just Keep Going Like This
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Yeah, I should just keep going like this.
Snap!
In the corridors of Hero Academy's first-year freshmen lately, the same sound echoed at around the same time every day.
Those cadets who didn't know the full story wondered if it was some new bell they had installed.
Those in the know, who saw it every day, always found it fresh and enjoyable in its own way.
Snap!
"How can you say such shameless nonsense to me over the phone?!"
"I stopped halfway, that's why. It feels unfinished... If I had to put it into words, refreshingly disappoint..."
Snap!
"What do you mean 'refreshingly disappoint'!"
Whish! Snap! Snap!
Airi, who topped the rankings but was underrated due to her title as the daughter of a fallen family.
Kim Geon-ho, who ranked at the bottom yet earned high praise for single-handedly hunting a lesser giant, Pemb.
The sight of these two bickering and slapping each other every morning had become something of a spectacle.
"Enough."
And recently, one more person had joined this spectacle.
"How long do you plan on slapping another woman's husband?"
Heila, who had transferred in and immediately shaken up the top ranks like a comet.
She grabbed Airi's wrist firmly, directed her words at Airi, but kept her gaze fixed on Kim Geon-ho.
"Do you think it's right to flirt with another woman when your fiancée is glaring daggers at you?"
"I didn't ask for it, but things just ended up that way."
"All these relationships need to be sorted out before the marriage."
Heila, demanding the obvious as a fiancée.
The woman who wouldn't bat an eye at any man's advances couldn't rein in her playboy fiancé—what an irony.
The cadets had seen this scene countless times, yet found it endlessly fascinating. At the same time, they knew exactly how it would end.
"I'll sort it out my way, so honey..."
"W-Who are you calling honey?! We haven't even had the engagement ceremony yet!"
"It's going to happen anyway, so why not get used to it early? You introduce me as your husband too."
"That's because you can't manage your surroundings properly... Ugh, whatever! Just behave yourself!"
Though it looked like Heila was scolding him one-sidedly, the result was always Kim Geon-ho's victory.
His sly smile and masterful way of handling women had reached the realm of art.
'Honestly, it's a play only Kim Geon-ho could pull off.'
He had a bad reputation as a wastrel, but up close, Kim Geon-ho wasn't that simple.
For starters, his publicly acknowledged strength was a given, but what else...
'Aura? Charisma?'
It wasn't something you could easily put into words, but he made it look natural, and somehow, no one around him found it unpleasant.
Maybe because he was talented enough to cross lines without overdoing it, creating an atmosphere of "well, that's just how it is."
He didn't bother anyone much, so most people harbored no ill feelings.
But naturally, there were groups who didn't look kindly on such antics.
Just as people like or dislike without much reason.
"Kim Geon-ho, you're disrupting the academic atmosphere."
And the most representative of those groups was Rastel.
Not content with being harshly criticized by Marren and Heila in class, he'd even called Kim Geon-ho and gotten chewed out by his secretary, so he couldn't view him positively.
'What the hell does this guy have going for him?!'
He had to acknowledge the feat of catching a lesser giant Pemb, but there were plenty of conditions attached.
It was in a lifeless area, it wasn't a full adult specimen.
And a miracle of compounded luck at improbable odds, and so on.
'If I were in the same situation, I could've caught it easily.'
That was Rastel's conclusion, based solely on self-proclaimed experts' opinions without knowing the full process.
So he'd approached to give a stern warning, and only then did he realize why no one was around Kim Geon-ho.
"No harm to others, conversation outside to avoid disrupting the mood. Tatakum, I don't see the problem. Explain."
"...Tatakum."
"Did you call me?"
Tatakum, the candidate for great warrior of the Tata tribe.
No idea how he'd won him over, but Tatakum had appointed himself as Kim Geon-ho's bodyguard.
'What... is this, some organization?'
With three beauties in tow and a sturdy bodyguard to boot, Kim Geon-ho looked every bit the boss of some outfit.
Not some ballooned-up gang of numbers for show, but a tight elite unit of compact, battle-hardened muscle.
Kim Geon-ho and Tatakum exuded contrasting auras, perfectly dominating the surroundings.
In truth, that was why the cadets felt no discomfort—they kept the atmosphere firmly in check.
Like a massive aquarium where two fierce orcas swam peacefully, lulling everyone into a false sense of world peace.
"Kim Geon-ho! Now that you're in Hero Academy, you have to join a club! Why not the student council?"
Rastel, no orca but at least a shark, felt positioned to confront him head-on.
"Nah, don't think I'll join. What're you talking about joining?"
"...I said the student council would be better."
"Oh, really? Still not interested."
You creeped on my women, so I don't like you.
"What kind of joke is th—?!"
Rastel tried to retort immediately upon hearing Kim Geon-ho's words.
But...
"Does it look like a joke?"
The sudden shift in Kim Geon-ho's demeanor left him speechless.
'T-Tiger...'
They say when you face a beast, your legs go weak and you can't move.
Rastel felt the terror of a tiger about to devour him.
"The sudden calls too... I don't like it, you."
Whoosh—!
Behind Kim Geon-ho, where no beast should appear.
A scarred tiger materialized there.
Far from the nobility and dignity the Mountain Lords pursued.
Its fur, which should gleam, was matted with sticky blood; its body covered in wounds, hardly intact.
Yet the fear it inspired came from its claws and piercing gaze.
'...I'm dead.'
Eyes promising to rip out his throat at the slightest opening.
Claws ready to shred flesh and tear out innards.
"Hah... huff..."
Breathing became labored.
Killing intent so thick it made him want to beg for his life.
Rastel, heir to the Empire, wasn't powerless, but he was crushed before he could muster it.
Helplessness and exhaustion surged, on the verge of collapse.
"Be careful."
Tatakum supported Rastel.
"..."
Careful of what?
Not falling? Or not provoking Kim Geon-ho?
His ambiguous words puzzled him briefly.
But as Tatakum steadied him, Rastel felt the oppressive killing intent vanish.
Because Tatakum protected him? Or Kim Geon-ho pitied his state?
Neither.
"Rastel, didn't you say you're top of the ranks? If you're this much... you'd make a fine first-year snack?"
Kim Geon-ho had lost interest in Rastel.
That was why Rastel could breathe again.
"...I'll never forget this humiliation."
Feeling the greatest shame of his life, Rastel fled the scene.
To humiliate him worse in return, what he needed most now was to grow stronger.
While Kim Geon-ho pressured Rastel.
He'd controlled his power, but still unskilled at handling Ferocious Tiger's might, a trace of killing intent had leaked.
"Hic!"
Weaker cadets suffered unexplained hiccups, sudden tremors, or in severe cases, full-body shakes.
"What's up, my body's shaking all of a sudden?"
"Earthquake or something?"
A phenomenon from the overwhelming power gap.
Yet due to Ferocious Tiger's nature, they couldn't even pinpoint the source.
But two who knew Kim Geon-ho well clearly recognized it.
"...How can a man ignorant of honor wield such power."
One was Heila.
"..."
By process of elimination, the other was Airi.
It was like seeing a usually slovenly guy suddenly suited up with perfect makeup.
Thump thump.
An unexpected display of power from an odd place, but his unusually cool demeanor was enough to make a girl's heart race.
Normally, Marren should have been there too, but after yesterday, she was resting at Kim Geon-ho's place.
Part of it was the curse forcibly taking over, weakening her, but the main reason was...
"My pussy hurts..."
Kim Geon-ho had ravaged her even through the curse, nearly wrecking her down there.
He'd pounded her promising "physical therapy," so bruises inside her thighs were inevitable.
Bruised, pussy throbbing, school was out of the question.
Marren's absence due to excessive sex.
A new achievement unlocked for the sinful man, Kim Geon-ho.
'I could just keep going like this, right?'
That was his conclusion after spending the academy day glued to them.
He'd planned to hustle toward becoming the protagonist, but the vibe suggested this was peak already.
'Great atmosphere too...'
Most classmates judged it wiser to go along with him than oppose, so they stayed quiet.
A few like Rastel popped up, but they were negligible.
'So now, just handle the club thing.'
Not optional, mandatory— a rule to encourage broad experiences in first year.
Good intent, but he didn't fancy joining one and schmoozing.
'Might as well make my own.'
Quick check: minimum five members for founding. Perfect fit.
Me, Marren, Airi, Heila, Tatakum.
Lineup so stellar, approval was guaranteed.
"I'm here to start a club."
So he went straight to Professor Ran and stated his business.
"You know the requirements?"
"Yes, five members including president, and a supervising professor."
"All set?"
"Members ready, Professor Ran can supervise."
"...So brazen, almost thought we'd discussed it already."
Professor Ran treated him equally despite his wastrel rep, a true educator.
So she didn't dismiss it, gesturing for him to spill.
"Dungeon Exploration Club, for external activities, skill-building, and combat experience."
"No, too dangerous."
"That's why we need you. Activities with professor, targeting low-priority low-grade dungeons to contribute to society."
"...Intentions too noble."
"And everyone has the skill to back it."
In truth, an excuse—the real need was preempting future threats.
Some incidents could be nipped with forewarning, minimal effort for big rewards and growth.
"Three chances. No results after three activities, it's off the table."
"Understood."
Professor Ran stamped temporary approval on his plan, expectant.
"Confidence says first activity's set?"
"Yes."
First target: succubus dungeon.
'No ulterior motives.'
Purely for clues to lift Marren's curse.
Truly no other intent.
'Can't wait to see the girls' faces smelling that aphrodisiac.'
Honest.