The Heavy-Bottomed Talent

If you follow the path northwest from the student plaza, an old-fashioned building soon appears. The moment you open the door, the scent of paper aged by time gently tickles your nose. Crimson lighting bathes rows of waiting books. This place, which holds all the knowledge of the world, is the library of Raven Academy.

In the comfortable, quiet atmosphere, I found an empty seat and sat down. A few students were already hunched over their desks, tackling homework or reviewing the day’s lessons. The scene was no different from any ordinary high school. The fierce drive to get into a good university didn’t spare hunter cadets. To become a pro hunter, you had to perfectly complete basic mandatory education—Korean, math, ethics—alongside brutal physical training. Of course, there was plenty of specialized hunter coursework on top of that.

Only after mastering both pen and sword could academy students be reborn as hunters capable of commanding armies in the field or serving as ministers in the palace. And the constellation I was targeting this time was the one who watched over humans absorbed in study.

I immediately pulled out the book I’d prepared in advance. That was when Lens spoke up.

“Plan? Oh… you mean my constellation-collecting plan?”

Lens had been snickering to himself, but now he pointed a finger at me and continued in his raspy, theatrical voice.

“Thanks for the advice, Lens.”

I already knew that, of course. Among the benevolent constellations, this one was especially arrogant. The more human desire gathered, the stronger its power grew. In Korea, it was common to see students and parents praying to gods for college admissions. Those prayers were all aimed at earning its favor.

It received an absurd amount of attention in this country. That made drawing its gaze incredibly difficult. Even now, countless people were probably inside temples performing 108 bows just to catch its eye.

But I possessed a special trait that let me attract a constellation’s interest. On top of that, I had already researched its tastes. All that remained was the seduction.

I flipped open the hunter textbook Understanding Monsters to the first page.

From here on, my job was simple: study like hell. I had learned the key details after spending 500 points last night on censored information from the guidebook.

The price was steep, but I boldly tapped purchase.

Yes.

The information I received was very satisfying. This constellation ignored prayers. Instead, it spent all day following humans who were studying. Its favorite haunt was a quiet library, though it occasionally showed up in exam halls. That was exactly why I had come here—to this quiet library.

Right on cue, a new narration sounded.

It felt like I had gained another whiny companion. These guys really only cared about physical exertion. Then again, I wasn’t any different. I didn’t hate studying, but I had never planned to hit the books seriously from the first day of the semester. Very few people actually found studying fun, and I definitely wasn’t one of them.

A new voice. It must have heard the sound of me opening the book. I immediately picked up my pen. From now on, I had to focus.

Scratch, scratch—

If I had to describe how I felt right then, I would say studying was genuinely enjoyable. A smile never left my face the entire time. I could grow stronger at an insane speed and watch the results with my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠own eyes. An endless sense of tangible progress. Yeah, I wasn’t the old Ha Yeonjun anymore.

Before I knew it, four hours had passed since I started studying. The current time ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was 9:00 p.m. The only sounds in the library were the scratch of pens, the rustle of turning pages, and Lens polishing his camera lens. The number of people inside had slowly dwindled.

“Huuuup!”

I stretched my arms high. That was when someone slid a note in front of me. I looked up to see a small girl with glasses peeking over the desk, only her face visible.

A kid…?

The note read, in cute handwriting: -Hello.

I wrote back: -Who are you?

-Oh Ha-yul from Class 2.

…Who?

She must have read my expression, because she started scribbling again.

-You know Si-eun, right? I’m her friend.

Ah…

When I nodded, she continued writing.

-What do you think of our Si-eun?

Huh? What do I think?

-Just…

At that moment—bonk. Her head jerked.

“Ouch!”

The person who appeared next was Ju Si-eun. She had grabbed Oh Ha-yul by the ear.

“W-wait, Si-eun! That’s not what I—”

The sudden commotion drew every eye in the library. Ju Si-eun’s face flushed bright red as she hastily dragged her friend outside. Even while being pulled away, she didn’t forget to wave at me. Her tiny voice reached my ears.

“Hello, Yeonjun. Sorry for bothering you.”

I hadn’t seen Ju Si-eun in a while. She disappeared before I could even return the greeting. What was that all about…?

It was a bit confusing, but thanks to her, I was able to refocus on my studies. At least the flow hadn’t been completely broken.

Another hour passed.

That was when someone quietly sat down beside me.

“Hey.”

It was Oh Ha-yul again. This time, however, her mood was noticeably gloomy. Her red glasses sat crooked on her nose.

When I blinked at her in confusion, she spoke first.

“It’s okay to talk now. There’s basically no one else here.”

“Ah…”

Come to think of it, the library had grown deserted. Had it really gotten this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠late? As I looked around, Oh Ha-yul stared straight at me. There was a strange glint in her eyes.

“So, about what happened that day when you were with Si-eun… can you tell me too?”

“What do you mean, what happened?”

“You know, the part where you showed up like a prince on a white horse and saved her! She won’t give me any details no matter how many times I ask.”

Prince on a white horse? Come to think of it, I had ended up bleeding from the back of my head and passing out… Ju Si-eun had probably seen that pathetic sight along with the police.

Damn it!

I shook my head quickly. “I-it’s not like that! Prince on a white horse? No way.”

“Are you being shy right now? Hehe.”

“I’m not shy!”

I was still being toyed with by the tiny Oh Ha-yul when—

“Ha-yul!”

Ju Si-eun’s voice rang out. She was carrying an armful of thick books, her cheeks faintly pink.

“Stop saying weird things and help me organize these!”

“S-Si-eun… you heard…?”

“Hurry!”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Oh Ha-yul answered like a frightened puppy. Ju Si-eun’s gaze then shifted to me. She gave an awkward smile.

“Yeonjun, just… ignore whatever Ha-yul said, okay?”

“Uh, sure?”

“Got it…?”

With that, she scurried between the bookshelves with quick steps. For some reason, her retreating figure looked like a little puppy. Maybe it was just my imagination.

Oh Ha-yul nudged my side.

“Ahem! So, Mr. Ha Yeonjun, have you thought about which club you want to join?”

“Club?”

“Actually, Si-eun and I are in the book club. That’s why we’re still here this late. So… would you be interested in joining us?”

She handed me a promotional flyer for the book club.

If you love literature, the book club ‘Bookmark’ welcomes all new students…

She continued, “We’re in danger ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of shutting down because we don’t have enough members, but we’re still barely hanging on. Anyway, we’d definitely welcome you, so contact us if you’re interested!”

“Yeah, got it.”

Oh Ha-yul stood up and left. The book club, huh… Truthfully, I had always enjoyed reading since I was young. Of course, that was limited to web novels, but if web novels counted as books, I wouldn’t mind joining.

Anyway! The interrupters were gone, so I could concentrate again.

One hour… two hours… then five hours.

I studied with insane focus. By the end, I was the only person left in the library. When the clock finally struck 4 a.m. the next morning, I was stretching when a timid narration sounded.

It had finally shown interest!

At last, the qualification review had appeared. As expected from a benevolent constellation, the mission wasn’t excessive. I smiled. Everything I had planned so far was proceeding smoothly.

But I couldn’t let my guard down here. If I passed this review, I would have a total of three viewer constellations. I tapped the Viewer Constellation List button.

This menu had only become accessible after I accepted Muscle Pain Lover as a viewer. As you could see, Beating Maestro was currently feeling bored. The boredom system had five stages: [Fun], [Interest], [Average], [Boredom], and [No Fun]. Once it reached [No Fun], the daily mission difficulty would increase—meaning it would become excessive.

Right now, Beating Maestro’s daily mission difficulty had already gone up one level, and it would probably stay in the [Boredom] state for a while. Still, there was no telling when it might change its mind again. It was the type of viewer that got bored especially quickly—a real pain.

That was exactly why I was increasing the number of viewer constellations. Showing the same scene for twenty-four hours straight was far less effective at managing boredom than switching scenes to give the audience a breather.

“If I had contracted with the benevolent constellations first, I wouldn’t have to worry about any of this,” I muttered, stretching.

“But what can I do… I already signed with the pain in the ass.”

It had been listening? Don’t worry. I’ll set up a proper stage for you soon.

Once I finished this qualification review, I would gain another 1,000 points. In other words, I could become even stronger. My heart was already pounding at the thought of how much stronger I would get. After I finished this review, I should head out and run an experiment. There was a good spot near the library.