Midterms Are Solo (1)
The main residence of the Choi Jin Clan, located in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province.
Most of the buildings inside were constructed in the style of traditional hanoks, as if to ostentatiously display their emphasis on heritage. Deeper within lay...
"......"
Three people—a man and two women—were holding a private meeting.
One man sat in the seat of honor in the vast room.
Facing him sat one man and one woman.
How long did the silence stretch on?
Just as it was starting to feel awkward, the man in the seat of honor spoke up, gazing at his children seated before him.
He was Choi Jin-seok, patriarch of the Choi Jin Clan and guild master of the Jinsa Guild.
"As you both know, the reason I called you two here today is to ask for your intentions before the selection trial to determine our clan's successor."
The two nodded quietly in response.
Choi Jin-seok continued.
"Before we get to that, allow me to reiterate once more. If both of you take the selection trial to become the clan heir—"
Thud!
Choi Jin-seok placed the clan's sacred relic, the Cheongwol Sword, glowing with a blue light, before them and spoke.
"—you'll have the chance to contract with this Cheongwol Sword. But if you lose the trial, you must leave the clan. You both know that, right?"
"We do."
The first to answer was Choi Jin-geon, the eldest son of the Choi Jin Clan and current raid leader of the Jinsa Guild.
His eyes brimmed with unmistakable confidence as he replied assuredly.
But unlike him, Choi Ah-rin, sitting beside him, merely...
"Yes."
...nodded quietly in a small voice.
Choi Jin-seok addressed them—more precisely, Choi Ah-rin.
"Let me say it again: If you don't participate, that's fine. But if you do and lose, you leave the clan. This is our clan's time-honored tradition."
"I understand."
"......And you'll still do it?"
"I will."
At Choi Ah-rin's words, Choi Jin-seok stared at her intently. His expression soured oddly for a moment, but he soon nodded and said,
"Very well. The selection trial will be held in three weeks. You're dismissed."
Choi Jin-geon and Choi Ah-rin bowed their heads and exited Choi Jin-seok's room. The moment they stepped out,
"Tch, why drag it out like that?"
"What......?"
Choi Jin-geon didn't bother hiding his blatant hostility.
"Didn't you see Father's face? He was basically telling you to give up."
"......"
"Ah, so even a half-blood wants a shot at the patriarch seat?"
Choi Ah-rin shot him a venomous glare, but he smirked dismissively and pressed on.
"What, am I wrong?"
"......"
"Remember this: You're just an unwanted foreigner in the Choi Jin Clan. And maybe show a little tact while you're at it. Also—"
Choi Jin-geon smirked again.
"No matter that you placed second at Valhalla, don't think for a second you can beat me in the selection trial."
She opened her mouth to retort at his back but ultimately said nothing and clamped it shut.
"You could've just stayed quiet and kept leeching off the clan funds like an idiot."
Choi Jin-geon sneered at her and turned away, vanishing elsewhere.
"......"
Chewing over his words, she reminded herself of her position once more.
Choi Ah-rin of the Choi Jin Clan.
To the outside world, she was packaged that way, but within the clan, she was treated as an 'unwanted foreigner.'
And for good reason—she was the illegitimate child born between Choi Jin-seok and his mistress.
Of course, as one of the prestigious Five Great Clans, the Choi Jin Clan desperately hid that fact and did so effectively. But her treatment within the clan was always the same.
Always ignored by the main household members, subtly dismissed even by the main household servants.
That was the real life of Choi Ah-rin, hidden behind the mask presented to the world.
Yet the sole reason she endured such humiliation and insult, holding her ground silently, was one thing.
'I hope you become the clan patriarch and do what you want.'
Her mother's dying words, now faded even in voice, remembered only as that single sentence. It had been over ten years since her mother's death from illness.
Those words were why Choi Ah-rin had endured until now.
To honor her dying mother's wish.
That was why she'd overcome the loneliness of having no one's affection, swinging her sword alone without anyone's help.
But even with all that effort, Choi Ah-rin knew full well it would be hard to keep that promise.
Securing second place at Valhalla by swinging her sword alone without proper support was impressive, but her trial opponent, Choi Jin-geon, was an elite among elites, backed by every resource the main household could provide.
Moreover, while Choi Ah-rin had only the guardian constellation's blessing, Choi Jin-geon had already formed a regular contract with the guardian constellation.
The unfairness was obvious at a glance.
But feeling that unfairness didn't mean she could abandon the trial.
'I have to do it.'
Become the Choi Jin Clan patriarch.
She'd never once imagined what she'd do after becoming patriarch.
But that goal alone was her only pillar of support.
Thus.
'......I have to learn it. That swordsmanship.'
Choi Ah-rin clenched her fist, recalling the sight Kim Joo-hyuk had shown her then.
***
Kim Joo-hyuk's social circle wasn't exactly vibrant.
No, 'vibrant' was too generous; 'nonexistent' was more accurate. His relationships were that ruined.
You could tell just by looking at where he sat. Despite always taking the center seat at the very back of the classroom, hardly any students sat near him.
Back then, Yoo So-yeon had sat there a few times, but only for a few days. Lately, the only one chatting with him while sitting beside him was Choi Ah-rin.
Though not sitting next to him, the one who spoke with him often was Lilya, the labyrinth monster instructor.
That was it.
Yeah, just those two.
In the few weeks since enrolling at Valhalla, those were the only normal relationships he'd built where he could even talk.
But Kim Joo-hyuk actually didn't mind this at all.
For one, he wasn't leisurely enough to focus on socializing. And he saw this place as merely a pass-through.
'Why bother when I'll leave once the conditions are met?'
Exactly. Once he entered the Great Forest Eye, unless new conditions popped up, he planned to leave Valhalla.
His reason for being here was solely to fulfill those conditions.
With that mindset, Kim Joo-hyuk had no complaints about his social life.
Well, one gripe: lately, the Samoyed was getting too clingy, which was occasionally baffling.
"Joo-hyuk!"
"Here comes the Samoyed~"
In the physical training hall.
Kim Joo-hyuk, bench-pressing a weight markedly heavier than two weeks ago, muttered at the distant voice and finished his set.
"Look at this!"
Lilya shoved a stack of papers in his face.
"......Jungle Goblin Ecology Reassessment Report?"
"Thanks to you, the academy's in full panic mode! They're holding meeting after meeting! And once this theory's fully revised, my name goes up top!"
"Good for you."
Kim Joo-hyuk now spoke casually without a thought for polite speech.
But Lilya didn't mind his casual tone at all and replied readily.
"Now tell me about rock goblins!"
"Nah."
"Aww, come on~"
Lilya bounced around, shaking her snow-white bob.
Kim Joo-hyuk shook his head at her, recalling a week ago.
One week prior.
Unable to fend off Lilya's persistent visits, he'd casually shared what he knew about jungle goblin ecology.
He'd meant it as 'don't come back,' but afterward, she clung even harder.
'Damn pest~! Stop!'
'Please~ Just once~'
Even after hitting her with casual speech and curses, Lilya showed no offense and stuck to him.
But that didn't mean Kim Joo-hyuk planned to hand over info easily.
Troublesome was troublesome, info was info.
......Truth be told, giving in just because she was annoying felt like losing, so he'd maintained this dynamic with Lilya.
Her begging and clinging for info.
Him refusing because he hated losing.
"Nope, absolutely not~"
"Then trade like last time?"
"Don't need info~"
"Really? It's about the midterms."
Kim Joo-hyuk eyed Lilya—er, the Samoyed—smirking triumphantly with a dubious look.
"Isn't that illegal?"
Valhalla's midterms were notoriously stricter than elsewhere.
After all, they used midterm and final grades mainly to select students for expulsion.
Performance assessments mattered too, but only somewhat. Valhalla's midterms were rumored to be ruthlessly rigorous and fair.
"No one follows the law all the time."
"Weren't you just preaching about a teacher's duty the other day?"
"Th-that's different!"
"Yeah, sure."
"So, need it or not?"
"Nah~"
After about ten minutes of bickering,
"See you tomorrow!"
"Don't come!"
"Then Line chat!"
"Blocking you right away~"
She bolted from the training hall like the wind, citing a staff meeting.
[Geez, what a noisy woman.]
"Tell me about it."
[More importantly, midterms are coming up soon, huh.]
"?"
[Why that face?]
"No, I'm the student, so why are you talking like one?"
[Hm, probably because I've been listening in all this time.]
Indeed, ever since taking Barche out, Kim Joo-hyuk had kept the village sword stored via his storage skill except on certain occasions, so he'd attended all classes.
Mulling that over, Kim Joo-hyuk suddenly realized something and let out an oh of enlightenment.
"Hey, you've basically heard all the classes, right?"
[Why bring it up suddenly? Well, yeah, that's true.]
"Then you take the test."
[......What?]
"I barely paid attention, so you take it. I'll check the answers."
[......Isn't that proxy testing? Illegal?]
"No one follows the law all the time."
[......]